COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Aug. 8, 2008 – Brian Liu, an undergraduate student from The Johns Hopkins University who is participating in a summer research program at Texas A&M University, has received top honors for his research presentation on metabolic engineering of Escherichia coli for enhanced hydrogen production.
Participating in Texas A&M’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates/ Undergraduate Summer Research Grant (REU/USRG) program, Liu received first place in a poster session designed to allow undergraduates to present their research to faculty members from throughout the Dwight Look College of Engineering.
The hour-and-a-half poster session was the culmination of a 10-week research experience and requires student participants to both verbally and visually explain all aspects of their research.
Through the REU/USRG program, Liu, a biomedical engineering major, was able to work with Thomas K. Wood, professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering. Assisting in Wood’s research, Liu was responsible for screening mutant bacteria in order to identify and sequence the DNA of specific samples that were yielding greater amounts of hydrogen.
Directed by Associate Dean for Graduate Programs N.K. Anand, the REU/USRG program involves undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing graduate studies in a summer research program at Texas A&M. Through the program, these students contribute to ongoing faculty research while gaining an appreciation for a research-oriented career.
The program consists of undergraduate students from Texas A&M as well as students from other colleges and universities. As part of the program, students work closely with faculty members and graduate students on current research projects, attend presentation skills workshops, make a formal poster presentation of their research experience at the end of the program, and submit a written final report describing the results of their research.
