UR@UWM Summer 2010 Research Projects
Please check back for updates to this list as we recruit additional summer faculty.
Atmospheric Science
Evaluation of Power Outage Forecasts
Dr. Paul Roebber
We Energies electrical distribution unit is responsible for maintaining electrical power to its many clients in southeastern Wisconsin. During times of severe weather, power can be disrupted. Since the weather cannot be avoided, We Energies tries to anticipate these events in order to schedule crews who will be able to act quickly to restore power when it is disrupted. In support of that effort, UWM's Innovative Weather forecast group provides forecasts of the weather risk along with accompanying estimates of the number of customers likely to be affected by power outages. In this project, students will assist Dr. Roebber and staff in evaluating the success of these forecasts. This will involve coordinating forecast data with observed outages and using basic measures of forecast quality to summarize the success of the service and to isolate situations in which the service could be improved.
Biological Sciences
Plant Molecular Genetics and Signal Transduction
Dr. Dave Zhao
Our lab is interested to work with students who like Genetics or Plant Science.Our research focuses on elucidating signal transduction pathways that are required for plant growth and development by employing a combination of molecular genetic, cell biological, genomic, and proteomic techniques. One of the main objectives in our National Science Foundation (NSF) supported project is to identify novel signaling components in the EMS1 signal transduction pathway, which is required for cell fate determination in Arabidopsis. To achieve our goal, the prospective student will be involved in performing sensitized genetic screening to identify EMS1 enhancers and suppressors. The prospective student will be involved in isolating and cloning DNA. The student will be trained to prepare genomic DNA, amplify interested genes, manipulate genes, and create transgenic plants.
Business, Lubar School
Does the Stock Market Reward Retailers with High Customer Service
Dr. Amit Bhatnagar
It is an article of faith in the retailing industry that a retailer can be successful only if it provides high levels of customer service to its patrons. Since it is expensive to provide high customer service, it is natural to ask if there are any rewards that accrue to a retailer that provides high levels of customer service. Research has shown that customers reward retailers with high customer service with their loyalty. A retailer with high customer service should also get good press and positive word of mouth among the wider public that should lead to higher valuation by the stock market. However, there is virtually no study that investigates whether the stock market rewards retailers with high customer service by valuing their stock higher. In this research, we would like to test if the stock market valuation of retail firms with high customer service is different from that of firms with poor customer service.
Using Web 2.0 Tools to Build Effective Teams
Dr. Jude Rathburn
I am currently working with a group of students who are investigating the use of Web 2.0 tools to build effective teams in classrooms, businesses and non-profit organizations. We are exploring how organizations can use tools such as social networking (e.g. Facebook, Linked In), microblogging (e.g. Twitter), web conferencing (e.g. WebX, Elluminate), blogs (e.g. Wordpress, Blogger), wikis (e.g. wikispaces, pbwiki), online discussion boards (e.g. Desire 2 Learn),online chatrooms (e.g. AOL, MSN), internet telephony (e.g. Skype), video streaming (e.g. YouTube), and social bookmarking (e.g. Diigo) to communicate and collaborate more effectively. The next step in the project is to develop a survey instrument using Qualtrics (the campus' web-based survey tool) that we can distribute to companies and non-profits in the Milwaukee area and beyond, to find out how they are using these types of Web 2.0 tools to enhance communication and collaboration within and across teams.
Communication
International Participation in Internet Design
Dr. Sandra Braman
The Internet is genuinely global in nature. Many of the cultural innovations, new social and business practices, and political developments that characterize life in the Internet era were first developed outside of the United States. As critics note, though, the US dominated much of the Internet design process, continues to play a heavy hand in Internet governance, and is still the country that hosts the most websites. Ever since the beginning of the Internet design process in 1969, however, other countries have been active players in decision-making. This research project will examine interactions between the global realities of the Internet and the US emphasis in the design process by exploring the various ways in which individuals, corporations, non-profit groups, and governments from outside the United States have participated in the Internet design process. It will look at needs from around the world that were taken into account as the Internet has been designed, built, and continues to be adapted. And it will learn how players from outside of the US have influenced the ways in which we currently experience the Internet. This research will be undertaken through analysis of a 5700+ document series that records the first 40 years of the Internet design process (1969-2009). Students who work on this project will acquire a number of skills used in social science research, learn how to use research software, and gain some experience working in a research team. The project will be of interest to students who expect to major in communication, political science, computer science, business with an emphasis in decision-making, international studies, global studies, media studies, information science/information resources, sociology, or mass communication. Opportunities are available for students who like to continue working on the project after their participation in the UR@UWM program.
