By Samantha Ruggiero CLAS ’14, originally published March 24, 2014 in CLAS News.
History and Anthropology student Rebecca D’Angelo, CLAS ’14.
While still in high school, Rebecca D’Angelo was working in the Research Department at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum when she stumbled across an unusual detail in a book about New England whalers. She read that these whalers were apparently using using schooners for their journeys to the sub-Antarctic islands between Australia and Antarctica.
“I thought that was odd because I know that they wouldn’t typically use schooners to whale,” says D’Angelo, currently a senior history and anthropology double major, referring to the small size of schooner boats. “So I looked into it and turns out they were actually catching seals.”
As a native to the Connecticut shoreline, D’Angelo paired her passion for maritime culture with a major in history and anthropology so that she could enrich her understanding of the world’s evolving social, political and environmental patterns.
“We talk about history all the time in the conversations we’re having now about politics, culture, and life,” says D’Angelo. “If you know history, you can identify when public figures are invoking it correctly, and when they are invoking it incorrectly. Understanding history ultimately makes you a better consumer of culture.” Continue reading →
By Samantha Ruggiero CLAS ’14, originally published May 19, 2014 in CLAS News.
Fulbright scholar Krisela Karaja (CLAS ’14) will return to Albania to conduct research.
If there’s one word that translates UConn senior Krisela Karaja’s story into words anyone can understand – it would probably be “translation.”
Literary translation, says Karaja, is a challenging endeavor because the translator carries the responsibility of not only delivering an author’s message, but also interpreting the cultural background of a word or phrase.
“I like the process of translating poetry because there are so many ways to tackle it,” says Karaja. “There’s no such thing as a literal translation because an expression in Albanian might not have the same cultural baggage if it were just translated word-for-word in English.”
Karaja, a double major in English and Spanish, has spent much of her undergraduate career bridging the gap between language and literature by composing English translations of poems and academic essays originally in written Albanian or Spanish. Born in Albania, Karaja moved to the United States when she was two years old and is a native Albanian speaker. She is also fluent in Spanish.
“My interest in language and literature stems from a natural desire to integrate my knowledge of the Spanish, English and Albanian languages,” says Karaja. “I’ll be reading a really great text in Albanian that isn’t very well-known in English, and think, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could translate and share this?’” Continue reading →
By Samantha Ruggiero CLAS ’14, originally published May 19, 2014 in CLAS News.
Ragini Phansalkar will pursue her MD and PhD at Stanford in the fall of 2014.
Ragini Phansalkar will pursue her MD and PhD at Stanford in the fall of 2014.
For senior Ragini Phansalkar, bridging the gap between different fields of research through her dual degree in computer science and biology has been like solving an exciting puzzle – and one that has taken her around the world.
“I think a lot of the advancements that are going to be needed to overcome today’s medical challenges are going to be achieved through interdisciplinary collaboration,” says Phansalkar. “Biomedical engineering is interdisciplinary, but I liked having the freedom to choose for myself the aspects of engineering and biology that I wanted to integrate, specifically bioinformatics.”
Phansalkar has spent the past four years at UConn combining computational science with biological sciences by working in the labs of Assistant Professor Daniel Schwartz of the Physiology and Neurobiology Department and Assistant Professor Barbara Mellone of the Molecular Cell Biology Department. Phansalkar’s interdisciplinary research experiences at UConn have developed her interest in pursing the medical field, and earned her acceptance to the MD/Ph.D program at Stanford University. Continue reading →
Chemical engineering student Derek Chhiv ’14, right, discusses with Professor Anson Ma his group’s prototype for an artificial kidney.
In recognition of the critically important role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate research and creative activity, the Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to introduce a new annual award program for outstanding mentorship. This program was developed in collaboration with the OUR Peer Research Ambassadors, undergraduates engaged in research and creative scholarship across the disciplines who help promote undergraduate inquiry at the university.
