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Student Research Grants
Several Portland-area students have received Grants-in-Aid of Research (GIAR) through Sigma Xi’s national competition. The GIAR competitions are held twice a year, with deadlines of March 15 and October 15 for research proposals. For general information on the awards and requirements, visit Sigma Xi’s national website. Some local winners of these grants are featured below.
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| Sarah Bortvedt | Sarah Courbis (biopsing) | Rachel Pirot |
Sarah Bortvedt, Biology: New Approaches to Huntington’s Disease Therapy: Investigating Combined Drug and Intracellular Antibody Treatments in a Drosophila Model. Advisors: Ami Ahern-Rindell, University of Portland; William J. Wolfgang, Wadsworth Center, Albany, NY. Huntington’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by age-dependent, neuronal degeneration and early death, for which there is no effective treatment. Sarah is using a Drosophila model that faithfully recapitulates many features of the disease to evaluate the ability of combination therapies against Huntington’s disease to reduce neurodegeneration and prolong survival. Identifying effective treatments in the fly may be the first step towards a human therapy.
Sarah Courbis, Biology: Population Structure of Island-Associated Dolphins. Advisor: Deborah Duffield, Portland State University. Sarah's Ph.D. work focuses on genetics and photo-identifiation of pantropical spotted dolphins near the Hawaiian Islands. She is exploring movement patterns and gene flow. This work is in collaboration with Cascadia Research Collective and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Sarah is also working on a project to study population structure of odontocetes near the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia in collaboration with Hawaii Pacific University, Te Mana O Te Moana, and Gump Research Station.
Rachel Pirot, Geomorphology / Engineering Geology: Mount Hood Debris Flows: Inventory and Analysis of November, 2006 Events. Advisor: Scott Burns, Portland State University. This field study investigates the initiation zone characteristics for seven debris flows which occurred on Mount Hood in November, 2006. Physical characterization of source area materials will be used to assess factors controlling debris flow initiation. This project seeks to answer the question of why some drainage systems spawned debris flows, while others experienced only flooding. The primary outcome of the project will be a debris flow hazard map derived from the November 2006 storm event. Recognition of common factors linked to debris flows at Mount Hood will be applicable to identification of hazard prone areas on other volcanoes in similar climactic and tectonic settings.
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Keith Jackson |
Lisa Karst |
Josh Picotte |
Keith M. Jackson, Hydrology / Geomorphology: The effect of supra-glacial debris on the morphology of Eliot Glacier, Mt. Hood, Oregon. Advisor: Andrew Fountain, Portland State University. This field study examines three issues related to debris-covered glaciers: (1) the changing surface morphology (glacier and debris) as a result of increased ice ablation caused by accelerated climate warming; (2) the response in flow speed of the glacier as a result of these changes; and (3) the rate of debris supply to the glacier surface. More at web.pdx.edu/~kjack/eliotresearch.html.
Lisa D. Karst, Systematics / Evolutionary Biology: Do pollinator shifts and floral character evolution correlate to large area radiations in Sisyrinchium (Iridaceae)? Advisor: Carol Wilson, PSU. We will investigate Sisyrinchium, a New World genus that is used as an ethnobotanic material and ornamental plant, and is also an agricultural weed. The research examines hypotheses of evolutionary history, character evolution, and corridors of dispersal for Sisyrinchium using fifty species, representing its morphological variation and geographic distribution.
Joshua J. Picotte, Ecology: Responses of the parental and hybrid genotypes of the Piriqueta caroliniana complex to calcareous soil conditions. Advisor: Mitchell Cruzan, PSU. Gene flow between genetically similar taxa, known as introgression, frequently produces low-fitness hybrids, but occasionally may produce vigorous hybrids that out-compete their parental genotypes. Hybrid genotypes may outcompete their parental counterparts under particular environmental conditions. This field investigation of one such system, over a range of Florida landscapes, reveals genetic adaptation to drought.
The Columbia-Willamette Chapter awards a supplemental grant to each of the above students in further
support of their research. These supplements are funded with income from the Chapter’s MacCannell
Endowment, and with current operating funds. The Endowment honors Earle MacCannell, who made generous donations (with Julie Blume and others) to endow student grants and public science lectures.
Donors are encouraged to endow new educational and scientific projects for the Chapter, such as
additional student research grants or our annual student research symposium.