Tri Beta promotes undergraduate research in the biological sciences. The national office has established a Research Scholarship Foundation through which members of a Tri-Beta chapter can apply and compete for financial grants to fund their research.
The following Phi Alpha members have been awarded research grants from the national office of Tri-Beta. The students, the titles of the research proposals, funds received, and research advisors are:
2005-2006
Andrew Ausmus, Analysis of MES-1 Phospho-Tyrosine Relationship in C. elegans Embryos, $500, (Dr. Laura Berkowitz).
Anthony Papinsick, Antimicrobial Activity and
Resistance of Thyme Oil, $350, (Dr. William A. Rosche).
Molly White, IL-4 Regulation of ST6 Gal I Promoter in Tissue
Culture Cells, $500, (Dr. Kenton Miller).
2004-2005
Erika C. Johnson, Determination of the Mechanism of Plasmid-Induced Antimutator Effect, $300, ( Dr. William A. Rosche).
2003-2004
Matt Hoffman, Control of ST6Gal l Transcript Abundance in B Lymphocytes, $500, (Dr. Kenton Miller).
Jake Painter, Species Diversity in the Chlorophycean LIneage: The Oklahoma Example, $410, (Dr. Mark Buchheim).
2002-2003
Kip Dorsey, Relationship between Leaf Surface Fungi and Airborne Spores, $270, (Dr. Estelle Levetin).
Amber Govert, Do Toxins Help Stachybotrys Compete?, $540, ( Dr. Estelle Levetin).
Joseph Meloy, C. briggsae Homologs of Mes-1 and Msl-1: Their Possible Role in the Asymmetric Divisions of the Early Embryo, $440, (Dr. Laura Berkowitz).
2001-2002
Micah Burch, Effects of Flooding on Indoor Air Quality in Tar Creek Homes, $350,
(Dr. Estelle Levetin).
Nicole Farrar, Measuring Spontaneous Mutation Rates at Different
Locations on the E. coli Chromosome,
$510, (Dr. William Rosche).
Matthew Johnson, Factors Influencing Mutation Rates of Direct Repeat
Sequences, $350, (Dr. William Rosche).
2000-2001
Steven Brantley, Lekking in Gryllatalpa major, the Prairie Mole Cricket, a Test of the Hotshot Hypothesis, $230, (Dr. Peggy Hill).
Kimberlly Chappell, Control of Anterior Pituitary Development by PITX2,
$1030 (Dr. Brad Amendt).
Cara Hoffart, Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Analyses of
Gryllotalpidae: What Came First, the Chirp or the Trill? $580, (Dr.
Peggy Hill).
Brent Holmes, German Shepherds as Models of Sudden Cardiac Death,
$480 (Dr. Randy Wymore).
Rebekah Holmes, The Suunit of a Pacemeker Channel, MIRP1. $330,
(Dr. Randy Wymore).
1996-1997
Tonya Leonard, (Dr. Mark Buchheim).
Jenny Michalopulos, (Dr. Mark Buchheim).
The Annual Regional Convention of Districts 1 and 2 is held at the University of Oklahoma Biological Field Station in April. Districts 1 and 2 includes Tri-Beta chapters from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Students present the results of their research in poster and paper competitions.
2005
Pi Alpha was the host for the 2004-2005 Convention.
Frank G. Brooks Award – Paper Competition
3rd Place, Session 3 - Erika C. Johnson. Determination of the Mechanism of Plasmid-Induced Antimutator Effect, (Dr. William A. Rosche).
Charles ( Chuck) Unruh elected StudentRegional President of Districts 1 and 2.
2004
John C. Johnson Award – Poster Competition
3rd Place, Session 2 - Jacob Painter. How Diverse Are Green Algae? Molecular Evidence from Oklahoma Isolates. ( Dr. Mark Buchheim)1st Place, Session 1 - Micah Burch, Effects of Flooding on Indoor Air Quality in Tar Creek Homes, (Dr. Estelle Levetin).
2nd Place, Session 2 - Matthew Johnson, Effect of
Thermal Stability and Plaindromic Symmetry on the Differential Muatagenesis
between Direct Repeat Sequences in Escherichia coli, (Dr. William Rosche).
1st Place, Session 3 - Tracy Carlson, Genus Pediastrum
Found to Be non-Monophyletic, (Dr. Mark Buchheim).
3rd Place, Session 3 - Nicole Farrar, Measuring Spontaneous
Mutation Rates at Different Locations on the E. coli Chromosome, $510,
(Dr. William Rosche).
Outstanding Chapter Award -
District 1
Pi Alpha Chapter, The University of Tulsa
Karen McMahon, Pi Alpha Advisor
1st Place, Session 1 - Cara Hoffart, Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Analyses of Gryllotalpidae: What Came First, the Chirp or the Trill?, (Dr. Peggy Hill).
2nd Place, Session 2 – Steven Brantley, Lekking in
Gryllatalpa major, the Prairie Mole Cricket, a Test of the Hotshot
Hypothesis, (Dr. Peggy Hill).
John C. Johnson Awards – Poster competition
3rd Place, Session 1 - Elise Fowler, Individual Identification of the Prairie Mole Cricket, Gryllotalpa major, (Dr. Peggy Hill.)
Outstanding Chapter Award - District 1
Pi Alpha Chapter, The University of Tulsa
1997
3rd Place, Jenny Michalopulos, (Dr. Mark Buchheim).