Previous Recipients of the Erickson Discovery Grant

2023

Jack Tyndall - Collection Efficiency Experimental Characterization and Correlation to Ice Adhesion Strength
Dominique Sottosanti - Archaeological Illustration Training: Field Season 2023
De'jah Coates - Relationship between stress, depression, and SOCS3 expression
Rachel Cook - Transgenerational effects of parental environment on interactions between offspring and bacteria
Jaedon Sadler - Investigating NAD+ Flux in Acute Kidney Injury via Isotope Tracing
Saranraj Govindaraj - ER-Stress in Oligodendrocyte Affects Myelin Sheath Production
Kevin Mouck - Scanning Ancient Human Genomes for Signatures of Adaptation
Matthew Springer - Analyzing Age-Dependent Changes in Somatostatin Neurons in Adolescent Mice
Alexander Kociuba -  Glycosaminoglycan Composition of the Glycocalyx of Bovine Aortic Endothelial Cells in vitro 
Gia Ramos - Development of DIPA-CRISPR methods to determine gene function in arachnids.
Sofia Brewer - Investigating the Presence of Novel Tissue-Resident Inflammatory Immune Cells within the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and their Effects on ACL Reconstructions
Maria Fernanda Falkenhagen Rodriguez - Single-Molecule Investigations of KIF1A Mutant Kinesin Motors Implicated in KIF1A Associated Neurological Disorders in Children
Milap Mistry - Surveying JNK Signaling in Drosophila models of ALS
Gracie Guerin - Formation of Metal Complexes, Cu(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) of Naringenin Hydrazone Flavonoid Derivatives for Cytotoxic, Antioxidant, and Anti-cancer Activities.
Sean Zsoldos - Phosphorylation of Adenosine Under Wet-Dry Cycling Within Coacervates
Zane Burris - Forming Coacervate-Containing Fatty Acid Vesicles in Conditions Mimicking Prebiotic Oceans
Alexis Dell - Oxidative Cross-Coupling of Monolignols and Model Peptides
Atlas Winemiller - Effects of Non-Watson-Crick Base Paired Structures on Thermodynamic Stability Of RNA Duplexes
Brandon Oswald - Explore the Impact of Lipid Geometry on Lipid Flip-flop Kinetics
SULAIMAN NASSER SULTAN AL TOOQI - Pulsating Oil Droplets and Potential Applications Research Proposal
Vancie Peacock - Life cycle assessment of a full-scale methane-oxidizing biofiltration system
Leena Wardeh - Exploring the Specialization of Expansion Segments in Stage-Specific Plasmodium Ribosomes
Alexandra Kwiatkowski - Investigating the Plastic Response in Cichlid Morphology due to Foraging Techniques
Lindsey Rogers - DNA Replication and DNA Damage Tolerance
Kushaal Chokhany - The Effect of Membrane Surface Charge and Ionic Strength in Solution on FUS Phase Separation Using High-Throughput Arrayed Microfluidic Devices
Yuki Yoshida - The inhibition of Erm methyltransferases in S. aureus to prevent antibiotic resistance
Caitlin Honus - The Connection Between Noise Pollution and Bird Cognition
Cecil Smith - Identifying insect communities associated with the rosinweed gall wasp Antistrophus silphii
Ryan White - Structural Semantic Network Comparison Study Via Multivariate Network Analysis Between Engineering Students and Students in Non-Engineering Disciplines
Elle McGregor - Categorizing the behavior of transgenic Alzheimer Disease zebrafish
Daniel Abramov - A Computational Study of the Interaction of Phenylalanine Hydroxylase with Phenylalanine in the Phenylalanine-Tyrosine Pathway
Siddarth Gupta - Enhancing backdoor detection in Deep Neural Networks
William Corvino - Combining Data- and Physics-Based Models to Reveal the Nature of Walking
Simran Mukhi - Investigating the Microstructure Dependence on Part Thickness in Binder Jet Printed Stainless Steel Using Ultrasonic Testing
Caroline Stickler - Evaluating the Effect of Peromycus leucopus Allogrooming on Ixodes scapularis Tick Feeding Success
Katrina Taylor - Searching For A Theorized Origin of Life Metabolic Pathway: Culturing the Wächtershäuser Pyrite-Forming Microorganisms from Two Independent Sample Sites
Emma Suplizio - The Effects of Clothing Size Inconsistency Experienced in Adolescence on Disordered Eating Trends Amongst Female College Students
Olivia Spotto - The Relationship Between Environment and Concealment of Sexual Identity in Working College Students
Lilly Riddle - Documenting the Lives of Irish Farmers Amid a Changing Political Landscape Using Multimedia Journalism
Sydney Bankert - The Future of Physical Therapy and Artificial Intelligence
Gregory Costanzo - Documenting North-Central Anii – Language Description, Analysis, and Preservation
Rachel Bonfini - Polycaprolactone 3D Printing for Bone Fracture Fixation
Quentin Anderson-Watson - Characterizing Interaction Modalities that Humans Use to Correct Different Types of Errors Made During Robot Task Execution
Joseph Broniszewski - Development of Model and Heat Exchanger Using Phase-change Material
Zachary McKee - Sonification of the Bay Tides From 2003 to 2023
Philip Chamberlin - Radial CNT-Si Core-Shell for Efficient Solar Harvesting
Baird Bankovic - Semi-automated Fabrication of Atomically Sharp Tips for Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
Anushka Durg - Optimization of the Next Generation of Tau Neutrino Detectors
Jillian Lesikar - The Relationship between Screen Time and Short-Term Empathetic Reactions in Young Children
Arushi Grover - Understanding Shakespeare’s "The Winter’s Tale" in a Post-Grief Society
Marianne Chico - To Bend Metal and Forge Clay: Exploring Applications of Ceramics and Steel
Erica Yozie - Analysis of Kink Solitons in Motion
Jenna Seigworth - Understanding the Underserved: Why Farmers Market Access is not Equitable

2022

Alessandr Ascani Orsini, Engineering — Fabrication of porous SiO2 Nanoparticles for analyte sensing in the brain
Nicole Bailey, Altoona — Yearly variation in the population density of an aquatic invader
Molly Burns, University Park — Investigating the Correlation Between Human Population and the Presence of Microplastics in the Susquehanna River
