This year, through the generous support of the International Studies Associations’ Headquarters and UConn’s Office of Global Affairs, a new research award program is being offered for undergraduate students: the ISA Honors Awards for Undergraduate International Studies Research.
This award program provides students with up to $1,000 in support to assist them in conducting social science projects that span across countries, regions, or the globe. Students must be members of the Honors Program in order to be eligible for the program. They need not be majoring in a social science discipline, but the proposed project must make use of the theories and methods of one or more social sciences. Award applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through March 31, 2016.
Full program details are available on the ISA Awards webpage and we encourage faculty and students to contact us with any questions they might have about the program.
Please join us in congratulating the UConn undergraduates named below for their significant research and creative accomplishments this summer. Students: if you have an accomplishment to share, please do so using this online form.
Students whose names are marked with an asterisk (*) below will be sharing their projects at the Fall Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, from 5-7pm in the Wilbur Cross South Reading Room. All are welcome to attend the event and learn more about these exciting research projects.
OFF-CAMPUS RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Mary Accurso ’18 (CLAS) completed an internship through the Summer Student Program at the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, CT. She worked in Dr. Jacques Banchereau’s immunology lab, analyzing RNA sequencing data to identify novel alternative splicing events in immune stimulated cells.
Virgilio Lopez ’16 in the field in Costa Rica.
Virgilio Lopez III ’16* conducted his summer research in Costa Rica, studying the social interactions of hummingbirds. This research experience was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (NSF-LSAMP) via the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at the Organization for Tropical Studies, which is based at Duke University.
Andrew Maxwell ’17 (CLAS) participated in the TECBio REU program at the University of Pittsburgh. There, he executed ensemble-based virtual screening of the human glycine receptor alpha-3 subtype in support of a broader effort to discover compounds that elicit THC-like analgesic responses. Andrew conducted this research under the supervision of Dr. Pei Tang.
John Ovian ’17* (CLAS) participated in the Amgen Scholars program at UCLA this summer, working under the supervision of Dr. Neil Garg in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He investigated the total synthesis of tubingensin B, an indole diterpenoid with potentially useful biological properties.
Meredith Rittman ’16 (ENG) participated in a research internship at the NASA Glenn Research Center this summer. Over the course of the 10 week internship, she completed and presented a project entitled, Determining Pharmaceutical Efficacy of Pharmaceuticals Exposed to Deep Space Radiation. Meredith’s summer research was mentored by Don Jaworske, PhD and Jerry Myers Jr., PhD.
Rebecca Stern ’16 (ENG) completed a summer internship at Pfizer Inc., where she performed quantum chemical calculations to model and predict the pKa value of drug-like molecules. The pKa value defines a molecule’s degree of dissociation in solution and is vitally important in formulation design, candidate selection, and drug delivery.
Ronald Tardiff ’16 (CLAS) was named a 2015 Oregon Sea Grant Summer Scholar. This award provided Ron with funding to travel to and work at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, where he served as an Ecosystem Services Intern at the US EPA, Office of Research and Development, Western Ecology Division, Pacific Ecology Branch, Newport Lab. Learn more about his project, Framework to Conduct Ecological Estimate Transfers: A Case Study of Seagrass Blue Carbon.
Ornella Tempo ’16 (ENG) completed an NSF-funded REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program at Mississippi State, where she studied how stimuli-responsive polymers such as Poly (N-Isopropylacrylamide)-Co-Methacrylic acid respond to temperature and pH changes. She conducted this research in the PolySEL lab of Professor Keisha Walters in collaboration with Professor Santanu Kundu.
Nico Wright ’18* (ENG) participated in the Applied Physics REU program at the University of South Florida. His project, Growth of ZnO Nanocolumns on Silica Nanospheres Using Glancing Angle Pulsed Laser Deposition, was supervised by Professor Sarath Witanachchi.
PUBLICATIONS
Prakhar Bansal ’16 (CLAS) was a co-author on a recent publication from the May Lab:
Boyd, K.B., Bansal, P., Feng, J., & May, E.R. (2015). Stability of Norwalk virus capsid protein interfaces evaluated by in silico nanoindentation. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 3:103. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2015.00103
Emma LaVigne ’15 (CAHNR) was a co-author on an article based in part on data collected through her SURF award project in the Reed Lab. Additional undergraduate authors on the project are Delaney Patterson ’15 (CAHNR) and Allison Schauer ’15 (CAHNR).
