News
Applications open for Undergraduate Research Exhibition
April 18, 2018 HUB-Robeson Center, University Park Campus
Poster Sessions
9:15 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., First Floor Lounges, Alumni, and Heritage Hall
Penn State's annual Undergraduate Exhibition communicates and celebrates the participation of undergraduate students from across the University in research and creative endeavors. Students from all Penn State campuses are eligible to enter research posters in the Undergraduate Exhibition. In conjunction with the Exhibition, a special performing arts showcase features creative accomplishments of students. All sessions of the Undergraduate Exhibition are open to the public.
Undergraduate Exhibition Poster Guidelines and Criteria - coming Fall 2017.
Poster entries will be accepted beginning February 12, 2018.
Questions about the Undergraduate Exhibition may be directed to Alan Rieck, Assistant Vice President and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education, at 814-863-1864 or ajr83@psu.edu.
2017 Undergraduate Exhibition Award Recipients
The Gerard A. Hauser Award
Brendan Sporer
College of Engineering
Active Neutralization in Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) Fusion
Arts and Humanities
First place
Morgan Nachman
College of the Liberal Arts
Deliberating About Gun Policy
Course-Based Projects
First Place
Zhiyu Zhao
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
From Penrose to Escher -- Visualization of Almost Periodic Structure
Second Place
Katie Jo Smith
College of Health and Human Development Examining Primary Care Organizational Structure in Costa Rica: The EBAIS and ATAP
Third Place
Kaiyi Wu
Eberly College of Science
Haici Tan
Eberly College of Science
Estimating HIV Prevalence at Sub-national and Sub-population Level
Engineering
First Place
Rachel Sherbondy
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Corona Poling of Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) Thick Films for Ultrasonic Transducers
Second Place
Katherine Heininger
College of Engineering
Can wearable sensors be used to capture engineering design team interactions? An Investigation into the Reliability of Sociometric Badges
Third Place
Kristen Hagenah
College of Engineering
Characterization of Thrombi through Mri And Histological Analysis of Erythrocyte Ghost Clots
Health and Life Sciences
First Place
Erin Vrana
Eberly College of Science
Characterization of the Role of UIS12 in Plasmodium yoelii Male Gametocyte Activation
Second Place
Daniel Snellings
Eberly College of Science
The Cost of Color: Investigating Pigmentation as a Bioindicator of Bee Nutrition
Third Place
Carley Miller
Eberly College of Science
The Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Partial Agonist Varenicline Alters Ethanol-induced Ataxia and Ethanol Consumption in Adolescent C57BL/6J Mice
Physical Sciences
First Place
Cullen Dixon
College of Agricultural Sciences
Testing the Role of Sorghum 3-deoxyanthocyanidin Phytoalexins as Potential Biopesticides in Combating Foliar Diseases in Zea mays
Second Place
Jacob Mclaughlin
Eberly College of Science
Functionalization of MoS2 with Magnetic Molecules
Third Place
Madeline Nyblade
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Numerical Modeling of the Agricultural-Hydrologic System in Punjab, India
Social and Behavioral Sciences
First Place
Megan Cichocki
College of the Liberal Arts
Territorial Control and Group Goals: Why Violent Non-state Actors are Lethal
Second Place
Jordan Gibby
College of Health and Human Development
Couple and Family Leisure Time and Adolescent Well-being in India Couple and Family Leisure Time and Adolescent Well-being in India
Third Place
Kelsey Bailey
College of the Liberal Arts
The Effects of Mutual Friendships on Romantic Relationship Outcomes
Phi Kappa Phi Peter T. Luckie Award for Excellence in Research by a Junior
Health and Life Sciences
Lianna Wodzicki
College of Agricultural Sciences
How Does Auxin Signaling Affect Vat Mediated Aphid Resistance?
Humanities and Social Sciences
Yage Zhang
College of Arts and Architecture & College of the Liberal Arts
Niccolo Fazio
Smeal College of Business & College of the Liberal Arts
Shannon Aitcheson
College of the Liberal Arts
Olivia McMahon
College of the Liberal Arts
Viewing and Transmission of Antibiotic Stewardship Messages
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Sumit Pareek
College of Engineering
Pathways to Impact at Scale for Malaria Prevention: Using the Built Environment as a Global Health Strategy
University Libraries Award for Information Literacy
John Sr. and Kimlyn Patishnock Information Literacy Award Grand Prize
Olivia Runk
College of Nursing
Exploring the Relationship Between Personality and Subjective Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults Without Dementia
First Place
Courtney Heidle
College of Health and Human Development
Can an Existing Theory be Adapted to Better Predict Infant Feeding Information Seeking Behaviors of Parents?
