AMES, Iowa -- From research on the white-tailed deer population in Iowa to plant drought tolerance to evaluating energy performance in solar homes, there will be lots to talk about when 21 Iowa State University undergraduates present their research to legislators and others during the annual "Research in the Capitol." The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, in the Rotunda of the State Capitol building in Des Moines.
More than 60 undergraduate students from Iowa's three Regent universities (Iowa State, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa) will display their research posters and describe their work. The event highlights the importance of research to the undergraduate learning experience.
At Iowa State, participation is open to all undergraduate students. The University Honors Program coordinates the event.
The Iowa State students who will present their work at the capitol, their hometowns, majors, research projects, and research mentors are:
Jasmine Anderson, La Crosse, Wis., genetics and Megan Merolla, Blair, Neb., genetics: “Creating Null Alleles of Outsiders and Tre1 Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System in Drosophila,” Clark Coffman, genetics, development and cell biology.
Nicholas Benge, Indianola, biology: “HCO3- Uptake by HEK Cells is increased by the HLA3 Protein from C. reinhardtii,” Michael McCloskey, genetics, development and cell biology.
Whitney Briggs, Willits, Calif., animal ecology: “Genetic Similarity between Urban and Adjacent Rural White-Tailed Deer Populations in Iowa,” Julie Blanchong, natural resource ecology and management.
Molly Carpenter, Highlands Ranch, Colo., community and regional planning: “Housing Markets in College Towns: The Case of Ames, Iowa,” Monica Haddad, community and regional planning.
Brady Evans, Wichita, Kan., civil engineering: “Investigating Water Quality by Polymerase Chain Reaction,” Michelle Soupir, agricultural and biosystems engineering, and Ross Tuttle, civil, construction and environmental engineering.
Nolan Gall, Dubuque, kinesiology: “Public Knowledge of the Federal Physical Activity Guidelines,” Panteleimon Ekkekakis, kinesiology.
Christopher Hinojo, Ames, microbiology: “Immune Activation Components from Raw Milk and Colostrum,” Joan Cunnick, animal science.
Isabelle Leysens, Johnston, architecture: “Rethinking Electrical Illumination in a Passive Solar Home,” Ulrike Passe, architecture.
Jonathan Mahoney, Des Moines, horticulture: “Assessment of Shrub Willow (Salix spp.) Genotypes for Insect Pest Resistance through Feeding Bioassays and Field Observations,” Lawrence Smart, horticulture, Cornell University.
Alyssa Meyer, Sumner, dairy science and global resource systems: “Solutions for Improving Dairy Farm Management in Northern Rural Vietnam,” Howard Tyler, animal science.
Justin Mikesell, Clear Lake, chemistry: “Optimizing Stereoselective Aldehyde Alpha-Oxygenation,” Jason Chen, chemistry.
Esdras Murillo-Larios, Des Moines, electrical engineering: “Annual Energy Consumption in a Community Lab and Analysis of the Electricity Energy Flow,” Ulrike Passe, architecture.
Danielle Pohl, Center Point, biology: “The Role of Maternally Supplied Cell Death Components in Primordial Germ Cell Development of Drosophila Melanogaster,” Clark Coffman, genetics, development and cell biology.
Deepak Premkumar, Ames, economics, global resource systems, and mathematics: “The Effects of Potential Hospital Closings on the Quality and Proximity of Hospital Options for Rural Residents,” Peter Orazem, economics.
Toni Proescholdt, Marshalltown, biology: “Understanding Interactions between Butterflies and their Floral Resources in Iowa Grasslands,” Diane Debinski, ecology, evolution and organismal biology.
Wesley Rondinelli, Urbandale, meteorology and accounting: “Soil Moisture Dynamics: A Comparison of the SMOS Satellite to the South Fork In-situ Soil Moisture Network,” Brian Hornbuckle, agronomy.
Garrett Smith, San Diego, Calif., microbiology and genetics: “A Glimpse into NASA’s Planetary Protection Implementation: Bacterial Communities Residing on Mars Bound Spacecraft,” James N. Benardini, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.
Johanna Sholar, LaGrange Park, Ill., animal science and music: “Gilt Approachability to a Human When Selected for Feed Efficiency,” Anna Johnson, animal science.
Morgan Todd, Windsor Heights, political science: “Balancing the Board: An Analysis of the Implementation and Implications of Iowa’s Gender Balance Legislation for Appointed Boards and Commissions,” Valerie Hennings, political science.
Jeffery Williams, Ames, microbiology: “Using Microbes to Enhance Plant Drought Tolerance,” Gwyn Beattie, plant pathology and microbiology.
