UROP Proceedings 2015-16
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Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Proceedings 2015-16 Table of Content Message from the President ii UROP Overview 2015-16 iii Abstracts of UROP Projects – 2015-16* School of Science 2-29 (CHEM, LIFS, MATH, PHYS) School of Engineering 31-66 (CBME, CIVL, CSE, ECE, IELM, MAE) School of Business & Management 68-78 (ECON, FINA, ISOM, MARK, MGMT) School of Humanities & Social Science 80-87 (HUMA, SOSC) * Abstracts from each School are listed first by alphabetical order of Department code, and then by alphabetical order of Advisor’s surname. Summary of UROP Courses UROP 1000 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (0 credit with stipend option, offered in summer session only) UROP 1100 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Series 1 (1 credit, offered throughout the year) UROP 2100 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Series 2 (1 credit, offered throughout the year; prerequisite is pass in UROP1100, with approval by project advisor) UROP 3100 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Series 3 (1 credit, offered throughout the year; prerequisite is pass in UROP2100, with approval by project advisor) UROP 4100 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Series 4 (1 credit, offered throughout the year; prerequisite is pass in UROP3100, with approval by project advisor) Message from the President As a research-focused university, we have established utilize the most advanced resources that were typically ourselves in just two decades and risen fast through accessible only to postgraduate students in the past. pioneering research breakthroughs. The Under the guidance of corresponding faculty Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program supervisors, I am proud to see our undergraduate (UROP) has long been supporting the university’s students are committed to research across different educational framework by offering unique research disciplines with critical thinking, open-mindedness and learning experience to undergraduate students in the a can-do attitude, and their endeavors and hard work early years of their academic life. are summarized through these proceedings. Since its launch in 2005, UROP has gained I would like to take this opportunity to express my recognition from our faculty members as well sincere gratitude to the contribution of our as undergraduate students. In the faculty members for shouldering additional 2015–2016 academic year, approximately responsibilities with dedicated efforts. With the 150 faculty members have offered over 300 encouraging achievements, I ask for your research projects, and nearly 400 continued support and participation in UROP students have conducted to promote and cultivate the research research in their areas of culture among the HKUST community. interest. We value the Join us with this innovative spirit to importance of knowledge uphold HKUST’s reputation as a transfer and production from source of first-rate academic our students at their first stage research! of tertiary education. Through UROP, students can apply their Sincerely, solid academic knowledge by Tony F Chan learning from our renowned President researchers. Moreover, participants HKUST are granted the opportunities to ii UROP Overview 2015–16 In the 2015–16 academic year, the Undergraduate 2016 Mr. Armin and Mrs. Lilian Kitchell Research Opportunities Program (UROP) continued Undergraduate Research Award and UROP to gain significant attention on the Clear Water Bay Faculty Research Award campus. Approximately 30% of the university’s faculty members have contributed to the program by offering over 300 projects this year, and nearly 400 undergraduate students have enrolled to UROP to kick start their journey as a researcher. Of the many students who have joined the program since its establishment, about one-third have pursued postgraduate studies, either locally in Hong Kong or in leading overseas higher education institutions after The Mr. Armin and Mrs. Lilian Kitchell graduation. These motivating figures show that UROP Undergraduate Research Award is exclusively is an excellent platform for our undergraduate awarded to UROP participants in HKUST starting from students to take academic research as a potential 2010. The Award aims to encourage promising UROP career, as well as to commit to advancing knowledge students with outstanding academic strength and within our university. potential to continue their journey in research. In 2016, UROP supervisors nominated 20 of their students, among whom 10 candidates were shortlisted and invited to provide a final presentation on their research findings to the UROP Advisory Board (composed of seven members across different schools). After a comprehensive and careful selection process, 6 awardees were announced at the UROP