2012 Clare Boothe Luce Awardees

 

  • Colleen Gill, a Chemistry major, conducted research with Dr. Corey Stephenson (CAS Chemistry) to investigate the use of visible light as a catalyst for chemical reactions. This is a novel technology that reduces toxic waste by-products in chemical synthesis, and thus is part of the evolving field of “green chemistry”.

  • Grewal, Harleen

    Harleen Grewal, a Mathematics major, conducted research with Dr. Suryaram Gummuluru (MED Microbiology) related to how the AIDS virus HIV-1 infects a specific subset of immune cells called dendritic cells. The outcomes of this research may have relevance to the development of new AIDS/HIV therapies.

  • Lisa Kellndorfer

    Lisa Kellndorfer, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, conducted research with Dr. Karen Allen (CAS Chemistry) on developing techniques to over-express and purify a protein, PHOSPHO1, which is important for bone matrix development. The purified protein will then be used in X-ray crystallographic studies to determine the PHOSPHO1’s three-dimensional structure, which will be important for understanding its activity.

  • Katherine Murphy

    Katherine Murphy, an Electrical Engineering major, conducted research with Dr. Mark Horenstein (ENG Electrical & Computer Engineering) to develop a nanoparticle-based technology that will allow for improved drug delivery to specialized skin cells. As such, this project is likely to have relevance to medical practice.

  • Sharma, Neha

    Neha Sharma, a Mechanical Engineering major, conducted research with Dr. Srikanth Gopalan (ENG Mechanical Engineering), to investigate methods for improving the properties of rare earth elements that are important in the manufacture of many modern electronic devices.

  • Weisenburger, Kolby

    Kolby Weisenburger, an Astrophysics major, conducted research with Dr. Andrew West (CAS Astronomy) to understand the properties of M dwarf stars, which are the most abundant type of star in our Galaxy. Thus, this research will shed light on the properties of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, and may offer clues to its origins and development.