2012 TruScholars Research Symposium

This past summer, students from a variety of disciplines participated in faculty-mentored research projects through the TruScholars Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Students wrote proposals last spring, carried out research this summer and will present their progress at the 2012 TruScholars Research Symposium. The entire Truman community is invited to attend some or all of the presentations and learn more about the diverse ways in which research, scholarship and creative activities are being conducted across Truman’s campus.

Session I
8:30-9:50 a.m.
Student Union Building Alumni Room

Opening Remarks
Maria Nagan, director for the Office of Student Research

The Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Quality of Life in Panic Disorder Patients: A Meta-Analysis
Sarah Jo David
Faculty Mentor: Jeffrey Vittengl, professor of psychology

‘Even When I’m Just Looking, I am Working’: The Significance of Lee Krasner’s Transitions
April Johnston
Faculty Mentor: Julia DeLancey, professor of art history

Using Radio Antennae To Study Solar Activity
Bhupendra Subedi
Faculty Mentor: Vayujeet Gokhale, assistant professor of physics

Observing Presence/Absence Variation and Copy Number Variation Using Chromosome Painting
Danielle Witt
Faculty Mentor: Ashley Lough, post-doctoral fellow in biology

Gaussian Moat Problem
Saru Maharjan
Faculty Mentor: Tony Vazzana, professor of mathematics

Break
9:50-10 a.m.
Walk to OP and meet in South Atrium

Artist Talk
10-10:30 a.m.
Ophelia Parrish South Atrium

Stream of Unconscious: A Work of Painted Cyanotypes
Lona Moody
Faculty Mentor: Priya Kambli, professor of art
 
Break
10:30-10:40 a.m.
Walk to Student Union Building and meet in Alumni Room

Session II
10:40-11:55 a.m.
Student Union Building Alumni Room

International Financial Reporting Standards: Are They Right for the United States?
Patrick Fink
Faculty Mentor: Jason Lin, professor of business administration

Folklore and the Harlem Renaissance: Exploring Black Identity
David Hutchinson
Faculty Mentor: Jerrold Hirsch, professor of history

Asteroid Shape and Spin Axis Modeling via Lightcurve Inversion
Paul Friz
Faculty Mentor: Vayujeet Gokhale, assistant professor of physics

Study of Segregation Distortion in Fruit Flies
Reid McLean
Faculty Mentor: Laura Fielden, professor of biology

Figure Rating Scales and Male Body Dissatisfaction
Andrew Turner
Faculty Mentor: Michele Breault, professor of psychology

Poster Session
11:55 a.m.-12:25 p.m.
Student Union Building Alumni Room

Catenane
Andre Castiaux
Faculty Mentor: John O’Brien, professor of chemistry

Thermal Ecology of Common North American Snakes
Michael Kartje
Faculty Mentor: Chad Montgomery, associate professor of biology

Discerning the Effects of Genetic Drift and Natural Selection Using a Modification of Tajima’s D Statistic
Nathan Kopp
Faculty Mentors: Pamela Ryan, professor of mathematics and Anton Weisstein, associate professor of biology

Variation in Prebiotic Properties of Experimental Maize Lines with Higher Levels of Resistant Starch
Kumud Joshi*
Faculty Mentors: Mark Campbell, professor of agricultural science, Cindy Cooper, professor of biology and Vineet Singh, professor of microbiology and immunology (ATSU)
*Summer Grants-In-Aid of Scholarship and Research grant recipient

A Preliminary Phylogenetic Analysis of Aureolaria (Orobanchaceae) Based on Two Chloroplast Gene Loci
Sean Serroque
Faculty Mentor: Lisa Hooper, professor of biology

Community Health Assessment Using the CDC’s CHANGE Tool
Mitch Stewart
Faculty Mentor: Carol Cox, professor of health sciences