Dr. Bradley C Bundy, Chemical Engineering
Evaluation of how well the academic objectives of the proposal were met:
The academic objectives of this grant were met. Each specific aim was completed as described in the proposal and the results were reported in a peer-review journal (listed in section below) and at academic conferences. The results of this work provided preliminary data which helped in applying for and receiving a 2011 National Science Foundation EAGER Award.
Evaluation of the mentoring environment:
The mentoring environment as described in the proposal was established. Five students involved in this work have been accepted to and are pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering or a related field. Two students involved with this work have been accepted to and are attending medical school. Students were directly mentored students in research techniques and approaches as the PI was setting up his research lab over the course of the grant period. Students were also mentored on how to effectively report research results by presentation and written reports.
List of students who participated and what academic deliverables they have produced or it is anticipated they will produce:
Student |
Accomplishments |
Chad Varner |
|
Anna Hawes |
|
Derek Bush |
|
Julie Swenson |
|
Matt Burnham |
|
Troy Holland |
|
Greg Atkinson |
|
Mark Smith |
|
Jennifer Handy |
|
Curtis Campbell |
|
John Terry |
|
Wade Anderson |
|
Dan Barfuss |
|
Jordan Winegar |
|
Paul Chidsey |
|
Jay Rainsdon |
|
Greg Atkinson |
|
Christopher Werner |
|
Garrison Fredline |
|
Description of the results/findings of the project:
The results/findings from this project can be found in a peer-reviewed article in Biotechnology Progress (below). Chad Varner (co-first author) and Derek Bush (third author) were both undergraduates who were involved throughout the process of planning the experiments, implementing the experiments, analyzing the data, and drafting the article. The grant is acknowledged in the paper as “A Mentoring Environment Grant from the Office of Research and Creative Activities at Brigham Young University provided financial support for this work.”
Varner, CT, Smith, MT, Bush, DB, Bundy BC. 2012. The Incorporation of the A2 Protein to Produce Novel Qβ Virus-like Particles Using Cell-free Protein Synthesis. Biotechnology Progress. 28(2):549-555.
In addition the results from this project were reported at academic conference presentations as listed under student accomplishments above.
Description of how the budget was spent:
The $20,000 in funds received through this grant was used as undergraduate chemical engineering student wages ($12,750 ) and biotechnology supplies ($7,250) necessary to complete the proposed work. Student wages were ~$9.50/hr and varied slightly depending on the student’s experience level.