Undergraduate Research Grant Awards

Students from several departments applied for funding to attend conferences to present research, compete in academic competitions, and purchase supplies to complete research.  The current semester of faculty sponsors, the students, and the title of the projects are listed by department below.

Spring 2024 Awards

 

Art & Art History Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Carole Garmon

Student:  Winston HeronDaydreams and Interconnected Stories

 

Biological Sciences Department

Faculty Sponsor: Swati Agrawal

Student:  Michael Combs – Counteracting Antibiotic Resistance in Bacillus Bacteria with Phage Therapy

Student: Andrew CooperCharacterization of Endolysins from Bacillus thuringiensis Phages for potential Biotechnological Applications

Faculty Sponsor:  Dianne Baker

Student:  Willa CloreThe generational effect of temperature differences on sex differentiation in Danio rerio

Faculty Sponsor: Theresa Grana

Student:  Alegria BautistaAdvances in Worm DNA Sequencing

Faculty Sponsor: Bradley Lamphere

Student:  Edmund ShanahanAmphibian Habitat Ecology

Faculty Sponsor: Lynn Lewis

Student:  Aisling BerriosAntiviral Effects of Lithium Chloride on NDV in BHK-21 Cells

 Faculty Sponsor: Ginny Morriss

Student:  Delaney BaratkaThe Impact of pvr on Muscle Phenotypes in Drosophila Melanogaster

Student:  Arshpreet BrarThe application of DNAzymes on the CTG repeat expansion of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1

Student: Madeline BruntKnockdown of Pvr and its Relation to DMl Muscle Wasting in   Drosophila

Student:  John Conrad TanEffect of Plasma Irisin Supplementation on DNT1 in Exercised and Non­Exercised Flies

Student:  Ashlyn RauchTime Course for Adult Onset Myotonic Dystrophy in Drosophila melanogaster

Student:  Kayla RodriguezAssessing progression of muscle phenotypes in an adult­onset model of myotonic dystrophy in Drosophila melanogaster

Faculty Sponsor: Deborah O’Dell

Student:  Natalie BacaThe Role of GSK-3b in Alzheimer’s Disease

Student:  Kristy Ann Bagley and Mikyas TelahunMicroglial Inflammation in Alzheimers

Student:  Hannah StottlemyerChanges of TOB in Response to Chronic Social Stress

Faculty Sponsor:  Laura Sipe

Student:  Abigail GlennExamining the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy in combination with methionine restriction in breast cancer cells.

Faculty Sponsor:  Parrish Waters

Student:  Hudson McNernySocial isolation affects central orexin and hedonic drive in mice.

Student:  Marina RoshdyThe influence of wheel running exercise on aggression and dominance in mice

 

Chemistry & Physics Department

Faculty Sponsor: Janet Asper

Student:  Willow CandageDevelopment of Chemistry Labs for Visually impaired students

 

Computer Science Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Stephen Davies

Student:  Harmony Peura The Interaction between Heterogeneous Voting Strategies and Dynamic Vote-seeking campaigns: An Agent-based Model

 

Economics Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Amrita Dhar

Students:  Nickolas RemishIssues in Political Economy Conference

 

History & American Studies Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Krystyn Moon

Students:  Daniel Childers – Chinese Food Proliferation in the 19th century

 

Modern Languages & Literatures Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Maria Laura Bocaz Leiva

Students:  Norah Walsh and Rebecca Cruz BrionesGender Lost in Translation. Towards a  New Translation of Gender in Hell Has no Limits by José Donoso”.

 

Political Science & International Affairs Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Melissa Martinez

Students:  Abigail TankDemocracy and organized crime: The case of Brazil

 

Psychological Science Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Dave Kolar

Students:  Emma Hadley, Jordan Lyons, Scott McDonald, Mitchell Freitag and Ainsley Logar – Purchasing Behavior: Effect of Greenwashing, Social Norms, and Public vs.        Private Shopping

Faculty Sponsor:  Marcus Leppanen

Students: Eliana Black, Ada Moses, Hannah Shipp – Presentation at the Eastern Psychological Association Conference

Faculty Sponsor: Miriam Liss

Students:  Rob Oehler, Sarah Baliff, Skyler Revutin, Ann Camp and Cate Kelly – Student presentations at the Eastern Psychological Assoc. Conference

Student:  Rob OehlerSelf­diagnosis, attachment to diagnosis, social media exposure, and clinical implications.

Students:  24 PSYC 491-492 students – Student Research Presentation for the Virginia Assoc. for Psychological Science

Faculty Sponsor:  Erin Palmwood

Student:  Noel ShenkThe Impact of Experiencing Relationship Trauma on Beginning New Romantic Relationships

Students:  Noel Shenk, Alexandra Mills, Shelby Shifflett and Ameer Abdel-Muhsin, Emily GrangerConflict Avoidance Moderates the Impact of Internalizing Symptoms         on Post-Breakup Distress

Faculty Sponsor:  Hilary Stebbins

Students:  Alexandra Tingen, Sofia Taylor, Dayton Keffer and Valeria DuqueThe Role of Chronotype, Social Jet Lag, and Chronic Sleep Reduction in Academic                               Procrastination

 

Theatre and Dance Department

Faculty Sponsor:  Gregg Stull

Students: 17 THEA 435 studentsCreating Identity in the Theatrical Space

 

 

Previous Awarded Grants: 

YEAR
2023 FALL SPRING SUMMER
2022 FALL SPRING SUMMER
2021 FALL SPRING
2020 SPRING
2019 FALL SPRING SUMMER
2018 FALL SPRING SUMMER
2017 FALL SPRING SUMMER