URSCI Student Research Assistant Grant
Undergraduate research assistant stipends fund students in assisting and collaborating on research or creative projects. Students will learn while supporting faculty in their research, scholarship and creative activity. Faculty will mentor research assistants, teaching them relevant disciplinary skills and responsible conduct of research. Students may work up to 69 hours (mini award) or 138 hours (full award) per semester and projects may last for more than one semester. This program is intended to provide students a substantive intellectual experience. Mentoring is an important part of what makes successful application. Assistants can help in areas such as:
- Library research
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Laboratory experimentation
- Manuscript preparation
- Creative project
More information and application portal can be found on Canvas. Self-enroll in the Canvas course to learn more.
Fall 2022 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Corinne Roemer (Mentor: Amartya Chakrabarti, Chemistry)
Synthetic investigation on the effect of capping agents in synthesis of zinc sulfide quantum dots
Luis Garcia (Mentor: Persis Driver, Psychology)
Teaching to Learn: Exploring Undergraduate Teaching Assistants’ Personal and Professional Growth
Jadis Mirza (Mentor: Sophia Duffy, Psychology)
Towards Understanding the Impact of Black Radical Healing: A Meta-Analysis
Shalom Borrallo (Mentor: Noelle Wright, Studio Art)
Slowfire Arts Foundation: Developing Articles & Workshops
Spring 2023 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Cesia Villatoro (Mentor: Tracy Caldwell, Psychology)
The Value of Undergraduate Teaching Assistants for Students, TAs, and Faculty
Corinne E. Roemer and Emily Alessandri (Mentor: Amartya Chakrabarti, Chemistry)
Characterization of zinc sulfide quantum dots
Robert Baker, Kevin Moore and Jadis Mirza (Mentor: Sophia Duffy, Psychology)
Radical healing: A meta-analysis of radical healing practices for Black people responding to racial trauma
Summer 2023 URSCI Student Research Assistants
Ellie Heider (Mentor: CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, Communication Arts and Sciences)
Overlapping Fandom, Political, and Religious Attitudes: Indoctrination Pathways into Extremist Ideologies and Communities via Fandoms
Alexandro Soto (Mentor: Hassan Zamir, Informatics)
Exploring the Use of AI Tools in Education: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
Mo Malinowski (Mentor: Marina Bell, Sociology and Criminology)
Abolition, the Climate Crisis, and the Role of Othered Knowledge Traditions
Zayra Juarez (Mentor: Robert Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience/Psychology)
Transcriptional Mechanisms of a Very Long-Lasting Memory in Aplysia californica
Avanti Ravanam (Mentor: Maureen Emlund, Post-Baccalaureate Medical Studies Program)
Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation Self-Efficacy: Assessing Gaps in Nursing Student Confidence and Competency Using Integrated Technology of an Electronic Simulation Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation Training Program
Fall 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Malanie Sobenes (Mentor: Sophia Duffy, Psychology)
Trauma and Well-being in College
Spring 2022 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Jaquelin Gutierrez (Mentor: Persis Driver, Psychology)
Exploring Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship as a High Impact Practice That Benefits Students’ Learning and UTA’s Professional Growth
Mahnoor Saghir (Mentor: Yamunadevi Puraikala, Nutrition Science)
Dietary habits and lifestyle changes of adults during the COVID pandemic
Summer 2022 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Steven Proustos (Mentor: Irina Calin-Jageman, Biology)
Analysis of methylation patterns in Aplysia californica genes associated with long term memory and forgetting
Shalom Borrallo (Mentor: Noelle Wright, Studio Art)
Slowfire Arts Foundation: Developing Articles & Workshops
Cassandra Hansen (Mentor: Yamunadevi Puraikala, Nutrition Science)
Nutrition education and awareness of nutrition labels across cultures
Fall 2020 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Lance Grunert (Mentor: Persis Driver, Psychology)
Evaluating the Efficacy of Embedding Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in Behavioral Research and Statistics Courses
Lesley Arroyo (Mentor: Persis Driver, Psychology)
Speech-Language Pathologist’s Efficacy and Beliefs in Assessing Bilingual Children
