2024 UR-STEM Projects

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Although exercise is well-known to improve brain function in adults, little is known about the role of maternal and offspring exercise during pregnancy and early life. We are using a simple exercise intervention to determine if maternal and/or offspring exercise improves brain function following developmental exposure to benzo[a]pryene (BaP), a neurotoxicant found in cigarette smoke, traffic-related air pollution and grilled foods. To model human genetic differences, we use mice with genetic differences in the proteins related to BaP metabolism. Students will learn how to test learning and memory, motor function and anxiety-like behaviors.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Over the past seven summers, Dr. Boyce’s lab has examined the effect of a native plant pathogen, honeysuckle leaf blight (Insolibasidium deformans), on the introduced shrub, Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii). Infection with leaf blight reduces the growth of honeysuckle, although the extent of leaf blight does not appear to be enough to kill shrubs or even reduce their growth rate to where they would be outcompeted by native shrubs, even for small shrubs.

Therefore, we have combined mechanical treatment with blight infection during the past two summers. Clipping (decapitation) by itself has been shown to be ineffective in controlling Amur honeysuckle, as it resprouts vigorously. However, the resprouts are of a shoot type that is more susceptible to leaf blight. Our work at two field sites, NKU REFS/NKU campus and Raven Run, in Lexington, KY, has shown that blight infections rates are quite high on resprouts, and the number of resprout shoots and their total length declined over the summer. The combination of decapitation and infection is enough to kill a large fraction of the smaller clipped shrubs. It is also possible that clipping in two years might be enough to kill an even larger fraction.

We also discovered that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browse heavily on resprouts from clipped shrubs. However, it is unclear how much browsing contributes to mortality. One way to do this is exclude browsing from clipped shrubs that are clipped and compare growth and mortality to shrubs from which browsing has not been excluded.

One of the goals of this summer’s research is to follow up on the shrubs decapitated in 2023 to assess their survival. Another is to reclip them to see if that will substantially increase mortality. The main goal of 2024 is to repeat the decapitation experiments of 2022-2023, but this time exclude deer browsing by constructing small individual exclosures out of chicken wire that will cover half of the clipped shrubs. Shrubs with a range of basal diameters from a site on campus and another at the Research & Education Field Station (REFS) will have been previously decapitated in March/April, when bud burst begins, by Dr. Boyce’s lab. As in 2022-23, number and length of shoots, number of leaves, and number of blighted leaves will be monitored throughout the summer.

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 at different locations) and social factors (for example: socio-economic status, 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 3 studies: 1.) Insecticide tolerance and toxicology for Culex mosquitoes in the laboratory, 2.) Effectiveness of tire traps for mosquito control in residential areas, and 3.) Impact of habitat on tick distribution. 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. 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: 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: The Williamson lab focuses on the interactions between the immune system and the brain. The prenatal environment can have big effects on offspring brain development, immune system development, and later-life learning and memory in offspring. Our project is studying the anti-inflammatory effects of parasites (masking themselves from the immune system) and how mom's parasites might affect their offspring at several different developmental time points. We work with a rat model and study gene expression with PCR, protein expression with ELISAs, cell number and morphology with immunohistochemistry and behavior with live rats. It is likely that we will analyze NextGen Sequencing data (from RNAseq) this summer as well.

Experience Type: Summer Mini-Project Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Over the past several decades, there has been an increase in improving fishways in streams, either as part of a stream restoration project to mitigate anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems, or as a mechanism (e.g., fish ladders, culverts, etc.) for fish migration around stream disruptions, such as dams. Often these fishways are constructed with little or no structure or flow obstructions in them which can present a barrier for many fish, especially smaller fish, to be able to swim through the passage to more favorable waters. Stream restoration is moving forward with designing new micro-habitat that includes various obstructions such as woody debris, and rock structures. These structures can provide a velocity refuge, act as a shelter from predation, and increase habitat diversity in the fishways. However, depending on the size of the obstructions, these structures may or may not be beneficial to stream fishes depending on the energetics required to remain behind these objects given the eddies and turbulence there. This study will be measuring the aerobic respiration rates of native stream fish (e.g., bluntnose minnows, emerald shiners) under different flow rates and with different sized obstructions in a swim-tunnel respirometry system. This will allow us to determine the energetics costs of residing behind different sized structures in addition to determining the energetic savings of swimming in a fishway without structure. We will also make observations of flow rates and fish positions related to different sized structure in local streams. This study will offer an evaluation of the sizes of structure needed to be included in fishways as resting habitat depending on the size of fish using those fishways to accommodate multiple species of stream fish.

