Undergraduate Student Work
This collection contains works written by undergraduate students in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Northern Iowa. All student works require department, unit, or individual faculty review.
To go to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry page, click here.
Events from 2025
Water Quality Index of Coldwater Creek and Analysis of it's Subterranean Branch in Coldwater Cave, Zachary Harper, Mohammad Iqbal, and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Spectroscopic analysis of caves: The influence of organic overburden on karst speleothems, Jacqueline Heggen Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Beneath the Surface: 3D LiDAR Mapping Coldwater Cave, Jacqueline Heggen, Joshua Sebree, Mike Malaska, and Mike Paton Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
The art of accessing science, Kyle Mark Trunnell Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Events from 2024
Nanocellulose Production from Microcrystalline Cellulose, Bowen A. Downey, Elizabeth E. Guevara, and Colin L. Weeks Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Water Quality Index of Coldwater Creek and Analysis of it's Subterranean Branch in Coldwater Cave, Zachary Harper, Mohammad Iqbal, and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Entrance to Entrance: A Hunt for Astrobiological Analogs at Wind Cave, Jacqueline Heggen, Evelyn Lopez, and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Fluorescence of Cryogenically Frozen Cave Water and Its Use as a Europa Analog, Jacqueline Heggen and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Characterization of Zebra Calcite to Better Understand Wind Cave National Park as an Extraterrestrial Analog, Jenna Heinen Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Development of Fluorescence Data Logger for Remote Exploration, Jordan Holloway and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Use of Analytical Instruments in Caves to Assess Biometrics, Water, and Air Quality, Celia W. Langemo and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Identifying Fungi and their Active Secondary Metabolites From Wind Cave National Park, Jack W. Noehren and Kirk P. Manfredi Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Gene Looping in Brewer’s Yeast: Exploring the Role of DNA Mechanics in Three-dimensional Genome Structure, Thalia Torres Guzman Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Gene Looping in Brewer’s Yeast: Exploring the Role of DNA Mechanics in 3D Genome Structure, Thalia Torres Guzman and Justin Peters Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Developing a Cave Science Spectral Database for Fluorescence Inventory, Anna Van Der Weide, Evelyn Lopez, Jacqueline Heggen, Jordan Holloway, Celia Langemo, and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Tag You’re It: Producing Chemical Taggants and Identifying Objects with Them, Brianna A. Williams Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Events from 2023
Investigating Gene Looping in Yeast, Abbie Bangs and Justin Peters Open Access Poster Presentation
Analysis of Cytokinin Response Factors in Artemisia tridentata, Kelly Biscoglia, A. E. Melton, and S. Buerki Open Access Poster Presentation
Synthesis and Reactivity of Dihydrogen Diruthenium Complexes., Ryder J. Downey and Robert Chin Open Access Poster Presentation
Analysis of Biologically Active Secondary Metabolites from Fungi, Elizabeth E. Guevara and Kirk Manfredi Open Access Poster Presentation
Entrance to Entrance: A Hunt for Astrobiological Analogs at Wind Cave, Jacqueline Heggen, Evelyn Lopez, and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Spectroscopic Characterization of Crystals and Waters at Wind Cave, Jenna Heinen and Joshua Sebree Open Access Poster Presentation
Investigation into a Potential DNA Polymerase of Thermomyces lanuginosus, Kameron J. Kruger Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Wind Cave Zebras and Their Laboratory Analogs, Evelyn Lopez, Jacqueline Heggen, and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Bioactive Secondary Metabolites in Cave Dwelling Fungi, Jade Nuehring Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Using an Aminimide Functional Group to Selectively Uptake Lithium, Jacob Parker Poster Presentation
Investigation of Unexpected Purple Substance Extracted from Newsprint Paper, Raquel Wilhelm Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Investigation of Unexpected Purple Substance Extracted from Newsprint Paper [Poster], Raquel Wilhelm, Shoshanna Coon, and Kirk Manfredi Open Access Poster Presentation
Identification of a DNA Polymerase Alpha Gene Sequence in Thermomyces lanuginosus Fungus, Nathan Williams Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Events from 2022
Identification of Microorganisms from the Depths of Wind Cave, Abbie Bangs, Justin Peters Ph.D., and Joshua Sebree Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Using an Aminimide Polymer to Extract Lithium from a Brine Solution, Austin Heidbreder and Martin Chin Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Spectroscopic Characterization of Crystals and Waters at Wind Cave, Jenna Heinen and Joshua Sebree Ph.D. Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Analog Studies of Organic Pathways in Wind Cave through Cave Water and Crystals, Wilson McNaughton Open Access Poster Presentation
Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Cave Dwelling Fungi [Poster], Jade Nuehring and Kirk P. Manfredi Ph.D. Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Extracting Lithium Using the Steric Bulk of an Aminimide Functional Group, Jacob Parker and Martin Chin Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Attitudes Toward the Chemistry Laboratory Learning Environment Using Different Pedagogies and Assessment Protocols, Lydia Richardson and Dawn Del Carlo Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
The State of Safety Training, Facilities, and Resources for Chemistry Teachers: A National Survey, Lydia Richardson and Dawn Del Carlo Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Using Atomic Force Microscopy to Study DNA and RAD51 Protein Interaction, Samrin Shahnaz and Justin Peters Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Chemical Substitution Induced Half-Metallicity in Heusler Alloys, Lukas Stuelke Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis of Native American pottery for maple syrup residues, Alexis Wirtz Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy Analysis of Native American Pottery for Maple Syrup Residue [Poster], Alexis Wirtz, Joshua Sebree Ph.D., and Donald Gaff Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Events from 2021
Comparison of Chalk Types and Their Ghosting Effects, Felicienne Alexandre, Shoshanna Coon, and Kirk Manfredi Open Access Poster Presentation
Identification of fungi and their secondary metabolites from Wind Cave, Kyle Biscoglia Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Identification of Fungi and Their Secondary Metabolites from Wind Cave [Poster], Kyle J. Biscoglia and Kirk Manfredi Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Investigating the Unknown Purple Substance from Newsprint Paper, Briyana Carter, Shoshanna Coon, and Kirk Manfredi Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Creating synthetic analogs of fluorescent speleothems in Wind Cave as an astrobiological model cave, Teresa Feldman Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Phosphorescence of Wind Cave Cavern, and the Level of Organics Associated with it, Steven Gomez and Joshua Sebree Open Access Poster Presentation
Raman Spectroscopy: Investigation of Acidic Azure B on Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles, Cobey Heinen Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Analog Studies of Organic Pathways in Wind Cave through Cave Water and Crystals, Wilson McNaughton and Joshua Sebree Ph.D. Open Access Poster Presentation
Examining the effects of netropsin on the mobility of DNA A-tracts using capillary electrophoresis, Jillian Miller Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Developing New Yeast Strains to Investigate Gene Looping, Caitlyn Nuehring and Justin P. Peters Ph.D. Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Visualizing Human RAD51 Protein Binding to Single-Stranded DNA Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Rose Perksen and Justin P. Peters Ph.D. Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Quantitative analysis of DNA polymerase alpha gene expression during various stages in chicken embryonic development, Carter Howard Stochl Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Optimizing DNA extraction from microorganisms living in Wind Cave, Allison Warming Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2020
Measuring meaningful learning in a chemistry laboratory, Kylie Engstrom Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Fluorescent Speleothem in Wind Cave and their Synthetic Analogues [Video], Teresa Feldman and Joshua Sebree Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Analysis of gene expression in early-stage pancreatic cancer and investigation of 1,2,3,4,6-Penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranoside as a therapeutic, Zachary R. Heinzman Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The effects of intercalating molecules on the polymer properties of DNA, Joseph Tibbs Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Events from 2019
Development and Evaluation of a Hybrid ADI/SWH Model Pre-Laboratory Curriculum, Tabitha Alitz and Dawn Del Carlo Open Access Poster Presentation
Revisited: Calculating the Polarity of an Extremely Polar Organic compound, Alyssa Bauer, Lane Ver Mulm, and John Bumpus Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
The Spectroscopy of Coffee Roasting, Kailey Casper and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Infrared Analysis of Anaerobic Photochemical Aerosols, Mildrède Debello, Joshua Sebree, and Kailey Casper Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Synthesis and characterization of Cp2Ru2(dppm)2(CH3)2, Nina Jocic Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Mobility determination of polyanions using Capillary Electrophoresis, Jill Miller and Justin Peters Poster Presentation
