Why Participate in Research?

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By Ariana Rojas, OUR Peer Research AmbassadorWhy Participate in Research. By PRA Ariana.

Hearing about undergraduate research can be both exciting and intimidating. You may be asking yourself: What does undergraduate research look like? Can I get involved in research? Do I have to be an upperclassman to do it? Is it too late to start?

Undergraduate research was a completely foreign topic for me. I knew it existed, but I didn’t think it was feasible for me. And, when I realized that I could start undergraduate research, I was afraid that I was too late and already missed my chance to start, as a second semester sophomore. After I transferred from the Stamford campus, I felt like I was already behind. I knew what undergraduate research was in Stamford, but I didn’t think it was attainable. When I transferred to Storrs, I felt overwhelmed by the process. I almost didn’t even apply for my first position, and REU program, because I felt that I wasn’t qualified or accomplished enough to apply. Looking back, I am so happy that I took that first leap into research and I’m hoping to share with you how you can get involved too. Continue reading →

Why I Got Involved in Research

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By Lily Zhong, Peer Research AmbassadorWhy I Got Involved in Research. By PRA Lily.

So you’ve heard UConn is an R1 research institute with boundless opportunities to get involved in undergraduate research, but a few questions start to pile up and overwhelm you: how do I know if research is right for me, how do I know what I’m interested in, what will I be learning, what even is research? If you’re anything like me, these were all questions I asked myself as an eager incoming first-year student with no prior experience in research. While my story may not be, and most likely is not the exact same experience as the next undergraduate researcher, I’m hoping that sharing a bit about my research adventure will shed light on some of the ways research can transform your undergraduate career. Continue reading →

Meet the PRAs: Alexandra Bettencourt

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Meet Alexandra (Ally) Bettencourt ’21, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Pathobiology and Animal Science.

Meet the PRAs. Ally.What is the focus of your research?

The title of my research project is “the effects of poor maternal nutrition on colostrum and milk composition in sheep.” The goal of the project is to determine the protein and fat composition milk samples at various points in lactation, as well as the concentration of IgG, an antibody very important to lambs present in the colostrum. Earlier in my college career, I spent some time working on a project in dairy cattle that involved detecting mastitis using ultrasound technology. During my junior year, I also spent a semester at the Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory on campus working in the necropsy laboratory with veterinary anatomical pathology residents.

Why did you get involved in research?

I started working with Dr. Sheila Andrew during the spring semester of my freshman year in order to gain more experience working with the dairy cattle at the Kellogg Dairy Center (KDC) – put simply, my initial involvement in research came from me really loving cows and wanting to learn more about them. After spending several semesters with Dr. Andrew learning more about lactation physiology, mastitis, and automatic milking in cattle, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Sarah Reed to further pursue my interest in studying lactation in a sheep model.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

Take a deep breath, this is going to fly by and you are going to accomplish more than you ever could have imagined. Give yourself credit and take care of yourself. Study smart, not hard. Join a club or two that you are really passionate about, but do not overwhelm yourself this first semester. Do not be afraid to reach out to professors and upperclassmen, I have never encountered one myself that was unwilling to help.

What do you enjoy the most about participating in research?

Spending time at the animal barns, providing the highest level of care to these sheep alongside some of the greatest friends has undoubtedly been one of the best parts of my current research activity. As the First Vice President of Sigma Alpha, a professional agricultural sorority on campus, I have found myself surrounded by some incredible women in agriculture. Many of these brilliant women in my sorority are also involved in this project, and it has been such a privilege to care for animals, collect data, and make some incredible discoveries alongside them.

What is your greatest accomplishment so far?

