The Miami University Report �

Undergraduate summer scholar Benjamin Walker is “tak-ing ownership” of his education by linking his two greatest pas-sions: mathematics education and social justice. “The idea is that math educators can teach more than math,” explains Walker about his project “The Power of One: Rationalizing Social Justice in Mathematics Education.”

“My purpose this summer is to research the ways in which math educators can enable students to use skills and ideas from mathematics (like logical thinking and critical analysis) and also to create lessons that promote the development of a socially conscious classroom and empower students to be-come active citizens.”

Walker, a senior math and mathematics education double major from St. Louis, describes his first experience in social ad-vocacy. During his sophomore year he traveled to the School of the Americas (SOA) Protest and Vigil For Peace. “That experi-ence transformed how I viewed my role in our world,” he said. Last year, through Miami’s Scholar Leader program, he or-ganized and led a contingent of Miami students to the 2008 SOA Protest and Vigil.

A Harrison Scholar, he first met his faculty mentor, Jeff Wanko, associate professor in teacher education, in connec-

RTREPThe Miami University August 2009

RTREPUndergraduate research: Summer 2009

At Miami, undergraduates take advantage of research opportunities year-round. Summer, especially, provides time for in-depth research on campus, off campus or abroad.

Students in every disci-pline can pursue independent research through Miami-funded programs supported by the office for the advance-

Social justice and math education

Benjamin Walker (left) with his faculty mentor Jeff Wanko in front of Presser Hall, home of the Glee Club (both are members) and site of Freedom Summer training at Western College for Women in 1964.

ment of research and scholar-ship (OARS). Students present their research to the Miami community at an annual fo-rum in April.

For more information, go to www.muohio.edu/under-gradresearch.

This publication presents a sample of undergraduate research activities at Miami this summer.

Heather Moore in Miami’s CraftSummer glass-blowing workshop.

tion with the Miami Men’s Glee Club, of which they are both members. Through the USS project, “I receive the opportu-nity ... to work in partner with a wildly inspiring, supportive, and professional mathematics educator,” he says.

Walker’s goals for his self- designed project include five lesson plans that he will use during his student teaching in spring 20�0 in the Chicago Public Schools. “I will have the unique opportunity to almost immediately test my lessons in the classroom and assess stu-dent outcomes.”

“Dr. Wanko and I also plan to organize a professional work-shop for Ohio math educators. I will also apply to present my work at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ national conference and submit a manuscript of my research for publication in a professional journal.”

Hands on: Bridging glass and ceramics“Working hands-on is some-

thing I do everyday and love,” says Heather Moore, a junior ceramics and art education double major from Dresden. Discovering a new love – glass-blowing – helped introduce her to summer research opportuni-ties at Miami. “While talking to my professor, Dennis Tobin, I found out that Miami offers a scholarship for undergradu-ate research. I jumped on the opportunity because of my

fascination with glass and the benefits I know I would gain from such research.”

Through her undergraduate summer scholars (USS) project, “Bridging Glass and Ceramics,” Moore is extensively research-ing various methods of glass working, including participat-ing in studio workshops, by visiting museums and galleries and interviewing artists.

While Miami does not have a glass-blowing program, Moore

took advantage of a glass-blow-ing workshop offered by Miami’s CraftSummer program.

“There are so many proper-ties and ways to work with glass that are similar to work-ing with ceram-ics,” Moore says. “By using my knowledge of ceramics, I am better able to research and expand upon glass methods.” Her research will culminate in an exhibition of her work which will be installed in the Hiestand Gal-leries, after she returns from a semester in Italy.

“I have the opportunity to learn, to study and to

create, so that I can bring my knowledge back to

Miami.” Heather Moore,

USS 2009

August 20092

The anatomy of an exploding fungal spore

Comparing rhetoric: North Korea

Summer Scholars program grows

More than �00 Miami stu-dents do research or creative projects each year through the Undergraduate Summer Scholars program (USS).

Each scholar receives up to �2 hours of academic credit with tuition waived, a $2,600 fellowship, a $400 project al-lowance and the opportunity to pursue in-depth research one-on-one with a faculty mentor.

