Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
October 2009 Vol 1, Issue 1
UCO Undergraduate Research Day
Undergraduate Student Research News
In Oklahoma Higher Education
Dear Faculty and Students,
Campus Compact MLK Day
This newsletter is designed to give you as much information as possible about undergraduate student research projects, experiences, and opportunities in Oklahoma colleges and universities. We hope you learn a lot and share with others! Congratulations to those who participate in and provide such excellent experiences! If you received this newsletter from someone else and would like to be on the mailing list, just let me know at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Dr. Linda Mason
OSRHE Coordinator for Grant Writing
Oklahoma Undergraduate Research Institute Follow-Up Meeting - OSRHE October 1 and 2
Anita Blankenship at computer
Undergraduate Student Research Institutionalization Institute
In September w008, a group of teams from 9 institutions came together with Council on Undergraduate Research Leadership in an Institute to plan ways to enhance or create undergraduate student research programs in Oklahoma higher education. The teams were from ECU, LU, NSU, OCU, RCC, SWOSU, TCC, UCO, and USAO. Each program has some form of undergraduate research happening on campus and is poised to expand those activities. Leaders from CUR were Dr. Nancy Hensel, Executive Director of CUR; Dr. Carol Bender, University of Arizona; Dr. Melvin Druelinger, Colorado State University-Pueblo; Dr. Michael Nelson, University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse; Dr. Bill Campbell, University of Wisconsin-River Falls; Dr. Merle Schuh, Davidson College; and Dr. John Falconer, University of Nebraska at Kearney. Oklahoma leaders included Dr. Linda Mason, Oklahoma State Regents; Dr. Stephen McKeever, Oklahoma State University; Dr. Bob Graalman, Oklahoma State University, and Daphne LaDue, the University of Oklahoma.

NSF CCLI Funding
The Institute was partially funded by the Oklahoma State Regents, UCO, and NSF as a state Institute. This past month NSF CCLI announced funding to CUR for another grant proposal for more statewide institutes, more online education, and more targeted institutes, partially based on the success of the Oklahoma Institute.

Follow-Up Meeting
In October, the teams reconvened to assess progress after one year of work on the strategic plans that were crafted in September 2008. Chancellor Glen Johnson welcomed the group, and Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, New Jersey College and Dr. Carol Bender, University of Arizona led the teams in assessing their progress. The Results of the assessments and the plans are listed on the Undergraduate Student Research Website at http://www.okhighered.org/grant-opps. All of the institutions reported improvement and progress toward their strategic goals. Check out the plans to see what worked for them and what you might adopt at your institution.
In This Issue
Oklahoma Undergraduate Research Institute
Oklahoma Research Day at Broken Arrow NSU Campus
Cameron University Students
EPSCoR Resources
Redlands Community College
Summer Opportunities
Quick Links
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Oklahoma Research Day 2009 - BA-NSU Campus
Campus Compact MLK Day Students from all over Oklahoma and other states and even locations out of the US will gather to share their research on the Broken Arrow Campus of Northeastern Oklahoma State University. This is the 11th year of Oklahoma Research Day, a celebration and sharing of undergraduate student research projects. This year 1128 registrations have been received, the largest number ever. It is expected that there will be 600+ poster presentations and approximately 65 paper presentations. Students from all over Oklahoma will attend as well as students from Arkansas Tech University, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania,  Fort Valley State University, Iowa State University, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, North Carolina State University, Pittsburgh State University,  State University of New York at Oneonta, Syracuse University, The New York Botanical Garden,
The University of Toledo,  Universidad de Le�n, University of Arkansas, University of North Texas at Denton, University of Puerto Rico, University of Tennessee, University of the Aegean, University of Wuppertal-Germany,  West Virginia University, Western Governors University, and Wichita State University. What a diverse student gathering!
CU Students Present Research and Creative Activities
 
CU FaggettGene Dillehay Memorial Scholarship from OETA
Cameron University student Michael Faggett, a junior communication major from Dallas, was honored with the Gene Dillehay Memorial Scholarship from the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) during the organization's recent annual student day conference. Faggett, who currently hosts the CUTV sports show "In the Huddle" and has worked on numerous CUTV shows for the past year and a half, was one of nine students nominated for the prestigious $1,000 scholarship.

Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association
Cameron University students presented papers at the annual conference of the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association in Ada in September. In the student category, CU's Tanesha Wilson of Lawton presented her paper, "Chicken Abuse: PETA vs Pilgrims Pride and Kentucky Fried Chicken." Other CU student papers accepted into the conference were "Accusation Against Morality: The Peter Popoff Ministry" by Corey Rodriguez of Lawton, "In Defense of McDonald's Corporation" by Jorie Palmer of Whitesboro, TX, "Aeschylus - His Life and Tragedies" by Neila Ettienne of St. David's, Grenada, and "A Look at the Lives of Women in the Ancient World: Lysistrata Comparison" by Marisa White of Lawton. Members of the CU faculty provided an active presence at the conference via panel sessions, professional roundtables and research presentations.

2009 National Collegiate Conference of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
Cameron University students James Billings and Amy Banks, both of Lawton, received an Honorable Mention commendation at the recent 2009 National Collegiate Conference of the Association of Information Technology Professionals. Billings, a junior majoring in multimedia design, and Banks, a senior majoring in computing information systems, participated in the MS Office Solutions competition, in which they had to apply skills utilizing various MS Office software programs to solve a simulated business problem. The team of Billings and Banks was one of 62 teams in the competition and was one of only 10 who received commendations from the judges.
Teams were judged on how well they followed directions, how well they completed the problem statement, documentation explaining how they completed certain phases of the problem statement, and creativity and professionalism of their solution. CU cohosted the conference with Oklahoma Panhandle State University and the University of Central Oklahoma.

DaVinci/Martin Scholarship
Cameron University senior Melody Tyler, an elementary education major from Waurika, has been named a 2009 DaVinci/Martin Scholar by The DaVinci Institute, a private partnership of leaders in higher education across the state of Oklahoma. One of six DaVinci/Martin Scholars selected in the state, she will receive $3,000 from The DaVinci Institute in her first year of teaching in Oklahoma. Tyler, a non-traditional student, ended her 20-year career in insurance in 2006 to become a full-time student at CU. She will graduate in Fall 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. The DaVinci/Martin Scholar award is designed to honor pre-service teachers whose academic accomplishments and service to the university are deemed notable. Winners were determined using four criteria: GPA, Service Learning proposal, a letter of nomination and creativity. Tyler's service learning proposal, "Teaching Alphabet Skills to Emergent Readers," would create a collaboration between community volunteers, parents and caregivers.

Research Day and the Capitol
CU McGheeCameron University student Phillip McGhee, a senior biology major from Elgin, earned third place in the scientific poster competition for regional and community colleges and universities at the 2009 Research Day at the Capitol, held February 23. McGhee's winning poster is entitled "Modulation of NAGGene Expression Following Treatment of Cells with Camptothecin." He has been studying the function of the NAG protein for nearly two years while doing undergraduate research in the laboratory of Dr. Carla Guthridge, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences. Upon graduating in May 2009, McGhee plans to enter medical school. Research Day at the Capitol celebrates excellent undergraduate student research conducted on Oklahoma's college campuses. The event was initiated in 1996 as a way to inform legislators and the public about the high quality research being conducted by the state's higher education institutions in science, social science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the National Science Foundation sponsor the annual event. The 2010 Research Day at the Capitol is xxx,xxx and is open to the public.
Oklahoma EPSCoR a Resource for Student Undergraduate Research Travel
Campus Compact MLK Day
Oklahoma EPSCoR encourages students' participation in the STEM research community by providing travel funds for students to attend professional and scientific meetings, workshops, or symposia such as the annual National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) National Conferences.  These experiences give students a better understanding of how the research community works and builds networking and support through attendance, preparation and presentations at state and national level meetings.

Travel Funds
How can students receive travel funds for professional meetings?

Oklahoma faculty and administrators who have students that may benefit from travel funds to attend professional meetings can contact Ms. Gina Miller, Outreach Coordinator at 405.744.7645 or e-mail request to [email protected].

Research Experiences for Undergraduates ( REUs)

What is the EPSCoR REU program? Annually, EPSCoR provides funds to support research experiences for undergraduates, also known as REUs .  These projects provide opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct STEM research in collaboration with faculty mentors at the comprehensive research campuses (OU, OUHSC, OSU, TU, and OMRF).

REU Benefits
What are the benefits of an REU?
REUs strengthen and encourage undergraduate students' early participation in the university and scientific communities.  REUs provide promising STEM students hands-on research experiences and one-on-one guidance from faculty mentors who encourage them to pursue graduate degrees with research components in the STEM areas.    