The Mentorship Excellence Awards will be presented each year to one faculty recipient and one graduate student recipient. A committee of undergraduate students will select the award recipients, who will be formally presented with their awards in April during the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition.
Students are encouraged to nominate their outstanding mentors before the close of the nomination period on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Learn more and access the nomination forms on the Mentorship Excellence Awards webpage.
Due to the campus closure on February 2, the SURF application deadline has been extended to 4:00pm on Tuesday, February 3, 2015. More information on SURF can be found at http://ugradresearch.uconn.edu/surf/.
Congratulations to the twenty-six UConn undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants in the fall 2014 funding cycle!
Eighteen of the award recipients will be completing individual projects and eight will be working on collaborative group projects. The award recipients represent a variety of disciplines, from puppetry to mechanical engineering, nursing to horticulture, and campus affiliations, including three recipients from the Stamford campus and one from the Avery Point campus.
Special thanks to the faculty and staff who supported student applications to the UConn IDEA Grant and to those who will be mentoring the award recipients as they complete their projects. We would also like to thank the faculty and staff from around the University who served as reviewers.
The UConn IDEA Grant program awards funding to support self-designed projects including artistic endeavors, community service initiatives, traditional research projects, entrepreneurial ventures, and other creative and innovative projects. Undergraduates in all majors at all UConn campuses can apply. Applications are accepted twice per year from individuals and from small groups who plan to work collaboratively on a project. The next application deadline is Monday, March 16, 2015.
Please join us in congratulating the UConn undergraduates named below for their significant research and creative accomplishments this fall. Students: if you have an accomplishment to share, please do so using this online form.
AWARDS
The first panel image from Julianne Norton’s graphic novel.
Julianne Norton ’15 (CLAS) is a winner of the prestigious Mitchell Scholarship, which will support her pursuit of a graduate degree in creative writing in Ireland. There, she will continue work on a graphic novel begun with the support of the UConn IDEA Grant. The novel builds on topics and themes Julianne has explored in prior projects and will include a cross-cultural comparison of post-memory of the Holocaust and the Irish Famine. Learn more about Julianne and the Mitchell Scholarship by reading the story about her achievement in UConn Today; see more of her work on her portfolio website or Instagram feed.
PUBLICATIONS
Robert Stickels ’15 (CLAS) is the first author on the following article:
Stickels, R., Clark, K., Heider, T.N., Mattiske, D.M., Renfree, M.B. & Pask, A.J. (2014). DAX1/NR0B1 Was Expressed During Mammalian Gonadal Development and Gametogenesis Before It was Recruited to the Eutherian X-Chromosome. Biology of Reproduction; published ahead of print November 13, 2014.
Haley Garbus ’15 (CLAS) is a co-author on two journal articles:
Alexander, M.L., Smith, A., Rosenkrantz, T., Garbus, H., & Fitch, R.H. (2014). Behavioral and histological outcomes following neonatal HI injury in a preterm (P3) and term (P7) rodent model. Behavioral Brain Research, 259, 85‐96.
Alexander, M.L., Smith, A., Rosenkrantz, T., Garbus, H., & Fitch, R.H. (2014). Cell size anomalies in the auditory thalamus of rats with hypoxic‐ischemic injury on postnatal day 3 or 7. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 33, 1‐7.
PRESENTATIONS
Controls for Dillon Jones’ CNC machine.
