KU students to present at Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol

LAWRENCE — Students from the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Medical Center will present their research projects at the Statehouse on Wednesday, March 4, as part of Kansas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol.

KU students will join their peers from other Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) public four-year universities in Topeka from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second-floor rotunda of the Statehouse. Students will give brief poster presentations to other students, faculty, KBOR members, state lawmakers and members of the public. The event is intended to raise awareness of the research by undergraduate students at state universities.

“When students come to a research-intensive institution like KU, they have the benefit of not only learning from leading experts in their field, but also taking part in cutting-edge research,” said Alison Olcott, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and associate professor in geology.  “These experiences equip students with problem-solving skills and expertise that will translate to a variety of careers once they leave KU.”

The presenters are listed below by name, year of study, major, mentor and title of research project:

KU-Lawrence

• Elsey Barnhart, senior in psychology; mentored by Omri Gillath, psychology: “Mediating Stress Response with Security Priming.”
• Greta Olsen, sophomore in chemical & petroleum engineering; mentored by Mark Shiflett, chemical & petroleum engineering: “Project EARTH.”
• Madisen Huscher, senior in behavioral neuroscience; mentored by Matthew Mosconi, psychology & applied behavioral sciences: “Neural Correlates of Anxiety in Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
• Nicole D’Souza, junior in chemical engineering; mentored by Mei He, chemical & petroleum engineering: “Optimization of Sucrose Concentrations to Improve Efficiency of Exosome Isolation.”
• Zachary Atkins, senior in mathematics and computer science; mentored by Agnieszka Miedlar, mathematics: “Towards Optimality of Domain Decomposition Methods for Eigenvalue Problems.”  

 
From KU Medical Center

• Brynlee Robbins, senior in nursing; mentored by Jill Peltzer, nursing: “Promoting Wellness for African Americans Affected by Cancer: A CBPR Approach.”
• Faith Higgins, senior in nursing; mentored by Pamela Barnes, nursing: “Exploring Nursing Student Perceptions of Classroom Conditions Eliciting Intrinsic Motivation to Learn.”
• Jade Soukup, senior in nursing; mentored by Emily Cramer, nursing: “Trends in Assault Rates on U.S. Nursing Personnel.”
• Lee Tubbs, senior in respiratory care; mentored by Cheryl Skinner and Dave Burnett, respiratory care education: “Innovative Pulmonary Rehabilitation Telehealth Program for Improving COPD Patient Outcomes.”
• Michael Seeley, senior in respiratory care; mentored by Cheryl Skinner and Dave Burnett, respiratory care education: “Innovative Pulmonary Rehabilitation Telehealth Program for Improving COPD Patient Outcomes.”