Reed, S.A., LaVigne, E.K., Jones, A.K., Patterson, D.F. & Schauer, A.L. (2015). The aging horse: Effects of inflammation on muscle satellite cells. J. Anim. Sci. 2015.93:862–870. doi:10.2527/jas.2014-8448
These three Animal Science students were also co-authors on a newly-accepted publication in the Journal of Animal Science:
LaVigne, E.K., Jones, A.K., Sanchez Londoño, A., Schauer, A.L., Patterson, D.F., Nadeau, J.A., & Reed, S.A. (2015). Muscle growth in young horses: effects of age, cytokines, and growth factors. J. Anim. Sci. In press.
ON-CAMPUS RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
UConn IDEA Grant recipient Stephen Hawes ’17* (ENG) has been working on his project to develop a 3-D printed prosthetic, the ATLAS Arm, for mid-forearm amputees. You can follow Stephen’s progress on his YouTube channel or watch the latest installment below.
Theodore Sauyet ’17 (CLAS) conducted research in the Jain Lab, Department of Physics, into materials exhibiting multiferroic and magnetocaloric effects. His summer research included sample preparation (solution route for creating thin films), characterization techniques, electric and magnetic measurements (as they apply to hysteresis loops and the magnetocaloric effect), and data analysis.
EXHIBITIONS
Alana Valdez ’16* (SFA) exhibited her installation, So Easy a Woman Could Do It, in the Bishop Center from September 8-11, 2015. Alana’s artwork, which “overwhelms the viewer and provides an antithetical perspective on the dichotomy of femininity and strength,” was supported in part by an OUR Supply Award.
PRESENTATIONS
2015 Joint Meeting of the American Society of Animal Science and American Dairy Science Association – July 12-16, 2015 – Orlando, FL
Emma LaVigne presents her poster at the ASAS-ASDA Joint Annual Meeting.
Emma LaVigne ’15 (CAHNR) Interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, insulin-like growth factor-1 and fibroblast growth factor-2 alter proliferation and differentiation of equine satellite cells
Emma received a third place award in the undergraduate poster competition.
Abstract: LaVigne, E.K., Sanchez Londoño,A. & Reed, S.A. (2015). Interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, insulin-like growth factor-1 and fibroblast growth factor-2 alter proliferation and differentiation of equine satellite cells. J. Anim. Sci. 93(E-Suppl. 2):336.
Ellen Valley ’15 (CAHNR) Effects of plant-derived compounds on Staphylococcus aureus infection of primary bovine mammary epithelial cells
Abstract: Valley, E.V., Jaganathan, D., Venkitanarayanan, K., Kazmer, G.W., Kuo, L., Wang, Y.B., & Govoni, K.E. (2015). Effects of plant-derived compounds on Staphylococcus aureus infection of primary bovine mammary epithelial cells. J. Anim. Sci. 93(Suppl. 3):335.
Katelyn McFadden ’15 (CAHNR) Effects of poor maternal nutrition during gestation on protein expression in the liver of lambs
Katelyn’s presentation was selected as a Presidential Pick Poster and received the second place award in the undergraduate poster competition.
Abstract: McFadden, K.K., Peck, K.N., Reed, S.A., Zinn, S.A., & Govoni, K.E. (2015). Effects of poor maternal nutrition during gestation on protein expression in the liver of lambs. J. Anim. Sci. 93(Suppl. 3):336-337.
Katelyn was also a co-author on three additional abstracts:
1. Jones, A.K., Gately, R.E., McFadden, K.K., Zinn, S.A., Govoni, K.E., & Reed, S.A. (2015). Identification of early pregnancy and fetal landmarks via transabdominal ultrasound in sheep. J. Anim. Sci. 93(Suppl. 3):292.
2. Pillai, S.M., Raja, J.S., Hoffman, M.L., Jones, A.K., McFadden, K.K., Reed, S.A., Zin, S.A., & Govoni, K.E. (2015). Effects of under- and over-feeding during gestation on organ development of offspring at days 45 and 90 of gestation. J. Anim. Sci. 93(Suppl. 3): 293.
