Meet the 2020-2021 Undergraduate Research Fellows

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College of Agriculture
College of Business
College of Education
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
College of Human Sciences
College of Liberal Arts
School of Nursing
School of Pharmacy
College of Sciences and Mathematics


College of Agriculture

Ellie Amerson Animal Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Assessing the use of biometric ear tags as herd health monitoring devices in swine.

Mentor: Terry Brandebourg

Elijah Carroll Organismal Biology-Conservation

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Potential hazard to beneficial insects from imidacloprid exposure in the honeydew of crape myrtle bark scale Eriococcus lagerstroemiae (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae)

Mentor: David Held

Daniel Carter Crop, Soils, and Environmental Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Exploring relationships between diet and other risk factors for colon cancer with novel circulating biomarkers in humans

Mentor: Drew Frugé

Madison Dees Poultry Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Do cyanobacterial toxins bioaccumulate in aquaculture-produced fish? 

Mentor: Alan Wilson

Emily Ennis Poultry Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Will replacement of reproductive hormone genes with the alligator cathelicidin gene result in disease resistant, sterile catfish exhibiting normal growth? 

Mentor: Rex Dunham

Ivy Graves Animal Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Discovery and curation of communication modalities surrounding animal welfare practices  

Mentor: Donald Mulvaney

Rachel Hollingsworth Animal Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Investigating the role that inflammation plays in unexplained heifer infertility

Mentor: Paul Dyce

Seth Ingram Agricultural Business and Economics

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Impact of the China-US trade war on the Alabama soybean industry

Mentor: Ruiqing Miao

Megan Justice Wildlife Enterprise Management

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Genetic and phenotypic characterization of a cryptic Largemouth Bass form

Mentor: Eric Peatman

Parker King Horticulture: Nursery and Greenhouse Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Exploring the role of type VI secretion system of pathogen in mediating interactions with the plant cell

Mentor: Neha Potnis

Rachel Osbourne Poultry Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Analyzing samples of raw poultry processing plant wastewater to determine the chemical makeup and microbial load present before treatment

Mentor: Dianna Bourassa

Mackenzie Pennington Environmental Science

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Effects of sodium bicarbonate on water alkalinity in a hydroponic system  

Mentor: Daniel Wells

Roshell Rosales Aguilar Agricultural Business and Economics

Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture

Project Title: Understanding the causes and exploring remedies for food waste and food loss

Mentor: Ruiqing Miao


Harbert College of Business

Carley Robinson Management and Finance

Sponsor(s): Harbert College of Business

Project Title: The effects of abusive supervision on insubordination

Mentor: Jeremy Mackey


College of Education

Molly Cassidy Kinesiology

Sponsor(s): College of Education

Project Title: Electromyographic analysis of shoulder rotation strength testing positions 

Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Abigail Cramer Exercise Science

Sponsor(s): College of Education

Project Title: The effects of previously playing an overhead throwing sport in shoulder range of motion, strength, and humeral retroversion

Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Daisy Hansana Exercise Science

Sponsor(s): College of Education

Project Title: Investigating preparatory movement about the ankle 

Mentor: Wendi Weimar

Alice Northcutt Exercise Science

Sponsor(s): College of Education

Project Title: The efficacy of adaptive aerobic exercise on sleep in adults with disabilities

Mentor: Melissa Pangelinan

Derrick Stephen Kinesiology

Sponsor(s): College of Education

Project Title: SuperHERoes of today: A biomechanical analysis of the anatomical adaptations during pregnancy

Mentor: Christopher Wilburn


Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Peter Abraham Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: RNA-sequencing analysis to identify links between the consensus molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer and obesity

Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke

Peden Arnold Bio-Process Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Biofuels value of biomass of algal turf scrubber treating aquaponics wastewater 

Mentor: David Blersch

Mary Baird Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Polyether-based ion exchange membranes for heavy metal harvesting 

Mentor: Bryan Beckingham

Brett Cranston Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Inertial measurement and surface electromyography in advanced arm prosthetics

Mentor: Chad Rose

Megan Davies Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Engineered cancer tissues for application in disease modeling and personalized drug testing

Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke

Matthew Do Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Developing machine learning models to predict protein solubility through frequency of amino acids

Mentor: Chris Kieslich

Calvin Dulaney Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: 3D Printer accessory that prints two polymers while being able to manipulate their concentration 

Mentor: Edward Davis

Evan Ellison Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Development of MATLAB algorithms for determination and analysis of kinematic data from a split-belt treadmill 

Mentor: Jaime Roper

Sierra Eady Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: A physics-based gasoline particulate filter temperature model for feedback oriented vehicle applications 

Mentor: Mark Hoffman

Grace Gray Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Human impact study, testing the efficacy of customized 3D printed guards 

Mentor: Michael Zabala

Audrey Hall Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Investigation of the antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens and chemical composition of extracts and partitions of Psidium guajava

Mentor: Angela Calderon

Theresa Hardin Mechanical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Developing a tension driven telescoping arm

Mentor: Michael Zabala

Grace Hester Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Engineered 3D in vitro colorectal cancer models to investigate the link between obesity and cancer 

Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke

Jett Kik Industrial and Systems Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Engineering controls for hazardous noise: Researching and aggregating effective noise abatement solutions and creating media to disseminate the results of said research. 