The program, adminis-tered by the office for the advancement of research and scholarship (OARS), is open to any student in any major who has completed his/her sophomore or junior year.

For more information and a list of the 2009 scholars, their projects and their fac-ulty mentors, go to

http://www.units.muohio.edu/oars/undergrad_re-search/summer_scholars_program/index.php.

Dragana Trninic, Miami-Hughes intern, with the high-speed video camera apparatus.

Femi Adeyemi, summer scholar“I am honored to be able to be a part of this programand believe that this experience is important not just

on the academic level, but also in my growth as a person.”

Carly Sellers, USS 2008

Dragana Trninic, a senior botany major and environ-mental science co-major from Lakewood, has participated in research since her first year at Miami. This summer she is a Miami-Hughes intern in the biological sciences, continuing work on the project “Explosive Formation of Gas Bubbles and the Discharge of Fungal Spores” with faculty mentor Nicholas Money, professor of botany.

Using an ultra high-speed video camera, Trninic is study-ing the mechanism used by

certain microscopic fungi to discharge their spores: the spore is launched by the explosive formation of a gas bubble (cavitation).

While the discharge of the fungal spores (specifically, those of the banana pathogen Deighto-niella torulosa) happens in the blink of an eye, capturing the sequence on film and analyzing the results can take much time and patience. “The ‘explo-sions’... in the ‘bulb’ below the spore was captured in a few se-quences,” says Trninic, “but the

change before and after ... was not always clear. It’s enough to give us reason to suspect that cavitation is the mechanism used to discharge spores in this species, but not enough to be conclusive about it.”

“For part of this summer, we are planning on looking at other fungal species that are sus-pected to also use the cavitation mechanism, and if they work in a similar way as Deightoniella.”

“Dragana has been an inte-gral part of the work we do for a few years now,” says Jessica Stolze-Rybczynski, doctoral candidate in botany. She also has been mentoring Trninic and worked with her last year through Miami’s Doctoral- Undergraduate Opportunities for Scholarship (DUOS) program.

Money and his collaborators are the first to document the extraordinarily fast movements of certain microscopic fungi and determine how their “catapult-ing” mechanisms work. The fungal spore release project is in collaboration with Money, Stolze-Rybczynski and Diana Davis and Mark Fischer from the College of Mount St. Joseph. Also working on the project this summer is undergraduate sum-mer scholar Brian Smith, junior music performance major.

Undergraduate summer scholar Adefemi (Femi) Adey-emi has been seeking out new experiences since he started at Miami. “My first year English professor encouraged us to move outside our comfort zones,” he says. “I have never done this kind of project be-fore,” he explains about his USS research, “What Took So Long? N. Korea and the Quest for an Aid Package,” which will result in a major research paper that he will submit for publication.

Adeyemi, a computer science and political science double major from Huber Heights, originally wanted to combine his two majors for a project on how the Internet affects inter-national policy. But his faculty mentor, John Rothgeb, professor of political science, encouraged him to narrow the topic and specialize in one area. His research involves a compara-tive analysis of the differences

between the Bush and Clinton administrations’ approaches to denuclearizing North Korea, with a particular focus on the rhetoric used by various leaders.

A member of the fencing club and wrestling club — both new activities for Adeyemi at Miami — he also works for BITS (Benton Information Technology Service), a student-run technol-ogy consulting business.

Marie Maloney’s under-graduate summer scholars project “The Organization of Improvisation” includes an internship with the Chi-cago-based Laugh Out Loud Theatre, an improv comedy professional theater. “This internship is perfect for me because it combines both of my majors (theatre and mass com-munication) in so many ways,” she says. “I’m learning how much work goes into owning a professional theatre. I’m taking improv classes at LOL,

Undergraduate summer scholar Beth Greiner is studying animal behavior in her project “Promiscuity and Mate Choice in Mus musculus.” She conducts dominance rank trials on male Mus musculus (house mice) and observes male mate choice between pairs of sisters. Greiner, a senior zoology major and environmental science co-major from Loveland, works with fac-ulty mentor Doug Meikle, chair and professor of zoology, and doctoral student Aron Costello.

and a class at the iO Theater in Chicago, so I’m learning a lot about improv techniques, along with the technical side of running an improv theater.”

