David M Thomson, Physiology and Developmental Biology Evaluation of mentoring environment My laboratory is running quite smoothly now. The students in the laboratory are proficient in performing experiments, obtaining data and interpreting it. My first undergraduate students have recently graduated, and I now have a nice array of experienced and newer inexperienced students, so the […]
Screening for Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Secondary Schools
Dr. Ellie Young, Department of Psychology Evaluation of how well the academic objectives of the proposal were met The academic objectives were achieved for this grant. Students were mentored in reviewing a large body of research that focused on understanding the needs, behaviors, and outcomes for adolescent students with behavioral and emotional concerns. This provided […]
Co-amplification of Mitochondrial Pseudogenes
Dr. Michael Whiting, Department of Biology Funding was received from the BYU ORCA mentorship program during 2011 to support undergraduates performing research in my lab, under the mentorship of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and myself. During 2011, this funding provided direct support for 6 undergraduates who are in various stages of completing research projects. The […]
The School Based Family: Coaches and Teachers as Parental Figures for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ugandan Schools
Dr. Stacy Taniguchi, Department of Recreation Management and Youth Leadership The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the possible formation of surrogate families within Ugandan schools to potentially provide a context for positive development experiences, especially for orphans who lack positive development opportunities provided by parents. The sample for this study consisted of […]
Neurophysiological Substrates of Alcohol Addiction
Dr. Scott Steffensen, Department of Psychology Completion of Academic Objectives Research in my lab is dedicated to the elucidation of brain substrates underlying drug addiction. Elder Boyd K. Packer has stated, “It is my conviction, and my constant prayer, that there will come through research, through inspiration to scientists if need be, the power to […]
A Comparative History of Nordic Literary Cultures
Dr. Steven Sondrup, Department of Humanities, Classics, and Comparative Literature I received a MEG in December of 2009 and, thus, pursued the goals outlined in that application during 2010 and am continuing through 2011. The proposal was to have selected students work closely with me on preparing a manuscript on the comparative history of Nordic […]
Amphibians and Reptiles as Model Systems: Phylogenetic Research for Undergraduates
Dr. Jack Sites, Department of Biology This award provided $20,000 to support of molecular phylogenetic work on a number of projects, including those related to my long-term focus on the “deep history” relationships of squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes), and the second more recent emphasis on phylogeographic (“shallow history”) studies of frogs and lizards. This […]
Development of Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (q-PCR) Assays for the Specific Detection and Characterization of Select Bacterial Pathogens
Dr. Richard Robison, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Biology The Specific aims for the project were as follows Develop q-PCR reactions for specific target genes of bacterial pathogens Primer generation software will be used to design primer and probe sequences that will theoretically perform optimally in PCR reactions. All sequences will be subjected to BLAST […]
Classical Singer University Vocal Competition
Dr. Diane Reich, School of Music The annual convention of Classical Singer, a premier trade journal for singers and singing teachers, began in 2009 to hold a competition for university students. This is strictly for classical singers age 18-25, who are training and aspiring to become professional singers. The initial proposal was intended for the […]
Cytokine Signaling in the Microenvironment May Aid in Tumor Development and Progression
Dr. Kim O’Neill, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology Studies have indicated that in breast tumors a high number of tumor associated macrophages (TAM’s) is indicative of a poor prognosis. TAM’s in the breast tumor microenvironment generally have a compromised immune response and focus their energy toward tissue repair which leads to angiogenesis, tumor growth, […]