STAR Program
The STAR (STEM Teacher and Researcher) Program provides aspiring and early career K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teachers paid summer research experiences at national, university, and independent laboratories. STAR Fellows pursue a prestigious "teacher-researcher" career path starting with an original research project for 9 weeks. Weekly education workshops and conferences support Fellows considering how the "doing of science" can be translated into the "teaching of science. " Each STAR Fellow presents their research at a conference. Many become STEM leaders and go on to present at state and national teaching and professional society meetings.
STAR aims to enhance the recruitment, preparation, and retention of high quality STEM teachers. The STAR program is administered on behalf the California State University system by the Cal Poly Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education (CESaME). STAR has supported hundreds of Fellows since its inception in 2006.
This Digital Commons series presents Fellow's research presentations in poster and short-oral presentation formats illustrating the diverse fields of inquiry and depth of research projects engagement provided by our partner lab sites.
For more information visit: StarTeacherResearcher.org
View posters about STAR:
About STAR - STEM Teacher and Researcher Program
Poster presented at the Teacher Research Experience Conference
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under multiple grants and contributions from philanthropic foundations. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Flow Sensor Integration for Precision Dispensing of Visco-Elastic Biomaterials, Robert V. Opel, William “Rick” Hynes, and Monica Moya
Variations in Atmospheric 13C/14C Ratios within a Radiocarbon Preparatory Lab and Implications for AMS Measurements, Kimberly Arias, Alexandra Hedgpeth, and Karis McFarlane
Optimization of a genomic editing system using CRISPR/Cas9-induced site-specific gene integration, Jillian L. McCool Ms., Nick Hum, and Gabriela G. Loots
The Effects of Radiation Exposure: An in vivo vs in vitro Biomarker Study Analysis, Angeles L. Mora
Investigating the Infection and Persistence of Sindbis Virus in Host Neurons, Gavin Schroter, Sally Hall, and Monica Borucki
Radiocarbon Isotopic Classification of Deep Tropical Forest Soils, Brooke Butler, Karis J. McFarlane, Jennifer Pett-Ridge, and Katherine A. Heckman
Resolving Emission Lines of Sodiumlike Fe XVI Using EBIT, Sandi Lavito
Characterization of putative Wnt3a-Inducible Enhancers, Katelynn C. Lee, Nicholas Hum, Aimy Sebastian, and Gabriela Loots
The Effect of Environmental Selection Pressure on the Rate of Recombination to an Advantageous Receptor Mutation in Bovine Coronavirus, Gavin Schroter, Sally Hall, Mona Hwang, and Monica Borucki
FEA Investigation of Microfabricated Structural Variation in Acoustofluidic Devices, Amanda Johnston
Measuring Radiation Exposure in Human Blood using Gene Expression, Krystal Naranjo, Melissa Bentley, Harsha Konery, and Matthew Coleman
Measuring K-shell Transitions in L-shell Ions of Aluminum Using LLNL EBIT, Grecia Ramos
Assessing the influence of mineral surface chemistry on soil organic matter stability in the US in response to climate change, Alexandra Toledo and Katherine Heckman
Rescuing Acetylcholinesterase from Nerve Agent Inhibition: Protein Dynamics Driven Drug Discovery, Aiyana M. Emigh and Brian Bennion
The Influence of Soil Organic Matter Stabilization Mechanisms on Carbon Mean Residence Time Within Various Ecosystems in the United States, Vicky Lynn Giese and Kate Heckman Phd
Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling for predicting caffeine/theophylline-ciprofloxacin interactions, David M. Ng and Ali Navid
