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The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will send seven students along with their faculty advisers to Posters in the Rotunda, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 22 in Madison, to share research with legislators, state leaders and UW alumni and supporters.

UW Oshkosh senior Janene Lang spent almost two years researching “Public Values and Ownership in Natural Resources Management Planning,” involving manure deposits and water quality in Dodge County.

“In 2007, all surface water in Dodge County was found to be impaired,” said Lang, originally of the Town of Herman. “The water doesn’t support the biological life it should.”

Lang,  who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, was inspired to research manure management after witnessing a farmer near her home using a field as a dump site.

“There is no real regulation,” Lang said. “If you own a small farm, it’s like a free for all.”

Senior chemistry major Ryan Schuh spent the summer of 2008 studying a very difficult specimen, a marine microbe. Schuh looked at the intrinsic characteristics of the microbe and then identified the protein and how it was reacting.

“It’s kind of like breaking open your piggy bank and just looking for the nickels,” said Schuh, a McNair Scholar.

With oceans’ acidity levels increasing, it’s important to understand microbes, which account for more than 90 percent of ocean biomass, Schuh said. Since higher acidity levels can change the marine environment and kill animals, it is beneficial to be able to identify where the changes in acidity occur.

Other UW Oshkosh student presenters and topics include the following:

  • Pa Nhia Lee, Oshkosh, “Cross-Cultural Dating Within the Hmong Community”
  • Vai Lor, Oshkosh, “Gene Expression Differences of Plants in Different Competitive Environments”
  • Aaryn Mustoe, South Milwaukee, “The Energetic Cost of an Immune Challenge in a Small Bird”
  • Jacob Pichelmeyer, New London, “Precision Photometric Survey of OB Stars in the Carina Flare”
  • Jason Busse, Appleton, “Automating the Investigation of Genomes”

The formal program will be held from 11:30 p.m. to 12 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda and feature an address from UW System President Kevin Reilly.

For more information visit, www.wisconsin.edu/posters.