The following projects will be a part of UGROW 23. Details about each appear below. Student applicants can select and rank up to three.
| Project title | Mentor | Department |
| A Comparative Study of two Matrix Multiplication Algorithms under current hardware architectures | Colmenares | Computer Science |
| Membrane Distillation for Clean Water Production | Elsharafi | Engineering |
| Looking at Practices for Students’ Engagement in STEM | Gupta | Undergraduate Education |
| Applying Multiple Geophysical Techniques to a Cemetery Site | Katumwehe | Geosciences |
| Membrane Protein Chaperone Prevents and Disrupts Alpha-Synuclein Protein Aggregation: A Potential Treatment For Parkinson’s disease | Liang | Chemistry |
| Tolstoy's Novella Hadji Murat and the Russian Conquest of the Caucasus | Lodge | English |
| Traditional and remote sensing-based above ground biomass estimate for North Texas tree species. | Mahmud | Geosciences |
| Evaluation of Microbiome Diversity in Chihuahuan Desert Soils | Pegg | Biology |
| Simulation of H-Darrieus Wind Turbine using Fluid Structure Interaction in Ansys Fluent | Pokharel | Engineering |
| Better data ahead part II: creating a new trace-element standard set for x-ray fluorescence analysis | Price | Geosciences |
| Which is which? Finding the differences between two closely-related conodont genera | Rosscoe | Geosciences |
| Quantum physics, magnetism, and formalism of non-equilibrium complex systems | Sharma | Physics |
Dr. Colmenares, Department of Computer Science
Matrix-matrix multiplication most commonly known or referred to as Matrix multiplication is one of the most relevant, applied and important matrix operations. According to [2] traditional applications include, but are not limited to “solution of linear system of equations”, “network theory”, “population modeling” and “transformation of co-ordinate systems”. Matrix multiplication continues to play a pivotal role, now in emerging-scientific-transformational fields such artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL), fields in which it is used to support convolutional neural networks (CNN), which is a kind of network architecture specifically used for image recognition and tasks that involve the processing of pixel data [3].
In recent years, not only have multiple parallel programming paradigms been updated, but novel and innovative architectures have been developed, such is the case of the many-core architectures, which are responsible for the most computational intensive crunching number device to this date the graphic processing unit (GPU). GPU’s have been leading the floating point race for more than one decade now and have fueled the artificial intelligence revolution.
This project proposes the study of one problem “matrix multiplication” using two different valid methodologies and novel hardware architectures capable of providing gains in performance in problems that exhibit data parallelism. The first approach uses the traditional dot product idea, while the second explores Strassen’s algorithm [1].
In order to evaluate the pros and cons of each one of the methodologies and support conclusions, the student will conduct a performance analysis, which requires a sequential and a parallel implementation of both algorithms (dot product and Strassen). This project will reinforce concepts associated with linear algebra, algorithms, computer architecture, GPU-Programming and scientific computing.
[1] Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein, Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition (The MIT Press) 3rd Edition, 2009.
