More than 30 students will take part in the 16th annual Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Charleston tomorrow (Feb. 26) from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda.
URDC allows students to present their discoveries in poster format and talk to legislators about their findings. The projects are original scholarly works and the presenters design posters for a general audience.
“Opportunities for students to engage in research and creative activities within their major are expanding at institutions throughout West Virginia,“ Michelle Richards-Babb, professor of chemistry and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, said.
“At WVU, students engage in one-on-one faculty mentored research as early as their first year of college. Our students are researching topics important to them and topics that directly impact West Virginia - the health and culture of its residents and the economy and environment of the state. Our state’s future depends on this generation of students. They are the innovators, business owners, legislators and decision makers of tomorrow.”
Richards-Babb noted the URDC event offers a “great opportunity for members of the state legislature to interact with students and discover the importance of continuing to invest in education and research at WVU and throughout the state.”
The following is a list of WVU’s participants, along with their residence, disciplines, research posters and research mentors:
Daniel Baker, Glen Dale, (Engineering), “Rare earth extraction from fly ash,” Edward Sabolsky, Research Mentor
Laykin Beardsley, Parkersburg, (Dental Hygiene), “Clinical Study Comparing the Effects of Stannous vs. Sodium Fluoride on Implant Surfaces,” Alcinda Trickett Shockey, Research Mentor
Hannah Belt, Thurmont, (Communications/Journalism), “Women Beyond Bars,” Geah Pressgrove, Research Mentor
Katelyn Bond, Vienna, (Speech-Language Pathology), “Contextual interference in speech motor learning secondary to similar phonemes,” Kimberly Meigh, Research Mentor
Taylor Bunting, Georgetown, (Dental Hygiene), “Oral Health Education Content Analysis of Middle and High Curriculum in West Virginia,” Alcinda Trickett Shockey, Research Mentor
Zachery Donnellan, Morgantown, (Chemistry), “Understanding combustion: gas phase kinetics of the CH radical and cyclopentadiene reaction,” Fabien Goulay, Research Mentor
Maria Ducci, Wheeling, (Music), “Perceived Advantages to Inclusive Programming in Music Therapy,” Dena Register, Research Mentor
Nicole Fama, Daniels, (Biology), “Genetic diversity and morphological variation in a vulnerable West Virginia native orchid, Corallorhiza bentleyi,” Craig Barrett, Research Mentor
Shianne Ferrell, Smithfield, (Communications/Journalism), “Partisan Outrage? Analyzing US Congressional Tweets following The Parkland Shooting,” Nicholas Bowman, Research Mentor
Avery J Field, Morgantown, (Forensic Science), “Evaluation of Extraction Techniques for Fentanyl and Metabolites in Liver Tissue for Forensic Purposes,” Luis Arroyo, Research Mentor
Olivia Friel, Bridgeport, (Agriculture), “Nutrient uptake analysis of light and hormone insensitive Arabidopsis thaliana mutants,” Nicole Waterland, Research Mentor
Jesse Goodman, Morgantown, Nolan Mull, Ridgeley, and Albert Nunez, Stafford, Virginia, (Computer Science), “Mind-Reading Through EEG Data,” Frances Van Scoy, Research Mentor
Jasmine Grossman, Grafton, (Biomedical), “Reducing PLGA nanoparticle and MnO core size to enhance MRI breast cancer detection,” Margaret Bennewitz, Research Mentor
Jessica Hogbin, Hedgesville, (History), “Power and Influence Noblewomen in Early Modern Europe,” Matthew Vester, Research Mentor
Nolan Holley, Ripley, (Biochemistry), “Identification of a sulfonamide analog that reduces cell viability in acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” Laura Gibson, Research Mentor
Brooke Hostetler, New Martinsville, (History), “Immigrant contribution to the evolution of history in the early 20th Century Morgantown,” William Hal Gorby, Research Mentor
Annalisa Huckaby, Morgantown, (Biology), “Generating bioluminescent Gram-negative bacteria to improve visualization of bacterial pathogenesis,” Mariette Barbier, Research Mentor
Victoria Irr, Wheeling, (Engineering), “Subsurface modeling and well configuration design for deep direct-use geothermal development at WVU,” Nagasree Garapati, Research Mentor
Muriithi-David Kem, Kennesaw, (Engineering), “Fabrication of Kirigami based structures for flexible electronics applications,” Konstantinos Sierros, Research Mentor
Amal Khan, Scott Depot, (Psychology), “The Effect of Mentorship on Women's Self-Efficacy,” Paul Hernandez, Research Mentor
Eva MacFarland, Bridgeport, (Psychology), “Racial Prejudice on College Campuses: The Role of Intergroup Anxiety and Contact,” Natalie Shook, Research Mentor
Andrew McGrady, Branchland, (Geology), “Determining Changes in Porosity of Mature Shales on Interaction with Fracturing Fluids,” Shikha Sharma, Research Mentor
Grace Nowicki, Scottdale, (Public Health), “Highlighting the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risks Among Appalachian Children with Disabilities,” Lesley Cottrell, Research Mentor
Juliana O'Reilly, Martinsburg, (Biomedical), “Maternal Exposure to Electronic Cigarettes Affects Memory and Learning of Their Offspring,” I. Mark Olfert, Research Mentor
Travis Rawson, Morgantown, (Immunology and Medical Microbiology), “Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell Chemotactic Potential in Neonatal Sepsis,” Cory Robinson, Research Mentor
Madison Riffe, Charleston, and Samantha Phelix, (Biology), “Building a Brain: Studying Development of the Hypothalamus Using Zebrafish,” Sadie Bergeron, Research Mentor
Kenyane Simpson, Morgantown, (Child Development and Family Studies), “Correlations between Maternal Depression, Breast Feeding Self-efficacy, and Maternal Literacy Practices,” Amy Root, Research Mentor
Aaron Stavrakis, Vienna, (Biology), “Evaluation of toxicity of mild and stainless steel welding fumes on mouse macrophage cells,” Stephen Leonard, Research Mentor
Kathryn Taylor, Cross Lanes, (Biochemistry), “Consumption of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) sarcoplasmic protein on bone health,” Janet Tou, Research Mentor
Grant Tennant, Mineral Wells, (Wood Science and Technology), “Application of Thermal Treatment to Appalachian Hardwoods to Increase their Physical and Mechanical Properties,” Kaushlendra Singh, Research Mentor
Erica Tracewell, Vienna, (Education), “The Effects of Instructional Rubrics on Essay Quality,” Melissa Patchan, Research Mentor
Mya Vannoy, Cross Lanes, (Immunology and Medical Microbiology), “The Epigenetic Role of Septic Microparticles in Alzheimer’s Disease,” Duaa Dakhlallah, Research Mentor
Brishti White, Morgantown, and Liza Grossman, Grafton, (Neuroscience), “Humoral (B cell) immune system imbalance is associated with development of depressive-like phenotype,” Elizabeth Engler-Chiurazzi, Research Mentor