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Graduate Student Research and Professional Development: Why It Matters

Those of us who work in the Graduate School spend a lot of time thinking about how we can most effectively enhance the quality of students’ lives during and beyond their years at Duke. We have learned that investing heavily in services that really respond to students’ critical concerns results in greater success in their academic, professional, and personal lives.

As part of that investment, each year the Graduate School organizes a week of activities focused on graduate student research and professional development, along with opportunities to enjoy the camaraderie of social events, in recognition of the nationally celebrated Graduate Student Appreciation Week. The Graduate Student Research and Professional Development Conference, held this year on April 7, is the centerpiece of Duke Graduate School’s efforts to recognize the invaluable contributions made by graduate students to their institutions.

We know that Duke graduate students are the intellectual glue of our community, pushing academic boundaries, offering fresh perspectives in research approaches, and giving voice to emerging fields. The conference offered both opportunities for students to showcase their research and a slate of useful professional development workshops and lectures. The day concluded with a celebration that recognized research day presenters and all graduate students who had completed the milestone of passing their preliminary examinations between March 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010.

This year, presenters had the opportunity to attend a specialized workshop with communication professional Joy Javits to work on their presentation skills. Additionally, they were videotaped during their presentations and received written feedback from Ms. Javits. Oral and poster presenters and their topics are listed below.

Martha R. Alonzo
Biology
Advisors: Margaret L. Kirby and Kathleen Smith
A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE ORIGIN AND DERIVATIVES OF CARDIAC NEURAL CREST IN ZEBRAFISH

Natalie Breakfield
Genetics and Genomics, and Biology
Advisor: Philip Benfey
IDENTIFYING NOVEL microRNAS IN ARABIDOPSIS THALIANA ROOTS

Torre Bydlon
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor: Nimmi Ramanujam
PRELIMINARY CLINICAL RESULTS USING AN OPTICAL DEVICE TO IMAGE BREAST TUMOR MARGINS

Viviane Callier
Biology
Advisor: H. Frederik Nijhout
RESPIRATORY METABOLISM AND MOLTING IN THE TOBACCO HORNWORM

Elizabeth Chan
Immunology
Advisor: Michael S. Krangel
REPRESSION OF TCRB RECOMBINATION AT THE NUCLEAR PERIPHERY

Jeremy Chiu
Economics
Advisor: Craig Burnside
FUNDING LIQUIDITY, BUSINESS CYCLES AND ASSET PRICING IMPLICATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Brian Diekman
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor: Farshid Guilak
CHARACTERIZATION OF STEM CELLS FROM CONTROL AND “SUPER-HEALER” MOUSE STRAINS

Alethea N. Duncan
Chemistry
Advisor: Ross A. Widenhoefer
SCOPE AND MECHANISM OF GOLD(I)-CATALYZED INTERMOLECULAR HYDROAMINATION AND OF ALLENES WITH ARYLAMINES

Christopher Duncan
Pathology
Advisor: Hai Yan
MULTIFACETED GENOMIC ANALYSES REVEAL NOVEL GLIOBLASTOMA CANDIDATE GENES AND MICROBIAL DNAs

Daniel J. Griffin
Classical Studies
OVID’S VERTUMNUS AND THE ELEGIAC FANTASY

Patrick Killela
Pathology
Advisor: Hai Yan
IDENTIFICATION OF A GERMLINE MUTATION IN PMS2, A DNA MISMATCH REPAIR GENE, IN A LARGE CONSANGUINEOUS FAMILY WITH A HISTORY OF PEDIATRIC GBMs

Kalyani Krishnamurthy
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Advisor: Rebecca Willett
HYPERSPECTRAL TARGET DETECTION FROM INCOHERENT RANDOM PROJECTIONS

Irene Liu
Biology
Advisor: Steve Nowicki
MATING BEHAVIOR, SPERM COMPETITION, AND THE ADAPTIVE EVOLUTION OF AVIAN REPRODUCTIVE PROTEINS

Marisa Macias
Evolutionary Anthropology
Advisor: Steven Churchill
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF THE SCAPULAR GLENOID FOSSA: NEANDERTALS AND MORPHOLOGICAL ADAPTATIONS TO HABITUAL BEHAVIOR

Heather Mann
Nursing
Advisors: Diane Holditch-Davis and Debra Brandon
CEREBRAL OXYGENATION PATTERNS DURING HEAD POSITION CHANGES

Katrina Mitchel
Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
Advisor: Sue Jinks-Robertson
MOLECULAR STRUCTURES OF RECOMBINATION INTERMEDIATES DURING GAP REPAIR IN YEAST

Megan L. Mobley
Ecology
Advisor: Daniel deB. Richter
ACCUMULATION AND DECAY OF COARSE WOODY DETRITUS OVER 50 YEARS OF PINE FOREST DEVELOPMENT

Joseph E. O’Doherty
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor: Miguel A. L. Nicolelis
A BIDIRECTIONAL BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACE USING SIMULTANEOUS INTRACORTICAL MICROSTIMULATION FEEDBACK AND RECORDING

Frederick Owusu-Nimo
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Fred Boadu
NITRATE CONTAMINATION IN DRINKING WATER FROM FARMING ACTIVITIES IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE NSAWAM DISTRICT, GHANA: ENVIRONMENTAL
GEOSCIENCE, EDUCATION AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Kyle Phua
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor: Kam Leong
ENHANCING TRANSFECTION EFFICIENCIES OF LIPOPOLYPLEXES VIA SOFT-CORE DESIGN

Dimitri Putilin
Psychology and Neuroscience
Advisor: Philip Costanzo
GOOD PARENTING’S LASTING EFFECTS: FATHER’S CREDIBILITY PREDICTS CHILD’S SUBSTANCE USE IN COLLEGE

Michael V. Stanton
Psychology and Neuroscience
Advisor: Redford B. Williams
PERCEIVED DISCRIMINATION, OPTIMISM, CYNICISM & CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY TO ANGER RECALL IN AFRICAN AMERICANS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE:EFFECTS ON CLINICAL COURSE

Cynthia Tedore
Biology
Advisor: Sonke Johnsen
SECONDARY SEXUAL TRAITS CORRELATE WITH DOMINANCE IN MALE-MALE INTERACTIONS OF THE JUMPING SPIDER LYSSOMANES VIRIDIS

Joshua M Wilson
Medical Physics
Advisor: Timothy G. Turkington
FILLABLE, TAPERING PHANTOM: APPLICATIONS FOR PET IMAGE QUALITY ASSESSMENT

Maria L. Wise
Ecology
Advisor: Dan Rittschof
INHERITANCE OF COLOR PHENOTYPE IN THE SEA URCHIN LYTECHINUS VARIEGATUS (ECHINODERMATA: ECHINOIDEA)

Sheila Yong
Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
Advisor: Xiao-Fan Wang
THE ROLE OF BAT3 IN REGULATING p21 AND CELL CYCLE PROGRESSION