Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES)

ACES 2011 Awards

Congratulations to all of the award recipients and thank you to all of the presenters!


Graduate Dean's Excellence in Doctoral Student Mentoring Award

Dr. Sajal Das, Department of Computer Science Engineering

Sigma Xi Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award

To Be Announced

Undergraduate Sustainability Award

Undergraduate Sustainability Award ($200) - Ruben U. Tovar (Biology)
Title: Chemosensory prey preference in Neotropical gastropod-eating snakes (Colubridae: Dipsadinae: Dipsadini).
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Eric N. Smith (BIOL)

Graduate Sustainability Award

Graduate Sustainability Award ($200) - Mohamm Jahangir Moghadam (Electrical Engineering)
Title: Infrared Imaging Detection of Oil Slick Heat Signature Patterns
Faculty Mentor(s): Proff. Kambiz Alavi

Undergraduate Poster Presentation

President's Poster Award ($200) - Ricardo Avina (Biology)
Title: Turning up the heat: Elevated temperatures putting stress on the symbioses between coral and algae
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Laura Mydlarz

Provost's Poster Award ($100) - Scott Alford (Biology)
Title: Behavioral modification of body shape in the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) enhances thermoregulatory efficiency
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Charles M. Watson (BIOL)

Graduate Dean's Poster Award ($50) - Maria Guarneri-White (Psychology)
Title: All You Need is Love?: Victimized Children, Health, and the Role of Social Support.
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Lauri Jensen-Campbell (Psychology)

Undergraduate Oral Presentation

President's Award ($300) - Jesus Martinez (Music)
Title: Threnody for 9/11:The Alarms
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Michael Varner, Professor James Yakas

Provost's Award ($200) - Mark Reeder (English)
Title: 'We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us': Individual Choice as Hope in Bioshock
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Bridgitte Barclay (ENGL)

Graduate Dean's Award ($100) - Drue Baker (Exercise Science)
Title: COMPARISON OF CALCANEAL ULTRASOUND DENSITOMETRY AND DUAL-ENERGY X-RAY ABSORPTIOMETY IN THE ELDERLY FOR DIAGNOSING FRACTURE RISK
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. C. Ray (KINE), Dr. D. Keller (KINE), Dr. R. Prisby (KINE), Dr. M. Ricard (KINE)

Honorable Mention ($50) - Kalyn Panizo (Industrial Engineering)
Title: A preliminary study that examines the ability of people to generate hand torques on handles of different shapes.
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Shiek Imrhan (Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering)

Graduate Poster Presentation

President's Poster Award ($200) - Lee-Chun Su (Biomedical Engineering)
Title: In situ re-endothelialization via UPE nano-particle scaffolds
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Kytai Nguyen, Dr. J. Yang

Provost's Poster Award ($100) - Ajal Patel (Industrial/Organizational Psychology)
Title: Improving the Orientation Process for Colleges and Universities
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Shannon Scielzo

Graduate Dean's Poster Award ($50) - Golam Kibria (Civil Engineering)
Title: Effects of Backfill Soil on Excessive Movement of MSE wall
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Sahadat Hossain, P.E., (Civil Engineering)

Graduate Afternoon Oral Presentation

President's Award ($300) - John Staton (Computer Science)
Title: An Assistive Navigation Paradigm Using Force Feedback
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Manfred Huber (CSE)

Provost's Award ($200) - Thomas Menezes (Exercise Physiology)
Title: Acute Effects of PTH (1-84) on Vasodilator Properties of the Femoral Principal Nutrient Artery and Bone Static Properties in Rats
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Rhonda Prisby, Director of Bone and Microcirculation Lab (KINE)

Graduate Dean's Award ($100) - Jennifer E. S. Bell (Biomedical Engineering)
Title: Characterization of Experimental Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Graded Bidirectional Spine Distraction
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Mario I. Romero (Bioengineering)

Honorable Mention ($50) - Huda Shihada (Civil Engineering)
Title: Estimating In-Situ Moisture Content of Municipal Solid Waste using Electrical Resistivity
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. S. Hossain (Civil Engineering)

Honorable Mention ($50) - Vikrant Sharma (Biomedical Engineering)
Title: Optical biopsy approach for prostate cancer diagnosis
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Hanli Liu

Graduate Morning Oral Presentation

President's Award ($300) - Sanchali Deb (Electrical Engineering)
Title: Endoscopic Implantation of Gastric Devices and Endoscopically Implantable Gastrostimulator
Faculty Mentor(s): Jung-Chih Chiao

Provost's Award ($200) - Samuel Yang (Chemistry)
Title: Continuous Flow Ð Extractive Desorption Electrospray Ionization Ð Mass Spectrometry for Charge State Manipulation of Proteins
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Kevin A. Schug (Chemistry & Biochemistry)

Graduate Dean's Award ($100) - Briony Foster (Biology)
Title: A new defined medium of the axenic culture of a mixotrophic flagellate from the genus Ochromonas.
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Thomas H. Chrzanowski

Honorable Mention ($50) - Dana McCullough Brewer (English)
Title: Recovering A Present for Young Ladies
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Desiree Henderson (ENGL)

Honorable Mention ($50) - Paul Kinzler (Modern Languages)
Title: Understanding the Chicahuaxtla Triqui verbal system
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. A. Raymond Elliott (MODL)

Honorable Mention ($50) - Richard Eiland (Mechanical Engineering)
Title: Filter Life Characterization for Blower Assembly of Outdoor Telecommunication Shelters
Faculty Mentor(s): Dr. Dereje Agonafer (MAE)