Welcome to the

Office of Undergraduate Research

 

Current Opportunities:

Please scroll down to see which opportunities are compatible with your major, field of interest, or future career objectives, then contact Dr. Capilouto for an appointment.

Opportunities below are open to all majors!

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Title of Opportunity: Video Self-Monitoring as a Teaching Tool for Undergraduate and Graduate SLP Students

Division/Department: Communication Sciences & Disorders

Faculty Mentor: Joneen Lowman

Position Type:  Academic Credit or Volunteer

Position Availability:

       Summer and Fall 2013

Description: Research indicates that learning of new skills is enhanced when the learner can observe himself/herself engaging in the target behavior. This self-observation is referred to as video self-monitoring. Previous research of video self-monitoring has been conducted with pre-service teachers and paraprofessionals but not with undergraduate and graduate students majoring in speech-language pathology. This summer video self-monitoring will be utilized with undergraduate and graduate students participating in a summer enrichment program for kindergarten students. I am seeking a student to assist me in the analyses of videos as part of the research study. The qualifying student must be willing and able to 1) complete the mandatory IRB training which is available on-line for free, 2) be available to meet with me daily then weekly from June 24 – August 2 and in the fall, and 3) have access to a computer and internet. As video self-monitoring is applicable across disciplines, an interest in speech-language pathology is not a requirement.

Prerequisites:

Any major in good standing with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.

Date Posted: 3/29/13

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Title of Opportunity: Orofacial Sensorimotor Assessment in Healthy Adults

Division/Department: Communication Sciences & Disorders

Faculty Mentor: Richard Andreatta/ Nicole Etter

Position Type:  Academic Credit or Volunteer

Position Availability:

       Spring, Summer, and Fall 2013

Description: Motor control theories in limb studies indicate that maintaining skilled behaviors requires consistent, accurate, and precise feedback from sensory endings. This study is designed to begin to evaluate the sensation-production relationship during skilled speech-like behavior across the adult lifespan. Speech is a highly-skilled behavior requiring tactile and auditory feedback to learn and maintain. In this study, healthy adults (18 years +) will complete two testing protocols: 1) vibratory sensation threshold testing on the lips and 2) skilled speech-like force accuracy testing. We are looking for a student who is willing to help in subject recruitment and scheduling, laboratory testing/assessment with training and guidance, and/or data analysis.

Prerequisites:

Any major in good standing with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.

Date Posted: 3/18/13

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Title of Opportunity: Family Quality of Life in the Context of Children with Disabilities

Division/Department: Human Health Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Stephen Firsing or office (859)218-0490

Position Type:  Academic Credit or Volunteer

Position Availability:

       Spring and Summer, 2013

Description: Person will work with the faculty member to administer data from an ongoing cross-sectional research study about families in Alabama with a child member (ages 0-5 years) with and without a disability (acquired and developmental). The research study includes three main outcomes: Family Quality of Life, Parental Responsibilities, and Sibling Relationships. Person will work with the faculty member, other researchers and disability service providers to develop scholarly publications/presentations, grant proposals, and Institutional Review Board protocols. Person may also conduct systematic reviews of related literature.

Prerequisites:

Interest in disability and health, research methods, biostatistics, and service delivery systems. Prefer person with SPSS experience, but not required. Person will need to complete Human Subject Protection (HSP) Training.

Date Posted: 3/18/13

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Title of Opportunity: Cellular mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy

Division/Department: Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Esther Dupont-Versteegden, Ph.D., (859) 218-0592

Position Type:  Academic Credit or Volunteer

Position Availability:

       Spring, Summer, and Fall 2013

Description: Skeletal muscle atrophy is a condition that is associated with aging, muscle diseases, disuse and various other ailments and directly affects the quality of life of afflicted individuals. In my laboratory we study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy and the recovery from atrophy after a period of disuse. Students will be able to learn different cellular pathways involved in muscle atrophy and growth and will measure different components of molecules involved.

Date Posted: 1/08/13

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Title of Opportunity: Social Network Analysis After Stroke

Division/Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders

Faculty Mentor: Sarah Campbell, MS, (859) 218-0876

Position Type:  Academic Credit or Volunteer

Position Availability:

       1 or 2 students needed Summer 2013

Description: The focus of this project is to study the change in the social network after an individual has had a stroke. This will be done from the perspective of the spouse or significant other. We study this through a questionnaire format, initiated when the patient has been admitted to the hospital for a stroke. This questionnaire will provide us information about the individual’s social network and social activities before the stroke. Then we will complete similar follow up questionnaires via phone several months after the stroke. In this project, students will be able to assist with screening patients for recruitment, obtaining consent to participate, providing the questionnaires to the significant others, and gathering the information via phone. We are looking for students that have a strong work ethic, good organizational skills, motivation, and excellent interaction skills. Students who are interesting in working in a medical setting in the future will enjoy this opportunity to be in a medical setting and interact with patients.

Date Posted: 3/19/13

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Title of Opportunity: Shared Book Learning as a Strategy for Language Development

Division/Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders

Faculty Mentor: Donna S. Morris, (859) 218-0554

Position Type:  Academic Credit

Position Availability:

       Spring 2013

Description: This one-credit hour research experience will provide students with an opportunity to actively engage in service learning and develop their clinical skills relative to shared book reading (SBR). SBR has been shown to contribute to concept and language expansion, development of literacy skills (functions of print, word recognition, etc.). Students will be involved in a supervised, structured SBR experience at the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass that includes an opportunity to observe effective SBR, learn strategies for improving language and literacy through SBR, and considerations in selecting the books to use for SBR. We are looking for students that have a strong work ethic, good organizational skills, are highly motivated, and demonstrate excellent interaction skills.

