Graduate students to showcase research at Capitol

LAWRENCE — Thirteen University of Kansas graduate students from the Lawrence and Medical Center campuses were selected to showcase their research projects for state legislators and the public at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit. The event will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, in the second-floor rotunda of the state Capitol in Topeka.

The KU representatives will join graduate students from Kansas State University and Wichita State University at the event. The Capitol Graduate Research Summit is intended to raise awareness of the graduate programs at KU, KUMC, K-State and Wichita State and to highlight the importance of graduate students’ research at state universities.

Michael Roberts, dean of graduate studies, noted that KU will be represented by graduate students from a variety of disciplines. “The students who will be presenting exemplify the range of research being conducted by graduate students at KU. The research that our graduate students conduct provides lasting benefits to our state and nation.”

Presentations will cover a range of topics, from using cell phones to expand the delivery of social services to targeted treatments for cancer. Bioengineering doctoral student Lindsey Ott is researching a tissue-engineered product to improve pediatric airway surgeries.

Following the presentations, awards funded by BioKansas will be presented to two projects from each campus. BioKansas was founded in 2004 by the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. and the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute to unify Kansas’ bioscience industry, academic research institutions and economic development organizations. Its goals are to enhance the state’s business and research climate in the state, and to work with leaders across the state to attract and retain bioscience talent, companies and funding.

The presenters are listed below by area of graduate study, hometown, and titles of their research presentations.

See more online.

• Emily Beck, doctoral student in bioengineering; Manhattan; “Decellularized Cartilage Hydrogels for Cartilage Tissue Engineering.” Video of Beck's work is available here.
• Bliss O’Bryhim, doctoral student in molecular and integrated physiology; Lenexa; “Tyrosinase Activity is Associated with Increased Severity of Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy via Modulation of Dopaminergic Signaling.”
• Cara Busenhart, doctoral student in nursing; Overland Park; “The Opportunity to Act Like a Nurse: A Qualitative Analysis of Perceived Impact of Simulation on Professional Role Transition.”
• Yufei Cheng, doctoral student in electrical engineering and computer science; Weichang, China; “Telecommunication Network Vulnerability and Geodiverse Routing Protocol.” Video of Cheng's work is available here.
• Brittany Hartwell, doctoral student in bioengineering; Ames, Iowa; “Cellular Response to a Novel Multivalent Polymeric Immunotherapy for Multiple Sclerosis.” Video of Hartwell's work is available here.
• Charles Christopher Jehle Jr., medical student; Overland Park; “ Alcohol Use Disorder in Burn Patients.”
• Sharmin Kader, doctoral student in architecture; Mohammadpur, Bangladesh; “Development of Hospice Environmental Assessment Protocol (HEAP): A Post Occupancy Evaluation Tool for Hospice Building Facilities.”
• Margaret Lloyd, doctoral student in social work; Kansas City, Kan.; “The Disparate Impact of Alcohol, Methamphetamine and Other Drugs on Family Reunification after Foster Care in Kansas.”
• Lindsey Ott, doctoral student in bioengineering; Mulvane; “Biomaterial Device for Repairing the Pediatric Airway.” Video of Ott's work is available here.
• Greta Stamper, doctoral student in audiology; Jacksonville, Fla.; “Auditory Responses in Normal-Hearing, Noise-Exposed Ears.”
• Cynthia L. Taylor, doctoral student in counseling psychology; Kansas City, Mo.; and Benjamin Rutt, doctoral student in counseling psychology; Marshfield, Wis.; “Evaluation of Text4baby Promotional Efforts in Finney County and State Level Replication.”
• Kristin Watt, doctoral student in cell biology and anatomy; Overland Park; “Investigation of the Roles of RNA Polymerase Subunits Polr1c and Polr1d in Craniofacial Development ad the Pathogenesis of Treacher Collins Syndrome.”
• Yan Xia, doctoral student in molecular biosciences; Lawrence; “Designing Small Molecule Inhibitors of RNA-binding Proteins by Mimicry.”