(KINGSVILLE, 05/27/96) - - Chemical engineering majors Stephanie Dean and Melissa Fulton, both sophomores from Corpus Christi, won first place in the undergraduate research competition held in April by the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Presenting their winning project entitled "Bioremediation of Oil Spills," Dean and Fulton conducted their research under the direction of Dr. Andrew Ernest, assistant professor of environmental engineering.
"We did nutrient tests which analyzed the nitrates and phosphates present," said Fulton.
"The nitrates act as the food for the bacteria to break down the oil spill and the phosphates act like vitamins."
"We subjected the 'microcosms' to a semi-diurnal tidal cycle using sea water in the green houses behind the (Dotterweich) Engineering Building and daily gathered water specimens which we tested in the lab for concentrations of nutrients."
The results of their research findings are expected in June.
When asked why she selected chemical engineering for a career, Fulton said that her father is an industrial engineer and she has always done well in math.
Second place in the competition went to senior mechanical engineering major Diana Hernandez of Waxahachie for her presentation, "A Digital Image Strain Displacement / Measuring Technique." Her research advisor was Carlos Corleto, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering.
"The students involved in the third annual research competition are undergraduates who have the unique opportunity to work with engineering faculty members and graduate students on specialized research projects," said Jorja Kimball, program coordinator and Assistant to the Dean of the College of Engineering.
"Each year the competition increases due to the quality of the presentations and the program has shown great success, with a majority of the students participating in the Undergraduate Researchers Program choosing to go on to graduate school for their masters or Ph.D. degrees," she said.
The winning team of Dean and Fulton received a $500 travel allowance to help with expenses when they attend a professional conference to present their research findings.
There was a total of five entries in the competition. Students were judged on merit and technical content, presentation ability and materials.
Competition judges were Katherine Price, visiting associate professor of geology and environmental science from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Randall Nichols, senior engineer with Reynolds Metals in Corpus Christi and Dr. Shinya Ochiai, research fellow of the Instrument Society of America and researcher at the Hoechst Celanese Technical Center in Corpus Christi.
-TAMUK-
-Mary Daniel