The department of Computer Science and Mathematics is happy to have Dr.
Lloyd Moyo give a seminar on Friday, March 14th in ACR 205 beginning at
2pm. Dr. Moyo will give a talk entitled "Fourier Transform: A tool for
Integration and solving Convolution Equations and Partial Differential
Equations." Fourier transforms will be defined and used to solve
convolution equations and partial differential equations. The transforms
will also be used as a tool to carry out integration of some
mathematically interesting functions.
Dr. Martin Terry shows a cactus to students Kaycee Watt, Josh Rousselow, Clint Holsomback, and Sami Cohen.
Photo courtesy of Jason Hennington
Foundation Supports Cacti Research
By Jason Hennington
News Writer
Thanks to a Welch Foundation grant, four Sul Ross State University students are participating in an undergraduate research project on cacti.
Sami Cohen, San Antonio; Clint Holsomback, Houston; Josh Rousselow, Klamath Falls, Ore.; and Kaycee Watt, Claresholm, Alberta, Canada, are working with Dr. Martin Terry, Sul Ross assistant professor of biolobgy, studying cacti portrayed in cave paintings in Baja California.
“There are some beings with human form and cactus characteristics in these paintings,” Terry said.
The cave paintings, which are believed to be 7,500 years old, depict people, game animals, and cacti. Normally cave paintings have a sacred meaning and are vital to the people who painted them, but the cacti are an unusual addition.
“We are trying to determine what the cacti are doing in the paintings,” Terry said.
The students are researching and trying to find the answer to this question by analyzing the chemical compounds in the cacti.
“We’re looking for anything with bioactivity,” Terry said. “Antibiotic activity would be amazing and medically significant.”
Any new compound would be a significant discovery for the class and would invite more interest to the students.
“I found the interaction between the people and the cacti interesting,” Rousselow said. “Why did they take so much time to put these cacti in their paintings?”
The students use a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) instrument to conduct research on samples.
“The HPLC gives us an idea of what is in the sample,” Cohen said. “It separates the individual compounds.”
Normally this would be graduate-level research, but at Sul Ross these four undergraduates are participating in such work. “We get to do all the hands-on work,” Watt said.
“I like the fact that I have the opportunity to do this as an undergraduate,” Cohen said.
All discoveries found during this research will be documented in a publication, and the students will be given credit as coauthors for their work.
“I’m interested in the prospect of something that has a purpose,” Holsmback said. “This is a quality experience for undergraduate work.”
Terry will present the preliminary results of the students’ research at a March 28 symposium in Vancouver at the annual conference of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA). The title of his presentation is “Psycho-active Cacti in North American Archaeology.”
“This is a fairly elite group, and they all seem to be interested in the project,” Terry said. “This will look good on their résumés.”
Along with graduate work and researching cacti, the students are also participating in the Lobo Stars program. In banding together with other student leaders, they are helping to raise awareness for the QEP.
“It makes me feel good that I’m not only doing something for the sake of science, but also for my school,” Cohen said.
Roussselow believes both the Lobo Stars program and the research will help the university in general.
“This can help both programs from a publicity stand point,” he said. “They are good programs and I hope they catch on.”
The students are still in the early stages of their research, but are hoping to come across an astounding discovery.
“It’s a delight for me to work with bright young people interested in a project,” Terry said. “It’s refreshing.”
For more information, contact Terry, (432) 837-8113 or mterry@sulross.edu
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