STEM Scholars Program

Examples of projects for STEM Scholars Summer 2022

• CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: Professor Ryan Snyder

  This project is to work to develop targeted and controlled drug release through coating of medical implants (such as stents). Our work is developing methods to coat these metal surfaces with layers of biologically safe polymer systems with model drugs within the coatings. Through the use of unique morphologies, thicknesses, chemistries and drug profiles, we aim to provide targeted (thus the drug is released at the site of interest), and controlled (desired release rates over time) release of multiple drug compounds. This could be the combination of an anti-inflammatory drug in combination with a statin for example. Coatings are created using electrospray of nanoscale droplets and we investigate the drug release as well as structure of the coatings using various chemical measurement techniques.

   

• ANIMAL BEHAVIOR: Professor Reggie Gazes

  Our lab focuses on discovering how evolutionary pressures may have led to the development of cognitive abilities in animals by exploring how animals learn, remember and organize information. Students who join the lab will work in the Bucknell animal behavior facility with our non-human primate collection assisting on comparative studies of behavior, learning, cognition and memory.

   

• CHEMISTRY: Professor Karen Castle

  My group is interested in understanding cooling and heating mechanisms in planetary upper atmospheres and the role they play in terrestrial climate modeling. We use laser spectroscopy to measure rate coefficients for vibrational energy transfer processes that are important in these mechanisms. Accurate and precise rate parameters for relevant collisional processes are necessary for proper interpretation of data collected by various NASA satellite missions including TIMED/SABER (Earth), MAVEN (Mars), and Cassini (Titan). Students working in this laboratory will have a choice between several available projects, but in all cases they will gain experience working with gases and high vacuum systems, different types of lasers, high-resolution infrared spectroscopy and a variety of data acquisition and analysis techniques.

   

• CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING: Professor Alomir Favero

  The STEM scholar will work closely with the mentor to develop a computer application used to simulate geological (those shaping the Earth) and geotechnical (those related to soils and rock and their interaction with human infrastructure) processes.

   

• PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY: Professor Bekele Gurmessa

  The STEM Scholar will work on synthesizing and characterizing the composites of polymer thin film and biopolymer networks by using microscopy techniques that help us understand biological cells' mechanics and structural behavior when subjected to external deformation.

   

• BIOLOGY: Professor Leocadia Paliulis

  Every time a cell divides, it must distribute the correct number of chromosomes to its daughter cells. Chromosomes must be positioned correctly to ensure correct chromosome distribution during cell division. Failure to correctly position chromosomes in cell division leads to aneuploidy (extra or missing chromosomes) and can be catastrophic for the cell and can cause congenital conditions like Down Syndrome in humans. Chromosomes must attach to the spindle, typically with one attachment site facing each spindle pole. This bipolar attachment guarantees that partner chromosomes will separate from one another in anaphase. In metaphase, after forming a bipolar attachment, chromosomes of nearly all organisms align in the center of the spindle forming the metaphase plate. The alignment of chromosomes in the center of the spindle in metaphase may be simply a consequence of the "tug of war" that the chromosome is experiencing as a result of a bipolar attachment, with both sides of the chromosome under equal tension. Alternatively, the positioning of chromosomes at the center of the spindle could be essential for guaranteeing correct distribution in anaphase. The aim of this project is to learn more about how chromosomes align at the center of the spindle, and how the placement and the timing of this alignment can impact distribution of chromosomes during anaphase.