The MU Summer Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievements Forum showcases the creative and scholarly activities that undergraduates have been engaged in over the summer. All students engaged in scholarly or creative activity with a faculty mentor are invited to present their work.

Recent Submissions

  • Bovine oocyte permeability in 1, 2-propanediol 

    Young, Alan; Mullen, Steven Francis, 1968-; Critser, John Kenneth (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Cryopreservation of oocytes is of great importance both in medical research and in the agricultural industry. Cryopreservation of oocytes allows for future breeding of selected genetic lines of animals. Effective ...
  • Examination of the robustness of viscosity sensitive molecular rotors against chemical modification 

    Wilson, Joseph P.; Haidekker, Mark A., 1963- (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Molecular rotors, a special class of compounds which form twisted intramolecular charge transfer complexes (TICT), have dual deexcitation processes - intramolecular rotation and fluorescence emission. Molecular rotors ...
  • From pyruvate to PEP...the unknown pathway 

    Wigfall, Darian; Oehrle, Nathan Wayne, 1972- (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Soybean is a major crop in the United States. Its survival and relationship with its environment are closely monitored. For example, we are looking at the symbiotic relationship between soybean and the soil bacteria. These ...
  • Therapy of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis under circumstances relevant to human multiple sclerosis 

    Wiehagen, Karla; Bell, J.; Ellis, Jason Scott, 1977-; Zaghouani, Habib (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that resembles human multiple sclerosis (MS). EAE and MS develop when proteins of the myelin sheath that covers ...
  • The key to unlock the Navier-Stokes Equation 

    West, Cheri (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    The key to unlock the Navier-Stokes Equation What causes the waves to break, as they get closer to the shore? Can the strain on the heart to pump blood throughout our bodies be decreased if vortices were eliminated? When ...
  • A multicopy suppressor screen in yeast to look for negative regulators of Ser13 phosphorylation-based trafficking to the pre-vacuolar compartment 

    Wilson, Kyle (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Resident membrane proteins of the yeast trans-Golgi network (TGN) frequently cycle between the TGN and both the early and late (prevacuolar) endosomal compartments. The model yeast TGN protein, A-ALP, which contains the ...
  • Selective precipation of seed storage proteins in soybeans: Reducing the dynamic range of protein expression for in-depth proteome studies 

    Weimer, Cory (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Seed storage proteins (SSPs) are a class of proteins which accumulate at high levels (up to 60% total protein) during plant seed development as a nitrogen reserve for germination. Due to the preponderance of SSPs, the ...
  • A computational model for genetically inherited depression 

    Weaver, Caitlin; Nair, Jyotsna; Pietarila, Kristel M., 1976- (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Depression, or major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most disabling and prevalent disorders. It is seen in all age groups, both genders, and all races. One of the biggest problems of depression is the frequency of ...
  • The correlation between Chicano theater and Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed 

    Walters, Christopher Alex (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    "The theater is a weapon, and it is the people who should wield it" are words that come from the Brazilian Dramatist's, Augusto Boal, commentary, The Theater of the Oppressed. What Boal is referring to is that the theater ...
  • Corolla length and autogamy in Nicotiana 

    Walker, Paul J., 1982-; Holtsford, Timothy Philip; Soule, Jacob W. (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Nicotiana has been an interest of study due to its variance in autogamy and floral traits. Species N. plumbaginifolia and N. longiflora are characterized by their difference in flower size and the ability to self pollinate. ...
  • Expression of a putative virulence protein of Haemophilus influenzae in E. coli 

    Vescovi, Susan; Phillips, Thomas; Golomb, Miriam (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Haemophilus influenzae, a small, gram-negative bacterium, is a commensal organism of the human upper respiratory system as well as an agent of diseases ranging from otitis media to meningitis. Nonencapsulated (nontypeable, ...
  • Production of nano particles 

    Vale-Bermudez, Damaris; Ghosh, Tushar K., Dr.; Loyalka, S. K. (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Nano particles (particles having diameters in the nanometer range) have applications in a variety of areas including medical, environmental, sensor, to name a few. However, the production of nano particles having uniform ...
  • Impact of creep feeding on subsequent performance and plasma parameters of feedlot steers 

    Uthlaut, Valerie; Williams, James E. (James Edward), 1949-; Buckner, C.; Lancaster, P. (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    A study was conducted to evaluate the impact of creep feeding and protein sources, notably DDGS, on blood plasma variables and growth in crossbred steer calves. Thirty-six crossbred steer calves were used in a randomized ...
  • The effects of sensitization on habituation using the olfactory jump reflex in Drosophila 

    Truesdale, Angela; Schwaerzel, Martin; Zars, Troy Daniel (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Memories can arise from simpler habituation and sensitization training as well as associative classical conditioning. However, in a complex environment, animals receive sensory cues in a fashion that can be more accurately ...
  • The effects of oncogenic Ras on the ocular lens 

    Thurmon, Kerri (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Ras is a small GTP-binding protein in the signal transduction machinery. In most cell types, activation of Ras by growth factors is essential for normal cell proliferation. A mutation in the Ras gene can lead to a constitutive ...
  • Uranium: The problem, or the solution? 

    Thurman, Alicia; Arrigo, Leah M., 1979-; Duval, Paul B. (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Uranium is of great importance as a nuclear fuel and is used to generate electrical power, produce isotopes, and to make weapons. The possibility of developing a realistic flow scheme for nuclear fuel reprocessing or ...
  • Natural variation in Arabidopsis thaliana: Molecular genetic architecture of stress tolerance under water deficit 

    Tanger, Paul; Valliyodan, Babu; Nguyen, Henry T. (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    The functional genomics tools available for studying Arabidopsis thaliana are a great resource for researchers trying to characterize and understand the genetic basis of natural variation. Genome wide transcript profiling ...
  • A functional computer modeling framework for post-traumatic stress disorder 

    Steinmetz, Nicholas; Nair, Satish S., 1960- (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a unique psychiatric condition in which the patient experiences diverse and intrusive psychological symptoms as a direct result of experiencing a traumatic event. As yet, no cure ...
  • A kinetic study of active site mutations in GDP-mannose dehydrogenase 

    Smarr, Charles; Lough, Mairi; Kimmel, Jennifer (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    In the human pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, GDP-mannose dehydrogenase (GMD) serves as a critical enzyme in the biosynthesis of alginate, a polysaccharide that functions as a protective coating against antibiotics ...
  • Silencing of three members of the cytochrome p450 family of genes to uncover their role in iron regulation in A. thaliana 

    Smith, Kareema; Maurer, Alberto, 1970-; Rogers, Elizabeth E. (University of Missouri--Columbia. Office of Undergraduate Research, 2004)
    Iron absorption and distribution by an organism needs to be tightly regulated because iron is essential but in excess it can be dangerous and may even result in death. Through microarray analyses of iron-starved Arabidopsis ...

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