Open Registration for Fall 2008 clusters continuesw March 26, 2008 through August 30, 2008.

All Fall 2008 CSIE clusters are open for registration.  For more information on our course offerings, see the Courses and Registration page of this website.  Then enroll in a CSIE for Fall 2008.

UNDERGRADUATE SYMPOSIUM

Mathematics, and Physics and Astronomy
Appropriate Technology for Clean Drinking Water in Remote Villages
Ransom Brown, Rachel Kirk, Brian Kornacki, Richard Rich, Patrick Spoutz and Caitlin Summers
Professors James Carroll and Andrew Ross, sponsors
We investigate methods of providing clean drinking water in remote settings, e.g., rural developing countries. Challenges include drilling down to the water table or bringing water into the area from miles away, filtering out infectious or toxic contaminants, and water storage. We analyze the power and energy requirements for various systems such as the Play Pump (which uses a merry-go-round to pump water from a well into a water tower), the Hippo Water Roller (a rolling alternative to carrying water buckets), the Sono arsenic filter and the sari-based cholera filter. This research opportunity brings together physics and mathematics as a product of the CSIE program.

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Biology
Rehydration of Parmelia bolliana
Alicia Ketcham
Professor Steven Francoeur, sponsor
Lichens are fungi/alga symbiotes that typically grow on rocks and trees, and require moisture to become photosynthetically active. PAM fluorometry was used to measure the speed of recovery of photosynthetic activity in Parmelia bolliana under a 100 percent humid atmosphere. The results suggest that PAM fluorometry can be used to quantify the photosynthetic recovery of lichens. This method has potential for use in examining lichen responses to acid rain or pollution.

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Chemistry
Little Lost River Cave, Idaho: Characterization of Black Residue and Implications for Radiocarbon Dating
Geneve Maxwell
Professor Ruth Ann Armitage, sponsor
A black coating of unknown origin covers the rock paintings in this cave. The coating may be the result of a residue from cooking inside the cave or from organic material deposited by percolating ground water. Lipids were extracted, derivatized and then analyzed by GC-MS. Results indicate the coating most likely formed through a geologic process in which the carbon in the coating is not temporally related to the time at which it was deposited.

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CSIE Students Jeswin John, Lauren Rautiola, and Danielle Rosen presentation at the 27th Annual Undergraduate Symposium.

CSIE Student Scholars John, Rautiola, and Rosen presented their research on “Potentially Toxic Cyanobacteria in the Huron River Watershed” at the 27th Annual Undergraduate Symposium.  Sponsored by Steven Pernecky, Steven Francoeur and Martin Brown. The CSIE Project Team and Faculty are proud of these students’ achievements.
Check the Poster here 

Check the CSIE Events scrapbook page here