2023-2024
College of Agriculture

Jazmine Carroll
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title: Engineering the Chicken Microbiome for the Prevention of Histomoniasis
Mentor: John Beckmann
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Abigail Crosby
Major: Animal Sciences
Project Title: What is the interaction between weaning-induced reductions in feed intake and sulfur amino acid metabolism in the gut?
Mentor: Marko Rudar
Mentor’s Department: Animal Sciences

Christopher Deveau
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title: Studying Root Anatomical Traits for Drought Tolerance in Peanut
Mentor: Alvaro Sanz-Saez de Jauregui
Mentor’s Department: Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences

Amelia Flesner
Major: Laboratory Sciences
Project title: Characterizing the role of members of the Fusarium solani species complex as transkingdom pathogens.
Mentor: Jeffrey Coleman
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Hailey Holbert
Major: Biosystems Engineering
Project Title: Increasing Herbicide Absorption in Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora) Using Iron Fertilizers and Essential Oils
Mentor: Joseph McElroy
Mentor’s Department: Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences

Sarah Hyde
Major: Environmental Science
Project Title: Alaskan Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Strain Collection to Increase Cold Tolerance in Crops
Mentor: Katheryn Kay Lawrence
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Ann Inskeep
Major: Biosystems Engineering
Project Title: “Poultry Ponics”
Mentor: Daniel Wells
Mentor’s Department: Horticulture

Rachel Livingston
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title: Analyzing the infection efficiency of CLRDV in G. hirsutum and N. benthamiana by agroinoculation
Mentor: Kathleen Martin
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Natalie Macaluso
Major: Biosystems Engineering/Apparel Merchandising
Project Title: Tick Immobilizing Textile Project
Mentor: John Beckmann
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Benjamin Marshall
Major: Microbiology (Pre-Med)
Project Title: Investigating yellow-pigmented catfish pathogens
Mentor: Timothy Bruce
Mentor’s Department: School Fisheries Aquaculture Aquatic Sciences

Nicholas Mueller
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title:Creating a Library of Aphis gossypii Proteins for Testing Interactions with Cotton Leafroll Dwarf Virus Coat Proteins
Mentor: Kathleen Martin
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Spencer Rubin
Major: Environmental Science
Project Title: Studying hop adaptation to Southeast environments
Mentor: Alvaro Sanz Saez de Jauregui
Mentor’s Department: Crop Soil and Environmental Sciences

Benjamin Welsh
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title:Genetic engineering of disease resistant plants against phytoparasitic nematodes
Mentor: Sang Wook Park
Mentor’s Department: Entomology and Plant Pathology

Morgan Young
Major: Animal Sciences (Pre-Vet)
Project Title:Development of research tools: In search of heifer fertility biomarkers
Mentor: Paul Dyce
Mentor’s Department: Animal Sciences
College of Architecture, Design, and Construction

William Bozeman
Major: Environmental Design
Project Title:Sensory Spaces: Inclusive Design for All.
Mentor: Kelly Homan
Mentor’s Department: School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture

Chase Hoytink
Major: Landscape Architecure
Project Title: Using Drawing and Representation to Design Nature-Based Infrastructure in Coastal Environments
Mentor: Robert Holmes
Mentor’s Department: School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture
Raymond J. Harbert College of Business

Alexander French
Major: Information Systems Management
Project Title: Community Perceptions of Digitization and IT Disruptions
Mentor: Atiya Avery
Mentor’s Department: Business Analytics & Information Systems
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Nicholas Bensman
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: An Investigation into Liquid Cooling Microchannels and Implementation of Synthetic Jets
Mentor: Mehmet Arik
Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

Barbara Brogan
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Project Title: Development of a Pipeline for Low-thrust and Impulsive Trajectory Design and Validation in GMAT
Mentor: Ehsan Taheri
Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Joseph Crapet
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: How do Hybrid Exoskeletons Affect Rehabilitation
Mentor: Brendon Allen
Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

Al Dean Francisco
Major: Biosystems Engineering – Bioprocess Option
Project Title: Fish Sludge for Feed and Water Reclamation
Mentor: Brendan Higgins
Mentor’s Department: Biosystems Engineering

Brandon Fulone
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Project Title: Trajectories of Rocket Plume Ejecta in Sub-Atmospheric Environments
Mentor: Vrishank Raghav Shankare Gowda
Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Benjamin Gunasekaran
Major: Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Standardization of Poly(ethylene glycol)-Fibrinogen Hydrogel Solution for 3D Cell Culture
Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke
Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Joshua Horton
Major: Computer Science
Project Title: Haplotype Phasing and Genotype Phasing utilizing Bernoulli Mixture Model Clustering
Mentor: William Heaton
Mentor’s Department: Computer Science & Software Engineering

Emily Kimbrell
Major: Software Engineering
Project Title: Enhancing the Playability of Sat-Tycoon: Improving Data Representation and User Interfaces in a Multi-Player Strategy Simulation Game
Mentor: Daniel Tauritz
Mentor’s Department: Computer Science & Software Engineering

Anna Lancaster
Major: Biosystems Engineering
Project Title: Internal Erosion in Unsaturated Slopes: Experimental Studies and New Monitoring
Mentor: Jack Montgomery
Mentor’s Department: Civil Engineering

Anya McDaniel
Major: Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Investigating the Pathways Influencing the Decline in Cell Motility during Senescence
Mentor: Panagiotis Mistriotis
Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Zachary Miller
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: Researching and Designing a Thumb-based Tremor-Suppression Glove that Works within the Full Workspace of the Thumb
Mentor: Chad Rose
Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

Eirik Mulder
Majors: Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science
Project Title: AstroCanvas: an agile and interactive approach to trajectory initial guess production in virtual reality
Mentor: Davide Guzzetti
Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Jada Neal
Major: Bioprocess Engineering
Project Title: Extraction of Pectin from Citrafiber Powder
Mentor: Symone Alexander
Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering

Logan Nichols
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Project Title: Pressure Drop in U-Bends for Low Temperature Ammonia Refrigeration Systems
Mentor: Lorenzo Cremaschi
Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

Samin Parvez
Major: Materials Engineering
Project Title: The Impact of Dynamic Loading on the Hydrolytic Degradation of Suture Materials
Mentor: Edward Davis
Mentor’s Department: Mechanical Engineering

Caroline Sanders
Major: Ecological Engineering
Project Title: Exploration of Novel Cultivation Scenarios for the Alga, Asparagopsis taxiformis, for climate-mitigating biochemicals
Mentor: David Blersch
Mentor’s Department: Biosystems Engineering

Melisa Shaffer
Major: Biosystems Engineering
Project Title: Trial Approach for Bench Scale Filamentous Algae Growth Experiments
Mentor: David Blersch
Mentor’s Department: Biosystems Engineering

Emma Signor
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Project Title: The effect of a finite combustion zone on the prediction of thermoacoustic mode shapes and frequencies
Mentor: Joseph Majdalani
Mentor’s Department: Aerospace Engineering

Travis Thompson
Majors: Computer Science and Applied Mathematics
Project Title: Generating Truthful and Accurate Responses: making large language models output more truthful responses for medical applications
Mentor: Anh Nguyen
Mentor’s Department: Computer Science & Software Engineering

Matthew Williams
Majors: Computer Science and Applied Mathematics
Project Title: TextMall – Text Mining for All through Text Intersection
Mentor: Shubhra Kanti Karmaker Santu
Mentor’s Department: Computer Science & Software Engineering
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Haomin Huang
Major: Finance
Project Title: The effect of the Growing Climate Solutions Act on sustainable land management practices in the agriculture and forestry sectors.
Mentor: Yaoqi Zhang
Mentor’s Department: Forestry Wildlife and Environment

Mary Hughes
Major: Natural Resources Management
Project Title: Indications of Reduction from Urban and Agricultural Development on Headwater Wetlands on the Alabama Gulf Coast
Mentor: Christopher Anderson
Mentor’s Department: Forestry Wildlife and Environment

Ally Cobern
Major: Wildlife Ecology and Management
Project Title: Risk Perception Among Scavengers: How Carcasses Affect the Spatiotemporal Presence and Overlap of Wildlife Species on the Landscape
Mentor: Christopher Lepcyzk
Mentor’s Department: Forestry Wildlife and Environment

John-Michael Norris
Major: Natural Resources Management
Project Title: Understanding possible changes in carbon cycling with Alabama headwater wetlands
Mentor: Christopher Anderson
Mentor’s Department: Forestry Wildlife and Environment

Madeleine Park
Major: Wildlife Science Pre-Veterinary Concentration
Project Title: Governance and resilience to climate-related hazards in National Marine Sanctuaries
Mentor: Kelly Dunning
Mentor’s Department: Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Lauren Stevens
Major: Wildlife Ecology and Management
Project Title: The Importance of Armadillo Burrows for Commensal Wildlife Species
Mentor: Wesley Anderson
Mentor’s Department: Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Mary Wells
Major: Organismal Biology: Conservation and Biodiversity
Project Title: Diet of Wild Turkeys in The State of Alabama
Mentor: William Gulsby
Mentor’s Department: Forestry Wildlife and Environment
College of Human Sciences

Brittany Bates
Major: Global Studies
Project Title: Meals on Wheels of Coweta County Extending Aging in Place for Their Seniors
Mentor: Alicia Powers
Mentor’s Department: Human Sciences Administration

Melissa Garnes
Major: Human Development and Family Science Child Life Concentration
Project Title: The intersection of identity in the military: The mental health outcomes of minority experiences of military sexual trauma.
Mentor: Mallory Lucier-Greer
Mentor’s Department: Human Development Family Science

Brianna Gordon
Major: Psychology
Project Title: Who to turn to when I need someone to turn to? Exploring the help seeking behaviors of military service members.
Mentor: Mallory Lucier-Greer
Mentor’s Department: Human Development Family Science

Darby Huber
Major: Interior Design
Project Title: A Study of the History of Interior Design and Historical Furniture Pieces in Media
Mentor: Anna Gatlin
Mentor’s Department: Consumer and Design Sciences

Amy Hudson
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Project title: Examining the Role of Occupational Characteristics in Socioeconomic Health Disparities
Mentor: Thomas Fuller-Rowell
Mentor’s Department: Human Development Family Science

Alissa Johnson
Major: Interior Design
Project title: A Study of the History of Interior Design and Historical Furniture Pieces in Media
Mentor: Anna Gatlin
Mentor’s Department: Consumer and Design Sciences

Joseph Luria
Major: Marketing
Project title: The Impact of Increased Financial Literacy
Mentor: Portia Johnson
Mentor’s Department: Consumer and Design Sciences

Hannah Montgomery
Major: Genetics
Project title: Understanding the impact of genetic counseling on the coping process of couples with positive cystic fibrosis carrier screening
Mentor: Joshua Novak
Mentor’s Department: Human Development Family Science

Shelby Morris
Major: Hospitality Management
Project title: Best Practices in Environmental Management- The Case of Platinum LEED Certified Hotels
Mentor: Imran Rahman
Mentor’s Department: School of Hospitality Management

Reagan Myers
Major: Human Development and Family Science; Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies
Project title:Philanthropic innovations: an assessment of the literature
Mentor: Peter Weber
Mentor’s Department: Consumer and Design Sciences

Serena Tedesco
Major: Global Studies
Project title: Food Insecurity: What can TikTok reveal about hunger in the American condition?
Mentor: Mary Katherine Thorton
Mentor’s Department: Human Sciences Administration

Candance Walters
Major: Pre-Med and Nutrition
Project title: Role of Hepatocyte Inflammation in Colon Cancer Research
Mentor: Michael Greene
Mentor’s Department: Department of Nutritional Sciences
College of Liberal Arts

Rebecca Barnes
Major: Media Studies – Visual Option
Project title: The Changing Conversation Around Copyright in TTRPG Actual Plays
Mentor: Emily Friedman
Mentor’s Department: English

Bailey Branham
Major: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences
Project title: Pitch Perception and Production in Music: A cohort study determining the benefits in aided versus unaided listening
Mentor: Aurora Weaver
Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Walton Ferguson
Major: Psychology
Project Title: Assessing the Effects of Altered Prosodic Tempo and Working Memory on Reading Recall Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation
Mentor: Alejandro Lazarte
Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Emily Findlay
Major: Psychology
Project title: Students’ Attitudes About Virtual Work Post-Pandemic: How Confidence, Accountability, and Satisfaction Drive Intentions for Future Virtual Work
Mentor: Sara Driskell
Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Katelyn Gilson
Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Project title: Phonological Skills in the Spontaneous Speech of Children who Stutter
Mentor: Gregory Spray
Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Hope Hartley
Major: Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Project title: Rhythm Detection and Timing in Adults Who Stutter
Mentor: Gregory Spray
Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Gabriella LaRocca
Major: Political Sciences
Mentor: Soren Jordan
Mentor’s Department: Political Sciences

Rylee Lusich
Major: Psychology
Project Title: The Relationship Between Anxiety Sensitivity and Eating Pathology Symptoms
Mentor: Tiffany Brown
Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Natalie McBrayer
Major: Psychology
Project Title: Does insight moderate the predictive validity of neurophysiological and self-report indicators for cannabis cue reactivity?
Mentor: Richard Macatee
Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Madison Mcdaniel
Major: Psychology & Sociology (Criminology emphasis)
Project Title: The Role of Pornography Use in Juvenile Sexual Offending
Mentor: Kelli Thompson
Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Annie Pauley
Major: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences
Project Title: Upper Airway Thermoregulation in People with Asthma
Mentor: Mary Sandage
Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences

Madeleine Rein
Major: Psychology
Project Title: Distress Tolerance, Anxiety Sensitivity, and the Use of Cannabis as a Coping Mechanism
Mentor: Richard Macatee
Mentor’s Department: Psychological Sciences

Katie Smith
Major: Anthropology
Project Title: Linear Enamel Hypoplasia in African Enslaved Individuals from Newton’s Plantation, Barbados
Mentor: Kristina Shuler
Mentor’s Department: Sociology

Katie Wallace
Major: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences
Project Title: Phonological skills in the spontaneous speech of children who stutter
Mentor: Gregory Spray
Mentor’s Department: Speech Language and Hearing Sciences
College of Education

Connor Cantrell
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: A feasibility study of mobile EEG during dual-task standing in young adults
Mentor: Krista Neely
Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Aubrie Lisenby
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Effect of Elbow Flexion/Extension, Shoulder Flexion/Extension, and Shoulder Horizontal Adduction on the Performance of Elite Athletes
Mentor: Gretchen Oliver
Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology

Nicholas Mauldin
Major: Exercise Science
Project Title: Duration of Throwing Motion and its Relationship to Throw Velocity and Efficiency in Baseball Catchers
Mentor: Gretchen Oliver
Mentor’s Department: School of Kinesiology
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Tessa Allen
Major: Biomedical Sciences & Spanish
Project Title: Determining the role of gut microbiota in the production of reactive oxygen species by cockroach hemocytes.
Mentor: Elizabeth Schwartz
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Madison Bryant
Major: Biomedical Science, Neuroscience
Project Title: Maturation of Neural Pathways in Mice: Identifying Intraspecies and Interspecies Differences
Mentor: Christine Charvet
Mentor’s Department: Anatomy Physiology & Pharmacology

Jacob Duffy
Major: Physics and Computer Science
Project Title: Developing a Machine Learning Algorithm to Process Comet Images Acquired with the Swift Space Telescope
Mentor: Dennis Bodewits
Mentor’s Department: Physics

Adeline Flach
Major: Environmental Science
Project Title: Using Unoccupied Aerial Systems to Study the Effects of Biochar on Wildflower Health
Mentor: Stephanie Rodgers
Mentor’s Department: Department of Geosciences

Jordan Fluker
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Help Seeking Behaviors of Undergraduate Biology Students
Mentor: Margaret Ballen
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Benjamin Lightfoot
Major: Physics
Project Title: Unlocking the Secrets of Cometary Fluorescence: Improving the Accuracy of Atomic Species Analysis in Solar Radiation Fields
Mentor: Dennis Bodewits
Mentor’s Department: Physics

Emilee Middleton
Major: Chemical Engineering
Project Title: Hemocompatibility of Branched Amphiphilic Peptide Capsules
Mentor: Adriana Avila Flores
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Brynleigh Payne
Major: Genetics
Project Title: Sequencing Sex Chromosome Telomeres to Quantify Degradation in Field Aging Anoles
Mentor: Tonia Schwartz
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Jacob Pennington
Major: Applied Mathematics
Project Title: Learning the Forward and Inverse Maps in Differential Equations Using Model Reduction and Neural Networks
Mentor: Junshan Lin
Mentor’s Department: Mathematics & Statistics

John Rodgers
Major: Organismal Biology: Conservation/Biodiversity
Project Title: Multi-factorial effects of egg incubation environments on lizard phenotypes
Mentor: Daniel Warner
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Jacob Samenuk
Major: Genetics, Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures
Project Title: Does thermal tolerance vary across different populations of pinfish?
Mentor: Moises Antonio Bernal de Leon
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Kiana Sargent
Major: Biochemistry
Project Title: Exploring the Effects of Gold Nanoparticles on Mitochondrial Function
Mentor: Priscila Lotsch
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

McKae Sarkowski
Major: Organismal Biology- Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
Project Title: Sexual Selection in the Wild Inferred Using 3-D Printed Decoy and PIT Tags: Male Mate Choice in Yellow-Bellied Slider Turtles (Trachemys scripta)
Mentor: Matthew Wolak
Mentor’s Department: Biological Sciences

Toby Sizemore
Major: Chemistry
Project Title: Investigating mechanical properties of micro-dystrophin by in silico single molecule force spectroscopy
Mentor: Rafael Bernardi
Mentor’s Department: Physics

Henry Stephens
Major: Physics and Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Ideal Gas Law Model in Presynapses
Mentor: Michael Gramlich
Mentor’s Department: Physics

Rebecca Strain
Major: Civil Engineering
Project Title: Understanding Gender Identity and Expression in Undergraduate Engineering Students
Mentor: Eric Burkholde
Mentor’s Department: Physics

Jack Terry
Major: Phyics and Economics
Project Title: Effects of Wave-Altering Circuitry on Acoustic Output
Mentor: Minseo Park
Mentor’s Department: Physics

John Dailey
Major: Aerospace Engineering & Physics
Project Title: Developing a CubeSat-Based Trusted-Node Quantum Key Source
Mentor: Michael Fogle
Mentor’s Department: Physics
School of Nursing

Jane Greene
Major: Nutrition and Dietetics
Project Title: Relief-seeking Behaviors of US Adults Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Mentor: Andrew Fruge
Mentor’s Department: Nursing

Katie Lawrence
Major: Human Development and Family Science
Project Title: Evaluating the Impact CBT-Based Anxiety Action Plans Have On 2nd-5th Grade Children’s Academic and Social Success
Mentor: Linda Gibson-Young
Mentor’s Department: Nursing
Harrison College of Pharmacy

Meredith Almy
Major: Organismal Biology
Project Title: Identification of major Phase I and II metabolites of bioactive açaí constituents
Mentor: Angela Calderon
Mentor’s Department: PY Drug Discovery and Development

Jacquelyn Fitzgerald
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Mechanisms of sensitivity of MLL-AF4 cells to proteasome inhibitors
Mentor: Alexei Kisselev
Mentor’s Department: PY Drug Discovery and Development

Katrina Schoenrock
Major: Genetics
Project Title: FMO3 inhibitors and preventing TMA oxidation in relation to Alzheimer’s disease
Mentor: Jayachandra Ramapuram
Mentor’s Department: PY Drug Discovery and Development

Katherine Marlow
Major: Biomedical sciences
Project Title: Investigating the Functional Role of CYP2A6 Gene Polymorphisms in Lethal Prostate Cancer
Mentor: Amit Mitra
Mentor’s Department: PY Drug Discovery and Development

Abigail Weir
Major: Biochemistry
Project Title: Functional analysis of DNA Ligase gene polymorphisms in human cancers
Mentor: Amit Mitra
Mentor’s Department: PY Drug Discovery and Development
College of Veterinary Medicine

Isabella Shimko-Lofano
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: In vitro genetic modification canine adenovirus type two AUM2.
Mentor: Payal Agarwal
Mentor’s Department: Scott-Ritchey Research Center

Emma Hruska
Major: Genetics, Pre-Medicine
Project Title: Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone to Prevent and/or Slow Alzheimer’s Disease
Mentor: Douglas Martin
Mentor’s Department: Scott-Ritchey Research Center

Caroline Parrish
Major: Genetics
Project Title: Investigation of the tumor promoting characteristics of MSK1 and STK11 in canine breast cancer
Mentor: Richard Bird
Mentor’s Department: Pathobiology

Julia Peterson
Major: Biomedical Sciences, Pre-Medicine
Project Title: Test efficacy of orexin 2 receptor (OX2R) agonist on memory, anxiety, and depression in narcoleptic orexin knock-out (OX-KO) mice
Mentor: Daniel Kroeger
Mentor’s Department: Anatomy Physiology & Pharmacology

Su Kim
Major: Microbiology
Project Title: In vitro genetic modification of canine adenovirus
Mentor: Chen Che Huang
Mentor’s Department: Anatomy Physiology & Pharmacology

Abigail Law
Major: Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: High-salt diet, Angiotensin II and Hypertension leading to dementia: is there a link?
Mentor: Vinicia Biancardi
Mentor’s Department: Anatomy Physiology & Pharmacology

Timothy Eller
Major: Applied Biotechnology
Project Title: In vitro genetic modification of canine adenovirus
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Payal Agarwal
Mentor’s Department: Ritchey Endowment Income

Olivia Grigsby
Major: Laboratory Sciences & Cell/Molecular Biology
Project Title: Changes in gait and visuospatial memory as biological markers of disease progression and treatment efficacy in feline models of neurological disease.
Mentor: Emily Graff
Mentor’s Department: Pathobiology
Auburn University Libraries

Kevien Shelton
Major: Computer Science
Project Title: Representing the Spatial History of Alabama Authors: A Data Visualization Project
Mentor: Beverley Park Rilett
Mentor’s Department: Special Collections and Archives
Other Fellowship Awards

Andrew Yingst
Fellowship: Alabama Textile Education Foundation Fund for Excellence through Auburn Center
Major: Chemical Engineering
Project Title:
Mentor: Bryan Beckingham
Mentor’s Department: Chemical Engineering
2022-2023
College of Agriculture

Gracen Bridges Agriculture
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: A Study of Climate Change Impact on Major Alabama Crops
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Ruiqing Miao

Harrison Estes Applied Biotechnology
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Comparing the Virulence of Clinical and Environmental Isolates of Members of the Fusarium solani species complex
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jeffrey Coleman

Josiah Gullatte Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Prescribed Fire Effects on Stream Dwelling Crayfish (Order: Decapoda)
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jim Stoeckel

Charis Harrison Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Investigating Gene Clusters and Secondary Metabolites of Chromobacterium and Relation to Globisporangium ultimum Inhibition
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Zachary Noel

Susan Iott Environmental Science
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: An Assessment of Dredging as a Lake Management Practice in Banana Lake
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Matt Waters

Lucinda McEachin Agriculture
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Monitoring TSWV in Alabama Peanut Fields
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Alana Jacobson

Bailee Price Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Characterization of a Viral Suppressor of RNA Silencing Encoded by CLRDV-AL
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Sung Hwan Kang

Diva Rigney Agriculture
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effort of Preservation Method of Nutritive Value of Kudzu Forage
Project Keywords:
Mentor: William Smith

John Rogers Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effect of Early-Stage Incubation Thermal Manipulation on Broiler Chicken Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cell Population Heterogeneity
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jessica Starkey
College of Architecture, Design, and Construction

Ana Marie Hanger Environmental Design
Sponsor(s): College of Architecture, Design, and Construction
Project Title: Designing a Higher Impact Curriculum for Environmental Design Students
Project Keywords:
Mentor: C. Farrow

Aubrey Sanders Environmental Design
Sponsor(s): College of Architecture, Design, and Construction
Project Title: Urban Economics and Environmental Design in Montgomery’s Peacock Tract
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Robert Sproull
Raymond J. Harbert College of Business

Reagan Giles Finance
Sponsor(s): College of Business
Project Title: Criminal Justice Information Systems
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Atiya Avery

Audrey Osborne Finance
Sponsor(s): College of Business
Project Title: Accounting Information Systems: Small Business Digitization Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Atiya Avery
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Janset Aksoy Neuroscience and Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Development of Hydrogels for In-Vitro Evaluation of Ocular Drug Permeability
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Allan David

Colin Bamford Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Mitigation of Vertical Gusts by a Red-Tailed Hawk
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Vrishank Raghav

John Bentley Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Expanding RDE Aggressiveness Analysis to a Larger Data Set
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Mark Hoffman

Jordan Clemmons Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Making Sorbents for Chronic Kidney Disease
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Symone Alexander

Elise Collins Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Functionalization of Cellulose Nanocrystals for Agricultural Applications
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Virginia Davis

Joseph Crapet Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Effect of Using Hybrid Exoskeletons in Rehabilitation
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Brendon Allen

Martin Flores Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Sustainable and Controllable Production of Cellulose Nanofibers and Their Functional Nanocomposites for Energy Storage
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Xinyu Zhang

Saksham Goel Computer Science
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Partial Order Alignment Optimization
Project Keywords:
Mentor: William Heaton

Joshua Kacmarzyk Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: An investigation of the sweep effect on corrugated wings at low Reynolds numbers
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Anwar Ahmed

Katherine Griffin Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Additive Manufacturing of Braided Structures for Composite Reinforcement
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Sabit Adanur

Marisa Kelley Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Effects of Jointing Mechanisms within Bistable Structures on the Overall Fixity and Bistability
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Russell Mailen

William Keith Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Exploring the Effects of Reactive Oxygen Species on Confined Cell Motility
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Panagiotis Mistriotis

Emily Kimbrell Software Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Sat-Tycoon Event Pipeline
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Daniel Tauritz

Ayden Kemp Aerospace Engineering and Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Fast Pyrolysis of Waste Plastic and Biomass Blends to Produce Transportation Fuels
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Sushil Adhikari

Cyrus Lloyd Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Design and Construction of a Low-Cost Diamond Turning Lathe and Workflow for Precision Optics Manufacturing
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jordan Roberts

Ethan Koenig Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Safety Control and Development for Exoskeletons
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Michael Zabala

Gregory McCallum Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Effects of Jointing Mechanisms within Bistable Structures on the Overall Fixity and Bistability
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Russell Mailen

Wesley Lowman Computer Science
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Control and Path-Planning for an Unmanned Ground Vehicle Using CAD, Gazebo, and ROS
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Vahid Azimi

Dylan Pollard Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Elucidating Catalytic Processes for Sustainable Technologies with Multiscale Modeling Approaches
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Andrew Adamaczyk

Ravikiran Nataraj Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Adaptation of a Microfluidic System for Scalable Cell Encapsulation
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke

Ansley Scott Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Investigating the Sustainability of an Aquaponics System to Reduce Food Insecurity
Project Keywords:
Mentor: David Blersch

Ryan Pollard Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Lower Limb Joint Movement/ Power Prediction via Machine Learning
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Michael Zabala

Jacob Thornton Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Python Developed GUI with Robotic Navigation
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jean-Francois Louf

Robert Spieler Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Effect of using Hybrid Exoskeletons in Rehabilitation
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Brendon Allen

Ryan Wozniak Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Impact of different comonomers (PEGMA,PEGMEA, and PEGMEMA) on solute co-transport in PEGDA and PEGMA-AMPS membranes
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Bryan Beckingham

Robin Weaver Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Effects of Jointing Mechanisms Within Bistable Structures on the Overall Fixity and Bistability
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Russell Mailen
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Florrie Adams Sustainable Biomaterials and Packaging
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife
Project Title: Cellulose dissolving pulp and nanocellulose regeneration comparison
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Maria Peresin

Payton Brewer Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife
Project Title: Interaction of Burn and Unburned and Vegetation Composition with Early Seed Establishment of Four Southeastern Pine Species
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Heather Alexander

Ally Cobern Science
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife
Project Title: A Global Analysis of the Impacts of Free-Ranging Dogs on Native Wildlife
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Christopher Lepcyzk

Ellen Mayson Sustainable Biomaterials and Packaging
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife
Project Title: Cellulose dissolving pulp and nanocellulose regeneration comparison
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Maria Peresin

Evelyn Pearson Sustainable Biomaterials and Packaging
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife
Project Title: Cellulose dissolving pulp and nanocellulose regeneration comparison
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Maria Peresin

Caroline Ward Business
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife
Project Title: How Do Stakeholder Views on Wildlife Management Differ in Eswatini?
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Kelly Dunning

Kate Norrid Wildlife
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife
Project Title: The Influence of Urbanization on Stream Quality and Fish Health
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Bruce Lockaby
College of Human Sciences