3. Raja, J.S., Pillai, S.M., Raja, J.S., Jones, A.K., Hoffman, M.L., McFadden, K.K., Zinn, S.A., Govoni, K.E., & Reed, S.A. (2015). Poor maternal nutrition decreases longissimus dorsi cross-sectional area of fetal offspring at d 45 of gestation. J. Anim. Sci. 93(Suppl. 3): 694.
23rd Annual Ronald E. McNair Scholars Symposium – July 30-August 2, 2015 – Berkeley, CA
McNair Scholars at UC Berkeley.Nicholas Arisco ’16* (CLAS) Impacts of urbanization on the storm drain ecosystem: A comparison of micro and macro scale variants
Nelson Del Pilar ’16* (CLAS) Dietary influences on Apolipoprotein C-III expression
Crystal Green ’16 (CLAS) A new method studying the dynamics of joint attention in a joint-action task using games
Hebo Ismail ’16 (CLAS) Visualizing bacterial gene expression in the female reproductive system of the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes
Zania Johnson ’16 (CLAS) Auditory stability indices: Comparisons across stimuli and recording systems
Emmanuel Marte ’16 (CAHNR, CLAS) Determining the location of ApoC-III in the intestinal enterocyte
Jonathan Schmieding presents his research at the Music Department’s Convocation.University of Connecticut Music Department Convocation – September 18, 2015
Jonathan Schmieding ’16* (SFA) Undergraduate research in music The music editing process: The preparation of a scholarly edition of Dane Rhudyar’s late piano work, “Autumn”
Please join us in congratulating the UConn undergraduates named below for their significant research and creative accomplishments this spring. Students: if you have an accomplishment to share, please do so using this online form.
AWARDS
Tyler Cappello ’16 (CLAS) received a Founders Affiliate Undergraduate Student Summer Fellowship Award from the American Heart Association. He will be working in the Wang Lab this summer, under the supervision of Professor Li Wang, on a project entitled “Circadian clock control of lipoprotein metabolism.” Congratulations, Tyler!
Congratulations to the two UConn undergraduate awardees in the 2015 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program: Steven Burger ’15 (CLAS) and Yingzhi Wu ’15 (ENG). Steven, a 2013 SURF Award recipient and 2014-15 Life Sciences Honors Thesis Award recipient, will attend the PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Harvard University. Yingzhi, a 2014-15 OUR Supply Award recipient, will pursue a PhD in Mechanical Engineering here at UConn.
We also congratulate three undergraduates who earned honorable mentions in the NSF GRFP competition: Robert Stickels ’15 (CLAS), a 2012 SURF Award recipient and 2014-15 LSHTA recipient, beginning the PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Harvard; Elizabeth Tripp ’15 (CLAS), a 2014 SURF Award recipient, beginning the Mathematics PhD program at Dartmouth; and Daniel Violette ’14 (ENG, CLAS), a 2014 University Scholar. Students interested in applying for the NSF GRFP should contact Dr. Rowena Grainger, STEM Fellowship Advisor in the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships, for information and expert guidance.
PUBLICATIONS
Elizabeth Flatley ’13 (PHR) was the first author on a publication resulting from her Honors thesis project:
Flatley, E.A., Wilde, A.M., & Nailor, M.D. (2015). Saccharomyces boulardii for the Prevention of Hospital Onset Clostridium difficile Infection. Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 24(1), 21-24.