Kiara Raña (Mentor: Scott Kreher, Biological Sciences)
Development of novel methods for analysis of olfactory behavior and repellent odors in Drosophila melanogaster
Spring 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Margaret McClure (Mentor: Christopher Allison, McGreal Center for Dominican Historical Studies) Preparation of a museum-quality exhibition on Dominican University's history
Jacqueline Ramirez and Prayer Childress (Mentor: Tracy Caldwell, Psychology)
Synthesizing the Literature on Undergraduate Teaching Assistants
Daniel Sharrah and Stephanie Viruet (Mentor: Sophia Duffy, Psychology)
Trauma and Well-being in College
Geneva Capp (Mentor: Yamunadevi Puraikalan, Nutrition Science)
Development and objective evaluation of functional muffin using broccoli stalk flour
Summer 2021 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Carlie Merola (Mentor: Javier Carmona, Art & Design)
Burden of the Orb
Hilda Alvarez Rodriguez and Jaqueline Candela (Mentor: Patrick Homan, Political Science)
Young Adults’ Perception of Political Participation in American Democracy
Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Hannah Gordon (Mentor: Irina Calin-Jageman, Biological Sciences)
Epigenetic regulation of the savings memory genes
Abigail Johnson and Melanie Myszka (Mentor: Michelle Allen, Nursing)
Psychological capital in undergraduate nursing students participating in a renal simulation
Pablo Vargas (Mentor: Zomary Flores-Cruz)
Complementation of host-induced hydrogen peroxide-scavenger mutants in “Vibrio fischeri”
Nicholas Lombardo (Mentor: Jeffery Cote de Luna)
Cookbook Image Editing
Summer 2020 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Lance Grunert (Mentor: Persis Driver, Psychology)
Evaluating the Efficacy of Embedding Undergraduate Teaching Assistants in Behavioral Research and Statistics Courses
Melissa Lopez (Mentor: Sophia Duffy, Psychology)
Trauma and Well-being in College
Laura Shaw (Mentor: Patrick Homan, Political Science)
US Foreign Policy in Action: An Innovative Teaching Text, 2nd edition
Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Lucille Benoit (Mentor: Yamunadevi Puraikalan, Nutrition Sciences)
Applications of Whey in Fruit Beverages
Samuel Bjorklund (Mentor: Joseph Sagerer, Physical Sciences)
Component Testing for Particle Detector Readout
Kassey Franco (Mentor: Patrick Homan, Political Science)
Factions and U.S. Foreign Policy
Julia Horn (Mentor: Josephine Sarvis, Education)
An investigation of the reasons for the lack of interest in pursuing secondary teacher licensure in STEM fields by academically talented students
Everett Krause (Mentor: Irina Calin-Jageman, Biological Sciences)
Transcriptional profiling of rekindled memories in Aplysia californica
Kiara Raña (Mentor: Scott Kreher, Biological Sciences)
Development of novel methods for analysis of olfactory behavior and repellent odors in Drosophila melanogaster
Tania Rosiles (Mentor: Robert Calin-Jageman, Psychology)
Understanding savings memory
Qi (Chelsey) Zhao (Mentor: Yuanqing Li, Accounting, Finance and Entrepreneurship)
The Power of Poetry in the World of Business
Summer 2019 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Carlos Benitez (Mentor: Tina Taylor-Ritzler, Psychology)
The Men's Project at Dominican University: A Replication and Evaluation of Stewart (2014)
Madison Fette (Mentor: Amartya Chakrabarti, Physical Sciences)
Synthesis and Characterization of Tin Sulfide Nanomaterials
Hannah Gordon (Mentor: Irina Calin-Jageman, Biological Sciences)
Transcriptional Correlates of Savings Memory
Victor Jimenez Carrillo (Mentor: Amartya Chakrabarti, Physical Sciences)
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Sulfide Nanomaterials and Their Characterization
Natalie Stellato (Mentor: Javier Carmona, Art, Art History and Design)
Summer at Cordelia
Fall 2017 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Oswaldo Galvez
Faculty Member: Clinton Nichols, Sociology and Criminology
Student: Ushma Patel
Faculty Member: Robert Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience
Student: Leticia Perez
Faculty Member: Irina Calin-Jageman, Natural Sciences
Student: Joanna Rzepka
Faculty Member: Sophia Duffy, Psychology
Summer 2017 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Miriam De la Torre
Faculty Member: Lisa Petrov, Modern Foreign Languages
Student: Alexander Garcia
Faculty Member: Clinton Nichols, Sociology and Criminology
Student: Kevin Lopez
Faculty Member: Tina Ritzler, Psychology
Student: Andrea Tellez
Faculty Member: Patrick Homan, Political Science
Spring 2017 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Olivia Barker
