Apply during your sophomore year! A cohort of 4 new students is selected yearly and they will be financially supported by the U-RISE program during their junior and senior years.
Kyla Grant
Major: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Zhenquan Jia
Research: Kyla is conducting research on the effects of xenobiotics, specifically micro and nanoplastics (M-NPLs), on the cardiovascular system. She is investigating the health of Human Aortic Endothelial Cells (HAEC) after they have encounter M-NPLs under the supervision of Dr. Jia. She uses Laboratory techniques such as RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, qRT-PCR assays and flow cytometry to analyze the effects of M-NPLs on HAECs as well as the possible pathways of uptake.
Stephanie Fisher-Huynh
Major: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Eric Josephs
Research: Stephanie is pursuing research to create new molecular tools that can help detect genetic diseases and possibly become more accessible for those who need gene therapy.
Tiana Lillevig
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Petersen
Research: Tiana’s research is focused on the formation of enantioenriched delta lactams via asymmetrical synthesis as these molecules have been observed in various biologically important molecules/drugs.
Marcos Tapia
Major: Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Shabnam Hematian
Research: Marco’s research is based on the characterization of synthetic analogues of various metalloenzyme active sites (i.e., copper and iron containing enzymes such as cytochrome c oxidase, β-hydroxylase, and cytochrome P450). He has been involved in investigating the redox behavior of these model systems using various electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry. He is currently working on his first-authored manuscript on the effect of matrix on the redox behavior of copper models.
Daniel Araya
Major: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Ayalew Osena
Research: Daniel is pursuing research on how to enhance the tolerance of tobacco plants to harmful environmental factors, such as dehydration, heat stress, and low potential hydrogen (PH).
Victoria Farris
Major: Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Nadja Cech
Research: Victoria’s project goal is to identify and isolate compounds with antimicrobial activity from plants and fungi. She has been testing fungi samples against Acinetobacter baumannii and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. She uses mass spectrometer to analyze the data.
Sarah Hudson
Major: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Zhenquan Jia
Research: Sarah’s undergraduate research will study effects of microplastics and nanoplastics (M-NPLs) on the development of atherosclerosis by looking at M-NPLs toxicity, uptake in endothelial cells and the underlying internalization pathways.
Canaan “Sky” Strickland
Major: Psychology
Mentor: Dr. Kari Eddington
Research: Sky’s current topic of interest lies within the field of psychological stigma research. He aims to reconcile past research’s underrepresentation of minoritized and disadvantaged people. His current proposal in concerned with conducting research with rural populations to ensure their representation within psychological research. He hopes to research the role that the rural specific value of “religious fundamentalism” plays in the formation of mental health stigma, and ultimately, help-seeking attitudes.
Sydney Thompson
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Prashanti Manda
Research: Sydney is leading a project to analyze and compare the top RNA secondary-structure prediction programs under Dr. Manda’s supervision for accuracy, ease of use, and other criteria to give better insight into the tools of the field. Her project is an extension of her work done with the Rouskin Lab at Harvard Medical School.
Logan Brown
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Mitch Croatt
Research: Logan is currently researching different organic chemistry synthetic methods under the supervision of Dr. Croatt. Previously, he worked with a novel compound and the Diels-Alder reaction and is now currently a part of a larger project creating a substrate scope for the Claisen rearrangement.
Daniel Araya
Major: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Ayalew Osena
Research: Daniel is pursuing research on how to enhance the tolerance of tobacco plants to harmful environmental factors, such as dehydration, heat stress, and low potential hydrogen (PH).
Jonathan Dean
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Petersen
Research: Jonathan is studying new asymmetric methods of synthesizing simple enantioenriched compounds, which can be used as building blocks to more complex molecules with biologically important properties. He is currently working as part of a project to synthesize lactones with chiral centers.
David Miller
Major: Psychology
Mentor: Dr. Kari Eddington
Research: David’s research seeks to identify a potential causal relationship between behaviors learned through military training, reinforcement, and social folkways and maladaptive post-service adjustment. These behaviors and perceptions, while a functional necessity during combat or training, manifest in maladaptive forms post-discharge as the veteran is removed from the conditions in which they were practical.
Sydney Thompson
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Norman Chiu
Research: Under Dr. Chiu’s supervision, Sydney has joined one of his NIH-funded projects which focuses on analyzing the RNA modifications in glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain tumor, by using the patient-derived cellular models. This is a collaborative project with the Tannous group at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
Caroline Nelson
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Sappington
Research: Caroline studied the effects of interleukin-6 signaling on interactions between the microtubule associated protein stathmin, and the major downstream effector of the cytokine, STAT3, in retinal ganglion cell health and function. Her most recent project focused on identifying the roles of interleukin-6 in age-related retinal degeneration and axonal transport in the optic nerve.