Kalandra Blake Human Development and Family Science
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Virtual Tour of Auburn University’s African American History
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Robert Bubb

Elena Gagliano Human Development and Family Science
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Internalizing Problems and Declines in Academic Achievement: Mechanisms and Protective Factors
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Wendy Troop-Gordon

Mae Howell Nutrition
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: 2-Year Student Food Security Module Cognitive Interviews
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Onikia Brown

Kendall McCallum Nutrition Science
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Nourish Wellness
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Alicia Powers

Claire Sisson Interior Design
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: The Impact of the Built Environment on Health and Wellness
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Taneshia West Albert

Courtney Weeks Human Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Virtual Tour of Auburn University’s African American History
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Robert Bubb

Jenna Wettstein Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Positive Approaches to Trauma Healing (PATH) for Foster Parents
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Silvia Vilches
College of Liberal Arts

Jordan Branchman Political Science
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Montgomery, Alabama Food Deserts: The Migration of People and Grocery Retailers
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Rebecca Retzlaff

Dorothy Dreelin Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Traumatic Stress Risk Factors and Daily Symptoms (TRIADS)
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Brian Albanese

Walton Ferguson Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Examining Interception as a Mediator Between Sleep Disturbances and Suicidality in a Military Population
Project Keywords:
Mentor: April Smith

Cameron Hearon Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title:
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Corina Jimenez-Gomez

Madysen Maggio Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Comorbidity Between Higher Rates of Trauma, Depression, and Anxiety and ADHD Diagnosis
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Kelli Thompson

Kelly Moore Health Service Administration
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Single Shift Quality Among Nurses
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Haneen Ali

Olivia Price Theatre Design and Technology, English
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Investigating Invisible Labor Practices in TTRPG Actual Play
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Emily Friedman

Sophia Rosene Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Effects of Accented Speech in Normal and Degraded Backgrounds on Listening Effort and Speech Intelligibility in American College Students
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Sridhar Krishnamurti

Katie Smith Anthropology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Linear Enamel Hypoplasia in African Enslaved Individuals from Newton’s Plantation, Barbados
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Kristina Shuler

Cameron Tice Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Treatment and Recidivism of Adolescents with Illegal Sexual Behavior
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Kelli Thompson
College of Education

Trent Agee Nutrition
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Is there a Correlation between Jump Performance and Male Youth Hitting Performance?
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Maia Engelkes Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Is there a correlation between jump performance and male youth hitting performance?
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Anna Wood Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Kinesiophobia
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jaimie Roper
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Janset Aksoy Neuroscience and Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Spontaneous Presynaptic Vesicle Release in P301L Mouse Hippocampal Neurons
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Michael Gramlich

Brandon Dye Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Elucidating Catalytic Processes for Sustainable Technologies with Multiscale Modeling Approaches
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Byron Farnum

Nicholas Edmonds Genetics
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: How Does Climate Change Affect Seasonal Adaption in Drosophila robusta
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Laurie Stevison

Charlotte Jannach Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Water Quality Perceptions of Auburn University Students
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Ann Ojeda

Auburn Jordan Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title:
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Christian Goldsmith

Nathan Landers Physics
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title:
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Michael Gramlich

Sean O’Hare Biochemisty
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigating the Mechanism of Luciferase Catalyzed Bioluminescence in the Dinoflagellate Species Noctiluca scintillans
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Steven Mansoorabadi

Toby Sizemore Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigating Mechanical Properties of Dystrophin and Utrophin by in Silico Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Rafael Bernardi

Alexis Toney Science
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Characterization of Unsaturated Lipids Using Ambient Ionization Techniques (Paper Spray Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry (PS-IM-MS))
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Ahmed Hamid

David Walker Math, Computer Science, and Data Science
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Predicting Freshmen Recruitment Decisions for Auburn Football Using Machine Learning
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jingyi Zheng

Rachel Youngblood Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: The Impact of Diversifying and Humanizing Science Role Models on Student Attitudes and Interest in Science Careers
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Cissy Ballen
School of Nursing

Abigail Cox Nursing
Sponsor(s): School of Nursing
Project Title: Anxiety, Depression, and Stress: A Survey of College Students Mental Well-Being
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Linda Gibson-Young

Melissa Schrinel Nursing
Sponsor(s): School of Nursing
Project Title: The Vital Link: Nursing’s Role in the Early Detection of Patient Deterioration
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Pao-Feng Tsai
Harrison College of Pharmacy

Melissa Gathman Genetics
Sponsor(s): School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Functional Genetic Analysis of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Drug Metabolism Genes
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Amit Mitra

Zalaya Haynes Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Dissolution of Acai Capsules
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Angela Calderon

Jessica Heard Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Sustained Release of Capsaicin via 3D Printed Biodegradable Implants to Combat Obesity
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jayachandra Ramapuram

Katie Marlow Genetics
Sponsor(s): School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Functional Genetic Analysis of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Drug Metabolism Genes
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Amit Mitra
College of Veterinary Medicine

Alyssa Berry Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Veterinary Medicine
Project Title: The Role of DHCR24 in the Adrenal Gland
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jeff Huang

Kacey Meyering Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Veterinary Medicine
Project Title: The Role of DHCR24 in the Adrenal Gland
Project Keywords:
Mentor: Jeff Huang
2021-2022
College of Agriculture

Kynslie Barnett Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Monitoring Animal Well-being Using a Biometric Device in Swine
Mentor: Terry Brandebourg

Harrison Estes Applied Biotechnology
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: The Role of Siderophores in Clinical and Agricultural Isolates of Fusarium
Mentor: Jeffrey Coleman

Samantha Harris Environmental Science and Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: The Impact of Heat-Humidity Extremes on Mortality and Morbidity Trends in Counties across the Sun Belt of the United States
Mentor: Di Tian

Susan Iott Environmental Science
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Banana Lake: A Historical Analysis of Eutrophication
Mentor: Matthew Waters

Savannah Oglesby Animal Sciences, Pre-Vet
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Evaluating the Molecular Responses of Different Populations of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) to Warm Temperatures
Mentor: Ian Butts

Walker Olive Applied Biotechnology
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Identifying Species of Bacteria that Assist in Survival in Environments with an Extremely High Salt Content or High Temperature
Mentor: Kathy Lawrence

Gavin Rankins Animal Sciences, Animal/Allied Industries
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Developing Tools to Analyze the Reliability of Molecular Markers to Discriminate Reproductive Potential in Beef Heifers
Mentor: Paul Dyce

Kylie Weis Applied Biotechnology
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Assessment of Microbiome Diversity found within Honeybee Hives, the Correlation of the Microbiome to Hive Health, and the Effect of Varroa Mite Treatments on the Microbiome
Mentor: Geoffrey Williams

Mary Wessel Agricultural Business and Econ
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: A study of Crop Insurance Fraud in Alabama
Mentor: Ruiquing Miao
College of Architecture, Design, and Construction

James Craig Building Science
Sponsor(s): College of Architecture, Design, and Construction
Project Title: Exploring Automation and Robotics for Construction with a Focus on Material Handling Protocols
Mentor: Jeff Kim
College of Education

Peyton Gober Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Risk Factors Associated with Upper Extremity Pain in Softball Athletes
Mentor: Gretchen Oliver
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Johannes Allen Physics and Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Analysis of the Structure and Morphology of the Debris Field Aftermath of a Violent Outburst of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1, using the Hubble Space Telescope
Mentor: Dennis Bodewits

Carolina Amezaga Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Developing an Electrochemical Biosensor to Detect SARS-CoV-2 Antigens, which will Facilitate the Rapid Diagnosis of COVID-19
Mentor: Xinyu Zhang

Lucy Bone Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Global Customer Mapping for Satellite Internet over the Next Decade
Mentor: Davide Guzzetti

Toby Crump Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Solvent-based Separation Analysis: Solvent Screening and Optimal Design
Mentor: Selen Cremaschi

Jacob Dewey Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title:
Mentor: Joseph Majdalani

Garrett Dickinson Software Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Constructing Embedded Avionics Software for the Analysis of Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flashes Using CubeSats
Mentor: Micheal Fogle

William Ferris Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Self-Folding Supercapacitor: The Applications of Prestrained Polystyrene on Specialized Circuits
Mentor: Russell Mailen

Rizwan Halani Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Design and Fabrication of a Novel Multistage Soft Robot
Mentor: Chad Rose

Brock Hunter Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Transport and Physiochemical Properties of Polyether-based Hydrogel Membranes
Mentor: Bryan Beckingham

Madeline Kunze Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Integration of Bioactivity – Global Natural Product Social Molecular Network (GNPS): Proof of Concept
Mentor: Angela Calderon

Daniel Michael Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Identifying Manual Material Handling Tasks using Wearable Sensors with Machine Learning
Mentor: Howrd Chen

Maggie Nelson Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Processing and Application of Recycled Shape Memory Polymers
Mentor: Russell Mailen

Andrew Parker Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title:
Mentor: Vrishank Raghav

Mark Roces Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Creating a Measurement Device for Quantifying Neuromuscular Impairment in Hands
Mentor: Chad Rose

Nicholas Rush Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Data Prioritization through Machine Vision Applications for Large Scale Camera Arrays Used in Wind Tunnel Dynamics
Mentor: Michael Hamilton

Lucy Seay Pre-Computer Science
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Investigating Mechanisms of Memory Deficits and Altered Neurotransmission in Prenatal Cannabinoid Exposed Rodents
Mentor: Subhrajit Bhattacharya

Deepika Singla Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Characterization of Shape Memory Polymer in Space Environment
Mentor: Davide Guzzetti

Justus Smith Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Determining the Ability of Algae to Support Polyphosphate Accumulating Organisms in Vacillating Light Conditions
Mentor: Brendan Higgins

John Snitzer Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Probing Mechanical Heterogeneity of Additively Manufactured Stainless Steel using Digital Image Correlation
Mentor: Xiaoyuan Lou

Qinyi Tian Computer Science
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Particle Tracking Velocimetry(PTV) Based on Image Processing
Mentor: Brian Thurow

Jonathan Ting Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title:
Mentor: Dan Marghitu

Sarah Tyndall Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Removal of Phosphorus from Agricultural Runoff Using Biochar
Mentor: Sushil Adhikari

Harrison Walker Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting NbN Nanowires for use as Quantum Phase Slip Junctions
Mentor: Michael Hamilton

Emily Wilson Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Study of the Aerodynamic Interactions Between a Coaxial Rotor and a Wing for Application in Tail-sitter UAVs
Mentor: Vrishank Raghav

Juming Xiong Computer Science
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Image Processing for the PoDiMS (Pathways of Disparities in Multiple Sclerosis) Study
Mentor: Gopikrishna Deshpande
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Virginia Betbeze Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title:
Mentor: Christopher Lepczyk

Jaliyl Collins Natural Resources Management
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Developing Adaptations to Mitigate Water Resource Inequalities in Alabama and Mississippi through a Comparative Assessment of Public Policy
Mentor: Kelly Dunning

Brieanne Dickson Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Analyzing how the Composition of Raw Materials Affects the Effectivity of an Antimicrobial Bio-based System
Mentor: Soledad Peresin

Madison McCown Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Why did the Squirrel not make it Across the Road? Factors Associated with Road Mortality of Squirrels in Lee County, Alabama
Mentor: Todd Steury

Kate Norrid Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: The Effects of Urbanization on Stream Quality and Fish Nutrition and Health
Mentor: Bruce Lockaby

Victoria Stack Geospatial and Environmental Informatics
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Sustainability at Auburn University: Assessing Solar Energy Potential with Remote Sensing and GIS
Mentor: Lana Narine

Drake Stallworth Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title:
Mentor: Christopher Lepczyk
College of Human Sciences

Emily Barnes Global Studies
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Nourish Wellness: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Combatting Nutrition Related Illness through Pediatric Care, Nutritional and Mental Wellness, and Physical Wellbeing
Mentor: Alicia Powers

Olivia Dettmering Interior Design
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Altering Kitchen Design to Incorporate Urban Homesteading
Mentor: Taneshia West Albert

Allison Kraabel Interior Design
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: How Interior Design Combats the Loss of a Permanent Sense of Home for Adolescents in Orphanages or Temporary Homes and its Overall Affect on their Mental Healths
Mentor: Taneshia West Albert

Caitlin Powers Global Studies
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Zero Hunger Pathways Project
Mentor: Alicia Powers

Hollen Terry Global Studies
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Un Giardino di Comunione: Greenspace as a Restorative, Communal Site for Students Studying Abroad
Mentor: Lindsay Tan
College of Liberal Arts

Joshua Enger Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Alcohol Related Alterations in Immune Markers in Binge and Moderate Drinkers
Mentor: Sara Blaine

Lee (Taylor) Gusler Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior and Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Percussion, Peer Bonding, and Pro Social Behavior: Implications of Percussion Education on the Overall Therapeutic Model in Adjudicated Youth
Mentor: Kelli Thompson

Hunter Hathorn Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title:
Mentor: Sara Driskell

Jennifer Jones Quantitative Economics and Integrative Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Examining the Economic Community Effects of Nuclear Power Plant Construction
Mentor: Richard Seals

Allen Li Political Science and Economics
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The U.S. Occupation of Post-World War II Germany: Media Content Analysis, 1945-1949
Mentor: Paul Harris

Anna O’Donell Speech, Language, and Hearing Science
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Audiological Screening Protocol using a Novel Tablet Application: A validation study
Mentor: Aurora Weaver

Camille Preston Neuroscience
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The Effect of Teacher Habit Formation on Preschoolers’ Activity Levels
Mentor: Danielle Wadsworth

Gabriella Thompson Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: How Parental Relationships Impact Adolescents’ Social Interactions and Relationships When Entering College
Mentor: Sara Driscoll

Jordan Windham Political Science
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: How the White Manipulates National Crisis Narratives
Mentor: Matthew Clary

Katelyn Wolfe Theater Design and Production
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Comedy or Tragedy: A Psychoanalysis on the Impact of Technical Elements on the Audience’s Perception of Absurdist Works
Mentor: Fereshteh Rostampour

Mackenzie Wood Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Women’s Perceptions of Social Interactions after Sexual Violence
Mentor: Sara Driskell
School of Nursing

Blakey Blaine Nursing
Sponsor(s): School of Nursing
Project Title: Assessing the Receptiveness to Infant Safe Sleep Counseling for SIDS Prevention in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Populations
Mentor: Ann Lambert

Hudson Sneed Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): School of Nursing
Project Title: Analyzing the Effectiveness of the Pediatric Pain Scale
Mentor: Linda Gibson-Youngx
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Davis Arthur Physics
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Development of a multi-particle spectrometer
Mentor: Guillaume Laurent

