Past Project Examples

Sample Proposal #1 Sample Proposal #2

Agronomy & Plant Genetics

• Pollen Viability and Germination of Northern Wild Rice (Zizania Palustris L.)

Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics

• Optimizing the Parameters for the Consensus Approach to Protein Stabilization
• Effects of Human APOBEC3A in a Novel Cancer Model
• Determining the Inhibitory Effect of CaM and FKBP12.6 on Cardiac Calcium Release Channel Model of Heart Failure
• Engineering HUH Endonucleases to Direct DNA Sequence Specificity
• A Proof-of-Concept Study to Develop the Reporter-Based Assay for Identification of Potential Senotherapeutics

Biology

• Using Phenotypic Traits in Brassica Rapa to Measure Abiotic Stress Response
• Metal Contaminants in Floral Nectar
• Investigating the Enzymatic Activity of Nectar Protein NmNec3 and Pigment Precursor Properties in the Color-Changing Nectar of Nesocodon Mauritianus

Ecology, Evolution & Behavior

• Predicting the Ability of Amino Acid Auxotrophic E. coli to Regain Biosynthetic Capabilities
• Examining How the Toxic Cross-Feeding Relationship Between Escherichia Coli and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Affects Escherichia Coli Evolution
• Investigating and Comparing the Effects of Oxytocin on the Social Behaviors of Male and Female Cheetahs
• Investigating the Genetic Basis, Composition, and Relative Fitness of Various Phenotypes of Multicellular ‘Snowflake’ Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

Genetics, Cell Biology and Development

• Quantitative Analysis of Polygenic Risk Scores and Microbiome Diversity as Predictive Models of Complex Disease
• Burning the Fat to Boost Longevity: Testing the Mechanisms of Drosophila Lifespan Extension via Lipid Remodeling
• Unlocking a Capsaicin Pathway in Tomatoes Through Deconstructed Viral Vectors

Neuroscience

• Investigating the Role of ApoE 4 in Postsynaptic Deficits in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
• Chemogenetic Inhibition of Nucleus Accumbens PV+ Interneurons Modulates Opioid Induced Reward-Related Behavior
• To Examine Roles of Microglia in Early Brain Development

Pediatrics

• Investigating the Long Term Neurological Effects of Hyperglycemia in Mature Brains and the Effects of a High Fat Diet on Hyperglycemia
• Optimization of Gene Editing to Affect Monocyte Activation and Differentiation
• Myogenic Analysis of DUX Family Genes DUXA and DUXB
  Breastmilk Fungi and Establishment of the Infant Gut Mycobiome
• Investigating Methylene Blue as a Facilitator to Reverse the Effects of Developmental Iron Deficiency

Pharmacology

• Structure-Activity Relationship Study of a Novel N1-Biphenyl Fluoroquinolone With Anti-Proliferative Activity
• The Role of the Alpha6 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit in Alcohol and Nicotine Consumption
• The Influence of SLC39A8 And HGFAC on Acute Alcohol Behavior and Metabolism
• The Role of HGFAC on Alcohol and Nicotine Consumption in Mice

Plant Biology

• Examining the Role of MET1 in the Setaria Viridis Methylome
• Investigating Fungal Interspecies Competition in Ectomycorrhizal Communities
• Exploring Rapid Evolution of Early Post-Germination Allocation Strategies in Clarkia Santiana ssp. Santiana in Response to the Recent California Megadrought

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Sample Proposal

Architecture and Landscape Architecture

• Photographic Bias in Architecture
• Reconceiving Juvenile Rehabilitation
• IN | OUT, Dreaming-Nature
• Indoor-Outdoor (The Vast Divide Between Out And In)

Design, Housing, & Apparel

• Creating a User Experience and Interface for Underrepresented K-12 Children to Promote Design and Making
• Light and Well- Being: An Analysis of the WELL Building Standards
• Defining Gender Neutral Fashion
• Post Occupancy Evaluation In Design
• The Application of Eye-Level Marketing Theory to Idea Selection During Team Based Brainstorming Sessions
• Translating IR Spatial Positioning Circuitry to Softlines 2019