[2] Daniel T. Valentine and Brian D. Hahn, “Cover for Essential MATLAB for Engineers and Scientists”, 8th Edition, 2022
[3] Wen-mei W. Hwu, David B. Kirk and Izzat El Hajj, “Programming Massively Parallel Processors A Hands-on Approach”, 4th Edition , 2022
Dr. Elsharafi, McCoy School of Engineering
Membrane distillation is a water purification process that utilizes a porous membrane to filter out particles such as salt and sand from water. This method uses a pressure difference across the membrane to push water across the membrane barrier and achieve filtration. As the dirty water will be pushed by pressure on one side of the membrane, the water will travel through the membrane and be filtered for contaminants and turn into clean water on the other side. Water purification is a vital process for all mankind as we all need clean, freshwater to survive and water is necessary for many industries. For example, the oil and natural gas industry need to filter and recycle the dirty water they use in their extraction processes. As the membrane is put through filtration cycles, it will naturally lose effectiveness as foreign particles from the dirty water enter it and the porosity (volume of empty space) and permeability (flow output) of the membrane decreases. The longevity of the membrane is a major contributor to the overall cost of the water purification process. Our experiment aims to construct a membrane distillation filtering apparatus, measure the cleanliness of the water, measure the permeability of the membrane after filtration cycles and measure the longevity of the filtration membrane and attempt to increase it by finding optimal flowrate and pressure for the liquid we will be filtering.Membrane distillation is a water purification process that utilizes a porous membrane to filter out particles such as salt and sand from water. This method uses a pressure difference across the membrane to push water across the membrane barrier and achieve filtration. As the dirty water will be pushed by pressure on one side of the membrane, the water will travel through the membrane and be filtered for contaminants and turn into clean water on the other side. Water purification is a vital process for all mankind as we all need clean, freshwater to survive and water is necessary for many industries. For example, the oil and natural gas industry need to filter and recycle the dirty water they use in their extraction processes. As the membrane is put through filtration cycles, it will naturally lose effectiveness as foreign particles from the dirty water enter it and the porosity (volume of empty space) and permeability (flow output) of the membrane decreases. The longevity of the membrane is a major contributor to the overall cost of the water purification process. Our experiment aims to construct a membrane distillation filtering apparatus, measure the cleanliness of the water, measure the permeability of the membrane after filtration cycles and measure the longevity of the filtration membrane and attempt to increase it by finding optimal flowrate and pressure for the liquid we will be filtering.
Dr. Gupta, Department of Undergraduate Education
The purpose of this project would be to analyze various STEM oriented research-based practices and curriculum for school students. The undergraduate student would be creating and organizing the different curriculum, practices, and designing the best-practices for area schools. The purpose would be to use the activities and practices for a week-long summer camp starting next summer along with developing collaborations with the neighboring area schools. The undergraduate student would also be designing and adapting data collecting instruments to be used in the camp.
Dr. Katumwehe, Kimbell School of Geosciences
The Kimbell School of Geosciences was approached by the Director of Petrolia Cemetery in Texas to carry out a nonintrusive forensic search at the burial site on the outskirts of the city of Petrolia, Texas to identify multiple unmarked graves. This study will integrate three geophysical methods in Electromagnetic Induction/Conductivity (EM), Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT), and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to image the subsurface. The results will serve the community in identifying unmarked sites without disturbing the peaceful internment of the buried. Other goals of this research will be: to develop curricular materials that highlight the application of forensic geophysical tools and methods that focus on societally-relevant problems, and to solve environmental problems in a populated setting. The study will improve societal understanding of the field of geosciences and the utility of geophysics beyond oil and gas exploration. The project also supports university engagement with the region.
Dr. Liang, Department of Chemistry and Physics
Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of people worldwide and nearly 1 in every 3 seniors in America who dies in a given year has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Currently available treatments may help relieve some physical or mental symptoms associated with neurodegenerative diseases, but, unfortunately, there is currently no way to slow disease progression and no known cures. The amyloid hypothesis suggests that protein aggregate accumulation in the brain is the primary culprit driving the disease pathogenesis. Consequently, removing or deleting aggregates may open opportunities to stabilize and/or cure these neurodegenerative diseases. My goal is to apply novel membrane protein chaperone as therapeutic agents to use its unique anti-folding and disaggregation properties to strategically develop and characterize an effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Students will have hands-on experience on protein expression in bacteria, protein purification through affinity and ion exchange chromatography, operating fluorescence spectroscopy, and utilizing Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) to determine the novel anti-aggregation function of chaperone into the prevention and disruption of toxic protein aggregates.
Dr. Lodge, Department of English
I am seeking a student for collaboration on a new edition of Tolstoy's Hadji-Murad. The student should have at minimum an interest in literature and/or history, and preferably some interest in Russia and/or colonialism.
The novella, based on historical events, concerns the Russian conquest of the Caucasus in the mid-nineteenth century and the resistance of the native peoples. Tolstoy idealized its hero, whom he referred to as "the leading daredevil" of Chechnya. Tolstoy describes both the colonizing Russianists and the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus, whom he saw as purer and stronger than the Russians.
