2024-2025 Fellows

College of Agriculture

James Bearrentine
Major: Horticulture Fruit and Vegetables
Project Title: Postharvest Quality of Microgreens Grown Using Synthetic and Organic Fertilizer
MentorMarlee Trandel
Mentor’s Department: Horticulture

Abigail Boggier
Major: Horticulture Fruit and Vegetables
Project Title: Understanding the implications of methodological variations of digestibility estimates from in vitro fermentation assays
Mentor: William Smith
Mentor’s Department: Department of Animal Sciences

Carter Freeman
Major
: Concurrent in Biosystems Engineering
Project Title: An AI-driven high-throughput sensing system for strawberry pest detection under
controlled environment agriculture
Mentor: Tanzeel Rehman
Mentor’s Department: Biosystems Engineering

Wesley Hare
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title: The Fusarium oxysporum Pic2 in virulence on cotton
Mentor: 
Jeffrey Coleman
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Matthew Hughes
Major
: Poultry Science Production
Project Title: Effects of duck breed on egg quality, pH, and functional properties through 14 days of egg storage
MentorDianna Bourassa
Mentor’s Department: Poultry Science

Lillian Jeffers
Major
: ANSC Pre-veterinary
Project Title: Functional Roles of Arginine on Growth Performance and Gut Health in Newly Weaned Pigs
MentorMarko Rudar
Mentor’s Department: Animal Sciences

Natalie Johnson
Major: Microbial/Cell and Molecular Biology
Project Title: Bacterial Co-Infections in Tilapia
Mentor: Timothy Bruce
Mentor’s Department: FAA Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures

Madison Kinard
Major: Animal Sciences
Project Title: Effect of variety and species on digestibility and methane production potential of cool-season annual forages
MentorWilliam Smith
Mentor’s Department: Department of Animal Sciences

Steven Mai

Major: Environmental Sciences
Project Title: A Toxic Love Story: Investigating PFAS Interactions with Aged Microplastics in Sediments
MentorYaniv Olshansky
Mentor’s Department: Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences
Matthews UR Fellow

Eliza McGuirk
Major: Animal Sciences
Project Title: Can Taurine Regulate Fat Cell Behaviors in Cell Culture?
Mentor
Terry Brandenbourg
Mentor’s Department: Department of Animal Sciences

Kristen Cartee
Major: Environmental Science
Project Title: Evaluating IRIS Films in Alabama Blackland Prairie Soils for Wetland Restoration
MentorThorsten Knappenberber
Mentor’s Department: Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences

Michael Dub
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title:
MentorNannan Liu
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology
Matthews UR Fellow

Parker Rae Menefee
Major
: Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences
Project Title: Optimizing hormone therapy for spawning gene edited catfish
MentorRex Dunham
Mentor’s Department: School of Fisheries Aquatic Science

Riley Parman
Major
: Global Studies
Project Title: Incentivizing healthy fluid milk consumption among low-income consumers
Mentor: Joel Cuffey
Mentor’s Department: Agricultural Economy and Rural Sociology

Rachel Robinson
Major
: Animal Sciences Pre-Vet and Music
Project Title: Evaluating renal arginase activity of modern and heritage broilers
MentorSamuel Rochell
Mentor’s Department: Poultry Science

Lucas Speer
Major
: Agriculture Science
Project Title: Pecan Shells as an Alternative to Pine Bark as Substrate for Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivation
MentorJames Spiers
Mentor’s Department: Horticulture

Katelyn Waddell
Major
: Environmental Science
Project Title: Human Impacts on the Water Quality of Lake Yojoa, Honduras through Time.
MentorMatthew Waters
Mentor’s Department: Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences

Madalynn Welsh
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title: Investigating cell-free DNA as potential biomarkers to improve beef cattle fertility and reproductive efficiency
MentorWellison Jarles
Mentor’s Department: Animal Sciences


College of Architecture, Design, and Construction

Katherine Backlund
Major
: Environmental Design
Project Title: Equity by Design: Environmental Design as a Tool for Environmental Justice
MentorRobert Sproull
Mentor’s department: School of Architecture Plan and Landscape Architecture

Fiona Content
Major
: Environmental Design
Project Title: Blend(ing) Industrial Intelligence: Infrastructures and Stories
MentorEilis Finnegan
Mentor’s department: School of Architecture Plan and Landscape Architecture

