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School of Science Students Participate in TCNJ’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program
During summer 2007, 31 students from the School of Science conducted original research with a faculty mentor as part of TCNJ’s College-wide Summer Undergraduate Research Program, or “SURP.” The research projects in which Science students were engaged were funded by a variety of sources, including TCNJ, Merck/American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Starch and Chemical, Bristol-Myers Squibb, the New Jersey State Police, and the National Conference on Undergraduate (NCUR)/Lancy Foundation.
Students worked on projects in close collaboration with faculty mentors from the Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics & Statistics, and Physics Departments, as well as on several interdisciplinary projects with fellow students and faculty from the School of Engineering, the School of Culture and Society, and the School of Nursing, Health and Exercise Science. The summer program is an 8 to 10-week, full-immersion experience, with students working full-time on research questions and also participating in a variety of scholarly and community-building activities. Student participants receive a stipend and housing.
One of the goals of TCNJ’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program is to foster the intellectual independence, professional growth, and personal growth of the student-scholar participants. Faculty mentors engage students as collaborative partners in original and authentic research projects. This apprenticeship model supports significant student learning while creating new knowledge and contributing to the advancement of the array of fields represented.
Students involved in SURP gain hands-on experience in research and have the benefit of working side by side with their faculty mentors. The student-scholars also benefit from the opportunity to interact with researchers in other academic areas, by living together in on-campus residences, and through a range of other events. For example, research teams meet regularly to report on the progress of their projects throughout the summer, participate in weekly meetings of all students and mentors for topical workshops (e.g., Ethics in Research), and enjoy group lunches and/or breakfasts. Other social activities include weekly matches of Ultimate Frisbee, a canoeing trip, blueberry picking and potluck barbeques at faculty mentor homes. These interactions stimulate discussion and foster interest in continuing research at TCNJ or outside the College, and in pursuing graduate study. Each student, or student team, will present the results of their research at one or more conferences during the 2007-2008 academic year. Also, view a short web video about TCNJ’s 2007 Summer Undergraduate Research Program, including interviews with student participants and faculty mentors.
Students |
Mentors |
Projects |
Dr. Sudhir Nayak |
The role of ptp-3, a protein tyrosine phosphatase, in the modulation of GLD-1 protein levels in the Caenorhabditis elegans germline |
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Dr. Amanda Norvell |
The role of microtubules in patterning the dorsal-ventral axis of the Drosophila melanogaster egg |
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Dr. Amanda Norvell |
The role of the microtubules in gurken (grk) mRNA localization during Drosophila oogenesis |
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Dr. James Bricker |
Determining genetic variation of white-tailed deer populations in New Jersey throughout time |
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Dr. James Bricker |
Isolation and amplification of microsatellite loci in white-tailed deer |
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Dr. Sudhir Nayak |
Development of small molecule proteasome inhibitors |
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Dr. Curt Elderkin |
Genetic variation within and among species of freshwater mussel, Elliptio complanata, in the Delaware, Raritan, and Susquehanna Watersheds |
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Miriam Segura-Totten |
Phosphorylation regulates Barrier-to-Autointegration Factor (BAF) function during nuclear assembly |
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Dr. Curt Elderkin |
Assessing the impact of the Assunpink Creek Greenway Project |
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Dr. Marcia O’Connell |
Investigating homologs of the squid gene during zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryogenesis |
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Dr. Donald Lovett |
Changes in Na+-K+, ATPase expression and activity in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus in response to an increase in environmental salinity |
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Dr. Janet A. Morrison |
Optimizing direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for germinated Sporisorium ellisii teliospores, mycelial ball cultures, and fragments |
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Dr. Segura-Totten Dr. Hirsh |
Mapping the binding region for histone H3 on Barrier-to-Autointegration Factor (BAF) |
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Dr. Marcia O’Connell |
Investigating homologs of the squid gene during zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryogenesis |
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Dr. Janet A. Morrison |
Development of PCR markers for diagnosing Sporisorium ellisii infection within populations of Andropogon virginicus |
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Dr. Sudhir Nayak |
Analysis of GLD-1 Protein Turnover in the Germline of Caenorhabditis elegans |
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Dr. Donald Lovett |
Changes in Na+-K+, ATPase expression and activity in the blue crab Callinectes sapidus in response to an increase in environmental salinity
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Dr. Donald Hirsh |
Molecular modeling for distance measurements
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Dr. David Hunt |
Investigation of halogen-metal exchange in the presence of a β-lactam
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Dr. John Allison |
Forensic examination of inkjet inks
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Dr. David Hunt |
Novel synthesis of styryl ethers
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Dr. John Allison |
Forensic analysis of inkjet inks
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Dr. Donald Hirsh |
Optimizing the spin labeling reaction of proteins for use in protein-protein and protein-heterochromatin binding characterization
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Dr. David Hunt |
Expedient preparation of 2-(5,6-Dihydro-4H-1,3-oxazin-2-yl)anilines
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Dr. David Hunt |
Development of small molecule proteasome inhibitors
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Dr. Lisa Grega Dr. Jeffrey Osborn |
Aerodynamics of saccate pollen and its implications for wind pollination
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Dr. Lisa Grega Dr. Jeffrey Osborn |
Aerodynamics of saccate pollen and its implications for wind pollination
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Dr. Thomas Hagedorn |
Calculating algebraic invariants for binary forms of degree 9 and 10
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Dr. Thomas Hagedorn |
Classical Invariant Theory
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Dr. Byron Parizek |
Modeled sediment mass-balance and movement underneath ice sheets
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