In 2016, I was the national first place winner of the FFA Veterinary Science Career Development Event out of nearly two-hundred strong competitors from across the country. Since then, I have spent thousands of hours working in general practice veterinary clinics, specialty veterinary hospitals, large animal ambulatory veterinary services, and in laboratories. During March of 2019, I spent my Spring Break in Roatan, Honduras providing voluntary veterinary relief care to exotic animals at the Maya Key Sanctuary. Although I had never worked with exotic animals before, by our second day of volunteering, the veterinarian I was working with complimented my knowledge and dedication to the patients we were caring for. By the end of the week, this veterinarian had allowed me to assist her on a variety of procedures on some incredible animals, including white-faced capuchin monkeys, a three-toed sloth, a spider monkey, and a jaguar. At the end of our trip, although I had only spent about 40 hours working with this doctor, she and her technician hugged me, offered me a letter of recommendation, and said that I would be an incredible veterinarian one day. Our greatest accomplishments do not necessarily involve the largest trophies or prizes, but may simply be a moment in time where everything we are working towards seems truly seems possible.

What are your plans after graduation? How has involvement in research influenced your plans and prepared you for the future?

I am currently submitting my applications to veterinary medical school and hope to pursue a career in large animal medicine and surgery. My involvement in research as an undergraduate has given me such an appreciation for the scientists making discoveries that influence our understanding of physiology, and the future of medicine in its entirety. Most importantly, I have realized the essential role of research to One Health, a movement that emphasizes the importance of the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. This realization has led me to a desire to concurrently pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. As an aspiring DVM/MPH, I hope to not only protect large animal health and welfare during my career, but to eventually teach in higher education. Above anything else I have learned from research activities, I have discovered that having a devoted mentor can change a student’s entire perspective on learning. I can only hope to be that mentor for future students, as my mentors have been for me at UConn.

Click here for more information on Alexandra and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.

Meet the PRAs: Sarah Tsuruo

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Meet Sarah Tsuruo ’21, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Molecular & Cell Biology.

Meet the PRAs: Sarah.What is the focus of your research?

My research focus is looking into the endocrine-immune interaction and trade-offs in the host parasite system in the threespine stickleback fish. I’ve also done work on starting and maintaining cell culture lines.

Why did you get involved in research?

I was motivated to become involved in research to really delve into scientific interests and projects knowing I would build essential foundations for my future career.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

Make your own opportunities and don’t give up if you’re told no. Stay resilient, network and trail blaze your own path, because you can 100% do it if you stay determined.

What is your greatest accomplishment so far?

One of my greatest accomplishments so far would be my resiliency — I’m known as a “tough cookie” to close friends and family. Besides that, one of the things I’m very excited about is the STEM enrichment initiative I created and implemented at a Domestic Violence Crisis Center with the support of the OUR Change Grant.

What are your plans after graduation? How has involvement in research influenced your plans and prepared you for the future?

After graduation I plan on working as a clinical research coordinator before I attend medical school! My involvement in clinical research definitely influenced my decision to be involved in clinical research as a physician and my current research experiences have introduced me to the world of poster conferences, publications and collaboration.

Click here for more information on Sarah and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.

Meet the PRAs: Oreoluwa Olowe

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Meet Oreoluwa Olowe ’21, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

Meet the PRAs - Oreoluwa.What is the focus of your research?

My research in the past has always focused on proteins and how they can help solve problems in the human body as well as in different industries, including but not limited to the biomedical field and energy industry.

Why did you get involved in research?

To be better prepared for the work force when I graduate and experience something outside of my academic activities.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

Don’t be shy. Reach out to many professors and advisors and you will find the answer you are searching for.

What do you enjoy the most about participating in research?

I enjoy working on tasks that don’t have a textbook answer but you figure out the solution as you spend more time on the project.

Describe the impact your research experience has had on you.

My research experience has allowed me to think and approach problems in a unique manner.

Click here for more information on Oreoluwa and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.

Meet the PRAs: Ariana Rojas

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Meet Ariana Rojas ’21, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador (PRA) majoring in Molecular & Cell Biology and minoring in Political Science and Environmental Studies.

What is the focus of your research?Meet the PRAs - Ariana.