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 this molecule and its precursor using high resolution mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques to determine how it is formed and breaks down.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time 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: In-person

Description: The polysaccharides heparin, Low Molecular Weight Heparins (LMWHs), Dextran Sulfate and Pentosan Polysulfate are widely used as anticoagulant and therapeutic agents. For example, the anticoagulant heparin is used by more than one-third of all hospitalized patients (over 12 million patients annually) in the United States. On the other hand, protamine and other similar polypeptides are used as antidotes of the widely used heparin and can effectively bind the other similar polysaccharides as well. Thus, accurate measurement of these biological polyions is of very high demand for biomedical and clinical applications. Thus, the objective of this research project is to develop polyion-selective, membrane-based, simple, inexpensive and reliable electrochemical sensors for these biologically important polyions.

Timeline for the student’s work:

Week 1- Student training by faculty and senior group members
Week 2 – Preparation of polymeric membrane and electrodes
Week 3-7 – Measurements and data analysis
Week 8 – Preparation of slides for presentation

Expected outcome: The results of the research will be presented in coordination with SAACS at the end-of-summer Heather Bullen Research Cellebration.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Learn fundamental biochemistry skills and techniques while working towards finding new antibiotics against pathogenic bacteria.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Virtual

Description: Still Googling information about NKU? Let’s build an Artificial Intelligence chatbot that answers your questions about NKU. The goal of this project is to design a chatbot that provides you with accurate and prompt answers to your queries about NKU. Whether you're seeking details about campus facilities, academic programs, events, or any other aspect of NKU, the chatbot is poised to efficiently present you with relevant information. This solution not only saves you valuable time but also ensures a personalized and tailored experience, allowing you to navigate the wealth of information about NKU effortlessly. We will leverage the power of existing Chatbot API to build a custom chatbot for NKU. We will be using Python programming language. No other experience is required.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Virtual

Description: Edge computing is an emerging technology that brings IT resources (compute, networking, storage) closer to end users. Edge computing is an extension of cloud computing. It brings the cloud closer to end users and improves cloud app performance. In this project, we will research cloud computing and edge computing and study the impact of edge computing on cloud performance. We will use Amazon Web Services (Amazon Public Cloud) to develop experimental studies and evaluate the edge computing approach.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid (50% will be online and 50% will be face-to-face)

Description: Climate change started to impact our daily life recently. The shifting climate introduces frequent and unpredictable temperature fluctuations. For species like birds, particularly those that reproduce through eggs, maintaining stable temperatures during incubation is crucial for reproductive success. Despite the significance of temperature stability, limited research has delved into understanding the thresholds of temperature tolerance during incubation. In this investigation, we will apply the data science tools to analyze the local temperature dataset over the past decade and the birds incubation dataset. Our aim was to explore potential correlations between extreme temperature swings coinciding with the breeding season and instances of nest attempt failures for birds.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• Virtual: Most of the development and code-writing work and documentation
• In-Person: Occasional meetings as needed and brainstorming discussions