EXHIBITIONS
Spring 2015 included a series of incredible art exhibitions by the following artists:
Julianne Norton ’15 (CLAS) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient Red Heifer
Feifei Luo ’15 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient Makyo
Kaitrin Acuna ’15 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient Pollataggle
PRESENTATIONS
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute Annual Meeting – March 31-April 3, 2015 – Boston, MA
Dylan Allen ’15 (ENGR) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Hamza Aslam ’15 (ENGR)
Alexandra Hain ’15 (ENGR) – OUR Travel Award recipient University of Connecticut Seismic Building Design
Lia Goncalves ’16 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient An Anthropological Study on Motivating Societies to Preemptively Implement Seismic Protective Systems
Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Annual Conference – April 1-4, 2015 – New Orleans, LA
Tara Pealer ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute The Love Triangle: How Twilight, The Hunger Games and Divergent Defy and Affirm the Power of Romance and Sex When Defining Female Characters
Eastern Nursing Research Society Annual Scientific Sessions – April 15-17, 2015 – Washington, DC
Corrinne Kuzoian ’15 (NURS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Certified Nurse Midwives’ Attitudes, Knowledge, and Prescribing Practices of Evidence-based Recommendations for Omega-3 Intake in the Obstetric Population
National Conference on Undergraduate Research – April 16-18, 2015 – Cheney, WA
Rashmi Pashankar ’16 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Modifying BSA to Attach to Silica
Northeast Writing Centers Association Conference – April 18-19, 2015 – Hackettstown, NJ
Alexandria Bottelsen ’16 (ED, CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute
Luke LaRosa Dec ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute After the Branding: Student Created Perceptions of the University Writing Center
Sarah Carew ’18 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute
Brandon Marquis ’17 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute
Chantel Martin ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute
Jessica Zaccagnini ‘16 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute The Androgynous Center: Tutoring Across the Masculine/Feminine Spectrum
Jennifer Selensky ’15 (CLAS) presents her research at the Scientific Sessions of the Society for Behavioral Medicine.
36th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society for Behavioral Medicine – April 22-25, 2015 – San Antonio, TX
Jennifer Selensky ’15 (CLAS) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient Self-Esteem, Motivation, and Healthy Lifestyles in College Students
Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting – April 25-28, 2015 – San Diego, CA
Yue Lin ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Assessing Childhood Obesity Risk Through Parental Diet and Location of Residence
Christopher Mashiak ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Predictability of an ED-Screening Tool for Future Exposure to Violence
Bryan Swenson ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Initial Effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on Pediatric Emergency Departments
169th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America – May 18-22, 2015 – Pittsburgh, PA
Emily Thompson ’15 (CLAS) 5aSC10: Effects of reading ability on lexically-informed perceptual learning
Emily Thompson ’15 (CLAS) presents her research at the ASA Conference in May 2015.
27th Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture – May 27-29, 2015 – Cooperstown, NY
Daniel Gutch ’16 (BUS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Sam Marshall ’16 (BUS) – OUR Travel Award recipient MLB’s Next Expansion: A Case Problem for Three University Students
Society for Disability Studies Annual Conference – June 10-13, 2015 – Atlanta, GA
Victoria Sylvestre ’17 (NUR) – OUR Travel Award recipient, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute Type 1 Diabetes: The Liminal Space Between Ability and Disability
The Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce the selection of 35 undergraduate students to receive SURF Awards in support of their summer undergraduate research projects. The faculty review committee was impressed by the very high caliber of the 107 applications submitted this year.
Congratulations to the SURF awardees! Your academic achievements, curiosity, initiative, and motivation were evident in your applications. You have a challenging summer of deep engagement with the process of research ahead of you. We look forward to hearing about all you learn!
We thank the faculty members who supported SURF applicants in a range of roles: mentors, letter writers, and faculty review committee members! SURF represents a collaborative effort between students and faculty. This program would simply not be possible without the support and participation of the UConn faculty!
OUR also extends thanks to SURF supporters in the UConn community. We are grateful to the Provost’s Office and to the Deans of the Schools and Colleges of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources; Education; Engineering; Fine Arts; Nursing; and Pharmacy, who all contributed funding to the SURF competition this year. Alumni, parents, and friends of UConn also helped fund SURF awards. This collaborative funding effort ensures that SURF supports a diverse array of undergraduate research endeavors. We are grateful to all of our program partners for making intensive summer research opportunities available to students seeking to enrich their undergraduate experience in this way.
Once again, congratulations to those students offered 2015 SURF awards, and good luck with your summer projects!
Congratulations to the thirty-seven UConn undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants in the spring 2015 funding cycle!
Twenty-five of the award recipients will be completing individual projects, and twelve will be working on collaborative group projects. The award recipients represent a variety of disciplines, from music education to civil engineering, environmental science to molecular and cell biology, and campus affiliations, including one recipient from the Stamford campus.
Special thanks to the faculty and staff that 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 will be in December 2015.