Benjamin Chang, Eberly College of Science — The Biological Function of a Twister Ribozyme at a Splice Junction in Danio Reriox
Nate Cherok, Earth and Mineral Sciences — Quantifying Nutritional Yield within Morocco’s Agroforestry Systems
Logan Coomes, York — Examining the Microbial Properties of Photocured Dental Materials
Nathan Cristello, Eberly College of Science — Recent Star Formation of X—ray Tidal Disruption Event Hosts
Maya Debski, Eberly College of Science — Classification of LOFAR Objects within the VIRUS Parallel Survey Field
Quinn Deitrick, Engineering — Developing a Haptic Feedback System for Task Performance Assistance
Sarah Esslinger, Arts and Architecture — A Performer’s Handbook for the Foreign Language Art Songs of Amy Beach
Leah Gallo, The Liberal Arts — An Archaeological Analysis of an Early Christian Identity in Corinth
Ashley Gelin, Eberly College of Science — The evolutionary history of the liver X receptors and the implications for functional specificity
Allison Giombetti, Eberly College of Science — Evaluating the foraging preferences of the avian community in tropical urban areas
Hunter Haggett, York — Elucidating the interaction and function of circadian rhythm genes from the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Gracie Harlow, Altoona — The effects of physical and chemical factors on New Zealand Mud Snail density and reproduction
Michael, Hewitt Eberly College of Science — Jellyfish Algal Symbiont Competition Under Heat Stressed Conditions
Alina Iwanowicz, Agricultural Sciences — Are Smart Birds More Reproductively Capable?
Sara Jimenez Rincon, Health and Human Development — The Role of Physical Activity on the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Anxiety Among College Students, Before and During the COVID—19 Pandemic
Emma Leaman, Harrisburg — Mental Health Liaison Internship Position Evaluation
Vincent Mariani, The Liberal Arts — An In-Depth Analysis of ʃɪ̀ and tʃɔ̀ɔ̀, Modality Markers in Anii
Dustin McCloskey, Agricultural Sciences — The Dependance of Climate Adapted Tree Species Seedling Survivorship on Percent Openness of Forest Canopy
Kayla McCreary, Eberly College of Science — Investigating Liquid—Liquid Phase Separation/Transition Effects on Virus Transmission
Emily Meinert, University Park — Mechanisms of FXR activation by synthetic ligands
Aureo Lucio Melo Zanon Neto, Eberly College of Science — Benchmarking of Statistical Models and Machine Learning to Predict Shannon Diversity in Microbiomes
Hannah Mirshahi, Eberly College of Science — Examining Clathrin Localization at Dendritic Branch Points
Sophia, Mucciolo Eberly College of Science — Impact of a milkweed aphid on monarch butterfly oviposition and larval survival
Alisha Naik, Earth and Mineral Sciences — Precisely Controlling Polymer Architecture to Synthesize Tough Nanostructured Materials
Naveen Narasimhalu, Engineering — Hairy nanocellulose coating for low concentration rare earth element recovery
Oscar Orellana, The Liberal Arts, World Campus — The Influences of Performance Expectancy on Cryptocurrency Traders’ Behavior During Initial Coin Offering (ICO) Projects
Andrew Panzo, Brandywine — Missouri Army Argus & Army Argus and Crisis: An Investigative look into Civil War Era Publishing
Rishika Patil, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the Role of Xanthine Dehydrogenase in the Neurological Function of Caenorhabditis elegans
Emma Petrick, The Liberal Arts — Determining the Significance of Primate Meat to the Diets of Tropical Forest—Dwelling Populations in Cross River, Nigeria
Timothy Pickarski, Earth and Mineral Sciences — Preferential Oxidation of Neodymium in Neodymium—Tin Liquid Metal Alloy
Sopida Pimcharoen, University Park — Influence of cell microenvironment mechanics on ultrasound—mediated drug delivery.
Kristin Michele Reilan, Behrend — Synthesis of Dimeric Bisindolines With Different R Group Substituents and Investigation of Their Biological Activity
Bailey Rocker, Health and Human Development, Berks — Examining eye performance capacities across different sport athletes
Alina Rodriguez, Berks — Depicting natural disaster data using interactive visuals
Angelina Santamaria, Earth and Mineral Sciences — Hidden Landscapes: The Secrets of Volcanoes through Visual Art
Aryan Sarin, Engineering, Berks — Building a Foot Strike Pattern Identifier Algorithm in TensorFlow
Blaise Sava, Agricultural Sciences — Employing Telemetry to Investigate the Natural History of a New Species of Purseweb Spider, Genus Sphodros
Ayush Sharma, Eberly College of Science — Novel Synthesis of Vicinal Stereoarrays by an Intramolecular Photochemical Radical Smiles—Truce Cascade
Julian Sim, Eberly College of Science — Expanding State Capacity in Network Models for Usage in Pandemic Modeling
Safitaj Sindhar, Berks — Antibiotic—Resistance Genes in the Sediment of the Delaware River Watershed
Arisha Tariq, Eberly College of Science, Harrisburg — Choline Supplementation in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Blood Pressure and Proopiomelanocortin Regulation
Claire Tse, University Park — Development and Characterization of Magnesium—Doped Citrate—Based Biomaterials for Orthopedic Tissue Regeneration
Austin White, University Park — Sonification of Addictive Substances
Zihao Zuo, Eberly College of Science — X—ray Enhancements of High—redshift Highly Radio—loud Quasars"

2021

Austin Albright, Harrisburg — Impact of Honor Concerns on Emotional Suppression and Mental Health
Sophie Anderlind, Behrend — The Investigation of Cortisol’s Effects of Iron Transport Proteins in Placental Cells
Shravan Asthana, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the Role of RBM8a in Synapse Formation – A Glial Lens
Brittany Bacorn, Beaver — Does Social Media Usage Effect Symptomatology for Those with Obsessive—Compulsive Disorder during the COVID—19 Pandemic?