Description: The domain of Internet-of-Things (IoT) has enabled adoption and innovation of smart services for homes, offices, hospitals, and healthcare, enhancing the quality and security of life. Limitations of storage space and computational power in such devices to process the vast amount of data necessitates the facilitation of cloud computing back-end systems. However, cloud-backed systems suffer from longer response times due to lack of physical proximity. As a result, edge computing was proposed to bring data and computation closer to the edge of the network, reducing latency and improving response times for end-users. However, the dynamic nature of such decentralized and distributed systems creates further critical security and privacy challenges. The main objective of this research is to analyze the security risks and threats associated with IoT devices on edge computing services and develop automated intrusion detection and prevention techniques to ensure security for edge computing services that address the identified security risks.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• Virtual: Most of the development and code-writing work and documentation
• In-Person: Occasional meetings as needed and brainstorming discussions

Description: Limitations of storage space and computational power for the Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices necessitates the facilitation of cloud computing back-end systems. However, services with the requirement of faster response times and proximity suffer adversely with the remotely offloaded computation and storage. Hence, the introduction of edge computing frameworks brings data and computation closer to the edge of the network, reducing latency and improving response times for end-users, particularly for services and applications which require real-time information processing and decision making. Unfortunately, such edge computing platforms present non-trivial security and privacy challenges due to the decentralized and distributed nature of the components. The main objective of this research is to analyze the security risks and threats associated with IoT-based services on edge computing platforms and develop provenance-based security solutions for edge computing services that address the identified security risks.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• Virtual: Most of the development and code-writing work and documentation
• In-Person: Occasional meetings as needed and brainstorming discussions

Description: In the unwanted scenario of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, or even war-effected zones, relief workers are deployed to engage with the people on site for delivering the needed help and assistance. In most cases, such environments, despite being of the utmost humane importance, lack infrastructural support to assist the relief workers in running their operations for the cause. In this research, we explore the feasibility of a rapidly deployable ad-hoc service application, to allow relief workers to execute their operations with improved and reliable efficiency. As such, edge computing was introduced to overcome the limitations of cloud-based computational resources for pervasive Internet-of-Things (IoT) based applications. Particularly, edge computing frameworks enable physically proximal nodes to store data and process information for low-latency applications. In parallel, generative AI has become increasingly useful in various application contexts. In this research, we propose to combine the best of multiple worlds – the highly distributed nature of edge computing systems, the human-centric interactive models for generative AI, and the ad-hoc facilitation of decentralized systems. These concepts will be applied towards solving a real-life problem by creating a hierarchical edge computing framework with generative AI for efficient resource management to enable relief workers operating in infrastructure-less environments.

Experience Type:

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

Project Mode: Hybrid (The research can occur in-person or virtually, based on the student's and instructor's availability.)

Description: This project explores the vast repository of professor ratings and reviews available on RateMyProfessors.com, a popular website where students rate and review their college and university instructors.

We will employ data analysis techniques to extract meaningful insights from the dataset, which encompasses various aspects such as overall quality, level of difficulty, and would-take-again percentages, along with textual reviews. The primary objective is to uncover trends and patterns that might provide more insight into how to improve the classroom experience.

In the second phase of the project, we will focus on identifying and implementing interactive data visualizations utilizing modern web development technologies, to provide students and professors with a more engaging and meaningful way to explore the data.

By working on this project, you will learn to:

• work with large datasets with millions of data points,
• design data visualization dashboards, and
• create interactive charts and data visualizations.

Experience Type:

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

Project Mode: Hybrid (The research can occur in-person or virtually, based on the student's and instructor's availability.)

Description: Auctions provide a unique lens through which human behavior can be studied, particularly in the realms of decision-making, strategy, and economic interaction.

This project aims to decode complex human behaviors and interactions within the realm of online auctions and understand the factors that drive bidding behaviors, auction outcomes, and market dynamics. To this end, we will work on a comprehensive auction dataset that includes information such as bid histories, item characteristics, and temporal bidding patterns. In the first part of the project, we will explore how factors like competition, perceived value, and time pressure influence bidding strategies. The goal is to provide a granular, data-driven depiction of human decision-making in auction environments.