New York Maker Faire – September 20-21, 2014 – New York, NY
Dillon Jones ’15 (ENGR) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient The Botler/The Gentleman’s Gantry Machine
Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) Symposium – October 7, 2014 – Storrs, CT
Aaron Rosman ’16 (CAHNR) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient Small Plants, Big Questions: Asian Waterwort and Threestamen Waterwort
COMSOL Conference – October 10-14, 2014 – Boston, MA
Casey Settle ’15 (ENGR) – OUR Travel Award recipient Analysis of Heat Transfer in a Complex Three Dimensional Structure Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing
Frontiers in Optics – October 19-23, 2014 – Tucson, AZ
Michael Cantara ’16 (ENGR) – OUR Travel Award recipient Ultracold Trimer Formation Energetics of Rb and K
Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting – October 22-25, 2014 – San Antonio, TX
Catherine Oliver ’15 (ENGR) – OUR Travel Award recipient Analyzing ROS Generation from Magnetic Nanoparticles in an Alternating Magnetic Field and Its Role in Intracellular Hyperthermia
Kevin Smith ’16 (ENGR) Investigating the Effects of Stromal Cell-Neuronal Cell Co-Culture on Neuronal Maturity and Neuronal Viability Under Oxidative Stress
Northeastern Educational Research Association Conference – October 22-24, 2014 – Trumbull, CT
Caroline Thompson ’15 (ED) Career Paths of Elementary Educators: An Assessment of Attrition and Mobility in Connecticut by Type of Community
Society for Neuroscience (SFN) Annual Meeting – November 15-19, 2014 – Washington, DC
Ashlesha Dhuri ’16 (CLAS) & Xiao Li ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipients Comparing Dorsal and Ventral Hippocampus Oscillations During Learning
Franchesca Kuhney ’17 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Human Conditioned Place Preferences Using Secondary Reinforcers
Kaitlin O’Connell ’15 (CAHNR) – OUR Travel Award recipient Behavioral Effects of rmTBI Injuries in Mice Models
Sarthak Patel ’16 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Temporal Sequence Learning by Rats in a Radial Arm Water Maze
Margaret Rowland ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Animal Models of Effort-Related Decision Making: The Antidepressant Fluoxetine Potentiates Effort-Related Effects of the Dopamine Depleting Agent Tetrabenazine
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting – November 16-21, 2014 – Atlanta, GA
Notations are included below for students who won poster presentation awards in their divisions.
Gianna Credaroli ’15 (ENGR) – 2nd Place in Separations A New Thin Film Composite Membrane
Ari Fischer ’15 (ENGR) – 3rd Place in Catalysis and Reaction Engineering
Poster presentation: Thermochemical CO2 and H2O Splitting Via Chemical-Looping with Cerium and Cobalt Mixed Oxides for Oxygen Generation
Oral presentation: Conversion of Caffeine and Lipids in Catalytic Fast-Pyrolysis of Spent Coffee Grounds (Based on UConn IDEA Grant project)
Gabriella Frey ’15 (ENGR) – 1st Place in Separations Formulating Draw Solution Mixtures for Forward Osmosis
Oscar Nordness ’15 (ENGR) – 2nd place in energy fuels and petrochemicals – OUR Travel Award recipient Incorporation of High Pressure CLC into IGCC systems
Clarke Palmer ’16 (ENGR) – 3rd Place in Fuels, Petrochemicals, and Energy – OUR Travel Award recipient Reactor Design and Analysis of a Simulated Moving Bed Reactor for Chemical-Looping Combustion
George Shaw ’15 (ENGR) – OUR Travel Award recipient Fluorescence Nitro-Explosive Detection through Electrospun Pyrene-PES Nanofibers
Abbey Wangstrom ’15 (ENGR) – 2nd place in Reaction and Catalysis Engineering High Activity, High Stability Pt/ITO Fuel Cell Catalysts
Christina Cotte ’17 (CLAS) worked with Dr. Craig Nelson’s Genetics lab over the summer diagramming the trajectory of reprogramming cells and developing a Lineage Map of the early stage mouse embryos. She and her colleagues have found new information about the process of turning a fibroblast cell into a stem cell that will be helpful for its future use. A publication with their findings on the reprogramming stem cell project is in preparation. The Lineage Map project is Christina’s focus for the 2014-15 academic year.
Joseph Rosen and Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah
UConn IDEA Grant recipients Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah ’15 (CLAS) and Joseph Rosen ’17 (CLAS) are currently soliciting submissions for the premiere issue of Exsistentia, a new multimedia literary journal that addresses existential questions through the art of curation. Submissions in all genres (poetry, prose, illustration, audio, film, etc.) that respond to the issue’s thematic question, “do you see me?,” will be accepted through January 1, 2015, via exsistentia.net.