In recognition of the pivotal role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate research and creative activity, the Office of Undergraduate Research introduced the Mentorship Excellence Awards this year. These awards recognize one faculty member and one graduate student who exemplify the ways in which outstanding mentors challenge and support their students, enabling them to take intellectual risks and achieve milestones they might not have initially envisioned being able to reach.
The 2015 Mentorship Excellence Awards were presented to George Bollas and Christopher Kelly during the Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition on Friday, April 10, 2015.
George Bollas, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Professor Bollas’ award was presented by Ari Fischer ’15 (ENG), one of several undergraduate researchers in the Bollas lab. The following text is excerpted from Ari’s presentation remarks.
Ari Fischer, Oscar Nordness, Mentorship Excellence Award winner George Bollas, and Clarke Palmer.I have been fortunate to work under the guidance of Dr. Bollas since my freshman year. Since that time, I have admired and learned from Dr. Bollas’ exceptional engineering ability and work ethic. Dr. Bollas has the ability to make what seems to be impossible happen. He has motivated and empowered us undergraduates to surpass our coursework and seize remarkable opportunities.
Over the past three years, Dr. Bollas has sponsored undergraduate researchers to present at the American Institute of Chemical Engineering Research Conference in both the undergraduate poster session and oral presentations, where his students received numerous awards. In preparation for these conferences, Dr. Bollas revised dozens of drafts of posters and provided feedback on practice presentations.
In addition, Dr. Bollas has challenged us to strive in our academic and career aspirations. From my experience, Dr. Bollas showed the same attention and commitment to my research as his graduate students’, helping to formulate my work into a paper for publication. At first, I could not have dreamed of publishing my work as a first author in a peer reviewed journal, yet with Dr. Bollas’ patience, determination, and guidance, I was able to do so.
Dr. Bollas’ impact has not been limited to the few lucky to work in his lab, but extends to all of his students. He is constantly pushing the limits of our education and challenging us to take the lead in our work. In this way, he compels us to exceed the conventional undergraduate education.
Christopher Kelly, Ph.D. Student, Chemistry, Leadbeater Research Group
Christopher Kelly was nominated by Rebecca Wiles, one of the undergraduate researchers he has mentored in the Leadbeater Research Group. The following text is excerpted from the remarks shared by OUR Peer Research Ambassador Giorgina Paiella during the award presentation.
John Ovian, Mentorship Excellence Award winner Christopher Kelly, and Rebecca Wiles.Chris is a graduate student mentor who has guided undergraduates’ “journeys from new researchers to confident and competent research chemists,” to borrow the phrasing of his nominator, Rebecca Wiles. His mentorship of undergraduate researchers is notable for its comprehensiveness as well as its inclusivity, with Chris often mentoring several students in a given semester.
Chris has guided undergraduate researchers through the development of novel synthetic chemistry methods, findings that are subsequently published in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to offering support at the lab bench and in the process of academic writing, Chris has helped his mentees develop presentation skills in advance of the American Chemical Society’s Annual Meeting. Rebecca reports that it was Chris’ constant advising, teaching, and confidence in her that contributed to her success in presenting her research at the conference. This holistic attention to students’ development as both researchers and scholars is the hallmark of outstanding mentorship.
Chris serves as a role model of a successful scientist, demonstrating to students how to cultivate and maintain relationships with mentors, balance multiple projects simultaneously, and handle the inevitable ups and downs of research.
As Rebecca reflects, “More important than the knowledge we gained about the chemistry was the lesson that Chris taught me about how to view failed experiments – that research is fluid, and experimentation will often lead you down unexpected pathways to find new, and often more interesting, results.”
By encouraging students to reframe the failures inherent to the research process as valuable opportunities to explore new directions and approaches, Chris helps his mentees become more resilient and confident researchers eager to continue their research in graduate school and beyond.
Congratulations to the 2015 award recipients! The Office of Undergraduate Research thanks the undergraduate students who nominated their faculty and graduate student mentors as well as the Peer Research Ambassadors who served on this year’s selection committee.
Please join us in congratulating the UConn undergraduates named below for the significant research and creative accomplishments they have earned to date this spring. Students: if you have an accomplishment to share, please do so using this online form.