In the second phase, we will develop an interactive online platform that presents the findings through various graphical representations to make the complex auction dynamics accessible and comprehensible to a broader audience, enabling users to visualize the ebb and flow of auction activities in real time.

By working on this project, you will learn to:

• work with large datasets with millions of data points,
• design data visualization dashboards, and
• create interactive charts and data visualizations.

Experience Type:

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

Project Mode: Hybrid (The research can occur in-person or virtually, based on the student's and instructor's availability.)

Description: This project involves the design, development, and testing of an innovative AI-based system that aims to enhance verbal communication skills in individuals with learning disabilities or other conditions such as autism or severe social anxiety. Specifically, the proposed system consists of a conversational agent (i.e., a chat like ChatGPT) trained to generate guided conversational scenarios that provide the user with an opportunity to practice social skills, get companionship, and potentially overcome isolation.

In the first part of the project, we will explore how AI technology, specifically conversational agents, can be adapted to effectively meet the communication needs of individuals with disabilities and understand how conversational agents can provide consistent and quality interaction, supplementing the work of human caregivers and therapists. In the second part of the project, we will design, develop, and test an AI-based conversational system. Specifically, we will incorporate ChatGPT's Application Programming Interfaces and integrate them with visualization tools that enable therapists to monitor the quality of their patients' conversations.

By working on this project, you will learn to:

• design impactful technology with high social value,
• use OpenAI's Application Programming Interfaces, and
• design data visualization dashboards.
  

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Are you interested in applications of mathematics and statistics in business and economics? Would you like to learn how to analyze and visualize data? If you answered yes to either of these questions, consider joining us this summer as we work with 84.51°, a Cincinnati-based retail data science, insights, and media company that helps companies such as the Kroger Company create more personalized and valuable experiences for shoppers, to better understand Kroger’s post-pandemic customer base.

Following the disruptions to long-standing business models and the significant changes in customer behavior caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are interested in re-examining their customer base. The Kroger Company is particularly well-positioned to do so as it collects vast amounts of information on a daily basis. For example, when a loyal Kroger shopper checks out, Kroger not only records the sales data for each product purchased but also the location and modality (in-person, pick-up, or delivery) of the sale and whether coupons were used. Through Kroger’s loyalty card programs, each sale can in turn be linked to the household’s demographic information.

In this project, we work with 84.51° and Kroger to identify new post-pandemic customer segmentation groups to be used to better target the preferences of Kroger shoppers. Working with a large and representative subset of Kroger’s data, we aim to identify customer groups with respect to buying patterns (in store, online, etc.) and price sensitivity (coupons, store brand, Boost membership, etc.), based on customer demographics and transaction details.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• Much of our work will be on computers, developing software, programming, data mining, etc. However, we will need to do some work in collaboration with the folks in Newport, so we will need to meet there at times, think about sensor emplacement at sites in the city, etc.

Description: Members of the Newport renaissance group, ReNewport, approached NKU faculty about developing a dashboard, whose job would be to keep the citizenry informed about air quality generally, and release events in the area. The group has placed a dozen monitors around their neighborhoods, and although they do have some specific questions they'd like answered, the primary purpose of the project would be to provide Newport residents with a picture (or pictures) of real-time air quality, so that they might protect themselves and/or advocate for changes to improve the air quality where they live.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: This project aims to develop a Drone with an Obstacle Avoidance System, enhancing the navigational capabilities of a quadcopter or hexacopter. The system integrates ultrasonic sensors for real-time obstacle detection and employs a microcontroller (Arduino or Raspberry Pi) to process sensory data. Through a meticulously programmed algorithm, the drone autonomously adjusts its flight path to avoid obstacles. The microcontroller communicates seamlessly with the flight controller, utilizing open-source firmware such as Betaflight or ArduPilot.

The project involves the design, 3D printing, and assembly of the drone frame, motor attachment, and propeller installation, ensuring manual control feasibility. Ultrasonic sensors are strategically positioned on the drone frame, covering multiple directions. Programming focuses on sensor data interpretation, obstacle detection logic, and communication with the flight controller. Rigorous testing in controlled environments ensures optimal system performance, with room for algorithm fine-tuning based on test results.

