Meet the 2017 – 2018 Undergraduate Research Fellows

Kenzley Defler Environmental Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: 

Mentor: Dr. Loka Ashwood

Madison Gohlke Animal Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Impact of Mitochondrial Nuclear Exchange on Obesity and Metabolic Disease in Swine

Mentor: Dr. Terry Brandebourg

Sara Gorman Animal Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Developing a molecular assay in order to identify healthy oocytes, by utilizing surrounding support cells.

Mentor: Dr. Paul Dyce

Rachel Kuntz Environmental Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Effectiveness of bioretention media to reduce toxicity of stormwater on daphnia.

Mentor: Dr. Thorsten Knappenberger

Judson Powell Poultry Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: The Effects on Broiler Chicken Feeding Behavior and Nutrient Intake While Using Different Particle Sizes and Controlling Proportions of Fines

Mentor: Dr. Charles Starkley

Mary Jo Toohey Food Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: The effect of UV light on the long term stability of rebaudioside-A (high intensity sweetener). 

Mentor: Dr. Leonard Bell

Max Garcia Environmental Design

Sponsor(s): College of Architecture Design and Construction

Project Title: The impact of street design on pedestrian’s perceptions and commuting patterns.

Mentor: Dr. Yunmi Park

Abigail Brittain Exercise Science

Sponsor(s): College of Education

Project Title: Kinematics of the Polo Swing

Mentor: Dr. Gretchen Oliver

Madison Edwards Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Education

Project Title: The effect of a bicycle learning program on motor and cognitive abilities among children and teens with developmental disabilities.

Mentor: Dr. Melissa Pangelinan

Njeri Bennett Industrial and Systems Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: I will be working with students from the I Am My Brother’s Keeper Program to investigate the impact of S.T.E.A.M. curricula centered on spatial thinking skills, science content knowledge, and attitudes towards science and engineering. 

Mentor: Dr. Christine Schnittka

William Brannon Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: A metal inert gas based printer exists in AU’s Mechanical Engineering Department as an experimental device, and it becomes a question as to what parameters regarding the printing process will yield an ideal metal part in a quick and efficient manner.

Mentor: Dr. Lewis Payton

Steven Breaux Polymer and Fiber Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: 3D Printing Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering and Biocompatible Electronics

Mentor: Dr. Maria Auad

LaNia Cole Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Application-Based Pedagogy Tool. 

Mentor: Dr. Edmon Perkins

Griffin Eagan Aerospace Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Analysis of the Effects of Turbulent Transition Modelling on Aerodynamic Predictions for Open-Wheeled Automotive Vehicles

Mentor: Dr. Dudley Nichols

Randall Fawcett Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Kinetic prediction from kinematic data during running trials on different surfaces.

Mentor: Dr. Wendi Weimar

Ford Gibbes Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Design and development of a low temperature tube calorimeter to measure the pressure drop of low global warming potential refrigerants across a 180° U-Bend during flow boiling. 

Mentor: Dr. Lorenzo Cremaschi

Gabrielle Gilmer Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Evaluation of the relationship between hormonal and biomechanical risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Mentor: Dr. Gretchen Oliver

Kelly Goneke Biosystems Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Black-globe temperature response to percent open area of wall panels used to construct broiler chicken test pens in on-farm nutritional test trials 

Mentor: Dr. Jeremiah Davis

Patrick Harris Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Optimizing Lipid-enveloped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Treatment of Solid Cancerous Tumors

Mentor: Dr. Allan David

Bryana Harris Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Examining the Effects of Tissue Geometry on Cardiomyocyte Maturation in 3D Developing Human Engineered Cardiac Tissues.

Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Lipke

Sean Vincent Herrera Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Development of a Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Glove

Mentor: Dr. Michael Zabala

Jared Hudson Civil Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Effect of Initial Stiffness and Slip Force of Friction Force Damper on Response of Steel Structure to Wind and Seismic Loads

Mentor: Dr. Justin Marshall

Jihyuk Kim Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Solid state conductivity and pH-induced solution halochromism in polythiophene copolymer.

