Current GREEN Projects
Courses: Chemistry Lab
College: Science
Faculty: Nathan Goldfarb
Purpose
The main objective of this project is to express and purify Hip1, in order to develop novel, potent Hip1 inhibitors developed in the lab.
Courses: FIN 4290 Technology Applications in Personal Financial Planning; CS 2450 Software Engineering
College: Woodbury School of Business and Engineering & Technology
Faculty: Qianwen Bi and Jingpeng Tang
Purpose
The purpose of this research is threefold. The first purpose is to provide UVU students with hands-on opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom to a real-world project. This engaged learning and research project will promote undergraduate research articles on advanced technologies used in the financial service industry. The second purpose is to enrich interdisciplinary intellectual portfolio for faculties from both financial planning and computer science departments. The third purpose is to enhance the university impact and reputation by presenting the research results on which type of Blockchain and AI is the most suitable for financial software design and the contemporary financial software prototype incorporating Blockchain and AI technologies.
Courses: FIN 4290 Technology Applications in Personal Financial Planning; CS 2450 Software Engineering
College: Science
Faculty: Sally Rocks
Purpose
The world is awash in plastic and as the plastic detritus weathers, small particles less than 5 μm in size form. These microplastics are ubiquitous and are present in oceans, fresh water, soils and even the air of cities. Capable of concentrating heavy metals and organic molecules through surface absorption, microplastics bioaccumulate in food webs and can impact human health. It is not known if microplastics are present in Utah waterways or how they may interact with heavy metals and herbicides present in the water. This proposal aims to measure and characterize the microplastic pollution in Utah Valley while engaging UVU students in a research experience that combines lab work with real-world experience.
This proposal is a collaborative effort between the Chemistry, Earth Science and Criminal Justice departments. A group of students in chemistry will collect, purify and analyze samples. However, the analysis of the samples will involve instrumentation, faculty and upper-division students in Chemistry, Earth Science and Forensic Science. The coordination between projects facilitates peer-to-peer learning as advanced students in Earth Science and Forensics work with students from Chemistry to analyze the microplastic samples. The project is designed so that students without upper division chemistry knowledge can become engaged in research early in their academic careers. These students can grow with the project as they follow their samples through the different analysis methodologies and interact with peers in other departments.
Courses: CHEM 1210 Principles of Chemistry; TECH 1010 Understanding Technology
College: Engineering & Technology and Science
Faculty: Armen Ilikchyan and Elena Laricheva
Purpose
The purpose of this project, which combines engaged learning and educational research components, is to develop content-based VR-enhanced instructional materials that improve understanding of the abstract physicochemical concepts in low visual-spatial ability students. To accomplish that we seek funds to: (1) assemble two multi-component VR-enhanced molecular visualization systems that can be used in any STEM classroom or during any STEM event; (2) develop VR instructional materials using the Unity game development platform and open source molecular modeling packages to illustrate abstract physicochemical concepts; and (3) explore the effectiveness of the VR-enhanced instruction on student learning in CHEM 1210.