Harshraj Bandyopadhyay, Eberly College of Science — Study of localized cooling of Photomultiplier Tubes using Thermoelectric Cooling devices
Taylor Berek, College of Engineering — Investigation of the Subpopulation Change of Protein DDLB Caused by Synonymous Mutations via Cryo—EM
Mihir Bhatnagar, College of Engineering — Exomoon Habitability around M—Dwarfs using Retrograde Orbits
Rachel Blansfield, College of Liberal Arts — The Association Between Adult Attachment Style and the Therapeutic Alliance: A Meta—Analytic Study
Abriana Cain, College of Health and Human Development — The Effect of Physical Activity and Energy Restriction on Tumor Hypoxia and Blood Vessel Normalization in the 4T1.2 Murine Breast Cancer Model
Mitchell Corsi, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Stormwater Treatment Using Biochar in Extreme Climate Events
Alyssa Curry, College of Agricultural Sciences — Impacts of Spring Brood Manipulation on Varroa Mite Populations in Honey Bee Colonies
Sydney Danso, Eberly College of Science — Frequency of giant pulse detection from the crab nebula pulsar
Molly Ehrig, Eberly College of Science — Effect of Signaling Molecules on Strain Diversity of the Euprymna—Vibrio Symbiosis
Gregory Ellsworth, College of Engineering — Rockfall Monitoring in PA
Geneva Flarend, Eberly College of Science — Examining the Effects of Stress on Opioid Use Behaviors
Anna Foltz, Eberly College of Science — Gene Trapping in Drosophila melanogaster
Kaylee Foor, College of Liberal Arts — Disparities by Race and Ethnicity in Anxiety and Depressive symptoms and the role of Stressors related to Education
Quentin Hales, Eberly College of Science — Numerical Solutions to the Forced Soliton Equation
Jack Ibinson, College of Agricultural Sciences — The Role of IRE1a and p53 in UVB Sensitivity of Human Keratinocytes
Abbey Kollar, College of Engineering — Investigating Nutrient and Chemical Recovery from Recycled Aqueous Phase of Hydrothermal Liquefaction
Mengde Liu, College of Engineering — Stochastic Simulations of Resistance to Targeted Therapies in Cancer Suggest a Tradeoff Between Evolutionary Trajectories
Sindy Liu, Eberly College of Science — Impact of pH on Phase—Separated Droplets as RNA Compartments
Nicole Lookfong, Harrisburg — Endocannabinoid Pharmacology of PTSD
Tara Lyons, Eberly College of Science — Theoretical Studies of Metallic Clusters on Nanographene for Future Materials
Katherine McRury, College of Arts and Architecture — Living with Nature: An Ethical Model for Coexistence—based Architecture
Abigail Melendez, Behrend — Understanding Lepidopteran (Butterflies and Moths) Biodiversity on the Penn State Behrend Campus by Collection and Identification Utilizing DNA Barcoding Technology
Eilene B. Deng, Eberly College of Science — Identification of Regions of DSIF Involved in NELF Recruitment
Jacob Moyer, Eberly College of Science — Somatostatin Neuropeptide, A Potential Therapeutic for Binge Drinking Behavior and Anxiety
Lauren Onweller, College of Engineering — Identifying Cancer Biomarkers and Developing Targeted CAR T Cell Therapy to Treat Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Aayushi Patel, Harrisburg — Exploring the antimicrobial potential of cannabinoids derived from Cannabis sativa (industrial hemp)
Vanessa Peduzzi, College of Agricultural Sciences — Treatment of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in Mice Through Administration of Δ12—prostaglandin—J2 Floating Matrix Tablets
Hannah Perrelli, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Weaponizing Water: How Colonial Policy Has Exacerbated the Disproportionate Devastation of COVID 19 in the Navajo Nation
Jack Piazza, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the Relationship Between Algorithmic Randomness and Uniform Distribution Modulo One
Chloe Roberts, College of Agricultural Sciences — Evaluating Ixodes scapularis burdens on Sylvilagus floridanus in suburban central Pennsylvania
Kelsey Ruhlman, York — Expression and function of SETDB1 in the ovaries of the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Tanner Sherry, College of Engineering — Impedance—Based Method for Monitoring Extracellular Space Dynamics During Spreading Depolarization
G. Michael Shott Jr., Berks — Beats, Rhymes and Life: An Autoethnography
Jordan Sigler, College of Liberal Arts — Coming Face—to—Face with Depression: The Impact of Depression Severity on Emotion Perception
Maria Smereka, Eberly College of Science — Optimizing the AggTag Fluorogenic Detection Method with SNAP— and Sortase—tags
Emily Snow, College of Engineering — Effects of Nanofiber Orientation on Cell Morphology and Early Osteoinductive Regulation for Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation
Elizabeth Soucy, College of Health and Human Development — The Effect of Cortisol in Human Lactation and Milk Composition
Edward Joseph Spagnuolo, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — The Only Known Fossil Floras of Paleogene Pakistan: Unraveling the India—Asia Collision Through Paleobotany
Zachary Stein, College of Arts and Architecture — Implementing Kinetic Movement Into Ceramic Art
Jacquelyn Stochel, College of Health and Human Development — Collecting Concreteness Rating Data in Older Adults
Rebecca Stroschein, College of Health and Human Development — Evaluation of an Online Training to Support Interaction Between Individuals using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Healthcare Professionals
David Taglieri, College of Education — Urban Street Networks: Roundabouts vs. Traditional Intersections