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Natural Sciences
Student: Katie Fox
Faculty Member: Kelly Burns, Philosophy
Student: Jasmyn Hardin
Faculty Member: Pliny Smith, Natural Sciences
Student: Sylvia Karpio
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Natural Sciences
Student: Sarah Kordat
Faculty Member: Anne Drougas, Business
Fall 2016 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Kathleen Fox
Faculty Member: Kelly Burns, Philosophy
Student: Jasmyn Hardin
Faculty Member: Pliny Smith, Biology
Student: Lindsay Tocik
Faculty Member: Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Summer 2016 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Olivia Barker
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Natural Sciences
Student: Justine Colon
Faculty Member: Bill Kerr, Graphic Design
Student: Sylvia Karpio
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Natural Sciences
Student: Catherine Koziol
Faculty Member: Margaret Jonah, Natural Sciences
Student: Alyssa Kulinski
Faculty Member: Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Student: Joseph Lis
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Natural Sciences
Student: Monica Rodriguez
Faculty Member: Javier Carmona, Photography
Spring 2015 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Margarita Angel
Faculty Member: Patrick Homan, Political Science
Student: Christina Cho*
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Biology
Student: Michael Curiel
Faculty Member: Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Student: Karolina Kir*
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Biology
*Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2014
Fall 2014 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Christina Cho*
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Biology
Student: Karolina Kir*
Faculty Member: Scott Kreher, Biology
Student: Sonia Kosmala*
Faculty Member: Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Student: Jasmine Stewart*
Faculty Member: Chavella Pittman, Sociology
*Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2014
Summer 2014 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Christina Cho
Faculty Member: Dr. Scott Kreher, Biology
Christina will work on an extension of the next step of Dr. Kreher’s research program on olfaction in Drosophila. She will study how fruit fly larvae behaviorally respond to odor mixtures and will examine odor preference. The goal of the project is to gather enough data to make valid conclusions which will ultimately be written into a manuscript for peer-reviewed publication. Christina will prepare and conduct experiments, analyze data and conduct statistical tests. She will also learn how to make graphs and present the data and how to make conclusions.
Student: Samantha Herdegen
Faculty Member: Dr. Irina Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience
Continuation of grant awarded for Fall 2013.
Student: Karolina Kir
Faculty Member: Dr. Scott Kreher, Biology
Karolina will work on a project that involves selective rescue of odor receptor mutants with various odor receptor genes. This project is an offshoot of Dr. Kreher’s previous work and will serve to illustrate how sensory neurons are weighted in neural computations underlying odor coding. Karolina will plan and conduct experiments, organize data, analyze data and make conclusions, as well as conduct statistical tests. She will also learn how to plan experiments and how to determine the next step in a series of connected experiments
Student: Sonia Kosmala
Faculty Member: Prof. Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Sonia’s role will be to assist in the production and conceptual direction of a new body of Prof. Wright’s sculpture. She will gain an understanding of the methodology and conceptual approach of a project as well as the various processes and stages that go into art production. Sonia will learn advanced sculpture skills (graduate school level) Prof. Wright does not teach in class, such as advanced mold making, painting for sculpture, advanced carving skills, and slip casting. She will also help complete the complex and time-sensitive steps of the mold making process from the clay original to the urethane multiple part molds to the final experimental pours in wax, concrete and resin, be responsible for some plaster carving, woodworking and clay modeling, and will help Prof Wright fire works in the kilns and experiment with a new body of sculpture that fires clay and plaster together in the kiln.