Mentor: Richard Sesek

Yevhenii “Jack” Kovryzhenko Aerospace Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: System developing, path planning and trajectory optimization for autonomous areal vehicles 

Mentor: Ehsan Taheri

Jin Kwon Electrical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Additive manufacturing of batteries using MXene-based inks 

Mentor: Majid Beidaghi

Andrew McGehee Software Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Computational modeling of protein 3D structures with optimization and machine learning 

Mentor: Debswapna Bhattacharya

Elizabeth Melby Biosystems Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Neutral lipid accumulation in algae induced by oxidative stress due to poultry wastewater antimicrobials 

Mentor: Brendan Higgins

Javier Nishikawa Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Polymer-coated sugar nanoparticles for encapsulation of biomolecules

Mentor: Allan David

Ernest “Steven” Porterfield Materials Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Optimization of biodegradable resins for additive manufacturing

Mentor: Edward Davis

William Rud Biosystems Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Identifying laboratory light conditions that are viable for use in an algae turf scrubber raceway with filamentous algae 

Mentor: David Blersch

Mollie Sabo Civil Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Pore network modelling of reactive permeability evolution

Mentor: Lauren Beckingham

Shelby Wales Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Fabrication of reactive rocks with 3D printing

Mentor: Lauren Beckingham

Duncan Wisniewski Wireless Engineering/Psychology

Sponsor(s): College of Engineering

Project Title: Virtual muscle movement through EEG for motor learning 

Mentor: Mark Adams


School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Jamie Andersen Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Determining the spatial and temporal patterns of fiddler crab use of tidal freshwater forested wetlands along two rivers of the Apalachicola River.

Mentor: Christopher Anderson

Virginia Betbeze Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: The effect that culling of invasive species has on native bird populations in Kauai, Hawaii

Mentor: Christopher Lepczyk

Sarah Cain Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Analyzing the accuracy of pellet count surveys to estimate density of White-tailed Deer (odocoileus virginianus)

Mentor: Stephen Ditchkoff

Allison Foster Wildlife Ecology and Management

Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Assessing the economic cost of managing invasive species across the United States 

Mentor: Christopher Lepczyk

Philip McMichael Substainable Biomaterials and Packaging

Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Project Title: Bio-based coagulation and flocculation systems to treat contaminants in concrete washwater

Mentor:Maria Soledad Peresin


College of Human Sciences

Erin Casolaro Philanthropic and Nonprofit Studies/Accounting

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Financial implications of personal gardening among elderly in rural Alabama  

Mentor: Alicia Powers

Anna Fouty Nutrition Science and Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Telomere length and childhood obesity  

Mentor: Geetha Thangiah

Molly Grubb Global Studies

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Measuring the impact of humanitarian aid

Mentor: Alicia Powers

Tucker Kilgo Nutrition Science

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Basic needs coalition food security prevalence study 

Mentor: Onikia Brown

Megan Schaberg Nutrititon Science

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Determining the effects of health beliefs on dietary intervention adherence and change in inflammatory biomarkers

Mentor: Drew Frugé

Kristyn Waldron Human Development and Family Studies

Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences

Project Title: Community-based youth programs: Examining utilization and perceived benefits to military families

Mentor: Mallory Lucier-Greer


College of Liberal Arts

Avery Agostinelli Art History and Political Science

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Perpetual patriotism and polarizing politics: The multifaceted implications of Childe Hassam’s Avenue in The Rain

Mentor: Emily Burns

Brannon Anthony Political Science

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Human trafficking for the purpose of forced marriage in The People’s Republic of China 

Mentor: Michael Brown

Hannah Evans Psychology

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Sexual development of adolescents adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior and adolescents adjudicated for general delinquent behavior

Mentor: Kelli Thompson

Samantha Guajardo Psychology

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: The effects of pre-adjudicatory factors on therapeutic alliance and the existence of racial disparities within adolescents who have been adjudicated for sexual offending behaviors 

Mentor: Kelli Thompson

Nathan Holden English/Applied Math

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Employing Christianity: The role of religion in nineteenth-century American literature

Mentor: James Ryan

Carleigh Morrow Neuroscience

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Developmental olanzapine exposure on impulsive choice and behavioral flexibility 

Mentor: Christopher Newland

Megan Ondrizek Communication Disorders

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Allostasis and homeostasis in the NICU infant: Implications for use of NMES for habilitation of swallowing function

Mentor: Mary Sandage

Cassidy Powell Psychology and Music Performance

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title:  How neurosyphilis affected four 19th century musical composers and their works 

Mentor: Michael Pendowski

Allyson Pullen Neuroscience

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Social media use, health, and risk behavior among young women

Mentor: Sara Blaine

Kylie Seaton Psychology and Sociology

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: The influence on children’s ADHD symptoms by the interplay of various parenting behaviors and rates of child physical activity 

