Faculty Proposals 2008-2009

The following are links to the project proposals that are being offered for the 2008-2009 Rice University Century Scholar program. These proposals have been submitted by faculty wishing to be mentors. When you select a project link you will be taken to a page with the project proposal as well as links to the faculty member's web page (where applicable) and department web page.

Please review these proposals and faculty information, then identify which projects you are most interested in pursuing. Feel free to send an email to the faculty member who has submitted the proposal. He or she will be happy to answer any questions about their specific project proposal. If you have general questions about the program please direct those to Dr. Kellie Sims Butler, cscholar at rice.edu .

Once you are satisfied that you have explored the opportunities presented, use the Sign Up Form to designate your project choices. Using your selection information, we will assign you to a mentor for the fall 2008 semester.  Once you arrive on campus, you will have several opportunities to meet with your assigned mentor, other faculty mentors, and students in the program. In late September you will be asked to finalize your mentor selection with Dr. Butler.

Asian Studies

Dr. Steven Lewis

* Energy Security and Demand Reduction Policy Formation in China and India
* Advertising and Collective Identity Formation in Asian Cities

Biochemistry and Cell Biology

Dr. George Bennett

* Microbial Production of Chemicals
* Developing Methods for Forming and Assembling DNA Fragments

Dr. Janet Braam

* Environmental Responses of Plants

Dr. Richard Gomer

* Human Disease and Development

Dr. Yousif Shamoo

* Structural Studies on Human recQL4
* Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance

Dr. Jonathan Silberg

* Fe/S Proteins: Biogenesis, Evolution, Proteomics, and Role in Redox Homeostasis

Dr. Charles Stewart

* Bacteriophage SPO1

Dr. Dan Wagner

* Forming Fish: How Does the Embryo Shape Itself?

Bioengineering

Dr. Jane Grande-Allen

* Heart Valve Matrix and Mechanobiology

Dr. Tony Mikos

* Bone Regeneration

Dr. Rebecca Richards-Kortum

* Point-of-Care Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases
* Development of Optical Imaging Systems for Early Detection of Cancer

Dr. Ka-Yiu San

* Chemicals and Fuels from Renewable Resources

Chemical Engineering

Dr. Matteo Pasquali

* Flows of Micro and Nanostructured Fluids
* Study Complex Flows of Complex Fluids

Dr. Michael Wong

* Nanoparticles As A Solution To Our Energy and Environmental Problems

Chemistry

Dr. Ken Whitmire

* Synthetic Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry for Biological, Catalytic, and Materials Applications

Computer & Applied Mathematics

Dr. Steve Cox

* Rational String Design

Computer Science

Dr. Lydia Kavraki

* Robot Motion Planning
* Computer Assisted Drug Design

Dr. Devika Subramanian

* Robotics, AI and Interactivity
* Computational Cancer Biology and Predictive Medicine
* Computational Neuroscience and Personalized Education
* Tracking the Evolution of Terrorist Networks from News

Dr. Walid Taha

* Understanding Mathematica
* Super Circuits
* The Fastest Turtle in the West
* The Monty Python

Earth Science

Dr. Carrie Masiello

* Human Influence on the Chemistry of Our Environment

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Dr. Julian Holland

* Reciprocal Beneficial Interactions between Plants and Insects

Dr. Jennifer Rudgers

* Could Fungi Promote Exotic Grass Invasions?
* Cooperation and Conflict Between Fungi and Plants
* Lifestyles of the Rich and Symbiotic
* All dried up? Host a fungus.

Dr. Joan Strassmann

* Conflict and Cooperation in Social Amoebae

Dr. Ken Whitney

* Plant-Animal Interactions ­ from Genetics to Ecology

Linguistics

Dr. Amy Franklin

* Gesture as a Language: Home Sign Systems
* Language Acquisition in Cochlear Implanted Children
* Gesture and Speech

Mechanical Engineering and Material Science

Dr. Andrew Dick

* Nonlinear Dynamics in Tapping-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy

Dr. Tayfun Tezduyar

* Computer Modeling in Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics
* Computer Modeling of Parachute Aerodynamics

Physics and Astronomy

Dr. Reginald Dufour

* Astronomical Observations with a Computerized Telescope

Dr. David Alexander

* Exploring the Physics of Space Weather

Political Science

Dr. Keith Hamm

* The Impact of Campaign Finance Laws in the U.S. States and Canadian Provinces

Dr. Melissa Marschall

* Immigrant Parent Involvement in Schools, Communities, and Politics

* Minority Incorporation in Local Politics

Dr. Ric Stoll

* Events Data Project
* Economic Tools Used by States to Pursue Foreign Policy

Psychology

Dr. Michael Byrne

* Usability and Voting Technology

Dr. Tatiana Schnur

* Language Production in Unimpaired and Brain-Damaged Populations

Dr. James Pomerantz

* Visual Perception

Religious Studies

Dr. Jeffrey Kripal

* Esalen, the New Age, and the History of American Religion

Sociology

Dr. Jennifer Bratter

* Biracialism and Personal Narrative

Dr. Bridget Gorman

* Social Determinants of Health

Dr. Michael Lindsay

* The Social Dynamics of Leadership

Dr. Elizabeth Long

* Current Issues in Sustainability and the Environmental Movement
* Biracialism and Personal Narrative

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