Sample Proposal #1

Child Development

• Shared Reading: Black and White vs. Color Book
• Examining the Association Between Positive Self-Concept and Immune Functioning
• Phonetic and Semantic Features in Young Children's Foreign Word Learning

Educational Psychology

• Struggling to Succeed

Family Social Science

• Early Childhood Family Education Staff Perspectives Toward the Integration of Technology
• Prevention of Human Trafficking with Migrant Workers and Their Family  

Institute of Child Development 

• Bridging Transitions: Formation of Attachment Among Children in Childcare Settings

Kinesiology

• Sensitivity to Changes in Dynamic Affordances for Walking
• Comparing Total and Regional Body Composition Measurements Between a Handheld Electrical Impedance Myography Device and Dual X-ray Absorptiometry
• Investigating the Effects of Exergaming on College Students’ Psychosocial Outcomes
• The Role of Chromaticity in the Visual Control of Stance

Sociology

• Ethnographer Analysis of the Court Systems

Sports Management

• The Examination of Women Coaches in Ireland: A Report on Third Level Sport Institutions 2017-2018

Sample Proposal #1 Sample Proposal #2

Agronomy & Plant Genetics

• Identifying the Optimum Planting Depth of Kernza Cultivars in Three Minnesota Soils
• Evaluating Allele Frequencies at a Seed Shatter Locus in Natural and Cultivated Stands of Northern Wild Rice
• Developing a Naturally Derived Bioherbicide to Control Garlic Mustard

Animal Science

• Modern Alfalfa Varieties Population and Stem Counts to Predict Yield
• Pilot Study to Investigate the Effect of Individual Versus Pair Housing During the Preweaning Period on Dairy Calf Well-Being
• Examining Microbial Environments Present in Dairy Cattle and Dairy Hutches
• Role of Nuclear Actin Polymerization in Regulating Non-Cell Death Etosis in Airway Epithelial Cells Exposed to Fungal Allergens.

Applied Economics

• The Economics of Renewable Energy in Minnesota

Entomology

• The Effect of Pesticides on the Behavior of Native Pollinators
• Edible Insects - The Food to Save the World

Fisheries & Wildlife

• The Influence of Snow Pack on Canid Space Use in Altered Landscapes
• Northern Goshawk Nest Site Characteristics in the Black Hills National Forest
• Robot-Assisted Conservation Research on Two Federally Endangered Mussels: Observational Data Needed to Reveal life History Requirements
• Survival of Two Strains of Stocked Walleye (Sander Vitreus)

Food Science & Nutrition

• To Isolate Bacteriophage from Ready to Eat Foods Such as Salad or Deli Meat and See if Bacteriophage Can be Found That Kill Listeria
• Detection of a Population-Specific Mutation in a Zinc Transporter Gene Using Blood DNA and qPCR
• Importance of Diet and Cooking Knowledge from Childhood to Collegiate Years
• Protecting Food Flavorings from Deterioration

Forest Resources

• The Relationship Between Pine Barrens Knowledge and Acceptance of Barrens Restoration Strategies
• Where Will the Ash Wood Go? Gaining Forest Industry Perspectives on the Use of Ash Wood in Anticipation of Emerald Ash Borer
• Using Stable Isotopes and Fallout Radionuclides to Track Winter Precipitation
• Impacts of Experimental Warming and Drought on Tree Stomatal Density and Size

Horticultural Science

• Development of Tuber Stachys as a Potential Vegetable Crop
• Evaluation of Interspecific Compatibility in Perennial Flax
• A Comparison of Hydroponic Cultivation Systems for Commercial Hop Production
• Introgression of the Non-Native Invasive Knotweed on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota
• Intraspecific Pollen Tube Competition
• Differences in Cover Crop Biomass Production Across Planting Methods
• Assessing Cold Hardiness of Two Kiwi Berry Species (Actinidia Arguta and Actinidia Kolomikta) by Microscopically Comparing Cold Damage in Shoot Tissues

