Research

Projects include:

• The endangered gopher tortoise and its habitat: tracking, monitoring, and management
• Assessment of bacterial diversity on spiders and determining their resistance to antibiotics
• A study of gene regulation at the level of transcription initiation in various bacterial species
• Monitoring the diversity of fish species in local streams and at St. Catherine's Island, Georgia
• Recovery of the endangered Shoals Spider Lily
• Reproduction of blue crayfish in captivity
• Effects of pollution on reproductive physiology of fish
• A census of frog populations of aquatic habitats in South Carolina
• Aquatic turtle species composition, population evaluation, and environmental toxicology
• Nutrient Acquisition by bacteria
• E. coli as a Biomarker of Human & Animal Fecal Contamination in Streams & Rivers
• Bacterial Physiology and Identification
• Antibiotic Resistance
• Genetic and biochemical analysis of the yeast molecular motor Myo2p
• Effect of endocrine disruptors on mLTC-1 Leydig cells
• Study of the chemical and biological properties of the toxin responsible for avian vacuolar myelinopathy.
• Investigation of early neuronal genetic markers of alcoholism in rats
• Genetic requirements of microsatellite instability.
• Genetic diversity of multiple crab species along the Georgia and South Carolina coast.
• Monitoring of deer and wild hog populations along the Savannah River
• Oceanic fish diversity among barrier islands along the Georgia-Carolina coasts
• Diel variation in fish communities on a Georgia barrier island
• Differences in tidal creek and oceanic fish diversity on a Georgia barrier island
• Snail densities and movement in tidal salt marshes in South Carolina and Georgia barrier islands
• Snail plant preference in tidal salt marshes in South Carolina and Georgia barrier islands
• Macroinvertebrate diversity in Butler Creek as an indicator of stream health

 

Why should you get involved in undergraduate research?

There are multiple benefits to being involved in undergraduate research. By conducting research you get increased interactions with faculty members. Students gain confidence in their knowledge of biology and develop particle research skills in a "hands-on" manner. Additionally, research helps develop a student's ability to solve problems and think creatively.

Most research students take ownership of their undergraduate education and note that the experience was very helpful for getting a "real job."

Besides conducting research, Augusta University students have many opportunities to present their research on campus and at regional and national meetings. Throughout the year the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship hosts the Brown Bag Series where Augusta University students from all disciplines present their findings. Once a year, the Augusta University chapter of Phi Kappa Phi hosts an campus wide research conference where students present their finds both in poster format and oral presentations to the Augusta community. Additionally many Augusta University Biology Majors have attended both regional and national meetings including, the Georgia Academy of Sciences Conference, the Association of Southeast Biologists Meeting, and the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society (SEERS) Meeting, and the Southeast Regional Yeast Meeting just to name a few.