Simpson College Science & Math
Undergraduate Research
Symposium
Spring 2002
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
5:30 p.m.
Carver Science Center Atrium
and
Carver 231
Oral Presentations
The control of the nitrogen cycle as a mechanism for the self-organization of prairie ecosystems: Preliminary studies at Rolling Thunder Prairie State Preserve.
Nate Allen and Kristin Mills
Sponsor: Steve Emerman
The origin of Iowa sand prairies.
Brian Depew and Lisa Anderson
Sponsor: Steve Emerman
Research Support: Maytag Foundation
Inhibitor synthesis for Agrobacterium tumefaciens receptor
protein.
Meghan Holdorf and Stacy Wolfe
Sponsor: Ron Warnet
Research Support: Maytag Corporation
Killing activity of natural killer cells.
Travis Rumery
Sponsor: Pat Singer
Research done at Des Moines University under the
direction of Dr.Tim Steele
20 minute break: 6:30-6:50 p.m.
View Poster Presentations
Determination of the structure of toad (Bufo) toxins.
Kasey Mathes
Sponsor: Ron Warnet
Folding of the Oakley Shale in central and south-central
Iowa.
Steve Lamberti
Sponsor: Steve Emerman
Salt tolerance in Elf sunflower.
Lisa Anderson
Sponsor: Steve Emerman
Chick pancreas development.
Seth Williams
Sponsor: Jackie Brittingham
Isolating Intron 1 of the CA125 Gene
Jeff Andersen
Sponsor: Pat Singer
Research Support: Maytag Corporation
Poster Presentations
Mathematics Without Words: A project to study
representations of mathematical ideas.
Math 116 - Mathematics for Elementary Education
A quilt top where each block gives a representation of a
different mathematical concept.
Pick's Formula
Kevin Pearce and Kevin Pitzen
Using the Pythagorean Theorem
Nicole Banegas and Haley Wulff
Triangular Numbers
Joey Behmer and Josh Merchant
Eratosthenes Sieve
Amy Gulling and Mark Klaus
Sections of the Plane
Sarah Berryman and Katie Skinner
Modeling Multiplication as Area
Michael Donnenwerth and Brett Sandy
Sums of Odd Integers and Square Numbers
Erin Feldman, Tracie Risbeck and Jay Munsinger
Spirolaterals
Amanda Gebhardt and Janet Mohwinkle
Tangrams
Ryan Gratz and Julie Bauer
Patterns in Pascal's Triangle
Hayley Greiner and Sadie Hockett
Nets
Jessica Headlee and Sarah Sue Miller
Fraction Walls
Emily Hoyt
The Four-Color Problem
Gina Lorensen and Stacy Myers
Modeling Percentages as Area
Amy Munkel and Megan Wilson
Sponsor: Murphy Waggoner
A summary of research projects in Embryology class – Spring
2002.
Jill Aalsburg, Nick Claussen, Emily Gerlock, Daron Marshall, Jamaica Nguyen, Rob Pugh, Ryan Riley, Sarah Ritson, Deb Sage
Sponsor: Jackie Brittingham
Illustrations for a guide to the amphibian larvae and eggs of
the Upper Midwest.
Pearl Podgorniak
Sponsor: Jeff Parmelee
Research Support: Undergraduate Research Assistant,
Simpson College
Modeling knowledge: Information and knowledge
functions.
Matt Behrens
Sponsor: Rick Spellerberg
“Balance of Nature - at the Community level,” relative
abundances of winter birds in Iowa for the following years: 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974. (Biology 354)
Bryan Mahar, Leon Johnson, Collin Freeberg,
Matt Zadow, Nicole Meyer
Sponsor: Bill Gilbert
Interpretive projects (Biology 244)
Sponsor: Bill Gilbert
Fish of Lake Red Rock.
Todd Milburn
US Corps Engineers Lake Red Rock
Fish of Lake Ahquabi.
Bryan Mahar
Iowa DNR State Parks Bureau
Walks of life.
Erin Scanlon and Sara Jo Lundy
Warren County Conservation Board
Other Research Projects and Research
in Progress
The skin chemistry of the sunbeam snake, Xenopeltis unicolor.
Brooke Rogge
Sponsors: Jeff Parmelee and Ron Warnet
Mathematics Projects:
Coalition games with transferable payoff and the core.
Lindsay Coffman
Dummy variables in a regression analysis.
Jason Collins
Regression analysis: NBA guard efficiency.
Dana Goshon
Regression and voter fraud.
Brooke Grudgings
Zero-sum matrix with strategic game.
Kyle Lehman
Coalition games with transferable payoff: The solution concept of stable sets.
Amy Lowe
Time series regression.
Todd Parson
Game theory: A strategic game.
Karen Vonnahme
Sponsors: Rick Spellerberg and Murphy Waggoner