Maloney, a senior from Mokena, Ill., is also blogging about her experiences. Her faculty mentor is Howard Klei-man, professor of communica-tion.

Miamians might recognize Maloney as part of the duo, with Joe Baur, that won the “This is Our Miami” video contest last year.

The organization of improvisation

Beth Greiner with Mus musculus.

Researching animal behavior

Miami-sponsored research programs for undergraduates during the academic year include:

• College of Arts and Sci-ence Dean’s Scholars program;

• Doctoral Undergradu-ate Student Opportunities (DUOS);

• MU Interdisciplinary Technology Development Challenge.

The Miami University Report �

Researching lake carbon cycling

Microalgae: From the lab to the farm to biofuel

Jill Goodwin collecting stream samples with Chris Marsman, sophomore zoology major.

Tri Sanguanbun, testing samples of native Ohio algae.

Miami-Hughes internships in biological sciences

Miami-Hughes internships in the biological sciences provide a $�,000 stipend and a $750 research expense account to work on indepen-dent research with a faculty mentor. Interns also receive �2 hours of academic credit with tuition waived.

Up to �5 students are selected each summer for the Miami-funded program.

“I chose to research lake sediment resuspension in Acton Lake because the effects of lake carbon cycling on global carbon cycles are often underesti-mated,” explains Jill Goodwin, a Miami-Hughes intern in the biological sciences.

A zoology major and Spanish minor from Gahanna, Goodwin has been working with faculty mentor Mike Vanni, professor of zoology, since last year, athough this is her first experience with independent research. She also is involved in Miami’s honors program, the triathlon and cycling clubs, Operation Smile Student Association and Phi

Delta Epsilon medical fraternity. While taking Vanni’s honors

ecology class, she became in-terested in the research his lab was conducting on the ecology of lakes and their surrounding landscapes. “I was most inter-ested about researching a topic that is of utmost importance to the environmental future of our planet,” Goodwin says.

“Understanding how carbon cycles through lakes because of sediment resuspension is an-other crucial part of the complex picture to understanding global carbon cycles, and ultimately, climate change.”

Triratana (Tri) Sanguanbun, a junior microbiology major and environmental science co-major from Falls Church, Va., is put-ting his majors to work on his undergraduate summer scholars project “Characterization of Cold Tolerant Native Ohio Mi-croalgae for Biofuel Production.”

“It’s exciting … from here we can make biodiesel — Green Energy,” he says of his research. His project involves testing strains of native Ohio algae in laboratory-controlled settings to identify strains that grow well under conditions similar to the Ohio climate.

Algae strains that prove to perform optimally under differ-ent conditions, such as a wide range of temperatures, will be selected for growing on a larger scale at the Miami Heritage Al-gal Research Center. The algal “farm,” currently in develop-ment just outside of Oxford, will use small-scale runways to pre-condition algal cultures before they are grown in large-scale outdoor reactors.

The goal is to produce algal biomass on a large scale, year-round in an outdoor, cold climate setting to harvest for production of biodiesel. Algae farms tend to be located in the southern U.S. or in greenhouses since they use warm condition-tolerant algae, says Rachael Morgan-Kiss, assistant professor of microbiology and Sanguan-bun’s faculty mentor.

Morgan-Kiss also mentored the 2008-2009 Miami University Interdisciplinary Technology Development Challenge team: “Miami Green Diesel: Biodiesel Production in Non-Temperate Climates.”

Electrical engineering majors Baishun Wu, from China, and Vince Mancuso, from Belle-fontaine, are undergraduate summer scholars working with faculty mentor Qihou Zhou, professor of electrical and computer engineering. Wu’s project, “Gunshot Identification and Localization,” involves de-termining the acoustic signature of a gunshot using multiple microphones. Mancuso’s proj-ect, “Analysis of EEG and MEG Signals for Seizure Prediction,” involves analysis of magneto-encephalograms (measure of electrical activity in the brain, obtained from Cincinnati Chil-dren’s Hospital Medical Center) to determine the location of elec-trical surges in a patient’s brain. Both projects involve the use of multiple sensors to identify and locate a source.

