News

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