Juntao Fang
Major: Environmental Design
Project Title:
Mentor: Kelley Homan
Mentor’s Department: School of Architecture Plan and Landscape Architecture

Caroline Purdy
Major: Environmental Design
Project Title:Cultivating Living Infrastructure in Tulsa, Oklahoma: Using Design to Foster Environmental Equity
MentorKelley Homan
Mentor’s Department: School of Architecture Plan and Landscape Architecture


Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Nailah Braziel

Major: Ecological Engineering

Project Title:

Mentor: Bryan Beckingham

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Alex Brown

Major: Electrical Engineering

Project Title: A Polarization-Structured-Light Three-Dimensional Imaging System

Mentor: Zihe Gao

Mentor’s Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

2024 Early Start Research Fellow

Alison Brown

Major: Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Enhancing Contractile Function of Engineered Cardiac Tissues through Enriched Fatty Acid Media Cultivation

Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Charlotte Brown

Major: Physics

Project Title: Application of Quantum Computational Techniques to Velocity Map Imaging

Mentor: Richard Chapman

Mentor’s Department: Computer Science and Software Engineering
Matthews UR Fellow

Carson Bulgin

Major: Computer Science

Project Title:

Mentor’s Department: Computer Science and Software Engineering

Sean Clark

Major: Pre-mechanical engineering

Project Title: Developing UV-LED photocrosslinking system for scalable 3-D tissue production

Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Jordan Clemmons

Major: Chemical engineering

Project Title: Use of self-assembling small molecule to template cellulose hydrogels

Mentor: Symone Alexander

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Cameron Cohen

Major: Aerospace Engineering

Project Title: Mechanical Properties of Self-Folding Polymer Miura Ori

Mentor: Russell Mailen

Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Greydon Franck

Major: Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Effect of MDBS on Material Properties of PE/PP Blends

Mentor: Symone Alexander

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Robert Gleason

Major: Graphic Design

Project Title: The Role of Visual Communication in Intuitive Design

Mentor: Davide Guzzetti

Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Benjamin Gunasekaran

Major: Chemical Engineering

Project Title:

Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Kassandra Hileman

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Project Title: Paratrooper Injury Analysis of the Ankle and Foot

Mentor: Michael Zabala

Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

Robert Hudson

Major: Aerospace Engineering

Project Title: High throughput stochastic rare event buckling analysis of lattice structures

Mentor: Wen Luo

Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Morgan Johnson

Major: Aerospace Engineering

Project Title: Effects of Porous Surfaces on Oblique Impinging Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interaction Unsteadiness

Mentor: Brian Thurow

Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Seohyeong Kim

Major: Chemical Engineering

Project Title: An Automated Approach for Analyzing Differentiated Cardiomyocytes.

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Chandler Livingston

Major: Aerospace Engineering

Project Title: Self-Folding Shape Memory Polymer Origami Activated by Joule Heating of Embedded Conductive Filaments

Mentor: Russell Mailen

Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Camylle Lollar

Major: Chemical Engineering

Project Title: Extraction of Cellulose from Pecan Shells

Mentor: Symone Alexander

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering
Matthews UR Fellow

Mason Mathias

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Project Title: Cost Improvements and SEA Implementation to the Blue Gripper for Education

Mentor: Chad Rose

Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

Parker Megginson

Major: Computer Engineering

Project Title: SAR ADC IC Design for data-converter Applications

Mentor: Fa Dai

Mentor’s Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering

Max Miller

Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering

Project Title: Development of new exoskeleton controller that supports trust and ease of use to enhance gait capabilities

Mentor’s Department: Industrial and Systems Engineering

William Stapleton

Major: Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Investigating the Effect of Discrete Hydrostatic Pressure Gradients on Cancer Cell Migration

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Jerin Thomas

Major: Chemical Engineering

Project Title:

Mentor: Symone Alexander

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering
Matthews UR Fellow

Ross Tolbert

Major: Chemical Engineering

Project Title:

Mentor: Symone Alexander

Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Nana Kwasi Nkansa Tweneboah

Major: Industrial and Systems Engineering

Project Title: Search for Layered 3D Compounds Suitable for Producing Novel 2D Materials Through Selective Etching