Internet Standards in the News
Dr. Sandra Braman
Twice already a Chinese Internet Service Provider (ISP) has provided such bad routing information that it disrupted the Internet, either preventing messages from being sent at all or ensuring that all messages from a particular source are routed through China (and thus become available to the Chinese government). The ISP was able to do this because of a weakness in a particular technical standard, called the Border Gateway Protocol, that holds the Internet together. News about this massive and politically important interference in the global ability to communicate circulates within the specialized technical community, but has not yet appeared in the mass media despite its importance.
The news media regularly report on the activities of governments because they have such an impact on every aspect of how we live our lives. The same cannot be said for decision-making for the Internet even though the popular phrase "code is law" reflects growing awareness that technical decisions about the digital environment increasingly have as much -- or more -- impact on our lives than the decisions of governments. The spring 2010 experience with the effects of a weakness in the Border Gateway Protocol demonstrates vividly what can happen when bad laws -- bad code -- are put in place. Failure to discuss decision-making for the Internet in the mass media matters because unless citizens are aware of decisions being made that affect their lives, they cannot enter into public debate about just what those decisions should be or try to influence those decisions. Instead, standard-setting decision-making processes are dominated by representatives of corporations that stand to gain economically should their particular innovations be taken up as Internet standards.
This research project will look at how both the mainstream news media and the blogosphere and other user-driven media content report on technical standards for the Internet (called "protocols") and on the decision-making processes involved. Students who become involved in this project will conduct primary research that will earn them attribution and potentially co-authorship on peer reviewed scholarly publications that will be of enormous value to those who are considering applying to graduate school. They will learn how to use bibliographic databases, and how to code documents using software that supports both qualitative and quantitative research in the social sciences and humanities. All necessary training will be provided on the project.
The project is of interest to those in communication, journalism and mass communication, sociology, political science, media studies, global studies, business, and information science, and to those in computer science and electrical engineering with an interest in the social impact of what they do.
Exploring International Collaboration in Teaching and Learning Research
Dr. Renee Meyers
A Communication Ph.D. student and I are currently exploring whether scholars who are doing research on teaching and learning collaborate with each other across international boundaries, and what kinds of research they produce. This project is part of a larger project on international research collaboration in teaching and learning. In this part of the project, we will examine conference papers and journal articles on teaching and learning topics. We will identify the authors of each conference paper or journal article, code their country of residence, and the topic of research (among other possible factors). Once we have this coding done, then we will analyze the results to see if/how international research collaboration is taking place, and what is being produced.
Center for Information Policy Research
Dr. Elizabeth Buchanan
This year, the CIPR received a $375K grant from the National Science foundation to implement a web portal for internet research ethics (additional information is available at internetresearchethics.org). This summer’s research student would assist in the development of web tools, searching library and web databases and compiling comprehensive bibliographies of the literature in this field. The student would also assist in the development of power point presentations for the project.
Educational Psychology
Research on Ethnic and Racial Socialization from the Perspective of Ethnic Minority Adolescents
Dr. Susie Lamborn
This study involves a mixed methods approach to examining ethnic and racial socialization practices from the perspective of ethnic minority adolescents. To better understand the concepts of race and ethnicity, researchers are developing conceptual definitions and methodological strategies to disentangle these overlapping constructs. In research on ethnic and racial socialization, one approach has been to present ethnic socialization as efforts to support children's understanding of their own ethnic group and its traditions. In contrast, racial socialization may be viewed as efforts to help children to understand their racial group in relation to other groups and within the context of discrimination. College students participating in this research activity as a research assistant would engage in a series of skills pertaining to qualitative research including content analysis, coding, and examination of transcripts.
Engineering
Hand Grip Rehabilitation for People with Disability
Dr. Na Jin Seo, Industrial Engineering
The goal of our research is 1) to develop interventions to improve hand function for people with disability; and 2) to understand neurologic and biomechanical mechanisms underlying their difficulties in hand function. Our target population is persons with neurologic disorders such as stroke. We will conduct laboratory testing in which stroke survivors will perform various tasks with their hands while their grip force and muscle activities are recorded using instruments. Test results will be analyzed to improve our understanding of mechanisms underlying disability and to evaluate new rehabilitation interventions. Students will be involved in laboratory testing, data collection, analysis, interpretation of data, literature review, and other research activities, together with current research assistants in the laboratory.
Functional Optical Imaging
Dr. Hao F. Zhang, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
The Functional Optical Imaging Lab (FOIL) at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is a research laboratory that is dedicated to apply/develop optical, ultrasonic, and electric imaging techniques toward biomedical applications. The research work in FOIL is highly interdisciplinary. It involves knowledge and expertise from electronics, optics, lasers, ultrasound, imaging processing, programming, mechanics, physiology, anatomy, and clinical science.
