UNE hosts 4th Annual Northeast Undergraduate Research and Development Symposium

The University of New England hosted the 4th Annual Northeast Undergraduate Research Development Symposium (NURDS) March 10-11, 2012 at UNE's Biddeford campus.

The symposium, funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is the largest undergraduate research conference north of Boston and attracts students from New Haven to Nova Scotia.

38 Colleges and Universities

More than 180 students from 38 different colleges and universities registered for the 2012 symposium, including 19 students from University of New England. Through talks and poster presentations, students shared their research in the natural and social sciences, in disciplines such as ecology, evolution, genetics/molecular biology, psychology, oceanography, marine biology, physics, medical biology, and chemistry.

Many students are preparing their research for submission to publications, and the symposium provides a venue to refine their research, presentation and networking skills.

Markus Frederich, Ph.D., UNE associate professor of marine sciences, is the principal investigator of the NSF grant that funds NURDS, as well as faculty advisor for the event. He states, "At UNE, our students are encouraged to pursue active research as part of their academic education. The NURDS conference models a real scientific conference with talks and poster sessions, moderators and even hands-on workshops. The students become real scientists, presenting their work, which often is truly innovative science, in front of their peers. The funding from the National Science Foundation allows us to make this a larger regional event, and some universities are sending their students for the fourth year to present at NURDS."

UNE undergraduate medical biology student Casey Toombs, class of 2012, has helped organize the symposium for three years, and has presented twice. She says, "By presenting my research in front of other undergraduates at NURDS, I have gained very useful feedback to help me prepare for my Honors thesis. I am also better prepared to speak about my research in front of important doctors and professors for medical school interviews to achieve my goal of becoming a physician."

Keynote Address

The 2012 NURDS keynote address was delivered by Michael Grace, Ph.D., associate professor at the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Fla, who spoke on his research with undergraduates. His presentation was titled, "Some Like it Hot! The Infrared Vision in Pit Vipers and Pythons."

Keynote speakers at previous NURDS conferences include Peggy Maher, aerospace education specialist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, former president of the National Council of Undergraduate Research.

The 2012 NURDS poster and oral presentations awardees were:

Posters:

Scott Belair- University of Maine-Presque Isle, The effects of forest type on arthropod abundance and food use by birds
Manish Chawla and Tony Chou- Worcester Polytechnical Institute, Synthesis and characterization of tin oxide-supported platinum for cathode catalysts of direct methanol fuel cells
Kate Broderick- College of the Holy Cross, DNA mutator capacity of the anti-HIV protein, APOBEC3G
Wayne Bainter and Justin Gay- Salve Regina University, T-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels are differentially inhibited by pyrethroid insecticides
Brittany Bertone- Salve Regina University, Future of anti-cancer drugs: hydroponically crocus yields saffron
Christopher Bolsh- Keene State College, The buzz about Four Loko: an analytical investigation of caffeine content In beverages
Alexandra Igo- Salve Regina University, The effect of seasonal change on bacterial contaminants within the Aquidneck Island watershed
Caitlyn Farragher- Salve Regina University, Seasonal flux and eutrophic conditions in the Aquidneck Island watershed, Rhode Island
Hassan Shaleh- University of Southern Maine, Obtaining axenic strains of the marine cyanobacterium, prochlorococcus
Craig Irving- Salve Regina University, Characterization and expression of the human N-type voltage-sensitive calcium channel (Cav2.2) into xenopus laevis oocytes

Oral presentations:

Christopher Baker and Tanayott Thaweeti- Brown University, Estimating and comparing variance in lysis time and burst size within phage populations using a single-phage assay
Cameron Frament- University of Rhode Island, From Ohm's Law to single molecule sensing
Marina Garland- College of the Atlantic, Microplastic pollution in the Gulf of Maine: patterns of abundance and variable distribution