News

• Congratulations, 2015 SHARE Award recipients!

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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

• Apply Now for Summer Research Fellowships and Internship Programs!

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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, Summer 2014 SURF Award Recipients!

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SURF is the largest competitive funding opportunity administered by the UConn Office of Undergraduate Research. I am delighted to announce that 59 UConn undergraduates have been offered SURF awards for summer 2014. The faculty review committee was impressed by the overall high caliber of the 108 applications submitted this year.

Congratulations to the SURF awardees! Your academic achievements, creativity, and initiative 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!

Thank you to the faculty members who supported SURF applicants: 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 faculty members!

Thank you, too, 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 and Natural Resources, Engineering, Fine Arts, Pharmacy, and Nursing, 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!

Once again, congratulations to those students offered 2014 SURF awards.

Caroline McGuire, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Undergraduate Research

 

 

 

• Congratulations, Spring 2014 UConn IDEA Grant Award Recipients!

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Congratulations to the twenty UConn undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants! idea_logo_standard_color_bottomWEB

Fourteen of the twenty award recipients will be completing individual projects, and the remaining six will be working on collaborative group projects.

Click here to learn more about the UConn IDEA Grant recipients and their projects.

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.

The UConn IDEA Grant program awards undergraduates funding to support self-designed projects including artistic endeavors, community service initiatives, traditional research projects, entrepreneurial ventures, and other innovative projects. Proposals for the UConn IDEA Grant represented a variety of disciplines, ranging from fine arts to marine sciences. The program is open to undergraduates in all majors at all campuses.

• Upcoming Presentations of Student Research and Creative Activity

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While the largest-ever Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition may now be over, there are several additional opportunities to see UConn students’ work in the coming days and weeks.
bfa-2014

BFA Art Exhibition

April 17-27, 2014
ArtSpace, Windham Gallery, 480 Main Street, Willimantic, CT 06226

See this exhibition of work by students graduating from the BFA program in the Art and Art History Department, School of Fine Arts.

UConn School of Nursing ATHENA Research Conference

April 25, 2014
School of Nursing Widmer Wing

The program for this annual conference includes a poster presentation session from 1-2:30pm featuring the work of Honors students.

Language Fest 2014

April 26, 2014
9am – 4pm, Oak Hall

The UConn Language Fest is a University-wide research conference, now in its fourth year, which showcases the many facets of research on language in the UConn community. Poster sessions are scheduled for 10-11am, 1-2pm, and 3-4pm, and feature the work of undergraduate researchers from a number of UConn departments and programs.

Undergraduate Research Colloquium in Biology

May 2, 2014
8:30am-6:00pm, TLS 111

Graduating senior biology students (BIOL, PNB, EEB, MCB, BPHYS) will present short talks on their research at this 32nd annual biology research colloquium. All presentations are limited to ten minutes. Advisors, undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, postdocs, staff, parents, and friends are welcome and encouraged to attend.

UConn School of Engineering – Senior Design Demonstration Day

May 2, 2014
1-4pm, Gampel Pavilion

Senior Design Day, an exhibition of capstone projects from across the School of Engineering, affords parents, alumni, friends and project sponsors the opportunity to view project outcomes, interact with students and faculty, and learn more about the School. This year, 475 students will display and demonstrate 154 projects, and the whole university community is invited.

• Join us for the screening of two student documentaries!

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Please join us for a screening of two original documentaries directed by UConn IDEA Grant Recipients Peter Logue and David Pereira. A discussion with the filmmakers will follow the screenings.

Documentaries:
The Search for the White Rose – a film by Peter Logue – View the film trailer

Free Time – a film by David Pereira and RJ Anderson

Date: Friday, April 11th
Time: 7:00PM
Location: Laurel 101

Click here for more information on the documentaries.

 

• Hone Your Presentation Skills: Upcoming Events

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You’re involved in undergraduate research or creative activity – terrific! Now, how do you go about sharing your findings and experience with others? Two upcoming events will help you do just that.

Drop the Jargon and Get to the Point! How to Effectively Communicate Your Research to a Wide Range of Audiences
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
6-7:30pm
Laurel Hall 102

Effectively communicating science to a wide range of audiences is becoming an increasingly needed skill for scientists of all disciplines.

Dr. Ellen Prager is a marine scientist who has moved away from traditional career paths and now focuses much of her time on communicating earth and ocean science to broad audiences through writing popular science and children’s books, public speaking, working with the media, and consulting.

Using both her successes and failures as examples, she will share what she’s learned about effectively communicating science and how you can be better prepared and successful. She will also let you in on some of the secrets to engaging your audience and getting your points across.

This event is sponsored by the Graduate School, and you can RSVP at this link. Undergraduates are welcome.

Poster Presentation Information Session: Get Ready for Frontiers
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
12:15-1:15pm
Rowe 320

Will you be sharing your project at Frontiers this year? Have you been accepted to present your work at a professional conference? Are you unsure about where to start when it comes to putting your project into poster form and talking about it with an audience? If your answer to any of those questions is “yes,” this information session is for you. Undergraduate students will share posters they have designed and presented, and we will discuss such topics as templates, fonts, images, and how to prepare yourself as a presenter.

• 2014 UConn-TIP Bioscience & STEM Summer Research Intern Program

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TIPStudentThe UConn-TIP Bioscience & STEM Summer Research Intern Program provides mentored summer research internships in University of Connecticut Technology Incubation Program (TIP) companies. TIP companies are pursuing R&D in biotechnology, engineering, chemistry, computer sciences, and more. Internships can involve research in the laboratory as well as in business-related research.

