Gatton Academy Students Present Research Findings at National Conference for Undergraduate Research

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Four second-year students at The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky recently shared research findings at The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).

Lydia Brothers, from Madisonville, Andrea Eastes, from Mayfield, Keaton Smith, from Alexandria, and Erin Walch, also from Alexandria, presented at the annual conference, held March 29-31, 2012, at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

NCUR promotes undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all disciplines. The conference provided undergraduate scholars in all fields and from all types of institutions of higher learning a forum to share the results of their work through posters, presentations, performances and works of art.

Derick Strode, the Gatton Academy’s assistant director for academic services explained that the conference was a new venue with a diverse audience for students to share their research.

“What we found is an open-minded forum that welcomes quality student projects from a wide-array of disciplines,” Strode said. “This is important because it allows our students a chance to collaborate with others who think about problems in very different ways than scientists or mathematicians.”

Established in 1987, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) has consistently been one of the largest national conferences for promoting undergraduate research, creative, and scholastic achievement. This two to three-day annual event draws hundreds of talented students representing over 400 colleges and universities nationally.

For Brothers, the variety of backgrounds and viewpoints can lead to interdisciplinary thought and discovery.

“I think the greatest value of NCUR to a student researcher was the availability of so many people who were involved in such a wide range of fields,” Brothers said. “Having researchers from such varied backgrounds who are truly interested and willing to challenge you with questions or provide you with alternate methods to improve your conclusions really gives you something positive to take back to the lab.”

An additional portion of NCUR includes plenary sessions led by nationally prominent speakers sharing their perspectives on educational policy, various programs and initiatives, funding opportunities for undergraduate research efforts, and career development.

Four out of five Gatton Academy graduates participate in a faculty-sponsored research project during their time at the Academy.  The Gatton Academy supports students in such endeavors not only as a means of academic growth but also extending the program’s mission of providing rigorous learning experiences.

Keep reading to learn more about students’ research and comments from their faculty mentors.

Andrea Eastes and Erin Walch

Eastes and Walch presented Nitric Oxide Synthase 3 Gene Regulation in Pulmonary Myofibroblasts, which was the culmination of their senior research experience.

The study investigated the regulation of myofibroblasts via the NOS3 gene.  The accumulation of myofibroblasts leads to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.  The pair of researchers sought to regulate this accumulation by affecting the NOS3 gene.

“My research experience at the Gatton Academy has been one of the most formidable and rewarding parts of my time here,” noted Eastes. “It has been a large part of my academic career as I intend on continuing to discover and explore other aspects of medicine and biology.  Participating in research has enabled me to discover deep connections to what I am doing in class and also hopefully unearth something to affect people’s lives for the better.”

Dr. Nancy Rice, associate professor of biology at WKU and research mentor to Eastes and Walch, explained that the combination of independent research and sharing findings at the national level is both a valuable and rare experience for students this early in their academic study.

“Many graduate students do not have such an opportunity until much later in their academic life,” Rice said. “Since the final step of the research process is dissemination, having Andrea and Erin communicate their results is an important component in their professional development and hopefully will have a long term impact on their self-confidence and commitment to pursue a career in science.”

Keaton Smith

Smith produced Music Composition with Genetic Algorithms through a Gatton Academy Research Internship Grant for computer science research with Drs. Jeff Ward and Richard Fox of the Northern Kentucky University Department of Computer Science during summer 2011.

The study addresses the complexities of emulating human creativity within computer-based artificial intelligence.  Translating inspiration and unorganized thought at the core of human creativity has proven a challenge for programmers.  A potential solution is known as a genetic algorithm, which treats the formation of music in an evolutionary manner.

Ward noted that Keaton’s preparation for research via his study at The Gatton Academy is an asset that will serve him well.

“This experience should help to motivate and to guide him as he plans the remainder of his education and his career,” Ward said. “Keaton proved to be exceptionally well-prepared for the research experience.  His skills as a programmer and a writer were outstanding.  This is a credit to the education that he received at Gatton Academy, and also to his commitment to his studies.”

Smith viewed the opportunity to share his findings at NCUR not as an end result of his work but as a springboard to new discovery via feedback from faculty and peers.

“As a result of talking with several people at NCUR, I was able to get new ideas to improve my project,” Smith said. “While there, I was also able to witness some extremely interesting presentations on every imaginable topic, from philosophy in video games to international adoption.”

Lydia Brothers and Andrea Eastes

Eastes and Brother’s research, ZBLAN Glass: Improving Medical Imaging with Europium Oped HoF3 and SrCl2 Based Storage Phosphors, was conducted during the seven-week Summer Research Program for High School and Undergraduate Students at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) in Tullahoma, Tenn.
Mammography has been observed as one of the most effective ways to detect breast cancer. ZBLAN glass has the potential to be a substantial improvement over current film imaging methods. The team’s research focused on the glass’s properties, crystalline structure, morphology and photoluminescent qualities.

Dr. Jackie Johnson, an associate professor in materials engineering at UTSI who supervised the students’ work, described positive early research experiences as vital for cultivating talent in scientific fields.

“It is crucial for young people, especially girls, to have access to a positive scientific experience at a young age,” Johnson said. “So many females are turned off science before they know anything about it as a career. Lydia and Andrea are exceptional students and would certainly be an asset to the field at any level.”

About the Gatton Academy

The Gatton Academy offers a residential program for bright, highly motivated Kentucky high school students who have demonstrated interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Sixty students each year are admitted to the program through a competitive process. Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, students enroll in the Gatton Academy and live in a uniquely dedicated residence hall. The goals of the Gatton Academy are to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities and to prepare them for leadership roles in Kentucky.  At the end of two years, Gatton Academy students will have earned at least 60 college credit hours in addition to completing high school.

Contact: Corey Alderdice, (270) 745-6565.

National Conference for Undergraduate Research, NCUR, NCUR 2012, research