ND EPSCoR announces UND 2014 AURA winners
The North Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ND EPSCoR) announces the 2014 Advanced Undergraduate Research Award (AURA) winners at the University of North Dakota. The goal of AURA is to encourage undergraduate students to consider a career that involves research in Science, Engineering, or Mathematics. AURA provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to participate in faculty-mentored research projects at the state’s two research universities. AURA participants are awarded up to $6,500 for full-time research activities during the summer session and for part-time research activities during the fall and spring semesters. Awardees are expected to apply for a nationally competitive undergraduate scholarship during their AURA experience. ND EPSCoR is a program supported by the National Science Foundation and the State of North Dakota at both the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State University.
UND AURA winners, their home towns, their faculty mentors, and the research projects in which they will participate are:
• Haylee Archer, Finley, N.D., Dr. Wayne Barkhouse, Department of Physics and Astrophysics, “Morphological Classification of Cluster Galaxies from the Dark Energy Survey.”
• Nickolas Gellerman, Grand Forks, Dr. Naima Kaabouch, PI, Department of Electrical Engineering; Dr. William Semke, Co-PI, Department of Mechanical Engineering, “A UAS Payload for Sensing and Avoiding Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Vehicles.”
• Samuel Hervey, Grand Forks, Dr. Brian Darby, PI; Dr. Susan Ellis-Felege, Co-PI, Department of Biology, “Population Genetics of North Dakota Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus).”
• Zachary Hoggarth, St. Cloud, Minn., Dr. Alena Kubatova, PI; Richard Cochran, Co-PI, Department of Chemistry, “Atmospheric Oxidation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons While on Diesel Engine Exhaust Particles.”
• Tiffany Huwe, Frazee, Minn., Dr. Kathryn Yurkonis, PI; Dr. Brett Goodwin, Co-PI, Department of Biology, “Can Insects really affect plant competition?”
• Kaitlynn Meis, Moorhead, Minn., Dr. Yun Ji, Department of Chemical Engineering, “An Experimental and Modeling Study of Algal Growth Kinetics in a Stirred-Tank Photobioreactor.”
• Alexandra Miller, Sauk Centre, Minn., Dr. Turk Rhen, Department of Biology, “The Effects of Atrazine on the Sexually Dimorphic Development of Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland in the Common Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina.”
• Derek Tomhave, Shoreview, Minn., Dr. Mathew Cavalli, Department of Mechanical Engineering, “Effect of Curing on Polymer Composite Fatigue.”
For additional information concerning ND EPSCoR or the AURA program, please contact Mark R. Hoffmann, Associate Vice President for Research Capacity Building and ND EPSCoR Co-Project Director, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D., 58202-7093, 701.777.2492.
