Honors Projects
Environmental and Atmospheric Chemistry
Vicki Grassian (Chemistry)
Honor's students are invited to participate in the ongoing projects in
environmental and atmospheric chemistry in the Grassian research laboratory.
These projects include laboratory studies of the chemistry of mineral dust
particles in the atmosphere as well as the applications and implications of
nanoscience and nanotechnology in environmental processes. More details about
these various projects can be found
here.
Fuel Cell Efficiency
Johna Leddy (Chemistry)
We are interested in increasing the efficiency of power sources. We work on two
types of devices: batteries and fuel cells. Both convert energy electrochemically
as opposed to thermally; as a result, both have a theoretical efficiency of
100 %. Because they convert energy thermally, combustion engines have a
theoretical efficiency of 40 %. Batteries are cycled between charged and
discharged states whereas fuel cells will generate power as long as they are
fed fuel. More details about this project can be found
here.
Species Boundaries in Tropical Reef Corals
Ann F. Budd (Geoscience)
My research examines the origin and maintenance of species diversity in extremely
rich, but increasingly threatened, tropical marine ecosystems. I am especially
interested in coral reefs and their response to global climate change. Current
projects in my lab combine data from morphology, paleontology, and DNA sequences
to examine the structure of species boundaries in reef corals, reconstruct
evolutionary trees, and determine how events in the geologic past have influenced
reef coral species today. Materials consist of modern specimens from the Bocas
del Toro region of Panama, and fossils from the Dominican Republic. Methods
include morphometrics and morphological phylogenetics. More details about this
project can be found here.
Sex and meiosis/Phylogenetic trees
John Logsdon (Biology)
On-going projects Projects involve one or both of the two main areas of research
in the lab. Our studies of SEX and MEIOSIS are determining the origin and
evolution of sexual reproduction and meiotic genes in diverse eukaryotes using
molecular and bioinformatic approaches. Our studies of PHYLOGENETIC TREES are
reconstructing the evolutionary history of diverse eukaryotes, emphasizing
protists, using molecular sequence comparisons. Research projects will provide
an excellent framework for undergraduates to gain experience in molecular
evolutionary biology research through relatively straightforward procedures.
Projects will offer scientific and personal training to prepare students for
future research endeavors. See the lab website or visit the lab bulletin board
(outside of Room 300 Biology Building) for up-to-date information on current
projects.
Lab website
Department website
Textural Analysis of Rocks and Minerals/ Compositional Variation in Lava Flows
David Peate (Geoscience)
I have many opportunities for undergraduate research projects in my lab. The
projects described below are just two of the many potential projects. (i) Automating
textural analysis of petrographic and SEM images of rocks and minerals. This project
will involve the student obtaining digital images either using a petrographic
microscope or a scanning-electron microscope, and then developing methods to quantify
mineral textures using image analysis programs. The student will investigate the
implications of the textural data.
(ii) Origin of compositional variations in small-volume basaltic lava flows. This
project will involve the student studying samples collected from young lava flows
in the western US (Utah, New Mexico). The student will do basic sample preparation
(rock crushing, sieving, powdering, thin section making), mineral separations, and
preparation of samples for elemental and isotopic analysis using the clean laboratory. The student will investigate the geochemical data in light of models for the evolution of basaltic magmas. More information can be found at http://myweb.uiowa.edu/dpeate/
Environmental Applications for Nanocrystalline Zeolites
Sarah C. Larsen (Chemistry)
The main focus of our research is on the synthesis, spectroscopic characterization
and application of nanocrystalline zeolites, which are zeolites with discrete,
uniform crystals with dimensions of less than 100 nm. Nanocrystalline zeolites
are porous aluminosilcate materials that are promising catalysts because of the
higher external surface areas and reduced diffusion path lengths relative to
conventional micrometer-sized zeolites. The nanocrystalline zeolite materials
can also be used as building blocks for hierarchical zeolite structures, which
can be tailored for specific applications. These new nanocrystalline zeolites
have potential applications in environmental protection, such as water
purification and air pollution control technologies. More information can be
found
here
Management of Common Research Pools in Yellowstone
David Bennett (Geography)
This project is a NSF Human Social Dynamics (HSD) funded proposal looking at
the way in which humans organize through coalition and consensus building to
effect changes in the way common pool resources are managed. To address these
questions we draw on theories associated with economic valuation, political
ecology, and complex adaptive systems. We will integrate these various ways
of understanding human behavior into an agent-based model of coalition building,
decision-making, and land use/land cover change that sheds light on the long
term dynamic of the management of the commons. To provide context we
investigate the production of common pool ecosystem services in the Greater
Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). A student working with me would, of course,
be working on GIScience related issues. Some applied- developing spatial
databases, some moretheoretical- models of environmental decision-making.
