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Newsletter The Voice of Science www.kyscience.org Susan Templeton, Editor January 2012 in Kentucky From the President... Enhanced Affiliates Bellarmine University Welcome to 2012, and many warm wishes for an inspired, productive and rewarding new year. It is my Berea College honor and privilege to serve as Kentucky Academy of Science President in 2012. I look forward to an Brescia University exciting and challenging year, and one in which I invite and encourage your active participation and Centre College involvement. KAS has frequently been referred to as the "Voice for Science" in the Commonwealth, Eastern Kentucky University and I and the rest of the KAS Governing Board would like to invite you, as a KAS member - be you Georgetown College university/college faculty, graduate or undergraduate student, industry scientist, K-12 teacher or Kentucky Community & interested layperson - to become part of the chorus. There are many opportunities for you to become Technical College System involved. Kentucky State University Midway College We ended this past year with a very successful Annual Meeting at Murray State University. Many Morehead State University thanks to Dr. Steve Cobb (Dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology), to the Murray State University Organizing Committee and to the many student volunteers for the hours they put in to make the 2011 Northern Kentucky University meeting such an outstanding one. Thank you for your warm and gracious welcome. It was definitely Spalding University worth the drive! And thank you to all the members - faculty, research scientists, and students - who Transylvania University University of Kentucky made the trip to Murray State to present your research and to participate in the many discussions. You, University of Louisville too, were integral to the meeting's energy and success. Western Kentucky University One session at the Annual Meeting which generated significant discussion and "buzz" was the Friday Honorary Patron Symposium entitled "Kentucky Museum of Natural History: Present and Future." A panel of experts Lumins Associates including Dr. Don Chesnut (President; Kentucky Museum of Natural History Project), Dr. Frank Sustaining Member - $500 level Ettensohn (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Kentucky), Donald S. Campbellsville University Dott Esq. (Executive Director, Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission) and Mr. Kent Member - $250 level Whitworth (Executive Director; Kentucky Historical Society; Thomas C. Clark Center for Kentucky Asbury University History) were led by Dr. Judy Voelker in a discussion of the past, present and future of a Kentucky Kentucky American Water Museum of Natural History. In the year 2000, Senate Bill 216 was introduced to the General Company Assembly, by Senator Pendleton, proposing the creation of a state natural history museum. The bill Kentucky Wesleyan College went to the House floor in March of that year and was passed unanimously but without funding. A Lindsey Wilson College Kentucky Natural History Museum Board was established to further investigate and facilitate the Thomas More College University of Pikeville establishment of such a museum, but, for various reasons (lack of funding being one), ceased to be an University of the Cumberlands active and functioning committee. The dream was, however, not forgotten and has been kept flickering Wood Hudson Cancer in the shadows for several years. We (KAS) were able to bring the idea of a Kentucky Natural History Research Laboratory Museum back into the light at the 2011 meeting. Both Mr. Dott and Mr. Whitworth, who by their Associate Member - $100 level position are members of the Natural History Museum Board, provided many insights and were very WKU Crawford Hydrology encouraging in efforts to revitalize the museum project. They applauded the grass-roots work of Drs. Lab Chesnut and Ettensohn and encouraged members to think broadly about museums in an age of WKU Hoffman technology and active engagement. The KAS Governing Board will be taking up the question of how Environmental Research we might be of service in supporting efforts to establish a Natural History Museum in Kentucky at our Institute Board meeting in February. Many individuals who were present at the 2011 Annual Meeting Faculty, staff and students at Enhanced (continued on page 7) Affiliate member organizations receive: · free KAS membership New Journal on Undergraduate Research · online access to KAS Journal Inside this issue and Mentoring ..................................................... 9 · KAS Newsletter via e-mail Science Across the Commonwealth Editor’s Note: When viewing the 2011 Annual Meeting Report....................................... 