AWARDS
Emily Thompson ’15 (CLAS) is the recipient of a 2014-15 ASHA Students Preparing for Academic-Research Careers (SPARC) Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). This is a mentored award to support students who are pursuing careers in academia that integrate research and clinical practice. Emily’s Honors thesis research component will examine the effects of reading ability on perceptual learning in adults, and her teaching component will be to assist her advisor, Dr. Rachel Theodore, in preparing fMRI and EEG tutorials for a new interdisciplinary Honors core course on communication disorders. This SPARC mentorship experience will provide Emily with an opportunity to foster her teaching and research skills under the direction of Dr. Theodore. Emily is currently conducting her Honors thesis research in the UConn SLaP Lab, which examines perceptual learning in adults with dyslexia.
Margaret Rowland ’15 (CLAS) was selected by Active Minds as an Emerging Scholars Fellow. This fellowship program supports behavioral health research by undergraduate researchers. Margaret’s project examines how mental health professionals tackle ethical dilemmas in patient care, with a particular focus on decisions related to pharmacotherapy. This project lies at the intersection of her interests in neuroscience (pharmacology research) and bioethics.
UConn IDEA Grant recipient Ari Fischer ’15 (ENG) is the first author on a manuscript related to his grant project:
Fischer, A., Du, S., Valla, J.A., & Bollas, G.M. (2015). The effect of temperature, heating rate, and ZSM-5 catalyst on the product selectivity of the fast pyrolysis of Spent Coffee Grounds. RSC Advances, DOI: 10.1039/C5RA00212E.
Undergraduate students Sai Nagella, Andrea Lugo, and Scott Pierce are co-authors on the following publication from the Angeles-Boza research group in Chemistry:
Daben, M., Libardo, J., Nagella, S., Lugo, A., Pierce, S., & Angeles-Boza, A.M. (2015). Copper-binding tripeptide motif increases potency of the antimicrobial peptide Anoplin via Reactive Oxygen Species generation. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 456(1), 446-451.
Garrett Fontaine ’16 (CAHNR) is a co-author on the following journal article:
Pryor, R.R., Casa, D.J., Vandermark, L.W., Attanasio, S.M., Fontaine, G.J., & Wafer, A.M. (2015). Athletic training services in public secondary schools: A benchmark study. Journal of Athletic Training, 50(2).
IDEA Grant recipient and Holster Scholar Sarah Mosure ’17 (CLAS) is a co-author on the following publication:
Deady, L.D, Shen, W., Mosure, S.A., Spradling, A.C. & Sun, J. (2015). Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 Is Required for Ovulation and Corpus Luteum Formation in Drosophila. PLOS Genetics, 11(2):e1004989. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004989
EXHIBITIONS
After a series of weather delays, February 2015 kicked off a series of incredible art exhibitions in the VAIS Gallery by the following artists:
Ashley Frato ’15 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient it’s a dream: Memories of the Cuban Revolution
Marissa Stanton ’15 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient Serragli (Menagerie)
PRESENTATIONS
Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Meeting & Clinical Symposium – January 9-12, 2015 – Philadelphia, PA
Nicole Taranto ’15 (CAHNR) – OUR Travel Award recipient Influence of Sport Specialization on Landing Technique in Youth Soccer Athletes
Kiersten Kronschnabel ’15 (CLAS) presents her research at the St. Jude/PIDS conference in Memphis, TN.Joint Mathematics Meetings – January 10-13, 2015 – San Antonio, TX
Shaun Benvie ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Partial Metric Spaces: Representation and Classification
International Stroke Conference – February 11-13, 2015 – Nashville, TN
Kristopher Masilamani ’16 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Strokes in HHT
St. Jude/PIDS Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Conference – February 20-21, 2015 – Memphis, TN
Kiersten Kronschnabel ’15 (CLAS) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient POWER: Providing Optimal Strategies for Patient Retention While Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Care
American Choral Directors Association National Conference – February 25-28, 2015 – Salt Lake City, UT
Nathan Fletcher ’15 (SFA) – OUR Travel Award recipient O Gracious Light
American Medical Student Association Annual Convention – February 27-28, 2015 – Washington, DC
Saher Kazi ’16 (CLAS) presents at the American Medical Student Association Annual Convention in Washington, DC.Saher Kazi ’15 (CLAS) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient Prevalence and Risk Factors for Depression, Anxiety, and Alcohol Abuse Among Connecticut Migrant Farm Workers
Awarded the 2015 People’s Choice Award
56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference – March 4-8, 2015 – Chicago, IL
Sarah Mosure ’17 (CLAS) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient The Role of Drosophila Adipocyte Secretions in Female Fertility
Eastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting – March 5-7, 2015 – Philadelphia, PA
Lauren Masayda ’17 (CAHNR) – OUR Travel Award recipient Human Conditioned Place Preferences using a Secondary Reinforcer
Kimberly Valerio ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Language Development and EEG Mu Rhythm in Early Childhood
AIChE Northeast Regional Student Conference – March 7-8, 2015 – Cambridge, MA
Ornella Tempo ’16 (ENG) In Vitro Evaluation of Calcium Peroxide Release from Composite Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) Microsphere Scaffolds
United States Institute for Theatre Technology 55th Annual Conference & Stage Expo – March 18-21, 2015 – Cincinnati, OH
Lindsay Duval ’15 (SFA) – OUR Travel Award recipient The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Scenic Design
Academic and Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health – March 19-20, 2015 – Boston, MA
Alyssa Zabin ’16 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Social Challenges for Correctional Nurses Delivering Healthcare
Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting – March 19-21, 2015 – Philadelphia, PA
Kelly Romano ’15 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient Cultural Identity, and Perceived Peer and Parent Outgroup Norms in Relation to Engagement in Crossgroup Friendships
The Power of Home: Guardianship Effects for Adolescents in School-based Substance Use Recovery
Patterns in Impulsivity and Emotion Regulation: A Comparison of Substance Use Recovery Students
From Spring 2014: Power and Energy Conference at Illinois (PECI) – February 28-March 1, 2014 – Champaign, IL
Manal Tahhan ’15 (ENG) A Uniform Temperature Test Rig for Thermoelectric Generator Characterization and Testing (paper presentation)
Opportunity Description
Patient outcomes research in clinical medicine utilizing large nationwide databases to investigate clinical questions related to liver disease and liver transplant. This is an opportunity for prospective students interested in being involved in biomedical research with the goal of learning and manipulating large medical databases. With the guidance of the mentor and statistical assistance, the prospective candidate will have the opportunity to participate in a research project in medicine. With the mentor, the student will develop a clinical question which can answered with the appropriate database, and gain experience proposing a hypothesis, working with statistical team, interpreting the results, and formulating conclusions from the results. There will be weekly meeting with the mentor and opportunity to have exposure to a clinical environment for those students interested to pursue careers in medicine. Work is primarily done independently with guidance, thus no specific number of hours per week commitment. One of the objectives of the project would be to allow the student to present his or her findings in a poster or oral presentation format at national meetings and eventual publication. This is currently a nonfunded volunteer position. The time commitment is variable depending on student’s proficency handling large databases.
Student Qualifications
Comfortable using excel database, be able to work independently, ability to perform online pubmed research to gather background literature on the topic, understand basic statistics
How to Apply
Please contact mentor directly;
Provide resume and letter of interest
Mentor: Raffi Karagozian, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine
Department: Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Email: rkaragozian@sfhcp.org
Timing: Ongoing
Campus: UConn Health
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.
Interested in spending the summer engaged in an exciting research project? There is still time to apply for summer research opportunities in a variety of areas. The programs and opportunities listed below are still accepting applications.
State University of New York Upstate Medical University – Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program Deadline: February 16, 2015
http://www.upstate.edu/grad/programs/summer.php
This 10-week summer research program is for students majoring in chemistry, biology, or a related field. Applicants should be between their junior and senior years (in Summer 2015) and have a strong interest in pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical research. $3,000 stipend and housing provided.
American Heart Assocation, Founders Affiliate Undergraduate Student Summer Fellowship Program Deadline: February 19, 2015
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Affiliate/Founders-Affiliate-Local-Research-Opportunities_UCM_315885_Article.jsp
This program encourages students to pursue careers in cardiovascular research. Projects related to cardiovascular biology and stroke will be considered. $5,000 fellowship. Student is expected to identify a sponsor with a research laboratory within the Founders Affiliate.