Olivia Tancredi, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the Effects of Nanoparticle Surface Chemistry on Charge Transfer and Photocatalytic Reactivity
Matthew Venable, College of Engineering — Development of Novel Citrate Polymer based In Situ Injectable Orthopedic Composites
Natalie Walter, College of Arts and Architecture — The Architecture of Decay
Zhijie Wang, Eberly College of Science — Effect of Hofmeister Ions on Optical Properties of Rhodamine 6G
Lauren Willett, Eberly College of Science — Interpreting Young Stellar Object Accretion Signatures from the VIRUS Spectrograph
Tanner Wolf, Eberly College of Science — Ring Opening Metathesis Polymerization of Sterically—Hindered Cyclophanes
Alexander Wu, College of Arts and Architecture — A Comparative Analysis of Mozart’s “Prussian” Quartets and Beethoven’s Op. 5 Cello Sonatas
Grant Zemanek, Eberly College of Science — Can Habitat Management Help Non—Target Species?

2020

Brooke Arner, College of Agricultural Sciences — The Role of Dietary Selenium in the Gut Microbiome of an IBD Infection Model
Leonardo Batista Capaverde Silva, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Studying the propulsion of particle adsorbed emulsion systems
Kyle Batra, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Eberly College of Science — Applying Scaling Laws for Stagnant Lid Convection With Buoyant and Negatively Buoyant Crusts to Determine Exoplanet Habitability
Nicole Bush, Eberly College of Science — Co-Amorphous Systems: A way to Improve Drug Solubility
Jason Cherry, College of The Liberal Arts — Soil and Steel: East German Economic Reconstruction
Julia Cipparulo, Eberly College of Science — Elucidating Gene Expression Changes Implicated in Major Depressive Disorder
Owen Courtney, Eberly College of Science — Exploring a Requirement for Mitochondrial Function in Cancer Cell Motility Through Challenging Physical Environments
Nina De Luna, College of Agricultural Sciences — Investigating the role of selenium and B cell selenoproteins in humoral immunity
Julia Edelmann, College of Arts and Architecture — Art History as a Resource for Art Curriculum in K-6 Art Programs
Emily Eiss, Behrend — Status of the methylome in Solanum tuberosum tubers treated with sprout inhibitor 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene
Elinor Farber, College of The Liberal Arts — Algerian Jewish Migration to France Archival Research
Danny Glickman, Eberly College of Science — Control of Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis in Polydimethylsiloxane
Nina Gold, College of Arts and Architecture — Two Cultures, One Cabaret: Understanding the Influence of Traditional French Cabaret on Modern American Cabaret
Erica Hanes, College of Health and Human Development — Transmission of Trauma: Cultural Values of Holocaust Survivor Offspring
Ruochuan Huang, Eberly College of Science — RNA folding under in vivo-like condition
Christopher Hudson, Eberly College of Science — Effect of heme on redox-regulated Eag1 K+ channels at the voltage sensor/pore
Austin Huynh, York — Development of CRISPR technology to study the genetics of circadian rhythms in the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Chyvonne Jessick, College of Agricultural Sciences — Assessing the Impact of Bird Strike Frequency on The Pennsylvania State University Campus
Lydia Jordache, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the Roles of 2',3'-cNMPs in Prokaryotic Stress Response
David Kennedy, College of Engineering — Antibiotic Removal by Modified Hairy Nanocellulose
Zineb Kobi, College of The Liberal Arts — Thank you study
Timothy Kuklis, Lehigh Valley — Green Thumb on A Red Planet
Gannon Lenhart, College of Engineering — Exploring Monopole Interactions
Xianqing Li, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Effect of Strain and Surface Energy on the Phase Formation of 2D Electronic Materials
Annie Liu, College of Arts and Architecture — Aural Distractions in Musical Performance: A Quantitative Exploration of Attention and Behavior
Anthony Mannarino, College of Engineering — Osgood-Schlatter Disease as a Model for Studying Structure-Function Relationships in the Knee Joint Extensor Mechanism
Eli Mertick Sykes, Eberly College of Science — Degradation of Protein Aggregates via Small Molecule Activation of Autophagy
Kennedy Miller, Eberly College of Science — Characterization of Lanmodulin Homologs as Lanthanide-Binding Proteins
Brock Molloy, Eberly College of Science — Using honey bee collected pollen as an early indicator for viral plant diseases impacting crops in Pennsylvania
Joseph Molnar, College of Engineering — Combustor Flow Field Characterization with Acoustic Forcing, Swirl Fluctuation, and Centerbody Inclusion for Flow Structure Control in Gas Turbine Systems
Vitaliy Mykhnyak, Abington — Investigation of gamma ray radiation on WSE2
Casssandra Nunez, College of Engineering — Studying the Effect of Environmental Stressors on Bacterial Motion using Time-resolved Monitoring of Optical Scattering
Laurena Olsen, Eberly College of Science — The Effects of Natural RNA Modifications on G-Quadruplex Formation
Emma Orloski, College of The Liberal Arts — Magic Mirror on the Wall: Gratitude Alters Self-Image and Aids Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Ann Marie Paterno, Eberly College of Science — Nano-Mesh Materials Produced through Anodized Impure Aluminum
Serenah Pauliuc, Berks — Characterization of the Durability of Bio-Based Composites for Construction Applications
