By Danielle Zieg
Integrated University Communications
(April 24, 2009) Visitors discovered a wide-range and wealth of amazing and curious results at UC Denver's Research and Creative Activities Symposium held Friday, April 24 at the North Classroom on the Auraria Campus. For the first time in the event's 12-year history, student projects from Downtown Campus-based schools and colleges were intermingled with students presentations from the Anschutz Medical Campus programs. Altogether, more than 140 students displaying 117 projects were showcased. But that’s not the only first, local middle school students also participated.
Here are just a few examples of the projects presented by UC Denver students:
Colorado is home to the headwaters of four major rivers. Geography undergradaute student Ariel Bates' work displayed the characteristics of Colorado's drainage network and how it converges into larger arteries to form the major rivers that flow through the state.
Can honesty be measured relative to self reporting of sexual behavior? Luke Bollwerk of Psychology set out to answer this question. For his 2008-09 Undergraduate Research Opportunities award winning presentation, he recruited 230 participants and randomly divided them into four study groups. His research found no reliable or significant differences among the groups as suggested by earlier published study results.
Digital animation student Chris Brady's 2008-09 Undergraduate Research Opportunities award winning presentation identified a new method to increase the clarity of 3D images with the potential for significant savings in time and production costs.
Undergraduate Physics student Russell Deitrick used CCD cameras and telescopes at different locations around the world to plot the lightwave curve of various active glactic nuclei (AGN) which emit radiation across the frequency spectrum. In doing this 2008-09 Undergraduate Research Opportunities award winning presentation, his work contribuated to international information databases. Such observations are considered key to understanding how AGN and ultimately the universe formed.
College of Arts & Media students Gareth Dunnet and Aaron Kopp were honored as 2008-09 Undergraduate Research Opportunities winners for their documentary film "Tuberculosis: The White Death." Their film raises awareness that while TB was once considered under control, it represents an ongoing public health concern.
Photo: Undergraduate chemistry student Sarah Deihimi discusses potential implications from her research involving the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.