Undergraduate Research Initiative – Academic Year 2012-2013

Students and Faculty Discovering Together

The Undergraduate Research Scholars Initiative (URI) at The University of Texas-Pan American is a program where undergraduate students share in the excitement of research discoveries, work side-by-side with faculty and graduate students who are creating new knowledge, and learn valuable research techniques. The initiative allows undergraduate students to obtain real-world research experience in a field of interest related to their majors.

Benefits for Students

• A chance for in-depth learning and experience with academic research.

The URI allows students to concentrate in specific academic areas with rigor beyond what they may encounter in a classroom setting alone.

• One-on-one faculty interaction.

Students work directly with a faculty member in his or her research program.

Financial Benefits

The Student/Faculty research team will receive an award of up to $2,000 for their research activities (typically used to employ students as direct wage Student Assistants to work on research projects or support student travel to present the research findings).

Faculty also benefit from the collaboration

In addition to having help with research endeavors, up to $500 of the total $2,000 award may be used by the faculty mentor for travel to present the student-assisted research at an academic forum. Faculty receiving more than one URI award in an academic year are only eligible for one $500 faculty travel award.

 

The deadline for the 2012-2013 Award was October. We had over 90 applications and were able to leverage funding to support 59 awards. The faculty-student teams and their research projects come from across the university and we are proud list them here. Congratulations and we look forward to next year’s projects.

Alvarez Stephanie, Vasquez, Iliana , COAH, Women in Conjunto: A Visual and Oral History of Women in a Working-Class Music Genre

Azarbayejani, Mohammad, Galvan L, Valadez H, COECS,

Balci Tamer, Rodriguez, Matthew, COAH, US-Turkey Relations after WWI: Beginning of Diplomatic Relations and Obsacles

Banu, Jameela, Navarro, Jorge F, COHSHS/COSM, Effects of Nutritional Supplements on Bone  Loss and Bone Mestastisis

Benham Grant, Arevalo, Israel , COSBS, Emotion Suppression and Health 2012

Bhatta, Dambaru, Gamas, Brian, COSM, Mathematical Modeling and a Numerical Technique to Compute Heat Transfer in a Cylindrical Metal Bar

Boudreau James, Uhthoff, Hanz, COBA, Using a Game-Theoretic Contest Model to Predict UFC Matches: A Research Proposal

Bullard James, Aidunuthula, Likhitha R, COSM, Expression Optimization and Characterization of Protein Synthesis Elongation Factor G (EF-G) from Bacillus Subtilis

Caruntu Dumitru, Martinez, Thania A, COECS, Inverse Dynamics Modeling of Human Leg for Rehabilitation and Knee Replacements Applications

Caruntu Dumitru, Montalvo, Joseph, COECS, Reduced Order Model of Electrostatically Actuated NEMS Sensors to Inlcude Casimir Effect

Caruntu Dumitru, Requenez, Jaime, COECS, Electrostatically Actuated Nonuniform NEMS/MEMS Sensors

Chen, Roy, Gonzalez, Itzel E. , COHSHS , Emotional Eating in Hispanic College Students

Cisneros Angel Saavedra, Gonzalez I, Lopez S, COSBS, Issues, campaign messages and the ‘Mexican Spring’: Social Media and Political Advertisements in the 2012 Mexican Federal Election.

Cisneros Angel Saavedra, Gonzalez M, Diaz J, COSBS, Campaigns after the 2007 Electoral Reform in Mexico: The Messages of Mass Media and Social Media

Corpuz Edgar, Marquez, Abril, COSM, Transfer of Learning in the Context of an Introductory Physics Lab: Is it Rare or Ubiquitous?

Crown Stephen, DeLaRosa, Aaron, COECS, Railroad Bearing Extracting and Mounting Mechanism for a Single Bearing Tester

Crown Stephen, Diedrich, Thomas M, COECS, Optimization of a Load Sensor in a Railroad Bearing Adapter under a Suspension Elastomer Element

Crutchfield, Ruth, Jeske, Alice, COHSHS, The Effectiveness of  Melodic Intonation Therapy on English Speaking Adults with Expressive Aphasia

Escobari Diego, Navarro, Carlos I, COBA, Economic Variations and Human Capital across Regions

Fuentes Arturo, Gonzalez, Amy, COECS, Railroad Bearing Defect Detection

Fuentes Arturo, Reyes, Oscar, COECS, Service Life of Ultrasonically Scanned Railroad Bearing Cups

Galstyan Anahit, Saldana, Cristina, COSM, HyperbolicEquations of Mathematical Cosmology

Gonzalez, Juan, Chapa P, Eizember S, Suarez J, COE, The Effects of Lower Body Positive Pressure on Resting Systolic, Diastolic Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in College Age Students

Graham, Margaret, Morin, Thalia , COSBS, Feeding Babies in the LRGV: Perspectives of Lactation Peer Counselors