Award Presentation Ceremony held on April 18, 2016. We also embraced the second year of the UROP Faculty Research Award, which was presented to the supervising team of each student awardee for their dedicated efforts in mentoring these students. All finalists’ research posters were exhibited at the Academic Concourse at HKUST during the UROP Week 2016 (April 18 to 22, 2016). iii Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Proceedings 2015-16 SCHOOL OF SCIENCE School of Science Department of Chemistry Department of Chemistry Modeling Protein-ligand Interactions Using Docking and Other Computational Tools Advisor: HUANG Xuhui / CHEM Student: CHUA Wan Zhen / SSCI UROP Course: UROP1100, Summer 2016 The DNA glycoslase AlkD is a DNA repair enzyme, with a unique mechanism: It recognizes abnormal base pairs by interacting with the phosphoribose backbone rather than directly interacting with mutated base pairs. The main purpose of this project is to determine the dynamics of protein diffusion along the DNA molecule and its implication in the search for a target mutated DNA sequence. Determining the accurate mechanism of action of AlkD is highly essential for ensuring a highly efficient and rapid protein–DNA association. Advisor: HUANG Xuhui / CHEM Student: LI Han / BCB UROP Course: UROP1100, Summer 2016 Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, a molecular modeling approach performed by solving Newton’s equations, is useful for simulating time-related microscopic events. This report reviews the general principles and some technical details of MD simulation by describing the rundown on the basis of a commonly used software, GROMACS. Development of Organocatalytic Reactions Advisor: SUN Jianwei / CHEM Student: CHEUNG Man Hong Andy / SSCI-IRE UROP Course: UROP1100, Summer 2016 In this study, the addition of indole derivatives and other nucleophiles to a tertiary or quaternary propargylic alcohol was investigated. Different propargylic alcohols and nucleophiles were allowed to react, with a Brønsted acid (BINOL-NTf) as a catalyst. The effects of the substituents on reaction time and yield were studied. The results demonstrated that indoles substituted with EDGs or EWGs can react with propargylic alcohol. Furthermore, strong EDGs attached to an indole can accelerate the reaction and improve product purity. Alkyl groups on propargylic alcohols had very little effect on the reaction. In addition, thioacetic acid is a potential sulfur source for propargylic alcohols. Thus, strong EDGs can be attached to indole before the nucleophilic attack of indoles on propargylic alcohols during total synthesis of indole-containing compounds. Design and Synthesis of Functional Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogens and Their Biological Applications Advisor: TANG Benzhong / CHEM Student: PARK Hojeong / BCB UROP Course: UROP1100, Fall 2015 UROP2100, Spring 2016 In cell biology, the importance of fluorescent dyes has increased because they facilitate the visualization of morphological changes in specific organelles. To study the morphology of specific organelles, specific and photostable fluorescent probes are required. In this study, a cell membrane-targeting dye with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics, namely AS2CP-TPA, was synthesized by linking methylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate with a donor–acceptor-type fluorescent dye. The extended electronic conjugation results in a longer absorption wavelength and higher molar absorptivity. Its nanoaggregates exhibited AIE characteristic, bright red emission, high fluorescence quantum efficiency, high bio-compatibility, and high resistance to photo-blenching. These highly remarkable attributes render this probe a promising long-term cell tracer and a great tool for detecting long-term morphological changes in the cell membrane. 2 | Page School of Science Department of Chemistry Advisor: TANG Benzhong / CHEM Student: DENG Weisi / CHEM UROP Course: UROP1100, Summer 2016 Self-healing polymers have attracted great attention from scientists because their useful lifespan automatically extends, improving the reliability of the mechanical component and preventing the unnecessary waste of resources. Although the healing process can be accomplished without manual intervention, the flaws in these materials should be identified to minimize the negative effects of material degradation during further modification in future design and fabrication. Herein, we review some reported discovery in the field of self-healing polymers as well as explore the possibility of combining aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and self-healing polymers on the basis of dynamic-covalent boroxine bonds. By using these cross-linkers, fractures in TPE rotors can be easily located by simply observing color change caused by concentration change. Development