The
Undergraduate Scholars Program (USP)
is designed to encourage, facilitate,
and support undergraduate research in collaboration with faculty. USP
supports undergraduate research by awarding grants and/or providing academic
credit to students who undertake an investigative or creative project in
collaboration with a faculty mentor.
USP applicants are required to submit a mini-proposal
detailing methods and techniques that will be involved in the proposed research
project. At the completion of the project, students must submit a
final report. In some cases, awardees may be asked to present their work.
USP awards are worth $1,500 each and covers a fee waiver for USP credits
and/or a stipend. Participating departments may also match the award in
the form of a student appointment in the department where the research is being
conducted.
Spring 2008 CBE Student Research Celebration:
Rehab Abdallah
Major: Biotechnology
Poster Title: Development of biosensor to detect heavy metal and arsenate
contamination
Ruhani Amin
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Detection of pathogens in a hot water bypass distribution system
Sabrina Behnke
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: How susceptible to chlorine disinfection are detached biofilm
particles?
Kara Bowen
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Microbial populations of alkaline hot springs near Heart Lake,
Yellowstone National Park
Melinda Clark
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Structural role for flagella in biofilm formation and stability in
Desulfovibrio ulgaris Hildenborough
Chelsea Crandell
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence in modeled microgravity
Muhammedin Deliorman
Major: Physics
Poster Title: How much pressure does it take to penetrate a bacterium cell wall:
can multiple stabbings kill a bacterium?
Markus Dieser
Major: Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
Poster Title: Microbial diversity and the role of bacterial pigments as cryo- or
UVprotectants in Pony Lake, Antarctica
Nichole Dobson
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Effects of different types of swabs on biofilm
Jennifer Faulwetter
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Constructed wetland rhizosphere microbial community analysis using
group-specific primers and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis
Erin Field
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Isolation of cellulose degrading microorganisms and their
Influence on contaminant mobility and reduction
Natasha Mallette
Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
Poster Title: Case study in geobiological systems: In silico analysis of
material and energy flow in a hot spring microbial mat
Sara Nelson
Major: Biomedical Sciences and Spanish
Poster Title: Characterization of biofoulant and its impact on the reverse
osmosis
and nanofiltration membrane surfaces
Kelly O'Shea
Major: Chemistry
Matthew Fields -- Center for Biofilm Engineering
Poster Title: The utilization of bio-diesel by-products, glycerol and crude
glycerin, by desulfovibrio as a carbon and energy source
Mital Patel
Major: Biotechnology
Poster Title: Legionella pneumophila in household water biofilms
Chrystal Richards
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Detection of opportunistic pathogens in drinking water and
associated biofilms in rural Montana
Derrick Samuelson
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Molecular detection of anaerobic bacteria in chronic wounds
Derrick Samuelson
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Comparison of protein expression in biofilm chronic wound models
Melissa Schroeder
Major: Land Rehabilitation
Poster Title: Plant influences on wastewater treatment
J. Storm Shirley
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Bioremediation using akalithermophilic microorganisms from
Yellowstone National Park
Anitha Sundararajan
Major: Microbiology
Poster Title: Two PAS domain proteins suggest that both oxygen sensing and
metabolism are important for biofilm formation in Shewanella oneidensis
MR-1
Reed Taffs
Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
Poster Title: Metabolic networking applied to thermoacidophiles
Catherine VanEngelen
Major: Chemical Engineering
Poster Title: Alkaline hydrolysis and biotransformation of TNT by
thermoalkaliphiles from Yellowstone National Park
Jeri Williamson
Major: Biochemistry
Poster Title: Biodegradation of TNT using thermo-alkaliphilic microorganisms
Trevor Zuroff
Major: Chemical Engineering
Poster Title: The Effect of quorum-sensing knockouts on Escherichia coli
K-12 biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and architecture
Fall 2006 CBE USP Awardees:
Saba Alniemi
Major: Cell Biology & Neuroscience
USP Project: Bacteriophage Interaction with Staphylococcus aureus
Biofilm
Hans Bernstein
Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering
USP Project: Bacteria Composition Analysis of Unknown Biofilm Colonies
Logan Schultz
Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering
USP Project: Effect of Biofilms on Porous Media Hydrodynamics
Spring 2006 CBE USP Awardees:
Bryan Close
Major: Bio-Resources Engineering
USP Project: Developing a Model for the Flow Cytometeric Analysis of Ice Cores
Kathryn Hoyt
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: Growing Staphylococcus aureus in a Flow Cell
Pat Secor
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: Community Analysis of Chronic Wounds Using Molecules
David Steppler
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: Influence of Co-Toxins and NOM on Toxin Reduction
Michelle Wagner
