2008-09 Early Research Opportunities for
Faculty-Sophomore Work-Study Collaborations
Filomina Steady
Africana Studies
Under my direction, supervision
and training, the student will learn research skills for data collection
and literature review on African women leaders in libraries in the area,
especially the
Philip Kohl
Anthropology
A student is needed to assist
Prof. Kohl in the Anthropology Department complete a final two volume
report on his excavations at the Early Bronze Age site of
Wendy Bauer
Astronomy
The student would learn and use the IDL programming language
(used in upper-level astronomy courses) to work on one of several possible
projects using Hubble Space Telescope spectra of atmospheric eclipsing
binary stars.
Mary Allen
Biological Sciences
My research focuses on bacterial responses to stress. Currently we are studying how cyanobacteria respond to acidic or heavy metal stress using
growth, proteomic and biochemical approaches. A
student would be involved in one of these on-going projects using 2-D
gel electrophoresis, biofilm characterization,
enzyme assays or NMR spectrometry.
David Ellerby
Biological Sciences
Research in my lab focuses on the physiology and mechanics
of animal locomotion. A work study student would be involved in a project
measuring the energy costs of locomotion in swimming fish, and also participate
in the day to day running of the research lab. In addition to experimental
work, duties would include occasional animal care work.
Kaye Peterman
Biological Sciences
PATL1, a protein originally identified in our laboratory, localizes to the expanding and maturing cell plate of plant cells and is believed to be involved in vesicle trafficking during cytokinesis. A sophomore work study would join a team of students working to determine the sites of transcription of all members of the PATL gene family by microscopic analysis (bright field and confocal) of transgenic plants with PATL promoter::GUS and PATL promoter:GFP gene fusions. Through this project the student will gain experience with bright-field and confocal laser scanning microscopy as well as molecular biology techniques including RNA purification and real-time PCR.
Andrea Sequeira
Biological Sciences
Research in my laboratory is
devoted to the study of population and conservation genetics specifically
with regards to the effect of introduced species on the genetic variability
of resident species and how that affects their survival or demise. We
work with endemic and introduced weevil species from the
Marc Tetel
Biological Sciences
My lab is interested in how steroid hormones work in the
brain to regulate gene expression and behavior. Students
use a variety of techniques to investigate hormone function in brain,
including protein-protein interaction assays and Western blot analyses. In
addition to learning these techniques and conducting experiments, students
will assist in general lab maintenance and organization.
Christopher
R. Arumainayagam
Chemistry
We propose to study the low-energy (0-100 eV)
electron-induced decomposition of the organometallic precursor
molecules Mo(CO)6 and MoF6 under
ultrahigh vacuum conditions (p ~ 1 ´ 10-10 Torr)
using post-irradiation temperature programmed desorption (TPD), a well-established surface science technique,
and isothermal electron-stimulated desorption (ESD)
experiments. These studies will allow us to examine the hypothesis that dissociative electron attachment is the primary mechanism
leading to radiation-induced damage in organometallic precursor
molecules relevant to electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID), a promising
technique for fabricating nanoscale structures.
Flick Coleman
Chemistry Department
A student working with me would use methods of computational
chemistry to explore the electronic structure of small molecules whose
shapes deviate from those predicted by simple structural models. They will learn to interpret the results of
complex calculations and to relate those results to the orbital models
commonly used by chemists.
Nancy Kolodny
Chemistry Department
Research in my laboratory uses nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate
problems in biology and medicine in collaboration with other
Didem Vardar Ulu
Chemistry Department
The student will be expected to carry out expression and
purification of different proteins using a bacterial expression system
for ongoing projects in the laboratory. She
will also be in charge of preparing some stock solutions, including buffers,
gels, plates, etc. for the laboratory. Finally,
she will help with some organizational aspects of the lab including keeping
track of orders, equipment usage and regular maintainance runs.
Adele Wolfson
Chemistry Department
I am looking for a student interested in a collaborative
project between my biochemistry research laboratory and Marc Tetel's in neuroscience. We are studying regulation by estrogens
of an enzyme in brain that degrades peptides. The student will assist
with immunohistochemistry of mouse brain sections,
carry out western blots and kinetic assays, and test blood for levels
of circulating hormones.
