$64,928 Awarded to Undergraduate Student Researchers

November 28, 2011 - Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, has awarded sixty-seven undergraduate research grants totaling $64,928 for the spring 2012 semester. The grants will support the research of 103 students who are overseen by forty-six faculty members. The spring award list is:

$64,928 Awarded to Undergraduate Student Researchers

Senior Christopher Wheeler received a $700 grant to support his electrochemical research, much of which is conducted in the chemistry instrumentation lab.

SAM AND IRENE BLACK SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Kassandra Barrett (Dr. Mary Beth Pinto) - $700- “Hybrid Learning Initiative for Black School of Business and Penn State Behrend”

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Joshua Arner (Dr. E. George Walters) - $700 - “Personal Computer to FPGA Data Interface”

Thomas Bonaquist, Jared Castaldi, and Christopher Pfaff (Kathryn Holliday-Darr and Edward Evans) - $2,100 “Senior Design Project: Mechanism at Work”

Michael DiLuzio and Ryan Repko (Shannon Sweeney) - $1,400 - “Monitoring Tool Wear, Beamforming System Set-Up”

Sefan Gracik (Dr. William Lasher) - $700 - “Analysis of a Sailboat Rudder with OpenFOAM”

Anthony Hendrickson (Dr. Yongfang Zhong) - $700 - “Design of an Adsorption Module for Engine Waste-Heat Driven Cooling Systems”

Ali Ismail and Jeremy Hall (Agasthya Ayachit and Dr. Dakshina Murthy Bellur) - $1,400 - “Closed-Loop Buck-Boost DC-DC Converter for LED Driver Circuit Operating in Continuous Conduction Mode”

Tim Kaminske (Dr. William Lasher) - $700 - "Modeling Wind Turbines Using CFD Software”

Walter Kerin and Andrew Bauer (Dr. Dakshina Murthy Bellur) - $1,400 - “Design and Experimentation of Loosely Coupled Planar Inductors for Wireless Power Transmission Systems”

Chris Leasure and Daniel Gorajewski (Robert Edwards) - $1,400 - “Effects of a Sudden Expansion in a Circular Duct with Air Flow”

David Marogi (Michael Willis) - $700 - “Pressure Drops in Single Phase Flow Through Curved Pipes”

Andrew Opalewski (Dr. William Lasher) - $700 - “Nanofluidics”

David Pocratsky (Dr. Xiaocong Fan) - $700 - “A Macro-View Controller for a Multilayer Geographical Information System”

Noah Rojahn (Dr. E. George Walters) - $700 - “FPGA Test Bed for Digital Signal Processing Algorithms”

Everett Sargent (Dr. Oladipo Onipede) - $700 - “Modeling and Analysis of Vibrations Caused by Small, Roof-Mounted Wind Turbines”

Jacob Shaffer (Dr. E. George Walters) - $700 - “Extending the Precision of Embedded Multipliers in FPGAs”

Robert Stokes Jr. (Melanie Ford and Stephen Strom) - $561 - “Whack-A-Light: An Interactive Demo of an Embedded System”

Terrance Watterson (Dr. Jun Zhou) - $700 - “Application of Electric Current in Friction Stir Welding”

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Renee Fanning, Bryan Fleeson, Carissa Stanko, Miri Ohashi, and Bilge Erdem (Dr. Dawn Blasko and Kathryn Holliday-Darr) - $3,150 - “Determining How Individual Differences Impact the Acquisition of Spatial Skills via Educational Software”

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND SCHOOL OF SCIENCE

Erik Snowden (Ralph Sprang and Ann Quinn) - $700 - “Solar Irrigation System as Centerpiece for Community Garden”

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Kimberly Cook, Aly Eagle, and Jen Slane (Dr. Charisse Nixon) - $300 - “Cyber Punch vs. Physical Fist: Which is Worse?”