Local Adaptation in Response to a Climatic Gradient
Bryant McAllister (Biology)
Our research addresses questions in the field of evolutionary genetics,
especially in the relationship between genome organization and evolutionary
processes. One particular area of current research is examining the role of
chromosomal rearrangements in facilitating adaptive evolution. Occurrence of
alternative chromosomal arrangements in relation to environmental gradients
throughout a species’ range represents a long-standing indicator of a genetic
response to local selection pressures. We are examining latitudinally
distributed chromosomal arrangements in a North American fly species,
Drosophila americana, as a system for identifying the genetic structure
underlying local adaptation to differences in climate. The overall goals of
the work present several areas for honors research projects, including
experimental analysis of phenotypic and/or genotypic variation, or relating
this variation physical variables across the geographic range. See our website
at
www.biology.uiowa.edu/mcallister for more information.
Paleobiology and Evolution of Fossil Trilobites
Jonathan Adrain (Geoscience)
Trilobites are ancient marine animals which were one of the earliest forms of
dominant metazoans in the world's oceans and shallow epeiric seas. My research
involves all aspects of their biology and evolution, and application of
field-based trilobite data to major problems in life history and global
bioevents (mass extinctions and evolutionary radiations). I conduct fieldwork
in many areas of the US and Canada (Great Basin, Canadian Rockies, Canadian
Arctic, Newfoundland, etc.). Current projects include exploring the nature
of taxon abundance data in paleoecology, studying the ability of tabulations
of higher taxonomic ranks to proxy underlying species diversity, examining
the relationship between species richness and evenness in paleocommunities,
and using geometric morphometrics to develop and refine phylogenetic
characters. Honors students are welcome to become involved in any of the
things we do in our lab, ranging from field collection and description of
new trilobite faunas (i.e., naming new trilobite species) to projects involving
databases, quantitative phylogenetics, morphometrics, and quantitative taphonomy.
Air Pollution and Health, GIS and Spatial Analysis
Naresh Kumar (Geography)
My research focuses on the methods of estimating environmental contaminants
at high spatial-temporal resolutions, short and long-term health effects of
exposure to airborne particles of different sizes, and innovative methods of
examining spatial-dependency and causality in the health outcomes. I rely on
geographic information systems and satellite remote sensing to model indirect
estimates of personal exposure. First, air pollutants are estimated at high
spatial-temporal resolutions (or micro-environments) and then time-activity
diary is linked with the pollution levels in micro-environment to estimate
personal exposure of the subjects. This allows me to model short- and long-term
health effects of personal exposure.
You are very welcome to participate in the research I pursue. Some recent
publications are available at the link below will help you know more about
my current research.
jh302-nk-01.iowa.uiowa.edu/papers/
Do not hesitate to contact me at
naresh-kumar@uiowa.edu should you have any questions and/or clarifications
or should you like to discuss any topic related to my research with me.
Ecology and Evolution of Plant-Insect Interactions
Stephen D. Hendrix (Biology)
Research in our laboratory focuses on the plant-animal interactions from the
perspective of conservation biology and ecological genomics. One of our three
major areas of interest is bee pollination in fragmented landscapes. These
studies focus on ecological factors controlling diversity of solitary bees in
fragmented prairie landscape. Our second area of active research involves
dispersal of insects (beetles) in fragmented landscapes. Our studies have
analyzed both natural dispersal patterns and created realistic models of
dispersal in real landscapes. Present studies are focusing on morphometric
differences in males and females that may influence flight ability, dispersal
distances, and chances of successful mating. Lastly, we have begun studies
examining the ecological genetics of gall formation. Insects produce galls on
plants such as goldenrods and control plant development by directly altering
patterns of gene expression. We are interested in what genes are affected and
how the time course of gene activation proceeds.
More information can be found at
www.biology.uiowa.edu/faculty_info.php?ID=35
Plant Systematics and Ecology
Diana Horton (Biology)
Systematic and ecological studies of plants are the focus of my research. I am engaged in biodiversity studies
of vascular plants and mosses, and systematic research on mosses. In the area of biodiversity, I am vitally
interested in issues related to conservation of remnant natural habitats. My studies involve analyses of
plant diversity and documentation of rare species in relation to habitat diversity, and assessments of the
fidelity of present-day vegetation to the time-of-settlement landscape based on the General Land Office survey
records. My systematic research on mosses focuses on a group of arctic-alpine mosses in the family
Encalyptaceae. Taxa are delimited through analyses of inter- and intra-populational variation in structure,
habitat, and geographic distribution. Honours students interested in working with me will need to spend one
summer (or more) doing field work and then plan on two semesters to work up the data and write the Honors
Thesis.
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