Mentor’s Department: Materials Engineering
Matthews UR Fellow

Samuel Yount

Major: Electrical Engineering

Project Title: Enabling Virtual Reality Augmented Hybrid Exoskeletons

Mentor: Brendon Allen

Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment

Shelby Davis

Major: Wildlife Ecology and Management

Project Title: Public Knowledge of and Interactions with the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)

Mentor: Wesley Anderson

Mentor’s Department: Forestry and Wildlife Services

Tess Lindow

Major: Wildlife Ecology and Managament

Project Title: Pathogenicity and virulence of L. acicola in an economically important agricultural pine species

Mentor: Janna Wiloughby

Mentor’s Department: Forestry and Wildlife Services
Matthews UR Fellow

Garrison Sharp

Major: Sustainable Biomaterials and Packaging

Project Title: Reclamation and characterization of polyolefins from multilayer plastic packaging waste

Mentor’s Department: Forestry and Wildlife Services

Emily Tice

Major: Wildlife Ecology and Management

Project Title: Mosquito Population Control to Mitigate Negative Human Health Outcomes

Mentor: Janna Wiloughby

Mentor’s Department: Wildlife Ecology and Management

Brianna Travis

Major: Natural Resources Management with a minor in Watershed Sciences

Project Title: Investigating the impacts of land use on soil biogeochemistry in headwater wetlands in Baldwin County, Alabama

Mentor’s Department: AU National Resource Management and Development Institute
Matthews UR Fellow


College of Human Sciences

Avery Crist

Major: Nutrition Wellness

Project Title: Investigating the Impact of Stigma and Awareness on College Student’s Access to Food Aid Resources at Auburn University

Mentor: Onika Brown

Mentor’s Department: Nutritional Sciences

Campbell Jernigan

Major: NTDX

Project Title: Role of Hepatocyte Inflammation in Colorectal Cancer

Mentor: Michael Greene

Mentor’s Department: Nutrition Dietetics and Hospitality

Lauren McGinness

Major: Nutrition Science

Project Title: The metabolic response of C57BL/6J mice to a high-fat diet supplemented with multivitamins

Mentor: Mehrnaz Abbasi

Mentor’s Department: Department of Nutritional Sciences

Kaleigh Miller

Major: Nutrition Science

Project Title: Running for Me or Running for My Child: How a Parent’s Physical Activity May Be
Affecting Their Child’s Anxiety

Mentor: Joshua Novak

Mentor’s Department: Human Development and Family Studies


College of Liberal Arts

Robert Anderson

Major: English Literature and Creative Writing

Project Title: Understanding Narratology in Actual Play of Tabletop Role-Playing Games

Mentor: Emily Friedman

Mentor’s Department: English

Harper Andrews

Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Project Title: Gamification Hearing Screenings GESv3: A Validation Study

Mentor: Aurora Weaver

Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Kaitlyn DiThomas

Major: Psychology

Project Title: Working Memory and the odor span task in humans

Mentor: Jeffery Katz

Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Lilly Dunaway

Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Project Title: Enhancing Access to Hearing Healthcare for Korean Population: Development and Validation of a Culturally Tailored Korean Version of the HEAR COMMAND Tool

Mentor: Razan Al Fakir

Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing

Lindsay Gardner

Major: Psychology

Project Title: How prepared do first generation college students feel coming into college and how can colleges help them?

Mentor: Sara Driskell

Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences
Matthews UR Fellow

Addison Garrot

Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Project Title: Predicting Word Reading and Spelling from Speech Sound Errors

Mentor: Anna Ehrhorn

Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Gracie Hundley

Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences

Project Title: Importance of Scoring Spelling in Children with Speech Sound Disorder

Mentor: Anna Ehrhorn

Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Allison Keller

Major: Psychology

Project Title: Changes in College Student Social Media Use and the Impact of FoMO on Student Well Being from 2020 to 2024

Mentor: Sarah Lust

Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Annabelle Lacy

Major: Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences

Project Title: Muscle-Based Swallowing Intervention: A Systematic Review of Protocol Fidelity to Muscle Training Theory and Practice

Mentor: Mary Sandage

Mentor’s Department: Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences

Toni Lee

Major: Anthropology

Project Title: Anemia and health in enslaved Africans from Newton Plantation, Barbados

Mentor: Kristina Shuler

Mentor’s Department: Sociology

Lilyann Mason

Major: Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Project Title: Toward Boosting Daily Walking Practice Among Normal Hearing Individuals, Hearing Loss Individuals without Hearing Aid Eligibility vs. Hearing Loss Individuals with Hearing Aid Eligibility