Spring 2014 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Students: Nikita Belyaev, Yanyan Chen and Peter Mielcarek
Faculty Member: Dr. Marion Weedermann, Mathematics
The project was entitled “One of the Optimal Strategies for Winning the Game ‘Closing the Box’.” The students investigated the possibilities of each dice roll. After identifying probabilities for a role of two dice to result in a specific outcome, they developed and tested a strategy for a single player game and then extended this strategy to a multiple player version of the game. This was a joint project of students from the Mathematics and Computer Science departments and a new URSCI initiative
Students: Joseph Biggs and Jonathan Cabai
Faculty Member: Dr. Daniela Andrei, Chemistry
Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2013
Student: Theresa Farris
Faculty Member: Prof. Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2013
Student: Samantha Herdegen
Faculty Member: Dr. Irina Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience
Continuation of grant awarded for Fall 2013
Student: Geraldine Holmes
Faculty Member: Dr. Bob Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience
Continuation of grant awarded for Spring 2013
Student: Christine Nguyen
Faculty Member: Dr. Scott Kreher, Biology
Continuation of grant awarded for Fall 2013
Student: Jasmine Stewart
Faculty Member: Dr. Chavella Pittman, Sociology
This project continues Professor Pittman’s research that examines the relationship between racial behaviors and social norms. The research is based on two studies, both of which are online survey experiments that pose social norms regarding racial justice behaviors. The purpose of the research is to produce new knowledge that can be broadly applied in order to promote social change and reduce racism. Specifically, the project aims to identify which aspects of social norms are most powerful proponents of racism, so that norm based interventions can be developed and implemented to reduce racism. The research will produce publishable results, allow for methodology optimization and be the basis for a grant proposal submitted to the NSF to expand the study. Jasmine will assist Dr. Pittman by performing data analysis, writing portions of the project manuscript and merging and cleaning data.
Student: Tyehimba Turner
Faculty Member: Dr. Margaret Jonah, Biology
Continuation of grant awarded for Fall 2013
Student: Breanna Watral
Faculty Member: Dr. David Perry, History
Continuation of grant awarded for Spring 2013
Fall 2013 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Students: Joseph Biggs and Jonathan Cabai
Faculty Member: Dr. Daniela Andrei, Chemistry
Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2013
Student: Theresa Farris
Faculty Member: Prof. Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2013.
Student: Samantha Herdegen
Faculty Member: Dr. Irina Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience
Habituation is a decline in reflex responsiveness due to repeated stimulation. It remains unclear what specific transcription changes are required to enable neurons to encode and maintain long-term habituation memories. The aim of the research is to fill in this gap and identify novel gene transcripts that are regulated in long-term habituation. This project has been ongoing for three years and recently focused on performing a large screening experiment using microarray analysis which is a method by which thousands of gene transcripts can be interrogated at the same time using a small glass chip spotted with gene targets. Samantha learned how to perform the techniques necessary to accomplish the research project, evaluated 10 transcripts, analyzed the data obtained and wrote up her findings for publication. She developed scientific skills that require accurate and detail oriented bench work, critical thinking in analyzing results and developed her scientific writing and presentation skills.
Student: Geraldine Holmes
Faculty Member: Dr. Bob Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience
Continuation of grant awarded for Spring 2013
Student: Christine Nguyen
Faculty Member: Dr. Scott Kreher, Biology
This project continued Dr. Kreher’s project on the genetic and molecular basis of olfaction in the fruit fly. Christine planned and performed experiments, analyzed data, learned about statistical tests and helped write and edit the manuscript. She was also able to observe the final stages of a project and the effort that goes into finalizing data analysis and learned how to ask new research questions as part of a research program. The project was presented at the national Drosophila conference in Washington, D.C., April 2013.
Student: Joanna Sasara
Faculty Member: Dr. Marion Weedermann, Mathematics
The focus of this project was on the modeling of anaerobic digestion—optimization and case studies—and on the establishment of an optimization criterion for the operating conditions that ensure maximum biogas production. Joanna conducted the sensitivity and all other computer experiments for this project. She also conducted computer experiments to confirm whether any such candidates were indeed critical. Joanna increased her knowledge of the use of numerical experiments in applied mathematical research and specifically, the use of computer experimentation in the verification of theoretical results and the extension of those results. She also learned how to use MatLab to see how programs and scripts are written and how to run simulations, learned how to conduct a sensitivity analysis, how to report outcomes, and how to identify critical parameters
Student: Tyehimba Turner
Faculty Member: Dr. Margaret Jonah, Biology
This research explored the potential for various microbes to adapt to using stevia, a tropical plant product used as a non-nutrient sweetener (Truvia™). Tye experimented with soil bacteria, with the intent of finding organisms able to use rebaudioside (the active chemical in stevia plants). This research provided insight into fundamental processes of bacterial evolution and gene transfer, which occur more rapidly in bacteria than in higher organisms and contributed to knowledge of soil bacteria, which have highly varied chemistries but are poorly understood. Tye increased his knowledge of laboratory methods of growing and studying microorganisms and of methods used in molecular genetics. His understanding of the many aspects of microbiology will increase and his skills in gene analysis were augmented and he gained skills that will complement his career goals.