Mentor: Dr. Bryan Beckingham

Kiana LaBombard Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Manufacturing of nanoparticle reinforced materials through electrospinning and atomized spraying.

Mentor: Dr. Sabit Adanur

Kaitlyn Lawrence Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: New structural and electronic insights on supported (VOx)m/(M1Oy)n/(M2Oz)bulk catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light hydrocarbons

Mentor: Dr. Carlos Carrero

Andrew Lenzie Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: The Biofluid Mechanics of Expiratory Central Airway Collapse in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Mentor: Dr. Vrishank Raghav

Matthew Priesser Biosystems Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Anaerobic Digestion of Poultry Litter and Food Waste for Biogas Production.

Mentor: Dr. Brendan Higgins

Reed Rodich Materials Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of Pre- and Post-Injury Anterior Cruciate Ligaments in Female Athletes.

Mentor: Dr. Michael Zabala

Marisa Rodriguez  Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Understanding and Controlling the Growth of Algae Species on Nanocomposites.

Mentor: Dr. Virginia Davis

David Schartung Materials Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Electrochemical study on the influence of alternating current electric fields on the flocculation process of asphaltenes in unconventional crude oil

Mentor: Dr. Carlos Carrero

Andrew Tormanen Materials Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Assembling 2D transition metal carbides for fabrication of functional thin films

Mentor: Dr. Majid Beidaghi

Alex Vroom Biochemisty and Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Determining an individual’s comprehensive antibody-bound epitope repertoire

Mentor: Dr. Robert Pantazes

William Yates Materials Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Design and Synthesis of Salen-derived, tetraaminophenazine Ligands for Metal Chelation

Mentor: Dr. Anne Gorden

Victoria Ashby Microbiology

Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Madagascar-Based Lymphatic Filariasis in Culex Mosquitoes and Their Relationship with the Environment and People

Mentor: Dr. Sarah Zohdy

Alisia Diamond Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: The effects of feeding habits on the prevalence of toxoplasma gondii in avian species

Mentor: Dr. Christopher Lepczyk

Hannah Kelly Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Evaluating Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Pigs (Sus scrofa).

Mentor: Dr. Christopher Lepczyk

Autumn Patterson Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Small Mammal Diversity in Auburn, Alabama.

Mentor: Dr. Christopher Lepczyk

Cara Ratterman Organismal Biology

Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Automating gobble count surveys for eastern wild turkey.

Mentor: Dr. James Grand

Kirsten Rice Wildlife Sciences

Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Are mosquitoes more attracted to dogs infected with Heartworm?

Mentor: Dr. Sarah Zohdy

Marcus Williford Forestry

Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: The processing and characterization of nanofibrillated cellulose from industrial wood residues

Mentor: Dr. Maria Peresin

Lydia Homandberg Human Development and Family Studies 

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Effects of early life adversity and contemporaneous stress in the Midlife in the United States Study.

Mentor: Dr. Thomas Fuller-Rowell

Paola (Lopez) Canas Nutrition

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Evaluating coping mechanisms following a natural disaster in Madagascar

Mentor: Dr. Alisha Farris

Elise Mann Pre-Medicine and Nutrition Science

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: The effect of chronic whey protein consumption on glucose metabolism and DPP-IV.

Mentor: Dr. Heidi Kluess

Holly Parker Nutritional Science – Dietics

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Will tailored nutrition education on diet diversity increase the consumption of diverse foods in Andasibe, Madagascar? 

Mentor: Dr. Alisha Farris

Brooke Polinsky Nutrition Science

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: The Effect of high fat and sugar diet in mice

Mentor: Dr. Ramesh Jeganathan

Mary Catherine Butgereit English – Professional and Public Writing

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: A Code for the Unpublished: Creation of a TEI XML Style Guide and Learning Module for the 18th-Century Manuscript Fiction Database

Mentor: Dr. Emily Claire Friedman

Jakob Geiger Political Science and English

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Applying Political Philosophy to Urban Planning: Strengthening the Community.