Kimberly Cook and Ashley Turner (Dr. Victoria Kazmerski) - $1,400 - “Environmental Conditions and Their Relationship to Academic Achievement and Attitudes: Analysis and Presentation”

Lauren DeIntinis, Faith Govan, and Brian McElveney (Dr. Dawn Blasko) - $2,100 - “The Influence of Emoticons on Receiver Perception”

Lindsey Fuller (Dr. Carol Wilson) - $700 - “Attachment, Social Support, and Pain Perceptions”

Carl Kallgren, Denise Hillen, Emily Sherry, and Paige Robertson (Dr. Charisse Nixon) - $2,800 - “Empathy in 3D: Creating New Perspectives on Bullying”

Ashley Kerr, Rob Fogle, and Bryan Fleeson (Dr. Victoria Kazmerski and Dr. Dawn Blasko) - $1,750 - "Electrophysiological Research of Non-Literal Language”

Lauren Kolb, Nicholas Loukides, Bethany Burlingame, Nick Decker, Zoe Gujral, Sean Jordan, John Madura, Garrett Morgan, and Katherine O’Neill (Dr. John Gamble) - $1,900 - “Comprehensive Statistical Database of Multilateral Treaties (CSDMT) Project:

Jamie Manson (Dr. Victoria Kazmerski) - $700 - “Intervention Programs’ Effectiveness on Appearance-Based Tanning Beliefs: Step 3”

Kyle Thiel (Dr. Victoria Kazmerski) - $700 - “The Influence of Family and Peer Connectedness and Spirituality on Undergraduate Adjustment (An Extension of Role of Fathers in the Family)”

Danielle Williams and Joslyn Mesing (Dr. Dawn Blasko) - $1,392 - “Personality Traits as a Mediator for Sarcastic Interpretation”

Amir Wirr, Jamie Songer, and Renee Fanning (Dr. Charisse Nixon) - $350 - “Sexual Harassment: The Bystander’s View”

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE

Ara Agato and Dixie Courtney (Dr. Beth Potter and Dr. Margaret Voss) - $1,400 - “Tracking the Bacterial Diversity on Individual House Wren Eggs”

Elizabeth Bialosky (Dr. Michael Naber and Ann Quinn) - $700 - “Arboretum Web Site Enhancement with Digital Photographs and GPS Technology”

Brendan Burbules (Dr. Michael Naber and Ann Quinn) - $700 - “Behrend Arboretum Web Site Upgrade”

Zachary Bush (Dr. Meng Su) - $700 - “Tweet Categorization with Pattern Diffusion”

Brianne Campbell and Emily Hyde (Dr. Anthony Foyle and Dr. Beth Potter) - $1,400 - “Seasonal Water Quality Research Monitoring of Fourmile Creek”

Brian Carlson (Dr. Beth Potter and Dr. Margaret Voss) - $700 - “Influence of Intermittent Incubation on the Invasion of Pseudomonas fluorescens into Quail Eggs”

Rachael Carmichael (Dr. Michael Justik) - $700 - “Continued Exploration of the Reaction of Novel Alkynyl Iodonium Salts with Phenoxides: A ‘Green’ Synthesis of Benzofurans”

Jerry Casbohm (Dr. Martin Kociolek) - $700 - “Investigation of the Spectroscopic and Electrochemical Properties of Benzisoxazole 2-Oxides”

Stephanie Chestnut (Dr. Christopher Gee) - $700 - “Screening Plasmopara viticola Populations in Vineyards of the Lake Erie Region for Resistance to QoI Fungicides Using the CAPS-PCR Method”

Scott Dombrosky (Dr. Joseph Previte) - $700 - “Statistical Arbitrage Investing”

Corey Dominick (Dr. Darren Williams) - $700 - “Orbital Stability of Massive Satellite Systems around Planets”

Bradley Drumheller and Rajeev Varkey (Dr. Michael Campbell) - $1,328 - “The Effect of DMN on Osmotic Response Regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”

Jenna Ebert (Dr. James Warren Jr.) - $700 - “Using Zebrafish as a Model System to Study Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”

