Covering topics from drug-resistant bacteria to environmental science of streams, University of Idaho students will showcase real-world and laboratory projects in the seventh annual Research Expo.
“I think it’s great that there are people in their second year doing actual research among faculty members,” said coordinator Mark Nielsen, associate dean of mathematics. “(This event) has been getting bigger every year.”
The expo will take place from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. today in the Teaching and Learning Center, followed by an awards ceremony at 5 p.m. Awards for first and second place are given in the graduate and undergraduate categories. One winner will receive a Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society membership.
Nielsen said hot research topics this year include biology, microbiology, environmental science and the hybrid field of bioinformatics.
Roxana Hickey, a first year Ph.D. student, is participating this year with her research in human vaginal microbiology and it’s health implications, namely the occurrence of the bacteria Lactobacillus Iners, which is found in about 50 percent of women. She is trying to see if these types of bacteria help or hinder diseases and infections.
“The point of the (bioinformatics) program is to combine statistics and computer science in a biological context,” Hickey said. “I’m kind of looking to get feedback on where to take this project.”
Senior undergrad Nick Weires — with the help of adviser Jakob Magolan — has been experimenting in chemistry for the past four months with clay catalysts for chemical reactions. Weires said many pharmaceutical compounds can be made for less money and more environmentally friendly with these new, clay-based catalysts.
“These materials are recyclable,” Weires said. “So you can make an industrial-sized reaction to synthesize pharmaceuticals using clay, which can then washed off and returned to the ground.”
Not all students are showcasing research accomplished in the lab. Others, such as environmental science master’s candidate Stephen Gillis, are investigating scientific phenomena and trends in a field setting.
Gillis is studying the sensitivity of stream temperatures to fluctuations in air temperature and the snowpack volume. Gillis’ research area is Kelly Creek, located near the Idaho–Montana boarder. He is using regionalized air temperature and snowpack data from 1999 to 2008 to help make climate change projections in this geographical location.
On a large scale, this indexed data fills a much-needed hole in contemporary Northwest climate change research, Gillis said. Most data focuses on large areas such as the Columbia Basin.
“What we’ve made is an observational record,” Gillis said. “You can do your future climate projections, but there was nothing to compare to. Hopefully this will help to complement the bigger records.”
Students present their information on three foot by four foot posters, and answer questions about their research during this time. Of the 45 students presenting displays, 17 are undergraduates ranging from sophomores to seniors.