2025 UR-STEM Projects

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Our lab uses a yeast model system, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to ask questions about gene mutations that increase genome instability. Genome instability is a hallmark trait of cancer development and can be studied in more simple, non-human, systems. We are investigating two genes, SAM1 and SAM2, that encode to make the main methyl donor in cells. Methyl, or CH3, is used to regulate many processes and can be added to all different macromolecules. Chosen student(s) will learn genetic and molecular biology techniques and conduct assays to ask questions about how deleting either the SAM1 or SAM2 genes change fundamental processes in cells.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Since vaccines are not available for many mosquito-borne and tick-borne diseases, controlling mosquitoes and ticks is the best way to reduce disease transmission. The Parker lab investigates factors that affect disease-transmitting mosquitoes and ticks with the goal of determining best practices to reduce their populations. Factors that we examine include ecological factors (for example, habitat preferences, species diversity and abundance) and social factors (for example, socio-economic status and number of man-made containers that serve as mosquito larval habitats, knowledge of mosquito and tick ecology).

This summer we will be continuing work to determine which mosquito and tick species are found in the Northern Kentucky (NKY) region and what factors affect species distribution. We will conduct ecological field studies examining the role of discarded tires and other man-made containers as mosquito larval habitats, how insecticides impact mosquito behavior, and explore how climate change impacts where we find ticks. We will also conduct social studies asking residents about their knowledge of and interactions with mosquitoes and ticks. If students are interested, we can also conduct forensic entomology experiments looking at the colonization of insects in throughout the decomposition process in dead rats or insect biodiversity studies looking at the types of insects found in different habitats. The majority of the work will take place at multiple field sites in the surrounding NKY region and will occur from late May through August. Some work on weekends may be required.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Our lab uses a mouse model to explore the effects of widespread pollutants on the developing brain. We previously identified several genes that increase susceptibility to developmental neurotoxicity following exposure during pregnancy and early life. We also found important changes in the gut microbiome which is now recognize to have a major influence on brain development and function. We are now looking to see if regular exercise can mitigate these adverse effects.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: The Williamson lab focuses on the interactions between the immune system and the brain. The early-life (neonatal) environment is a period of rapid brain and immune system development. Treating with acetaminophen, a common over-the-counter fever reducer medication, is very common in humans and is often the only anti-inflammatory medication recommended for infants and young children. We do not know the effects of frequent acetaminophen use and are studying it in a rat model. We will assess gene expression, protein expression and behavior with live rats, after we treat the infant rodents with acetaminophen.

Experience Type: Summer Mini-Project Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid (In-person meetings are highly recommended, though virtual meetings are possible when necessary.)

Description: In response to anthropogenic climate change, diverse species have showed large shifts in the timing of their life history events (i.e., phenology), which can cause mismatch in their ecological synchrony, disturb interactions among co-occurring species and lead to local extinction. Freshwater communities are under substantial threats from climate change and biological invasion, though the impacts on the critical amphibian species and their indirect ecological synchrony with plant species and their varying resilience and conservation challenges among and within species are not well known, which prevents us in comprehensively assessing the impact and making conservation planning. The goal of this project is to understand how multiple abiotic and biotic factors affect phenology of woody plants and vernal pool-breading amphibians and their ecological synchrony. We will analyze phenology of co-occurring woody plants and pond-breeding amphibians across multiple vernal pools, pond water conditions and environmental factors in forested wetlands to identify the direct and indirect effects and connections among those factors. This project allows us to comprehensively assess ecological communities to enhance our abilities in evaluating their resilience to climate change, assessing the impacts for the future, and informing mitigation and biodiversity conservation actions.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: In the Shifley lab, we use Xenopus frogs to study how cells in the early, vertebrate embryo organize and differentiate into the various organs of the adult body. We study embryonic development because when this process is disrupted, birth defects can occur, and it is important to know how to prevent or treat these syndromes. This project would be looking at the activity of a certain group of genes called FGF and Iroquois genes in embryos using several different molecular genetics techniques. We will manipulate developing embryos and then analyze and photograph their resulting phenotypes. The expected outcomes would be that you gather data on the role of the FGF signaling pathway and Iroquois genes during embryonic development.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Both Callery (Bradford) pear and Amur honeysuckle are nonnative woody plants that are invasive in our area. They become established in open or disturbed areas that eventually become wooded. If the invasive species remain in the forest, they displace native species, which has deleterious ecological effects. Whether they persist depends on shade tolerance. Shade-intolerant species need high light levels to survive, while shade-tolerant species can persist in the forest understory when they are shaded by a tree canopy. Honeysuckle appears to be at least partially shade-tolerant, but Callery pear’s shade tolerance is currently unknown. Shade tolerance is determined from curves of photosynthesis rates against light levels. Photosynthesis can be calculated from chlorophyll fluorescence and light levels, measured by a chlorophyll fluorometer. Usually this is done under controlled conditions on the same leaf, but we will be taking measurements in the field on multiple leaves. Stomatal conductance, which is a measure of stomatal opening, is measured with a porometer and is also important because it can limit photosynthetic rates.