Jenna Phillips, Berks — Sensor Placement for Monitoring Both Equine and Rider Activity
Taylor Pust, Eberly College of Science — Investigation of Adhesion Characteristics on Lodged Thromboemboli and Cerebral Arteries
Joseph Razon, Abington — Investigation of Defect Chemistry in 2D Materials
Josie Rice, Harrisburg — Characterization of the role of the long non-coding RNA MEG3 in the autophagy of human glomerular epithelial cells following injury induced by high glucose
Lauren Rickert, College of Arts and Architecture — How Isabella d’Este’s collection reflects women’s patronage during the Renaissance
Oliver Rose, College of The Liberal Arts — The Victorian Red Pill: A Genealogy of the Neoreactionary Movement and its Ideology
Serena Schade, Berks — Effects of Online Social Network on College Students’ Attitudes towards Physical Activity
Matthew Schubach, Eberly College of Science — Synthesis of Catalytically-Active Organic Nanoparticles
Maria Schultheis, College of Agricultural Sciences — The Future of Photovoltaics: Using Amino Acid Chains as Molecular Electronics
Jay Sim, College of Engineering — Reinventing Foundry in a Box for the 21st Century
Harman Singh, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Examining the Relationship between Flooding and Land Use Land Cover in Kochi through a Mixed Method Approach
Taylor Slusser, College of The Liberal Arts — The Role of Eternity in Scriptural Interpretation within the Epistle to the Hebrews
Courtney Smith, College of Information Sciences and Technology — Using Social Media to Perform Parasocial Relationships with Celebrities
Kelly Snyder, College of Nursing — Examining the Effect of a Growth Mindset on Personality Faking
Josephine Soddano, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the Effect of Race on Courtroom Dynamics
Shivani Sowmyan, College of Health and Human Development — Analysis of Structural Brain Imaging Data in Pediatric Samples —The Impact of Using Adult vs Pediatric Templates in Data Processing
Thomas Starr, Eberly College of Science — Characterizing the Single Molecule Dynamics of Cellulases in the Presence of Multiple Cellulose Degrading Enzymes
Carolyn Telfer, Eberly College of Science — Proposed Mechanism for Conversion of 4-chloro-lysine into 4-chloro-allyl-lysine via BesC
Bruce Tirrell, College of The Liberal Arts — The Effect of Gender Diversity and Geographic Dispersion on Continued Interdisciplinary Collaboration in NSF-Funded Teams
Alexander Trevelino, College of Agricultural Sciences — Economic Efficiency of Different Lighting Systems in Hydroponic Production of Lettuce
Cristina Valentina Craescu, Eberly College of Science — Catalysis-Induced Mobility of Enzyme-Bound Lipid Bilayers
Makarand Wadagave, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Studying Oxidation of WSe2 in ambient conditions via Raman Spectroscopy, Photoluminescence imaging, and Scanning electron microscopy
Yuyang Wang, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the photocatalytic properties of ZnSe Mn2+ nanoparticles
Thomas Weidman, Berks — The role of PKA in regulating CPT1 splicing in the Drosophila fat body
Colin Williams, College of Engineering — Nonlinear ultrasonics for characterization of fracture toughness in steel alloys
Huntur Woodard, York — Identification of Molecular Markers for Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) and the Effects of Wild Fire on Western Fence Lizard Genetic Diversity
Keaton Wright, Fayette — Determination of Trajectories of Magnetic Monopoles

2019

Kaylee Aaron, University College — The Need for Status: An Evolutionary Explanation for Mental Health Issues from Social Media Use
Ethan Adams, Berks — Protein Folding through Generative Adversarial Networks
Alexa Anderson, College of Health and Human Development — Language, Screens, and Development
Rachel Bartlett, Eberly College of Science —The Influence of Adolescent Social Stress on Opioid Receptor Gene Expression
Lena Becker, College of the Liberal Arts — Exploring the Relation Between Adult Attachment Relationship Functioning and Personality Disorders
Elizabeth Bell, Capitol —Stream Restoration’s Efficiency in Abating Excess Nutrients and Heavy Metals
Joseph Binkin, College of Engineering —Using Design as a Research Method to Investigate Issues of Equity and Bias in AI-enabled Hiring Systems
Hayden Bock, College of Agricultural Sciences — Influences of polyculture cropping systems on weed success
Isabel Brady, College of the Liberal Arts — These Boots are Made for Walking, But Where Do They Rest? Urban Accommodation & Architecture for Rome-Bound Pilgrims in Siena, Italy
Amanda Rose Byrd, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — The Relationship Between Water Stress and Marcellus Legacy Fund Investment in Pennsylvania Municipalities
Lauren Chamberlain, Eberly College of Science — Synthesis of Photocatalysts for applications in Surface Chemistry and Heterogeneous Catalysis
Yu-Jen Chiu, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Orientational Effects on Complex Emulsion Droplet Chemotactic Interactions
Carley Danielson, College of the Liberal Arts — C.R.E.A.T.E. Meaningful Learning: A Strategic Investigation of the Pedagogical Efficacy of Primary Literature-Based Undergraduate Education in Psychology
Autumn Deitrick, College of Engineering — Optimizing the Weir Equation for Nature-Like Fish Passages
Nicholas Alexander DiNunzio, Behrend — An Investigation on the Effects of Elastic Recovery on Sheet Metal During Bend-Stretch Forming
Jonathan Ehring, Capitol —Dispersion of Carbon Nanotubes Using Surface Active Agents