Second Place
Jordan Gibby
College of Health and Human Development
Couple and Family Leisure Time and Adolescent Well-being in India Couple and Family Leisure Time and Adolescent Well-being in India
Third Place
Sumit Pareek
College of Engineering
Pathways to Impact at Scale for Malaria Prevention: Using the Built Environment as a Global Health Strategy
Honorable Mention
Elizbeth Hopta
College of the Liberal Arts
The Imperfect Minority: Asian Americans at the San Francisco State Strike
Alison Roby
College of Engineering
The Acute Functional Connectivity Changes in the Rat Brain Following Nicotine Administration
Madeline Nyblade
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Numerical Modeling of the Agricultural-Hydrologic System in Punjab, India
Joshua Riley
College of Engineering
Impact of Shear Rate on Von Willebrand Factor Unfolding
Emily Hentz Leister
College of Health and Human Development
Breaking Down the Barriers of Bike Shares: An examination of Bike Share Operations
Record 83 Undergraduates Receive 2017 Erickson Discovery Grants
Funded through the Office of Undergraduate Education and support from Colleges
Mason Albright
College of Engineering
Application of the Hybrid Monte Carlo Algorithm in Nuclear Physics
Divyashree Avnoor
Eberly College of Science
3D Printing Connections with Woven Light: Design of a Solar Fiber Tension Structure Shade Prototype Using Fiber Optic Strands
Alec Baker
Penn State DuBois
Timing and Impact of Habitat Type on Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) Corn Crop Damage
Benjamin Black
College of the Liberal Arts
Conflict Incidents in the South China Sea
Josef Blaszkiewicz
Eberly College of Science
Investigation of the metabolic role of an NAD+ biosynthesis pathway in the embryonic development of multicellular organisms
Eva Bonta
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Gastronomic Tourism in Mezcala, Mexico
Gregory Busey
Eberly College of Science
A model for voltage sensor modulation of Elk1 potassium channels
Sean Clees
College of Engineering
Characterization of Vortex Breakdown in Swirling Jets
Abigail Cosgrove
College of the Liberal Arts
Do monolingual children in Central Pennsylvania show similar or different patterns of foreign-accented speech comprehension as adult monolinguals living in this area?
Brandon Davis
College of Engineering
Aptamer-functionalized nanoparticle/hydrogel composites for protein delivery
Patrick Dolan
College of Agricultural Sciences
Cacao Cultivar Impact on Lipid Content and Composition
Cadie Dunlap
Penn State Berks
Effects of Ethanol and its Response on MCF-7 Cells in Relation to Estrogenic Effects
Austin Fruin
Penn State Berks
The role of Chmp1 in Polyamine Transport and Metabolism
Nick Garner
Penn State Behrend
A study on the effect of heat-treated sections of mild steel tube during high speed uniaxial dynamic crash testing
Julia Gray
College of the Liberal Arts
Artistic Expression and Feminist Resistance in Brazil
Alex Grigas
Eberly College of Science, College of the Liberal Arts
Bilayer Formation on Protocells
Rebecca Guth
Eberly College of Science
Non-enzymatic RNA polymerization in coacervates
Tice Harkins
Eberly College of Science
Investigating Thrombosis In Vitro using Micro-PIV
Carissa Heine
College of Health and Human Development
Finding Positive Deviants for Vitamin and Mineral Status in Reproductive-Age Ghanaian Women Living in a Low-Income Setting
Jennifer Heppner
College of Agriculture Sciences
Effects of maternal stress in offspring performance speed in the Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)
Morgan Herold
College of Agricultural Sciences
The Effects of Selenoproteins on Gut Epithelial Barrier Integrity
Nicole Hessler
Penn State Berks
iMovie Literacy Study
Isabel Hunsberger
Eberly College of Science
The Search For Resistant Mutants of KKL-896 in Bacteria
David Kauffman
College of Engineering
Investigation of polymer microneedles in the treatment of autoimmune disease
Wasi Khatri
Eberly College of Science
Studying Differential Interactions between Pollen S-Locus F-Box Proteins and Pistil S-RNases Involved in Self/Non-Self Recognition
Jivtesh Khurana
College of Engineering
Active-Z Printing, A New Way to Improve 3D Printed Part Strength
Amogh Kiran
Eberly College of Science
The Effects of Breaking Spectrin Network via Tobacco Etch Virus Protease on Heart and Fight Muscle in Drosophila
Mark Klemencic
College of the Liberal Arts and Eberly College of Science
Dig a Little Deeper: Primary Literature as a Potential Enhancer of Undergraduate Psychology Education
Caitlin Komm