Dorelle Fawwal Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Bioactivity ccreening of novel streptomyces species
Mentor: Mark Liles

Kerstin Glaser Geology/Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Analysis of pesticide contamination among oyster farms in Mobile Bay
Mentor: Ann Ojeda

Hayleigh Hallam Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Factors associated with preventive cancer screening among diabetic patients as compared to their non-diabetic counterparts
Mentor: Chiahung “Edward” Chou

Nathan Holden Applied Math; English
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Mathematically helping solar cells absorb more light
Mentor: Junshan Lin

Madelyn James Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: New method for preparation of gold-on-glass electrodes that enables reusable DNA-based electrochemical biosensors
Mentor: Christopher Easley

Erin LaGrone Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Female dominance hierarchies of wild-derived mice (Mus musculus)
Mentor: Wendy Hood

Regan Moss Microbiology/Neuroscience
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Heterogenentiy in trauma exposure and biopsychosocial health profiles of male sex trafficking survivors
Mentor: Lauren Rulhmann

Sarah Nix Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: The influence of sleep on blood vessel function in younger to middle-aged adults
Mentor: Austin Robinson

Emma Parmer Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Quantifying emerging contaminants in Parkerson Mill Creek
Mentor: Ann Ojeda

Ryleigh Randall Laboratory Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Establishing an accurate water-corrected plasma:erythrocyte ratio for glucose, lactate, and pyruvate in human, pig, and chicken erythrocytes
Mentor: Andreas Kavazes

Abbriana Robert Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Important features of Walking Adaptation: A look at the nervous systems ability to regulate and maintain Sensory input during split-belt walking
Mentor: Jaimie Roper

Joshua Semmes Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Morphological characteristics of ant communities among habitats of Alabama
Mentor: Bill Wills

Haley Stephens Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Developing a printable paper-based test for detection of malaria parasites in mosquitoes for global use in malaria control programs
Mentor: Sarah Zohdy

Jake Tatum Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Generating a reliable method to quantitively measure and differentiate lytic and latent replication of the KSHV virus in different cell lines and stages of the virus’s life cycle
Mentor: Joanna Sztuba-Solinska

Avery Von Eiff Marine Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Effects of climate change on coral reefs: Factors affecting recovery from thermal stress in Florida false corals Ricordea Florida
Mentor: Marie Strader

Anna Wilson Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Changes in vascular collagen density and cerebral blood flow in cats with a phosphoprotein enriched in astrocytes 15 kDa (PEA15) loss-of function mutation
Mentor: Emily Graff
2020-2021
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
2019-2020
College of Agriculture

Andrew Bradford Fisheries
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Quantifying the Effects of Different Environmental Conditions on Sperm Form and Function for Aquatic Species of Importance in Alabama
Mentor: Ian Butts

Brooke Johnson Environmental Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Inventory and Characterization of Gulf Coast Salt Marsh Soil Resources
Mentor: Joey Shaw

Meagan Reeves Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Mitochondrial-Nuclear Interaction Between Breeds of Lean and Obese Pigs
Mentor: Terry Brandebourg

Ian Schlosser Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Reclaiming AU Campus Sewage Through an Integrated Wastewater Treatment Process
Mentor: Yi Wang

Lauren Shortnacy Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effect of the Wooden Breast Myopathy on Broiler Chicken Collagen and Myogenic Regulatory Factor Protein Expression
Mentor: Jessica Starkey

Evan Webster Fisheries
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Assessment of Vendor Preferences and Perceived Quality in the Half-shell Oyster Market
Mentor: William Walton
College of Architecture Design and Construction

Dongnyeok Han Building Science
Sponsor(s): College of Architecture, Design, and Construction
Project Title: Strategies and Lessons Learned for Creating Virtual Reality Immersive Games for Construction Safety Training
Mentor: Salman Azhar
College of Education

Katie Corona Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: An uphill battle: understanding gait alterations in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Mentor: Jaimie Roper

Caroline Kirkham Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Influence of Lower Extremity in Softball Pitching
Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Robert McLaughlin Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Development of a More Convenient and Affordable Method of Measuring the Arch Height Index
Mentor: Christopher Wilburn

Ryleigh Randall Laboratory Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: The Impact of Lactation on Autophagy and Mitochondrial fission and fusion in the Liver and Skeletal Muscle
Mentor: Andreas Kavazis

Kathryn Riis Exercise Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Get a Grip: Investigation of Non-Slip Socks on Locomotive Parameters in High-Risk Population for Falls
Mentor: Christopher Willburn

Alanis Smith Integrative Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Inhibitory Control in Musicians vs. Non-musicians
Mentor: Kristina Neely

Carley Wilson Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Changes in Sleep Efficiency in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder during an Adapted Tennis Intervention
Mentor: Melissa Pangelinan
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Ryan Anthony Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Optimization Study of the Synthesis Process for the Mo²C MXene
Mentor: Majid Beidaghi

Cameron Baker Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Analysis of Airborne Soldier Load Carriage Gait
Mentor: Michael Zabala

Noah Blackwood Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Exploring Superparamagnetic Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles as Alternative MRI-T1 Contrast Agents
Mentor: Allan David

Justin Box Bioprocess Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Analyzing the Effect of Antimicrobial Processing Aids in Poultry Processing Wastewater and Investigating the Use of Eukaryotic Algae in Collaboration with Bacteria to Treat Poultry Processing Waste Water
Mentor: Brendan Higgins

Michaela Bush Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Developing MATLAB Code for Analysis of Heterogeneous Engineered Cardiac Tissue during Contraction
Mentor: Elizabeth Ann Lipke

David Carpenter Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Analyzing the Frequencies that Influence Soft Tissue Artifact
Mentor: Michael Zabala

Watson Copeland Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Acoustics of a Carbon Fiber Guitar
Mentor: Edmon Perkins

Max Garton Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Damping Effects of a Particle Damper on a Torsional Pendulum
Mentor: Edmon Perkins

Lily Gong Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Click Chemistry Towards Allyl-polymer MRI contrast agents: solubility, kinetics, and magnetic responses
Mentor: Bryan Beckingham

Levi Gosdin Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Quantifying the Unsteady Aerodynamics of Raptors
Mentor: Vrishank Raghav

Tina Huang Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Improving Polymer-Modified Asphalt by Changing the Characteristics of Block Copolymers Using Click Chemistry
Mentor: Bryan Beckingham

Sierra Jacobs Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Do Biomechanical Measures Change During a Drop-jump Landing with a Cognitive Task?
Mentor: Jaimie Roper

Seth Johnston Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Studying the Relevance of Stomatal Characteristics on Drought Tolerance in Peanut
Mentor: Alvaro Sanz Saez

Tarun Kore Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Expiratory Flows in the Human Trachea
Mentor: Vrishank Raghav

Christy Manning Civil Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Effects of Impregnation on Catalyst Pellets
Mentor: Marta Miletic

Catherine McConatha Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Corrosion of Additively Manufactured 316L Stainless Steel Bio-implants in Simulated Human Body Fluid
Mentor: Xiaoyuan Lou

Andrew Moore Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: In Vitro 3D Colorectal Cancer Model Using PEG-fibrinogen Hydrogels
Mentor: Elizabeth Ann Lipke

Zane Oligee Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Chemical Abrasive Flow Polishing of Micro-Channels for use in Additively Manufactured Inconel 718 Heat Exchangers
Mentor: Scott Thompson

Hayden Patteson Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Temperature Control/Sensor for In-situ Sea Turtle Nests
Mentor: Edmon Perkins

Johann Phan Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Effects of Arm’s Length on Batted Ball Speed and Distance
Mentor: Gretchen Oliver

Elizabeth Prior Civil Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Effectiveness of Measuring the Turbidity of Waterways with Multispectral Imaging Obtained by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Mentor: Frances O’Donnell

Aura Reyna Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Shape Memory Polymer Programming Techniques
Mentor: Russel Mailen

Jonathan Schuler Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Engineering Lignin Transformation Mechanisms to Create Value-added Products using Atomistic Modeling
Mentor: Andrew Adamczyk

Anna Catherine Smith Industrial Systems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Utilizing the Tools of Visual Media to Aid STEM Practitioners in Reporting their Findings Simply and Effectively
Mentor: Edmon Perkins

Philip Snitzer Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: How Waste Heat from a Process Can Be Repurposed and/or Stored to Make Other Areas of the Process More Efficient and Reduce Waste Heat Being Released to the Atmosphere
Mentor: Jay Khondadadi

Helen Steeve Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Optimizing Stereolithography 3D Printing for use with Biodegradable Resins
Mentor: Edward Davis

Jacob Stotser Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Development of MATLAB Trip/Slip Algorithms to Investigate the Effectiveness of Treadmill-based Perturbation Training
Mentor: Jaimie Roper

Zachary Wadzinski Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: A Method of Containing Near-Source Undegraded Floating Plastic
Mentor: Mark Dougherty

Christopher Weathers Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: MRI-Based Quantification of Tibiofemoral Alignment of Female Athletes
Mentor: Michael Zabala

Madison Wichmann Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Assessment of Stream Bank Stability vs. Time and of the Relationship Between Plant Roots and Soil Aggregation
Mentor: Thorsten Knappenberger
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Eian Davis Geospatial and Environmental Informatics
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Streamflow Trend Analysis in the State of Georgia to Determine Changes in Water Availability
Mentor: Sanjiv Kumar

Allison Gary Wildlife Sciences/Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Creating a Social Survey to Analyze Differential Veterinary Care Cost for Indoor Versus Outdoor House Cat (Felis Catus) in the South Eastern Region
Mentor: Christopher Lepczyk

Abby Hagelskamp Wildlife Sciences/Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Creating a Social Survey to Analyze Differential Veterinary Care Cost for Indoor Versus Outdoor House Cat (Felis Catus) in the South Eastern Region
Mentor: Christopher Lepczyk

Jace McCauley Forestry
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: How Change in Temperature Patterns Affect Pine Sawflies in the South Eastern United States
Mentor: Lori Eckhardt

Abigail Morgan Wildlife Sciences/Pre-Veterinary Medicine
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Cat and Island Ecosystems: Zoonotic Pathogens in Feral Cats in Hawaii, Madagascar, and the U.S. Virgin Islands
Mentor: Sarah Zohdy

Gabrielle Ripa Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): College of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: The Effect of Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense), an Invasive Shrub, On Herpetofaunal Communities
Mentor: Christopher Anderson
College of Human Sciences

Beatriz Carmona Nutrition Science
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: The Effects of Obesity and Metabolic Dysfunction on the Rhythmicity of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide
Mentor: Michael Greene

Anna Fouty Nutrition Science
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Salivary Amylase Gene Copy Number and Childhood Obesity
Mentor: Geetha Thangiah

Aaron Riviere Nutrition: Dietetics
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Zonulin levels decline in serum and fecal samples after the addition of green leafy vegetables to a high red meat diet in obese individuals with high risk for colorectal cancer.
Mentor: Andrew Frugé
College of Liberal Arts

Abigail Bennett Communication Disorders
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Using an Interactive Phonetics Learning Management System and User-Centered Design to Inform Phonetics Education Methods
Mentor: Marisha Speights

Brianna Burks Communication Disorders
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Event Boundary Effects on Speech in Physical and Virtual Reality Environments
Mentor: Dallin Bailey

Jorge Castro Lebron Neuroscience/ Musical Performance-Voice
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Allophone and Syllable Stress Perception in Spanish as a Second Language
Mentor: Gilda Socarras

Natalie Conboy Psychology/ Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Development of a Comprehensive Measure for the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome
Mentor: Joseph Bardeen

Kaitlyn Connor Neuroscience
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Psychophysiological Correlates of Pain in Cannabis Users and Non-Users
Mentor: Jennifer Robinson

Sarah Etherton Neuroscience
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Finding the Neurofunctional Topography of the Human Hippocampus using fMRI
Mentor: Jennifer Robinson

Lily Fess Art History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The Repatriation of Art Objects Taken from the Kingdom of Benin During Late Nineteenth-Century British Colonialism
Mentor: Emily Burns

Taylor Mitchell Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Anxiety Levels in Adolescents Adjudicated for Illegal Sexual Behavior
Mentor: Kelli Thompson

Elizabeth Murphy Communication Disorders
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Auditory Brainstem Responses to Altered Orchestral Music
Mentor: Sridhar Krishnamurti

Leslie Schuneman Art History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The Ideas of Materiality and Unfinished Quality: A Closer Look at Auguste Rodin’s Sculptures
Mentor: Emily Burns

Adam Sienkiewicz Health Services Administration
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Asking the Right Questions: The Demanding Task of Developing an Interactive Survey Instrument for Hospitalized Pediatric Patients
Mentor: Haneen Ali

Mary Grace Vinson English Literature
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Plas Newydd: Mapping the Networks of the Ladies of Llangollen
Mentor: Emily Clair Friedman

William West History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Slavery and Politics in Antebellum Auburn
Mentor: Kelly Kennington

Victoria Zona Neuroscience
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Determining How Images of Different Exercise Contexts are Spontaneously Registered in the Brains of Non-exercisers Via Electroencephalography (EEG)
Mentor: Matthew Miller
Harrison School of Pharmacy

Alison Beverly Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Cytokine Recepto CXCR3 Blockade Enhances Hyperexcitability and Synaptic Transmission Changes That Occur Following a Peripheral Viral Infection
Mentor: Miranda Reed

Kavon Diggs Biomedical Sciences/Pre-Pharmacy
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Factors Influencing Medicare Beneficiary’s Decisions Regarding Medicare Plan Selection
Mentor: Salisa Westrick

Marissa Dogan Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Investigating the Role of the Lateral Entorhinal Cortex in Alzheimer’s Disease
Mentor: Miranda Reed

Connor Jones Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Tofacitinib Analogs as Agents for MPO Inhibition
Mentor: Forrest Smith

Shivani Rangari Biomedical Sciences/Pre-Medicine
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Formulation of Acyclovir and Lidocaine Topical Gels for Herpes Simplex Virus Infection
Mentor: Jayachandra Ramapuram
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Angela Burns Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Evaluation of the Influence of Work and Heat Exposure on Physiological Measures in Firefighters
Mentor: JoEllen Sefton

Abigail Campbell Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Evaluation of the Effects of Work and Heat Exposure on Cognitive Function in Firefighters
Mentor: JoEllen Sefton

Andrew Caskey Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: A New Synthetic Approach to the Paracyclophane Core of the Anti-cancer Alkaloid Hauamine A
Mentor: Bradley Memer

Brett Clark Physics and Mathematics
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Effectiveness of Identifying Liquefaction Deposits from Large-Scale Earthquakes using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Mentor: Lorraine Wolf

