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MURRAY, Ky. 鈥� The latest Murray State University Racer Report includes student, faculty, staff and alumni accomplishments, announcements, upcoming campus events and more for the week of Dec. 2-6.

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Murray State University TRIO Talent Search Director Audrey Neal recently completed the invitation-only Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) for College Opportunity Professionals, hosted by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE). The distinguished event took place at Yale University from Oct. 17鈥�20, with ongoing virtual sessions that will continue through March 2025.

The ELI brought together selected leaders from across the nation committed to advancing educational access and success for low-income, first-generation students. Through intensive workshops, lectures and hands-on exercises, Neal enhanced her expertise in leadership areas such as effective communication, negotiation, executive presence, team-building and strategies for influencing policy to support underrepresented students.

Neal鈥檚 selection for this event highlighted her impactful work with Murray State University鈥檚 TRIO programs, which support educational aspirations within the community.

鈥淭his was a remarkable opportunity to collaborate with other leaders and gain insights that will further benefit the students and communities we serve,鈥� said Neal.

The TRIO Educational Talent Search program at Murray State University is a federally funded initiative designed to assist and motivate middle and high school students to reach their full academic potential.

As part of the ELI program, Neal is also participating in follow-up projects and will present her findings at the COE鈥檚 National College Opportunity Programs Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., in March 2025. Her involvement reflects a strong commitment to advancing college access and success, both within Kentucky and nationwide.

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Last spring, Dr. Abdul Yarali, professor of cybersecurity and network management, and six Murray State students sent a proposal to NASA Kentucky for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and wireless applications. The proposal was awarded a grant of $17,500. 

Yarali said the group plans to start the project during the winter term and continue until May 2025.

Project description:

鈥淭he UAV & Wi-Fi: Campus Capacity, Coverage, and Optimization鈥�

The research project delves into the growing integration of UAVs/drones into Wi-Fi communication networks to enhance coverage, support smart devices and serve various applications. UAVs offer unique advantages due to their mobility, adaptability and ability to cover areas where traditional infrastructure falls short. In this research, the  team looks into UAVs functioning as aerial Wi-Fi base stations and relays within ad-hoc networks. The project has potential in public safety, disaster response, rural connectivity and high-capacity settings like sports events. The goal for this project is to capture and create a campus 3D heatmap of available Wi-Fi signals through rolled-out networks and share the results with the IT department for future system modeling and optimization actions, if necessary. 

The goal is to optimize UAVs' 3D locations to boost network performance. Factors like altitude, user location, energy consumption and potential obstacles are considered to achieve effective UAV deployment. The 3D deployment of heatmap construction strategy enables UAVs to position themselves strategically in the airspace, balancing coverage and connectivity demands with energy efficiency. Additionally, optimization techniques are explored to manage UAV flight paths since trajectory design must accommodate user mobility patterns, obstacles and quality of service requirements. For instance, UAVs functioning as aerial base stations need to adjust their paths in real time to maintain consistent coverage, reduce latency and save energy.

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Dr. Alexey Arkov, professor of biology, along with his lab鈥檚 former postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Kabita Kharel, as well as research associate Samuel (Jake) Tindell, of Murray, Kentucky, and undergraduate students Ryan Schmidtke, of O鈥橣allon, Illinois, and Emma Alexander, of Murray, Kentucky, have had an article describing the unusual subcellular organelle published in the peer-reviewed research journal Development.

鈥淲e are very happy with this publication since Development is one of the most reputable journals in the field of developmental biology,鈥� said Arkov.

Article summary: A membraneless organelle in the wasp Nasonia vitripennis is assembled from a Tudor protein shell and core germ granules, providing a new paradigm and resource for studying the remarkable plasticity of biomolecular condensates.

Development is a leading primary research journal covering the field of developmental biology. With its long and prestigious history and its team of expert academic editors, Development is committed to publishing cutting-edge research across the spectrum of animal and plant developmental biology.

Access the article here: .

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Murray State Assistant Professor of Finance Dr. Leiza Nochebuena-Evans was recently featured in a WalletHub piece where she offers advice to those who are interested in second chance credit cards.

Access her recent contribution here: .