Current CUR Scholars

Stephanie Blackwell

"Emotion Expressions during the Adult Attachment Interview: A Case Study Approach"

I am a junior Horticulture major and am working with Dr. Kazuko Behrens in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. I am expanding my horizons by doing my research in the realm of human development and family studies because of my interest in teaching. In addition to my studies and research, I enjoy playing scrabble, hiking, and spending time with my family.

Carlos Brun

"Determination of Dynamic Wiping Efficiency of Cotton-Based Nonwoven Textile Substrates for Toxic Chemical Decontamination"

I am a senior Petroleum Engineering major and work with Dr. Kar Sata at the Institute of Environmental and Human Health.We are investigating the dynamic wiping efficiency of fibertect fabric; Fibertect is a potential new technology that could clean the oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico; it involves a lot of experimental sciences in order to optimize the wiping efficiency. Being involved in research is very time consuming and require a lot of discipline. The center of undergraduate research at Texas Tech University is helping me as a scholar with all the tools required to be successful in conducting my research. The most interesting fact about conducting research is that it allows one to express his imagination while applying his knowledge.

Heather Darnell

"The Expressiveness of Women in Southern Italian Folk Music"

I am a senior, double majoring in music and classics working with Dr. Thomas Cimarusti.  My interest in Italian folk music came about after I studied abroad in Sicily for four months and fell in love with the music there.  I hope to gain a better understanding of Italian culture by studying and understanding its music.  And, I hope to continue to apply these skills as I pursue a graduate degree in musicology.

Monique Enih

"I knew one more cookie was too much! The Effect of A Woman's Self- Esteem and her view of Body Image, with the affects of Self-affirmation in relation to clothing size fit"

I am a junior majoring in Exercise and Sports Science with a minor in Biology. I am working with Dr. Darcy Reich in the Department of Psychology. Although I am a science major, I have always been interest in the field of Psychology and also the way women view themselves in terms of body-image and self- esteem. My faculty mentor is a very encouraging and motivating and is very open to accepting my ideas about the project. I love to eat healthy, work out, and wear stylish clothes so that I look professional at all times.

Dan Ferguson

"How Models of Nanoparticles with Simple Potentials Scale as a Function of System Size in Serial and Parallel environments"

I am a Junior mathematics major. I am working with Dr. Philip Smith in the department of Mathematics and Statistics and is the Director of High Performance Computing Center. The work I am doing with Dr. Philip Smith is writing a molecular dynamics program to model solids with simple potentials like Lennard Jones. The research is challenging but fun. This research project is a good start to getting into graduate school. When I’m not working on this research project I enjoy going ATV-ing and riding my bike.

Nina Garcia

"Patient Discharge Process Improvement Project: Phase 3 at the Odessa Medical Center Hospital "

I am a senior Industrial Engineering major and I am working with Dr. Timothy Matis from the department of Industrial Engineering. This year I wanted to do research to expand and enrich my senior year in much as I could. I also wanted to prepare myself for graduate school. In my free time, I enjoy listening to live music, playing guitar, and running.

Paul Gomez

"Quantum computing"

I am a sophomore electrical engineering major and am also in the Honors College. My faculty mentor is Dr. Carl Seaquist. I’m excited too see what unfolds in this year as a CUR scholar. I knew before I started this program that I wanted to research a subject based on math or technology. This led me to working with Dr. Carl Seaquist to study the science of quantum computing. What we analyze is the structural differences between classic and quantum computers to see if there are some mathematical equations or computational discoveries to be made. To harness the power of quantum computing, the science we associate with modern computers has to be totally renovated. In my free time, I enjoy discovering music and dabbling in art. I play water polo for Texas Tech, but enjoy some intramural soccer too.

Brian Horton

"Quartz Preferred Orientation and its Impact on Thermal Anisotropy in Sandstone and Quartzite"

I am a senior Geophysics major working with Dr. Callum Hetherington in the Department of Geosciences. I want to do research in order to prepare myself for graduate school. Also research, incorrect or correct, advances science and presents interesting ideas about the world around us. Research is important to our society and I want to be part of research. I enjoy watching and playing sports, playing guitar, and I plan on going to graduate school.

Kelly Hutton

Effect of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol on broiler chicken skeletal muscle growth and development in vitro

I am a senior Animal Science major from Castle Rock, Colorado. I have a minor in Biology and Chemistry. I first became interested in undergraduate research after working as a laboratory assistant in the Animal Science department. Currently, I am researching the effects of Vitamin D on muscle growth and development with the help of my faculty mentor, Dr. Jessica Starkey. After graduating from Texas Tech, I plan to attend medical school to pursue a career in Family and Rural Medicine.

Pallavi Laxane

"StreamCEDL (Complex Event Definition Language)"

I am a senior in Information Systems/Computer Science and I am doing research under the supervision of Dr. Susan Urban in the Reactive Behavior and Data Management research group at the Computer Science department.  Last year, I worked on the Decentralized Data Dependency (D3) Analysis Project funded by National Science Foundation, where I looked into the usage and analysis of Assurance Points and Integration Rules for Process Recovery in web services computing. This year, I am working on the StreamCEDL (Complex Event Definition Language) project and my focus is to evaluate the current event processing tools and analyze their appropriateness for various application needs especially in the medical field. In my spare time, I like to browse through interesting things from science & technology, history & culture and random trivia. I also love traveling and trying out different cuisines.