My research interests mainly include developmental biology and genetics and my research so far has mainly focused on evolution of development. Evolution of development essentially tries to understand how certain developmental processes evolved. Previously I participated in an REU program at the University of North Florida with Dr. Frank Smith. There I studied the evolution of the Tardigrade gut patterning mechanism. For that past academic year, I have been working in Dr. Elizabeth Jockusch’s lab studying the development of double layered body wall in the Milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, and helmet development of the treehopper, Entylia carinata. For my SURF project this summer I was studying the evolution of the insulin signaling pathway in insects by using bioinformatics techniques.

Why did you get involved in research?

 I love working in science because science is fundamentally creative. I wanted to get involved with research because I wanted a way to really get creative with my science education and the topics that interested me. I knew that research was a whole other world of learning, which was different from learning in the classroom. I was excited by the idea of being able to apply the concepts I was learning about in my classes, past being in a classroom lab. I wanted to use research as a way to supplement my science education and creativity, and I’m so happy I’ve had wonderful opportunities that allowed me to do exactly that.

What advice would you give to incoming first-year students?

Many freshmen feel as though they need to get involved with a research project right away, or they will be behind. My advice to freshman is that you should take the time to really explore your interests and to try new things. There are so many different things you could be interested in doing, that you may not even know about just yet! Take the time to explore what fields may interest you and try to get creative. Don’t feel pressured to start anything right away if you feel you’re not ready. I didn’t start my research career until the summer after my Junior year, and I am grateful for my experiences before that summer.

What do you enjoy the most about participating in research?

I love studying evo-devo because it’s a field of science that combines so many different disciplines. When I first learned about the field, I was absolutely fascinated with the idea of applying my love for genetics to unlocking the mystery of the universe. In a sense, I imagine myself as a historian, trying to understand what happened in the past by using genetics. Furthermore, my research allows me to apply what I am fundamentally interested in, which is genetic and molecular processes, to a field I have never worked with before. Since I am not trained in evolutionary biology and have only taken a handful of classes concerning the subject, I am constantly learning during my research. It is so much fun to always be learning new concepts through research rather than through a class and a textbook.

What is your greatest accomplishment so far?

My greatest accomplishment so far has to be how far I’ve come in almost a year. I first started my research career when I began my REU program at the University of North Florida during the summer of 2019. Since then I’ve presented my research about 4 times, two of those times being at major conferences. I’ve also received multiple grants to support my travel to those conferences, as well as the SURF grant to conduct a research project of my own. When looking back at how much I’ve done in the past year, I am extremely proud of myself. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without the support of my incredible mentors, both at UConn and at the University of North Florida. I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store for me.

Click here for more information on Ariana and other OUR Peer Research Ambassadors.

• Student Accomplishments – May 2020

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Please join us in congratulating the UConn undergraduates named below for their significant research and creative accomplishments in spring 2020. Students: if you have an accomplishment to share, please do so using this online form.

AWARDS

Congratulations to Christopher Choi ’20 (ENG, CLAS), Ariane Garrett ’20 (ENG), and Brittany Smith ’20 (ENG), the undergraduate recipients of 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships! They are among the 12 UConn students and alumni who won NSF Graduate Research Fellowships this year.

Congratulations to Michael Hernández ’22 (CLAS), UConn’s newest Newman Civic Fellow. Michael is an Honors student at the Stamford campus majoring in Political Science and Economics. Michael has been active in pursuing social change through enacting innovative public policies such as the Afford to Dream Act which gives undocumented students access to financial aid at state colleges and universities.

PUBLICATIONS

Berk Alpay ’21 (ENG) is the lead author on publication based on his Holster Scholar research project:

Alpay, B.A., Wanik, D., Watson, P., Cerrai, D., Liang, G., & Anagnostou, E. (2020). Dynamic Modeling of Power Outages Caused by Thunderstorms. Forecasting, 2, 151-162, doi: 10.3390/forecast2020008

Ariane Garrett ’20 (ENG) is the lead author on a new publication from Dr. Kazunori Hoshino’s lab in Biomedical Engineering:

Garrett, A., Soler, G.J., Diluna, M.L, Grant, R.A., Zaveri, H.P., & Hoshino, K. (2020). A passive, biocompatible microfluidic flow sensor to assess flows in a cerebral spinal fluid shunt. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical doi: 10.1016/j.sna.2020.112110

SURF Award recipient Timothy Mason ’20 (CLAS) was a co-author on a recent publication from Dr. Barbara Mellone’s lab in Molecular and Cell Biology:

Palladino, J., Chavan, A., Sposato, A., Mason, T.D., & Mellone, B.G. (2020). Targeted de novo centromere formation in Drosophila reveals versatility and maintenance potential of CENP-A chromatin. Developmental Cell, 52, 379-394, doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.01.005

EXHIBITIONS AND SCREENINGS

Spring 2020 included a series of scheduled art exhibitions and screenings by the following undergraduate students, some of which were canceled or delayed due to COVID-19:

Yosemite Lights Screening PosterMaggie Chafouleas ’22 (CAHNR) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
Charlotte Lao ’20 (ENG) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
Eric Wang ’21 (ENG) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
Eric Yang ’21 (CLAS) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
Yosemite Lights – A Travel Documentary

Nina Drozdenko ’19 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
What Are You? Documenting Filipino American Diversity Through Film

Esme Roszel ’20 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
My Dear Little Mother

Brock Sanford ’21 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
Working on a Dream

Hannah Smaglis ’20 (SFA) – UConn IDEA Grant recipient
Idiosyncratic

PRESENTATIONS

The COVID-19 public health situation in spring 2020 resulted in the shift to an online modality or cancellation of many scheduled professional conferences and meetings. Canceled events are denoted with an asterisk below; virtual conferences are denoted parenthetically.

Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology – January 3-7, 2020 – Austin, TX

Ariana Rojas ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
The Evolution of Gut Pattering in Tardigrades

American Astronomical Society Annual Meeting – January 4-8, 2020 – Honolulu, HI

Joyce Caliendo ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Constraining the Gas Fraction of a Compact Quiescent Galaxy at z=1.9 with the Large Millimeter Telescope

Josh Machado ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Ammonia Measurements in W51

Tyler Metivier ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Simulating the Recovery of Merger Signatures with Illustris

International Saxophone Symposium – January 10-11, 2020 – Fairfax, VA

Ryan Adams ’22 (SFA), Noah Brisson ’20 (SFA), Sean McCormick ’20 (SFA), and Tessa Webb ’22 (SFA) – OUR Travel Award recipients
Paradigm Saxophone Quartet

Plant and Animal Genome XXVIII Conference – January 11-15, 2020 – San Diego, CA

Jeremy Bennett ’20 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
EASEL: An Integrated and Accessible Framework for the Annotation of Eukaryotic Reference Genomes

Akriti Bhattarai ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Assembly and Annotation of the American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Genome

Ava Fritz ’20 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Investigating Genetic Signatures Associated with Reduced Mortality Against Emerald Ash Borer in Green Ash

Joint Mathematics Meetings – January 15-18, 2020 – Denver, CO

Daniel Meskill ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Noise-Induced Stabilization of Hamiltonian Systems

Electronic Materials and Applications 2020 – January 22-24, 2020 – Orlando, FL

Lucas Enright ’20 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
W-Band Dielectric Property Characterization of Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia at High Temperature

Victoria Reichelderfer ’20 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Piezoresponse Predictions in Novel Ferroelectric Nanostructures

Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (Region 1) – January 28-February 1, 2020 – Barnstable, MA

Edmond Vitcavage ’20 (SFA, CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.

Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy – February 5-7, 2020 – Blacksburg, VA

Felipe Sanches ’22 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient (unable to attend)
Profiles in Courage, “Ganas,” and Belonging at a Major University

International Conference on Writing Analytics – February 6-8, 2020 – St. Petersburg, FL

Eli Udler ’20 (ENG, CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Applications of Data Science to Writing Center Research: Actionable Insights from Natural Language Data

Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting – February 27-March 1, 2020 – Philadelphia, PA

Jenifer Gaitan ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Voces: First-Generation Latinx Students Discuss Their Support Networks

*American Physical Society March Meeting – March 2-6, 2020 – Denver, CO

Cong Hu ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Modeling Hyperfine Coupling in Molecular Qubits

Northeast Modern Language Association Annual Convention – March 5-8, 2020 – Boston, MA

Owen Spangler ’23 (ENG) – OUR Travel Award recipient
The Positive Role of Humor in Historically Oppressed Communities

*National Conference of Black Political Scientists – March 11-14, 2020 – Atlanta, GA

Michael Christie ’23 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Fighting for the “Black Cerebral”: Black Virginians’ Struggle for Public Education, 1865-1875

Eastern Psychological Association Meeting – March 12-14, 2020 – Boston, MA (moved to virtual format June 17-18)

Julia Devincenzi ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Approach Biases in People Demonstrating Problematic Gaming Habits

Marcella Dibona ’20 (CLAS) & Emily Hotz ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipients
EEG Mu Rhythm Desynchronization and Language in 18- and 24-Month-Old Infants

Steven Dorzens ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Behavioral Biases in Regular Caffeine Users

Yvonne Laporte ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Attention Bias Variability: Its Stability and Prediction of GAD in a Short-Term Longitudinal Design

*American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry Annual Meeting – March 13-16, 2020 – San Antonio, TX 

Margaret Ann Lewerk ’20 (CAHNR) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Memory Complaints and Depression Treatment in Older Adults

Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting – March 14-17, 2020 – Boston, MA (moved to virtual format May 2-5, 2020)

Stephanie Chinwo ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Traveling Back in Time: How Do Temporal Terms Shape Our Expectations for The Unfolding Linguistic Input

Pavitra Rao Makarla ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Empathy Influences Behavioral Perceptions and Eye Movements in Non-Literal Language Processing

*Eastern Society for Pediatric Research Annual Meeting – March 13-15, 2020 – Philadelphia, PA

Monitha Patel ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Low Reported Cyberbullying in Patients Due to Misinterpretation of Cyberbullying

Seda Sahin ‘ 20 (CLAS) & Samantha Seibel ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipients
The Role of Gender in Adolescent Perceptions of Sexual Health Education

CUNY Human Sentence Processing Annual Conference – March 18-21, 2020 – Amherst, MA (moved to a virtual format March 19-21)

Lindsey Neri ’20 (CLAS) & Grace Roy ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Investigating the Interplay between Morpho-syntax and Memory for Events: The Case of Past Participles

*American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting – March 20-23, 2020 – National Harbor, MD 

Maria Latta ’20 (PHR) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Evaluating University Support in the Sustainability of Public Health Programs: The CT WISEWOMAN Medication Therapy Management (MTM) Program

*Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting – April 1-4, 2020 – San Francisco, CA

Annika Anderson ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Perceptions and Experiences of Women Testing Positive for BRCA1/2 Genetic Mutations: A Qualitative Analysis

Maya Benson ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Executive Functioning and Foods in the Home Before and During an Online Behavioral Weight-Loss Program

Jason Chan ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
NIH Cancer Survivorship and CTBHI Genetic Grants

*Northeast Writing Center Association Conference – April 3-4, 2020 – Durham, NH

Amir Agoora ’20 (CLAS) & Erica Popoca ’22 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipients
Grammatical and Stylistic Workshops Within the Writing Center

Jennifer Koo ’20 (CAHNR, CLAS), Rosemary O’Mahony ’22 (CLAS) & Deevena Annavarjula ’21 (CAHNR) – OUR Travel Award recipients
Exploring the Social and Emotional Dimensions of Disability in the Writing Center: Perspectives from Students with Dyslexia

Emily O’Hara ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Writing Through Discomfort: Effective Tutoring of Complaints and Grievances

Yasmine Shwayhat ’20 (BUS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Writing Center Scheduler Research

*Experimental Biology – April 4-7, 2020 – San Diego, CA

Chang Sun ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Lack of Receptor of Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE) Attenuates Long-Term Cigarette Smoke Exposure-Induced Vascular Dysfunction in C57BL6 Mice