Mentor: Dr. Murray Jardine

Carrie Diane Hill English – Professional and Public Writing

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: For the World to See: Designing a Front-End User Interface for the 18th-Century Manuscript Fiction Database.

Mentor: Dr. Emily Claire Friedman

Kyle McLaughlin Anthropology

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Assessing Potential Inter- and Intra- observer error during 3D scanning and printing of osteological specimens.

Mentor: Dr. Kristina Shuler

Melanie Parrott Psychology and Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: The impact of nutrition knowledge on calorie framing effects and food consumption decisions.

Mentor: Dr. Ana Franco-Watkins

Jacob Verhine Music

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: The Influence of Vocology on 21st-Century Voice Performance and Pedagogy: Analysis and Application of Current Practice and Research

Mentor: Dr. Matthew Hoch

Amanda Fang Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy

Project Title: The effect of Sirtuin 3 on post translational modification in the mitochondria of diabetic hearts.

Mentor: Dr. Rajesh Amin

Elizabeth Lopez Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy

Project Title: CYP3A4 Induction Analysis in Hepatocytes due to Acai and Maca Extracts

Mentor: Dr. Angela Calderon

Brannon Martens Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy

Project Title: The Effects of Systemic Viral Infections on the Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease in Mice.

Mentor: Dr. Miranda Reed

Madison Schoeberl Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy

Project Title: Understanding how to best track Staphylococcus aureus infections in hosts by use of a fluorescently labeled monoclonal antibody.

Mentor: Dr. Peter Panizzi

Elena Skarupa Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy

Project Title: Effective drug delivery on gene expression in human breast cancer

Mentor: Dr. Rusty Arnold

Dominique Wozniak Biochemistry

Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy

Project Title: Characterization of Inhibitor Antibodies Directed Against S. Aureus Coagulase.

Mentor: Dr. Peter Panizzi

Cullen Anderson Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Estimating Carnivore Population Structures in the Rainforests of Madagascar.

Mentor: Dr. Sarah Zohdy and Dr. Zach Farris

Joseph Bahder Physics

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: TRYAD Satellite Operational Analysis

Mentor: Dr. Michael Fogle

Jonathan Dismukes Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Expression of the INK4AB/ARF tumor suppressor transcription factor MSK1 in canine breast cancer: Quantification through qRT-PCR and correlation with established phenotypes.

Mentor: Dr. Richard Bird

Caleb Eldridge Geology

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Identifying active tectonics in the New Madrid seismic zone using LiDAR and geologic data

Mentor: Dr. Lorraine Wolf

Kayla Frey Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Variations in Bone Quality with Reproductive Performance in House Mice.

Mentor: Dr. Wendy Hood

Emma Hale Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Quantifying the prevalence of the West Nile, Rift Valley Fever, and Dengue Fever Viruses across Mouse Lemurs Populations from Madagascar.

Mentor: Dr. Tonia Schwartz

Brock Hidle Biochemistry

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Development of an Attosecond Pulse Source Operating at 10 kHz

Mentor: Dr. Guillaume Laurent

Dorothy Mitchell Marine Biology

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Anatomy and microscale organization of the nervous system of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi.

Mentor: Dr. Anthony Moss

Sara Odom Microbial, Cellular, and Molecular Biology

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Microbiome analysis using a quantitative polymicrobial PCR method.

Mentor: Dr. Mark Liles

Patrick Sahrmann Biochemistry

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Radical catalysis, inactivation, and reactivation: Spectroscopic and kinetic evaluation of heme- and protein-based intermediates of a peroxide-degrading enzyme.

Mentor: Dr. Douglas Goodwin

Philip Wang Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Investigating the cost of reproduction using the zooplankton, Tigriopus californicus

Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Hill

Kevin Wyss Chemistry

Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics

Project Title: Exploring thorium, uranium, and lanthanide fluorescence in Schiff base sandwich complexes.

Mentor: Dr. Anne Gorden