Eberly College of Science
Genomic Instability and DNA Damage in Transdifferentiated Neurons
Nicholas Kremp
Penn State Worthington Scranton
22 Year Release from Deer Browsing in Forest Herbs and Trees
Rachel Lamb
Eberly College of Science
The effects of competition on defense of an invasive thistle species
Jason Lehrer
Penn State Berks
The Development of a Sustainable Technology for 3D Printing
William Lieb
Eberly College of Science
Investigating Enhanced Cognitive Performance in Migratory Birds
Sarah Lorish
Penn State Berks
Under Fire
Jenna Mandel
Eberly College of Science
Investigation of Neuronal Survival after Simultaneous Dendrite and Axon Injury in Drosophila
Sanjana Marikunte
Eberly College of Science
Investigating the Role of the Cytohesin-2/ARNO Coiled-Coil Domain in Epithelial Cell Migration
Mckayla Mawn
Eberly College of Science
Understanding the Reciprocal Relationship Between Interpersonal Behaviors and Autonomic Nervous System Functioning in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder
James Mckenna
Penn State Worthington Scranton
Predicting Opiate Abstinence: The Role of Social Support and Mental Health in Opiate Addiction Recovery
Jonathan Mercier
Penn State Berks
Examining Parathyroid Hormone Related Protein as a Negative Regulator of Alcohol’s Effects in the MCF-7 Cancer Cell Line
Carley Miller
Eberly College of Science
Genetic and Age Contributions to Nicotine Sensitivity in Mice
Christian Morris
Eberly College of Science
Determining Brain Regions Underlying an antidepressant-like Phenotype in Mice
Aleia Mouchref
Eberly College of Science
Investigating trait diversity among Vibrio fischeri symbionts within the squid light organ
Andrew Murtha
Eberly College of Science
Communication Between Vibrio fischeri Populations within the Squid Light Organ
Jeremy Myslowski
College of Engineering
Micro-Particle Image Velocimetry for Quantifying the Flow and Cellular Interactions Between Blood and Nanoparticle-Programmed Biomaterials
Alexandra Nader
Eberly College of Science
Role of Selenium in the Enzymatic Pathways and Phagocytic Functions of Inflamed Macrophages
Sophia Najjar
College of Arts and Architecture / Earth and Mineral Sciences
Chairs of Aleppo
Uyen Nguyen
Eberly College of Science
Determining the structure of HelD, a novel binding partner of Bacillus subtilis RNA polymerase
Richard Novak
College of Agricultural Sciences
A Comparison of Macro-Invertebrate Communities Among Vernal Pools with Different Fire Histories
Madeline Nyblade
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Numerical Modeling of the Agricultural-Hydrologic System in Punjab, India
Kale Odhner
Penn State Berks
Research and Design of a Class 3 Rocket
Andrew Oneglia
College of Health and Human Development
The Impact of Estrogen vs Energy Status on Bone Balance and Bone Turnover Rate in Young Exercising Women
Colin Paulauskas
College of Engineering
Ice Accretion Rates from Multi-Phase Icing Tunnel
Nicholas Pietra
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Frustrated Lewis Pairs: A New Approach to Pollution Control
Evan Plumridge
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Heavy Metals: Concentrations in Peru and Alaska
Gregory Reilly
Eberly College of Science
Examination of Protein-Protein Interaction of GRASP and its Impact on Cell Motility
Katlyn Reynolds
Penn State Worthington Scranton
Turning Points in Relationships between Chronically Ill Cancer Patients and Informal Caregivers
Joshua Riley
College of Engineering
Impact of Shear Rate on von Willebrand Factor Unfolding
Elizabeth Roach
College of Engineering
Using a Point of Care Biosensors to Determine the Pathogen Responsible for respective UTIs
Amelia Rogus
College of Agricultural Sciences
NR5A2 to the Rescue? Examining the Roles and Regulation of NR5A2 in Corpus Luteum Rescue
Pratiti Roy
Eberly College of Science
Mechanisms underlying the effects of edible mushrooms on gastrointestinal health
Taryn Ryan
Eberly College of Science
ClpP Inhibition by 5-hydroxy-8-nitroquinoline
Gina Sarkawi
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Effectiveness of a handheld x-ray fluorescence analyzer on tephra from Afar, Ethiopia
Kyle Sherbine
College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
Microbial Metabolism and Composition of Proglacial Stream Supported by the Auseangate Glacier in the Peruvian Andes
Sophia Spivey
College of Arts and Architecture
Peacock Pie: Preparation and Performance of a New Vocal Work
Kristen Sprayberry
College of Agricultural Sciences
Determining effects of short-term and evolutionary stress on cell-mediated immune function