Sarah Beth Dolinger Biomedical Sciences/Pre-Physical Therapy
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Studying the Effects of a Wellness Fair Program on High School Students’ Mental and Physical Health
Mentor: Melissa Pangelinan

Michael Erwin Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Can Inhibitory Control be Trained?
Mentor: Kristina Neely

Noah Gibson Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Synthetic Exploration of Metal Catalyzed Cu²O Formation Using a Hot Injection Methodology
Mentor: Kristina Neely

John Grundhoefer Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: The Investigation of Emissive Properties of Imine and Hydroxyl-Coordinated Luminescent Lanthanide Complexes
Mentor: Anne Elizabeth Gordon

Leann Kopp Mathematics
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Improving 3D Reconstruction Algorithms Using Computational and Numerical Algebraic Geometry
Mentor: Luke Oeding

Regan Moss Microbiology/Pre-Medicine/Neuroscience
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Heterogeneity in Trauma Exposure and Biopsychosocial Health of Male Sex Trafficking Survivors
Mentor: Lauren Ruhlmann

Kyle Oswalt Integrative Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigating Ganglia Importance in Discontinuous Gas Flow Patterns of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina Partentosa).
Mentor: Arthur Appel

Holden Paz Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: The Role of p62 Ubiquitination in Viral Infection
Mentor: Jason Upton

Jacob Sinopoli Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Design and Optimization of Microfluidic Droplet Traps Using High Resolution, 3D-printed Templates
Mentor: Christopher Easley

Xavier Streety Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigating Late-stage Polypeptide Diversification Via Formation of Twisted Amides
Mentor: Monika Raj

Brady Unzicker Physics
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Exact Characterization of Attosecond Pulses Using Atomic Hydrogen Wavefunctions
Mentor: Guillaume Laurent

Ansley Welham Organismal Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Isolation and Cultivation of Human and Plant Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria from the Snouts of Locally Sources Sus Scrofa in South Alabama
Mentor: Lori Eckhardt

Natalie Williams Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Science and Mathematics
Project Title: Antibacterial Properties of Europa Lander Solid Rocket Motor Adhesive, EA9394, Against Sporulating Gram-positive Bacteria
Mentor: Mark Liles
Nursing

Trae Anderson Nursing
Sponsor(s): College of Nursing
Project Title: Recruitment of Underrepresented Populations Into Health Outcomes Research: Review of the Literature and Strategies for Recruitment
Mentor: Caralise Hunt
2018-2019
College of Agriculture

Elizabeth Brown Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Calving season and rumen-protected methionine on epigenetic control of beef production
Mentor: Dr. Sonia Mosia

Anna Gierow Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Comparative Transcriptomics Between Porcine and Cattle Oocytes.
Mentor: Dr. Fernando Biase

Olivia Reid Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: NICD over-expression in the Notch signaling pathway affects the organization of the adrenal gland
Mentor: Dr. Jeff Huang

Andrew Keel Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effect of dietary protein source and litter condition on broiler chicken growth performance and interstinal stem cell activity
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Starkey
College of Architecture Design and Construction

Kara Boyer Building Science
Sponsor(s): College of Architecture Design and Construction
Project Title: Creating a tiny home building code to positively effect long-term sustainability
Mentor: Dr. April Simons

Kyra Stark Architecture
Sponsor(s): College of Architecture Design and Construction
Project Title: Incorporating passive design into the beginning design process
Mentor: Dr. Justin Miller
College of Education

Abigail Brittain Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Sport specialization and teaching patterns in youth athletes
Mentor: Dr. Gretchen Oliver

Katherine Corona Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: An uphill battle: understanding gait alterations in patients with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction
Mentor: Dr. Jaimie Roper

Arlene Maheu Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: The cognitive effects of ‘green exercise’ on adolescents diagnosed with ADHD
Mentor: Dr. Ford Dyke

Carley Wilson Physical Activity and Health
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: The Influence of Physical Activity on Sleep Quality in Children and Young Adults
Mentor: Dr. Melissa Pangelinan
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Reid Adams Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Elucidating structure-activity relationships of metal oxide and metal carbide catalysts via a novel raman-spectrokinetic approach
Mentor: Dr. Carlos Carrero

Luke Anderson Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Engineering in vitro three-dimensional colorectal cancer tissue models from patient-derived xenografts for application in personalized medicine
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Lipke

Ashely Baerlocher Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Mechanical Properties of Solid-State Electrolytes
Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Fergus

Erin Batcho Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Canine Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) at 7T MRI
Mentor: Dr. Thomas Denney

Jacob Bensinger Civil Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Assessment of porosity-permeability relationships for 3D pore network models undergoing pore-scale dissolution and precipitation
Mentor: Dr. Lauren Beckingham

Kelly Burnham Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Non-Isentropic Solution to the Taylor-Culick Profile for Cylindrical and Slab Rocket Motors
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Majdalani

Tyler Compher Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Lumped Parameter Modeling Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Blood Flow
Mentor: Dr. Vrishank Raghav

Kareem El-Kattan Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Synthesizing Peptide Sequences to Target Prostate Cancer Cells
Mentor: Dr. Allan David

Danielle Elmore Microbial, Cellular, and Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Tissue clearing techniques to improve hemodynamic testing of heart valves
Mentor: Dr. Vrishank Raghav

Caroline George Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Development of a functional ex-vivo porcine heart to test and improve mitral valve repairing techniques
Mentor: Dr. Vrishank Raghav

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

Bryan Holmes Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Modeling of Photosynthetic Aeration for Energy Efficient Wastewater Treatment Processes
Mentor: Dr. Brendan Higgins

Rachel Howell Ecological Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Development of a bench-scale flume reactor for benthic filamentous algae colonization studies
Mentor: Dr. David Blersch

Mengyang (Claudia) Hu Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Using post polymerization click-chemistry approaches to incorporate magnetic properties within polymer structures to prepare polymeric T1, T2 or T1 and T2 MRI contrast agents
Mentor: Dr. Bryan Beckingham

Katelyn Jenkins Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Biomechanical Effect of Body-Borne Loads on Airborne Soldiers
Mentor: Dr. Michael Zabala

LeeAnn Johnston Ecological Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Exploring the Removal of Excess Nutrients and Heavy Metals From Polluted Water Bodies Through the Use of Macrophytes and Microorganisms
Mentor: Dr. Alan Wilson

Keith Krause Electrical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Investigation of the performance and energy consumption of superconducting adiabatic computing circuits
Mentor: Dr. Michael Hamilton

Hudson Land Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: The Assessment of Protein Feedstock Value of Cultivated Algal Biomass for Aquaponics Waste Nutrient Recycling
Mentor: Dr. David Blersch

Ryan Long Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Self-Folding Origami
Mentor: Dr. Russell Mailen

Noah Miller Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Harnessing Solar Energy to Perform Self-Folding Origami
Mentor: Dr. Russell Mailen

Rebecca Mulholland Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Impact Dynamics of a 3D printed Piano Hammer
Mentor: Dr. Edmon Perkins

Mina Narayanan Software Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Adversarial Authorship: Exploring Features for Author Identification
Mentor: Dr. Gerry Dozier

Isabel Perry Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Impact Dynamics of Strings with Vibration Controls
Mentor: Dr. Edmon Perkins

Elizabeth Prior Civil Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Effectiveness of Measuring the Turbidity of Waterways with Near Infrared Imaging Obtained by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Mentor: Dr. Frances O’Donnell

Joshita Suresh Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Engineering in vitro prostate cancer tumor tissue to test the efficacy of anticancer therapeutics
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Lipke

David Teitge Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Design and Construction of a Phase Change Flight Experiment for the International Space Station using micro-structured surfaces
Mentor: Dr. Sushil Bhavnani

Tyler Toner Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Model predictive controller sensitivity to errored parameters for a cruise controlled heavy truck convoy in simulation
Mentor: Dr. David Bevly

Kelly Turner Civil Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Modeling the Influence of Ground Surface Roughness and Building Attributes on the Physical Vulnerability of Low-Rise Buildings to Hurricane Winds
Mentor: Dr. David Roueche

Anna Vescio Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Controlled release from topical ointments modified with halloysite nanotubes
Mentor: Dr. Edward Davis

Eric Wietstruk Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Study of the Aerodynamic Response of Birds to Turbulent Weather Conditions
Mentor: Dr. Vrishank Raghav

Liam Wood Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Halloysite based Antibacterial Paints
Mentor: Dr. Edward Davis
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Cullen Anderson Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Spatial and Temporal Effects of Rural Mennonite Communities on Jaguar (Panthera onca) Populations in Belize
Mentor: Dr. Todd Steury

Arielle Fay Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Impacts of Wild Pigs on Acorn Availability
Mentor: Dr. Mark Smith

Kayla Krigger Wildlife Sciences
Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: The effects of temperature, air pressure, humidity, and habitat on the preferred bloodmeal of Aedes albopictus
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Zohdy

Alex Merchinsky Wildlife Sciences
Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Ant Foraging Behavior Under Artificially Manipulated Temperatures
Mentor: Dr. Robert Gritzen & Dr. Christopher Lepczyk

James Shortnacy Wildlife Ecology Management
Sponsor(s): Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Estimating the Proportion of White-tailed Deer Illegally Harvested over Bait in Eastern Alabama
Mentor: Dr. William Gulsby
College of Human Sciences

Emily Parra Nutrition Science
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Lifestyle Determinants of Childhood Obesity in Elementary School Children
Mentor: Dr. Geetha Thangiah

Savannah Rundquist Nutrition-Dietetics
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Exploring the effects of a high chlorophyll dietary intervention to reduce colon cancer risk in adults: The Meat and Three Greens (M3G) Feasibility Trial
Mentor: Dr. Andrew Fruge
College of Liberal Arts

Lauren Allison Communication Disorders
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Quantification of upper airway thermoregulation and vocal dose in indoor cycling fitness instructors with and without amplification: implications for vocal health
Mentor: Dr. Mary J. Sandage

Pate Brunner Music Performance and Economics
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: A Musical and Historical Analysis of Jazz Trombone Performance and its Technical Adaptation in the Bebop Era and Beyond
Mentor: Dr. Michael Pendowski

Emma Goodwin English Literature
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: A More Virtuous Vice: An Intersection Between Games and Religion in Eleventh-Century Cambrai
Mentor: Dr. Kate Craig

Barbara Laughlin Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Perception of Situations Through Word Connotation: Impact on Anxiety
Mentor: Dr. Alejandro Lazarte

Taylor Mackowski Spanish
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: L2 Spanish Learners’ Auditory Perception of Gender and Number and its Role in Relative Clause Attachment Resolution
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Vergara

Stevan Marcus Economics
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Water Contamination and Infant Health in West Alabama
Mentor: Dr. Duha Altindag and Aditi Segupta

Katie Martin English
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The Impact of Document Design on Alcohol-Harm Awareness
Mentor: Dr. Helen Eldson

Haley Maul Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Workplace Decision Making and Risk Taking
Mentor: Dr. Ana Franco-Watkins

Jordan Wade Art History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Defining and Discussing Afrofuturist Appropriations
Mentor: Dr. Kathryn Floyd

Sarah Webb Art History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Exploring the relationships between the arts of the Kuba Kingdom and the Congo missionary outreach of the American Presbyterian church
Mentor: Dr. Kathryn Floyd
Harrison School of Pharmacy

Ayaka Fujihashi Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Assessment of the Neurotoxic Effects of Prenatal Nicotine and Alcohol Exposure on Hippocampus and Cortex of Rodents
Mentor: Dr. Muralikrishnan Dhanasekaran

Ivy Hall Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Understanding How to Best Track Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) Infections in a Murine Model by Use of Fluorescence or Photo-acoustic Imaging
Mentor: Dr. Peter Panizzi

Ellery Jones Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Autotaxin and glutamatergic dysregulation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease
Mentor: Dr. Vishnu Suppiramaniam

Tyler Lynd Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Honokiol Rescues Mitochondrial Functioning in a Parkinson’s Model
Mentor: Dr. Muralikrishnan Dhanasekaran

Shannon Maguire Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: The development of novel SIRT3 agonist for mitigating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Mentor: Dr. Rajesh Amin

Madison Patrick Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Correlation of MtSK Inhibitory Activity with Chemical Constituents in Alpinia galanga Identified by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry: A Biochemometrics Study Case
Mentor: Dr. Angela Calderon

Shivani Rangari Biomedical Sciences/Premed
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Improved Topical Delivery of Acyclovir on a Nanogel Formulation for Herpes Labialis.
Mentor: Dr. Jay Ramapuram

Jack Schwartz Molecular and Cellular Biology
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Use of Ketone Bodies as a Therapeutic for Alzheimer’s Disease
Mentor: Dr. Miranda Reed

Elena Skarupa Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Treatment mediated differences in gene expression in multicellular 3D models of human breast cancer
Mentor: Dr. Robert Arnold
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Daniel Akwa Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: The Roles of the Mitochondrial Carrier Family in Metal Homeostasis
Mentor: Paul Cobine

Carson Blankenship Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: “Shock and Kill” Strategy against Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus: Defining Target Specificity and Potency of a Novel Antiviral Compound
Mentor: Dr. Joanna Sztuba-Solinska

William Bowers Physics
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Electronic Surface Reconstruction and Defect Characterization in Complex Oxide Thin Films
Mentor: Ryan Comes

Sabrina Cline Microbial, Cellular, and Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Understanding PAN’s Labyrinth: Tracking the subcellular localization of the oncogenic PAN RNA using in situ fluorescence microscopy techniques
Mentor: Dr. Joanna Sztuba-Solinska

Milica Courtenay Integrative Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Testing whether sex-specific senescence in the lizard, Anolis sagrei, translates to the cellular level
Mentor: Dr. Tonia Schwartz

Sarah Dolinger Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: The relationship between mental health, stress, and social supports in health profiles for high school athletes.
Mentor: Dr. Melissa Pangelinan

Kacie Florus Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Changes in Endothelial Cell Density in Sections of Cerebrum from PEA15 Mutant and Non-Mutant Cats.
Mentor: Dr. Emily Graff

Katherine Hunter Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Exploring fundamental uranium and thorium chemistry using redox-active Schiff base ligands
Mentor: Dr. Anne Gorden

Peyton Kuhlers Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Development of an in vitro model to evaluate novel genes regulating inflammation and fibrosis
Mentor: Dr. Michael Green

Sam Lubor Cell/Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Measuring and Comparing Oxidative Damage and Mitochondrial Function in Mammalian and Avian Species
Mentor: Dr. Wendy Hood

Amanda Mish Pre-Veterinary Medicine of Wildlife Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Testing the functional role of carotenoid coloration on survival from UV stress in the marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Hill

