Symposium showcases student research and creative activities

Undergraduate student Meheret Nega describes her research on patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Topics of undergraduate and graduate student work were showcased at the annual Research and Creative Activities Symposium April 15 in the atrium of North Classroom on the Auraria Campus.

Students' research and creative activities spanned the spectrum of human study – touching on science, nature, the environment, business, arts, medicine and more.

All students from the Denver campus and Anschutz Medical Campus were eligible to participate in the symposium. Nearly 80 students developed plans, submitted abstracts and were on hand to describe and discuss the results of their efforts.

As an incentive, prizes were offered in various categories. Faculty member Julian Riel-Salvatore, Ph.D., of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was named Outstanding Student Mentor.

Here are the student results:

Awards for Graduate Research:

• Ingrid Ludeke:  Archaeology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  "Contrasting Neanderthal and Homo sapien use of space at Riparo Bombrini, Italy"
  Sarah Brannnon and William Donahoo:  Health and Behavioral Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  "A Weighty Matter: Do health behaviors affect the neurocognitive health of obese adults?"

Awards for Undergraduate Research:

• Mia Smith: Pre-Veterinary, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  "Quantum Effect Can Be Important to Chloride Ion Channel/Transporter Mechanism: A Computational Study"
  Manuchehr Aminian: Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  "Algorithms for Generalized Image Segmentation"

Chancellor's Awards for Excellence

Undergraduate Creative Activity:

• Sinjin Jones and Marianna Chavez: Theater, Film and Video Production, College of Arts and Media
  "Arts in Community Development"

Graduate Creative Activity:

• Paula Marchionda: Preventative Medicine, School of Public Health
  "Genado Blessing"

Undergraduate Research:

• Anne Mailhot: Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  "Expression Patterns of PAPP-A2 in the Developing Human Placenta"

Graduate Research:

• Rebecca Bryan: Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  "Cynomys says: Characteristics of Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) Alarm Calls in Response to Simulated Predator Stimuli"