2 2012 Posters-at-the-Capitol ...................................... 10 Newsletter in Acrobat Reader the Messages from the Executive Director ....................... 2 Kentucky Space Initiates Dropzone Program ........... 10 Table of Contents (TOC) contains live 2011 Undergrad. Research Competition Winners ...... 3 Kentucky to Host 2012 NIH SBIR/STTR links to each article; at the bottom 2011 Superlative Awards ......................................... 4-6 Conference ........................................................ 10 right of each page is a link back to Call for Nominations for Superlative Awards............. 6 Darwin: Demon or Revolutionary? ........................... 10 the TOC! 2012 KAS Annual Meeting ......................................... 7 2012 Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair ......... 11 The KAS Newsletter is published in KAS Research Funds .................................................. 7 Kentucky Junior Academy of Science ...................... 11 January, May and August. Current 2011 Graduate Research Winners ............................... 7 Third Annual University of Kentucky STEM and archived issues are available at www.kyscience.org. You may contact KAS Governing Board Updates .................................. 8 Education Symposium ...................................... 11 the KAS Newsletter Editor at New Editor Selected for the KAS Journal .................. 8 Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund: [email protected]. 2012 Sectional Officers ............................................... 9 CONSERVE KENTUCKY .............................. 12 2011 Annual Meeting Report Messages from the Executive Director The 97th meeting of the Kentucky Academy of Science was held at Thank you to everyone who helped in the making of a very Murray State University on November 4-5, 2011. The meeting was successful 2011 KAS Annual Meeting! This event would not be very well attended with a total of 616 individuals in attendance which possible without the support of our 2011 sponsors, so a special included the all important speakers, exhibitors and sponsors. thanks to: The meeting started on Friday evening with the Symposium. The well Platinum: Agilent Technologies received Symposium was a panel discussion entitled "Kentucky American Synthetic Rubber Company Museum of Natural History: Present and Future." The Symposium Gold: MPD, Inc; Sud-Chemie, Inc was presided over by Dr. Judy Voelker with the four member panel Silver: Eastern Kentucky University Graduate School consisting of Dr. Don Chesnut, Jr., Dr. Frank Ettensohn, Mr. Donald Friend: Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation Dott and Mr. Kent Whitworth. KAS would also like to thank our exhibitors: Agilent Technologies, Saturday had a full day of presentations, both power point and American Synthetic Rubber Company, B&B Microscopes, Ltd., posters, with the well attended afternoon Plenary Session being the Kentucky Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (KBRIN), final presentation which was presided over by Dr. Dawn Anderson. Kentucky Institute of International Studies at WKU, Midway The speaker was Dr. Sean Clark of Berea College whose topic was College School of Pharmacy, Murray State University Graduate "Fields of Learning: The Student Farm Movement in North America." School, University of Kentucky’s College of Pharmacy and The Kentucky Association of Physics Teachers under the guidance of Integrated Biomedical Science, University of Louisville’s Dr. Richard Gelderman presented on Saturday morning a two-part Integrated Programs in Biomedical Sciences and School of workshop: a hands-on experience "Making Magnetism Visible" and a Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies, University Press of panel discussion on "Benefits and Costs of Students Participation in Kentucky, VWR International, and Western Kentucky University State and National Science Competitions." Saturday afternoon under Ogden College of Science and Engineering. the guidance of Mr. Glenn Campbell and Dr. Demetrio Zourarakis the Everyone at MSU displayed amazing hospitality to all the KAS Mid-America Remote Sensing Center (MARC) of Murray State Univ. meeting attendees. The MSU Local Arrangement Committee took hosted a Symposium on Geotechnologies and Geography Synergies. care of every detail. I would like to acknowledge the entire MSU The meeting concluded with the Awards Banquet. The winners of the College of Science, Engineering & Technology and specifically Dr. Superlative Awards, the URCs and GRCs are provided elsewhere in Robert Pervine who served as Chair of the Local Arrangements, Ms. Rhonda Rogers who worked many extra hours and served as this Newsletter. There were 161 power point presentations with 75 Assistant Chair of the Local Arrangements, Ms. Angela Guyton for entering the URC