Jacob Mayhugh Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Synthesis and characterization of zinc (II) bis(pyrrole)phenylenediamine complexes
Mentor: Dr. Anne Gordon

Amanda Myles Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Characterizing the Role of Periplasmic Nitrate Reductase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Physiology
Mentor: Dr. Sang-Jin Suh

Alisa Mobley Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Synthesis and characterization of block-copolymers towards smart gating insulin release membranes
Mentor: Dr. Bryan Beckingham

Morgan Sisk Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigation of antibacterial properties of adhesives used in the Europa Lander Mission
Mentor: Dr. Mark Liles

Abigail Putz Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Self-Efficacy of Mainstream Pre-Service and In-Service Teachers for English Language Learners
Mentor: Dr. Jamie Harrison

Phillip Wang Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Investing the role of diet and coloration on survival and vitality outcomes in the marine copepod, Tigriopus californicus
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Hill

Morgan Tatum Physics
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Development of a COLTRIMS spectrometer for observing laser-atom interactions
Mentor: Dr. Marc Guillaume

Matthew Dylan Wilson Microbial Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: The role of PEA15 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in feline fibroblasts
Mentor: Dr. Emily Graff

Matthew Westerfield Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: A Measure of Potency of Novel Protein Synthesis Inhibitors Using In vitro Translation Assay
Mentor: Dr. Alexey Petrov

Emma Yonan Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Physiological responses of invasive cane toad (Rhinella marina) from Florida: how stress affects immune response and locomotor performance
Mentor: Dr. Mary Mendonca
University College/Aviation

Shelby Potter Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Effects of Severe Weather Phenomena on Commercial Aviation Accidents and Incidents
Mentor: Dr. James Birdsong
2017-2018
College of Agriculture

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
College of Architecture Design and Construction

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
College of Education

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
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

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
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

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
College of Human Sciences

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
College of Liberal Arts

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
Harrison School of Pharmacy

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
College of Sciences and Mathematics

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
2016-2017
College of Agriculture

Wayne Carroll Agronomy and Soils Science
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effects of winter cover crops on mycorrhizal colonization of cotton roots
Mentor: Dr. Yucheng Feng

Trevor Cofer Agronomy and Soils Science
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effect of potassium sources and rates on tomato growth and development, potassium uptake, yield, and fruit quality
Mentor: Dr. Julie Howe

Madison Gohlke Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Impact of mitochondrial nuclear exchange on adiposity and metabolic markers in lean and obese pigs
Mentor: Dr. Terry Brandebourg

Courtney Kloske Cellular and Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture and College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Functional studies of genes transcriptionally regulated by calcium in Xylella Fastidosa
Mentor: Dr. Leonardo De La Fuente

Anna Robinson Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture and College of Veterinary Medicine
Project Title: An evaluation of mistletoe extract in conjunction with mebendazole in an in vitro canine glioblastoma model
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Koehler

Evelyn Smith Agronomy and Soils & Horticulture
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effects of plant density and substrate type on cucumber production in a modified aquaponic system
Mentor: Dr. Daniel Wells

Gabrielle Willhelm Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Improving embryo transfer in Bos Taurus through Granulosa Cell Connexin/Pannexin analysis
Mentor: Dr. Paul Dyce

Griffin Wright Animal Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Unveiling the dynamics of genome activation in early developing embryos
Mentor: Dr. Fernando Biase
College of Education

Kathryn Clardy Fitness Conditioning and Performance
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Comparison of the kinematics and kinetics of overhand baseball pitching to football passing
Mentor: Dr. Gretchen Oliver

Sarah Gordon Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: The effect of whole body vibration on stress fracture
Mentor: Dr. JoEllen Sefton

Natalie Stephens Chemistry Education
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Teaching spatial visualization in chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Christine Schnittka
Samuel Ginn College of Engineering

Meredith Ayers Civil Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Mineralogy determination via three-dimensional image analysis
Mentor: Dr. Lauren Beckingham

Elizabeth Bankston Biosystems Ecological Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Following the mass flow of nitrogen throughout an aquaponics system
Mentor: Dr. David Blersch

Holland Bankston Polymer & Fiber Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Ultrafast microwave nano-manufacturing of fullerene-like metal chalcogenides
Mentor: Dr. Xinyu Zhang

William Brannon Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Rapid prototyping of electronics cooling nozzle arrays
Mentor: Dr. Roy Wright

Elizabeth Byers Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Nanoparticle targeted testosterone degradation for the treatment of androgen-dependent prostate cancer
Mentor: Dr. Allan David

John Cook Computer Science
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Naturalistic pen-based data visualization
Mentor: Dr. Hari Narayanan and Dr. Jeff Overbey

Sahm Deravi Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Investigation of photocatalytic behavior of two-dimensional titanium oxycarbide nanosheets
Mentor: Dr. James Radich

Gabrielle Gilmer Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering and College of Education
Project Title: Effects of pain history on throwing mechanics
Mentor: Dr. Gretchen Oliver

Nidhi Goel Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Drug testing and metastisis studies on three-dimensional breast cancer models
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Lipke

Craig Granger Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: How stream restoration affects in-stream ecological metabolic activity
Mentor: Dr. David Blersch

Sara Head Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Engineering functional cardiac tissues through encapsulation of pluripotent stem cells in methacrylated gelatin hydrogels
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Lipke

Hethan Hofer Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Controlling ion distribution in electroactive polymers for enhanced actuation response
Mentor: Dr. Zhongyang Cheng

Benjamin King Biosystems Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Comparing the floodplain hydrology of a recently restored stream bank to a natural, undisturbed, floodplain
Mentor: Dr. Thorsten Knappenberger

Kaylee McCormack Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering and College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Novel 1-thia-3,4-diazolidine-2,5-dione (TDAD) based polymers
Mentor: Dr. Michael Squillacote

Kyle Paul Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Examining effects of PEG length and silica nanoparticle size on cell viability
Mentor: Dr. Allan David

James Smith Electrical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Multi-arm antenna optimization by genetic algorithms
Mentor: Dr. Michael Baginski

Daniel Stubbs Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Airfoil analysis using smoothed particle hydrodynamics
Mentor: Dr. Dudley Nichols

Zoe Tucker Mechanical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Engineering
Project Title: Exploration of transparent colloidal nanoparticle additives for lubricants
Mentor: Dr. Robert Jackson
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences

Tyler Baxter Forestry
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Evaluating the effectiveness of prescribed fire to restore longleaf pine ecosystems in the Southeastern coastal plain
Mentor: Dr. Zhaofei Fan

Jordan Broadhead Wildlife Sciences
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Effects of snakes on rodent vectors of disease in eastern Madagascar
Mentor: Dr. Sarah Zohdy

Marie Kallenburg Wildlife Sciences
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Fat transport levels during lactation in rats
Mentor: Dr. Wendy Hood

Shannon Lambert Wildlife Ecology & Management
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Estimating detection probability and the use of scents in wild pig trapping
Mentor: Dr. Mark Smith

Seth Rankins Wildlife Ecology & Management
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Factors influencing white-tailed deer susceptibility to ehrlichiosis
Mentor: Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff
College of Human Sciencess

Nicole Forchielli Nutrition Dietetics
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Assessing meal quality and satisfaction of meals on wheels (MOW) program in Lee County, Alabama
Mentor: Dr. Yee Ming Lee

Elise Mann Biomedical Sciences and Nutrition Science
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: The role of DPP-IV in muscle soreness
Mentor: Dr. Heidi Kluess
College of Liberal Arts

Paige Goldschmidt History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Defining the role of women in the Latter-day Saint Church during their residency in Kirtland, Ohio, from 1830-1838
Mentor: Dr. Adam Jortner

Amanda Guthrie Sociology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: How the modern day hobo copes with a stigmatized identity
Mentor: Dr. Natalia Ruiz-Junco and Dr. Greg Weaver

William Kelner Psychology and Sociology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Perceptions of mental illness among college students
Mentor: Dr. Apryl Alexander

Zach McKinnell Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Common neural networks between addictions and psychological disorders
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Robinson

Cassidy Roby Health Administration
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Examining risky business practices in the health care industry
Mentor: Dr. Rene McEldowney

Kelsie Shipley English Literature and History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Material aspects of reading in late 19th century Britain
Mentor: Dr. Emily Friedman

Allison Travis Health Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The effect of drawing on information consolidation and stress reduction
Mentor: Dr. Barbara Bondy

Erin Walker Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Perceptions of violence victimization in transgender versus cisgender persons: The role of prejudicial belief, personal background, and mindfulness
Mentor: Dr. Apryl Alexander

Carson Williford English and Philosophy
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The value of sustainable agricultural practices for Alabama’s small-scale farmers
Mentor: Dr. Helen Eidson
Harrison School of Pharmacy

Ryan Heslin Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Effects of a peripherally restricted viral challenge on the hippocampus
Mentor: Dr. Miranda Reed

DaSol Jung Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Identification of phase I & II metabolites in Maca extracts
Mentor: Dr. Angela Calderón

Stuart McFarland Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Increasing non-seasonal vaccination activities in Alabama community pharmacies
Mentor: Dr. Salisa Westrick

Mallory Meagher Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Insulin induces increased beat amyloid formation in APPe mutant neuronal cells
Mentor: Dr. Rajesh Amin

Kasey Shepp Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: The effect of rare variants of hydroxy-carboxylic acid receptors on hereditary breast cancer
Mentor: Dr. Nancy Merner

Alec Ryan Wesolowski Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Non-invasive method of tracking infections in-vivo with the multispectral optoacoustic tomography imaging system
Mentor: Dr. Peter Panizzi
College of Sciences and Mathematics

Morgan Barkley Geology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Geological investigations of a suspected fragment of faulted oceanic crust within the Caledonian Mountains on Engløya, Arctic Norway
Mentor: Dr. Mark Steltenpohl

Abigail Bartlett Geology
Sponsor(s): Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology
Project Title: Evaluating oxidative stress response in the alkanosulfate monoxygenase complex
Mentor: Dr. Holly Ellis

Robert Boothe Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Nickel(II) complexes as ParaCEST sensors for reactive oxygen species
Mentor: Dr. Christian Goldsmith

Matthew Brown Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): Biochemistry and Cellular & Molecular Biology
Project Title:Elucidation of Heme d1 biosynthetic pathway
Mentor: Dr. Steven Mansoorabadi

Jiyeong Choi Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Nickel concentrations of the high-Ni insect Melanotrichus boydi, a specialist on the Ni hyperaccumulator plant Streptanthus polygaloides (Brassicaceae)
Mentor: Dr. Robert Boyd

Addison Cimino Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Toward the synthesis of functionalized cycloparaphenylenes
Mentor: Dr. Bradley Merner

Brock Hidle Physics
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Development of Frequency Resolved Optical Gating (FROG) Technique for Characterization of Femtosecond Pulses
Mentor: Dr. Guillaume Laurent

Austin Hulbert
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title:
Mentor:

Ayden Kish Physics and Philosophy
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Experiments and simulations of rotating dusty plasmas
Mentor: Dr. Edward Thomas, Jr.

Caleb Marshall Mathematics
Sponsor(s): Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Matrix multiplication, tensors, and tableaux
Mentor: Dr. Luke Oeding

Elizabeth Schloss Physics and Philosophy
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Finding formulas for the number of pieces resulting from k cuts on a unit ball in Euclidean n-space
Mentor: Dr. Michel Smith

Martin Wang Physics and Electrical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Biomedical Sciences
Project Title: Computational study of electrostatically tunable band offsets in MoS2 multilayers
Mentor: Dr. Marcelo Kuroda

