2012 Award Recipients
| Student Name | Major/Department | Advisor/Mentor | Proposal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Bjorn | Biomedical Engineering | Megan Frost | Developing a nitric oxide releasing polymer system for in vivo testing of retinal epithelial cell degeneration |
| Michael Bobian | Biological Sciences | Mi Hye Song | Centrosome assembly is regulated by proteasomal degradation |
| Michael Bostwick | Biomedical Engineering | Bruce Lee | Determining the effects of biomimetic, physical cross-links on the mechanical properties of hydrogels |
| Margaret Brunette | Biomedical Engineering/Mechanical Engineering, *HI | Rupak Rajachar | Mechanical vibrations and their effect on cell expression of myofibroblastic phenotype behavior |
| Daniel Cerminaro | Civil Engineering | Thomas Oommen | Object-based earthquake-induced damage assessment using remote sensing |
| Megan Dalbec | Environmental Engineering | Lynn Mazzoleni | Secondary formation of organosulfate compounds during α-pinene ozonolysis |
| Zachary Johnson | Biological Sciences, *HI | Thomas Werner | The role of proto-oncogenes in the evolution of animal color patterns, using drosophilia guttifera as a model |
| Taylor Kaurala | Exercise Science | Jason Carter | Gluten-free diet and autonomic activity in humans |
| Michael Lancina | Biomedical Engineering, *HI | Rupak Rajachar | Primary amine derivatized natural polymer electrospun fivers for the controlled release of nitric oxide |
| Emily Makoutz | Physics | Yoke Khin Yap | Quantum dot sensitized photovoltaic devices with novel core-shell nanowires |
| Lauren Mancewicz | Environmental Engineering | John Gierke | Achievability of groundwater remediation of fruit processing waste contamination using air sparging technology |
| Lauren Manninen | Forestry | Catherine Tarasoff and Evan Kane | A comparison of the carbon sequestration potential of C3 vs C4 grasses in Michigan's Upper Peninsula |
| Christa Meingast | Environmental Engineering | Eric Seagren and Jennifer Becker | Development of a sustainable process for class A biosolids production in a small northern community |
| Jarrod Nelson | Forestry | Thomas Pypker | A comparison of stemflow precipitation volume and nutrient content between red maple (acer rubrum) and black ash (fraxinus nigra) |
| Felicia Nip | Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, *HI | Thomas Werner | The evolution of a α-amanitin resistance in drosophila |
| Justina Silva | Applied Ecology and Environmental Science | Wrik Lilleskov | Enzyme activity in changing peatland plant communities and their effect on carbon cycling |
| Stephen Stassen | Physics | Claudio Mazzoleni | Research on atmospheric North American aerosols: using an integrated photoacoustic/nephelometer spectrometer and the Pico mountain observatory |
| Caleb Vogt | Biomedical Engineering, *HI | Feng Zhao | Optimization of nitric oxide releasing dose for human mesenchymal stem cell growth in a biodegradable nanofibrous scaffold |
| Eric Wilkening | MEchanical Engineering/Biomedical Engineering | Nina Mahmoudian | Development of a cost competitive underwater glider for the advancement of marine research |
| Bo Yu | Computer Science | Ali Ebnenasir | Towards designing a fault-tolerant scheduler for the OkL4 microkernel |
2011 Award Recipients
| Student Name | Major/Department | Advisor/Mentor | Proposal |
|---|---|---|---|
Michael Adler | Physics | Peter Moran, ME-EM | :"Iodine Doping and Carrier Concentration Analysis in N-Type PbTe Semiconductors" |
Jonathan Anderson | Chemical Engineering | Julia King, Chemical Engineering | "Tensile Modulus Modeling of Carbonanotube/Polycarbonate and Carbon Black/Polycarbonate Composites" |