*New England Science Symposium – April 5, 2020 – Boston, MA

Sarah Tsuro ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Marginalized Identities on the Clinical and Psychosocial Keloid Impact on Quality of Life

*Benthic Ecology Meeting – April 7-10, 2020 – Wilmington, NC

Annalee Mears ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Stoichiometry of Fear: Do Predators Affect the Balance of Carbon and Nitrogen in their Prey

*American Association of Physical Anthropologists Annual Meeting – April 15-18, 2020 – Los Angeles, CA

Srishti Sadhir ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Investigating the Relationship between Skin Color and Vitamin D Deficiency in Baboons (Papio)

*Northeast Natural History Conference – April 17-19, 2020 – Stamford, CT

Sarah Anderson ’21 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
The Effect of Group Size on the Aggressiveness of Nasutitermes Corniger Termites

Madison Molnar ’22 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Effect of Colony Ratio on Termite Combat Behavior

*American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting – April 25-29, 2020 – Philadelphia, PA

Spencer Low ’20 (CLAS) – OUR Travel Award recipient
Growth Charts for Functional Brain Networks in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

• Congratulations, 2020 SURF Award Recipients!

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SURF logo 2The Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce the selection of 50 undergraduate students to receive SURF Awards in support of their summer undergraduate research projects. All SURF projects will be pursued remotely this summer in accordance with restrictions on undergraduate research due to COVID-19.

Click here to view the full list of Summer 2020 SURF awardees. Please note that the project titles listed reflect the original projects proposed.

Congratulations, SURF awardees! Your curiosity, initiative, and motivation were evident in your applications. Your flexibility, creativity, and collaboration with your mentors have shone through in the contingency plans you developed to adapt your projects to our current constraints. In spite of significant challenges, you have an exciting summer of deep engagement with the process of academic inquiry ahead of you. We look forward to hearing about all you learn and discover!

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 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 Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and to the Deans of the Schools and Colleges of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources; Education; Engineering; Fine Arts; Liberal Arts and Sciences; Nursing; and Pharmacy, who all pledged 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 the recipients of 2020 SURF awards, and good luck with your summer projects!

• 2020 Mentorship Excellence Awards

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In recognition of the pivotal role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate research and creative activity, the Office of Undergraduate Research is pleased to announce the recipents of the 2020 Mentorship Excellence Awards. These awards recognize two faculty members – one in a STEM field, and one in a non-STEM field – 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.

Please join us in congratulating Laura Bunyan, J. Peter Gogarten, and Samantha Lawrence on their selection as this year’s Mentorship Excellence Award recipients. As we are only able to celebrate the 2020 Mentorship Excellence Awards virtually this spring, we look forward to presenting the awards in person later this year during the Fall Frontiers in Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibition on Thursday, October 29, 2020.

Laura Bunyan, Assistant Professor in Residence, Sociology
Professor Bunyan was nominated by Jenifer Gaitan ’21 (CLAS). The following text is excerpted from Jenifer’s nomination.

Laura Bunyan, Assistant Professor in Residence in Sociology.
2020 Mentorship Excellence Award winner Laura Bunyan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Residence in Sociology.

Dr. Bunyan has always been a strong advocate for my academic success. She has made me aware of and supported me in the process of applying to a variety of scholarships, programs, and research opportunities. As I became interested in Sociology research focused on first-generation Latinx students, I was worried because there was no major or minor on the Stamford campus. Dr. Bunyan generously offered to supervise a work-study research assistantship with me to teach me basic principles of research. She also gave me several books and articles relating to education, paid labor, and child rearing practices in order to lay a foundation for my research. She has taught me every step of how to establish a research project and conduct research.