Prerequisites:

Must be registered for CSD 481 in the same semester you plan to receive credit for HSE 595

Date Posted: 9/6/12

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Division/Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders/Dept. of Rehab Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joseph C. Stemple, joseph.stemple@uky.edu

Position Type:  Academic Credit or Volunteer

Position Availability:

       Spring & Summer 2013

Description:

In older individuals, changes in the laryngeal muscles may compromise voice quality, impairing the ability to communicate and diminishing the ability to remain socially active and engaged. This project examines the muscle biophysiological changes that occur as a function of exercise and training using a well-accepted animal model for aging. We are using chronic electrical stimulation as a fictive endurance "exercise" program in aging rat laryngeal muscle to characterize the morphological, metabolic, and functional changes consequent to the fictive exercise model. Students will acquire experience in various aspects of the research process including, but not limited to, experimental procedures, data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation. Students will be trained to run the daily experimental protocol (morning/afternoon) and will help with data processing and analysis (histology, histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry).

Prerequisites:

Student must be able to commit 5-8 hours per week. Any major in good standing with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.

Date Posted: 7/20/12

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Neurological Assessment of Sport-Related Concussion   

 

Division/Department: Division of Physical Therapy / Rehabilitation Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Scott Livingston

Position Type: Academic credit or volunteer

Position Availability:

     0 opening for Summer (2013), TBA Fall (2013), and TBA Spring (2014)

Description:

Current research in the Concussion Assessment Research Lab (CARL) involves the acute assessment of concussions among middle school, high school, and collegiate athletes. Our aim is to quantify the electrophysiological changes associated with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion and determine the clinical utility of motor evoked potentials (or MEPs) following sports-related concussion. Evoked responses are elicited through a technique known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (or TMS) and recorded as motor responses through surface electromyography (or EMG). Investigation of MEPs in an athletic population will increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of concussive injuries and, ultimately, will assist in the management and safe return to play of the athlete with mild TBI.

Additional research in the CARL includes balance and postural stability assessments post-concussion and correlating these results with MEP changes.  We are evaluating the motor and vestibular contributions to postural stability/balance among athletes post-concussion.  Deficits in balance and stability after concussion have been well-documented in the medical literature, but it remains unknown to what extent motor and/or vestibular dysfunction may play a role. Results from this type of study will improve our ability to identify athletes who have sustained a concussion, and should also provide valuable information that can be used in designing effective rehabilitation programs.

Last Updated: 3/19/13   

* If interested, click here to request an appointment.

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Knee and hip injury biomechanics

 

Division/Department: Physical Therapy/Dept of Rehab Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Brian Noehren, PhD

Phone: 859-218-0581

Position Type:  Academic Credit

Position Availability: Summer and Fall 2013

Description:

We are focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms  in several common injuries that occur in the lower extremity.  We use a variety of methods to answer our questions such as 3D motion capture, strength assessment and clinical measurements.  We also use and develop computer code to process and analyze the data we collect. Students working in our lab serve in a variety of capacities such as observing clinical evaluations, assisting in data collections and processing data.  The undergraduate students working in our lab gain an understanding of anatomy, common clinical assessment techniques, and  joint mechanics. Leadership opportunities also exist for students who return for a second semester to develop and present an abstract at a regional or national conference and to help train and supervise newer students.  We are looking for students who have a good attention to detail, strong work ethic, are interested in a future career in a medical field and enjoy working in a team environment.


Prerequisite: Must be current Junior or Sophomore with at least a 3.4-3.5 GPA; prefer students interested in PT school, but open to any post professional med desires.
Last Updated
: 3/19/13   

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Comparison of Coherence and Cohesion in the Recounts of Persons with Non aphasic Brain Injury and Healthy Controls

 

Division/Department: Communication Sciences and Disorders/Rehabilitation Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Gilson Capilouto, PhD/Katie Maddy

Phone: 859-218-0555

Position Type:  Academic Credit or Volunteer

Position Availability: Spring 2013

Description:

Currently, there is limited research in the area of discourse production of individuals with non-aphasic brain injury (NABI). Coelho et al. (2005) looked at the discourse production of individuals with non-aphasic traumatic brain injury (TBI). Results indicated that participants with TBI demonstrate relatively preserved within sentence processes in discourse, but impairments were noted for between-sentence processes. Peach & Schaude (1986) reported opposite findings for persons with NABI. The purpose of the current study is to analyze the between-sentence processes of local coherence, global coherence and cohesion in the context of a recount task in individuals with NABI and healthy controls. The student will assist in the analyses of local coherence, global coherence and cohesion and help to establish inter- and intra- rater reliability for all measures of interest. Skills obtained will prepare the student for discourse analyses in the clinical setting.


Prerequisite: Communication Sciences and Disorders major preferred but not required.
Last Updated
: 11/19/12   

* If interested, click here to request an appointment.

 

 

Interested?

Download your syllabus/contract here!

 

Questions about a specific opportunity?

Feel free to contact:

Dr. Gilson Capilouto
859-218-0555
gjcapi2@uky.edu

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