Phillip Wang Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigating the antioxidant effects of carotenoids in living systems
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Hill
2015-2016
College of Agriculture
Alex Callaway, Crop and Soil Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Evaluation of seed quality response to variable micronutrient application in novel peanut cultivars (Arachis hypogeae)
Mentor: Dr. Julie Howe
Evelyn Willmon, Fisheries
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Investigation of the attachment of Aeromonas hydrophila on aquaculture surfaces and the evaluation of disinfection protocols on its biofilm eradication
Mentor: Dr. Cova Arias
Victoria Holland, Poultry Science
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Effect of incubational egg turning intervals on gut development in the chick, gut morphology, and developmental biomarkers
Mentor: Dr. Wallace Berry
Avery Lamb, Environmental Science and Anthropology
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Plant Growth and Physiology of Rain Garden Plants in Two Soil Types
Mentor: Dr. Eve Brantley
Mallory McDaniel, Agronomy and Soils
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Nitrogen and phosphorus loss from inorganic and organic fertilizer systems
Mentor: Dr. Beth Guertal
College of Architecture, Design and Construction
Brendan Byrne, Environmental Design
Sponsor(s): College of Architecture, Design and Construction
Project Title: Traffic impact analysis of augmented bicycle facilities on Auburn University’s campus
Mentor: Magdalena Garmaz
College of Education
Lily Clark, Physical Activity and Health
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Investigating whether cognitive control moderates the influence of impulses and reflections on spontaneous physical activity
Mentor: Dr. Matt Miller
Caroline Hubbard, Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: The role of macronutrients in inducing satiety via peptide YY
Mentor: Dr. Heidi Kluess
Caroline Meadows, Exercise Science
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: Does motor preparatory brain activity mediate the relationship between monetary incentive and motor performance?
Mentor: Dr. Matt Miller
Jack Goldberg, Fitness, Conditioning and Performance
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: The effect of changes in exercise behavior on physiological parameters in college students
Mentor: Dr. Danielle Wadsworth
Madison Hutto, Elementary Education
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: An exploration into the mathematical thinking of students who struggle with number sense
Mentor: Dr. Megan Burton
College of Engineering
Sean Bittner, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Development of progressive antibiotic release wound packing using nanotube clays
Mentor: Dr. Edward Davis
Kaylee McCormack, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Exploration of viable methods to form 1-thia-3,4-diazolidine-2,5-dione (TDAD) based polymers to be used as photoresists, that photodegrade easily to innocuous gaseous compounds.
Mentor: Dr. Michael Squillacote
Chandler Moore, Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Modeling heat transfer in the presence of linear and nonlinear acoustic waves
Mentor: Dr. Joshua Batterson
Jennifer Kaczmarek, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Differentiation and encapsulation of human induced pluripotent stem cells to form engineered cardiac tissue
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Lipke
Sungil Kim, Electrical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Analysis and forecast of stock market prices using signal and statistical analysis and genetic algorithm
Mentor: Dr. Michael Baginski
Christopher Scheinert, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Morphological dependence on photocatalytic activity of nanostructured Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) on water reduction to H2
Mentor: Dr. James Radich
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Matt George, Wildlife Sciences
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Effects of trap door width on wild pig entrance into corral traps
Mentor: Dr. Mark Smith
Steven Williamson, Wildlife Sciences (Pre-Vet)
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Mortality and injury rates of wildlife reported by rehabilitators across Alabama
Mentor: Dr. Christopher Lepczyk
College of Human Sciences
Jami Reece, Microbiology
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Role of sugary water consumption in adipose gene expression
Mentor: Dr. Michael Greene
College of Liberal Arts
Anna Kirkland, Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Examining brain changes associated with a 30-day diet intervention
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Robinson
Sarah Stevenson, Psychology and Spanish
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The biological and psychological effects of music on the human body
Mentor: Dr. Paula Bobrowski and Dr. Knipschild
Harrison School of Pharmacy
Leah Bostany, Cell and Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: A study of the effects of DNA methylation on transmission of plasmids into S. aureus
Mentor: Dr. Peter Panizzi
Nate Johnson, Biomedical Sciences (Pre-Pharmacy)
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Molecular mechanism of doxorubicin-induced memory dysfunction
Mentor: Dr. Vishnu Suppiramaniam
Taylor Young, Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Relationship between AD and diabetes
Mentor: Dr. Rajesh Amin
Connor Dobson, Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Targeted gold-lipidic nanocomposites for cancer therapy and diagnosis
Mentor: Dr. Rusty Arnold
Christy Pickering, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Development and application of gold-lipidic nanocomposites to enhance chemotherapeutic delivery and release
Mentor: Dr. Rusty Arnold
College of Sciences and Mathematics
Kelly Kindgren, Geology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Zircon age dating in Northern Scotland
Mentor: Dr. Mark Steltenpohl
Fraser Bronston, Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Characterization of the catalytic abilities of a family of Ga(III) complexes bearing N-donor ligands
Mentor: Dr. Christopher Goldsmith
Natasha Narayanan, Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Developing a streamlined chemical synthesis of tricyclic nucleic acid analogues for antisense-based therapeutic applications
Mentor: Dr. Bradley Merner
Taylor Farmer, Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Exploring a new cascade reaction, a key step in the synthesis of a polyalcohol
Mentor: Dr. Peter Livant
James Edmond, Physics and Mathematics
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Using ion-momentum imaging to study molecular dissociation dynamics
Mentor: Dr. Mike Fogle
Ken Yang, Physics and Mathematics
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Uncertainty calculations for theoretical atomic data toward the applications of astrophysical spectroscopy
Mentor: Dr. Stuart Loch
DoYon Kim, Physics and Mathematics
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Constructing examples and counterexamples for questions in polyhedral geometry
Mentor: Dr. Andras Bezdek
Martin Wang, Physics and Electrical Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Study of the contact resistance in two-dimensional materials
Mentor: Dr. Marcelo Kuroda
Kasey Benesh, Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Impact of anthropogenic stressors on minnow diversity in the Tallapoosa River
Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Armbruster
Madeleine Eddy, Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Synthesis of water soluble imine soft-donor ligands for selective actinide sensing
Mentor: Dr. Anne Gorden
Dual Fellows
Sara Rains, Nutrition and Horticulture
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences and College of Agriculture
Project Title: Identifying successful community development practices in Ecuador
Mentor: Dr. Kate Thornton
Katherine Windham, Chemical Engineering and German
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture and Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Nanoscale aptamer-based carrier for personalized treatment of small cell lung carcinoma
Mentor: Dr. Jacek Wower
Anna Robinson, Animal Sciences (Pre-Vet)
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture and College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Effects of light on tentacle bulb formation in the clownfish sea anemone Entacmea quadricolor
Mentor: Dr. Nanette Chadwick
2014-2015
College of Agriculture
Jesse Blanton, Ecological Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Self-optimization of mixed algal communities via automated feedback control of light input
Mentor: Dr. David Blersch, Department of Biosystems Engineering
Lawrence Liu, Chemical Engineering; Economics
Sponsor(s):College of Agriculture, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Effects of Calcium on the Transcription of Xylella fastidiosa in Microfluidic Chambers
Mentor: Dr. Leonardo De La Fuente, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
Sara Emily McCarty, Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Gene regulation by Xylella fastiodiosa in response to calcium
Mentor: Dr. Leonardo De La Fuente, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
Connor Ryan, Biology / Horticulture
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: The Effects of Environment and Fertilization on the Growth of Juvenile Sarracenia leucophylla
Mentor: Dr. Amy Wright, Department of Horticulture
Olivia Elliott, Ecological Engineering
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: The Effects of Intersecting Limiting Factors on the Colonization and Growth of Algae in Cultivation Systems
Mentor: Dr. David Blersch, Department of Biosystems Engineering
Klinton McCafferty, Poultry Science Pre-Vet
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Evaluation of Utilizing Wheat in Broiler Diets
Mentor: Dr. William Dozier, Department of Poultry Science
Tyler Miller, Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences – Science Track
Sponsor(s): College of Agriculture
Project Title: Identifying the Mechanism of Resistance to the ALS-Inhibiting Herbicide Metsulfuron in Spotted Spurge (Euphorbia maculata)
Mentor: Dr. J. Scott McElroy, Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences
College of Education
Haley Sanders, Secondary English Language Arts Education
Sponsor(s): College of Education
Project Title: A Study of Preservice Teachers’ Views of Descriptivism and Prescriptivism
Mentor: Dr. Jamie Harrison, Curriculum & Teaching/ESOL Education
College of Engineering
Chelsea Diane Appleget, Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Development and Optimization of the First Fully Nano-Fibrillated Cellulose Aircraft
Mentor: Dr. Roy Hartfield, Aerospace Engineering
Harrison Burch, Electrical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Reactive-DC Magnetron Sputtering of Superconducting Niobium Nitride
Mentor: Dr. Michael Hamilton, Department of Electrical Engineering
Elizabeth Pearce, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Controlled Release of Therapeutic from Polymersomes
Mentor: Dr. Mark Byrne, Department of Chemical Engineering
Zachary Watson, Materials Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Exploration on How Materials Effect Acoustic Guitars
Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Fergus, Materials Research and Education Center / Mechanical Engineering
Daniel Beauchamp, Electrical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Preliminary Steps to Investigating the Connection between MRI-Measured Vascular Wall Shear Stress and Stenosis of Arteriovenous Grafts
Mentor: Dr. Thomas Denney, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Andrew Hightaian, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Engineering a Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens to Treat Glaucoma
Mentor: Dr. Mark Byrne, Department of Chemical Engineering
William Roberts, Aerospace Engineering
Sponsor(s): Samuel Ginn College of Engineering
Project Title: Plenoptic Stereo Method for Depth Estimation
Mentor: Dr. Brian Thurow, Department of Aerospace Engineering
School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Forrest Cortes, Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Factors influencing the frequency and composition of mammalian carnivore road mortality
Mentor: Dr. Todd Steury, School of Forestry and Wildlife Science
Monica Richert, Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Non-lethal effects of predators on eastern cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Mentor: Dr. Todd Steury, School of Forestry and Wildlife Science
Laura Garland, Wildlife Ecology and Management
Sponsor(s): School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Title: Dietary habits of the Black bear (Ursus americanus) in Alabama
Mentor: Dr. Todd Steury, School of Forestry and Wildlife Science
College of Human Sciences
Sara Rains, Concurrent degrees: Nutrition and Horticulture
Sponsor(s): College of Human Sciences
Project Title: Identifying Community Based Solutions to Vitamin A Deficiency in Cambodia
Mentor: Dr. Kate Thornton, Hunger Solutions Institute
College of Liberal Arts
Shauni Armstead, History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Divisions within Unity: Racism in the Internationalization of Modern Feminism(s)
Mentor: Dr. Cathleen Giustino, History
Nicole Gerhard, Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The Effects of Multitasking on Decision Making
Mentor: Dr. Ana Franco-Watkins, Psychology Department
Shelbie Keel, Public Administration
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The Effects of the Implementation of the Help America Vote Act on Election Administration
Mentor: Dr. Mitchell Brown, Department of Political Science
Michelle Roberts, Anthropology and Political Science; Spanish minor
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: The Effects of Environment and Fertilization on the Growth of Juvenile Sarracenia leucophylla
Mentor: Dr. Kristrina Shuler, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Katherine Bottenhorn, Psychology and Chemistry (dual degree)
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Functional connectivity of the human hypothalamus in healthy and diseased states
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Robinson, Psychology
David Hathcock, History and German
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Forgotten Heroes: Socialist Women and Youth in the Austrian Civil War
Mentor: Dr. Traci O’Brien, Department of Foreign Languages & Literature
Matthew Pollock, English Literature & Spanish
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: From Dahrar to Déorwine: An Analysis of Sound Symbolism in The Lord of the Rings
Mentor: Dr. Craig Bertolet, English
Steven Vickers, History
Sponsor(s): College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Towards Greener Pastures: Nationalism and the Green Party in Ireland, 1981 to the Present
Mentor: Dr. Ralph Kingston, Department of History
Harrison School of Pharmacy
Andrew Clark, Microbiology
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Utilizing the activity of Staphylococcal Sortase A to identify and monitor invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections
Mentor: Dr. Peter Panizzi, Department of Drug Discovery and Development
Brittany Gamble, Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: The role of Frataxin in the regulation of PGC-1 and mitochondrial biogenesis in the diabetic heart
Mentor: Dr. Rajesh Amin, Department of Drug Discovery and Development
Christina Pickering, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Development and Application of Gold-Lipidic Nanocomposites to Enhance Chemotherapeutic Delivery and Release
Mentor: Dr. Robert Arnold, Department of Drug Discovery and Development
Connor Dobson, Chemical Engineering
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy
Project Title: Targeted Gold-Lipidic Nanocomposites for Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis
Mentor: Dr. Robert Arnold, Department of Drug Discovery and Development
Wooseok Lee, Nutrition – Nutrition Science Pre-Med
Sponsor(s): Harrison School of Pharmacy, College of Human Sciences
Project Title: The Role of ILK in Synaptic Plasticity and Memory
Mentor: Dr. Vishnu Suppiramaniam, Department of Drug Discovery and Development
College of Sciences and Mathematics
Cami Adams, Cellular and Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Phenotype analysis of Cytokinin Response Factor 4 (CRF4) altered expression Arabidopsis lines in response to freezing temperatures
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Rashotte, Biological Sciences
Lauren Chastain, Interdisciplinary Studies
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics, College of Veterinary Medicine
Project Title: Disparities in Access to Health Care: Canary Islands (Spain)
Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Ostrowski, Veterinary Sciences/Public Health
Emily Crisp, Marine Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Effects of visual and chemical signaling by conspecifics on anemonefish behavior
Mentor: Dr. Nanette Chadwick, Biological Sciences
Taylor Farmer, Chemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Exploring a New Cascade Reaction, a Key Step in the Synthesis of a Polyalcohol
Mentor: Dr. Peter Livant, Department of Chemistry
David Kell, Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Study of Photodegradable Polymers based on the bifunctionality of 1-thia-3,4-diazolidine-2,5-dione (TDAD)
Mentor: Dr. Michael Squillacote, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
John (Wesley) Nelson, Biochemistry
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Elucidation of the biosynthetic pathway of heme-d1 in the nitrite reductase enzyme of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Mentor: Dr. Steven Mansoorabadi, Chemistry and Biochemistry
William Scott, Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Genomic Responses of Plants to Heat Stress
Mentor: Dr. Robert Locy, Department of Biological Sciences
Devon Verellen, Geology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigation of Detrital Zircons to Constrain Depositional Ages of Metasedimentary Rocks in Arctic Norway
Mentor: Dr. Mark Steltenpohl, Department of Geology and Geography
Andrew Wilkins, Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics, College of Veterinary Medicine
Project Title: Myeloperoxidase Inhibition
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Panizzi, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology
Abigail Bartlett, Dual Degree: Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Analyzing the Catalytic Role of a Conserved Active Site Residue in Cysteine Dioxygenase
Mentor: Dr. Holly Ellis, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Carol Alex Cool, Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics, College of Human Sciences
Project Title:Role of macrophage polarization in obesity-linked colon cancer growth
Mentor: Dr. Michael W. Greene, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Hospitality Management
Zachary Donoviel, Molecular Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title:Mitochondrial function and reproduction in the house mouse
Mentor: Dr. Wendy Hood, Biological Sciences
Jack France, Applied Mathematics
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Exploration of Euler’s Method
Mentor: Dr. Geraldo de Souza, Mathematics
Christopher Michaelson, Biomedical Sciences
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Investigation of Rhinella marina baseline corticosterone levels and immunocompetence as indicators of invasive potential and environmental fitness
Mentor: Dr. Mary Mendonca, Department of Biological Sciences