Dr. Bunyan leads by example. Together, we formed the club Husky Outreach for Minority Education (HOME) to provide low-income students with access to professional clothing and other resources for academic and professional success. Dress for Success, HOME’s main event on campus, was the first of its kind in that it offered clothing and other professional accessories to students on campus for internships, job opportunities, etc. In the three years that this program has been running, she has single-handedly collected thousands of items. Through her efforts, she has helped teach me strong leadership skills and activism to benefit our student body. She is a true ally to the first-generation students of color on the Stamford campus. She worked extensively with me during the summer and fall 2019 to submit my research proposal for the University Scholar program, which focuses on studying the systems of support first-generation Latinx students utilize. Despite this area of research not being related to her current research and book she is writing, Dr. Bunyan is committed to helping me pursue this research because she actively acknowledges the importance of uplifting the voices of women of color in social science research. She helped me form the research questions for the interview portion of my research in a way that was ethical and mindful of students’ experiences. She also helped me apply and become accepted to present my work during a major Sociology conference, from the Eastern Sociological Society, in Philadelphia in order to broaden my network, receive feedback from other students and professors, and learn from other presenters.

Dr. Bunyan has written countless letters of recommendation on my behalf and edited dozens of pages of my research proposals, literature reviews, applications, and presentations while providing constructive feedback. She has opened up her office hours and additional time where she juggles her writing, research, grading, and family time to answer my questions and check in on my progress. As I am a low-income student, Dr. Bunyan has helped me secure scholarships and institutional funding that have allowed me to pursue research without additional financial strain. Because of her support, I have been able to succeed as an Honors student, University Scholar, and student leader on campus. She has also advised me extensively regarding future opportunities after graduation, such as applying to graduate school. As a first-generation college student, her mentorship has led me to believe in my abilities and grow as a researcher and student.

J. Peter Gogarten, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology
Professor Gogarten was nominated by Marlene Abouaassi ’20 (CLAS). The following text is excerpted from Marlene’s nomination.

J. Peter Gogarten
2020 Mentorship Excellence Award winner J. Peter Gogarten, Ph.D., Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in Molecular and Cell Biology.

A mediocre professor teaches their students only the contents of their course. A great professor inspires their students to apply the contents learned outside the walls of the lecture halls, as well as encourages them to expand on their critical thinking capacity. Dr. Gogarten inspires me to continue to investigate the extremes of life, advance scientific understanding, and serve as a role model for first generation matriculants and women in STEM.

During my freshman year, I did not know who to ask for college tips or seek guidance. I applied for a job to alleviate my financial burden as well as expose myself to research in Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB). After my interview, Dr. Gogarten hired me as a research assistant. I completed simple tasks. However, after my first semester of freshman year, I debated if I should continue majoring in MCB or drop out of college for good. The reason is I struggled to adhere to the rigorous coursework of college, held multiple jobs to help pay for my schooling, and at the time felt like I was not contributing anything to society, biology, nor Dr. Gogarten’s lab. But that changed when Dr. Gogarten asked me if I would continue working as a research assistant during my sophomore year. I was taken aback because in a large school filled with thousands of students, there was a professor who cared about my success as a student and was passionate enough to encourage me to continue in the field of MCB. Thus, I took initiative to alter my schedule and take Dr. Gogarten’s course sophomore year. Afterwards, Dr. Gogarten encouraged me to apply to the Honors program, as well as for SURF, in order to enhance my intellectual abilities and apply my knowledge to real world scientific research. During spring break of my sophomore year, I woke up to three emails: my acceptance to the Honors program (where Dr. Gogarten is my advisor), acceptance for the SURF award, and Dr. Gogarten’s email congratulating me on my accomplishments and writing the word “Excellent”.

During the summer for SURF, I expanded on my technical skills in bioinformatics and knowledge in molecular evolution. While working on my project, Dr. Gogarten encouraged me to help my lab coworkers with mentoring other undergraduates and high school students on the use of existing bioinformatics programs, as well as educating them on certain biological processes. My acquired knowledge and Dr. Gogarten’s connections with Paul Lewis opened up doors for me to a course assistant position for the annual Workshop on Molecular Evolution at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. In doing so, I was able to help teaching assistants with basic level introduction to coding, gain an insight on how molecular evolution has changed practically, and foster relationships with well-known faculty who invited me to apply for graduate assistantships with them. In the fall, Dr. Gogarten encouraged me to present at the Mobile Genetic Elements conference at MIT to showcase the progress of my research. In doing so, he provided me with constructive criticism in presenting my research to a crowd full of graduates and faculty members. Along with presenting, I was able to build a network of connections and gain strategies in further pursuing my research effectively.

