CURE Examples


Results 1 - 10 of 22 matches

The Effects of Local Environmental Contaminants on Various Organisms.
Katherine Espinosa, Dutchess Community College
This CURE will be integrated into a first semester General Biology lab at a community college. Students will explore the effects of selected environmental contaminants on the development and population growth of protists, plants and invertebrates. As a class, students will select a contaminant of relevance to their local community to investigate. In teams, students will develop research questions, design and conduct a controlled experiment during the second half of the semester with the goal of understanding the effects of the contaminant on their organism. Population growth and toxicity effects will be measured. At the completion of the experiment, students will communicate their findings orally and in writing.

Discipline: Life Sciences:Plant Biology, Life Sciences, Ecology, Environmental Science
Core Competencies: Analyzing and interpreting data, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Developing and using models, Planning and carrying out investigations, Using mathematics and computational thinking, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
Nature of Research: Basic Research
State: New York
Target Audience: Major, Introductory
CURE Duration: Half a term

Computational modeling of protein-drug interactions and drug screening for neurological diseases
Yuying Gosser, The City College of New York

Discipline: Chemistry:Biochemistry

HAB
Jillian Decker, Rockland Community College
Students will determine causes and biocontrol of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CHABs). Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) represent an increasing threat to New York's waterways and drinking water sources. HAB-associated toxins are known to be both neurotoxic and hepatotoxic in animals and humans, causing cases of animal fatality and human illness in recent years. We propose a CURE to study these blooms and the environmental conditions that promote them. As an additional aim, we intend to study the biodynamics of cyanobacteriophages that infect these algae and explore the possibility of using cyanophages as an option for bloom mitigation.

Discipline: Geoscience:Biogeosciences, Life Sciences:Microbiology, Environmental Science:Water Quality and Quantity, Chemistry:Environmental Chemistry
Core Competencies: Analyzing and interpreting data
Nature of Research: Wet Lab/Bench Research, Applied Research, Field Research, Basic Research
State: New York
Target Audience: Non-major, Major
CURE Duration: A full term

Observational Research Project in Social Psychology
Kimberly Rapoza, Mercy College-Main Campus
This CURE allows students to engage with social psychological concepts and theories, as they develop and apply a research questions to a real world issue of their choosing. It is developed with the skill set of a student in a 200 level course. The research methodology for the projects is based on observational and content analysis projects. If time constraints and IRB approval of projects is an issue, the instructor can have a few projects pre-approved and modify the assessment and group work curriculum accordingly.

Discipline: Social Sciences:Psychology
Core Competencies: Analyzing and interpreting data, Planning and carrying out investigations, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
Nature of Research: Field Research
Target Audience: Non-major, Major
CURE Duration: A full term

Ticks and Tick-borne disease organisms
Monica LeClerc, Jefferson Community College

Exploration and Management of Mastitis-Causing Microbes on Operating Dairy Farms
Kimberly Tarvis, SUNY College of Agric and Techn at Cobleskill
Inflammation of the mammary gland and udder tissue, known as mastitis, is the most prevalent disease contributing to economic loss on dairy farms in the United States (Bar et al., 2008). Mastitis can cause both clinical and subclinicial disease, both of which are losses to a dairies financial viability. A clinical case of mastitis for dairy cows in their second lactation and greater have a 35% chance of premature culling from a herd. Along with this premature exit, the cost per clinical mastitis case in the first 30 days in milk is estimated to be a staggering 4 (Rollin et al., 2015). Subclinicial mastitis cases can lead to over ,500 in monthly loss on dairy farms with 50 cows or less, and over ,000 per month of farms of 500 cows or more. (Ruegg, 2011). The need to identify, quantify and realistically manage these mastitis-causing microbial populations is of the up-most interest to dairy producers. Students in this CURE project will be discovering and quantifying the microbes that found on the SUNY Cobleskill dairy farm and/or surrounding collaborative farms that directly and indirectly cause mastitis in lactating & non-lactating cows and livestock. Once these organisms have been identified, further research will be conducted to analyze management methods to reduce these populations. Emphasis will be placed on practical management of these microbes by producers on operational dairies.

Mercy Marauders: How prevalent are invasive species on the Mercy Campus
Davida Smyth, The New School
Discovery based CURE involving the curation and identification of the native and non-native/invasive species on the Mercy campus. Targeted species could vary from semester to semester and season to season.

Discipline: Life Sciences:Ecology, Environmental Science, Sustainability, Life Sciences:Evolution, Plant Biology, Life Sciences, Zoology, Environmental Science:Ecosystems, Global Change and Climate
Core Competencies: Analyzing and interpreting data, Planning and carrying out investigations, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
Nature of Research: Field Research, Informatics/Computational Research, Wet Lab/Bench Research
State: New York
Target Audience: Introductory, Non-major

Harmful Algal Blooms of NY. "HAB Hunters"
Jeff McLean, Rockland Community College
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) represent an increasing threat to New York's waterways and drinking water sources. HAB-associated toxins are known to be both neurotoxic and hepatotoxic in animals and humans, causing cases of animal fatality and human illness in recent years. We propose a CURE to study these blooms and the environmental conditions that promote them. As an additional aim, we intend to study the biodynamics of cyanobacteriophages that infect these algae and explore the possiblity of using cyanophages as an option for bloom mitigation.

Discipline: Chemistry:Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Science:Ecosystems, Water Quality and Quantity, Global Change and Climate, Land Use and Planning, Life Sciences:Genetics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Evolution, Ecology, Environmental Science:Sustainability, Natural Hazards, Soils and Agriculture
Core Competencies: Planning and carrying out investigations, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Analyzing and interpreting data, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)
Nature of Research: Wet Lab/Bench Research, Applied Research, Basic Research, Field Research
State: New York
Target Audience: Major
CURE Duration: Multiple terms


A. Lucia Fuentes, CUNY La Guardia Community College