Synthesis and coupling schemes of naphthalimide compounds with target drugs, Kaitlyn Parrott Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Supercoiled DNA Looping by Lac Repressor Protein Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Hannah Peterson, Taylor Harris, Timothy Kidd, and Justin Peters Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Silyation of carbon-hydrogen bonds using diruthenium catalysts, Joshua Wesley Prybil Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Derivatization of Core molecule for therapeutic purposes, Andrea Reutzel and Jeffrey Elbert Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Exploring the Antimicrobial Activity of Endophytes Isolated From Native North American Prairie Plants, Bridget Shoemaker, Kirk Manfredi, and Michael Walter Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Silylation Using a Zinc Catalyst, Rodney Wallace, Victoria Williams, and Robert Martin Chin Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
The Silylation of Carbon-Hydrogen Bonds Using Zn(OTf)2 Catalyst, Alexandra Warren and Robert Martin Chin Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
How Blue was My Crystal: Synthesis of Copper(II) Oxalate Coordination Polymers, Paul White, Arkady Ellern, and Colin Weeks Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Lego Mindstorms as Alternative Scientific Instrumentation, Emma Yarrow and Joshua Sebree Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Submissions from 2018
Analysis of vibrational modes of chemically modified tone wood, Madison Flesch Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Investigating Reactive Diruthenium Intermediates for C-H Bond Silylation Reactions, Nina Jocic Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
New insights into the "manna from heaven" hypothesis, Clare Laubenthal Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Synthesis and Coupling Schemes of Naphthalimide Compounds with Target Drugs [Poster], Kaitlyn Parrott Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Detection and determination of food residues in Native American pottery, Katherine A. Plotzke Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Silylation of Pyridine and Pyridine Derivatives using Diruthenium Catalysts [Poster], Josh Wesley Prybil Poster Presentation (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Intercalating transition metals in tantalum disulfide nanostructures, Madeline Christine Roach Honors Program Thesis (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Rates and patterns of evolution in a duplicated genome in the family Catostomidae, Megann Michelle Schmidt Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Prebiotic potential of aerosols, Emma Rae Shipley Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2017
Formation of Titan aerosol from CO and CH4, Tate Christensen Open Access Honors Program Thesis
New Insights into the “Manna from Heaven” Hypothesis [Poster], Clare Laubenthal, Joshua Sebree, and Marek Sliwinski Poster Presentation (UNI Access Only)
Stable Isotope Chemistry in Titan Haze Aerosol, Allison Wold, Thomas Gautier, Jennifer Stern, Joshua Sebree, and Melissa Trainer Open Access Poster Presentation
Submissions from 2016
Magnetic properties of polymeric framework materials with cobalt, Cassara Higgins Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2015
The benefits of legalizing marijuana and products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, Pat Chizek Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Measuring the stability of iso-1-cytochrome c variants using heme spectra, Sarah Elizabeth Eikenberry Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Impact of cost barrier on high school chemistry laboratory teaching practices, Robin Livermore Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Submissions from 2014
The investigation into the conditions of tantalum disulfide nanotube growth, Lauren Holmes Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Investigating the expression of AHNAK2 and CTHRC1 in pancreatic cancer cell lines, Logan Patrick Poole Honors Program Thesis (UNI Access Only)
Comparison of life experiences of men and women in the sciences, Tori Nicole Quist Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2013
Sequencing a DNA polymerase alpha gene in Thermomyces lanuginosus, Sonia Tien-Yang Han Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Expressed sequence tag for DNA polymerase alpha in embryonic chicken brain, Rebecca Krewer Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Generating new Type II protein models using cytochrome c, Lindsey M. Ludwig Open Access Honors Program Thesis
The Search for catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase α in Thermomyces lanuginosus, Chelsea Elyse Meier Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2012
Determining the Virulence of Corn Pathogen Fusarium verticillioides Utilizing Deletion Mutants Lacking Genes FV_00027 or FV_NPS6, Abigail Zieman Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2011
A Different Kind of Garden: Seeding the Growth of TaS2 Nanostructures with 3d Transition Metals, Kayla Rose Boyle Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity of a DI-T-Butyl Dicyclopentadienyl Ligand, Regina Rose Reinig Open Access Honors Program Thesis
Submissions from 2010
Ornithine Decarboxylase (ODC) Regulation by MTOR: New Insights From TSC1 Knockout Cells, Alyssa Mae Cates Open Access Honors Program Thesis