The focus of the project will be on selecting background materials to be included with the new translation, which will be my fifth for Broadview Press. The background materials are meant to help readers understand the context of the story, and I expect to consider contemporaneous accounts of the war and the Caucasus, literary precedents, and excerpts from Tolstoy's own writings. For more details on my editions of Russian classics, including the type of materials selected in the past, please search for my name on Broadview's website.
Keywords: Russia, the Caucasus, Chechnya, Leo Tolstoy, Russian literature, Russian history, colonialism.
Dr. Mahmud, Kimbell School of Geosciences
Improving the monitoring of tree above ground biomass (AGB) is essential to quantify the amount of carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems, hence assists the forest management to be effective in climate mitigation. Several studies have recently revealed that terrestrial Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing technology can be an alternative, more accurate and precise approach to estimate AGB at tree and stand scale. Latest advancements in LiDAR makes it possible to create detailed three-dimensional (3D) models of individual trees on a centimeter scale. A set of algorithms have been developed that enclose the tree point cloud to create a volume reconstruction that can be further converted to an estimate of AGB using wood basic density. Therefore, we can calculate AGB in a non-destructive and more accurate way compared to current forestry practices. Conventional practices use relationships of tree species and generic allometric equations to estimate AGB. AGB calculated with these methods may be susceptible to errors and uncertainties. This project will evaluate the accuracy of high-resolution LiDAR data and the state-of-the-art digital tree segmentation algorithms to quantify aboveground tree volume, hence accurate AGB estimation of numerous North Texas tree species. One eligible undergraduate student will undertake an analysis to explore ways to improve the post-processing computer algorithms based on the fine-scale ground-truth allometric data. The student will produce a scientific presentation that details the methodology and results of this project and discusses its implications and future research applications at the Fall 2023 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Forum. We will use LiDAR acquired tree point clouds within Midwestern State University campus and analyze the data with multiple tree segmentation / modeling algorithms. We will then validate the estimated above ground attributes by comparing them to the actual field measurements. By analyzing 3D reconstruction models utilizing the point cloud, we will investigate the accuracy of the algorithms to find the best possible one for North Texas tree species. More importantly, we will utilize the unprecedented details from LiDAR measurements to generate useful tools for forest structure and growth data. This is crucial because of its implication in larger scales such as for local/regional forests by using satellite-derived data. This technique provides a non-destructive approach for estimating tree AGB and has real-world impacts on local stakeholders by informing them of the potential of LiDAR technology and data-based practical recommendations of terrestrial carbon sink and sustainable forestry management strategies.
Dr. Pegg, Department of Biology
Soils serve as essential components to the establishment and development of plant life. Desert soils are notable for their relative thinness, yet significant complexity with respect to their abiotic and biotic components despite extremes in temperature and precipitation. Microorganisms in these soils form communities known as microbiomes that interact with plant root systems through beneficial or pathogenic relationships. These relationship may result in significant changes to a plant's metabolism and physiology. However, the diversity of soil microorganism communities are poorly characterized in many desert environments. In this project, soil samples from multiple locations within the Chihuahan Desert of southwest Texas will be evaluated to identify the specific bacterial, fungal and eukaryotic organisms comprising these microbiomes. Experimentation will consist of culturing samples in petri dishes with selective media to isolate specific microorganisms, measurement of growth rates in controlled conditions and quantification of soil sample structural/chemical characteristics. Students will have an opportunity to travel to the Dalquest Desert Research Station to collect further samples and experience field work in a desert ecosystem. The product of this research will be a presentation and report correlating differences in microorganism community composition to soil characteristics and reported plant species at the sample sites.