Soil, Water, & Climate

• Soil “A” Horizon Development Relative to Plant Community Diversity and Agricultural Abandonment
• Microbial Community Structure and its Effect on Nitrogen Cycling Dynamics in a Kura Clover Living Mulch System
• Evaluating Enzyme Activity in Agricultural High Tunnels Compared to Open Fields in Minnesota and Kentucky
• Impacts of Earthworm Invasion on the island of Ta’u in American Samoa

Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences

• Domesticated Birds Take Down P. Tenuis
• Evaluating Chronic Wasting Disease Testing Methods in Minnesota

See All CFANS Projects

Sample Proposal #1 Sample Proposal #2 Sample Proposal #3

Anthropology

• The Price of Legitimacy: Representation, Self-Perception, and Organizing Strategy at el Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha

Art

• The Liquid Architecture of Fantasy
• Exploring Narrative through the Storyteller, Written Text, and Visual Art
• Touch Board: New Technology’s Potential for Making Art Interactive
• Assimilation and Pleasure in the Archive
• Voice to Vision
• Imagining the North Country, 1600 - 1900

Cultural Studies & Comparative Literature

• The Media Coverage of Sanctions and Its Implications

Economics

• Price Discrimination in a Perfect Information Inelastic Setting: A Case of FAFSA and Higher Education

English

• European Christian Pilgrimage to the Holy Land During the Early Modern Period

French & Italian

• 'Where Were the Women?' The Story of the Women Who Collaborated in France 1940 – 1944
• Linguistic Change and the Urbanization of Roman Markets

Geography

• Deep Learning Computer Vision Tree Ring Detection
• Impact of Contraceptive Availability and Knowledge on Desired Family Size and Spacing in Niger

History

• Dight Institute Archives and The History of Eugenics
• The Role of Black Feminism Within the Black Power Movemen
• Illustrating an Emperor: Understanding the Life and Reign of Maximilian I Through Theuerdank
• The Denmark Vesey Conspiracy: Conceptualizing Crime and Religion in Slaveholding Societies
• The Discovery, Acquisition, Authentication, and Distribution of Christian Relics in Europe and the Holy Lands in the Premodern Era
• The Effects of Coca Production on 21st Century Latin American Development
• Making the Makers: Conceptualizations and Representations of the Pregnant Body in Shakespeare’s World
• American Expertise and Yugoslavia’s Tourism Industry During the Cold War
• Doing Digital History: Twenty-First-Century Methods for Researching the Past

Institute of Linguistics

• Lexical Restrictions on That-Trace Effects in Indonesian
• The Long Term Impact of the SSBI CARLA Summer Institute Course

Journalism & Mass Communication

• The Emerging Trend of Brand Ambassadors and Influencers
• Multitasking Part 2: The Effectiveness of Advertisement on a Cross-Cultural Population

Political Science

• Paris Agreement and MENA
• Changing Perceptions of People with Disabilities Activism, Protest, and Narrative
• Examining School District Consolidation and Urbanization- A Case Study of White Bear Lake School District
• The Unintended Effects of Global Nonproliferation Policies on the Value of Nuclear Weapons to Norm-Defying States

Psychology

• Women and Minority Experiences of Workplace Bias
• Trauma History, Attachment Dimensions, and Relationship Quality
• Neurodevelopmental Outcomes Following LPS-Induced Inflammation
• Enhanced Neural Coding and Sound Perception in Musicians
• Internal Attributions of Control in School Age Children and Subsequent Perceptions of Control During Stress in Adolescence
• Interaction Between Goal-Driven and Habitual Behavior in Visual Search
• Understanding the Role of Trauma on Social Decision-Making and Trust
• Pitch Perception of Complex Melodies at High Frequencies
• The Role of Cultural Values in the Empowerment of Latina Womxn
• Relationship Between Impulsivity and Bipolar Spectrum Disorder Among College Students

Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences

• Standardizing the Viscosity of Common Liquids for Pediatric Dysphagia Patients Using IDDSI Testing Protocols
• Establishing Standardized Thickening Recipes Using Infant Cereals to Reach Consistent Viscosity Levels for Infant Feeding
• Standardizing Treatment Viscosity Recipes for Pediatric Patients With Dysphagia
• A Comparison of Patient and Clinician Attitudes Towards Remote Adjustment of Self-Fit Hearing Instruments