William Su
College of Engineering
Development of a new class of citrate-based biomaterials and its 3D printing application in tissue engineering
Aubrey Tallon
College of Health and Human Development
Pence and Sensuality: Use of erotic capital among all genders of Renaissance Faire performers for monetary and promotional gain
Mila Tamminga
Eberly College of Science
Effects of calcium on microtubule activity after explosive axon injury in Drosophila
Ross Tedesco
Penn State Altoona
The Conceptualization of Physics Theories Through Art Mediums
Wenxin Tong
College of Engineering
Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of Wearable Sensing Textiles
Trevor Tranchina
Penn State York
Elucidation of the SHRM Protein Interactome Utilizing Yeast Two Hybrid Screening
Corrina Tucker
Penn State Behrend
Penn State Behrend Hammermill Archive Encoding
Jacqueline Tucker
College of Engineering
Sensory and Motor Performance in ADHD Participants
Ana Turosky
College of Agricultural Sciences
Does glyphosate affect beneficial soil microbes?
Mi Tzou
College of the Liberal Arts
Fighting against Dictatorship: Taiwanese International Students in the U.S. (1980)
Mark Van Horn
College of the Liberal Arts
Investigation of the Phoenician Iron Industry of Tel Akko, Israel
Ziyuhan Wang
College of Engineering
Moringa Oleifera Seed Modified Sand Filter for Pathogen Removal
Zachary Weagly
Penn State Berks
Comparative Analysis of the Chemical Composition and Microbial Population in the Tulpehocken Creek
Cheyenne Wene
Penn State Harrisburg, The Capital College
Role of MAPK on REDD1-Mediated Insulin Action
Anna Whitaker
College of Earth and Mineral Science
The Ordovician Seas of Central Pennsylvania: Analyzing Environmental Affinities and Distribution of Fossil Taxa in the Taconic Foreland Basin
Aliza Winneg
College of the Liberal Arts
Using bilingualism as a tool to study recognition memory for grammar and meaning
Daniel Winstead
Eberly College of Science
Host specificity and symbiont interspecies competition within the Symbiodinium – Cassiopea mutualistic system
Zhenyuan Yuan
College of Engineering, Eberly College of Science
Machine Learning-enabled Real-time Control of Autonomous Vehicles
Penn State senior, athlete named a Rangel Fellowship finalist
Congratulations, Scout!
Global Languages Week Oct. 23-27
The University Fellowships Office will host Global Languages Week Oct. 23-27, with programming available to undergraduate students from a wide variety of academic disciplines. Read more about this week of programming on PSU News.
Hannah Pohlmann presented with Astronaut Scholarship award
Congratulations to Hannah Pohlmann who was officially awarded her Astronaut Scholarship award in a ceremony with General Charles Duke, Apollo 16 astronaut. Read more about the ceremony on the Collegian's website.
New Spark fellowship development program for first-year students
The Spark Program is a seven-week course in which participants will have the opportunity to meet and learn from faculty and former students who have applied for and earned prestigious awards. The course is designed to help give students the tools they need to develop a competitive profile to apply for future fellowships. Interested students can apply here on our website until January 12th. You can read more about the program on PSU News.
Fulbright grantee in Indonesia
Our recent alum and Fulbright grantee, Nabeel Ahmad is currently in Indonesia on his Fulbright grant. If you're interested in getting a glimpse into what it's like to participate in a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant, you can read Nabeel's blog to learn what he's up to.
Graduate School and STEM Week spotlight opportunities for academic disciplines
The University Fellowships Office will host a dual Graduate School and STEM theme week Oct. 2-6, with programming available to undergraduate students from a wide variety of academic disciplines. Read more about this week of programming on PSU News.
The UFO will be hosting events throughout the fall semester to further engage students
The University Fellowships Office advocates for the academic, intellectual and personal interests of students by promoting relevant fellowship opportunities. The office will be hosting events throughout the fall semester for interested students. Monthly “Fellowship 101” sessions, writing workshops, special information sessions, and theme weeks will further engage students in opportunities beyond the classroom. Read more about events for this semester on PSU News.