[fruitful_sep]

On Campus Research Opportunities

Many professors at WOU are engaged in their own research projects and they often involve undergraduates in those projects! The following is a list, by department, of professors currently involved in research. If you are interested in any of these projects, reach out and see if these professors are currently looking for undergraduate researchers!

Biology

Michael Baltzley: My primary interest is in how nervous systems evolve to create novel behavioral patterns. However, I enjoy investigating many aspects of animal behavior and physiology. I’ve had students study locomotion in gastropods (slugs and snails), sensory neurons in leeches, and orientation in fruit flies. My research involves quantifying behavioral patterns in different species, identifying neurons that underlie behaviors, and comparing the features of neurons across species.

Erin Baumgartner: My research focuses on teaching and learning in science. I am most interested in understanding how we build and improve scientific literacy in non-scientists. I also am mentoring students who are interested in engaging in animal behavior research.

Sarah Boomer: I use DNA techniques to describe microbial populations. I encourage students to develop their own projects to study microbes from local environments. Recent projects have examined bacterial populations in soils, rivers, and tooth-plaque! Given safety and technical issues, students need to have done well in General Microbiology (BI 331) before proposing project ideas. Students (1-2 per year) develop project ideas in fall, execute in winter, and present in spring.

Bryan Dutton: I study evolutionary relationships among flowering plants (especially members of the Buttercup Family), local floras, plant distribution and demographics in urban areas, and invasive plant species. I currently have students working on research projects dealing with the distribution of trees in municipalities near Western Oregon University.

Karen Haberman: I have studied invertebrates in a range of habitats from coral reefs to polar seas, including my dissertation research on Antarctic krill. Currently, I
use macroinvertebrate communities to assess the effects of both human disturbance and restoration efforts in rivers and estuaries. I am also involved in creating and promoting links between science and the creative arts.

Gareth Hopkins: I am an ecologist interested in how organisms are affected by, and respond to, stressors in their environment, both natural and anthropogenic. This research spans multiple layers of biological organization, from the behavioral and physiological responses of individuals to the evolutionary responses of populations and the ecological responses of communities. My research centers mostly around amphibians, reptiles, and insects, and is underpinned by natural history. I actively work with students in the field and the lab interested in conservation, ecology, animal behavior, entomology, and herpetology.

Ava Howard: I study plant ecology and physiology focusing on water dynamics. Recent studies include the anatomy and physiology of invasive plants and Oregon oak-savannah ecology. Students in my lab read primary literature, learn experimental design, collect data and typically present findings at a local or national meeting.

Kristin Latham: I use the amazing fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to study genetics, development, and behavior. Currently I have two projects, both of which involve undergraduate students: 1) analysis of how the fly immune system copes with exposure to pathogens and 2) examination of directional preference in flies.

Michael LeMaster: My research focuses on chemical communication among vertebrates. More specifically, I am interested in chemical cues facilitating the reproductive
process. The study of these sex pheromones involves both field- and laboratory-based experimentation using the garter snake as a model system.

Jeffrey Snyder: I am interested in how ecologically- & anthropogenically-induced factors affect species, populations, and individuals. Using primarily birds as a model, I attempt to combine ecological, biological, and behavioral information into cogent, conceptual population models to understand patterns/processes, so as to ensure their survival.

Chemistry

Patricia Flatt: My research has traditionally revolved around the isolation and biosynthesis of biologically active natural products from marinecyanobacteria. More recently, I’ve also become interested in the harmful algal blooms that have become much more common in our region as shifting climate patterns emerge

Feier Hou: We study the structure-property relationships of inorganic and metal-organic framework materials with potential applications as photocatalysts.

Pete Poston: My research interests are in applications of Laser Raman Spectroscopy and Xray Fluorescence to such diverse fields as Nanotechnology, Analytical Chemistry, and even a bit of Achaeology through the study of cartridge cases from the Battle of the Little Big Horn and rock art pigments found on the Colorado Plateau.

[fruitful_sep]

Click here for a powerpoint presentation detailing resources:

Finding-Internships-in-Science-and-Technology

Looking to apply for an internship? Check out these sites:

[fruitful_ibox_row]
[fruitful_ibox column=”ffs-three-one” styleicon=”none” icon=”none”]

• National Science Foundation

• U.S. Department of Energy

• Oregon Health and Science University

• ANR Group Inc

• Mircosoft Careers

• Samaritan Pre-Med Shadowing

[/fruitful_ibox]
[fruitful_ibox column=”ffs-three-one” styleicon=”none” icon=”none”]

• WSU Undergraduate Research

• University of Nebraska-Lincoln Summer Research Program

• Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholars Program for Undergraduates

• OHSU

• Salem Health Career Exploration

[/fruitful_ibox]
[fruitful_ibox column=”ffs-three-one” last=”true” styleicon=”none” icon=”none”]

• NASA Interns, Fellows & Scholars – One Stop Shopping Initiative

• Google Careers

• National Institutes of Health

• Oceans Research Internship

[/fruitful_ibox]
[/fruitful_ibox_row]