Disocvering Ionic Liquid Resistant Genes, Bree Person, Douglass Higgins, and Michael Thelen
Smart Sampling of Noble Gases to Detect Underground Nuclear Explosions, Lindsey M. Skelton, Steven Hunter, and Charles Carrigan
Unmasking the Mysteries of High-Mass X-Ray Binaries (HMXBs): The Role of LLNL’s Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT), Carey Baxter, Natalie Hell, and Greg Brown
Informing Drug Design: Human Acetylcholinesterase Response to Organophosphate Poisoning, Aiyana Emigh, Sebnem Essiz-Gokhan, and Brian Bennion
Agent Based Modeling as an Educational Tool, Jonathan H. Fuller, Rodger Johnson, and Vic Castillo
Selective Laser Sintering; A Design of Experiments, Philip David Hopkins and Victor Castillo PhD
Measuring ecosystem CO2 emission sources in a northern hardwood forest, Laura Larson and Claire L. Phillips
Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling of Acetaminophen Metabolism and Toxicity, David M. Ng and Ali Navid
Analyzing Environmental Microbes for Genomic Regions Promoting Ionic Liquid Tolerance in E. coli, Ann Nguyen, Alison Richins, Thomas Rüegg, Steven Singer, and Michael Thelen
Screening the Farallon Island Bacterial Collection for Ionic Liquid Tolerance to Create Genomic Libraries, Alison Richins, Ann Nguyen, Thomas Rüegg, Steven Singer, and Michael Thelen
Chloroform Extraction of Iodine in Seawater Method Development, Hanna Seidler, Aaron Glimme, Scott Tumey, and Tom Guilderson
Efficacy Comparison of Various PCR Master Mixes and Thermal Cycling Parameters for Detection of Brucella abortus in Multiplex Assays, Kevin J. Testo, Jason A. Olivas, Alda C. Carrillo, and Pejman Naraghi-Arani
Quantification and in vitro analysis of nanolipoproteins (NLPs) containing adjuvants, Purna Venkataraman, Craig Blanchette, and Nicholas O. Fischer
Caffeine Metabolism and Cytochrome P450 Enzyme mRNA Expression Levels of Genetically Diverse Inbred Mouse Strains, Neal Addicott, Michael Malfatti, and Gabriela G. Loots
Effects of Ambient Gases On ICF Target Capsules, Bryan Chambers, Steve Letts, and Michael Stadermann
Computational Identification of Protein Catalytic Sites: Tests, Validation, Dan Kirshner, Jerome Nilmeier, and Felice Lightstone
Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling for Predicting Drug-Drug Interactions, David M. Ng and Ali Navid
Laboratory Astrophysics: Using EBIT measurements to interpret high resolution spectra from celestial sources, Carey Scott, Joshua Thompson, N. Hell, and Greg V. Brown
Approximating Commute Times by Truncated Eigenpair Summation, Brent Smith, Van Emden Henson, Geoff Sanders, and Sarah Powers
The Role of LLNL's FAST Calibration Facility in Diagnosing NIF Fusion Plasmas, Joshua G. Thompson, Carey Scott, and Greg V. Brown
Stability of various types of nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) upon lyophilization, Purna Venkataraman, Craig D. Blanchette, and Nicholas O. Fischer
Carbon Transfer from Labeled Leaf Litter into Mineral Soil at the University of Missouri Baskett Research Area, a Deciduous Forest in the Eastern United States, Shayne Bradshaw, Karis McFarlane, Paula Zermeno, and Paul Hanson
Comparison of Lysis Efficiency for DNA Extraction of Spore-forming Bacillus thuringiensis, Jody Dunkel, Bill Hoppes, Marilyn Ramsey, Anne Marie Erler, and Lewis Wogan
Modernizing Accelerator Mass Spectrometer Data Acquisition, Leo Groner and Ted Ognibene
Characterizing Warm Dense Matter, Ernest Irish and Yuan Ping
Time Resolved UV Spectroscopy on the Alcator C-Mod Tokamak, Jonathan B. Kamp, G.V. Brown, and P. Beiersdorfer
Dual Polarization Interferometry for Small Molecules Drug Development, Sarwia Nawim, Brett Chromy, and Lindsey Evans