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: Use of Propidium Monoazide for Discrimination Between Live and
Dead Bacteria Using Molecular Tools
Fall 2005 CBE USP Awardees:
Chelsea Grace
Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin 1 (TSST-1) production by
Staphylococcus aureus in a Chemostat"
Pat Secor
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: "Molecular Analysis of Microbial Biofilms in Chronic Wounds"
David Steppler
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: "Reduction of TNT, Chromium (VI) and Carbontetrachloride by Zero-Valent
Iron"
Alan Weeden
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Microbial Fuel Cells: Storing Power in a Capacitor and Measuring
MFC Efficiency"
Jake Wiggs
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Microbial Fuel Cells"
Spring 2005 CBE USP Awardees:
Chelsea Grace
Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Structure and Interactions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Biofilms"
Amy Martin
Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Screening Plant Extracts for Biofilm Inhibition"
Pat Secor
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: "Fluorescent in situ Hybridization"
David Steppler
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: "Influence of Co-contaminants and Natural Organic Matter on
the Reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), Chromium (VI), and
Carbontetrachloride by Zero-Valent Iron"
Ellen Swogger
Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Evaluation of Wound Biofilms"
Alison Ziegler-Enos
Major: Biomedical Science and Secondary Education
USP Project: "Response of Biofilm to Toxic Gas Exposure"
Fall 2004 CBE USP Awardees:
Amy Martin
Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Screening Plant Extracts for Biofilm Inhibition"
David Steppler
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: "Influence of Co-contaminants and Natural Organic Matter on
the Reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), Chromium (VI), and
Carbontetrachloride by Zero-Valent Iron"
Ellen Swogger
Major: Chemical & Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Evaluation of Wound Biofilms"
Alison Ziegler
Major: Biomedical Science and Secondary Education
USP Project: "Response of Biofilm to Toxic Gas Exposure"
Spring 2004 CBE USP Awardees:
Conrad Donovan
Major: Electrical Engineering
USP Project: "Microbial Fuel Cells"
Sarah Golden
Major: Biological Sciences
USP Project: "Microbial Fuel Cells"
Travis Nelson
Major: Chemistry
USP Project: "Biofilm and Zero-Valent Iron Mediated Transformation of
Explosives"
Ellen Swogger
Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Bacterial Biofilms in Sinusitis"
Alison Ziegler
Major: Biomedical Sciences
USP Project: "Anti-biofilm Efficacy of Antibiotic Bone Cement"
Fall 2003 CBE USP Awardees:
Conrad Donovan
Major: Electrical Engineering
USP Project: "Microbial Fuel Cells"
Sarah Golden
Major: Biological Sciences
USP Project: "Quantifying Factors Affecting Toxic Shock tsst-1 in
Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms"
Jarred Myers
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Electron Transfer Mechanisms in Mediator-less Microbial Fuel
Cells"
Travis Nelson
Major: Chemistry-Teaching Option
USP Project: "Biofilm and Zero-Valent Iron Mediated Transformation of
Explosives"
Elizabeth Sandvik
Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
USP Project: "Optimization of a Model Hot Tub System for Mycobacterium
Fortuitum"
Ellen Swogger
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "
Alison Ziegler
Major: Biomedical Science
USP Project: "Control of Biofilm by Natural Product"
Summer 2003 CBE USP Awardees:
Krista Cooperstein
Major: Microbiology
USP Project: "Proteomic Comparison of Biofilm vs. Detached Methicillin
Resistant Staphylococcus aureus"
Conrad Donovan
Major: Electrical Engineering
USP Project: "3 Dimensional Biofilm Image Analysis"
Jarred Myers
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Reproducibility of P. aeruginosa Biofilms"
Ellen Swogger
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Bacterial Biofilms in Sinusitus"
2002-2003 CBE USP Awardees:
Wesley Bauman
Major: Civil Engineering (Bio Resources Option)
USP Project: "Effectiveness of Chloramines Used as the Recharge Biocide on
Rechargeable Biocidal Surfaces"
Sarah Golden
Major: Biological Sciences
USP Project: "Effects of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide on Production of
TSST-1 Toxin by Cells of Staphyloccous Aureus Growing in Biofilms"
Amber Harrer
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Spatial Patterns of Killing in P. aerugionosa
Biofilms"
Jeremy Mitchell
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Proteomic Evaluation of Staphylococcus epidermidis
Biofilms"
Deanne Stookey
Major: Biological Sciences
USP Project: "Reproduceable P. aerugionosa Biofilms"
Erin Werner
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Spatial Patterns of Killing in P. aerugionosa
Biofilms"
2001-2002 CBE USP Awardees:
Jarod Bock
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project:
Timothy Esser
Major: Biomedical Science
USP Project: "Control of Biofilms by Natural Products"
Amber Harrer
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Spatial Patterns of Killing in P. aerugionosa
Biofilms"
Andrew Lucas
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Leukocyte Interactions with Microbial Biofilms"
Jeremy Mitchell
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Leukocyte Response to Biofilms"
Chayne Piscitelli
Major: Biochemistry
USP Project: "Crystallization of LasR and Rhlr Regulatory Proteins
in P. aerugionosa"
Erin Werner
Major: Chemical Engineering
USP Project: "Spatial Patterns of Killing in P. aerugionosa
Biofilms"
