STEM

This grant to Tony Frankino of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics expands an undergraduate research program for early career students. This two-course sequence covers professional skills, including research methods, effective communication and teamwork. Students learn about the research conducted by faculty in the biology and biochemistry departments and are placed in lab research positions. More information on the Biology and Biochemistry Undergraduate Research Scholarship is available  here. 

The ECOMS program inspires engineering technology students to explore, design, and innovate wireless communication systems using software-defined radio devices.

The Engineering Technology Capstone @UH course, led by Dr. Enrique Barbieri, Dr. Venkatesh Balan, Dr. Navdeep Singh, and Dr. Wajiha Shireen, provides seniors the opportunity to practice product improvement, manufacturing technology, and engineering operational functions through rigorous projects designed to encourage innovation. 

This grant to Peter Copeland (Earth and Atmospheric Sciences) funds field and lab research on the geologic history of southwestern New Mexico. In January 2020, approximately 30 UH undergrad students and two faculty will travel to New Mexico to conduct field measurements and collect rock samples. Five students conducted intensive research in the Spring of 2020. 

This grant to Dr. Heather Domjan and  Dr. Lionnel Ronduen  funds Mars Rover Explorers camp, where UH pre-service teachers and STEM undergraduate students serve as mentors to 3rd-8th grade students who will investigate Mars, engineer a rover, design a space suite, engage in team building activities, and present to peers. Mentors receive curriculum and lesson plan training while becoming immersed in leadership experiences focused on being culturally  competent and socially responsible.

This program led by  Abdul Latif Khan provides an opportunity for undergraduates to expand their plant cell technology knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Students will grow plants, extract and analyze DNA, construct vectors, conduct PCR analysis, transform Agrobacterium-mediated genes, and isolate, purify, and quantify therapeutic metabolites. The student will perform research work in a team by enrolling capstone research experience class in the Biotechnology Program.

The Hidden Life of Houston project is a course-based undergraduate research experience. Students investigate which species of mammals live alongside humans, which types of urban greenspace they inhabit, and whether wildlife presence or diversity changes seasonally in Greater Houston. Students set up motion-activated trail cameras for 30 days every January, April, July, and October at 36 sites along a survey line stretching from the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center to the UH Coastal Center in LaMarque. Reading, hypothesis development, fieldwork, data analysis, and written and oral communication assignments immerse students in the practice of scientific inquiry and communication.

Through an award to Dr. Edgar Bering (Physics) and his team ( Dr. Shuhab Khan, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; Dr. Mequanint Mogues, Engineering Technology), CITE supported student travel for research in Fairbanks, Alaska. With faculty guidance, students will form teams to conduct research on balloon-borne and ground-based space, earth, and atmospheric science investigations. More information about this project is available here.

This program led by Dr.  Beau Alward and  Andrew Hoadley  supports an 8-week summer research opportunity for rising University of Houston sophomores, juniors, and seniors to learn how to perform CRISPR-mediated gene editing. As a team, students will actively participate in the full process of genetic engineering from the development of a research question all the way through the production and characterization of a novel genetic model. Along the way students will develop a broad understanding of genome editing techniques, their application in fundamental and translational research, and the bioethical challenges they raise.