Student: Breanna Watral
Faculty Member: Dr. David Perry, History
Continuation of grant awarded for Spring 2013.
Summer 2013 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Students: Joseph Biggs and Jonathan Cabai
Faculty Member: Dr. Daniela Andrei, Chemistry
This project explored primary diamines in order to convert them into diazeniumdiolates bearing two functional groups. The advantage of such compounds is that they should be able to release double amounts of HNO when compared with primary monoamine diazeniumdiolates. Characterization of such compounds including kinetic studies, NO and HNO release were performed. Joseph and Jonathan synthesized new diazeniumdiolates, learned to understand the characterization of such compounds and how to order different chemicals. They also learned how to maintain good laboratory techniques and updated an inventory of chemicals in Dr. Andrei’s lab. As a result of their research they were able to participate at different local, regional and national meetings such as the American Chemical Society.
Student: Theresa Farris
Faculty Member: Prof. Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Prof. Wright developed a new body of sculpture, tentatively titled Saturn’s Shepherd, which expands upon the ideas she explored in Trellis. Utilizing a layered palette of materials, she juxtaposed natural materials, such as thorns and flowers, with the man-made, representation with abstraction. By utilizing different media, such as graphite, clay, plaster, wax, and resin, Prof. Wright created unconventional narratives. Specifically, one of the pieces from Trellis titled Black Sea, Persephone, inspired her to create a series of 5 low-lying floor plinths that reference Donald Judd’s minimalist box series and Emmett Gowin’s aerial photographs. Theresa’s role was to assist in the production of the sculpture. She gained an understanding of the methodology and conceptual approach of a project as well as the various processes and stages that go into art production. Theresa also learned advanced sculpture skills such as advanced mold making, painting for sculpture, advanced carving skills, and slip casting and a better understanding of how a professional artist receives a show opportunity and then executes a body of work from start to finish.
Student: Breanna Watral
Faculty Member: Dr. David Perry, History
Continuation of grant awarded for Spring 2013.
Spring 2013 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Sana Ahmed
Faculty Member: Dr. J. Brent Friesen, Chemistry
As part of her work on this project, Sana tested new solvent system formulations using a standard mixture of 20 natural products. The mixture, dissolved in a custom solvent system, was separated and distributed into about 60 test tubes with a countercurrent chromatography instrument. The contents of the test tubes were monitored with thin layer chromatography (TLC)and high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Data was gathered on the separation characteristics of different formulations with an emphasis on extending the usefulness of well-known solvent systems particularly in the feasibility of replacing chloroform with dichloromethane. Dichloromethane is an more environmentally-friendly alternative to chloroform which has been extensively used in countercurrent chromatography. The project served as a model for future projects that explore environmentally friendly solvent alternatives for chromatography. Sana performed wet chemistry techniques, prepared samples to be run on analytical instruments, operated analytical instruments, and performed data analysis. These are all skills that can be transferred into post graduate education and or the job market.
Student: Kimberly Bajzek
Faculty Member: Dr. Chavella T. Pittman, Sociology
Continuation of grant awarded for Fall 2012
Student: Andrew Reyes Burkholder
Faculty Member: Noelle Allen Wright, Sculpture
Andrew assisted in the production of a new body of sculpture that Professor Wright was exploring. He helped complete the complex and time-sensitive steps of the mold making process from the clay original to the urethane multiple part molds to the final experimental pours in wax, concrete and resin. Andrew also was responsible for some plaster carving, woodworking and clay modeling, and helped edit the work and make decisions about a material or color or scale choice that most suits the conceptual direction of the new body of sculpture. He gained an understanding of the methodology and conceptual approach of a project as well as the various processes and stages that go into art production. In addition, Andrew learned many advanced sculpture skills, many of which are not generally covered in a Bachelor’s level program. As an art major who plans to continue on to a Master’s of Fine Arts, it helped him see firsthand how a professional sculptor creates work from the idea to the finishing touches before a gallery show.