REU Applications
How are REU students chosen?
Faculty on existing NSF REU grants in Oklahoma are encouraged to submit competitive proposals for support to the State EPSCoR Director, Dr. Frank Waxman at [email protected].

Information
How do I find out more?
For more information please contact Ms. Gina Miller, pictured above, at 405.744.7645 and [email protected].
Redlands Community College Undergraduate Research Program Celebrates Success
Campus Compact MLK Day
Engaged students radiate energy when conducting hands-on investigations of real-world problems in the undergraduate research program at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla. 

Research as Teaching
 "We see research as teaching at Redlands.  Research projects that are related directly to a student's interests and are integrated into the curriculum create successful and practical teaching and learning environments," said Dr. Penny Coggins, Vice President of Grants Development and Undergraduate Research. According to Coggins, research is a core component of many students' educational experiences at Redlands. Freshman and sophomore students participate in undergraduate research projects across campus in a variety of disciplines from agriculture to political science to molecular biology. 

"Our students are getting the chance to learn how to do research in a way many institutions are not offering," said Cynthia Hengge, Adjunct Instructor. "Our students have been incredibly successful with their research projects." 

Conference Presentations, Publications, Workshops, Radio Broadcasting
Students successes include presenting at national conferences, publishing results in journals, hosting producer workshops, and presenting findings on radio broadcasts. Published student researcher Katlynn Weathers said, "My research experiences were amazing.  I really enjoyed having the opportunity to have hands-on experiences doing real world research."
Students gaining real-world research experiences participate as interns, scholarship recipients as well as classroom contributors. 

Grants and Partnerships
Through grant programs as well as public and private partnerships students have had the opportunity to engage in hands-on research projects. Some grant sponsors for undergraduate research have included Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), National Science Foundation (NSF), and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Redlands has also received business partnership research support from companies like DeLaval, Martin BioChem, as well as Archer Daniels Midland.

Research in Classes
Students also have the option of takingresearch-enriched classes.  For example, Redlands offers an innovative computers course which accommodates any student who would like to commit to a fast-paced "Intro to Computers" course with a strong research component.   Students learn to use Microsoft programs including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as online programs for designing Web sites and conducting virtual library searches within the framework of conducting undergraduate research.  Students engage in research meetings where they discuss real world industry problems and brainstorm ways research could be conducted to find possible solutions.  

Student Benefits
"The students are excited about working on research projects, researching solutions to real-world problems, and then sharing their results.  Preparing posters and attending Oklahoma Research Day is a real highlight of the project for them," said Amanda Evert, Division Director of Agricultural and Equine Sciences. "The future of our program is really bright, and we are looking forward to many more opportunities for growth."

Information
For more information regarding undergraduate research at Redlands Community College please e-mail Dr. Penny Coggins, Vice President of Grants Development and Undergraduate Research at [email protected].
 
Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Alabama Opportunity
The University of South Alabama will host an NSF-REU site on "Structure and Function of Proteins".  The program lasts 10 weeks, form May 24 to July 30, 2010.

Minimum Requirements
Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher and have completed a sequence of Organic Chemistry courses. Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

Benefits
Accepted applicants receive free housing, a stipend of $450/week, a $50/week food allowance and up to $300 for travel expenses. And it is a great experience!

Information
For more information about possible projects and to download application forms please visit the  Alabama REU website at: www.southalabama.edu/alliedhealth/biomedical/ucur/index.htm. More opportunities about other summer opportunities may be found at http://www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/ug-research-programs.pdf in the list titled 2009 Student Undergraduate Research Programs.
This newsletter is a fun way to share the exciting news about students engaged in research in Oklahoma. Hope you enjoyed it! If you have news to share, send to [email protected] along with pictures of your news worthy people. The next issue will be in March 2010, and the deadline for submissions will be March 15, 2010.
Sincerely,
Dr. Linda Mason
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
Coming Soon: A Professional
Conference
on UGR


The Oklahoma State Regents are planning to initiate the first annual conference for faculty members and administrators to share papers on undergraduate student research projects and programs. This will be an opportunity for those who have thriving programs to share their successes with others. Research about the benefits of undergraduate research programs may be shared, also. And research that students and faculty members are conducting may be highlighted. More information will be announced about this great opportunity very soon! 
This opportunity will be in Spring 2010!