Dr. Pokharel, McCoy School of Engineering
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) are at the forefront for wind energy research. Among the VAWTs, H-Darrieus type of turbines are widely used and studied. Ansys is a software with capability of simulating fluid flows and solid bodies. Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) couples the physics between fluid flows and solid bodies. Whenever any fluid interacts with solid bodies, they exert fluid pressure which acts as stresses on the bodies. The bodies then begin to react to this imposed stresses. The FSI models in Ansys Fluent accurately capture these interactions. For wind turbines, FSI models will be able to study the interaction between the wind and the turbines. When the wind passes through the VAWTs, the turbine rotates producing power. Since VAWTs are vertical, the interaction of the wind around the turbine blades are complex, and a better understanding of this interaction will lead to design of more efficient turbines. As a part of UGROW 2023, this proposed research will employ student worker to design a VAWT in SolidWorks, export to Ansys and then simulate using FSI models. The student worker required should have knowledge of SolidWorks or any other CAD software. A knowledge of simulation using any standard software is desirable but not required. Ansys Fluent simulation will be learnt by the student with help from the instructor during the course of the research. After successful simulation, analysis will be done to understand the impact of the fluid (wind) around the turbine to produce power. faculty mentor.
Dr. Price, Kimbell School of Geosciences
Geochemistry is served by accurate data collection. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis is a technique that rapidly ascertains the concentration of elements in solids and liquids by measuring the intensity of their characteristic x-ray peaks. But accurate quantitative assessment of multi-elemental materials (such as rocks) requires careful calibration against a known set of standards; these standards need to share the bulk properties of the unknown samples to be analyzed. Last year. Chelsee Kirk and Nathalie Devoir successfully created a set that works well with major-element oxides (the most abundant ten elements in rocks) and selected trace-elements by creating glass discs made from a new standard set. Glass discs have some advantages for analysis, but because the glass is largely a lithium-borate flux material, it dilutes the rock chemistry, obscuring elements in low-abundance.
To expand on trace elements, UGROW 23 is supporting a project to aid in developing a new standard set. The project involves the careful preparation of international standard reference materials as well as well-characterized in-house materials. The student researcher will be fully involved in the preparation of the standard set, and the construction of an analytical routine on the instrument. The researcher will learn facets of analytical chemistry, preparation of crystalline materials, contamination reduction techniques, fluorescence resolution, and statistical evaluation of chemical data. Successful work will produce and test a new series standards and instrument settings, noting improvements over the prior materials and instrument protocols. Although a familiarity with chemistry and earth materials is useful, no prior knowledge is required; all necessary training will be provided by the faculty mentor.
Dr. Rosscoe, Kimbell School of Geosciences
In paleontology, the same shapes and forms are often evolved independently, again and again, over time. This process of iterative evolution makes it challenging to distinguish closely-related organisms when there is a limited amount of morphological variation to take advantage of. In this project, the student will image and perform detailed measurements of two conodont genera that are so similar they are often only separated based on the age of the rocks they are found in. Cavusgnathus is recognized as Mississippian in age and Adetognathus is recognized as Pennsylvanian in age. A collection of Adetognathus from the Dennis Formation of Oklahoma and a collection of Cavusgnathus from the Barnett Shale of Texas will be compared to determine morphological distinctions between the genera.
Dr. Sharma, Department of Chemistry and Physics
Magnetic systems and high energy photons (light) have always played a predominant role in physics, chemistry and other interdisciplinary fields such as information technology and medical fields. Magnetism is intrinsically quantum mechanical in nature, and magnetic ordering can only be explained by use of quantum theory. This continues to do so as we move into the realm of quantum physics because quantum physics is the most fundamental of all scientific theories and is extremely successful in describing the nature and behavior of systems with amazing accuracy. In this research we will review the basics of magnetism and Quantum physics. Then we will apply this to complex systems in general and develop a formalism through which we can provide a detailed explanation of non-equilibrium complex systems. This new formalism will generate multiple master equations for the various complex systems depending on their properties and dynamics. Then we will extend this study to the interactions and the resulting Hamiltonian that governs magnetic phenomena at the heart of these complex systems, and discuss its elementary excitations through the framework of quantum physics. Finally, we will show an example as to how and why this new formalism is a very robust way of describing non-equilibrium complex systems.