Baishun Wu, left, with Qihou Zhou

Vince Mancuso, right, with Qihou Zhou

Using multiple sensors in engineering

“I will have the unique opportunity to almost imme-diately test my lessons in the

classroom.”Benjamin Walker, USS 2009

Stream sampling tubes

Testing different strains of algae

August 20094

Electric Greek? Ancient languages in the digital age

Uniting young children and senior citizens through digital storytelling

Evan Hayes, combining the ancient world of Athena with modern technology.

REPORTSpecial issue written and

published by the Miami Univer-sity news and public information office, Glos Center, Miami Univer-sity, Oxford, Ohio 45056, phone (5��) 529-7592. Available online: www.miami.muohio.edu/news.

Combining his three majors – classical languages, classical humanities and philosophy — with his self-taught language of computer programming (and a medieval studies minor), se-nior Evan Hayes is working on the digitization of classical texts (ancient Greek and Roman).

“Do Androids Read Electric Greek?: Ancient Languages in the Digital Age” — his undergraduate summer schol-ars project — aims to create opportunities for education, preservation and accessibility in Latin and Greek, says Hayes, who is writing a computer pro-gram that will be able to “read” Greek. “It will be able to take chunks of Greek input, break it down into words, distinguish different parts of speech, inter-pret grammatical information, and even look up the words in a large dictionary included in the program.

“While it won’t function as a true translator, it should be very useful as a tool for learning and for textual analysis,” he says.

“This project allows me to bring together two of my great-

est interests: classical linguistics and computer programming.It is unique in that it requires both a full understanding of the intricacies of Greek grammar as well as an in-depth knowledge of software programming.”

Hayes chose his faculty mentor, Steve Nimis, chair and professor of classics, in part for his interest in the “implications computer technology has for studying the humanities.”

As for the title of his project? “It is a play on the title of Philip K. Dick’s ‘60s sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The book, a personal favorite of mine, deals fundamentally with the definition of ‘humanity’ in a highly technologized world.”

“I have worked at the same retirement community for six years, and my degree is in early childhood education, so bringing together these two populations (senior citizens and children), seemed like the right decision,” says undergraduate summer scholar Katie Henry. Her mentor, Brenda Dales, lec-turer in teacher education, had asked “have you ever thought about writing for publication?” explains Henry, “so I shared this with her and she suggested the USS program.”

“The purpose of the project “Intergenerational Digital Story-telling: Uniting Young Children and Senior Citizens” is to study the ways in which participation by elders and children in digital storytelling events influences intergenerational relationships,” Henry says. “Elders living in a retirement community, and chil-dren at a daycare in the same community, will collaborate as partners to create original stories and illustrations. Elders and children will record the stories digitally and will share their stories in a presentation for families.

“I am not so much interested in perfecting storytelling skills, as I am interested in the types of stories that emerge, and the effect of storytelling itself on the relationships between the children and elders.”

“I think that it is critical for undergraduate students to engage in introspective exploration and to acquire a genuine ability to reflect

on oneself and one’s attitudes.

For this project, I would like to explore ways to create intergenerational, online communities for

children in schools and se-niors in retirement villages to blog about self-chosen

topics, and to upload pod-casts and digital stories.” Katie Henry, USS 2009

Henry, a senior early childhood education major from Middletown, began her education at Miami University Middletown, which allowed her the flexibility to take a full course load of classes and to continue working full-time at Mount Pleasant Retirement Village, where she is now the activity coordinator for assisted living.

She has also received an undergraduate research award for a research project next fall, which she will conduct while student teaching in a third-

grade classroom. “I think that it is critical for

undergraduate students to engage in introspective explora-tion and to acquire a genuine ability to reflect on oneself and one’s attitudes,” she explains. “The self-knowledge I gained at Miami Middletown, along with content knowledge as I completed my Miami Plan courses, is what helped to lay a strong foundation and interest in research.”

Katie Henry (front, middle) with digital storytelling project participants.