Theatre Arts & Dance

• Mental Health Visibility Through Performance: An Integration of Dance and Psychology
• Embodiment of Technique of Innovation on Nationalized Dance
• Embodiment of Aesthetic through Indigenous Memory

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Sample Proposal #1 Sample Proposal #2

Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics

• Aircraft Flutter Suppression using Conic-Sector-Based-Control
• Attitude Control of a Spacecraft Flexible Appendage Using Parallel Feedforward Control
• Improved Low-Cost Real Time Tracking System Using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs)
• Motion Tracking with an Absolute Orientation Sensor
• Evaluating the Accuracy of Conventional Drag Prediction and Validation Methods for Small Electric UAVs

Astronomy

• Infrared Observations of Variable Stars and Transient Astronomical Events
• Observation of Variable Stars in Infrared

Biomedical Engineering

• Development and Validation of the Subject-Specific Computational Models Using Electrophysiological Single-Unit Activity
• Subject-Specific Modeling of Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation for Paraplegia
• Understanding the Role of Fibrinolysis Inhibition in Cell-Laden 3D Fibrin Networks
• Direction of Information Flow in Working Memory Network in Humans
• Characterization and Modulation of Cellular Distribution and Protein-Protein Interaction of Fused in Sarcoma (FUS)
• Predicting SCD through multi-scale nonlinear-dynamics-based risk stratification
• Development of a FRET-Based Biosensor to Monitor the Pathological Protein Aggregation in Parkinson’s Disease

Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering

• The Removal and Transfer of Excess Nutrients from Wastewater to a Biochar Fertilizer
• Evaluating the Water Quality Impacts of Floating Treatment Wetlands in a Stormwater Retention Pond
• Biogas Production and Upgrading Through Solid State Anaerobic Digestion Food Waste and Bioelectrichemical Treatment of Leachate
• Investigating Interactions Between Mucor and Plant Roots
• Conversion of Paper Mill Residues to Fermentable Sugars
• Growing Selenium Nanoparticles on Ceramic Materials for Mercury Removal
• Solid-State Fermentation of Feather Meal to Produce More Sustainable Animal Feed

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

• Characterization of Phase Transitions in Non-Equilibrium Many-Bodied Systems
• Optimization of Biomass Waste-to-Energy Supply Chains with Modular and Mobile Production Units in Minnesota
• Engineering Cellular Metabolism to Improve Function of NK Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy
• Deterministic Integrated Production and Maintenance Scheduling Incorporating Various Equipment Health Models
• Gelation Temperature as a Function of Percent Allylation in Aqueous Methylcellulose Solutions
• Analysis of Crack Patterns in Drying Silica Suspensions and Hydrodynamic Interactions with Active Matters
• Ion Gel Gating with Boron Nitride Buffer Layer in Strontium Stannate Thin films
• Effect of Channel Morphology on Capillary Flow
• Processing of Spatially Gradient Nanocrystal Films
• Synthesis of Copper Indium Sulfide (cis) Quantum Dots
• Engineering Substrate Stiffness to Enhance Hepatocyte Differentiation from Embryonic Stem Cells

Chemistry

• Developing a Method to Select Training Sets for an Active Space Selection ML Classification Mode
• Characterizing Gas Sensing Proteins in M. tuberculosis Through X-ray Crystallography
• The Reactivity and Redox-Induced Nucleation and Growth of Goethite on Synthetic Aluminum Substituted Hematite Nanoparticles
• Optimization of a BET Family BRD4 Domain 1 Inhibitor as a New Anti-Cancer Agent
• Synthesis, Characterization, and Adsorption of ZIF-8 Nanoparticles on a Macroporous Support Using Rhodamine B and Methylene Blue Dye
• Difunctionalization of Arenes from Aryne Intermediates Generated by Diradicals
• Synthesis of [24]azacyclacene
• Optimization of Solid-Contact Potassium Ion-Selective Electrodes Made with Colloid-Imprinted Mesoporous Carbon
• The Relationship between Heme Redox Potentials and Activity in TB Dormancy Signaling
• A Light Activated Cancer Drug
• Characterization of Organocatalysts with Enhanced Electrophilic Activities via UV-Vis Spectroscopy

