U of M Students Present Research at National Conference

For release: April 29, 2009
For press information, contact Gabrielle Maxey, 901/678-2843

Nineteen University of Memphis students presented their research projects at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research, which was held April 15-18 at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Since its inception in 1987, NCUR has become a major annual event drawing over 2,000 undergraduates, faculty, and administrators to hear and discuss undergraduate scholarly and creative work.

The University of Memphis students and their projects are: Navid Jafari, a junior civil engineering from Memphis, “The Use of Geosynthetic Aggregate in Drainage Systems.” His faculty mentor is David Arellano; Sarah “Nikki” Johnson, a junior biomedical engineering major from Murfreesboro, Tenn., “Free Radical Activity During Vitamin E Diffusion in Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene.” Her faculty mentor is S. Muhammad Jahan; Aly Boyer, a senior biomedical engineering major from Collierville, “Free Radical Activity During Vitamin E Diffusion in Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene.” Her faculty mentor is S. Muhammad Jahan; Bhumin Patel, a senior biology major from Bolivar, Tenn., “The Effects of Competition on the Selective Adsorption of Heteropolymer Sequences over Heterogeneous Surfaces.” His faculty mentor is Yongmei Wang;

Franklin Willis, a senior music major from Nashville, “The Evolution of the Negro Spiritual: History, Function, and Message.” His faculty mentor is Nicole Robinson; Marvin Mecwan, a senior biomedical engineering major from Cordova, “Effect of Molecular Weight of Chitosan Degraded by Microwave Irradiation on Bone Tissue Engineering Applications.” His faculty mentor is Joel Bumgardner; Gabriel Rapalo, a junior biomedical engineering major from Bartlett, “Effect of Molecular Weight of Chitosan Degraded by Microwave Irradiation on Bone Tissue Engineering Applications.” His faculty mentor is Joel Bumgardner; Nia Dowell, a senior psychology major from Memphis, “The Effect of Therapist Nonverbal Behaviors on Client Perceptions.” Her faculty mentor is Jeffrey Berman.

Ernest McCracken, a senior computer science major from Memphis, “Netviews: Real-time Visualization of Internet Topology Through Peered Vantage Points.” His faculty mentor is Lan Wang; Andrea Garrison, a senior psychology major from Hohenwald, Tenn., “Gender Bias Versus the Head of the Table Cue: Who is the Leaders?” Her faculty mentor is Ron Landis. Jennifer Owensby, a senior health and human performance major from Southaven, “Flaxseed Smoothies are Beneficial to Diabetic Patients with Gastroparesis in Meeting the RDA’s for Macronutrients.” Her faculty mentor is Terra Smith; Ryan Morehead, a junior psychology major from Germantown, “Cerebellar Modulation of Frontal Cortex Dopamine Release in a Mouse Model of Autism.” His faculty mentor is Charles Blaha;

Kyle Cheney, a junior psychology major from Memphis, “Manipulating Agent Quality: It’s Effect on Vicarious Learning Environments.” His faculty mentor is Scotty Craig; Cody Scarbrough, a junior biology major from Pinson, Tenn., “Mechanically Strong Silica-Based Aerogels as a Biocompatible Material. His faculty mentor is Firouzeh Sabri; MacKenzie Sinden-Redding, a senior electrical engineering major from Burleson, Texas, “Effect of Ultra-violet Radiation on Material Properties.” His faculty mentor is Firouzeh Sabri; Audrey Justus, a senior health and human performance major from Collierville, “Acceptability of a Fruit Juice with Increased Antioxidants for Childhood Cancer Patients.” Her faculty mentor is Terra Smith;

Duong Nguyen, a senior biomedical engineering major from Memphis, “Evaluation of Osteoblasts on Chitosan-Calcium Phosphate Composite Scaffolds in Static and Dynamic Rotary Bioreactor Culture Conditions.” Her faculty mentor is Joel Bumgardner; Rachel Tillery, a senior psychology major from Memphis, “Midbrain Cholinergic Receptors Mediating Deep Brain Stimulation of Subthalmic Nucleus Dopamine Neurotransmission.” Her faculty mentor is Charles Blaha; and Stephanie Paulk, a senior psychology major from Cordova, “Wen I Rite Gud it Cuz I Dun Did it Lots: The Effects of Repeated Practice on the Improvement of Writing Skills of General Psychology Students.” Her faculty mentor is Frank Leeming.