Haider, Waseem, Hernandez, Maria , COECS, Surface Analysis of Titanium-Based Alloys used in Orthopedic Devices

Hinthorne James, Gomez, Maria, COSM, Radiometric Age of the Catahoula Tuff near Rio Grande City

Ho, Jungseok, Vento, Melissa , COECS, Arroyo Colorado Hydraulic Channel Routing Study

Ho, Jungseok, Bautista, Oziel , COECS, Bioswale Hydraulic and Water Quality Performance Modeling Study

Huber, Tim, Lara, Danny, COSM, A Fourier Analytic Approach to Eisenstein Series Identities in Ramanujan’s Notebooks

Jones Robert, Leal, Aurelio, COECS, Development of Conductive Elastomer Materials for High Dynamic Load Environments

Jones Robert, Mealer, Arthur, COECS, Embedded Load Sensing System for a Thermoplastic Polyurethane Elastomer Suspension Element

Kypuros, Javier, Salas, Jesus, COECS, Implementation of Wireless Temperature Nodes for Continuous Rail Bearing Monitoring and Service Optimization

Lavariega Monfori, Jessica, Huron, Veronica , COSBS, The Poverty Draft? An Initial Examination of the Role of Economic Status in U.S. Military Recruitment of Hispanic Students

Lawton, Sean, Salinas, Carlos , COSM, The Fundamental Group of Singular Characters

Lawton, Sean, Cavazos, Sam , COSM, Counting General Linear and Orthogonal Characters of Free Groups

Lee, Hyun-chul, Guzman, Juan M. , COSM, Comparison of NASA Hubble Space Telescope WFC/31R

Liu, Lai, Ramirez, Evelyn, COBA, A Study of Internship Opportunities on USAJOBS.gov

Mao, Yuanbing, Bravo, Jennifer , COSM, Heterogeneous Core/Shell Nanostructured Photocatalysts for High Efficient Waste Water Treatment

Martinez Glenn, Vasquez, Anna , COAH, Medical Assistants as Interpreters in the Health Delivery System in the Rio Grande Valley: Linquistic Proficiency and Interpreting Performance

Martinez Glenn, Villegas, Jose , COAH, Medical Assistants as Interpreters in the Health Delivery System in the Rio Grande Valley: Knowledge of Interpreting Protocol and Ethical Practice

Montgomery, Gary, Passons, Marissa , COSBS, Technological Advances Leading Children to Live a More Sedentary Lifestyle

Murillo, Luz, Ortega, Cinthia E, COE, Learning from Bilingual Family Literacies in Texas Border Colonias

Plas, Daniel, Sepulveda, Eduardo, COE, Screening Primary Antibodies Against Neural Proteins in Lymnaea Stagnalis

Popan, Jason, Delgado, Cynthia , COSBS, Predictors of Voter Participation among Hispanic Young Adults in the Rio Grande Valley

Pozorksi, Thomas, Robledo, Christina , COSBS, Archaeological Excavation at the Early Site of Huerequeque, Casma Valley, Peru

Pozorski, Shelia, Gutierrez, Miguel , COSBS, Archaeological Investigation at the Early Site of Huerequeque, Casma Valley, Peru

Rampersand, Joanne, Martinez, Marcelo , COSM, Determination of the Toxicity of Cloned Parasporin 1 Protein in an Animal Model

Roy, Ranadhir & Riahi, Daniel, Guerrero, Adrian, COSM, Modeling and Computation of Fluid Flow in Solid Tumor

Skowronek, Russell, Flores, Lupe A. , COAH, Revisiting South Texas History: Multi-Ethnic Settler Ranchero Families of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1851-Present

Stehn Alexander, Rodriguez, Jose , COAH, Antonio Caso’s Mexican Philosophy in Translation

Tarawneh,  Constantine, Owens, Allen, COECS, Railroad Bearing Cone-Assembly Evaluation Station

Tarawneh, Constantine, Navarro, Brenda, COECS, Vibration Analyses for Railroad Bearing Condition Monitoring

Terry, Matthew, Rana, Huanid, COSM, Buliding a CDNA Library Resource for Comprehensive Study of the Evolution and Development of the Insect Body Plan

Wang, Xiaohui, Fernandez, Luis, COSM, Exmaning Mathematic Anxiety among Hispanic Students

Wang, Xiaohui, Guajardo, Raul M, COSM, Is Algebra Necessary to Students in an Introductory Statistics Course?

Watt, Karen, Martinez, Jorge, COE, Examining the College Preparation and Readiness of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) High School Graduates

Wiley, Eric, Lerma, Randy, COAH, Mexican American Dance -Theatre Project

Zeng, Liang, Martinez, Linda, COSM, Schlieren Imaging of Sound Standing Waves of Air Columns in a Pipe

Zeng, Liang, Rodriguez, Jennifer, COSM, Computer Simulation of Sound Standing Waves of Air Columns in a Pipe

Tags: Faculty Awards, Student Research, URI