Ornella Tempo
Ornella Tempo ’16 (ENGR) is conducting her McNair Scholars and Honors Thesis research in Dr. Yusuf Khan’s laboratory at UConn Health. She is studying the in vitro evaluation of calcium peroxide (CaO2) release from composite polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLAGA) microsphere scaffolds. The objective of this project is to investigate the potential of a materials-only approach for guided bone regeneration.
The Roper Award for Research Experience (RARE) supports undergraduate research apprenticeships that make use of the archives of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. We are pleased to announce the two student/faculty RARE teams who have received awards for Spring 2015 and thank the Roper Center for its generous support of these student awards. Congratulations, RARE awardees!
Erin Puglia ’17 (CLAS), Professor Vin Moscardelli, Roper Center Director Paul Herrnson, OUR Director Caroline McGuire, Chris Bruno ’16 (CAHNR), and Professor Ben Campbell.
Project Title:The Role of Demographics and Socioeconomics on Views of the Food System and Food Access Student Apprentice and Major: Christopher Bruno, Resource Economics Faculty Mentor and Department: Benjamin Campbell, Agricultural and Resource Economics
Mr. Bruno and Professor Campbell will be using Roper Center data to consider how different groups view the food system and access information about food-related issues. They will examine how different groups view organic, local, and genetically modified food products, considering the role of race, gender, income, and other characteristics to better understand differences in perceptions. This research will culminate with the development of policy recommendations that address potential racial and/or income inequalities within the food system.
Project Title:Throwing the Bums Out: Public Attitudes Toward Scandal-Plagued Incumbents Student Apprentice and Major: Erin Puglia, Political Science Faculty Mentor and Department: Vincent Moscardelli, Political Science
Ms. Puglia and Professor Moscardelli will use exit poll data to consider the mechanism(s) by which Congressional incumbents involved in scandals lose vote share. While existing research has documented the phenomenon of reduced vote share for candidates in the election cycle in which a scandal is first reported in the media, the causal mechanisms have not yet been established, so this project aims to model this process.
SHARE Awards support undergraduate research apprenticeships in the social sciences, humanities, and arts. We are delighted to announce the 24 student-faculty teams selected to receive awards for Spring 2015 and thank the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute for its generous support of two of these student awards. Congratulations to all award recipients!
Project Title:Health Care Reform, Fertility, and Infant Health: Evidence from Massachusetts Student Apprentice and Major: Andrew Carroll, Economics & Psychology Faculty Mentor and Department: David Simon, Economics
Project Title:Too Much of a Good Thing? Excess Legitimacy and Democratic Principles in Argentina Student Apprentice and Major: Katie Cavanaugh, Political Science & Management Information Systems Faculty Mentor and Department: Matthew Singer, Political Science
Project Title:The Crane Wife at the National Festival of the Puppeteers of America Student Apprentice and Major: Edward Cody, Puppet Arts Faculty Mentor and Department: Margarita Blush, Dramatic Arts
Project Title:Racial Identity, Ethnic-Racial Socialization, and Adjustment among Youth of Color Student Apprentice and Major: Kalea Coles, Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Mentor and Department: Annamaria Csizmadia, Human Development and Family Studies
Project Title:Prior Art Search and Settlement Negotiations in Patent Dispute Student Apprentice and Major: Brendan Costello, Political Science & Economics Faculty Mentor and Department: Talia Bar, Economics
Project Title:Dramaturgies of Memory, Materiality, and Violence in African American Theatre Student Apprentice and Major: Brighid DeAngelis, Theatre Design/Tech Faculty Mentor and Department: Adrienne Macki Braconi, Dramatic Arts
Award Co-Sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute
Project Title:Provision of Emotional Support to Increase Pumping Duration in High Risk Mothers Student Apprentice and Major: Katherine Dinisi, Nursing Faculty Mentor and Department: Jacqueline McGrath, Nursing