Dr. Gogarten pushes his students to seek opportunities that will advance their intellectual abilities and creativity. Since freshman year, Dr. Gogarten has gone out of his way to forward me emails about opportunities and encourage me to pursue them. If it was not for Dr. Gogarten’s email, I would not have become president of the new undergraduate MCB club. If it was not for his encouragement, I would not have applied for, or been accepted to, the University Scholar program. The passion, dedication, and commitment Dr. Gogarten has for all his students to ensure they are advancing their educational experience is invaluable. I was able to grow as a student, researcher, educator, and an overall individual through the mentorship of Dr. Gogarten.

Samantha E. Lawrence, Ph.D. Student, Human Development and Family Sciences
Samantha was nominated by Jessica Gagnon ’20 (CLAS). The following text is excerpted from Jessica’s nomination.

Samantha Lawrence, Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Sciences.
2020 Mentorship Excellence Award winner Samantha E. Lawrence, Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Sciences.

I honestly don’t know how I could’ve handled the last year without Sam. As a student who was entering a lab and starting research for her thesis relatively late, I knew that I would need a supportive advisor who could help me reach my goals. When I first joined the lab, Sam sat down with me to get to know not only what I wanted to do for my project, but also who I was as a person and what I wanted to learn through my experience in the lab. She walked me through what my project would actually look like, while also identifying all the areas she could help me with throughout the process. She made it clear from the beginning that she was on my team and would do everything in her power to help me have a successful year.

Over the winter break, I was seriously stressed that I was not going to be able to complete my thesis in time for graduation. Sam immediately responded with compassion, support, and guidance. She gave me a list of ideas and ways I could alter my project in order to make it possible to complete, while also preserving what I wanted to get out of the project and honoring my passion for the topic. She then worked with me to create a concrete plan, including a timeline for who to talk to and what to say. She gave me the confidence to not only trust myself, but also to stand up for my needs.

Even when she moved to a different lab, Sam made it clear to me that she was still going to be my mentor and get me to graduation. She scheduled a meeting to share this with myself and one of the other undergraduate students in the lab who she had been working closely with. She made a plan for how she would continue to support us this semester, including reading and editing my thesis drafts and helping teach me how to use the software I have to learn. She made sure that we knew she was still there as a resource for us and that we would continue our bi-weekly “wellness checks” to ensure we were both still doing okay and felt like we were making enough progress. For me, this speaks the most to how incredible of a mentor Sam is and how dedicated she is to helping her mentees. Her mentorship is not dependent on her job or which lab she is in. It does not come strictly out of responsibility, but out of a deep and genuine desire to help others. There have been many times throughout the last year or so where I felt completely powerless and unsure of what to do. Each time, Sam has been there to pull me out of my rut and ensure that I have the plan, knowledge, and support to move forward and speak up for my needs. She has dedicated her time to ensuring that I finish my thesis and graduate with Honors, and she represents everything that a mentor should aspire to be. She is completely deserving of the Mentorship Excellence Award.

Congratulations to the 2020 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.

• Congratulations, Spring 2020 UConn IDEA Grant Recipients!

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Congratulations to the 33 undergraduates who have been awarded UConn IDEA Grants in the spring 2020 funding cycle!

The award recipients represent a variety of disciplines, from English to pathobiology, and music to electrical engineering. They will conduct independent research, engage in creative endeavors, and develop prototypes.

Click here to view the full list of spring 2020 UConn IDEA Grant award recipients.

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.

The UConn IDEA Grant program awards funding to support self-designed projects including artistic endeavors, community service initiatives, research projects, prototyping and 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.