June 21, 1999

Poster symposium showcases undergraduate research

By Tim Stephens

One of the highlights of Student Achievement Week was the second annual Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium, which showcased a wide variety of research projects conducted by students in the Division of Natural Sciences and the School of Engineering.

Chancellor Greenwood examines Dennis Nagtalon's award-winning poster describing his research on marine sponges. (more photos)

The June 3 symposium drew an appreciative crowd to the lobby of the Earth and Marine Sciences Building, where student researchers presented their work on posters and explained their findings to interested faculty, students, and visitors.

"The undergraduate research experience at UCSC provides students the rare opportunity to engage in supervised research and learn in a dynamic environment of discovery from professors who are leaders in their fields," said dean of natural sciences David Kliger.

The abundance of research opportunities for UCSC undergraduates was emphasized recently in a report presented to the UC Board of Regents in May. According to the report, the Santa Cruz and Riverside campuses are the most innovative users of the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, capturing more than half of the nearly 30 REU grants awarded to the University of California.

The REU grants, however, represent only a small part of undergraduate research at UCSC, said Lynda Goff, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education. In 1997-98, nearly 25 percent of the campus's upper-division students enrolled in senior thesis research courses, and many of these students satisfied their senior thesis requirement by formally presenting their research, Goff noted.

She added that the campus's emphasis on research may be one reason for the high percentage of UCSC graduates who go on to receive Ph.Ds. With "bachelor's to doctorate" rates of 8.3 percent for all disciplines and 10.1 percent for science and engineering, UCSC ranked among the top 15 universities in a recent survey of members of the Association of American Universities and UC campuses. Among UC campuses, Santa Cruz was second only to Berkeley. Furthermore, no other publicly funded institutions in the survey had bachelor's to doctorate rates that surpassed those of UC Berkeley and UCSC.

"I think this is due to our commitment to incorporating research into the educational experience across the curriculum, from the graduate students to the undergraduates," Goff said.

An impressive array of research projects were on display at the poster symposium. They included a study of toxic mercury compounds in a contaminated site in San Benito County, a comprehensive description of marine fish species in the Gulf of California, and an analysis of the geometry of the universe based on supernova data.

"My faculty colleagues and I are extremely proud of the student achievements that are on display and are impressed by the scope of their endeavors," said Phillip Crews, professor of chemistry and an adviser to many undergraduate researchers.

A faculty panel selected nine of the most outstanding poster presentations for special recognition. The students recognized for special merit were:

• Michele Buckhorn, biology: "Marine fishes of the Gulf of California." Faculty adviser Giacomo Bernardi.
• Jennifer Cuzens, biochemistry and molecular biology: "Tandem reduction-amination reactions of halobenzonitriles with lithium N,N-dialkylaminoborohydrides." Faculty adviser Bakthan Singaram.
• Jason Farris, physics: "Constraining cosmological parameters using Type Ia supernovae as standard candles." Faculty adviser Terry Walker, Ohio State University.
• Matthew Knope, marine biology: "Population genetics of the wooly sculpin (Clinocottus analis) across the Point Conception biogeographic boundary." Faculty adviser Giacomo Bernardi.
• Nicolas Kummer, biochemistry and molecular biology: "Characterization and modification of the yeast debranching enzyme to produce an intron affinity column." Faculty adviser Manuel Ares.
• Dennis Nagtalon, biochemistry and molecular biology: "Investigative study of marine sponge Oceanapia sp." Faculty adviser Phillip Crews.
• Michael Slater, chemistry and biochemistry: "Asymmetric conjugate addition of organocuprates to cyclohexenone using terpene derived amino alcohols." Faculty adviser Bakthan Singaram.
• Martha Thomas, marine biology: "Mercury methylation and demethylation by bacteria in sediments at a mercury contaminated site." Faculty adviser A. Russell Flegal.
• Ryan Witholt, psychobiology: "The use of neuromotor outcomes to evaluate the effects of manganese on the early onset of Parkinson's disease." Faculty adviser Donald Smith.

To the Currents home page

To UCSC's home page