Utah State Students Show Their Research Stuff on Utah's Capitol Hill

Research is synonymous with a university education; it heightens the value of a degree and encourages new ways of thinking. Beyond this, research is often the binding signature of an education for Utah State University students who conduct their own research projects.

"Research is both a cornerstone of university learning and a vehicle of progress," said Brent C. Miller, vice president for research at Utah State.

Research is just one way in which Utah State has fulfilled its land-grant legacy of applied knowledge. The rewards of research provide lasting benefits to Utah State students, Cache Valley, the state of Utah and beyond, concluded Miller.

Joyce Kinkead, vice provost for undergraduate studies and research at Utah State, strongly promotes research opportunities for students. Kinkead believes that working on research projects helps students develop skills in problem solving, communication, teamwork and technology. These essential developments will benefit research students in their future careers and lives, she said.

The third annual "Posters on the Hill: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research," gave undergraduate students who attend Utah State and the University of Utah the opportunity to discuss the importance of research in education. Representatives from all of Utah State's seven colleges presented their unique research projects to state legislators this year.

A research project conducted by two Utah State students, Aaron Bunker and Dan Chivers, created a tracking system that allows moving vehicles to receive satellite T.V. The research integrates many existing systems such as Global Positioning Systems, gyro and accelerometer systems, and satellite broadcasting systems. This research project is hoped to increase the interconnection of information systems found throughout the world, explained Bunker. Another Utah State student in public health, John Wennergren, was able to conduct a research project that examined the disease tuberculosis and attempted to find a cure, or at least a better antibiotic to treat it. Wennergren learned that there are strains of tuberculosis that are multi-drug resistant. His research concluded that the cell wall is what gives tuberculosis its incredible resistance to our modern day antibiotics.

Undergraduate research is not limited to the scientific field. All seven colleges at Utah State have students currently involved with research projects. Marchet Clark, a senior majoring in English education at Utah State, has been participating in an introspective study of how historical research is shaped. Clark is studying photographs, buildings, papers and other original documents from the Logan knitting mills of the early 20th century to more clearly define the link between the historical record and a researcher’s own ideology. This nontraditional approach to historical research is a powerful method of understanding ourselves and exploring the questions of where we came from, Clark said.

Utah State and the University of Utah have good reason to want to show off their students and their research; they are paving the way for future research. By promoting and advancing research, our nation's universities are providing expertise and innovation to almost every facet of the economy, said Miller.

"We are proud to shine the spotlight on these students who were nominated and selected to participate in our third Posters on the Hill event," said Kinkead.

The following is a list of the Utah State research students who participated in the Posters on the Hill event, along with the title of their projects.

Lara Anderson—Biconformal Supergravitiy
David C. Adams and Brent Bedke—SSP Typing of Class I and Class II HLA Alleles form Amplified DNA of Subjects with Autism
Aaron Bunker and Dan Chivers—Automatic Tracking System for Digital Satellite Television
Stephanie Chambers—Cardia RGS Protein Structural Determinants and Function
Marchet Clark—Unraveling the Past: The Knitting Mills in Logan, Utah Circa 1904
Nephi Cole—GIS and Remote Sensing to Advance Soil Mapping
Timothy Davis—Results of Oxygen Levels in Welding Sanitary Stainless Steel Tubing
Kelly Douglas—Triangulation Supports Positive Effects of Wraperound Services for Utah Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbances
Brandt Esplin—Activating Plant Reporter Genes as a Natural Defense Mechanism
Kelli Fife—Appropriate Behavior in Inappropriate Settings: Altering Orphaned Horse Behavior with Positive Reinforcement
Angela Hatch and Christina DiRaimo—Cultural Identity in Huanchaco, Peru: Documenting Change and Transition
N. Daren Haws—Clarifications on the Type A Behavior Pattern: A Theoretical Perspective
Angela Issacs—Examining the Chelungpu Fault: Implications for Understanding Fault Structure, Displacement, and Ground Motion
Natalie Jorgensen—Relationship Between Near Surface Geologic Conditions and Fault Scarp Dimensions: Implication for Seismic Hazards Analysis
Summer Kartchner—Recreation in the Montane Streams of the Puerto Rican Rainforest
Justin Mellott—Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria
Christine Merrill and Marriner Merrill—Design and Construction of a Flow-Through Thermoacoustic Cooler
Julia Nielsen—Quality and Distribution of Soil Organic Carbon in Rangeland and Forest Soils: Implications for Global Change
Tiffany Sherwin—A Profile of Consumer Bankruptcy Petitioners
Al Burns and Camille Swasey—Fungicidal Activity of Ice-Nucleation and Artificial Snow Bacterium
Sarah Wegener—With a Joint View to the Entertainment and Information of Mankind
John Wennergren—Synthesis of Trehalose Based Anti-Tuberculosis Agents: An Application of Rational Drug Design
Jill Williams—The Efficient-Market Hypothesis