Mentor’s Department: Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

Faith Miller

Major: Psychology

Project Title: Examining the Relationship Between Trait Worry and Cognitive Impairments

Mentor: Susan Earp

Mentor’s Department: Psychology

Lucero Montero

Major: Psychology

Project Title: Understanding Athletes’ Sense of Purpose and Mental Health Challenges

Mentor: Sara Driskell

Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences
Matthews UR Fellow

McCarley Rickman

Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Science

Project Title: Examining Perceptions of Stuttering

Mentor: Gregory Spray

Mentor’s Department: Speech, Language, and Hearing Science

Natalie White

Major: Psychology

Project Title: Religion Across Auburn’s Campus and its Effect on Students

Mentor: Sara Driskell

Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences
Matthews UR Fellow


College of Education

Reagan Boledovic

Major: Exercise Science

Project Title: The effectiveness of Micro breaks in On-Duty Patrol Officers

Mentor: Joellen Sefton

Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Marleigh Green

Major: Exercise Science & Nutrition

Project Title: The Effect of Innings on Rotational Velocities in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers

Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Susannah Harrell

Major: Exercise Science

Project Title: Striding Through the Divide: Model Training Allows for Faster Gait Adaptation in Healthy Young Adults

Mentor: Jaime Roper

Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Caroline Keller

Major: Exercise Science Undergrad KESB

Project Title:

Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Aubrie Lisenby

Major: Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: The Effect of Rear Foot Center of Pressure on Application Forces and Rotational Velocities in Collegiate Softball Hitting

Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Elizabeth Wheeler

Major: Exercise Science

Project Title: The Role of the Achilles Tendon in Foot Biomechanics through Ultrasound Imaging and Electromyography

Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Thomas Williams

Major: Exercise Science and Nutrition Wellness

Project Title: Investigating Single-Leg Biomechanics as an Indicator of Mobility and Physical Function

Mentor: Jaime Roper

Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

College of Sciences and Mathematics

Victoria Cover

Major: Biochemistry

Project Title: Fluorescence Behavior of Probe Molecules in Model Aerosol Constituents

Mentor: Paul Ohno

Mentor’s Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry

Ashley Desilva

Major: Microbial Biology

Project Title: Exploring Population Dynamics of Bacillus and Paenibacillus Co-Culture and Its Effects On Soybean Disease Control

Mentor: Mark Liles

Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences
Matthews UR Fellow

Emma Drake

Major: Chemistry

Project Title: Regioselective Dearomative Benzylation of Pyrylium Salts

Mentor: Rashad Karimov

Mentor’s Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry

Parker Ensminger

Major: Microbiology

Project Title: Formation of Synaptosomes by APE1 Protein and its relation to gene regulation

Mentor: Mohtadin Hashemi

Mentor’s Department: Physics

Megan Fitzgerald

Major: Biochemistry

Project Title: How do Ribosomes Make Proteins? Direct Tracking of Translation with Single-Molecule FRET

Mentor: Alexey Petrov

Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Brielle Hay

Major: Animal Science

Project Title: Examining possible sex-specific mortality due to heat in finch embryos

Mentor: Haruka Wada

Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

David Goymer

Major: Physics

Project Title:

Mentor’s Department: Physics
Matthews UR Fellow

Bennett Jetmundsen

Major: Biochemistry/Genetics

Project Title: Does Oxidative Stress and Reduced Mitochondrial Count Contribute to Hybrid Breakdown

Mentor: Wendy Hood

Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Aidan Knox

Major: Geology and Aerospace Engineering

Project Title:

Mentor: Willis Hames

Mentor’s Department: Geology and Geography

Benjamin Lightfoot

Major: Physics

Project Title: Mitigating Solar Spectral Scaling Inaccuracies via Machine Learning for Cometary Coma Analysis

Mentor: Dennis Bodewits

Mentor’s Department: Physics

Alexandra McGrew

Major: Wildlife Ecology and Management

Project Title: Understanding the Effect of Ultraviolet Light Exposure on Modified and Unmodified Pigments in Yellow Songbirds

Mentor: Geoffrey Hill

Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences
Matthews UR Fellow

McKae Sarkowski

Major: Organismal Biology- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

Project Title: Why are male sliders small? The role of sexual selection in maintaining male size in a pond turtle.

