Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Professors from the Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston and two high school teachers supported by through the RET program have created an implantable single electrode cuff and a wireless telemetry system allowing researchers to better understand how certain neurons in locusts’ brains process sensory information.

Created by Jack Wolfe and Richard Liu–both professors in the college’s electrical and computer engineering department and RET Teachers Chris Garside and Michael Jenkins–the cuff is smaller and more sensitive than currently available technology.  It can obtain readings from tiny nerves within the insect while the telemetry system allows readings to be transmitted wirelessly to a receiver for analysis.

These devices are a crucial component in the research to help understand the real significance of messages the brain is generating, related to jump escape behaviors, in the locust.  The locusts, which can move freely, walk through a tunnel and onto a platform where the insects are exposed to looming stimuli on a nearby computer screen.

The battery-powered radio was engineered by Liu and Zhong and weighs only .5 grams. It is designed to transmit signals from the nerve cord wirelessly to a receiver approximately two meters away. The receiver records the spikes of the neuron as the locust prepares to jump and fly from the projected stimuli. These spikes are compared to high-speed video taken simultaneously and analyzed to determine exactly how the neuronal activity correlates to the insect’s actual behavior.

Primary Strategic Outcome Goal:
Biological Sciences
Engineering Research

Secondary Strategic Outcome Goals:
K-12 Education
Teacher Education and In-service Professional Development

In terms of intellectual merit, why is this outcome notable and/or important?
The Cullen College of Engineering provides a diverse group of undergraduates the opportunity to collaborate with highly experienced and nationally recognized faculty in the field of nanotechnology, and to make important contributions to ongoing research efforts at UH.

In terms of  broader impacts , why is this outcome notable and/or important?
Merit Review Broader Impacts Criterion: Representative Activities, July 2007
Students who are under-represented in the field of engineering on the basis of their ethnicity or gender, as well as students from non-research institutions were recruited for participation in this program.

Does this highlight represent transformative or potentially transformative research?  If so, please explain why. For more information, see  Report to Congress: Transformative Research at the National Science Foundation, April 16, 2008
Yes
Though the project is driven by basic neuroscience, Wolfe said “every one of the technologies that has been developed has enormous potential for other applications.” For example, one day scientists may use  the radio backpack  to remotely control and monitor animals’ activities.

Does this highlight represent Broadening Participation?  If so, please explain why.
For more information, see  Broadening Participation at the National Science Foundation: A Framework for Action
Yes
The students who participate in our REU program are likely to pursue graduate education to further their interests in research, enhancing the diversity and number of research and development-oriented technological leaders and helping to fill our nation’s need to establish and maintain a diverse, technological workforce.

Are there existing or potential societal benefits of this research? It is important for NSF to be able to provide examples of NSF-supported research that have societal benefits, including benefits to the U.S. economy.
For more information, see  Excerpt from Merit Review Broader Impacts Criterion: Representative Activities, July 2007
Yes
Though the project is driven by basic neuroscience,  its findings may be relevant to a number of fields in science and engineering.

ENG/EEC 2009