Hasti Asayesh Ardakani | ME-EM | Reza Shahbazian-Yassar, BRC | "Self-powered Piezoelectric Nanostructures" |
Elizabeth Cloos | Electrical Engineering | Christopher Middlebrook, Electrical & Computer Engineering | "Determination of the Acousto-Optic Effect in Polymer Waveguide Materials" |
Ryan Connolly | Physics | Robert Nemiroff, Physics | "Applying the Pulse Start Conjecture to High-Energy Gamma-Ray Bursts in Order to Constrain Lorentz Invariance Violation" |
Corson Cramer | ME-EM | Lyon King, ME-EM | "Potential Analyzer Diagnostic for Hall-Effect Plasma Thruster Plumes" |
Richard Gridley | Biomedical Engineering | Seth Donahue, BRC | "A Novel Treatment for Fracture Healing in Rats" |
Jordan Hagen | Physics | Claudio Mazzoleni, Physics | "Using Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectometry to Characterize Aerosol Optical Properties" |
Matt Helgen | Computer Science | Nilufer Onder, Computer Science | "A Computer Simulated Approach for Modeling Evolution of Biochemical Systems" |
Andrew Kennedy | Cheminformatics | Loredana Valenzano, Physics | "A Multi-Scale Computational Study of Metal-Organic Frameworks in Interaction with Water" |
Lindsey Kenyon | GMES | Greg Waite, GMES | "Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala: A Study of Seismic Activity and Correlation with Gas Emissions" |
Michelle King | Exercise Science | Jason Carter, Exercise Science/BRC | "Sleep Deprivation and Neurovascular Control in Humans" |
Faith Lambert | Biology | Michael Gibson, Biological Science/BRC | "The Effects of Transport Inhibition of Phenylalanine on Phenylketonuria Symptoms by Use of Dietary Supplements" |
Tristan McKay | Biomedical Engineering | Megan Frost, BRC | "Physical Characterization of Nitric Oxide Releasing Polymers" |
Alex Mehne | SFRES | Andrew Burton, SFRES | "Performance of Non-Local Tree Species Planted in Baraga County, MI" |
Sarah Mets | Biology | Mi Hye Song, Biological Sciences | "The Role of ATX-2, an RNA-Binding Protein in Centrosome Duplication" |
Alexander Saari | Management Information Systems | Mari Buche, SBE | "The Cyclical Benefits of the Systems Development Life Cycle and Other Growth/Development Initiatives in the Information Systems/Information Technology Industry" |
Samantha Simon | Psychology | Edward Cokely, CLS | "Using Cognitive Science to Improve Financial Decision Making Applications in Consumer Credit Card Debt" |
Derek VanderLaan | Physics | Yoke Khin Yap, Physics | "Quantam Dot-Sensitized ZnO Nanostructures for Photovoltaic Devices" |
Lucas van der Laan | Exercise Science | Karen Roemer, BRC | "Determining How Different Cutting Maneuvers Affect the Forces Applied on the ACL" |
Auriel Van Der Laar | Wildlife Ecology and Management | Joseph Bump, SFRES | "Developing Morphometrics Models to Predict the Sex of King and Virginia Rails" |
Kaylee Walsh | Mathematics | Mark Gockenbach, Mathematical Sciences | "Analysis of New Regularization Method for Ill-Conditioned Linear Systems" |
Katherine Waring | CEE | Rodney Chimner, SFRES | "Sleeper Lake Fen Restoration: Modeling Water Flow Patterns and Water Chemistry" |
*HI = Honor's Institute
2010 Award Recipients
| Student Name | Major/Department | Advisor/Mentor | Proposal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachael Barlock | Environmental Engineering | Noel Urban, Civil and Environmental Engineering | “Copper Concentrations in Pore Water in Torch Lake, MI” |
| Elissa Barris | Applied Geophysics | Aleksey Smirnov, GMES | “~2.7 Ga Black Range Dikes of Western Australia as Potential Recorders of the Earth's Magnetic Field Strength” |
| Patrick Bowen | Materials Science & Engineering | Jarek Drelich, Materials Science and Engineering | “Developing a Predictive Model for Rehdroxylation Rate Constraints of Archaeological Ceramics” |