Victor Ficarra, University College — Using Neural Networks to Generate Daily Fantasy Sports Lineups
Kelan B Fogarty, University College — Synthesis and Characterization of a Series of Metal Containing Isobutyl POSS Compounds
Kristina Franklin, Altoona — Does personality type predict exercise behavior in zebrafish, Danio rerio, a common animal model of human disease
Cameron Franz, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Understanding Equity and Producer Risk in Cherry Value Chains of Morocco
William Fullerton, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Developing Viable Polymer Electrolyte Membranes
Nicholas Gigliotti, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Encapsulation of ceramide in calcium phosphosilicate nanoparticles to treat run away inflammatory responses in the lungs of pediatric patients
Lindsey Goodnight, College of Engineering — Development of Rapid, Array-formatted Electrochemical Antibacterial Susceptibility Testing (ECAST)
Anna Graef, College of Arts and Architecture — Shino Glazing: Contemporary American Adaptations of Traditional Japanese Techniques
James Graef, College of Agricultural Sciences — Analyzing International Public Transit Operational Procedures
Alyssa Grube, College of Engineering — Current and Power Generation of Hyperthermophilies in Two-Chamber Microbial Fuel Cells, Engineering
John Gurklis, College of The Liberal Arts — Historical Preservation and Development at Khan al-Umdan: Acre (Akko), Israel
Hayley Hurt, University College — Exploration of Epigenetic Effects on Offspring Behavior, Infection Rate, and Methylation Patterning in a Beetle-Tapeworm System
Bradley Irizarry, University College — Glowing spiders; using PiggyBac transposable elements to localize and alter specific genes in the common house spider
Edward Issertell, Eberly College of Science — Elucidating the Order of Metal Binding Between EF-hands in Lanmodulin
Anam Jafri, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Understanding Microscopic and Macroscopic Properties of Graft Copolymers
Basel Karim, Eberly College of Science — Detection of Protein Refolding via a Reverse Environmentally-Sensitive Fluorescent Probe
Siddharth Karthikeyan, Eberly College of Sciences — Functional Analysis of Genes in the 15q11.2 CNV Deletion and Associated Phenotypic Outcomes
Annalyse K Kehs, College of Engineering — The use of Satellites to Survey Small-holder Farmers Fields
Kathryn King, Eberly College of Science — Elk K+ channel modulation and neuronal signaling
Yuran Kong, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) for Nickel-Aluminum Alloys
Kalei H Kowalchik, University College — Nurses Perceptions of Palliative Care and the Impact it has on Palliative Care Referrals in the Acute Care Setting
Nicholas Kuhn, Altoona — EDG Transverse Flux Motor
Victoria Leger, Eberly College of Science — Caught in the Act: Duty Cycles of Accreting Compact Objects
Yihao Lin, College of Engineering — An Investigation of Carbon Nanotubes as Enzyme Delivery Vectors
Nicholas Litak, Eberly College of Science — Magnetic Properties of Alkanethiolate-Protected Gold Nanoparticles
Kathryn Luteran, College of Agricultural Sciences — Analysis of the role of Miwi2 dependent regulation of histone modifications in stress erythropoiesis
Amanda Martin, Berks — Erickson Discovery Grant Screenplay Proposal
Aileen McKinstry, College of the Liberal Arts — Justice Scalia's Enduring Constitution: An examination of Modern-day Originalism as it Compares to the Original Intent of the Founding Fathers
Matthew Mouck, Eberly College of Science — Bioinformatic Discovery of Novel Riboswitches in the Human Gut Microbiome
Lily Murray, College of the Liberal Arts — Lesbian History Archival Research
Magnus Murray, Berks — Instrumented Frisbee to Study the Aerodynamics of Frisbees
Guinevere Vanbuskirk Oliver, Eberly College of Science — Biophysical and Biochemical Characterization of Mitochondrial Transcription in the Presence of STAT3 and TEAD4
Courtney Page, College of Agricultural Sciences — Investigation into the regulation of [1, 25(OH)2D3] by CPY24A1 and the impact on T cell proliferation
Jay Pendyala, Eberly College of Science — A Mechanistic Study of LipA's Fe-S cluster Regeneration
Philip P Ratnasamy, Eberly College of Science — Understanding Light Touch Sensation in Class III DA Drosophila Neurons
Lily Qing Lian Robinson, College of Agricultural Sciences — Role of IRE1α Mutations in Cancer Pathogenesis
Samuel Rovito, College of Agricultural Sciences — Mechanisms in Receptor Binding Preference of H3N2 Influenza with Regards to Potential Mammalian Transmission
Katelyn Rudisill, Eberly College of Science — Understanding How Cdk5 Localizes Essential Proteins for Proper Neuronal Function in Class 1 DA Drosophila Neurons
Juan Alexander Sanchez Caba, University College —The influence of developmental starvation on neurotransmitter levels and behavior in the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Lauren Sarko, Eberly College of Science — Functional Annotation of Uncharacterized Protein “Mosquito Defect” (PY17X_0719100) in Plasmodium yoelii
Steven Schneible, College of the Liberal Arts — Brief Encounters with Hideous Diseases: The Fiction of David Foster Wallace as Experiences of Psychopathology
Cody Shakespeare, Eberly College of Science — Simulating the Resonant Chains of HR-8799 and GJ-876
Jessica Smith, Eberly College of Science — Development of High Strength, Rapidly Degradable Bone Composites for Treatment of Osteoporosis