Geography
Assessment of the Implication of CO2 Emissions Trade
Dr. Woonsup Choi
The focus of this project is to better understand the current situations of regulations of CO2 emissions involved in climate change and how CO2 emissions trade rights affect economic activities. The specific objectives of this work include identifying the current conditions of CO2 emissions and different levels of economic development by country; scrutinizing what variables are related to different economic path and estimate future consumption; and suggesting helpful policy responses for trade of CO2 emissions rights. The student’s tasks and responsibilities will vary based on experience and comfort of the student, but may include assisting with data collection for model creation and simple writing for analysis of data.
German
German Breweries of Milwaukee
Dr. Jennifer Watson
Last year UWM undergraduates explored the German roots of Milwaukee and published the book, German Milwaukee, with Arcadia Publishers. This year I am looking for undergraduates who are interested in the specific topic of German breweries in Milwaukee—the history, characters, resorts, beer gardens, etc. that helped make Milwaukee what it was and what it is today. The hope, again, is to produce a book to be published by Arcadia Publishing. Some knowledge of German would be very helpful and an interest in archival research (that is, looking for pictures, realia, etc. in the Miller archive) is necessary (although you do not need to have done it before). It will be a fun summer of exploring the German breweries and their impact on Milwaukee history and culture!
Great Lakes WATER Institute
Developing Capabilities of Surf Zone Robots
Dr. Thomas Consi
Spend the summer working with underwater robots! We have a number of interesting projects that focus on developing the capabilities of our surf zone robots. These include: propulsion, control, communications, navigation, and payload design. You should be interested in any following: robotics, mechanical engineering, computer programming, electrical engineering. No experience is necessary, only lots of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and do new things, we will provide all the needed training. It will be a fun summer and you will learn a lot!
Transgenic Zebrafish as a Model of Neurodegeneration
Dr. Henry Tomasiewicz
Humans with mutation in the tau gene, which encodes a microtubule associated protein (MAP), suffer from premature neuronal degeneration. This disease runs in families harboring specific mutations in this gene. Affected individuals suffer from Alzheimer type symptoms, and introduction of the mutant tau gene into zebrafish may recapitulate the disease. Students will assist in zebrafish husbandry, creating transgenes, injecting transgene DNA into 1-cell zebrafish embryos and screening zebrafish for the human tau gene.
Human Movement Sciences
Adaptation to Novel Sensorimotor Environments during Targeted Reaching Movement
Dr. Jinsung Wang
The purpose of the study is to determine how individuals learn to perform reaching movements under novel sensory-motor conditions. Findings from this project will lead us to a better understanding of how movement information is represented in the brain, which may prove valuable for neural rehabilitation. Students will be exposed to relevant literature, and learn to recruit subjects and collect movement data using 2-D movement data acquisition systems in Human Sensorimotor Learning Laboratory.
Brain Control of Human Movement
Dr. Wendy Huddleston
The focus of this project is to better understand cortical control mechanisms involved in human movement. The specific objectives of this work include investigating how visual attention to a target affects eye movement; clarifying the relationship between visual attention and motor intention; and identifying how different areas of the cerebral cortex contribute to goal-directed movement. Student's tasks and responsibilities will vary based on experience and comfort of the student, but may include collecting and analyzing eye tracking data, simple computer script writing for experiments, and assisting with data collection for the functional neuroimaging experiments at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Brain-Muscle Interactions in Older Adults
Dr. Kevin Keenan
The focus of this project is to improve our understanding of the interactions between the central nervous system and motor function in healthy younger and older adults.
Specific objectives include:
1. Assess how the brain controls hand function in young (i.e., college-aged) and older adults
2. Investigate possible mechanisms behind the decrease in hand function frequently exhibited by older adults
3. Develop diagnostic tests to identify those older adults at greatest risk for impairment and institute advanced training programs to improve impaired motor function
Methodology:
1. We will perform human motor control studies on college-aged and older adults while performing hand tasks
2. We will measure electromyograms (EMGs), forces, and movements during hand tasks to quantify brain-muscle interactions
Tasks and responsibilities:
1. Joining with other members of the lab to collect data
2. Analyzing EMG, force sensor, and finger movement data
3. Simple computer script writing for experiments and data analysis
4. Assist in the presentation of research findings through abstract writing, presentations at regional/national/international conferences and/or manuscript preparation
Nursing
Relationship to Postpartum Sleep Deprivation to Later Mental Health in the Lower Income Urban Women
Dr. Jennifer Doering
I am studying how sleep deprivation affects depression in urban women after childbirth. Depression is the number one complication of childbirth that affects at least 600,000 women in the United States each year. More than half of women with depression are never diagnosed. This study measures sleep patterns using wrist actigraphy and depression in urban women for the first three months after childbirth to identify which sleep-related factors are most important to a mother’s mental health.