Mentor: Matthew Wolak

Mentor’s Department: Biology

Rebecca Strain

Major: Civil Engineering

Project Title: Investigation between gender performativity and identity development for engineers

Mentor: Eric Burkholder

Mentor’s Department: Physics

Seoyeong Woo

Major: Microbiology

Project Title: Exploring Population Dynamics of Bacillus and Paenibacillus Co-Culture and Its Effects On Soybean Disease Control

Mentor: Mark Liles

Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences


College of Nursing

Katherine Bailey

Major: Nursing Science

Project Title: Exploring Factors Influencing College Students’ Reporting of Antidepressant Medication Adverse Drug Reactions

Mentor: Caitlin Moore

Mentor’s Department: Nursing

Madison Beavers

Major: Nursing

Project Title: A Holistic Approach to Pediatric T1 Diabetes Management.

Mentor: Christine Feeley

Mentor’s Department: Nursing

Madison Goehle

Major: Animal Science

Project Title: A Study on the Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Academic-Induced Anxiety in Auburn University Students

Mentor’s Department: Nursing

Mentor: Beverly Yordy

Nora Heeney

Major: Nursing

Project Title: “Auburn’s Safe Space”

Mentor: Seth Perry

Mentor’s Department: Nursing
Matthews UR Fellow

Kendall McCallum

Major: Nursing

Project Title: Perinatal Mental Health Outcomes and Breast-Feeding Duration in Home and Birth Center Deliveries

Mentor’s Department: Nursing
Matthews UR Fellow

David Murray

Major: Nursing

Project Title: Assessing and optimizing the health and resiliency of undergraduate nursing students

Mentor: Andrew Fruge

Mentor’s Department: Nursing

Leticia Raymundi Pinhei

Major: Nursing

Project Title:

Mentor: Claire Thompson

Mentor’s Department: Nursing
Matthews UR Fellow


James Harrison College of Pharmacy

Amatallah Saulawa

Major: International Studies and Public andOne Health

Project Title: Shared Clinical Decision Making on Vaccines in Community Pharmacies

Mentor: Salisa Westrick

Mentor’s Department: Pharmacy Care Systems
Matthews UR Fellow

Markelle Scott

Major: Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Do ERBB4-ERBB2 heterodimers drive ERBB4-dependent, ERBB2-dependent, BRAF WT melanoma cell lines?

Mentor: David Riese

Mentor’s Department: Drug Discovery and Development
Matthews UR Fellow

Alexander Shipp

Major: Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Development of an experimental design to assess CYP3A4 induction based- botanical-HIV antiretroviral drug interaction

Mentor: Angela Calderon

Mentor’s Department: Drug Discovery and Development
Matthews UR Fellow


College of Veterinary Medicine

Aaron Bohn

Major: Psychology

Project Title: Assessing and maximizing the comprehensive potential of health education materials

Mentor: Andrea Perkins

Mentor’s Department: Clinical Sciences

Devin Cooper

Major: Applied Biotechnology, Microbiology

Project Title: Elucidation of CAV Tropism

Mentor: Payal Agarwal

Mentor’s Department: Scott Ritchey Research Center

Henry Limbo

Matthews Scholars Program Fellow

Major: Genetics

Project Title: Measuring the progression of AD biomarkers in 3xTg mice

Mentor: Daniel Kroeger

Mentor’s Department: Anatomy Physiology and Pharmacy

Nathan Newman

Major: Biomedical Sciences, Pre-Medical

Project Title: Peptide-mediated CD206-targeting of tumor associated macrophages for Cancer Therapy

Mentor: Maninder Sandey

Mentor’s Department: Pathobiology

Gabrielle Schultz

Major: Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone as an Alternative to Traditional Spay/Neuter

Mentor: Douglas Martin

Mentor’s Department: Anatomy Physiology and Pharmacy

Isabella Shimko-Lofano 

Major: Biomedical Sciences

Project Title: Characterization of cytopathic affect of AUM4

Mentor: Payal Agarwal 

Mentor’s Department: Scott-Ritchey Research Center

Carrie Smith

Major: Microbiology

Project Title: The potential role of Phosphoprotein Enriched in Astrocytes-15 (PEA15) in the regulation of circadian rhythm and metabolic disease.

Mentor: Emily Graff

Mentor’s Department: Pathobiology