Students: Jonathan Cabai and Theodore Weyna
Faculty Member: Dr. Daniela Andrei, Chemistry
Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2012
Student: Stephanie Ciura
Faculty Members: Dr. Paul Coe and Dr. Sara Quinn, Mathematics
To assess the mathematical skills of its incoming freshmen, Dominican University uses a placement test developed by the faculty in the Department of Mathematics. The test consists of 36 multiple-choice questions, broken up into five categories according to the level of material. To determine the placement of each student, a combination of the score on each category of the placement test, the total score on the placement test, and the student’s math ACT score is used. This project evaluated effectiveness of the mathematics placement test. The project focused on data collection and entry and on further analysis using the collected course grades. Stephanie entered all relevant data into Excel in preparation for analysis using SAS, a statistical analysis program. Once the data was entered, she participated in statistical analysis planning meetings, and carried out portions of the analysis. Stephanie gained additional exposure to a widely used statistical analysis program, gained experience with data analysis, and was able to see practical applications of her course materials from Dominican.
Student: Geraldine Holmes
Faculty Member: Dr. Bob Calin-Jageman, Neuroscience
This project studied what genes must be activated to enable the storage of long-term memory by studying a new form of whole-body long-term habituation memory in the sea slug Aplysia californica. Animals were given up to 3 days of long-term habituation memory, training, a protocol sufficient to cause habituation lasting 2-7 days. To analyze gene expression, animals were harvested either a) 2 days into training, when the long-term memory is just beginning to be formed, b) 1 day after training, when the long-term memory is strongly expressed, or c) 1 week after training, when the long-term memory has primarily faded. Each time point required the training of 12 experimental animals, 12 controls, and 12 'massed' controls (different, non-effective training protocol). Geraldine took primary responsibility for this experiment--caring for the animals, conducting all behavioral testing, and assisting in the harvesting of their brains. She previously conducted two successful long-term habituation experiments and her work helped bring this project to fruition.
Student: Christine Nguyen
Faculty Member: Dr. Scott Kreher, Biology
Continuation of grant awarded for Fall 2012
Student: Breanna Watral
Faculty Member: Dr. David Perry, History
This project focused on Dr. Perry’s second book project provisionally titled The Material Culture of Medieval Venetian Memory. This project ranged in scope from ca. 400-1606 C.E. and employed historical, art historical, literary, theological, and codicological source material. Breanna performed a systematic survey of Venetian art from 1400-1650 to identify every known case in which object exchange appears in any capacity, researched each find, and reported her findings in both discursive and database form. In the process, she learned new skills of art historical research and became an expert on the artists and locations of late medieval Venice. She also developed organizational and technical skills in developing the database.
Fall 2012 Undergraduate Research Assistants
Student: Kimberly Bajzek
Faculty Member: Dr. Chavella T. Pittman, Sociology
Professor Pittman conducted research that examines the relationship between racial behaviors and social norms. The research was based on two studies, both of which are online survey experiments that pose social norms regarding racial justice behaviors. The purpose of the research was to produce new knowledge that can be broadly applied in order to promote social change and reduce racism. Specifically, the project aimed to identify which aspects of social norms are most powerful proponents of racism, so that norm based interventions can be developed and implemented to reduce racism. The research will produce publishable results, allow for methodology optimization and be the basis for a grant proposal submitted to the NSF to expand the study. Kimberly helped Prof. Pittman by performing data analysis, writing portions of the project manuscript and merging and cleaning data. In the process, Kimberly developed her social science research skills, and gained valuable experience in the field of sociology.
Students: Jonathan Cabai and Theodore Weyna
Faculty Member: Dr. Daniela Andrei, Chemistry
Continuation of grant awarded for Summer 2012
Student: Christine Nguyen
Faculty Member: Dr. Scott Kreher, Biology
Professor Kreher continued his work on investigating the molecular, genetic and cellular basis of olfaction, using Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. Specifically, Prof. Kreher looked into how odor perception is altered in flies that have had odor receptors rendered useless as a result of mutation to the genes that code for the receptors. The two receptors of interest to this research are named Or42a and Or42b, and operate by mediating the behavioral response to the chemical ethyl acetate. Prof. Kreher tested the behavioral responses of the various flies by performing behavioral assays with the fly larvae, featuring a diluted chemical odor stimulant in proximity to the larvae on an agar plate. Christine helped Prof. Kreher in his work by testing the behavior of transgenic flies where sensory neurons and odor receptors have been transgenically manipulated and perturbed to elicit specific behavioral effects. Christine also helped with managing fly stocks and analyzing data from the behavioral assays. The final goal of the project was to present this work at regional and national conferences, as well as to write a manuscript and publish the research, for which Christine will be listed as a co-author.
Information about awards made prior to 2012 can be found here: URAP awards (pdf).