Maryland Sea Grant REU Program Deadline: February 20, 2015
http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/topics/research-experiences-undergraduates/research-experiences-undergraduates
Fifteen students are selected to conduct marine research on the Chesapeake Bay at one of two University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences laboratories. The program is designed for students majoring in marine science, ecology, environmental science, biology, and chemistry. $6,000 stipend and housing provided.
Research Fellowships in Oceanography at University of Rhode Island Deadline: February 21, 2015
http://surfo.gso.uri.edu/~surfo/index.html
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography program is a 10-week research experience designed for science, math, and engineering students who will be seniors in Fall 2015. Stipend of approximately $5,500.
Multicultural Academic Opportunities Program (MCOP) Undergraduate Summer Research Internship, Virginia Tech
Deadline: February 27, 2015
http://www.maop.vt.edu/Undergraduate_programs/summer_research.html
Wide variety of academic disciplines; $3,000 stipend, free on-campus room and board.
Summer Premedical Academic Enrichment Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Deadline: February 27, 2015
http://www.medschool.pitt.edu/spaep/application/
Summer research program that pairs rising juniors and seniors with biomedical researchers in a variety of areas. $1,000 stipend, room and board included, and travel assistance provided.
Marine Physical Laboratory Internships at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Deadline: February 27, 2015
http://www.mpl.ucsd.edu/news/mpl.internships.html
10-week summer research internship in marine science and technology; $14/hour compensation.
Center for Security Printing & Anti-Counterfeiting Technology (SPACT) NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates Deadline: February 27, 2015
http://spact-center.org/reu/
This 10-week, NSF sponsored, REU program provides students with the opportunity to conduct research on security printing and anti-counterfeiting technology. Research opportunities in Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Chemistry, Electrical/Computer Engineering, and Computer Science. $5,000 stipend and housing provided.
National Institutes of Health – Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research Deadline: March 1, 2015
https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/sip
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) internship program provides students with an opportunity to work side-by-side with scientists in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. This is a highly competitive program.
Bigelow Laboratory of Ocean Sciences REU Program: Gulf of Maine and the World Ocean Deadline: March 1, 2015
http://www.bigelow.org/education/reu/
This highly competitive, 10-week REU program pairs students with scientist mentors for a hands-on, independent research experience. Housing and $5,000 stipend provided.
Center for Visual Science – Summer Research Fellowship Program, University of Rochester Deadline: March 1, 2015
http://www.cvs.rochester.edu/training/undergraduate/fellowships/index.html
Students who are juniors (during 2014-15) with an interest in neuroscience, cognitive science, and biomedical science are encouraged to apply for this summer of supervised laboratory training. $3,600 stipend and on-campus housing provided.
Ecology and Evolution in Changing Environments: Mechanisms to Responses – Kansas State University Biology REU Program Deadline: March 1, 2015
http://www.k-state.edu/reu/REU/index.html
This 10-week program provides undergraduates interested in biological sciences with research experience and professional development under the mentorship of a faculty mentor. $5,000 stipend and housing provided.
Summer Undergraduate Research Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Deadline: March 1, 2015
http://www.gradbiomed.pitt.edu/node/268
10-week research experience, with research mentors from Cell Biology, Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Immunology, Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology, Molecular Genetics and Developmental Biology, Molecular Pharmacology, and Molecular Virology and Microbiology. Stipend of $3,500; additional funding for housing and travel may also be available.
Nanotechnology for Health, Energy and the Environment – University of Stony Brook Deadline: March 13, 2015
http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/reu/index.html
The summer research experience is for talented undergraduates who are interested in the nanotechnology field. $4,000 stipend, free housing and a meal plan.
Unite for Sight’s Global Impact Corps
Deadline: Rolling, for short term and long term trips throughout the year http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad
This volunteer abroad opportunity offers a global health experience for students interested in public health, international development, medicine, or social entrepreneurship. Global Impact Fellows may elect to participate in the Global Impact Lab research program. Current projects include research studies about medication management, the use of visual resources for patient education, traditional medicine practices, and patient barriers to eye care.
https://events.uconn.edu/live/json/v2/events/response_fields/location,summary/date_format/%25F%20%25j,%20%25Y/group/Office of Undergraduate Research/max/4/start_date/today/end_date/6 months/
The Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce the selection of 35 undergraduate students to receive 
Congratulations to the thirty-seven UConn undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants in the spring 2015 funding cycle!
