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Research Mentors for 2006/2007

Dr. D. Eric Aston, Assistant Professor; UI Department of Chemical Engineering, Moscow
Dr. Aston is a recent recipient of Idaho’s first Nanoscale Exploratory Research (NER) award from the National Science Foundation. His group is assessing the feasibility of using nano-wires made of non-conductive polymers to detect various ions in solution. The research involves fabrication of aqueous nanowire sensors, electrical characterization of the nanowires, and development of nanowire electrical contacts and dual sensors.

Dr. Nilsa Bosque-Perez, Associate Professor; UI Department of Plant, Soil, and Entomological Sciences, Moscow
Dr. Bosque-Perez is interested in insect-host plant interactions and integration of host-plant resistance and biological control. Her research also include the effects of crop, genotype, and management practices on arthropod communities in agro-ecosystems, including effects of tillage practices on ground-dwelling insect predators in wheat, barley and pea fields and in surrounding landscape. Similar topics are being addressed in tropical agro-ecosystems in Costa Rica as well. She also leads a large Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship project funded by NSF at the University of Idaho and in Costa Rica.

Dr. Jim Belthoff, Professor and Interim Chair; BSU Department of Biology, Boise

Much of Dr. Belthoff’s research focuses on understanding factors that drive natal dispersal in birds. He also has projects related to the population biology, behavioral ecology, and conservation of burrowing owls; movement biology and physiology of house finches; and effects of habitat changes on shrub-steppe birds.

Dr. Richard Brey, Professor, ISU Department of Physics, Pocatello

Dr. Brey specializes in the fundamentals of Health Physics, the profession dedicated to the protection of humans and their environment from the harmful effects of both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation while providing for its beneficial uses. His work also includes radiation detection instrumentation theory and the physics and modeling of hazardous material transport through porous media. More recently he has been involved substantially with internal dosimetry.

Dr. Linda DeVeaux, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology; ISU Department of Biological Sciences, Pocatello

Dr. DeVeaux’s teaching work includes Cell Biology, Advanced Radiobiology, and Biochemistry. In her laboratory, she and her students study radiation effects in unicellular organisms and microbial stress responses to radiation. Prior to 2005, Dr. DeVeaux was a member of the research faculty at the ISU Idaho Accelerator Center.

Dr. Molly Gribb, Professor; BSU Civil Engineering Department, Boise
Dr. Gribb is Director for the Center for Environmental Sensing at BSU and is leading a multidisciplinary research project to develop multi-purpose sensors to detect and analyze volatile environmental contaminants in soils. Her group is also developing state-of-the-art equipment to determine hydraulic properties of unsaturated soils.

Dr. Ron Hardy, Professor; UI Department of Animal and Veterinary Science, Hagerman
Dr. Hardy is the Director of the UI Aquaculture Research Institute. He is located at the Fish Culture Experiment Station in Hagerman, Idaho. Dr. Hardy’s research area is fish nutrition and feeds, with a focus in three areas: alternative feed ingredients for fish meal and fish oil (particularly the effects of diet on nutrient retention and effluents); molecular genetics in relation to somatic growth, nutrient partitioning, and effects of diet on immune function; and ornamental fish production using geothermal water.

Dr. Frank Harmon, Professor; ISU Department of Physics, Pocatello

Dr. Harmon has worked at ISU for more than 36 years and has served twice as the Department Chair of Physics; he is also former Director of the Idaho Accelerator Center. His major areas of interest include magnetic resonance techniques applied to the study of molecular motion in condensed phases, design and development of scientific instrumentation, generation of charged particle and proton beams and their application to material analy

Dr. Scott Hughes, Professor and Chair; ISU Department of Geosciences, Pocatello

Dr. Hughes’ research and teaching interests include Volcanology, Planetary Geology, Environmental Geology, and Geochemistry. His Idaho-specific work includes physical volcanology, geochemistry, and formation of magnesium and iron-rich eruptive centers on the eastern Snake River Plain, geomorphology of eastern Snake River Plain analogues to Mars and Lunar volcanism, and geochemistry and field geology of volcanic systems in south-central Idaho.

