Following is a sampling of the nearly 160 projects in the Student Research Symposium.

Adaptive Learning Image and Signal Analysis
Computer Science Undergraduate
Author: Ryan Gibbons
Advisor: Charles Hannon (computer Science)
Abstract: This research supports inhabitant and robot tracking within Crescent Research Lab’s smart environment and builds on a past prototype of the Cerberus 3D tracking system. After training an existing Adaptive Learning Image and Signal Analysis (ALISA) system, it was able to identify the Pioneer robot and other objects in the room from real-time images from each camera. Results demonstrate that the improved detection sub-system can greatly improve image detection and support integration with the rest of the existing system.

The West Fork Trinity River Changes: A Response to Urban Growth
Type: Undergraduate (geology) (Funded through TCU’s Vision in Action)
Author: James Stevens, Ranjan Muttiah
Advisor: Ranjan Muttiah (Geology)
Abstract: The City of Fort Worth is revitalizing the West Fork of the Trinity River and its surrounding environments in the Central Business District to attract new visitors and businesses. The revitalization will eventually enhance the tax base for the city. In addition, as part of the flood mitigation, the Army Corps of Engineers with support from the city and water authorities will re-route the West Fork of the Trinity River through Fort Worth. Though this project spotlights how urban development, rainfall, and geology impact stream flow immediately downstream and upstream of Fort Worth, and will uniquely apply modern Geographic Information Systems technology to document the historical response of the West Fork of the Trinity River to urban development and growth by mapping out the influence of previous flooding.

Development of Ballistic Shock Measurement and Simulation Capabilities
Type: Undergraduate (engineering)
Authors: Jamie Smith, Michael Conrad, Lorena Leon, James Davis, Jonathan Weldon, Lori Shannon.
Advisor: Patrick Walter (engineering)
Abstract: The US Army Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) contracted with a TCU Engineering Senior Design class to design, develop, and fabricate two devices needed to evaluate ballistic shock events in armored combat vehicles: 1. A miniature electronic data recorder to measure ballistic shock response from various transducers mounted in an armored vehicle; and 2. A laboratory shock machine that produces realistic ballistic shock levels within a specified envelope for evaluating performance of transducers and small test items during ballistic shock events.

Differences in Serving Sizes of Commonly Ordered Foods At Popular Causal Dining Restaurants in Tarrant County
Type: Undergraduate (nutritional sciences)
Authors: Marsha Hakim, Shelley Sledge, Emily Henderson
Advisors: Mary Ann Gorman, Anne VanBeber
Abstract: The serving sizes of commonly consumed foods have increased since the 1970s. Researchers propose that the continuous increase in serving sizes may lead to increased body weight and obesity as well as distorting ideas of what serving sizes in restaurants should be. Conclusions: The serving size of all food samples from casual dining restaurants was greater than the USDA recommended serving. Consumption of typical servings of foods from casual dining restaurants may contribute to weight gain and to the rise of obesity observed in the United States.

Dislocations and Planar Defects in Silicon Carbide after High Pressure and High Temperature Sintering
Type: Graduate (physics and astronomy)
Author: Stephen Nauyoks
Advisor: Waldek Zerda
Abstract: SiC is a very hard material of high melting point and high thermal conductivity, and because of these properties it has many industrial uses, including bearing and furnace parts, semiconductors and cutting tools. Diamond-silicon carbide composites are also of interest because of their unique mechanical properties. The goal of this research is to find a correlation between the temperature and pressures used and the population and types of defects found in the SiC crystals.

Biodegradable Porous Silicon/Polymer Composites for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications
Type: Graduate (chemistry)
Authors: Dongmei Fan, Ernest Couch, Giridhar Akkaraju (biology)
Advisor: Jeffery Coffer (chemistry)
Abstract: Tissue Engineering is a relatively new technique that has the potential to create replacements for damaged tissues and organs. It involves the in vitro seeding and attachment of human cells onto a scaffold. Results indicate that BioSi-containing PCL-based scaffolds mediate the proliferation of human kidney fibroblast cells at a level comparable to that of cell-only controls. Overall, these results have implications for the eventual use of these materials in living systems.

Pinpointing the Protean
Type: Undergraduate (biology)
Authors: Dani McRaney, Giridhar Akkaraju
Advisor: Giridhar Akkaraju
Abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects more than 170 million people worldwide with approximately 4 million more infected every year. The focus of this project is to isolate a nonstructural proteins that has already been correlated with the antiviral response, NS5A, and engineer a cell line that will make experimentation with NS5A more efficient and conclusive. Current research is revealing that NS5A halts the cell’s normal apoptosis mechanisms. A cell line that inducibly expresses NS5A will help in unraveling the role this protein plays in cancer formation and could also allow us to test drugs that block NS5A and control HCV infection.

The Effects of Therapeutic Horseback Riding on Gait Pattern in Children with Down Syndrome
Authors: Carol Kipp, Lori Humphrey
(Kinesiology)
Abstract: While there is limited research on the effectiveness of therapeutic horseback riding (THR) as a treatment for abnormal gait pattern, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that it has potential for improving gait in persons with Down Syndrome. It is hypothesized that there will be improvement in gait pattern in THR participants after a 10-week THR program.

Music and the Relationship with Aggression
Author: Darryn Rosenberg (Kinesiology)
Abstract: Because music has been found to influence mood in athletes (Stevens & Lane, 2001), there might be a difference in perceived aggression while listening to certain types of music before performance. The purpose of this study is to determine if female Division I and Division II soccer players will perceive themselves as being more aggressive during practice when they listen to rock music during their warm-up (i.e., stretching) compared to listening to no music at all during warm-ups.

Vision and Revision in King Lear
Author: Matthew Freedman (English)
Abstract: The use of the names Cornwall and Albany in Shakespeare’s King Lear has long perplexed scholars. New research reveals that King James’s sons, Henry and Charles, were the Dukes of Cornwall and Albany at the time of composition, indicating that King Lear is more of a personal message to King James than originally thought.

Accessing the Right to Vote:
Field Study and Analysis of Polling Place Quality in Fort Worth, Texas
Author: Heather Creek (Political Science)
Abstract: The study revealed that although Fort Worth has little problem with voter disenfranchisement based on race or socioeconomic status, there are issues facing every polling place that must be changed before voters in this region will have full efficacy at the polls.

The Devil and the Democrat
Author: Stephanie Haynes (History)
Abstract: Maximilien Francois Marie Isidore de Robespierre remains one of the most elusive characters studied by historians. Either hailed as a “revolutionary democrat” or an authoritarian tyrant, few if any historians have viewed Robespierre on neutral grounds. Investigation of primary sources reveals that understanding the true nature of the man remains elusive.