Yersinia pestis Proteomics and Vaccine Development, Rebecca Paddack, Lindsey Evans, Jr-Shiuan Lin, Stephen Smiley, and Brett Chromy
Stability of Nanolipoprotein Particles (NLPs) at Different Temperatures and Complex Media, Purna Venkataraman, Nicholas Fischer, and Craig Blanchette
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Analyzing the Atmospheric Conditions that Caused Two Unexpected Tornado Events, Daniel J. Gonzalez, Scott Landolt, and Jennifer Shepard
Snowfall Simulator Quick-Release Retrofit, Nicholas M. Runyan and Scott Landolt
Effective communication to 4th graders about vector borne diseases, Ricardo Wells, Rebecca Haacker, and Lorena Luna
Analyzing Accuracy of the Lufft WS600 in Remotely Measuring Precipitation Events, Justin Gay
Analysis of the Precipitation Detection Algorithm for the GEONOR T-200B Precipitation Gauge to Improve Accuracy, Megan Lerman and Robert K. Goodrich
Applying a transfer function to correct snowfall climatology data at several automated weather stations across the United States, Kameron McCall and Scott Landolt
Rainwater to flush toilets on a volcano, Robert A. Buchan
Correcting Wind Bias for a Shielded GEONOR Solid Precipitation Gauge Using Transfer Functions, Stacey Wheeler and Scott Landolt
National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
Comparison of common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) phenology timing between historical data and current Project BudBurst citizen science data: challenges and lessons learned., Caleb Shaw, Sarah Newman, Sandra Henderson, Liz Goehring, and Tom Stohlgren
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Alaska Fisheries Science Center (NOAA AFSC)
Effects of Pristane on Growth of Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), Brielle D. Kemis and Bonita Nelson
Nutritional Content of Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) Bill Loads, Dustin Taylor and Ron Heintz
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Earth Systems Research Laboratory (NOAA ESRL)
How Governmental Greenhouse Gas Science Has Been Weathered Through Time and Why it Matters, Christopher Apple
Investigating the cause for the increase in the atmospheric methane burden from 2007 to present, Philip M. Hatcher, Ed Dlugokencky, and Sourish Basu
Optimization of a Single Particle Soot Photometer for Metallic Particle Detection and Differentiation, Melanie C. Thatcher and Kara Lamb
Analysis and Detection of HFO-1234ze, Alberni V. Ruiz and Ben R. Miller
Tropical Wetlands as a Dominant Driver of Long-Term Atmospheric Methane Changes, Carrie Ann Sharitt and Ed Dlugokencky
Laboratory Evaluation of Black Carbon Deposition onto Snow and Transport via Snowmelt, Larry D. Hermanson and Joshua P. Schwarz
Kenyan Climate Variation Assessment through Rainfall Anomalies and Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Correlations, Kimberly E. Lykens
A Comparison of Carbon Dioxide and Methane Levels at Four Tower Sites Across the United States, Lacee Sherman, Ben R. Miller, and Gaby Petron
The Power Plant Mapping Student Project, Kelsey Tayne and Tom Oda
Investigation of Ozone in Urban and Rural Areas of California, Mia J. Hiles and David Parrish
Solar Verification Project, Ariel Sitler and Christopher Clack
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NOAA NWFSC)
A Genetic Survey of English Sole Populations in the Salish Sea, Elizabeth S. Gutierrez, Gary A. Winans, Jon Baker, and Amanda Cope
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Southwest Fisheries Science Center (NOAA SWFSC)
Diversity, distribution and dynamics of Larval Cephalopods off Northern California, AnaCena Zander and Eric P. Bjorkstedt