Optional enhancements include the integration of a camera module for advanced obstacle detection and a GPS module for navigation, as well as the implementation of wireless communication for remote drone control. The project's outcomes contribute to the advancement of drone technology, particularly in autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance, with potential applications in surveillance, reconnaissance, and environmental monitoring.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: A pioneering field within paleontology is called paleohistology, where a thin section of bone from extinct animals is analyzed under a microscope. Students learn how to interpret bone tissue texture from a Cretaceous horned dinosaur from Montana called Einiosaurus. To do this, students must learn the newest imaging, phylogenetic, and statistical methods, and are then able to quantify patterns of growth and metabolism, and even social behavior. Skills are transferable to not only a career in paleontology but any kind of biological or geological science.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• Work can be carried out in-person or virtually. In principle, a student with the correct software installed on his/her/their computer can perform calculations remotely and meet virtually. In practice, it will be helpful to begin the project by working with the computers directly on campus and meeting in-person.

Description: One strategy for engineering stronger, harder alloys is addition of solutes to a basic, 2- or 3-element alloy. Much progress has been made through brute force; that is, by working through the periodic table systematically to find which combinations work best. Nevertheless, it is desirable to improve understanding of the physics and chemistry relating interactions among atoms in the alloy to mechanical properties. The purpose of this project is to use computer simulations based on density functional theory to interpret interactions between indium and noble metals in gadolinium-aluminum alloys.

Students will use Wien2k computer software graphical user interface, will perform operations from the Linux command line, and will perform additional calculations in MS-Excel. Experience with Wien2k and Linux is not necessary.

Experience Type: Summer Mini-Project Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• Our research meetings will be a combination of in-person and virtual as the work of any given day requires. Both day and night work on the telescope will be in-person only.
  

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 that change over time. In particular, we are interested in investigating extra-solar planets, eclipsing binaries, and RR Lyrae variable stars. This work will involve setting up the camera 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 light curves 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.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: Hybrid

• We will meet online for progress reports and in-person to work on the project.
  

Description: Renewable energy sources are a promising solution to the problems of pollution and energy poverty in rural areas. While current approaches primarily focus on providing electricity, the Smart Integrated Renewable Energy System (SIRES) takes a holistic approach by also addressing fundamental needs such as cooking facilities and domestic water supply, in addition to electricity provision. This research employs a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the cost-effectiveness of SIRES components while ensuring they fulfill the basic energy requirements of rural populations. GA includes two main parts: hard constraint - the requirements of loss of power supply probability (LPSP) and loss of water supply probability (LWSP), soft constraint – the cost function that we strive to minimize to get the best solution. Costs considered in this approach include the initial cost, maintenance cost, and replacement cost over 25 years. When all the data is collected, GA is implemented using DEAP (Distributed Evolutionary Algorithms) in Python. Methodology involves creating a fitness function to find the minimum cost, building equations of LPSP and LWSP. This research aims to present the calculated findings in an easily accessible way for different communities worldwide. By showcasing the information through a website that can be accessed through any device with an internet connection and allowing the user to select and input information pertinent to their community and situation, this research provides valuable, personalized data to determine how much funding is needed to help these communities transition to renewable energy.

Experience Type: Summer Part-time Experience

Project Mode: In-person

Description: Many manufacturing companies in Northern Kentucky and Southern Ohio urgently require Mechatronics engineers to support their integrated manufacturing industry. In preparation for our students to fill positions in industrial automation, we have designed and developed a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)-based Industrial Automation Training Platform. This initiative, supported by Rockwell Automation, has been implemented in our new mechatronics laboratory. The platform includes state-of-the-art Allen-Bradley PLCs, homemade input/output boxes, and various authentic industrial automation applications found in manufacturing factories. Students will collaborate with the professor to test and gain hands-on experience with this automation training platform.