The goal of this summer’s research is to develop light-photosynthesis curves for pear and honeysuckle. These will be compared to curves taken from eastern red cedar, a known shade-intolerant species, and white snakeroot, a known shade-tolerant species. Stomatal conductance will be measured at the same time. In addition to overall determination of shade tolerance, we will see if there are shifts over the growing season. Work will be done both on campus and at NKU REFS, our nearby field station in Melbourne, KY.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: The lack of tattoo ink regulation in the United States makes the risk of contamination with an unsafe level of lead, nickel, phosphorous, or zinc very high. Although the standard color tattoo ink has been extensively studied, new UV active inks have gained popularity in the past 5-10 years. These inks do not have robust studies in their contents or health risks and most brands do not publish ingredients for these inks.

This project will extend an independent study done by previous NKU students in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department. Various instruments will be employed to confirm their results as well as develop teaching/demonstration materials for students.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Learn techniques that introduce you to the fundamentals of what proteins are and how they work. The Shelton Lab studies proteins from bacterial pathogens to better understand how they work and how they might be targeted with new antibiotic treatments.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Endocrine disrupting compounds can be found in surface waters, where they can harm aquatic life. Sunlight and UV waste treatment can break them down, but the products themselves can be harmful. The Hare group is synthesizing the major products from the exposure of some estrogens to light and studying them using a variety of spectroscopic techniques to determine their properties. This information can be used by others to model their persistence in the environment, and the products themselves may also have pharmaceutical applications.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: 6PPD-quinone was recently identified as a highly toxic (to salmon) byproduct of a common polymer present in tire rubber. However, it may be able to be broken down by UV light. This project will study the breakdown of this molecule and its precursor using high resolution mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques.

Experience Types:

• Summer Part-time Experience
• Summer Mini-Project Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: L-DOPA is a natural occurring amino acid that serves a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of the amino acid L-Tyrosine and the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. The Russell Research Group looks to use L-DOPA as a starting point to prepare new compounds that may have potential applications ranging from inhibition of biological pathways involved in disease to molecular recognition and catalysis. Participating students will receive hands-on experience synthesizing, purifying, and characterizing new amino acids and the annulenes or oxacalixarenes into which they are incorporated.

Students will be trained in all of the techniques necessary to conduct the research, will learn to keep a lab notebook, and present their work through a research poster.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Virtual

Description: With the increasing reliance on cloud-based applications, the demand for efficient computing and robust security has grown significantly. Smart edge computing offers a promising solution by processing applications and data closer to the user, reducing the strain on cloud resources while enhancing application performance and security. In this project, we will explore the role of smart edge computing in improving application security and performance. Offloading computational tasks and security processes to edge servers will reduce decrease user-perceived response time and enhances application security.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Virtual

Description: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing the way we interact with games, making them more exciting, challenging, and realistic. This project aims to explore how AI is used in different types of games, such as snake game, and evolution simulations. We will investigate how to create AI for games, and improve overall gameplay experience. Through this project, students will learn about key AI techniques like genetic algorithm, decision-making algorithms, and reinforcement learning. By analyzing popular games and experimenting with simple AI models, students will gain hands-on experience in applying AI concepts. This project is designed to be accessible to first-year students with basic programming knowledge and an interest in AI and gaming. No advanced experience is required—just curiosity and a willingness to explore how AI makes games smarter and more engaging.

Experience Types: 

• Summer Part-time Experience
• Summer Mini-Project Experience

Project Mode: Virtual

Description: Navigating the digital landscape responsibly plays a vital role in fostering a healthier and happier future for children. The primary goal of this project is to develop a predictive model that can analyze children's physical activity and fitness data to identify early signs of problematic internet use. Specifically, we will first learn and use Machine Learning models to build the predictive model; then we will learn how to evaluate the performance of the predictive model to ensure its accuracy and reliability.

