2021 Undergraduate Research Award Winners
PULLMAN, Wash.—The Washington State University Emeritus Society of retired faculty members has selected seven students to receive awards and grants to support their undergraduate research efforts, group spokesman Tom Brigham said.
“As retired faculty from disciplines across the university, we feel it’s important to do what we can to encourage students’ research, scholarship, and creative activities,” said Brigham. “This allows us to contribute to the continued advancement of WSU, our community, and the state”.
“We are very honored to present awards to undergraduate researchers in five categories, and our new arts and humanities grant to our first two awardees.”
Media contact: Tom Brigham, WSU Emeritus Society, brigham@wsu.edu
The Emeritus Society Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award is presented in categories spanning many disciplines to encourage students from all majors to strive for scholarly excellence. The 2021 recipients of this $500 award are listed below by award category. Read details about their research presented at the spring Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creativities by entering their names in the search field.
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Physics and astronomy major Chelsea Weaver researched with mentor Brian Saam the topic of “Fluxgate Magnetometer Integration in Spin Exchange Optical Pumping Experimental Setup and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Frequency Shift Measurement.” Weaver’s project involved developing and implementing new sensors and magnets to achieve the required stability of magnetic fields in the region where the alkali atoms are being manipulated. The carefully prepared alkali atoms can be used to polarize the nuclei of noble gases which are useful in imaging biological systems involving gases, such as lungs. Improving the understanding of the underlying physics in this type of imaging is extremely important to make progress in imaging technique uses. Reviewers said that Weaver is applauded for her ability to quickly learn a wide variety of experimental techniques, assembling new circuitry, and independently analyzing data.
Biosciences
WSU Vancouver biology major Randi Richards researches with mentor Stephanie Porter the topic of “The Evolution of Heavy Metal Tolerance Leads to UV Tolerance in Plant Microbial Symbionts.” Her project involved the study of soil Rhizobium bacteria, plant symbionts. Despite the importance of rhizobia for plant health, little is known about how they adapt to environmental variation in the soil. She tested Rhizobium strain tolerances to UV light under different soil characteristics. She examined 179 strains of Mesorhizobium from Oregon and California and found that while soil chemistry is not a strong predictor of UV tolerance, there is support for the idea that adaptation to harsh soil chemistry leads to greater UV tolerance in rhizobia, possibly to protect strains from higher UV irradiation in more extreme soil types. A better understanding of the interaction between Rhizobium-soil-UV light will lead to strategies to improve plant ecology. Reviewers said that Richards is credited with learning laboratory techniques and working independently on her project, and for her ability to confront challenges, working well with others in the laboratory, and grasping the “big picture.”
Engineering and Applied Sciences
Chemical engineering and materials science and engineering major and WSU Honors College student John Bussey, with mentor John McCloy, explores the topic of “Characterization of Mt. St. Helens Ash for Use as a Lunar Regolith Simulant.” An important issue in planning exploration of the Moon is the effect of the lunar regolith (dust), which is destructive and hazardous to humans and equipment. A key need in mitigating this hazard is finding quality analogs (simulants) in high quantities that can be used for testing lunar equipment. Bussey found that the ash that landed in Pullman and similar locations following the volcanic eruption in 1980 is a relatively high-quality, medium-fidelity simulant that is potentially promising for testing of lunar-bound products—particularly those that are mechanical.
Arts, Humanities, and Creative Activities
Music composition and music education major Jack Spencer Smith researched with mentor Gregory Yasinitsky and composed “Hero, Op. 3: A French Overture for Wind Ensemble” to inspire upcoming musicians to learn about forms of the past, to be able to understand why musicians must know about these historical forms, and to recognize that they as musicians are important in their ensemble and in the world of music. The overture in the Baroque style of the early eighteenth century was scored for a modern wind ensemble. It demonstrated the integration of historic harmonic and melodic characteristics and command of counterpoint. The project was judged to be independent in development and creative in approach, impressively grounded in historical research, and scholarly in its presentation.
Social, Economic, and Behavioral Sciences
Neuroscience and psychology major and WSU Honors College student Olivia Willis researched with mentor Cheryl Reed the project “Inspiring Transportation Career with K-12 Curriculum Activities.” Willis investigated how to best introduce middle- and high-school students to transportation engineering so they will gain a positive view of the field as a possible career. With a sample of 116 students, the outreach activity consisted of an online survey, a pre-activity test, links to videos, and online transportation game, a post-activity test to gauge learning, and an optional short essay about the activity. To obtain a diverse sample for the experiment, students were recruited from local middle and high schools and through TRIO Upward Bound Math and science programs nationwide. Early results indicate students’ knowledge of transportation engineering improved significantly between the pre- and post-activity tests with a p-value of 8.59 × 10–6.