South Carolina College Students Honored for Outstanding Undergraduate Research  

The South Carolina Academy of Science (SCAS), in cooperation with the Charleston and Clemson Chapters of Sigma Xi, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Explorer’s Club of Columbia, SC honored college students from around the state with awards for outstanding undergraduate research based on their presentations at the Academy’s Annual Meeting on April 20th, 2007 at Midlands Technical College, Airport Campus in West Columbia. Eighty-two students presented research results at the Annual Meeting representing eighteen South Carolina universities and colleges. Eleven students were honored for outstanding undergraduate research.
Award recipients were selected by a panel of scientists from industry and academia from across South Carolina. The SCAS awards committee is chaired by Dr. Bill Pirkle, Department of Biology and Geology, University of South Carolina Aiken.

The winners are listed below with their respective university and the title of their research:

SCAS/SIGMA XI Awards for Outstanding Undergraduate Research

 Oral Presentations:

Physics & Astronomy: Joseph Bramlett 
Department of Physics & Astronomy, College of Charleston
Slowly Pulsating B Stars: APT versus Mercator Results

Cell Biology: April Clayton 
Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University
Analyzing Entamoeba Histolytica Cytopathic Destruction in Response to Lipoprotein-Cholesterol

Chemistry & Biochemistry I: Gregory Goschy
 Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Coll. Of Charleston
Further Development of a Novel Approach to Controlling the Diastereoselectivity of the Meyers Ortho-Alkylation of Chiral Aromatic Oxazolines

Chemistry & Biochemistry II: John Knight
 Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Coll. Of Charleston
Strong Base Synthesis of Symmetrical Triketones

Field Biology: Caleb McMahan
Department of Biology, Erskine College
Geographic Variation in the Morphology of Hemidactylus Bowringii in Myanmar and Yunnan, China

Mathematics & Computer Science: Kristen Huerte
Department of Computer Science & Quantitative Methods, College of Business Administration, Winthrop University
Dead Rulers Talking

Molecular Biology: Cari Fritz-French
Department of Biology & Geology, USC Aiken
Development of a Luciferase Assay for Analysis of Anti-HIV Ribozyme Activity in Tissue Culture

Pharmacy: Heather Barton
Department of Animal & Veterinary Sciences, Clemson University
Effects of Thaw Temperature on Murine Blastocyst Development

Public Health: Beverlee Blanchard
Department of Biology, Claflin University
A Systematic Evaluation of HPV Vaccine Educational Materials

Poster Presentations

Kenneth Nesbitt
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, USC-Columbia
The Role of SufA in FE-S Cluster Assembly

 Horace Byrne Explorers Club Award for Outstanding Frontier Science by an Undergraduate Student:

Katherine Kramp
Department of Biology, College of Charleston
Analysis of Projectin in Hymenoptera in the Context of Insect Flight Evolution

Invertebrate Biology Award

April Clayton
Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University
Analyzing Entamoeba Histolytica Cytopathic Destruction in Response to Lipoprotein-Cholesterol

American Associate for the Advancement of Science Award to the Outstanding Male & Female Undergraduate Scientists:

Caleb McMahan - Department of Biology, Erskine College

Cari Fritz-French – Department of Biology, USC-Aiken