Civil, Environmental and Geo Engineering

• Manipulation of Fluvial Bathymetry Through Yawed Porous Grids
• Comparative Study of Los Angeles Abrasion and Impact Loss to Other Standard Aggregate Toughness Tests
• Effect of Cement Fineness on Fresh Grout Properties with Admixtures in Post Tension Grout

Computer Science & Engineering

• Incorporating Semantic Information to Improve Surface Normal Prediction
• Empirical Study of the Spread of Misinformation in Social Networks
• Controlling Growing Tasks via Altering the Secondary Agent Ratio
• Designing a Computer Game for the Empirical Study of Human-Robot Collaboration
• Reconstructing 3D Human body model from 2D images using HUMBI (Human Multiview Behavioral Imaging) dataset
• Application of the Diving by Inflation Variation Engine
• Transferring Solutions for Machine Learning Based Collision Avoidance from Simulation to Real Life
• Detection and Tracking of Key Facial Points
• Development of Autopilot Control System Design Framework for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) - Parametrization and Validation with EdgeBot
• Failure Detection and Diagnosis for Underwater Robotics Using Neural Network Optimization and Onboard Sensors and Software
• Strafing Gain: A Novel Redirected Walking Technique in Virtual Reality

Electrical & Computer Engineering

• Selenium (IV, VI) Reduction by Fungi Under Oxic Conditions
• Exploring Morphological Patterns in Diurnal Raptors Using 3-D Beak Data
• Replication of a Referenced Setting Using Non-Prehensile and Prehensile Movements of the Robot Arm
• The Design of the Topological Insulator Using LC Networks Circuit
• Using DNA Strand Displacement to Implement Binary Logic Operations
• Using SAT Solvers for the Synthesis of Acyclic Logic Functions
• Optimization with Cyclic Combinational Circuits: Design, Analysis, and Synthesis
• The Flexible Solar Cell
• Efficient Digital Filters Using a Hybrid Binary-Unary Number Representation
• An Investigation on the Efficiency of Wide-Band Gap Devices in Grid-Tied Inverters

Industrial and Systems Engineering

• Scheduling Analysis of an M Health Outpatient Clinic

Mechanical Engineering

• Microfluidic Fabrication of Solid-shelled Capsules Using Paraffin Wax
• Numerical Investigation of Plasma-Assisted Gas Reforming
• Isothermal Compressed Air Energy Storage System
• Improving the Preservation of Bioprinted Tissue
• Characterizing Freezing Response for Natural Killer Cells
• Short-Term Energy Storage Solution for the Hybridization of Hydrostatic Transmissions in Wind Turbines
• Development of a High Throughput Plate Reader Based hHINT1 Kinetics Assay as an Alternative to Classic Fluorometric Assays
• Design and Synthesis of a ssDNA-based SuFEx Probe Targeting APOBEC3B Cytosine Deaminase

Physics & Astronomy

• Study of Low-Q² Resonance Suppression to Reduce Systematic Uncertainties on NOvA Experimental Results
• Measuring the Switching Window of Ferromagnet-InSb Nanowire Quantum Devices in MuMax3 Simulations
• Investigating Cosmic Ray Acceleration Mechanisms in Blazars Using X-rays
• Hydrodynamic Simulation of Stellar Core Convection
• To Study the Effects of Atmospheric Oxidation on the Dark Conductivity of Free Standing Nanocrystalline Thin Films
• Role of Surface Doping Layer in a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas
• Democratizing Cryogenics: Determining the Feasibility of Manufacturing a Low Cost, Self-Sufficient Liquid Nitrogen System
• Optimization of Stretched Exponential Model for Amorphous Semiconductor Alloys
• Anneals and Growth of HgBa2CuO4+
• Growth, Characterization, and High Pressure Behavior of Potassium Doped Bismuthate Crystals
• Measurements of Carbon Dioxide Diffusion Rates in Thin Film Plastics

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