Lucy C Spicher, College of Engineering — 3D Printed Occupational Therapy Devices: Establishing a Market in Developing Communities
Amira Spikes, Abington — Trash or Treasure?: The Effects of Date Label Perception on Food Sustainability
John Patrick Stein, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Templated Synthesis of Nanoparticles in Diblock Copolymer Colloidal Systems
Rachel Danielle Swope, Eberly College of Science — Identifying a Reporter for Dendrite Regeneration in Neurons of the Drosophila Peripheral Nervous System
Emily Thyrum, Eberly College of Science — Improved modeling of Cherenkov light produced by neutrino interactions in the South Pole ice
Israel Tucker, Altoona — Forced Migration and Human Rights: Approaching Global Issues with Young Children in Classroom Settings
Cassidy Ulanowicz, Behrend — Determining the Parasite Community of Invasive Snails Species in Erie, Pennsylvania
Andrew White, College of Engineering — Complex Design of Heat Sinks using Additive Manufacturing
Joshua Ian Wolgamuth, University College — The Impact of Fire on Lizard Malaria Prevalence and Diversity in Northern California
Chen Ta Yu, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Investigates a new approach for recovering rare-earth fission products from molten chlorides using liquid metals to reduce nuclear waste
Anthony Zhang, Eberly College of Science — Integrated Curriculum: Teaching Math Through Music
Yinqi Zhang, Eberly College of Science — Learning the Dynamics of Substance Abuse in Social Networks
Xinye Zhao, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Theoretical Prediction and Investigation of Voltage and Energy Density of Fluoride-Based Batteries

2018

Troy Adams, Eberly College of Science — Age Estimation Model From DNA Methylation and Accuracy Under Variable Strain Using Nanopore Sequencing
Julio Aira IV, Abington — Sustainability and Testing of 3-D Printing Prosthetic Socket
Jacob John Alexander, Behrend — Study of the Elastic Recovery and Residual Hoop Stress in Steel-Aluminum Rings
Vivek Anil, College of Engineering — Graphene-based Scaffold for Neuron Regeneration Study
Audrey Arner, Eberly College of Science — The functional and evolutionary genomics of sexual dimorphism in Homo sapiens
Eric Louis Baker, College of Engineering — Determining Causes of Attrition in Engineering Graduate Students Through Natural Language Processing
Bridget Baksa, Berks — Multi-Objective Spatial Clustering with Multiple Constraints
Rebecca Anne Barnes, College of the Liberal Arts — Switching between languages that share the same vocabulary: What keeps them apart
Celeste Marie Belknap, College of Arts and Architecture — Nina Makarova’s Symphony in D Minor: a study of her composition in the context of political and gender oppression
Emily R. Blaker, University College — The Effects of School Stress on Student-Athlete Academics and Sport Enjoyment
Nathaniel Andrew Bledsoe, Eberly College of Science — Activation of Factor XII in Respect to Cardiovascular Biomaterial
Andrew Sean Blount, Eberly College of Science — Detecting Anti-Neutrinos with WATCHMAN
Anna Pauline Brogan, Eberly College of Science — The Investigation of Antiprotozoal KKL-8692 as a trans-Translation Inhibiting Compound for Antimicrobial Use
Cole Tyler Brown, Behrend — A Tale of Terrestrial Origins: A Hypothesis for Water on the Primordial Mars
Kathryn K. Bruce, University College — The evolutionary and molecular mechanisms of sexual size dimorphism in the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Rebecca Bussard, Eberly College of Science — Analyzing Deformation of Telica Volcano through the Use of Remote Sensing Data
Darcy Chia Calabria, College of the Liberal Arts — The Relationship between Cult and Iron Smithing at Phoenician Tel Akko, Israel
Mia Elizabeth Caputo, College of the Liberal Arts — Self-Resemblance and the Cross-Race Memory Effect
Sabrina Anne Carrozzi, College of Engineering — On-Demand 3-D Printing Thermally Cured Polymer Nanoparticle Composites
Julia Catena, Eberly College of Science — Determining the Tissue Specificity of an NAD+ Biosynthetic Enzyme in C. elegans
Ian David Chamberlain, University College — The Physiological and Environmental Effects of Caffeinated Compost on Green Beans
Yumih Chang, College of Arts and Architecture — Documentation and Multimedia Display Creation on Keisuke Oka's ‘Arimasuton-Biru’ for New Media and Architectural Studies
Carlos M. Curay, Eberly College of Science — The Correlation of Spontaneous Seizures to Cardiac Damage in Epileptic Rat Models
Ryan Michael Czekaj, College of Arts and Architecture — Primary Source Research for Elgar’s ‘Three Characteristic Pieces’
Lauren Echols, College of the Liberal Arts — Syntactic ambiguity resolution in Spanish speakers and Spanish-English bilinguals
Victor David Ellis, Eberly College of Science — Mechanism Of Recombination In Enteroviruses
Emma Stephanie Gogarnoiu, Eberly College of Science — KH protein domains and how they bind to Fe (II)
Chujie Gong, College of Engineering — A 3-D Image-based Study of Biomechanics for Glenoid Implant and Bone
Nakul Grover, College of the Liberal Arts — Impact of immigration in South Asia: Burmese immigrants in Bangladesh and migration to India
Mindy Sarah Gruzin, University College — Evolutionary consequence of genome duplication on developmental expression of octopamine receptor in the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Catherine Elise Hanagan, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Tectonics, Magmatism, and Climate Change: Investigating the Location and Magnitude of North America-Eurasia plate motion in Iceland
