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Emily Alper (class
of 2011) and Ellie
Haag (class of 2011) collaborated on a project, working
in the Veterinary Science Department at the University of Minnesota
under
the supervision of Dr. Tim Johnson. Emily and Ellie looked at prevalence
of eighteen genes in five serovars of Salmonella to determine if the
genes are responsible for giving S. Kentucky an advantage over other
serovars of Salmonella in colonizing poultry. They used mulitplex-PCR
and gel electrophoresis to determine that all eighteen genes were found
in fifty strains of S. Kentucky. They then determined that the genes
were more prevalent in S. Kentucky than in other Salmonella species.
Their research is significant because Salmonella is the number one
food-borne pathogen in the United States and causes 1.4 million cases
of salmonelloisis every year. Emily and Eliie were named semifinalists
in the 2010 Siemens Competition.
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John Cullliton (class of 2011)
worked in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota
under the supervision of Dr. Perry Li.John designed and built a device
for a hydraulic hybrid off-road vehicle to accurately measure fuel consumption
of the vehicle’s 1:1-liter diesel engine. This device allowed measurement
of fuel consumption after the engine was warmed up when the hydraulic pump
provided optimum resistance to run the engine at constant torque output
and speed. John took the initiative to teach himself MatLab in order to
analyze fuel consumption results using a least squares fit Willans’ line
model. Results showed that his device worked, giving precise volumetric
measurements at optimal engine operating temperature with no permanent
changes to the fuel system. |
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Samarth Damania (class of
2012) worked in the Computer Science & Engineering Department at the
University of Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. Jaideep Srivastava.
Samarth studied team dynamics in professional Halo 3 gaming, looking at the
importance
of team composition in the success of a team. He used Microsoft Excel, Weka,
and MySQL to analyze Halo 3 tournament data from 2008 and 2009. His results
showed that an individual player moving to a new team did not significantly
affect individual or team performance. Samarth also developed a model to
predict performance of an individual or a team in a tournament. Results led
Samarth to conclude that successful teams in Halo 3 must use a “teamwork” mentality
rather than capitalizing on one very strong individual player. |
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Tom Erdmann (class of 2011) worked
in the Chemistry Department at the University of Minnesota under the supervision
of Dr. Chris Douglas.Tom synthesized anovel indene derivative, which is
an organic compound that has potential as a component in organic photovoltaic
devices. He synthesized and purified the indene derivative and then used
nuclear magnetic resonance and thin-layer chromatography to verify
that he produced desired product.His results showed that the indene
derivative was highly purified, enabling it to be tested
in organic photovoltaic solar
cells. |
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David Fuad (class of 2011) worked
in the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department at the University
of Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. Roger Ruan and Michael Fuad (class
of 2009). David addressed problems with microalgae build-up on walls of
photobioreacotors in which microalgae are grown for use as biofuels. Build-up
of microalgae is a problem because it blocks crucial light from reaching
microalgae and adds time (therefore costs) to harvesting algae. David
researched different non-stick materials, including PTFE Teflon, antifouling
paint, NanoSafeguard Sealant, and Silicone Lube. He found that the most
successful product was a dry PTFE Teflon that deceased build-up of
algae and
lessened cleaning time. |
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Matthew Hackner (class of
2011) worked in the Chemistry Engineering Department at the University
of Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. David Blank. Matthew researched
the interaction of a new type of plastic called regiorandom P3HT with regioregular
P3HT, which is already used in solar cells. Regioregular is currently used
in solar cells because it absorbs light and outputs usable energy well.
Regiorandom also absorbs light but does not output usable energy because
it fluoresces when it is employed in a solar cell as a thin film. Using
absorption spectroscopy and fluorimetry, Matthew found that regioregular
almost completely
quenches
fluorescence
of regiorandom.
His results suggest that adding regioregular to regiorandom could harness
the fluorescent energy of regiorandom to increase electrical output organic
solar cells. |
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Ellie Haag (class of 2011) and Emily
Alper (class
of 2011) collaborated on a project, working in the Veterinary Science Department
at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. Tim Johnson.
Ellie and Emily looked at prevalence of eighteen genes in five serovars
of
Salmonella to determine if the
genes are responsible for giving S. Kentucky an advantage over other
serovars of Salmonella in colonizing poultry. They used mulitplex-PCR
and gel electrophoresis to determine that all eighteen genes were found
in fifty strains of S. Kentucky. They then determined that the genes
were more prevalent in S. Kentucky than in other Salmonella species.
Their research is significant because Salmonella is the number one
food-borne pathogen in the United States and causes 1.4 million cases
of salmonelloisis every year. Emily and Eliie were named semifinalists
in the 2010 Siemens Competition. |
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Cara Kowalchyk (class of 2011)
and Rebeccan
Southern (class
of 2011) collaborated on a project, working in the Microbiology Department
at the University of St. Thoman under the supervision of Dr. Jayna Ditty.