Jess Lees

"Intracellular Calcium Dynamics in Highly Metastatic Prostate Cancer Cells"

I am a junior Cell and Molecular Biology major, and I am currently working with Dr. Raul Martinez-Zaguilan. After I graduate from Texas Tech my next goal is to be accepted into Medical School. Upon entrance to medical school my focus will be to broaden my medical education. My academic goal for graduate school is to gain a strong foundation in all aspects of science, whereas, my professional goal will be to build on my strong foundation and expand my knowledge base. My career goals include; establishing master communication skills, continuing education after professional school, and evolving with technology. However, my most important career goal is to treat each individual with compassion as well as appropriate and affective treatment. I truly love what I do in the lab. I go to bed exited of the fact that the next day I will personally race for the cure not only for breast cancer and melanoma, but for all cancer. To me there is no better job than one that helps people.

Alexander Mattey

"High resolution transmission electron microscope study of GaN nanoparticles"

I am a Junior Mechanical Engineering major with minors in Mathematics and International Engineering. I am currently doing research with Dr. Jharna Chaudhuri in the TEM lab. I find my project very exciting and it prepares me for my future graduate plan studying materials. I enjoy anything outdoors such as hiking, running, camping, etc. I am very excited to be part of the Center for Undergraduate research and look forward to a great experience.

Priscilla McDonald

"Energy Harvesing"

I am a Junior Computer Engineering major.  I am currently undergoing my research with my Faculty Mentor Dr. Stephen Bayne in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. I chose my research topic because I think that using natural resources such as acoustic vibrations, light, and electromagnetic waves to generate electrical energy is cool. As an undergraduate researcher, I am also exposed to material that electrical and computer engineering students learn during their senior and graduate level classes. An interesting fact about me is that before I decided to pursue a career in engineering, I wanted to become a professional dancer.

Nathaniel Merry

"The Possibility of an Entrance of a Uranium Cartel to the Global Uranium Market Using Non-Statistical Analysis"

I am a Junior Civil Engineering Major. I am doing a study with the guidance of Dr. Michael Giberson from the Center for Energy Commerce. I decided to join the CUR program because I wanted to learn more about energy and produce something useful at the same time. In my free time, whenever there is any, I enjoy playing soccer and watching sports.

Andrew Nelson

"Sustainable Industrial Development"

I am a sophomore architecture major, and am currently working with professor David Driskill from the College of Architecture. We are looking at the carbon footprint of a proposed industrial site. I spend most of my free time either reading or exercising. I am from San Antonio, Texas, and was on the varsity swim team in high school, where my relay team broke the state record and received an All-American Award.

Jasmine Sanchez

"Understanding childcare providers self perception and attitudes within the work environment"

I am a senior in Human Development and Family Studies. I work with Dr. Elizabeth Trejos in the HDFS Department..  I learned about the Center of Undergraduate research through my faculty mentor, who I previously worked with on the program Teen Straight Talk. Growing up in Lubbock has made me very passionate about the community and I enjoy volunteering with a variety of groups. So far I have met some amazing people through this program and it has been a wonderful experience!

Porsche Williams

"Double cross-linking studies and mutagenesis of ATP Synthase"

I'm a sophomore Chemical Engineering and Psychology major and am conducting my research in biochemistry with Dr. Joachim Weber. One reason I chose Biochemistry as my field of research is because I plan on going into Biomedical Engineering for Grad school. Research has always been something that I've been interested in because I love the hands on experience that I can get, and the opportunity to be apart of discovering something new and exciting for the world. I enjoy reading, playing different games with friends and family, and creating music with my viola and piano.

Meagan Willingham

"Effects of massage on children's sleep"

I am a senior majoring in Human Development and Family Studies. I am working with Dr. Sybil Hart from HDFS. After graduating I plan on going to graduate school to become a children's counselor. I am very excited about doing undergraduate research because it is a great opportunity to prepare for graduate school.

Andrew Young

"Blood Influences the Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa"

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Abdul Hamood

I am a senior Biology major and am working with Dr. Abdul Hamood in the Microbiology and Immunology Department at the Health Sciences Center.

Coming into my senior year, I was really interested in pursuing an outlet that would supplement my education in a more practical yet instructive way compared to the traditional classroom setting. Undergraduate research was the perfect solution, and with the CUR scholars program I will be able to maintain an adequate course load while conducting a mentor-guided research project. I am interested in biomedical science because I will be attending medical school next fall! When I am not studying for class or conducting research I enjoy hanging with friends, reading, painting, and any other thing that will keep me from being too nerdy. Also I am the youngest of five kids, and the only one not pursuing an engineering degree from Oklahoma State, so hopefully by the time I finish Tech medical school I will be accepted as the red and "black sheep" of the family.