Office of Undergraduate Research

Anthony Alston

Avian Acoustics

Eight bronze sculptures realistically depicting different bird species will be crafted. Embedded within each unique sculpture, a small switch will turn on or off recordings of the natural sounds associated with that bird. Using traditional bronze techniques and digital sound technology, this project will provide the foundation for my Bachelor of Fine Arts thesis exhibition and expand my capacity to produce compelling artwork.

Ryan Bartlett

What Factors Influence Private Landowner Participation in Public Programs in the Lake Tahoe Basin?

In conjunction with faculty research by Prof. Kauneckis, the project will analyze socioeconomic and attitudinal factors that impact the level of participation in government agency programs by private landowners. Programs specifically analyzed will be limited to the system of transferable development rights (TDRs), and best management practices (BMPs) implemented in the Lake Tahoe basin. Socioeconomic factors such as gender, age, and wealth as well as others such as environmental awareness will be specifically addressed as to whether or not they impact the level of participation
in these programs. I will utilize a data source currently being collected of via a mail survey sent to approximately 4,000 landowners designed to obtain information about socioeconomic characteristics and attitudes toward public policies and the agencies responsible for their implementation.

Daphne Bateman

Inhibition of pheromone production in bark beetles using RNAi

The destruction of our forests by bark beetles is an increasing economic and ecological concern, especially in the Lake Tahoe Basin. We have identified a gene from the bark beetle Ips pini thought to play an essential role in regulating sex pheromone production through juvenile hormone (JH) signaling. By disrupting this novel gene using RNA interference techniques and analyzing the resulting changes in gene and protein expression, as well as pheromone production, I hope to uncover its function. As a result of the study, I will provide further evidence of the molecular mechanism behind JH’s role in pheromone production.

Devon Bateman

Toward a Funcionalized Helicene

Our research focuses on the chemical synthesis of functionalized polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are a group of hydrocarbons that contain two or more fused 6-carbon rings (benzene) to produce unique molecular structures. This particular project is focused on the synthesis of an amino-substituted helicene, which will be a spring-like PAH formed through the coupling of nitro-benzene monomer units. Functionalized helicenes, once synthesized, may serve as potential molecular actuators, expanding and contracting as a function of pH. They may also act as artificial muscles, changing length
upon phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of tyrosine substituents. Finally, aminosubstituted helicenes could function as chemical detectors, sensing nitrated arene
compounds such as TNT.

Michael Bogen

The Use of Therapeutic Jurisprudence to Make Decisions that Support the Well-Being of Children

The purpose of this research is to determine whether courts are making appropriate decisions (based on psychological research) concerning homosexual parents who separate. I will research both current legislation and the likely psychological effects of such legislation on both the children and the homosexual couples. At the conclusion of this research, I will report on the type of legislation that would be the most beneficial to the child, based on the Therapeutic Jurisprudence paradigm. This research combines legal analysis and social science research in order to provide advice for policymakers who decide issues regarding homosexual parents’ legal rights and responsibilities.

Jonathan Buescher

Study of a Magneto-Rheological Fluidic/Elastomer Vibration Isolator

This project is aimed at developing, fabricating and testing a Magneto-Rheological (MR) fluidelastomer vibration isolator. A magnetorheological (MR) fluid-elastomer is formed by encapsulating MR fluids inside an elastomer. Such MR fluidic-elastomer composites show promise in applications where tuning vibration characteristics of a system is desired such as altering natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping properties. In this study, a prototype device will be built and its dynamic behavior will be characterized in oscillatory compressions for a wide range of frequencies under various input currents. The results will be disseminated through peer reviewed journals.

Elizabeth Coleman

The Law and the Family: Viewing Recent Social Issues Through the Lens of Therapeutic Jurisprudence

Currently, legal actors are attempting to control social problems by utilizing the criminal justice system. While they intend to protect society, the outcome of “social control” laws is not always so positive. I will critically analyze the purpose and likely effectiveness of decisions made by legal actors. Generally, this research will cover laws and policies regulating sexuality and other family issues. I will examine court cases and relevant psychological research that can inform these issues. I will dissect cases, divulge the decisions made, evaluate the likely effectiveness and possible repercussions, and make policy suggestions based on the theory of Therapeutic Jurisprudence.

Jamie Gualco

Evaluation of Membrane Protein Extraction Methods

Proteins embedded in biological membranes play extremely important roles, and mutations in these proteins are often correlated with disease states. The study of membrane proteins is, however, very challenging because of the difficulty in solubilizing them. Many diverse methods have been published attempting to solve this problem. Jamie Gaulco will first test methods for obtaining clean plasma membranes and then will attempt a variety of procedures for extracting proteins from these membranes. She will evaluate the effectiveness of these methods by running 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and determining the quantity and quality of the proteins extracted.

Robert Hagar

A Delicate Balance: Free Speech or Childhood Innocence

Because videogames have become widely popular, psychologists are concerned because studies have revealed that games have negative effects on players. Previous research funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research found that videogames have become more violent and sexy since their inception in the 1980s. Despite such research, laws regulating the content of videogames have been thwarted by the game makers’ First Amendment Right of freedom of speech. This psycho-legal research project seeks to find a balance between the First Amendment Right of freedom of speech and the protection of America’s children by addressing legal and policy issues.