Data Development and Analysis Pathways for Marine Mammals and Turtles: Creating a User Interface, Sarina Fernandez, Warren Asfazadour, Eric Archer, and Lisa Komoroske
Effect of Short-Term Exposure to Low pH and Low Dissolved Oxygen on the Swimming Performance of Juvenile Rockfish, Erica L. Oberg and Eric P. Bjorkstedt
Using High Throughput Genomic Sequencing to Predict Ecological Impacts on Sea Turtle Populations, Lesley Anderson
Sea turtle hatchling sex ratios determined via hormone assay: implications of climate change?, William A. Hilton, Matthew Godfrey, and Camryn D. Allen
Evaluation of Anthropogenic Marine Debris and Sargassum fluitans and its Potential Impact on Sea Turtle Hatchlings at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, Christina MacMillan
Sex Ratio Assessment Of Endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Foraging Populations: Validation Of A Testosterone ELISA For Juvenile Sex Determination, William A. Hilton and Camryn D. Allen
The Path To The Sea: Leatherback Hatchling Orientation at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge, Christina MacMillan and Kelly Stewart
Leatherback Hatchling Fitness, Violet Campbell, Shane Morales, and Kelly Stewart
Big babies, big mammas?: Relationship of leatherback hatchling size and mother size, Shane Morales, Violet Campbell, and Kelly Stewart
Creating a Package in R, Brit Schneiders and Eric Archer
Size and Weight Changes of Leatherback Hatchlings Among Emergence Groups, Shane Morales and Kelly Stewart
National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO)
Maximizing Precision of Variable Star Photometry with Digital Cameras in Suburban Environments, David Hergesheimer
Light Pollution Research through Citizen Science, John Kanemoto
LEDs and Astronomy, Britny N. Delp and Stephen M. Pompea
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Determination of Inconel-625 corrosion rate in NaKMg-Cl molten salt via linear sweep voltammetry, Breanna Blackwell and Judith Vidal
Chena Geothermal Area: A Low Temperature Case Study, Stephanie Dwyer and Katherine Young
Characterization of s-SWCNT/PF-PD Dispersions and Networks, Tamara N. El-Hayek Ms., Jeffrey Blackburn, Andrew Ferguson, and Tammy Pheuphong
Probing the Transport Properties of Chemically-Doped Single-Walled Carbon Nantotube Polymer Composites, Tammy Pheuphong, Tamara El-Hayek, Jeffrey Blackburn, and Andrew Ferguson
Graphene Refinement by High Temperature Anneals, Benjamin A. Calvopina, Justin Bult, and Jeff Blackburn
Investigation of Spillover Effect to Enhance Hydrogen Storage, Sarah C. Corrigan, Lin Simpson, and Thomas Gennett
Technology Portal for Energy Efficient Buildings, Larry D. Hermanson, Daniel Studer, and Annie Mroz
Classification of Multi-Domain Glycoside Hydrolases to Aid in the Enzymatic Production of Biofuels from Biomass, Emi Leonard, Gregg Beckham, Deanne Sammond, and Michael Crowley
Optimization of ethylene bioproduction in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, Derick M. Reid, Justin Ungerer, and Jianping Yu
Characterization of Coke from the Catalytic Pyrolysis of Biomass, Kristen Ryan and Kristiina Lisa
Evaluation of Hydrogen Storage in Metal Organic Frameworks by Bridged Hydrogen Spillover, Claudia V. Turcios, Thomas Gennett, Katherine Hurst, and Philip Parilla
Performance Screening of Chemostat Adapted Recombinant Zymomonas mobilis Strains, Deirdre M. Beard and Nancy Dowe
Rehabilitation of SRRL Aerosol Optical Depth Photometer Data, Elin Deeb, Daryl Myers, and Afshin Andreas
Growth and Hydrogen Production of Rubrivivax gelatinosus CBS, Shannon A. Swanson and Karen Wawrousek
Catalytic Upgrading of Pyrolysis Vapors, Caryn Burnett, Alexander Stanton, and Kristiina Iisa
An Evaluation and Preliminary Update for the LBL Circumsolar Telescope, Elin Deeb and Daryl Myers