Funded MURI Projects for Summer 2014
Exploring Conformational Changes Associated with Substrate/inhibitor Binding to the Adrenaline
Synthesizing Enzyme, PNMT
Primary Mentor: Michael J. McLeish, Associate Professor, Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, School of
Science, mcleish@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Horia Petrache, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, School of Science, hpetrach@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Bruce D. Ray, Associate Scientist, Department of Physics, School of Science, bray@iupui.edu
Student Majors Requested: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Engineering
Skills Expected From Students: Basic chemistry, biology, physics, or engineering laboratory experience.
Number of Students: Six
Proposal
The Effectiveness of Motivational Interviewing to Improve Adherence to Glaucoma Treatment in Patients of
African Descent
Primary Mentor: Lyne Racette, Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine,
lracette@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Silvia Bigatti, Associate Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Fairbanks School of Public
Health, sbigatti@iu.edu
Student Majors Requested: Biology and Health Sciences
Skills Expected From Students: Skills expected from students at the start of the project include: Strong writing,
analytical and communications skills; familiarity with basic research design and statistical analysis; proficiency with data
management; familiarity with commonly used programs (e.g. Excel); persistence; detail-oriented.
Number of Students: Four
Proposal
Drug-Perturbation Pathway Modeling and its Application to Bladder Cancer
Primary Mentor: Jake Chen, Associate Professor, Department of BioHealth Informatics, School of Informatics and
Computing, jakechen@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Xiaogang Wu, Assistant Scientist, Department of BioHealth Informatics, School of Informatics and
Computing, wu33@iupui.edu
Student Majors Requested: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Clinical Pharmacology
Skills Expected From Students: Computer Science- Excel, sql, matlab, linux, php, java, Biology-molecular biology,
neurology, Math- statistics, graph theory; Clinical Pharmacology; pharmacogenomics
Number of Students: Four
Proposal
Activation of Osteoclasts by Nicotine-Treated Periodontal Pathogens
Primary Mentor: Richard L. Gregory, Professor, Departments of Oral Biology/Microbiology, Schools of Dentistry and
Medicine, rgregory@iu.edu
Co-mentor: L. Jack Windsor, Associate Professor, Departments of Oral Biology/Cell Biology, School of Dentistry,
ljwindso@iu.edu
Co-mentor: Fengyu Song, Assistant Professor, Departments of Oral Biology/Regenerative Biology, Schools of Dentistry
and Science, fesong@iu.edu
Co-mentor: Angela Bruzzaniti, Assistant Professor, Departments of Oral Biology/Bone Biology, Schools of Dentistry and
Medicine, abruzzan@iu.edu
Student Majors Requested: Biology, Chemistry, Pre-Dentistry or Pre-Medicine
Skills Expected From Students: Good analytical skills, basic understanding of chemistry and/or biology, persistence and
strong attention to detail.
Number of Students: Six
Proposal
Summer Health Academy for Latino Youth: Intervention Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation
Primary Mentor: Silvia Bigatti, Associate Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Fairbanks School of
Public Health, sbigatti@iu.edu
Co-mentor: Monica Medina, Clinical Lecturer; Associate Director for Community Partnerships, Center for Urban and
Multicultural Education, mmedina@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Katrina Conrad, Community Research Coordinator, Fairbanks School of Public Health khaitsma@indiana.edu
Student Majors Requested: Public Health; Tourism, Convention and Event Management; Social Work, Education,
Psychology, Sociology, Rehabilitation Sciences
Skills Expected From Students: Student investigators will be involved in the intervention design (summer camp for
Latino youth) and will also serve as mentors to camp participants. Student investigators with prior leadership
experience (in any extracurricular activity for example) will be preferred. Also preferred will be students that
demonstrate cultural competency and professionalism. Spanish language ability is preferred. Because we hope these
students will serve as mentors during the camp experience, we would prefer students who are themselves Latinos.
Number of Students: Six
Proposal
Meta-Analysis of Podcasting in Higher Education
Primary Mentor: Eugenia Fernandez, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Computer and Information
Technology, School of Engineering and Technology, efernand@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Wanda Worley, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Programs; Associate Professor of
Technical Communication, School of Engineering and Technology, wworley@iupui.edu
Student Majors Requested: English, Education, Business Communication (any and all majors welcome)
Skills Expected From Students: Good communication skills (written and oral), good work ethic, ability to analyze and
synthesize data.
Number of Students: Four
Proposal
Effect of Nano-grating Patterned Substrate on Vascular Cell Behavior in Response to Shear Flow and Strain
Primary Mentor: Julie Ji, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and
Technology, jji@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Jong Eun Ryu, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and
Technology, jeryu@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Hazim El-Mounayri, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and
Technology, helmouna@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Omar El-Mounayri, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Cardiology, McEwen Center for Regenerative
Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, oelmouna@yahoo.com
Student Majors Requested: Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry or Biology
Skills Expected From Students: For biomedical engineering students: understanding of cell and molecular biology,
human physiology, cellular biomechanics, ECM, and biomaterials. For mechanical engineering students: nano-grating
fabrication, chemistry lab skills, modeling, design, (preferably) manufacturing, programming (using Matlab), Labview.
For chemistry student: design of chemistry reaction, surface modification, polymer chemistry and biomaterial. For
biology students: molecular cell biology with basic lab skills, in cell culture, real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR),
protein extraction, Western Blotting, cell viability.
Number of Students: Five
Proposal
Solid Electrolyte and Composite Electrode Materials for Lithium-ion Battery
Primary Mentor: Jing Zhang, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and
Technology, jz29@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Yeon Gil Jung, Visiting Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Changwon National
University, South Korea; jung45@iupui.edu
Co-mentor: Linmin Wu, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering
and Technology, lw54@umail.iu.edu
Student Majors Requested: Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering
Skills Expected From Students: Materials synthesis; Mechanical engineering design and fabrication; Electrochemical
Analysis
Number of Students: Five
Proposal Summary (Please contact Dr. Zhang for additional information)