SPOKANE, WA (April 16-18, 2015): NC State sailors work hard on the water and in the gym to be the best athletes they can be. They also work hard in the classroom and are active contributors to our University community, as well as the academic community at large. As the home of "Think and Do" it's only appropriate that two of our veteran NC State sailing student-athletes, junior Paulina Spencer and sophomore April Lamb will be presenting at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research this week at Eastern Washington University near Spokane, Washington. They are a part of the 13 student delegation from NC State to attend this conference and present.
The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) is an interdisciplinary conference where students representing universities and colleges from all around the U.S., and internationally, present their research and creative works in oral, poster and performance/visual arts presentations. The mission of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) is to promote undergraduate research scholarship and creative activity done in partnership with faculty or other mentors as a vital component of higher education.
NC State sailing student-athletes Paulina Spencer (Jr., Raleigh, NC) and April Lamb (So., China Grove, NC) present research at a national conference this week.
Paulina Spencer, a Mathematics major from Raleigh and the current NC State Sailing Team captain, will be presenting research on the evaluation of bees using technology entitled Evaluating Honey Bee Grooming Behavior Using Digital Image Processing. The goal of the research project was to determine if different commercial stocks of honey bees exhibited different self-grooming rates. To do this, Spencer and her team analyzed and calibrated videos (of each commercial stock) using polynomial regression methods and then analyzed the pixel data in MATLAB. We calculated the grooming rates using logistic differential equations and compared them via ANOVA statistical analysis.
April Lamb, a Zoology major from China Grove, NC and women's team skipper, will be presenting on her genetic research in coral fish entitled "Characterizing Neuronal Expression of GnRH1 in Stressed vs. Unstressed Thalassoma Bifasciatum Using Non-radioactive in situ Hybridization." For her project, Lamb and her team looked at the characterizing expression of the gene Gonadotropin releasing hormone I (GnRH1) in the Bluehead wrasse, a sex changing coral reef fish. GnRH1 is expressed in the brain and regulates several reproductive functions, making it essential to the success and survival of a species.
"I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities that NC State has provided me," said Lamb. "Especially for this experience in sharing my work and interests with individuals from around the country."