Tice Ryan Harkins, Eberly College of Science — Characterizing Flow and Clotting in PDMS Channels Using Micro-Particle Image Velocimetry
Michael T. Heigh, Eberly College of Science — Using Pectin Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana to Better Understand Plant Cell Growth
Corey Herr, Eberly College of Science — Hardware Development and Data Analysis for LZ Dark Matter Detector
Raymond Lawrence Hoy, College of the Liberal Arts — Analyzing Student Usage and Attitudes Towards Green2Go to Promote a More Cost Effective To-go Container
Ya-Lin Huang, College of Engineering — CTC Recognition by Image Processing for FMSA Liquid Biopsy
Maria Rose Hudock, College of Engineering — Softshell Turtle Collagen for the Development of a Lung Tissue Scaffold
Kailash Jayachandran, Eberly College of Science — Determining the Mechanism of NeuroD1 Mediated Reprogramming of Astrocytes into Glutamatergic Neurons
Catherine Karbasiafshar, Eberly College of Science — Exploration of suppressor mutations in a Bacillus subtilis strain deficient for NusA
Annalyse K. Kehs, College of Engineering — Application of Artificial Intelligence to Detect Lycorma delicatula
Itsuhiro Ko, College of Agricultural Sciences — Detecting mobile DNA movement between host and parasitic plant, a potential mechanism of HGT
Nicole Grace Laganke, Eberly College of Science — Investigating the Lethality in NAD+ Deficient nmrk-1 Caenorhabditis elegans in Environments of Oxidative Stress
Joash Malakani Lake, Eberly College of Science — Wolbachia Infection: Understanding the Requirements between Aedes aegypti and Wolbachia
Samantha Long, University College — How Student Satisfaction and Motivation in School is affected by Negative Life Events
Gregory Paul Lutz, University College — Exploring the Physiological Causation of Parasitic Host Manipulation
Fabiola Maldonado, Eberly College of Science — Neural Excitability and Inflammation in High Fat Diet Induced Depressive-Like Brain States
Kathryn Lynn Mayberry, College of the Liberal Arts — Reclaiming Disabled Poetry; William Carlos Williams' Late Work
Phoebe McClincy, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — Primordial Black Holes as a Dark Matter Candidate
Christian Murphy, College of Engineering — Proposal for Automated Design for Additive Manufacturing Optimization through Machine Learning
Jeremy Mysliwiec, Eberly College of Science — Analysis of a two-population chemotaxis model with competitive dynamics
Lane Z. Naugle, College of Agricultural Sciences — Testing the effect of anthropogenic noise pollution upon nesting songbird communication channels and reproductive success
Vance Noah, Behrend — Synthesis and Biochemical Evaluation of Piperine Amide Analogs for Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition
Danielle Marie Reilly, University College — Using Evolutionary Relevant Fear Stimuli to Enhance Memory
Colton Ruggery, Eberly College of Science — The Effects of the α3β4 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonist, 18-Methoxycoronaridine (18-MC), on Alcohol-Related Behaviors
Emily Sellinger, Eberly College of Science — Predicting Lyme disease Cases Using Mouse Trap Sales
Rachel E. Shriver, College of Education — Más Que Mojitos: Reciprocity within Global Conversations Course
Benjamin Simonson, Eberly College of Science — Life-history trade-off between immunity and thermoregulation in bumblebees
Jessica Jean Smith, Eberly College of Science — Development of Citrate/Magnesium Phosphate Dual Network Injectable Composites for Orthopedic Tissue Engineering
Emily C. Snell, Eberly College of Science — In Vitro and Ex Vivo profiling of Antibiotic Properties of Tetrazole Analogs that Target trans-Translation
Danielle Judy Spewak, College of Arts and Architecture — Reality Destination
Steven G. Stamm, Berks — Reduction of Drag by Adding Longitudinal Grooves
Michelle Suhendra, Eberly College of Science — Functional Characterization of PF13_0114, an ApiAP2 transcription factor in malaria parasite P. falciparum
Lichen Sun, College of Engineering — Design of Low Leakage Pouch Cells for Electric Double-layer Capacitor (EDLC) Applications
Jonathan Frances Thomas, Eberly College of Science — In vivo analysis of the RNA binding domain of the transcriptional pausing factor, NELF
Gavin Turner, Eberly College of Science — Characterization of the FaRLiP Phycobilisome Complex by Knockout Mutagenesis in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7335
Seth Wilcox, College of Education — Large Scale Keyphrase Evaluation via Crowdsourcing
Madison I. Winkowski, University College — Pharacological characterization of dopamine receptors in the common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum
Madeline Winn, College of Agricultural Sciences — Programmed Cell Death Proteins as CL Saviors: Examining the Role of PD-1 and PD-L1 in Luteal Rescue
Stephen Daniel Worrell, College of Agricultural Sciences — Characterizing IRE1alpha Dependent Leukocyte Recruitment Signaling in UV Induced Inflammation
Amanda Yaya, Eberly College of Science — Investigation of Interictal Hemodynamics in Rat Models Using Oxygen-Sensing Electrodes
Philip Navin Zachariah, Eberly College of Science — A Fly on the Wall: Bridging the Gap Between Penn State Research Laboratories and the Student Community
Chenzhang Zhou, Altoona — Why Phonons Behavior in Transition Metal Dichalcogenides Matter
Everett Zofchak, College of Engineering — Synthesis of Polymeric Nanostructures Via Order-Order and Disorder-Order Transition