The program will place interns in TIP companies at Storrs, Farmington, and Avery Point TIP locations in summer 2014. The 10 week-long internships will begin May 27 and end Aug 1. Interns will receive a stipend of $3,200.

The program is accepting applications from UConn undergraduate students and recent UConn graduates (within 6 months of graduation) who are Connecticut residents. International students are not eligible to apply. The program is open to all majors including STEM as well as Business fields. The application deadline is February 24. Early application is recommended.

Interns will be selected based on academic qualifications, research experience, and interest. Interns will attend a weekly seminar series, and will present the results of their summer project at a TIP Research Symposium, and at UConn’s Frontiers in Undergraduate Research.

Support for the program is provided by TIP host companies and participating UConn partners including the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the School of Engineering, the School of Business, the McNair Scholars Program with the Center for Academic Programs , the UCHC Health Careers Opportunity Program, the Office of Undergraduate Research, and the Center for Career Development.

For more information and to apply please see the UConn-TIP Bioscience & STEM Summer Research Intern Program page.

 

• Congratulations, Fall 2013 UConn IDEA Grant Recipients!

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idea_logo_standard_color_bottomWEBThe UConn IDEA Grant program provides funding of up to $4,000 for self-designed projects including entrepreneurial ventures, community service initiatives, traditional research projects, or other creative endeavors. Proposals for the UConn IDEA Grants represented a variety of disciplines, ranging from history to mechanical engineering.

Congratulations to the nine undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants in the second award cycle of this new program coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR)! Click here to download the list of grant recipients and their projects.

Rosse Gates ’16 (ENGR) – Autonomous Navigation Systems and Algorithms

  • Rosse will work to develop an autonomous quadcopter that can track its position in relation to the environment and survey disaster areas in GPS-devoid environments.

Dillon Jones ’15 (ENGR) – Gentleman’s Gantry Machine

  • Dillon will work to build a “Gentleman’s Gantry Machine,” a general purpose, computer controlled positioning system of his own design that will enable multiple forms of manufacturing on one device.

Saher Kazi ’16 (CLAS) – Investigation and Analysis of the Barriers to Mental Health Care in India

  • Saher plans to investigate the factors influencing access to mental healthcare in India in a study involving mental health clinics in the town of Nashik in Maharashtra, India.

Kiersten Kronschnabel ’16 (CLAS) – POWER: Providing Optimal Strategies for Patient Retention While Transitioning from Pediatric to Adult Care 

  • Kiersten’s project is a community service initiative to address the dearth of resources for facilitating the pediatric-adult care transition for HIV-positive adolescents.

Katelyn McFadden ’15 (CANR) – Effects of Poor Maternal Nutrition on Liver Development in Lambs

  • Katelyn’s project builds on a collaborative study in the Department of Animal Science evaluating the effects of poor maternal nutrition on the growth of offspring in sheep. Katelyn will analyze liver samples in lambs to understand the mechanisms at work affecting offspring growth and development.

Amoolya Narayanan ’16 (CLAS) – Investigating the Use of Natural Antimicrobials to Control Urinary Tract Infections in a Mouse Model

  • Amoolya will investigate the potential of trans-cinnamaldehyde, a natural antimicrobial molecule contained in cinnamon, as an antimicrobial coating on urinary catheters to control urinary tract infections.

Zachary Raslan ’15 (CLAS) – Historic GIS Mapping of Hartford, CT

  • Zachary is partnering with a larger research project, Virtual Hartford, to acquire and digitize the earliest maps of Hartford, CT. He will apply GIS software to create maps that detail the evolution of the city and show changes to the physical landscape after significant historic events.

Aaron Rosman ’16 (CANR) – Elatine Ambigua and Elatine Triandra

  • Aaron will conduct research on invasive plant species Elatine Ambigua and Elatine Triandra to clarify the species boundaries and provide insights on their source and vector of introduction in the U.S.

Rachel Winsor ’15 (ENGR) – Project XX

  • Rachel plans to partner with UConn groups and departments to help bridge the gender gap to success by developing and implementing a series of empowerment workshops for the UConn community.

 

Thank you to the faculty members who have agreed to supervise the UConn IDEA Grant students in their projects. Thank you as well to the faculty members and program directors who served on the UConn IDEA Grant Proposal Review Committee!

• Announcing the 2014 Roper Awards for Research Experience (RARE)

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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 2014 and thank the Roper Center for its generous support of these student awards.

Project Title: Public Perception and Judicial Legitimacy
Student Apprentice and Major: Molly Rockett, Political Science
Faculty Mentor and Department: Virginia Hettinger, Political Science

Ms. Rockett and Professor Hettinger will be using the DRI National Poll on the Civil Justice System to explore public perceptions of the judicial decision-making process and poll respondents’ assessments of firsthand experiences (as litigants, jurors, or witnesses) with the legal system.

Project Title: The Right to Bear Arms: The Role of Federalism in Gun Control Policy
Student Apprentice and Major: Brian Tiedt, Political Science & Economics
Faculty Mentor and Department: Paul Herrnson, Political Science

Mr. Tiedt and Professor Herrnson will use the metadata available on iPOLL and a variety of data sets to consider the evolution of public opinion on gun control, subgroup variation in opinion, and public perceptions of the role of the federal government in regulating firearms.

 
Press Release from the Roper Center