Mentor: Joshua Novak

Jessica Sullivan History

Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts

Project Title: Wray v. Wray: Public perceptions of women’s health in the antebellum courtroom

Mentor: Kelly Kennington


Nursing

Emily Clair Herring Nursing

Sponsor(s): School of Nursing

Project Title: Examination of barriers to health and chronic disease management in a rural population

Mentor: Linda Gibson-Young

Rebecca McDuffie Nursing

Sponsor(s): School of Nursing

Project Title: Correlation between number of activities provided in nursing homes and the quality of life of the individuals living there

Mentor: Kathy Jo Ellison

Jada Norford Nursing and Philosophy

Sponsor(s): School of Nursing

Project Title: Implications of interprofessional collaboration: Increasing potential for care efficacy among nursing and social work students 

Mentor: Sarah Watts

Caroline Richey Nursing

Sponsor(s): School of Nursing

Project Title: Doggone diabetes: Healthy human, healthy dog, healthy nursing student volunteer  

Mentor: Morgan Yordy


College of Sciences and Mathematics

Nicole Anthony Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Characterizing the Structure-to-Function Relationship of an Antisense Long Non-coding RNA Associated with the β-myosin Heavy Chain Gene of Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle for Potential Drug-targeting

Mentor: Joanna Sztuba-Solinska

Caroline Condon Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Evaluating the Perceptions of Healthfulness within Low-income Communities using the Behavior Environment Perceptions Survey

Mentor: Onikia Brown

Stella Cox Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Identification of Pesticide Isomers in Crops using Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry

Mentor: Ahmed Hamid

Laura Downey Biomedical Sciences, Pre-Medical

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Determination of Clinical Effectiveness of Novel Liposomal Formulation of Proteasome Inhibitors in Tumors.

Mentor: Alexei Kisselev

Meredith Forrester Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Using Computational Biophysics to Investigate the Effects of Mechanical Forces on Proteins

Mentor: Rafael Bernardi

Bethany Foust Geospatial and Environmental Informatics

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Glacial Archaeological Modeling of the Northwest Territories using Remote Sensing and GIS

Mentor: Stephanie Rogers

Rachel Fulda Physics

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  

Mentor: Guillaume Laurent

Corinne Gautreaux Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  A Cross Sectional Study of Temporal Diet Quality in US Adults

Mentor: Andrew Fruge

Emma Henderson Geology

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Continuous Monitoring of the Effects of a Storm’s First Flush on Nutrient Cycling and the Microbial Assemblage in Parkerson Mill Creek

Mentor: Ann Ojeda

Railey Herren Biomedical Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Addressing the Genetic Basis of Cytoskeletal Development and how Microtubules are involved in Scale Development using the Butterfly Vanessa Cardui

Mentor: Brian Counterman

Auburn Jordan Chemistry

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: A Fe(II) Complex Capable of Detecting H2O2 in Association with Oxidative Stress

Mentor: Chris Goldsmith

Emily Kable Chemistry Education and Chemistry

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Chord Diagrams as a Visual Tool in Chemistry Education Research

Mentor: Jordan Harshman

Taylor McKibben Microbial, Cellular, Molecular Biology

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Acquisition and Development of the Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiome in Lizards

Mentor: Tonia Schwartz

Emma Peacock Microbial Biology (Cellular/Molecular)

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Understanding Natural Product Biosynthesis in Blueberry

Mentor: Courtney Leisner

Avery Rajan Biochemistry

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Drugs from Dirt: Development and Characterization of Novel Antimicrobial Compounds

Mentor: Mark Liles

Tiffany Ramsey Medical Laboratory Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  The Effectivity of Duckweed as a Source of Biomanipulation to Develop a Sustainable Method for Controlling Toxic Levels of Ammonia in Commercial Catfish Ponds

Mentor: Alan Wilson

Alicia Taylor Biochemistry

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Antimicrobial Plastics: The Development of Novel, Rechargeable N-Halamine Polymer blends for use in Healthcare, Food Processing, and 3D Printing Industries

Mentor: Shelby Worley

Brandon Waldo Marine Biology

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Genetic Divergence of Gulf Killifish Across Salinity Gradients in the Gulf of Mexico

Mentor: Moises Bernal

Samuel Warren Geology

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title: Petrographic Characterization of Skarn Deposits in Puerto Rico

Mentor: Laura Bilenker


School of Pharmacy

Laura Downey Biomedical Sciences, Pre-Medical

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Determination of Clinical Effectiveness of Novel Liposomal Formulation of Proteasome Inhibitors in Tumors.

Mentor: Alexei Kisselev

Madeline Kunze Chemical Engineering

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Integration of Bioactivity – Global Natural Product Social Molecular Network (GNPS): Proof of Concept

Mentor: Angela Calderon

Lucy Seay Computer Sciences

Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics

Project Title:  Investigating Mechanisms of Memory Deficits and Altered Neurotransmission in Prenatal Cannabinoid Exposed Rodents

Mentor: Subhrajit Bhattacharya

Last Modified : Jul 23, 2023 @ 12:58 am