| Donisha Das | Biomedical Engineering | Rupak Rajachar, Biomedical Engineering | “Vaporized Bioglass Composites for Interfacial Tissue Regeneration” |
| Kyle Gorkowski | Physics | Claudio Mazzoleni, Physics | “Particle Collection and Data Analysis for the Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study, California, Summer 2010” |
| Erin Hickey | Applied Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Wildlife Ecology | Oliver Gailing, Forestry | “Genetic Comparison between North American and European Populations of Lumbricus Terrestris to Determine Origin of Local Populations” |
| Justin Holmes (HI*) | Physics | Robert Nemiroff, Physics | “Relative Brightness of Gamm-ray Burst Pulses as an Indicator of Cosmic Distance” |
| Nari Kang | Bioinformatics | Ramakrishna Wusirika, Biological Sciences | “Antifungal Activity of Callus Culture and Leaf Extracts of Oak (Quercus ssp.) and their Bioactive Components” |
| Adam Komar | Forestry | Catherine Tarasaoff, Forestry | “The Effect of Spotted Knapweed on the Success and Fitness of Native Plant Communities” |
| Chelsea Murawski (HI*) | Forestry and Wildlife Ecology & Management | Joseph Bump, Forestry | “Reducing Wolf-Hunting Dog Conflict in the Upper Great Lakes Region” |
| Amanda Nixon | Exercise Science | Karen Roemer, Exercise Science | “The Effects of Obesity and Body Shape on Balance” |
| Kylin Nixon | Biomedical Engineering | Megan Frost, Biomedical Engineering | “Investigation into Nitric Oxide Production by Lymphatic Endothelial Cells and its Potential Therapeutic Uses” |
| Morgan Owen-Cruise (HI*) | Chemistry | Patricia Heiden, Chemistry | “Synthesis of Structured Nanoparticles” |
| Karl Romanowicz | Forestry/Applied Ecology & Environmental Science | Erik Lilleskov, Forestry | “Influence of Environmental Variables on Biogeochemical Processes of Northern Peatland Ecosystems” |
| Erin Scanlon | Physics | Kim Fook Lee, Physics | “Exploration of Coherent-state Polarization Cloning” |
| Hannah Smith (HI*) | Biomedical Engineering | Keat Ghee Ong, Biomedical Engineering | “Development of a Stress-sensitive, magnetoelastic Coating for Detecting Coronary Stent Failure (in-stent restenosis)” |
| Jill Smith | Forestry | Dana Richter, Forestry | “Effectiveness of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi after 24 Years of Dormancy in Sterile Water” |
| Timothy Veverica (HI*) | Plant Biotechnology; Plant Sciences | Evan Kane, Forestry | “Understanding Carbon Loss/Charcoal Conversion in Northern Peatland and Circumboreal Wildfires” |
| David Weyland | Biomedical Engineering | Seth Donahue, Biomedical Engineering | “Decrease in Intracortical Bone Porosity with Age in Hibernating Black Bears” |
| Lisa Weidemann (HI*) | Environmental Engineering | Noel Urban, Civil and Environmental Engineering | “Mercury Concentrations in Macro Invertebrates and Pore Water samples of Torch Lake and Surrounding Wetlands” |
| Ashley Yenoir (HI*) | Biological Sciences | Jason Carter, Exercise Science | “Effects of fish oil on human blood pressure and muscle sympathetic nerve activity during psychological stress” |
| Ryan Young | Chemical Engineering and Biology | Michael E. Mullins, Chemical Engineering | “Development of a Polymer-Lipid Complex That Restores Neuronal Membrane Continuity Following Axonal Damage” |
| Jie Zeng | Mathematics | Yolanda Munoz Maldonado, Mathematics | “Application of Functional Data Analysis in the Study of Aerosol Absorption and Dispersion in Mexico City” |
*HI = Honor's Institute
For a complete listing of SURF Awards dated back to 2002, please contact Cathy Banfield (cmbanfie@mtu.edu).