Cara and Rebecca determined that the bacteria
P. putida Fu1can be used in bioremediation of furan compounds,
which are toxic, possible carcinogenic agricultural byproducts. They
used capillary assays to measure responses of mutant strains of P.
putida Fu1 to furan compounds, showing that P. putida Fu1 does
sense these compounds. They also used agarose plug assays to determine
if mutant strains of P. putida Fu1 (P. putida PSF2
and P. putida PSF9) respond to 2-furoic acid. Their results
suggested that the gene (psfb) in P. putida PSF2 may be involved
in regulating chemotaxis to 2-furoic acid, but results did not support
that the gene in P. putida PSF9 is involved in repressing the
trigger for chemotactic response of P. putida Fu1. |
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Caleb Kumar (class of 2013)
worked at Access
Genetics under the supervision of Dr. Ron McGlennen and Stephen Trusheim
(class of 2009).Caleb designed a neural network using Java programming
that selectively identifies cancerous human bladder cells. The neural network
analyzes morphometric characteristics of bladder cells in a way that simulated
the process that a pathologist follows when examining cells characteristics
for abnormalities. The program that Caleb designed will
enable diagnoses to be done more specifically, more quickly, and at lower
costs than diagnoses done by pathologists, so treatments can commence earlier. |
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Michael Portu (class of
2011) worked at Medtronic under the guidance of Dr. Tim Laske. Michael
determined how the heart is affected by impacts to the chest, specifically
during athletic participation. He used a combination of a crash-test
dummy and a chest model that he engineered to measure forces placed
on the chest and heart during athletic impacts. His results showed
that a heart can experience up to twenty pounds of force during athletic
impacts. Engineers will use Michael’s results to develop hearth
valves and stents that can withstand forces athletes experience during
practices and games.
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Aris Prince (class of 2012)
and Roshny
Vijayakar (class
of 2012) collaborated on a project, working in the Department of Horticultural
Science at the University of
Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. Gary Gardner. Aris and Roshny
grew wild Arabidopsis seeds
collected from locations around the world with different altitudes
and latitudes. They then exposed the Arabidopsis seedlings
to UV-B radiation. Results showed that plant sensitivity to UV-B did
not depend on altitude or latitude of the sites where the seeds were
collected; however, Aris and Roshny found a surprising result that
suggests plants from Japan and from locations near Chernobyl have developed
decreased sensitivity to UV-B nuclear radiation. The next step is to
determine if plants from other sites that have been exposed to nuclear
radiation also show altered UV-B sensitivity. Aris and Roshny were
named semifinalists in the 2010 Siemens Competition.
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Rebecca Southern (class
of 2011) and Cara
Kowalchyk (class of 2011) collaborated on a project, working
in the Microbiology Department at the University of St. Thoman under
the supervision of Dr. Jayna Ditty. Rebecca and Cara determined
that the bacteria
P. putida Fu1can be used in bioremediation of furan compounds,
which are toxic, possible carcinogenic agricultural byproducts. They
used capillary assays to measure responses of mutant strains of P.
putida Fu1 to furan compounds, showing that P. putida Fu1 does
sense these compounds. They also used agarose plug assays to determine
if mutant strains of P. putida Fu1 (P. putida PSF2
and P. putida PSF9) respond to 2-furoic acid. Their results
suggested that the gene (psfb) in P. putida PSF2 may be involved
in regulating chemotaxis to 2-furoic acid, but results did not support
that the gene in P. putida PSF9 is involved in repressing the
trigger for chemotactic response of P. putida Fu1. |
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Roshny Vijayakar (class of
2011) Aris Prince and
(class of 2011) collaborated on a project, working in the Department of
Horticultural Science
at the University of Minnesota under the supervision of Dr. Gary Gardner.
Roshny and Aris grew wild Arabidopsis seeds collected
from locations around the world with different altitudes and latitudes.
They
then exposed
the Arabidopsis seedlings to UV-B radiation. Results showed that
plant sensitivity to UV-B did not depend on altitude or latitude of the
sites where the seeds were collected; however, Roshny and Aris found a
surprising result that suggests plants from Japan and from locations near
Chernobyl have developed decreased sensitivity to UV-B nuclear radiation.
The next step is to determine if plants from other sites that have been
exposed to nuclear radiation also show altered UV-B sensitivity. Roshny
and Aris were named semifinalists in the 2010 Siemens Competition. |
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Addison Weiler (Class of 2010)
worked in the Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department at
the University of Minnesota
under the supervision of Dr. Russell Holmes. Addison engineered a new type
of organic solar cell using organic materials that absorb infrared radiation
in order to more efficiently convert radiation from the sun to usable electrical
energy. He tested different concentrations of the organic materials in
varying architectures, finding that laying copper phthalocyanine in a planar
architecture with lead phthalocyanine and carbon fullerene 60 gives a power
conversion efficiency of 1.53%. This is the highest efficiency ever achieved
for organic solar cells that use similar chemicals and architectures. Addison
was named semifinalists in the 2010 Siemens Competition. |