Project Title:Economic Rights in Islam and the Middle East Student Apprentice and Major: Abdullah Hasan, Political Science & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Mentor and Department: Zehra Arat, Political Science
Project Title:The Linguistic Analysis of Graphic Novels Student Apprentice and Major: Matthew Henderson, Linguistics/Psychology & Anthropology Faculty Mentor and Department: Harry van der Hulst, Linguistics
Award Co-Sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute
Project Title:Teaching the Vocabulary of Comprehension: A Technology-Enhanced System to Enhance At-Risk 3rd Graders’ Acquisition and Application of Essential Vocabulary (IVCS) Student Apprentice and Major: Timothy Henning, Digital Media and Design Faculty Mentor and Department: Michael Coyne, Educational Psychology
Project Title:Topics in Time Series Modeling of Inter-Event Durations Student Apprentice and Major: Rajeshwari Majumdar, Economics & Statistics Faculty Mentor and Department: Nalini Ravishanker, Statistics
Project Title:The Comparison of Maternal Descriptions of Late Preterm and Full Term Infant Breastfeeding Behaviors Student Apprentice and Major: Lindsay Moore, Nursing Faculty Mentor and Department: Ruth Lucas, Nursing
Project Title:The Politics of Environmental Action: Cities, Water Pollution, and Environmental Inequality in Latin America Student Apprentice and Major: Renato Muguerza, Latin American Studies & Economics Faculty Mentor and Department: Veronica Herrera, Political Science
Project Title:The Effects of Perceptual Fine-Tuning on Facial Recognition in Infancy Student Apprentice and Major: Leighanne Ormston, Psychology & Biological Sciences Faculty Mentor and Department: Heather Bortfeld, Psychology
Project Title:Visual History of Parks and Green Spaces in Waterbury, Connecticut Student Apprentice and Major: Donato Pesce, Urban and Community Studies Faculty Mentor and Department: Phil Birge-Liberman, Urban and Community Studies
Project Title:Ensuring Economic Growth Promotes Economic and Social Rights: The Role of Gender Equality in Education Student Apprentice and Major: Gwendolyn Peyton, Economics Faculty Mentor and Department: Susan Randolph, Economics
Project Title:Importance of Social Network Ties in Ad-Hoc Team Composition: Implications for Individual Team Member Performance Student Apprentice and Major: Emily Roller, Psychology Faculty Mentor and Department: Dev Dalal, Psychology
Project Title:Galatea Triumphant: Explorations in Figurative Ceramic Sculpture for Upcoming Solo and Group Exhibitions Student Apprentice and Major: Catherine Solari, Sculpture/Ceramics Faculty Mentor and Department: Monica Bock, Art and Art History
Project Title:Content Analysis of Colorado District Gifted and Talented Program Plans as Compared to the National Association for Gifted Children PK-12 Programming Student Apprentice and Major: Jessica Stargardter, Elementary Education & History Faculty Mentor and Department: E. Jean Gubbins, Educational Psychology
Project Title:Use and Acceptance of Technical Signs in Deaf Higher Education Student Apprentice and Major: Emily Stassen, Individualized: American Sign Language and Deaf Culture & Molecular and Cell Biology Faculty Mentor and Department: Diane Lillo-Martin, Linguistics
Project Title:Coverage of Haiti in the Dominican Republic’s Daily Newspapers: A Pilot Content Analysis Study Student Apprentice and Major: Isamar Tavarez, Political Science Faculty Mentors and Departments: Thomas Craemer, Public Policy & Samuel Martinez, Anthropology & Latin American Studies
Project Title:Development of Polysyllabic Word Reading Skill in Elementary-Age Children: A Descriptive Study Student Apprentice and Major: LaShawna Thompson, Elementary Education Faculty Mentor and Department: Devin Kearns, Educational Psychology
Project Title:Public Opinion on Renewable Energy Student Apprentice and Major: Jessica Topper, Individualized: International Relations Faculty Mentor and Department: Oksan Bayulgen, Political Science
Project Title:A New Methodology for Understanding Development through Joint Action Student Apprentice and Major: Cassandra Zwarycz, Psychology & Human Development and Family Studies Faculty Mentor and Department: Adam Sheya, Psychology
Undergraduate students who are interested in participating in a summer research program need to plan ahead. December is the time to gather together all the required elements of the applications, including faculty letters of recommendation. All of the exciting summer opportunities listed below have application deadlines in January! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get research experience.
Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship Program (MLEF) Deadline: January 2, 2015;http://orise.orau.gov/mlef/
The Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship (MLEF) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy. It is a 10-week summer internship program that provides opportunities to students who are pursuing degrees in STEM fields. The goal of the program is to improve opportunities for minority and female students in these fields, but all eligible candidates are encouraged to apply. Selected undergraduates receive a weekly stipend of $600.
Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) Deadline: January 9, 2015;http://science.energy.gov/wdts/suli/
The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at one of 17 participating Dept. of Energy laboratories.
Cold Spring Harbor Undergraduate Summer Research Program 2015 Deadline: January 15, 2015;http://www.cshl.edu/education/urp
The URP program is administered by the Watson School of Biological Sciences. It is designed to give students an opportunity to conduct first-rate research under the supervision of senior laboratory staff in the areas of cancer biology, neuroscience, plant biology, cellular and molecular biology, genetics and bioinformatics and genomics. Selected students receive room and board in addition to a $5,000 stipend.
DAAD RISE – Research Internships in Science and Engineering in Germany Deadline: January 15, 2015; https://www.daad.de/rise/en/
DAAD RISE gives students in the fields of biology, chemistry, earth sciences, engineering and physics the chance to spend a summer working on research projects with doctoral students at German universities and research institutions. Interested students must first register online between December 6, 2014 and January 15, 2015. Students will then be able to access the internship offers submitted by the doctoral students in Germany prior to completing the application.
Summer Undergraduate Course Creating Excellence in Scientific Study (SUCCESS) – The Ohio State University, College of Medicine – Deadline: January 23, 2015 https://medicine.osu.edu/mstp/Pages/index.aspx
This 9-week research experience is hosted by the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP). The program encourages applications from students whose backgrounds and experiences would bring diversity to the field. Applicants must have an expected college graduation date in 2016 or 2017. $3,800 stipend and housing provided.
Natural History Research Experience (NHRE) Deadline: January 27, 2015; http://www.mnh.si.edu/NHRE/index.htm
This is a 10-week summer internship program at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Interns work closely with scientific mentors to complete research projects in Earth Science, Biology, and Anthropology. Stipend of $5,500.
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention – Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health Internship Deadline: January 28, 2015; http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/cleh/overview.htm
This is a paid 10-week summer environmental internship for undergraduate students who are passionate about the environment and interested in human health. Interns will participate in a comprehensive program including environmental health project assignments as well as interaction with federal officials and scientists. Interns will be able to attend the many seminars offered by the CDC during the summer. Stipend of approximately $600 per week. Student must be rising juniors or rising seniors in Fall 2015.
Summer Public Health Scholars Program (SPHSP) – Columbia University Deadline: January 31, 2015;http://ps.columbia.edu/education/student-life/office-diversity/programs/college-and-post-baccalaureate-students/summer-publ
The Summer Public Health Scholars Program (SPHSP) is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in public health and biomedical science careers. Applicants must have completed at least two years of college. Students from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Selected students will be provided with a stipend, housing, and round trip travel.
ThinkSwiss Research Scholarships – Deadline: January 31, 2015 http://thinkswiss.tumblr.com/About
ThinkSwiss scholarships support highly motivated undergraduates who are interested in doing research at a public Swiss university or research institute. The scholarship is open to students in all fields. A monthly stipend of approximately $1,100 is provided.
Congratulations to the twenty-six UConn undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants in the fall 2014 funding cycle! 
