UA student to address Congress on federal research funds

"I'm going to inform them about how research has benefited my undergraduate career," said Cary Roberts, a senior majoring in ecology and environmental biology.

By sharing her research project, funded by the NASA Space Grant program, Roberts said she hopes Congress will provide additional funding for undergraduate research.

"It will show the decision makers what outstanding accomplishments these undergraduate students have made," said Eugene Levy, dean of the College of Science.

"We want to try to show the people in Congress what significant research undergraduates are doing under federally sponsored programs," said Susan Brew, program coordinator for the Arizona Space Grant Undergraduate Research Program.

She said about 40 students will be presenting research information to Congress.

The other four students from Arizona worked on the Arizona State University student satellite project, Roberts said.

Roberts' research uses infrared images taken in Biosphere 2 to identify and classify vegetation. The images were taken by two other UA interns using a digital camera with several visible and infrared filters, she said.

Those images were analyzed in the Planetary Image Research Laboratory in Kuiper Space Sciences. By comparing images of the same area over various time designations, Roberts said changes could be observed in growth.

She said her research can be used to determine the effects of environmental changes, such as rainfall.

"It could be used in satellite technology for monitoring vegetation in miniature biomes," Roberts said.

She explained her research could be applied to Biosphere 2, for example, to study certain parameters like the effects of carbon dioxide on vegetation.

In her abstract, Roberts stated her research will enable scientists to "monitor plant physiology and ecosystem response to environmental parameters of concern to global change."

Roberts said she submitted an abstract to the Council on Undergraduate Research at Brew's request.

She is scheduled to be in Washington April 9-13, then will continue on to Duke University.

After graduation in May, Roberts said she will begin work on her master's degree at Duke.

She said she hopes to work as an environmental consultant for the Environmental Protection Agency or some other governmental organization.