Undergraduate students recently presented research posters in the lobby of the state Capitol. Legislators met with students from their districts and saw the outstanding research being conducted by undergraduates across the state.
Daniel Burriss, Joe Simpson, Senator Bo Watson, Brent McCoy and Travis Vaughn
The Posters-at-the-Capitol project, which started in 2006 and is sponsored by the Tennessee Board of Regents, has two goals, to introduce legislators to undergraduate researchers and to allow undergraduates to discuss their research with their legislators. Forty undergraduate students from six Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) universities presented their research posters.
UTC students presented the following research:
Daniel Burriss, “Turning an Eyesore Into Art,” faculty advisor Dr. Gretchen Potts. Approximately 5.5 trillion cigarettes are produced annually. Once littered, the filters that are designed to trap harmful chemicals begin to leach chemicals that could pose an environmental threat.
Joe Simpson, “Reptiles and Amphibians at the former VAAP Property,” faculty advisor Dr. Thomas Wilson.
Investigated a nine-acre wetland on the former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant property, to increase public knowledge of diverse local ecosystems.
Travis Vaughn, “Deposition and Characterization of Thin Films,” faculty advisor Dr. Tatiana Allen.
The goal of the research is to make thin metallic and semiconductor films to observe and study phase transitions.
Gary Clifton and Phillip McCoy, “Experimental Studies of Dispersive Extinction Phenomenon of the Cosmic Red Shift,” faculty advisor Dr. Ling-Jun Wang.
This research offers an alternative to the prevailing Big Bang and the Doppler Shift theories.
UTC Chancellor Roger Brown said the University is fortunate to have the thriving, vibrant city of Chattanooga as a living laboratory.
“Our students regularly present the results of their research at national and international conferences, and the student research showcased here represents projects from our University Honors Program as well as other departmental honors research programs. We celebrate the power of partnerships, and no partnerships are more critical to us than those between our students and faculty members. Through these relationships, students gain valuable research experience and our faculty remain on the cutting of knowledge in disciplines,” said Brown.
