Student Research Programs - Office of Undergraduate and ...

delivering beads into an optical cavity for levitation. Beads of this size are subject to the van der Waals force and
will adhere strongly to any surface. One method for successfully launching microscopic glass beads is to place
them on a surface to which a vibration is applied. If the vibration is sufficient, the beads will bounce off of the
surface and into the air. In order to control the frequency of the vibration, a piezoelectric material can be
attached under the surface on which the beads rest. These materials contract and expand proportional to an
applied voltage allowing vibrational motion of the material in a controlled way. Applying a voltage such that the
piezoelectric material vibrates on resonance will amplify the force felt by the beads. With a force larger than the
van der Waals force, the beads will detach. Once free of the surface they can be optically trapped and levitated
by a focused laser.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE NEARSHORE WATER TEMPERATURES OF LAKE TAHOE
Sarah Calhoun
Program: NSF REU
Mentor: Sudeep Chandra
Department: Natural Resources and Environmental Science
University of Nevada, Reno
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake that has been studied extensively over the
last 50 years, primarily for the factors that are changing offshore clarity.
Decreasing offshore clarity is attributed to rising temperatures and the current
nonnative species that inhabit the lake, causing unfavorable changes in the
ecosystem. Both of these factors can be associated with the development that
continues to occur around the coastal areas of the lake and the interaction of
people with nearshore habitats. The nearshore environment is the area that most
visitors to the lake spend their time. It is also the area of the lake where many invasive species are establishing,
such as warmwater fishes. Recent studies suggest that the establishment of these fishes may be partly due to
increases in nearshore temperature due to climate change. The probability of these nonnative species increasing
in numbers and spreading to the offshore areas increases if the temperatures continue to rise. In this study we
examine the mean summer temperatures in the nearshore areas around the lake through the use of periodic
temperature loggers. Taking a closer look at four particular sites existing in marinas and open water, this study
points out the differences in temperatures around the lake and the effects of cultural eutrophication in Lake
Tahoe. A literature search on invasive species and their temperature-preference relationships was also conducted
to gain an understanding as to why such species occur around Lake Tahoe. This study will further the
understanding of ecological effects caused by current and potential invasive species and the overall effects of
warmer nearshore temperatures on a large freshwater ecosystem.
CHARACTERIZATION OF LANA’S ROLE IN THE RECRUITMENT OF TOPOISOMERASE II BETA
Nathan Carter
Program: NIH INBRE
Mentor: Subhash Verma
Department: Biology
University of Nevada, Reno
Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) also called Human Herpesvirus
8, is a member of the gammaherpesvirus family, and is associated with human
cancers including Kaposi’s Sarcoma, Primary Effusion Lymphoma, and
Multicentric Castleman’s Disease. KSHV, like other herpesviruses, establishes life
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