2009 CSL Undergraduate Summer Research Report
The College of Science and Letters is pleased to report on the activities of the 2009 CSL Undergraduate Summer Research Stipend recipients. Eight students received $5,000 each to conduct 10 weeks of research with a faculty mentor this summer.
| Aram Apyan | Evan Estola | Erik Harpstead | Jae Kwan Lee |
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| Ryan McClure | Jesse Reinhardt | Peter Schemmel | Andrew Yates |
2009 stipend recipients, faculty mentors, and projects are:
- Aram Apyan (second-year physics), Yagmur Torun, assistant professor of physics, "Detecting field emission in superconducting cavities using Cerenkov radiation," IIT OUR Fellowship
- Evan Estola (third-year computer science), Doug Cork, professor of biology, "Developing W-curve tools and techniques for studying molecular biology," USA Poultry, Alpharma
- Erik Harpstead (third-year psychology and computer science), Matthew Bauer, senior lecturer, computer science, "Researching and redesigning IIT's CS general education requirement (CS105/ARCH125/CS115)"
- Jae Kwan Lee (fourth-year applied mathematics), Jeffrey Duan, professor of applied mathematics, "Perturbation on the manifolds with application to biomedical modeling"
- Ryan McClure (second-year chemistry), Joy Chong, assistant professor of chemistry, "Synthesis of ligant for positron emission tomography imaging," National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Jesse Reinhardt (fourth-year biochemistry), Biology Professor Ben Stark, "Engineering bacterium to utilize DBT in crude oil", Saudi Aramco
- Peter Schemmel (second-year physics), Thomas Irving, professor of biology and physics, "Experimental X-ray diffraction equipment design, machining, and fabrication"
- Andrew Yates (second-year computer science), Wai Gen Yee, assistant professor of computer science, "Creating an educational video annotation and indexing system"
"We were pleased again with the number and quality of proposals," said Professor Ishaque Khan, associate dean of CSL. "They showcased the high quality of research in CSL and our faculty's eagerness to offer research experience to undergraduates, which is a priority for CSL. Such experience allows our students to explore their interests and prepare for their professional career. The ability to focus on research during the summer allows them to catalyze their productivity and often make significant contributions to IIT research teams."
Winners of the stipend report on their work at the end of the summer. Many go on to present their work at conferences/symposia and/or publish it in scholarly journals. The summer research stipends are funded by the CSL Board of Overseers and CSL alumni, who have helped 24 students to date.
Winners of the 2009 Undergraduate Summer Research Stipend represent 6 programs within three of CSL's six departments, and offer undergraduate students the opportunity to see what it is like to work in a lab alongside faculty who are leaders in their fields of research. Students explore their interests, solve problems, advance knowledge, and prepare for their next step — whether graduate school, medical school, or the workplace.
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Download the 2009 Undergraduate Summer Research Stipend report. (1 MB .pdf)
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