UA’s Randall Awards Highlight Undergraduate Student Research

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Twenty University of Alabama students recently received Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards, with one receiving the $4,800 H. Pettus Randall Jr. Scholarship.

The Randall Undergraduate Research Awards Program is sponsored by UA’s Computer-Based Honors Program and Randall Reilly Publishing and is funded by an endowment from H. Pettus Randall III in memory of his father, H. Pettus Randall Jr. Started in 1997, the program recognizes and encourages outstanding undergraduate research at the University.

Jacob Batson, a chemistry major from Tuscaloosa, was presented the scholarship, a top Computer-based Honors Program award, at a luncheon recognizing all 20 students. One of Batson’s research projects focuses on the development of new materials to store hydrogen and release it under controlled conditions so that hydrogen is never stored at a high pressure in a complex tank. This kind of storage is needed as hydrogen-based fuel cells become a fuel possibility. Dr. David Dixon, Ramsey Chair of Chemistry, wrote in his nomination letter Batson’s work is “…leading us in new directions as how to store hydrogen in chemical systems.”

As part of a National Science Foundation-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Program, Batson worked on a research project studying Type 2, or adult-onset, diabetes. He developed a synthetic model of a substance that can increase cells’ ability to respond to insulin signaling of high blood glucose levels. Batson presented his research at the American Chemical Society’s national meeting last month.

Batson, the son of Robert and Jane Batson, graduated from Central High School in Tuscaloosa in 2003. At UA, he is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma honoraries and was named Computer-Based Honors Freshman and Sophomore Student of the Year. He was a student researcher in the UA chemistry department’s SURP summer program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and was one of three UA students to receive the prestigious and highly competitive National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship. He also is active in Reformed University Fellowship and serves as vice president of Mark’s Madness.

Along with Batson, recipients of the Randall awards are:

Bobbi K. Adams of Houston, Texas and Amanda L. French of Eclectic

Adams and French, both biology majors, are working together on a project with Dr. John Vincent, professor of chemistry at UA. Their research showed the nutritional supplement developed in Vincent’s lab, named Cr3, had no effect on rats’ body mass or composition and improves insulin sensitivity and certain blood variables, including lowering levels of leptin. The results of the study will be published in Biological Trace Element Research later this year.

Emily A. Anderson of Baton Rouge, La.

Anderson, a psychology and pre-medicine major, currently is working with Dr. Rebecca Allen, associate professor of psychology, studying individuals whose attention is focused on themselves through the presence of mirrors. She proposes that these individuals will experience an increase in negative emotion, but will be influenced by age, with older adults showing less negative emotional impact from the presence of mirrors.

Stephanie B. Brennan of Remlap

Brennan, a biology and religious studies major, has been developing molecular techniques for DNA extraction and gene sequencing from a variety of marine red algae. Dr. Juan Lopez-Bautista wrote in his nomination letter, “The results of her research will have deep impact on the systematics and evolutionary history of these economically important algae. Several researchers have shown great interest for her research.”

Amber Clark of Valley

Clark, a biology major, received the Randall Award for her project entitled “Therapeutic Interventions for Movement Disorders.” She was the first person ever to perform an actual drug screen for drugs that may impact or cure the most severe form of dystonia, a possibly crippling disease. Her nominator, Dr. Kim Caldwell, assistant biology professor, believes Clark could be the person to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Her work has been published in the Bulletin of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and has been accepted to publish in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Lee Edwards of Oxford

Edwards, a management information sciences major, is researching with Dr. David Hale, director of the Aging Infrastructure Systems Center of Excellence, new uses for current information technology. His project, entitled “Mobile Inspection Development,” seeks to provide additional insight into the performance of the underlying technologies and their potential to make society safer, the economy more productive and enhance the quality of life in general.

Mary L. “Marla” Hampel of Northport

Hampel, a chemical and biological engineering major, has conducted research on novel polymer systems that will be used to target cancer cells and release medication locally to cancer cells. Working with Dr. Chris Brazel, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, she developed thermally responsive polymers with imbedded magnetic nanoparticles, and investigated changes. The research should have a major impact on cancer therapies, including reducing the amount of treatment needed and treating previously inoperable cancers.

Ryan House of Rogersville

House, a chemical and biological engineering major, is using computational chemistry to study properties and gain fundamental understanding of transition metal oxide catalyzed chemical transformations so that new catalysts can be developed. His nominator, Dr. David Dixon, Ramsey Chair of Chemistry, said the chemical industry relies on catalysts to produce commodity chemicals that create innovative products such as cleaner car emissions and life-saving and enhancing drugs. He discovered the original interpretation of chemical shifts was incorrect and was able to show the true shift. The findings may provide a new technique for studying the presence of water in metal hydroxyl groups.

