STEC4500
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[edit] STEC4500 Science and Technology Undergraduate Research
Welcome to the STEC4500 course wiki page. Interested Faculty mentors can provide abstracts of Research Projects for students to view.
[edit] What to expect
Please check out the syllabus for STEC4500. It will give you an idea of the general expectations for your project, regardless of mentor.
[edit] How to Register
Look at the list of available projects below. When you find an research mentor and project that interest you, you must first contact the research mentor to confirm availability for that project. If the student and mentor agree on a project, then the research mentor must email Betty Wood in the Dean's office, who can override permission to allow the student to register for the Course. The student can then register on Banner. Please keep your academic advisor informed on your registration.
Please note that the times at which research is actually performed must be negotiated between mentor and student.
[edit] Mentors and Projects
A list of Research Mentors and Research Projects for STEC4500 is found below. Please contact the mentor to discuss the project before registering for the Undergraduate Research Course. Click on the Mentor's name to skip down to detailed descriptions of the projects.
[edit] Jim Nolan (email)
Viral Genome Sequencing and Evolution
Students will study the evolution of viral genomes by determining the DNA sequence of bacteriophage genomes related to T4. Students will make generate DNA templates and perform DNA sequencing reactions on them. Additional regions of the genome will be amplified and sequenced using PCR. Students will use computer programs to assemble sequences and compare them to known genomes in order to identify genes that have been acquired or lost in the viral DNA.
[edit] Clay Runck (email Clay)
1. Biological and Chemical Monitoring of the Upper Yellow River. (In collaboration with Dr. Bagie George and Dr. Mark Schlueter)
Aquatic insects are good indicators of water quality in streams and rivers because they live in the water - they are exposed to the physical and chemical features of the water every day of their aquatic life. As part of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's Adopt-A-Stream program, the types of aquatic insects and chemical analysis of stream water will be used to assess current conditions and monitor long-term changes in water quality in the upper Yellow River adjacent to the GGC campus. This research will involve field collections of aquatic insects and water samples, and subsequent identification and analysis in the lab.
2. Sediment Transport and Siltation in the Upper Yellow River.
Sedimentation (siltation) is the most common cause of habitat and water quality degradation in streams and rivers in the United States. This project will measure rates of sediment transport and sedimentation in the Yellow River adjacent to the GGC campus to assess current conditions and monitor long-term changes as construction and development of the GGC campus expands. This project will involve collecting water samples for analysis of suspended silt and deploying sediment traps in the stream to measure rate of siltation.
3. Development of a Chemical Perturbation Index for Local Streams.
Streams and rivers are the primary receivers of wastewaters and run off from human activities, such as discharges from wastewater treatment plants and industrial operations and runoff from agricultural fields, residential areas, golf courses, and waste disposal sites. The rapid urbanization of formerly rural areas surrounding the metro-Atlanta area will place greater demands on streams and rivers to provide "clean" water for consumptive use (withdraws for drinking, industrial/manufacturing, agriculture) and absorb larger quantities of wastewaters, while also protecting water quality for propagation of wildlife. A chemical perturbation index (CPI), based on statistically-correlated properties of water, will be developed to assess current conditions and monitor long-term changes in stream water quality in metro-Atlanta area rivers and streams. This research will involve collecting water samples from streams and rivers and performing simple chemical tests in the lab.
4. Development of a Model to Estimate Surface Area of River Stones in the Field.
Stones are a natural habitat unit for insects and algae that live in stony-bottomed streams. The most widely used method for estimating the surface area of river stones (in order to calculate organism density) requires returning the stones to the lab and tediously wrapping a stone in aluminum foil (the foil method). A technique that could reliably and accurate estimate surface area of stones in the field would reduce processing time in the lab. This project will involve collecting bottom stones from several streams and rivers in north Georgia and estimating their surface area by foiling. Stone weight and displacement volume will also be measured (both of these parameters can be measured in the field easily). Regression analysis will be used to determine which parameter - stone weight or displacement volume - is the best predictor of surface area. Regression models for each stream will be statistically compared to determine whether a general relationship exists that could be used for any stream.
5. Survey of Birds on the GGC Campus
Birds are the most common non-domesticated vertebrates that people see everyday, they are easy to identify with training and experience, and they are indicators of the ecological integrity of the environment. These characteristics make birds ideal candidates for assessing current environmental conditions and monitoring long-term changes in environmental quality. The impending rapid, large-scale build-out (development) of the GGC campus over the next five years presents an opportunity to examine how dramatic changes in the campus environment (habitat change) affect the diversity, abundance, and nesting of birds. This project will involve field census of birds at various locations on campus, both developed and presently undeveloped locations.
[edit] Mark Schlueter (email)
Dr. Schlueter's research focuses on zoology and field biology research projects.
1. One of his current focus areas is agricultural pest beetles.
(1) Flour Beetle (Tribolium species)
(2) Bean Beetles (Callosobruchus maculatus)
Flour Beetles
Tribolium confusium, the confused flour beetle, is a pest of stored grain and flour products. These beetles are known to invade our household pantries as well as large storage containers filled with tons of flour or grain. Females are capable of laying hundreds of eggs, resulting in a quick growing population. During optimum conditions, their life cycle can be completed in about 4 weeks. Temperature and humidity are the two most important abiotic factors regulating reproductive rate.
I am currently examining temperature effects on survival and food consumption rates in these important pest beetles.
Bean Beetles
Bean beetles, Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), are agricultural pest insects of Africa and Asia that presently range throughout the tropical and subtropical world. Bean beetles are taxonomically ranked with other beetles in the Order Coleoptera (Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Insecta).
Callosobruchus maculatus is commonly referred to as the southern cowpea weevil. The larvae of this species feed and develop exclusively on the seed of legumes (Fabaceae) hence the name bean beetle. The adults do not require food or water and spend their limited lifespan (one - two weeks) mating and laying eggs on beans.
I am currently investigating reproductive behavior and structures involved in finding a mate.
Dr. Schlueter's research is designed so that a student can spend one semester or summer performing experiments and gathering data. Then the following semester, the student will present the experiment at a scientific conference.
[edit] Chulsing Kim (email)
1. Soy bean effects on the solubility of copper in aqueous solution
The peptide bonds in many leguminous plants have potentials to build metal complexes resulting in the increase of solubility. The study will focus on the solubility of changes as a function of pH in the presence of soy beans. The potential available bonding sites will be determined using organic nitrogen method and the atomic absorption spectrometer will be used to determine the copper concentration in the aqueous solution.
2. Biodegradation of natural products.
Various natural products will be studied in order to investigate the rate of biodegradation in wide temperature range. Carbon dioxide production rate as well as oxygen consumption rate will be determined as a function of time. Students will evaluate the optimum temperature and humidity for biodegradation of various natural products.
3. Lead contents in commercial products.
It has been concerned that many coated materials are high lead contents threatening health of many children. The research will investigate the lead contents in various toys as well as household products. Lead contents will be determined following EPA methods using atomic absorption spectroscopy.