James Kim

Photosynthesis and Leaf Nitrogen Responses to Elevated CO2 and N in Larrea Tridentata

Through global change and human activity there is a rise in atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen. This may affect vegetation, specifically a northern America shrub Larrea tridentata. My objective is to look at the effects of elevated CO2 and N on leaf N content and Rubisco Activity and content in Larrea tridentata. In doing this it will show me the photosynthetic rates of the plant and to see if they change due to global change. Through this we will be able to make prediction of what might happen in the future. I will conduct this research by having 40 plants of L. tridentata in a glasshouse with ambient and elevated CO2 and N concentrations. Then taking two pairs of leaves from each plant and running a Rubisco and Nitrogen content analysis.

Phillipe Leblanc

High Resolution X-Ray Imaging Using Penumbra Imaging Technique

X-ray imaging is an important diagnostics method to help us learn about plasmas. The emission of x-ray radiation is a strong indicator when there is plasma occurrence. To observe the finer structure of a plasma requires high resolution since typical source sizes are of the order of hundreds of microns. The current x-ray imaging method used is the pinhole camera. Because of it's small aperture, diffraction is observed which blurs the image formed. Also, less radiation can reach the film such that dimmer sources are impossible to observe. For this purpose, a new method is being investigated: penumbra imaging. This method uses Fourier mathematics to decode the penumbra region formed from ray tracing a source of light through a finite sized aperture.

Eri Maeda

The Effect of Various Fire Temperatures on Soil Sulfate

The use of prescribed fire as means of forest maintenance is becoming increasingly common in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Therefore, there is a need to study impacts of fire on the nutrient cycles of soils because soil nutrients are fundamental to vegetative growth. My research focuses on sulfur which is one of the macronutrients for plants. I intend to analyze the change in sulfate adsorption and leaching from soils burned in different temperatures. This laboratory study, using a muffle furnace, enables me to test fires with different intensities which are difficult to assess in real fire events.

Katherine Mauldin

Attitudes Toward Mental Illness and Perceived Social Distance from the Mentally Ill

This project investigates the public’s attitudes about mental illness, assessing whether the public believes the causes of mental illness are biological, based on life experiences, or a mixture of the two. A probability sample of 200 Nevada residents age 18 to 65 living in the Washoe County area will receive a brief, two-page mail survey that will ask respondents about the causes of mental illness and about who or what they believe is responsible for mental illness -- the mentally ill themselves, or a disease that is beyond their personal control. The results will shed light on the relationship between beliefs about causes, and attributions of responsibility, leading to a better understanding of the sources of stigma against mental illness among the general public.

James Motta

goSmart: A New Solution for Home Automation

Smarthomes are homes that incorporate various modern types of home automation technologies. One such technology is called X10, which gives the user the ability to control electrical devices within the household via the electrical wiring. goSmart is an interface system that will allow the user to wirelessly control devices within different zones in the house using the X10 Firecracker module. The proposed system will offer scheduling and automation for lighting, security, access, home entertainment, and HVAC systems. In addition, goSmart will provide a set of security options, including profiles, password protected login information, and user groups. The novelty of goSmart resides in its integrative, low-cost and user-friendly approach for home automation.

Daniel Oliver

CP190’s Domains in Chromosomal Structuring

This research focuses on the involvement of centrosomal protein 190 (CP190) in chromosome insulation. The specific aspect of research that I am focusing on is the identification of the roles that the zinc finger domains (ZnF) and the BTB/POZ domain play in forming insulator complexes in Drosophila chromosomes. We have proposed that the ZnF domain is responsible for DNA binding, whereas the BTB domain is required for suppressor hairy wing [Su(Hw)]-dependent chromosomal localization. If, through experimentation, this proves true, it will open many doors to exploring the roles and mechanisms of insulator proteins. This would provide a better understanding of chromosomes, and how and why they are structured as they are.

Elizabeth Parawan

Psychic Numbing and Environmental Apathy:

This project will focus on the psychological implications, complications, and consequences of environmental apathy, primarily supported by Robert Jay Lifton’s theory of psychic numbing: “a diminished capacity or inclination to feel.” After the bombing of Hiroshima in WWII, Lifton described the psychological “closing off” experienced by both the Japanese and American people as a useful defense mechanism: mentally shutting out the horrifically unimaginable realities of the war as a means of survival. Similarly, environmental apathy masks the world realities of environmental devastation; however, when psychic numbing and environmental apathy persist and develop, the result is not self-preservation, but self-destruction.

Daniel Quigley

Laser Scanning Microscope Systems

My research will involve establishing performance benchmarks for a new laser scanning microscope system that has been developed by the mentors of this project. I will use fluorescent beads, ranging in diameter from 30-5000 nanometers to determine the smallest object resolvable in a spatially accurate manner. I will investigate the wavelength dependence of the spatial resolution of this system, and its dependence on the numerical aperture of the objective lens. The results I obtain will provide initial results that begin to define the capabilities of a new method for obtaining images with a light microscope having improved spatial resolution.

Ryan Royle

Modeling Relativistic Electron Deflectometry for Measuring Magnetic Field Distributions from Weibel Instabilities in Plasmas

Weibel instabilities have recently become a research topic of the highest interest in the areas of astrophysics and fusion. These instabilities can produce very strong magnetic fields on a very small spatial scale. No one has yet developed an experimental technique to measure these magnetic fields. We propose a method for measuring these magnetic fields by sending a beam of relativistic electrons through the plasma and measuring the distribution of the electrons after they have been deflected by the magnetic field caused by the Weibel instability. My work will entail creating a computer model that predicts these final electron distributions.

University of Nevada, Reno
Maintained by: Karin Saxon