J. Patrick Keenum of Sheffield

Keenum, a chemistry major, studies chemical and biochemical environmental systems, specifically nuclear waste sites. His research led to a new understanding about the types of silicates, elements naturally present in the environment, and how they can potentially interact with radionuclides. Dr. David Dixon, Robert Ramsay Chair of Chemistry, wrote in his nomination letter, “such information is critical to cleaning up the Department of Energy nuclear weapons production sites.” This work has been accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Glenn Kelly of Jasper

Kelly, a chemical engineering major, is working with Dr. David Dixon, Robert Ramsay Chair of Chemistry, to find new methods of developing transition metal oxide catalysts by studying properties of rhenium oxide clusters. Kelly has discovered a way to activate methane with only a moderate energy requirement, to activate the strong bonds. He currently is working to develop new materials for extended life batteries.

Timothy Kucharski of Aiken, S.C.

Kucharski, a chemistry major, can control which type of cocrystal can grow from a solution by changing the conditions of crystallization.

His nominator, Dr. Silas Blackstock, professor of chemistry, said controlling the way molecules pack together into crystals controls the properties of the resulting solid. Findings in this area can be used in pharmaceutical agents to control the release rate of medicine.

Michelle McGaha of Albertville

McGaha, an industrial engineering major, worked with Dr. Daniel Fonseca, assistant professor of industrial engineering, to develop a computer application that determines the overall risk index for each main road in Tuscaloosa. She gathered geographical and traffic related data on 53 major road segments and developed a formula that quantified all factors, including number of traffic lights, time of day and traffic volume, among others, into a meaningful, computational risk index. The program user selects a time of travel and up to four possible routes between two locations in Tuscaloosa. The program then displays a risk index for the selected routes, with the route with the lowest risk index being the optimal travel route.

Shermeen B. Memon of Tuscaloosa

Memon, a biology major, is studying the biological consequences of exposure to ionic liquids, a group of “green chemicals.” Memon uses the tiny roundworm C. elegans to evaluate potential responses to ionic chemicals. Her work has been published in Chemical Communications. Dr. Guy Caldwell wrote in his nomination letter, Memon “has the ‘complete package,’ as she demonstrates a passionate resolve, intellect and wisdom far beyond her years.”

Jennifer R. Pate of Cordova

Pate, an industrial engineering major, worked with Dr. Robert Batson, professor of industrial engineering, on a project to reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. She audited units and rooms at the hospital, studying the placement of hand cleaning agents, waste receptacles and other factors. A brief on her findings was presented to the hospital and changes were installed based on recommendations. Pate then did a follow-up audit and evaluation of hospital-acquired infections. She briefed more than 20 hospital medical and administrative staff on her findings.

Jennifer L. Phillips of Birmingham (35216)

Phillips, a chemical and biological engineering major, is working with Dr. Duane Johnson, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, to research a new cancer treatment, magnetic fluid hypothermia, which involves applying an alternating magnetic field to magnetic nanoparticles implanted in disease tissue. The particles, when in the magnetic field, generate heat and destroy the tissue. Her research explores four procedures to make the iron-platinum nanoparticles.

Kathryn T. Picard of Mandeville, La.

Picard, a biology and philosophy major, is attempting to discover close relatives to the chytrid fungi, recently responsible for killing frogs, to help understand how chrytid evolved. The fungi is implicated in the recent extinction of more than 150 species of frogs, and understanding its evolution will lead to ideas of what other potential pathogens exist. Dr. Martha Powell, chair of biological sciences, wrote in her nomination letter, “Kathryn has all the traits that make a good researcher.”

Lauren Stevenson of Daphne

Stevenson, a biology major, is seeking to understand how the plant Arabidopsis thaliana’s transcription factor “‘master switches’ that regulate which genes are expressed under certain environmental and stress conditions” functions under both normal and fungal-infected conditions. Dr. Katrina Ramonell, assistant professor of biological sciences, said that Stevenson’s research will help engineer crop plants with increased and inducible transcription factor function, so that natural plant defense pathways would be activated, diminishing the need for costly and damaging fungicide treatment.

Jackson Switzer of Gulfport, Miss.

A biochemistry major, Switzer’s research is focused on the development of new materials to store hydrogen and release it under controlled conditions so that hydrogen is never stored at a high pressure in a complex tank. Some of his discoveries have been confirmed by experimental work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. David Dixon, Robert Ramsay Chair of Chemistry, said this kind of storage is needed as hydrogen-based fuel cells become a fuel possibility.

Sean Sylvia of Prattville

Sylvia, an economics major, traveled to China as part of his research studying the effect of China’s Great Western Development Strategy on rural households. He and his colleagues gathered anecdotal information through household, government and industry interviews and data from Chinese National Bureau of Statistics’ publications. The team then performed an econometric analysis and found there to be varying effects. Dr. James Peery Cover, professor of economics, wrote in his nomination letter that many areas showed sacrifice of rural resident well being while others showed a positive effect in incomes and greater income diversification.