West Virginia State University Students’ Work Featured at Undergraduate Research Day

Twelve West Virginia State University (WVSU) students will be showcasing their research Wednesday, March 4, at the State Capitol as part of the 12th annual Undergraduate Research Day.
“Never before have so many State students participated in this display of cutting-edge research at the State Capitol,” said WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill. “I am proud of the students for their hard work and am pleased to see the recognition bestowed upon such a wide-range of research areas as it is a testament to our University’s commitment to excellence and the quality of our faculty.”
WVSU student research on display ranges from parenting styles on personality development, remedies against fresh water pollution, to a potential anticancer agent and landslides on Mars.
The 12 WVSU students and their research on display are:
• Allen Duffy, astronomy, “What caused landslides in Valles Marineris, Mars’ the sequel?”
• Erica Bickman, biology, “Bumble Bee Diversity of Kanawha County with Special Emphasis on Two Endangered Species.”
• Victoria Daniel, biology, “Sequencing of Ribosomal and Mitochondrial DNA for species of Paraorygmatobothrium.”
• Ashley Moore, biology, “Does activation of the G-protein linked estrogen receptor, GPER1/GPR30, affect proliferation and viability of brain tumor cells?”
• Emily Peal, biology, “Developing methods to study the food web in Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion: Cloning of Acetate Utilization Genes and Anaerobic Cultivation.”
• Elijah Roberts, biology, “Determination of HPLC analysis for Capsaicin and Dihydrocapsaicin in fruits of Capsicum.”
• Bridget Dudding, chemistry, “Microwave Synthesis of Succinic Anhydrides.”
• Megan Guetzloff, chemistry, “Synthesizing Triesterified Monosaccharides for Trialing in Protected Culture Pest Control.”
• Christopher Newman, chemistry, “Extraction of Carotenoids from Pumpkins.”
• Jordan O’Dell, Chemistry, “Extraction of Fe(II) and Zn(II) Ions from Aqueous Solution.”
• Tabatha Slater, chemistry, “Synthesis of Capsaicin Analogs.”
• Nasiyra McCorkle, psychology, “The Effects of Parenting Styles on Personality Development.”
Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol features 105 undergraduate student research posters from 11 colleges and universities from throughout West Virginia.