Nathan Elbert (Dr. Beth Potter and Ann Quinn) - $700 - “Identifying Bacteria in Early Compost Piles”

Kaysie Foust (Dr. Matthew Gruwell) - $700 - “Molecular Identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated with Genetic Predisposition for Diabetes”

Krystal Gage (Dr. James Warren Jr.) - $700 - “Elucidating the Mechanisms of Neural Tube Defects in Homocysteine-Treated Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos”

Stephen Galdo (Ann Quinn) - $700 - “Energy Management Overview: Reassessment and Energy Conservation and Management”

Kristi Gdanetz (Dr. Matthew Gruwell) - $700 - “Investigating the Effects of Cryptic Diversity and Speciation in the Armored-Scale Insect Chionaspis pinifoliae and the Primary Endosymbiont Uzinura diaspidicola”

Andrew Halmi (Dr. James Warren Jr.) - $700 - “A More Effective Method of Raising Young Zebrafish (Danio rerio)”

Brittany Hoard (Dr. Blair Tuttle) - $700 - “Study of Candidate Intrinsic Defects in Amorphous Silicon”

Madelyn Hoover (Dr. Jay Amicangelo) - $700 - “The Characterization of Germanium Nitride Intermediates Using Vacuum-UV Photolysis and Matrix-Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy”

Torin Karsonovich (Dr. Martin Kociolek) - $700 - “Synthesis and Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Benzisoxazole 2-Oxide Containing Flavanones”

Gabriel Kramer (Dr. Joseph Previte and Dr. Michelle Previte) - $700 - “The Growth Exponent of Vertex Replacement Rules with Exponential Growth”

Chachi Lethaby (Dr. Michael Naber and Dr. Anthony Foyle) - $700 - “Geoscience Rock Display and Collection Research and Identification”

Joshua MacCready and Timothy Gaw (Dr. Matthew Gruwell) - $1,000 - “Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg: Investigating Genomics and Host Invasion in the Endosymbiotic bacteria Tremblaya princeps and Moranella endobia within the Citrus Mealybug Host Planococcus citri”

James Pander (Dr. Jason Bennett) - $700 - “Assessing the Viability of Rhodium Protoporphyrin for Use as an Electrocatalyst for the Selective Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide”

Alicia Quick (Dr. Christopher Gee) - $700 - “The Assessment of Fruit Chemistry of Two Candidates to Replace Vitis labrusca ‘Niagara’ for White Grape Juice Production”

Tanya Riston (Dr. Papiya Bhattacharjee) - $700 - “Lattices and Frames”

Brianne Sawders (Dr. Michael Justik) - $700 - “Continued Exploration of Metal Catalyzed Arylation Reactions of 2-[(Aryl)iodonio]benzenesulfonates”

Eric Schultz (Dr. Christopher Gee) - $700 - “Population Assessment of Agrobacterium vitis Isolated from Asymptomatic Concord Grapevine in North East, Pennsylvania”

Clayton Schuman (Dr. Antonio Mastroberardino) - $700 - “Analysis of Multidimensional Predator-Prey Systems”

Gregory Speir and Nicholas Barr (Dr. G. William Baxter) - $1,400 - “Jamming of Low-Aspect Ratio Granular Media in Vertical Channels”

Fiona Steel (Dr. Blair Tuttle) - $700 - “Modeling Candidate Solid State Systems for Quantum Computers”

Gwendolyn Thompson (Dr. Pamela Silver) - $697 - “Salinity Preference of Anostraca Adults is Independent of Rearing Salinities”

Jared Thompson, Alex Wardi, Brad Mason, and Domenic Palmieri (Charles Burchard and Gary Walker) - $2,800 - “’Student’s Friend’ Task Organizer and Study Assistance Application”

Christopher Wheeler (Dr. Jason Bennett) - $700 - “Electrochemical Studies of Electrodeposited Dicyano-Coordinated Ferriprotoporphyrin”