Eurycea aquatica, a plethodontid salamander, was recently described as a separate species from E. cirrigera based on molecular data. Using geometric morphometrics, we have also identified morphological differences between the two taxa. Our goal is to identify the evolutionary mechanisms that explain these differences and investigate the behaviors associated with them.

The Community Climate System Model (CCSM 3.0) is an invaluable tool to scientists studying Earth's climate. Interprocess communication (IPC) is an integral aspect of the system, making possible the consideration of interactions between land, atmosphere, ice, and ocean. The evolution of IPC in the CCSM is analyzed both theoretically and empirically and compared to alternative approaches.

Do humans know certain principles of causality from birth? Some researchers contend that concepts like the temporal precedence of causes over effects (i.e., that causes always come before their effects) are innate. They believe this affects how we learn about two events when one of them causes the other. My studies were designed to determine if this is true.

My research is aimed at determining how two species of giant aquatic salamanders, one with gills (Siren lacertina) and one lacking gills (Amphiuma means), distribute their uptake of oxygen and excretion of CO2 across their different mediums (lungs, gills, and skin).  We also intend to see how aquatic hypoxia affects the behavior and respiration of these animals.

We are studying a parasite discovered in the gonad of a mussel here in Alabama.  The project has three main goals.  Identify the parasite we found.  Find the effect of the infection on the mussel.  Lastly use histology to confirm or deny that castration has occurred.

Vitamin K, most studied for its role in blood clotting, plays an undetermined role in bone health. Most adults are not at risk for vitamin K deficiency, but poor transport across the placental barrier puts newborns at risk. The purpose of my research is to determine if vitamin K enhances maternal transfer of bone minerals to offspring during pregnancy and lactation.

Multiple clinical procedures have been developed to treat vascular related illnesses. These techniques, however, can induce complications of their own. My research project will increase our understanding of how endothelial cells interact with engineered, biomimetic materials. Ultimately, this knowledge can be used to improve vascular healing following procedures such as balloon angioplasty.

Insulin resistance is a condition that is known to occur under the conditions of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.  A proposed mechanism for insulin resistance is a correlation between a down regulation of insulin responsive glucose transporter 4 (GLUT-4) and an up regulation of retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4).  It is the goal of this study to determine how niacin, and potentially other factors, affects RBP4 gene expression and secretion in the live and adipocyte tissue. 

I will be studying modern and Cretaceous pen shells (Class Bivalvia) along the Gulf Coast and in Montgomery, Alabama, respectively. Observations on modern pen shell ecology will help me deduce the environment of deposition of the fossil pen shell assemblage and associated rock layers, including an echinoderm and oyster concentration bed.

This research project seeks to understand fundamental properties and phenomena associated with the combustion of alternative solid fuel particles for the replacement of coal in energy production. A custom furnace allows unsurpassed visualization of the combustion process using high-speed, high-definition cameras. Our specific research aim is to compare the effectiveness of switch-grass to coal in the varying combustion environments needed for energy generation in cement processing.

This descriptive study will examine the speech disfluencies of children, ages 3-5, with high functioning autism. The type and percentage of disfluencies will be analyzed to determine whether the disfluencies of children with autism differ from typical peers and those typically observed in children who stutter.

We aim to create a uniform dispersion of nanoparticles in a way that is environmentally friendly, and reproducible on the industrial scale. Currently we are investigating a method that involves a high pressure, gas-expanded liquid systems to precipitate nanoparticles in a pressure controlled fashion.

Exposure to feared events is the means by which fear is attenuated in humans and animals. Latent Inhibition is the reverse of the typical procedure, but has the same effect. The present research will study how varying the time interval between exposure and fear acquisition affects the level of fear in rats.

The goal of this project will be to study the interaction between porcine adipocytes (fat cells) and the immune system, particularly the release of cytokines from the adipocytes that cause a false inflammatory response that could negatively impact the growth of production animals. A current theory of human obesity also states that it is a constant state of mild inflammation, to which we may be able to apply the knowledge gained from this study.