Adrienne Lucas
Economics Department
Potential projects involve investigations into the interplay
of disease, nutrition, and education (estimating the effects of
Economics Department
This sophomore research project involves assisting Professor Julie Matthaei
in creating an edited collection on the topic of consumerism entitled Affluenza
and Me. The research assistant will help locate scholarly articles on the
subject; develop a transcript of the movie “Affluenza and Me;” update the
statistics on consumerism presented in the movie; and help in the selection
and editing of blogs and comments written by Professor Matthaei’s Principles
of Microeconomics students on the topic to be included in the book (see
www.TransformationCentral.org, click blog, and the subject “Affluenza and
Me” ) Strong preference given to students who took Econ 101 with Professor
Matthaei during the 2007-2008 academic year.
Geosciences
Student will learn how to prepare and analyze samples from
on-going projects using a variety of sedimentological techniques,
including grain size analysis by sieve and Laser Diffraction Particle
Size Analyzer, mineralogical grain
analysis, bulk density and loss-on-ignition analyses of soil samples,
and core logging and sub-sampling. Field work opportunities may exist, and there
may be an opportunity to be involved in a hydrodynamics collaboration
with B.U. using acoustic doppler flow analysis. Student
may also choose to engage in data-mining of scientific literature which
would allow periods of flexible scheduling.
Ann Trenk
Professor of Mathematics
This is a mathematics project in investigating rankings of
elements in partially ordered sets. The
student would investigate examples, and
try to prove results. No background
in partially ordered sets is necessary, but experience in a 200-level
proofs course in mathematics is required, and computer programming experience
is an added plus.
Bevil Conway
Neuroscience Program
I'd be interested in having sophomore students do some Matlab programing and computational
modeling, and to assist in training squirrels and monkeys. My lab investigates
the neural basis for visual behavior, using both squirrels and macaque
monkeys as model organisms. We analyze the data using Matlab. I would have space, and welcome, two or even three
students to assist in these hands-on research tasks.
Hahrie Han
Political Science
My research seeks to better understand ways that we can motivate
people to participate in politics. The student will work with me
to design, execute, and analyze a series of field experiments designed
to better understand what kind of organizing techniques are most effective
in mobilizing participation. Students will assist in setting up
studies and working with subjects. Good interpersonal skills are
a must, and experience with political organizing is a plus.
Beth DeSombre
Political Science
Department and Environmental Studies
Projects: Two projects:
One examines the different ways that endangered species are protected
through different international organizations; a second looks at the
design of "carbon" markets through which those who are required
to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide can buy and sell emissions
obligations. In both cases, the
student will help build a database of relevant factors (which species
are considered for listing under which organizations; what are the design
characteristics of various carbon markets) and help collect and analyze
data, as well as do library research for existing writing on the topics.
Jennie Pyers
Psychology Department
The position entails either examining whether preschoolers
can use adult gestures to guide how they play with novel objects, or
whether they can detect uncertainty in an adult's voice, and whether
uncertain intonation can affect children's word learning. The student
will be trained to administer the tasks with preschoolers and to
code the results of the tasks. The ideal applicant should have
two mornings a week free to conduct studies at the
Sally Theran
Psychology Department
My current area of research examines factors that put girls
at risk for negative outcomes in adolescence. Students
working on this project with assist with participant recruitment, conducting
participant interviews, data entry, and data analysis. Students
who have taken Psychology 101 preferred.
Lee Cuba
Sociology Department
The student working with me next year will join a small team
of other
Peggy Levitt
Sociology Department
Assistance required for a study on how the relationship between
art and society changes in a global world. How do national art, cultural, and media institutions
change when the people who use them live lives that span more than one
country? Researcher will collect bibliographic materials, summarize related
research findings, and help develop a new research project.
Markella Rutherford
Sociology Department
I will be working on a book manuscript, In Choice We Trust,
which explores the manifestations of American individualism in contemporary
rites of passage, including graduations, weddings, and advice surrounding
childbirth and childrearing. The student working with me will assisting
with data management, data analysis, and bibliographic research and will
learn qualitative content analysis skills and become familiar with MaxQDA, a qualitative data analysis software package.
Office
of the Dean of the College
Date Created: April 23, 2008
Last Modified:
April 30, 2007