At the URC, a Bicycle Made of Hemp
PUBLISHED ON Apr 07 2017
If Christopher Jones has his way, you’ll soon be able to ride a bicycle made of hemp.
Jones, a fifth-year senior in Butler's Engineering Dual Degree Program (EDDP), and his classmate Gunabhushan Sathyamurthy presented their idea Friday, April 7, at the 29th annual Undergraduate Research Conference, which brings some of the best and brightest undergraduate minds to campus to show off their research projects.
Jones said the idea for the hemp frame came in a class where the professor challenged the students to devise something ecologically friendly.
“Hemp is something everyone knows about already,” Sathyamurthy said. “It’s already being used as textiles and it’s very cheap and easy to obtain. We wanted to find something within our budget but at the same time, it’s sustainable and natural.”
“We could use jute or kenaf or something like that,” Jones said. “But you don’t know what that is.”
They took layers of hemp, combined them with resin, and molded them to form tubes. At the conference, they passed around pieces of tubing made with three sheets of hemp. They said the final version is more likely to be five to seven pieces of hemp, which will make it sturdier.
Jones and Sathyamurthy’s team, which also includes EDDP students Madeline Schmitz, Matthew Beebe, Matthew Tosino, and Greg Cerabona, hopes to have a prototype frame finished by the end of the month.
They presented at one of the conference’s biology sessions because they want to find a biology student—ideally a rising sophomore—to do the secondary research on what others have done to strengthen natural fibers.
Jones said his dream is to eventually have a business built around what he calls “the Rebicycle.”
“We only making the frame,” he said. “You bring us your old bike and we’ll build you a new frame and we’ll use the parts from your old bike. Then we’ll recycle the old frame.”
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All over campus on Friday, more than 700 students from 58 colleges and universities in 12 states showed their research in subjects ranging alphabetically from anthropology to sustainability. In addition, Butler sponsored students from two local high schools, Shortridge and Lawrence, as a way to support research from an earlier age.
Maria Rechtin, who’s finishing her junior year at Thomas More College in Kentucky, represented a group of 10 students who have been working on research into the effects of nicotine on urinary bladder cancer cell lines at the Wood Hudson Cancer Research Laboratory. The students involved in the research represented seven schools, including the universities of Louisville, Dayton, and Ohio.
Rechtin said the research is ongoing, but she wanted the opportunity to present what they had accomplished so far.
“Students from Thomas More College present here every year,” she said. “I had research to present and I wanted to present it. It’s a tradition at our school.”
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822
At the URC, a Bicycle Made of Hemp
If Christopher Jones has his way, you’ll soon be able to ride a bicycle made of hemp.
Butler Senior Wins Cell Biology Competition
PUBLISHED ON Dec 15 2016
Victoria Kreyden ’17, a biology/Spanish double-major from Carmel, Indiana, has won first prize in the undergraduate poster session at the 2016 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) meeting in San Francisco, California, for her poster presentation “Investigation of the neuronal functions of the SUMO conjugating enzyme UBC-9 at the C. elegans neuromuscular junction.”
Kreyden’s presentation on December 3 was judged best of more than 100 by undergraduates from around the country and abroad.
Kreyden is studying the C. elegans—microscopic roundworms—to learn more about the human nervous system. Associate Professor of Biology Jennifer Kowalski said Kreyden is investigating a particular set of enzymes, called SUMO enzymes, that control the activity of numerous proteins in neurons and other types of cells.
“Victoria is trying to determine the role of these enzymes in regulating neuronal signaling, which is critical for nervous system function,” Kowalski said. “Because of the similarities between the human and C. elegans nervous systems and the high number of genes they share, including the genes encoding SUMO enzymes, it is likely that what she learns in the worms will be relevant to understanding human nervous system function.”
Kowalski and Assistant Professor of Biology Lindsay Lewellyn accompanied Kreyden and three other Butler students who also presented their research at the 2016 ASCB meeting:
-Ashley Kline - “Characterizing a Role for the Misshapen Kinase in the Growth of the Germline Ring Canals in the Developing Egg Chamber.”
-Olivia Crowe - “Determination of the role of Dreadlocks (Dock) in the growth of the germline ring canals in the developing Drosophila melanogaster egg chamber.”
-Lauryn Campagnoli - “Investigation of SYD-2 as a potential substrate of the Anaphase Promoting Complex in promoting GABA release at the C. elegans neuromuscular junction.”
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822
Butler Senior Wins Cell Biology Competition
Victoria Kreyden ’17 has won first prize in the undergraduate poster session at the 2016 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) meeting in San Francisco, California.
Victoria Kreyden ’17 has won first prize in the undergraduate poster session at the 2016 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) meeting in San Francisco, California.
Spring Break in Krakow? Gerstein Winner Can't Wait.
PUBLISHED ON Feb 27 2017
For Pharmacy major Isaac Warshawsky ’20, exploring the historical accuracy of popular Holocaust movies like Schindler’s List is at the top of his to-do list. Fortunately for him, he is the second annual Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund recipient, and will get to do just that during spring break.
“I saw this grant as a way to expand my knowledge of the Holocaust,” Warshawsky said. “Going to a concentration camp and Auschwitz after learning about it my whole life would be an emotional experience and give what I have learned a deeper meaning.”
The fund supports travel and research related to Jewish learning. The guidelines this year were simple: We will grant you $1,600 if you tell us what you can accomplish with it.
“I wanted to go to Poland,” he said.
Warshawsky plans to use the education fund to travel with a friend to Krakow, Poland, where he will be able to explore Auschwitz and Oskar Schindler’s factory, which has been turned into a museum.
Warshawsky is currently taking an independent study honors class in which he is researching the Holocaust, specifically in Krakow. He will be analyzing books, movies, and other literature to see if there are any notable inaccuracies. Going to Poland and seeing first-hand what he will be watching and reading will directly help with his research.
“I am tied to the Holocaust through my ancestors and through its effect on the world, and as a result, I want to correct any misconceptions people have due to popular belief from movies and inform those who do not know much about the Holocaust,” he said.
Warshawsky will be presenting his research to the Butler and Indianapolis communities next fall. He plans to take videos and photographs while in Poland.
“I hope to make my presentation something people can relate to,” he said.
Warshawsky is counting down the days until spring break.
“I think it is going to be an amazing experience as a whole,” he said. “It’s something I will only be able to do once in my life, and I am going to be sure to make the most of it.”
Spring Break in Krakow? Gerstein Winner Can't Wait.
Isaac Warshawsky is the second recipient of the Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund.
Isaac Warshawsky is the second recipient of the Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund.
Sophomore Caitlyn Foye Crowned 500 Festival Queen
PUBLISHED ON May 23 2016
Sophomore Biology major Caitlyn Foye of Newburgh, Indiana, has been crowned the 2016 Indianapolis 500 Festival queen.
See WTHR's interview with her here.
Foye was chosen from a final field of 33. The 2016 500 Festival Princesses represent 13 Indiana colleges and universities and 21 cities and towns across the state. With a cumulative GPA of 3.5, this year's 500 Festival Princesses were selected from hundreds of applicants based upon communication skills, commitment to service, leadership, scholarship, professionalism.
Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822