Caregiver Self-Management of Unmet Needs Intervention
Dr. Sarah Morgan
This study proposes to test the feasibility and cost of a newly designed intervention, the Caregiver Self-Management of Unmet Needs (C-SUM). The C-SUM was designed, in consultation with Dr. Kovach, as an adaptation of the (STI) in order to translate the work into the community setting. This innovative intervention is designed to teach family caregivers to self-manage the needs of persons living with dementia in hopes of avoiding unmet needs resulting in reductions in family member discomfort, agitation, and stress and caregiver burden and stress. The project will be carried out in two phases with phase one assessing the feasibility of the intervention and phase two conducting a pilot study to test the efficacy of the intervention on five outcome variables: caregiver stress and burden and family member stress, discomfort and agitation. The overall intent of the intervention is to reduce the negative factors that over time, can lead a caregiver to place their family member in long-term care. During the time of the program I will be into Phase II.
Occupational Therapy
Measuring Effect of Fatigue on Grip Effort among People with Fibromyalgia and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Dr. Bhagwant Sindhu
Currently, we do not understand the nature of fatigue in grip efforts exerted by people with common musculoskeletal conditions such as fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome. In this study, we will recruit 20 people with musculskeletal conditions (10 with fibromyalgia and 10 with carpal tunnel syndrome) and 20 healthy controls. Participants will be asked to exert maximal grip efforts for as long as possible. Grip force and electromyographic (EMG) signal from forearm muscles will be recorded and digitized for further analysis. Analysis of variance will be used to identify differences in force and EMG measures between people with musculoskeletal conditions and healthy people. The student will help two graduate students with data collection, literature searches, and other project related tasks.
Peck School of the Arts
Shiver, An Interactive Sculpture with Sensor Control
Colleen Ludwig
Shiver is a room where visitors activate flows of water that cling to and seek paths along the walls’ minor topographies. The amount of curvy, crawling rivulets expand as people move within the room. Surface tension and capillary action cause the flows to bulge and contract, giving the rivulets a shivering effect which is both soothing and unnerving, as the watery forms invade a space we expect to be dry and neutral. Shiver is supported by a UWM Research Growth Initiative (RGI) Grant.
Psychology
Brain Activity Associated with Responses to Emotional Stimuli in Depression & Anxiety
Dr. Christine Larson
My laboratory is dedicated to understanding the neural bases of health and pathological emotional processing and also understanding dysregulated responses to emotional stimuli among people prone to depression and anxiety, and the differences in brain activity associated with dysregrulation.
Feasibility and Acceptability of a Dyadic Observational Communication Study among HIV-positive African American Persons and Their
Informal Support Providers
Dr. Katie Mosack
We will be preparing for the piloting a dyadic communication task in a sample of HIV-positive individuals. Summer activities will include getting training on a coding scheme and recruiting and enrolling participants for the study.
School of Information Studies
Library 2.0: Where Libraries Meet Web 2.0
Dr. Michael Zimmer
Library 2.0 attempts to bring the ideology of Web 2.0 into the library by incorporating interactive, collaborative, and user-centered web-based technologies into library services and collections. Examples include providing patrons the ability to evaluate and comment on particular items in a library’s collection, creating a dynamic and personalized recommendation system (“other patrons who checked out this book also borrowed these items…”), offering patrons the ability to share their borrowing activity with other patrons (and, of course, view others’ as well), and interfacing various library collections and services available within Web 2.0 platforms, such as LibraryThing or Facebook, and to leverage these online spaces to aid patron activities. This summary project will help map the territory of Library 2.0. Students will assist in locating literature and examples of Library 2.0 activities online, and in the use of a Web 2.0-based reference program - Zotero - to create and manage an online database of Library 2.0 resources.
Social Welfare, Helen Bader School
Evaluation of Milwaukee County Drug Court
Center for Addiction & Behavioral Health Research
Two ongoing projects to evaluate programs for diverting drug involved offenders in the Milwaukee County Drug Court system. This study involves the evaluation of the drug treatment process, focus groups with drug court participants, observation of court procedures, and analysis of data of drug court participants. Students will also be able to learn about other ongoing projects in CABHR addressing addictions and mental health. For more information contact Michael Fendrich, Ph.D. (fendrich@uwm.edu).
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