By providing an accessible and effective tool for early detection of problematic internet use, we aim to help mitigate associated mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. This tool will promote a balanced lifestyle, encouraging healthier digital habits and overall well-being among children and adolescents.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Virtual

Description: This project investigates how people engage in online auctions, focusing on key dynamics, including competition. By examining data from an auction platform, we explore how emotions, timing, and decision-making influence bidding strategies and outcomes. For instance, many bids are placed right before an auction ends, likely due to heightened competition.

In this research, you will investigate a real-world auction website to better understand how users interact with auctions and what drives their behavior, providing insights into human decision-making and auction design. This research is approachable for students new to data analysis, behavioral economics, or online marketplace studies, offering practical examples of real-world decision-making and its impact on outcomes.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Virtual

Description: By joining this project, you will learn how different types of Generative AI, including text-, audio-, and video-generation models, can support several tasks in many different scientific research domains.

By joining this UR-STEM experience, you will be exposed to different research projects that use Generative AI as follows:

• use of text-generation models to summarize text and provide users with personalized support,
• use of video-generation AI systems to create custom video tutorials, and
  
• use of audio-generation AI systems to automatically create podcasts from text.

This is a great opportunity to start exploring and using Generative AI, or to take your Generative AI skills to the next level.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Have you ever wondered how AI tools like ChatGPT work? Some of these systems use stored information about users to make their answers more personal. But what if this stored information makes their answers biased or incorrect? This project looks at how stored user data affects the accuracy and fairness of AI responses, particularly in applications like chatbots and virtual assistants. Students participating in the project will gain experience in testing AI systems, analyzing data, and exploring the ethical implications of using personal information.

Experience Type: Summer Mini-Project Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• Work at the telescope and a few research meetings will be in person. Some check-in meetings and the analysis can be done remotely.
  

Description: This mini-project will collect new data and use archived data from the NKU Observatory 14-inch telescope to study a variety of astronomical objects using our optical spectrograph. In particular, we are interested in investigating a variety of stars, galaxies, and nebula. This work will involve setting up the cameras and spectrograph on the 14-inch telescope, taking astronomical images, and processing those images. We will then analyze those images using the camera software, astronomical software, and Excel. The result will be a series of spectra on these objects that we will use to both understand the objects themselves and characterize the quality of astronomical images that can be taken with the 14-inch telescope. I am looking for a student who has an interest in astronomy. No prior experience with astronomical data taking or telescope mounts necessary. This mini-project will require a student for 10 hours/week for 4 weeks with some of the work occurring at night.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: This project focuses on designing and developing a fully 3D-printed quadruped robot dog to serve as an educational and research tool. The robot will integrate components of a mechatronic system, including sensors, actuators, a control system, and a user interface, offering students hands-on experience in robotics design, programming, and system integration.

The project will involve two main phases: design and simulation, followed by development and optimization. The initial phase includes equipment procurement, CAD-based mechanical design, and simulation of motion algorithms to ensure stability and functionality. The second phase focuses on assembly, integrating advanced features such as sensor feedback for obstacle avoidance and improved gait and balance, alongside the development of user-friendly instructional materials.
The project’s outcomes include a functional quadruped robot dog, enhanced student proficiency in robotics, and a foundation for future research and development in advanced mechatronic systems. This innovative and cost-effective solution fills a gap in robotics education, creating a platform for practical learning and exploration of cutting-edge technologies.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Over the past two decades, the trend toward larger and more intensive Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) in the United States has raised significant environmental concerns. These concerns are primarily due to the ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, methane, and particulate matter emissions generated by livestock production facilities. Large-scale commercial farms also pose health risks to workers, animals, and surrounding communities. As the U.S. livestock industry faces increasing public scrutiny over the environmental and health impacts of air pollutants, there is a growing demand for better emission monitoring. Despite this, current methods for measuring emissions are not economically feasible for many producers. This project aims to design, develop, and test a low-cost, Internet of Things (IoT)-based air emission measurement system. Using a System on Chip as the central controller, the system will integrate various sensors and devices via a self-contained Wi-Fi network, enabling relatively easy and real-time air quality monitoring. This innovative tool will provide livestock producers with an affordable, field-deployable solution to track air emissions without the need for expensive research-grade equipment.