Dr. John Marshall, Professor; UI Department of Forest Resources, Moscow
The Idaho Stable Isotopes Laboratory provides state-of-the-art analysis of stable isotopes for applications ranging from physiological responses of trees to carbon dioxide; and water use efficiency, biogeochemical cycling, and food web studies. Dr. Marshall is currently a member of the NSF EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement group focusing on coupled carbon/water flux in complex landscapes.

Dr. David McIlroy, Associate Professor; UI Department of Physics, Moscow
This research group was the first in the world to create nanosprings and develop a theoretical model to describe their formation. This pioneering work resulted in Idaho’s first grant from the prestigious W.M. Keck Foundation. Dr. McIlroy is currently working on ways to transform the properties of these unique nanosprings by coating them with metals.

Dr. Jim McNamara, Professor; BSU Department of Geosciences, Boise

Dr. McNamara’s research group studies watershed science. The focus of this research group is to investigate through field and modeling experiments the mechanisms by which water moves through the various components of a watershed, and the consequences that those processes have on water availability and stream environments.

Dr. Ron Pfeiffer, Professor; BSU Department of Kinesiology, Boise

Dr. Pfeiffer is Co-Director of the Center for Orthopaedic & Biomechanics Research (COBR). His research focus has been determining the relationship between muscle recruitment strategies in the lower extremities during physical activity and injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with an emphasis on identifying gender related differences.

Dr. Alex Punnoose, Assistant Professor; BSU Department of Physics, Boise

Dr. Punnoose is an experimentalist in applied and condensed-matter physics. His research focuses on characterization and multiple applications of nanoscale materials, relative to current or future nanotechnologies.

Dr. Ken Rodnick, Professor; ISU, Department of Biological Sciences, Pocatello
Dr. Rodnick’s research interests are in two areas: effects of exercise training on glucose metabolism and insulin action in skeletal muscle of humans and laboratory rats, and the effects of cold environments on muscle ultrastructure and activities of rate-limiting enzymes in tissues of fishes that can adapt to a wide range of temperatures. He is currently initiating a new research project competitively funded by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Dale Russell, Professor; BSU Department of Chemistry, Boise

Dr. Russell’s research group develops electrochemical sensors for metals, organics and ions, including mercury, uranium, plutonium and benzene. The group is also working to develop rugged, rapid-response sensors for chemical warfare agents.

Dr. Michelle Sabick, Assistant Professor; BSU Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Boise

Dr. Sabick is Co-Director of the Center for Orthopaedic & Biomechanics Research (COBR). Her teaching interests include biomechanics and undergraduate dynamics. As Co Director of COBR, she studies the human musculoskeletal system from a biomechanical perspective, working on both the prevention of injuries, and the restoration of function after musculoskeletal injury has occurred.

Dr. Pam Shapiro, Professor; UI Department of Chemistry, Moscow
Dr. Shapiro is an inorganic chemist who has embarked on new projects involving the design of precursors and methods for fabricating semiconductor nanostructures and thin films. Some of these materials are ideal for photovoltaic devices (i.e., solar cells). Some of her research is funded by a Department of Energy EPSCoR grant. She also was one of only three recent grant recipients funded by the Electricity Innovation Institute.

Dr. Daniel Strawn, Associate Professor; UI Department of Plant, Soil, and Entomological Sciences, Moscow
The Environmental Soil Chemistry laboratory group investigates the effects of ecosystem dynamics on fate and transport of nutrients and contaminants in the environment. Field based research on mine-contaminated soils is conducted in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and the Western Phosphate Resource Area in Southeastern Idaho. In 2002 Dr. Strawn received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on professionals at the outset of their research careers.

Dr. Lisette Waits, Associate Professor; UI Department of Fish and Wildlife, Moscow
Dr. Waits and a colleague started the Laboratory for Ecological and Conservation Genetics, which is now one of the largest labs in the nation for collecting genetic data on wild populations of plants and animals. Her research has won international acclaim. Dr. Waits and her colleagues were recently awarded state funding for Idaho’s new Center for Research on Invasive Species and Small Populations.

Dr. Richard Wells, Associate Professor, UI Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Moscow
Dr. Wells is the Associate Director of the UI Microelectronics Research and Communications Institute (MRCI). He is currently conducting research on the growth of thick, low loss, self-biased hexa-ferrite films on a silicon substrate for use in next-generation microwave communication technologies. Dr. Wells also leads a summer research program funded by the National Science Foundation for undergraduates in computational neuroscience.