Arnold Obungu, Biomedical Sciences and Psychology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics, College of Liberal Arts
Project Title: Effects of cortisol and norepinephrine in mediating latent inhibition
Mentor: Dr. Martha Escobar, Psychology
Rachel Twigg, Marine Biology
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Phylogenetic Identification of Octopod Species Diversity in Antarctic Waters
Mentor: Dr. Kenneth Halanych, Biological Sciences
Brian Westbrook
Sponsor(s): College of Sciences and Mathematics
Project Title: Analyzing Mitochondrial Abundance and Activity Along the Dendritic Cell Maturation Pathway
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Schwartz, Department of Biological Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
Casey Read, Animals Sciences Prevet/ Organismal Biology Pre-Vet
Sponsor(s): College of Veterinary Medicine
Project Title: Atrazine Study
Mentor: Dr. Chad Foradori, Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology
2013-2014
Christopher Bartel
Project Title: Characterizing the Effect of Macromolecular Comfort Agent Release on Protein Deposition to Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses
Mentor: Dr. Mark Byrne, Chemical Engineering
Project Summary: The primary research objective is to engineer a therapeutic contact lens to controllably release comfort molecules thereby developing a technology with the potential to limit the discomfort felt during lens wear. An additional benefit is reducing protein and lipid deposition to the lens, leading to a healthier lens and a healthier eye.
Gabby Bates
Project Title: The Common Thread in Important Literary Journalism
Mentor: Dr. Margaret Marshall, English
Project Summary: This project attempts to discern which features the most culturally significant works of literary journalism have in common by conducting a rhetorical analysis of four New Yorker articles published in the post-WWII era on behalf of victims of injustice. Findings will be compiled in a critical article to expand knowledge of the creative nonfiction genre.
Anna Burcham
Project Title: Development of Targeted Nanomedicines for Treatment of Prostate and Breast Cancers
Mentor: Dr. Robert Arnold, Pharmacal Sciences
Project Summary: Cancer is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. Chemotherapy is effective, but can lead to toxicity in other areas of the body other than the tumor. The goal of my research is to exploit differences in cancer cells to develop drug carriers that will increase toxicity at the site of the tumor and limit toxicity in other areas.
Blakely Bussie
Project Title: The Quantification of Mitochondrial Location and Morphology Using MATLAB
Mentor:Dr. Elizabeth Lipke, Chemical Engineering
Project Summary:A MATLAB program was created to analyze fluorescently labeled organelles within cells. Specifically, the program was used to locate and quantify mitochondria and nuclei of different cell types, including human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC), human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293), and a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7).When applied to differentiating stem cells, this program can reveal how the organization and morphology of mitochondria changes with cell maturation and differentiation.
Will Campbell
Project Title: Determination of Mechanical Properties of Articular Cartilage
Mentor: Dr. Robert Jackson, Mechanical Engineering
Project Summary: Healthy articular cartilage is essential for normal joint function because it provides a gliding surface between joint surfaces capable of sustaining stresses and forces. In this study, we will be performing indentation tests on equine articular cartilage to determine some very important and fundamental mechanical properties of the complex biological tissue.
Patrick Donnan
Project Title: Polariton Band Structure Calculations
Mentor: Dr. Jianjun Dong, Physics
Project Summary:Our goal is to develop a new theory of heat conduction at high temperatures. In particular, a newly proposed hypothesis of diffusive heat transfer carried by infrared (IR) phonon-polaritons will be the main focus of our research. We will study silicate pervoskite (MgSiO3) and magnesium oxide (MgO), the two most abundant minerals in the Earth’s lower mantle.
Sara Geonczy
Project Title: Private Waste and Public Costs: Economic Analysis of Effective Policies for Municipal Solid Waste Management
Mentor: Dr. Yaoqi Zhang, Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Summary: The purpose of this research project is to analyze the decomposition of the total cost of municipal waste disposal services in order to investigate different price structures and other policies that will more appropriately allocate costs, minimize costly waste disposal activities, increase positive waste disposal activities, and maximize total social welfare.
Graham Gordon
Project Title: Vectorization of Spring Network Equilibrium Algorithm for Euclidean Distance Matrix Completion
Mentor: Dr. Peter Nylen, Mathematics and Statistics
Project Summary: Trying to determine the locations of a collection of points knowing only the distances between some of the points is known as the Euclidean Distance Matrix Completion Problem (EDMCP). Our project seeks to improve an existing algorithm which finds approximate solutions to the EDMCP. Applications include molecular conformation and sensor network localization.
Elyse Johnson
Project Title: Characterizing SlCRF5, a Transcription Factor in Tomato Involved in Stress Response
Mentor: Dr. Aaron Rashotte, Biological Sciences
Project Summary: The aim of my research is to characterize the tomato transcription factor protein SlCRF5, which is responsive to cytokinin, a plant hormone linked to stress response. This knowledge is crucial in understanding the role of SlCRF5 stress response in tomato, and at a broader level, the role of this class of transcription factors in other flowering plants. Application of this knowledge may lead to increased crop yield.
Chelsea Leander
Project Title: Protein-Energy Malnutrition in Nepal
Mentor: Dr. Katie Thornton, Human Sciences
Project Summary: The first 1000 days of life, beginning at conception, contain crucial and determining factors, including the development of the brain. A child is setback for life when the brain cannot attain full development during this period, often as a result of malnutrition. My research aims to examine the lifestyle of populations who struggle with intergenerational cycles of Protein-Energy Malnutrition, with the ultimate goals of breaking these cycles and enhancing early child development.
Ethan McCurdy
Project Title: The Contribution of Off-mechanism Electron Transfers in the Inactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Catalase-Peroxidase
Mentor: Dr. Douglas Goodwin, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Project Summary: One crucial facet of the immune response is to generate peroxides to rid the body of invaders. Many bacteria, including M. tuberculosis, depend on an enzyme known as KatG to convert these peroxides into harmless products. I am investigating the mechanisms that keep KatG in its most active and efficient state. This holds striking implications for understanding the strategies pathogens use to thwart a host immune response.
Adam Milton
Project Title:Smart Nanocomposite for Enhanced Drug Delivery of Insulin
Mentor: Dr. Allan E. David, Chemical Engineering
Project Summary: A drug delivery system capable of delivering reliable and consistent doses of insulin through the oral route would provide significant advantages over the commonly used insulin pumps and injections. In order to enable a less invasive route of administration, I plan to engineer a drug delivery vehicle, in this case comprised of a nanocomposite, that can protect insulin from degradation and control its release in the body for an extended period of time. A smart nanocomposite composed of silica and chitosan, to regulate insulin release, will be utilized to achieve this goal.
Alysa Moore
Project Title: Biochemical and Genetic Characterization of an Unknown Anti-Nematode Compound
Mentor: Dr. Mark Liles, Biological Sciences
Project Summary: My research focuses on identifying and characterizing an unknown compound produced by a bacteria commonly used in industrial agriculture for its anti-nematode abilities. Once the compound has been identified with biochemical methods, I will analyze the bacteria’s genome in order to evaluate environmental conditions that cause the compound to be produced in greater abundance, which could thereby increase anti-nematode activity. Greater understanding of this compound could provide a more sustainable alternative to other common, less environmentally-friendly soil additives.
Madeline Moore
Project Title: Growth Characteristics of Xylella fastidiosa in Media Modified to Mimic Xylem Fluid
Mentor: Dr. Leonardo De La Fuente, Entomology and Plant Pathology
Project Summary: Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is a bacterial plant pathogen that infects numerous plant species in the United States. The bacterium forms biofilms inside the water-conducting xylem vessels of the plants, therefore obstructing water movement. The aim of my research is to develop a defined culture media for research in the laboratory, in which Xf will grow and form biofilm in a similar manner to its natural setting inside plants.
Emily Pipan
Project Title: On-line LC-MS Based Identification of Inhibitors of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Shikimate Kinase
Mentor: Dr. Angela Calderón, Pharmacal Sciences
Project Summary: The goal of my research is to use liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), a sensitive mass-measuring process, to find inhibitors of the enzyme shikimate kinase. This enzyme is from the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the pathogen that causes tuberculosis. Inhibition of the enzyme would severely harm the cell’s normal processes, representing the first stage in new drug discovery.
John Porter
Project Title: Electrically Conductive Polycaprolactone Nanostructures for cardiomyocyte differentiation
Mentor: Elizabeth Lipke, Chemical Engineering
Project Summary: The goal of my research is to create an electrically conductive substrate on which to grow cells. The intent is to find a reliable method for growing cardiac tissue with the end goal being able to influence the differentiation of stem cells into cardiomyocytes.
Hilary Rizk
Project Title: Validation of Detection Methods for Assessing the Exposure of Haemorhous mexicanus to the bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Hill, Biological Sciences
Project Summary: Development of accurate methods for detection of bacterial pathogens in birds is important in decreasing the costs of research and saving the lives of birds. The goal of my research is to validate the use of throat swabs and blood tests in detection of exposure of birds to a bacterial pathogen. By validating the accuracy of these tests, my research will improve the accuracy and efficiency of further research of bacterial pathogens and birds.
Alex Román
Project Title: The Use of Subcritical Water to Convert Sunn Hemp Biomass into a Value Added Product
Mentor: Dr. Ram Gupta, Chemical Engineering
Project Summary: This project aims to combine the promising protein content of sunn hemp with a subcritical water extraction method, and then optimize it for industrial use. This new extraction method would eliminate toxic solvents needed, reduce transportation cost moving the biomass to/from a refinery, and provide the farmer with readily eaten fodder for domesticated ungulates (goats, pigs, etc).
Gracie Thaxton
Project Title: Sequence Comparison of ArkDPI-derived IBV Vaccine Genome Before and After Adaptation to Culture
Mentor: Dr. Vicky van Santen and Dr. Haroldo Toro, Veterinary Pathobiology
Project Summary: Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a respiratory virus of chickens belonging to the same virus family as human SARS and MERS viruses. To aid understanding of what changes in coronaviruses allow them to adapt to different host systems, we will adapt IBV vaccine to chick kidney cells. I will sequence the viral genome before and after adaptation.
Abby Threet
Project Title: Mitochondrial Copper Transport: Investigating Genetic Interactions with PIC2
Mentor: Dr. Paul A. Cobine, Biological Sciences
Project Summary: Copper is required for human life. This element is a cofactor for the protein cytochrome c oxidase (COX), which is required for respiration. The pathway for copper transport into mitochondria, the location of COX, is essentially unknown. My fellowship will allow me to study genetic interactions in baker’s yeast in hopes of shedding light on this pathway. This research will contribute to understanding an essential process and will translate to understanding disorders of copper metabolism in humans.
J. Alyssa White
Project Title: Amassing Evidence: A Study of Body Mass Variation in the Robert J. Terry Skeletal Collection
Mentor: Dr. Kristrina Shuler, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Project Summary: I intend to study the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Skeletal Collection housed at the Smithsonian Institution. My work will complement that of a team of specialists and contribute a vital component through analyses of bone’s reactions to body mass and activity. This is an extension of the body size research that I have been pursuing for a few years, which I hope will improve understandings of the effects of body mass on the skeletal tissue in past and modern populations.
2012-2013
Sarah Baldivia
Project Title: Hydrogels as Injectable Delivery Systems for Tissue Repair Applications
Mentor: Dr. Gisela Buschle-Diller, Polymer and Fiber Engineering
Project Summary: Hydrogels are polymeric substances that exhibit unique characteristics that allow them to absorb large amounts of liquids without losing their physical shape. The goal of this research is to develop a hydrogel which will contain the precursors of a polymer and release them at a characteristic and distinct parameter (pH, temperature, etc.). Continued development of such hydrogel may create the potential for its use in cartilage or bone repair or replacement. The polymer could be formed by injection and the need for actual surgery would be omitted.
Ross Bonner
Project Title: Insulin Resistance and Mechanism of Memory Loss: Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Link
Mentor: Dr. Vishnu D. Suppiramaniam, Pharmacal Sciences
Project Summary: Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a cellular mechanism for memory formation. Glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, is involved in LTP through interaction with AMPA type glutamate receptors. Insulin resistance, the hallmark of type II diabetes, has been linked to decreased activity of the signaling molecule ILK. Preliminary studies have also found that insulin resistance in the brain can down-regulate AMPA signaling. Therefore, my project will set out to establish the relationship between insulin resistance, ILK, and memory deficit.
Emily Buss
Project Title: “Green” Chemistry Catalysis
Mentor: Dr. Anne Gorden, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Project Summary: I am currently creating a catalyst that is water-soluble by attaching unnatural amino acids to the compound structure. This will eliminate organic waste and therefore decrease the cost of disposing the product waste. I will then preform reactions with the new catalyst and determine the products yield and compare with previous results.
Kathryn Crowley
Project Title: “Green” Chemistry Catalysis
Mentor: Dr. Azhar Salman, Building Science
Project Summary: This porject is aimed at determining the feasibility of implementing sustainable technologies into the current plan to remodel the Auburn Hill dorms, and the cost savings that would result from those changes.
Enrique Doster
Project Title: Effects of Livestock Management Practices on Water Quality in an Agricultural Setting
Mentor: Dr. Alan Wilson, Fisheries
Project Summary: There are two things that, without fail, most people in the U.S. will do at least once a day – ingest food and water. Protecting our freshwater resources has become a vital global issue as numerous factors continue to degrade water quality. In many freshwater systems, cyanobacteria (also known as blue-green algae) proliferate and pose a threat to the animals that drink from these bodies of water. My study focuses on the relationship between different land management strategies and their effects on water quality in local ponds in livestock farms.
Michael Evans
Project Title: Role of mopB and msrA in Calcium Sensing by Xylella fastidiosa
Mentor: Dr. Leonardo De La Fuente, Entomology & Plant Pathology
Project Summary: Xylella fastidiosa (XF) is a bacterial plant pathogen that infects a variety of economically important crops in the United States. The bacterium forms biofilm inside the host plant’s xylem, obstructing water movement, a process enhanced by calcium. By creating and studying mutants deficient in the calcium-related genes mopB and msrA, the role of calcium in the infection process of XF will be further elucidated and used to develop novel control methods.
Kyle Gennaro
Project Title: Latent Inhibition in Lehmannia valentiana
Mentor: Dr. Martha Escobar, Psychology
Project Summary: Latent inhibition is a behavioral phenomenon, which has been used as a model for cognitive dysfunctions in psychopathological disorders such as schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder (ADD). The aim of this project is to establish an effective procedure to demonstrate latent inhibition in the common garden slug, Lahmannia valentiana.
Jordan Hall
Project Title: Inverse Volatility Problem for Binomial Tree Models
Mentor: Dmitry Glotov, Mathematics and Statistics
Project Summary: In the world of finance today, researchers and practitioners rely heavily on high-level mathematics to develop models to price complex financial derivatives products. The main goal of the models is to use given information about the assets that the derivatives products take their value from and combine it with a measure of “randomness” in the market to get a fair price for the product. This measure of randomness is called volatility and is not easily calculated. Much research has been done in this area based on the famous Black-Scholes option-pricing framework; however, there are limitations and shortcomings to this approach. My goal for this research project will be to approach the problem of recovering volatility from a different angle by focusing on discrete-time models that are more flexible in the types of options they can price.
Dusty Harrell
Project Title: Evaluation of Using PCR-RFLP of Cytochrome b to Distinguish DNA Samples from Carnivore Species in the Southeastern U.S.
Mentor: Todd D. Steury, Forestry and Wildlife Sciences
Project Summary: The goal of our research is to evaluate a relatively simple method for identifying carnivore scats (feces) of eastern North America. The method involves extracting DNA from scat and identifying the species that produced the scat by using special enzymes. The study could lead to a rapid, accurate, and inexpensive method of identifying carnivore populations for use in studies of habitat and population size, with minimal disturbance to the animal being studied.
Ryan Hile
Project Title: Earthquake Hazards and Social Vulnerability in Salt Lake County, Utah: A Case Study
Mentor: Dr. Phil Chaney, Geography
Project Summary: My research will attempt to identify the vulnerability characteristic of Salt Lake County, Utah, with respect to earthquake hazards and human characteristics, such as age, race, and gender. Salt Lake County is located in Northeast Utah and rests along the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch Front, an active fault zone, where over a million people live.