Awards: ABRCMS ePoster Award in Cell Biology (2020)
Jade Lyons
Major: Biology, Biotechnology Concentration
Minor: Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Ayalew Osena
Research: Jade worked on enhancing the nutritional quality, yield, and stress resilience of cassava via genetic engineering. This involved inserting transgenes into the plant’s genome and then doing a molecular characterization of the transgenic plant.
Awards:
- ABRCMS ePoster Award in Cell Biology (2021)
- STEM “Honorable Mention” in the UNCG Carolyn and Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo (2021)
- UNCG Biology Department Undergraduate Research Award (Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022)
Jennifer Obike
Major: Biochemistry
Minor: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Oberlies
Research: Jennifer worked on the isolation of compounds from fungi. It involves extractions and analyzing the extracts to identify the compounds present in the fungi culture.
Awards:
- (NSF GRFP) National Science Foundation Graduate Research Honorable Mention (2022)
- ABRCMS ePoster Award in Chemistry (2021)
- STEM “Honorable Mention” in the UNCG Carolyn and Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo (2021 and 2022)
Kala Youngblood
Major: Chemistry, Biochemistry Concentration
Minor: American Sign Language
Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Peterson
Research: Kala studied new methods of synthesizing asymmetric molecules. These types of molecules are common in drug targets and biologically active compounds. She worked on a project to synthesize lactones and lactams using a stereoselective Pinner cyclization.
Awards and Honors:
- (NSF GRFP) National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program 2022
- Women in Math and Science Scholarship (2022)
- Provost Student Excellence Award (2022)
- Goldwater Scholar (2021). Kala was selected as the first UNCG Goldwater Scholarship recipient since 2012! She was one of 410 Scholars selected from over 5,000 students nominated by their home institutions during the 2021 application cycle.
- Summerlin Family Scholarship (2020-2022)
- Mr. and Mrs. W. Y. Farrell Memorial Scholarship (2022)
- ABRCMS ePoster Award in Chemistry (2020).
Christopher Roberts
Major: Biochemistry
Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Oberlies
Research: Chris studied the isolation of new cytotoxic compounds from fungi. This involves extraction and structure elucidation of secondary metabolites from fungi and testing them against different types of cancers including human melanoma, human breast cancer, and human ovarian cancer.
Chioma Cindy Onokalah
Major: Chemistry, Biochemistry concentration
Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Petersen
Research: Cindy worked alongside Dr. Petersen to synthesize enantioenriched heterocyclic bioactive molecules. She tried to synthesize a lactam using a chiral Brønsted acid to initiate a stereoselective C-N bond.
Danni Brower
Major: Psychology
Minor: Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Chris Wahlheim
Research: Danni studied individual variation in aspects of attention and memory. Her research involved characterizing participants’ levels of working memory capacity, attentional control, and schizotypy and examining their correlation with cued recall, memory for change, and free recall.
Sasha Adams
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Santin
Research: Sasha’s research topics included cellular neuroscience, comparative neurobiology, and electrophysiology. She worked to determine which aspects of neuronal function are most critical to improving the brain performance under energetic stress. Her research looked at a model neuronal circuit system that has the ability to shift between two states. Over a certain time period it can transform itself into a system that works under hypoxic conditions from a system that doesn’t. Within this system she focused on how it modifies different neuronal processes, the building blocks of the brain, in order to function normally without oxygen when it hadn’t before. She looked at things such as metabolism, neuronal signaling, and homeostasis, all of which are key components to neuronal function in both humans and this model system. Learning how
this system is changing in order to become hypoxia resistant could potentially be translated to the human brain, ultimately making it possible for humans to avoid brain damage when exposed to hypoxic conditions.
Awards: Winner of the Spring 2020 Novo Nordisk Award for Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology
Oluwaseyi Isijola
Major: Public Health
Minor: Spanish
Mentor: Dr. Sandra Echeverria
Research: Seyi worked with an epidemiologist in the UNCG public health department to examine the relationship between occupational stress and leisure-time physical activity. He conducted focus groups with Latinos in the Greensboro community to gather information for an evidence-based intervention that targets diabetes.
Madeline Rees
Major: Psychology
Minor: Biology
Mentor: Dr. George Michel
Research: Madeline studied the developmental trajectory of hand use preference in infants.
Mo’nay Rodgers
Major: Biology – Human Biology concentration
Minor: Chemistry and Psychology
Mentor: Dr. Joseph Graves
Research: Mo’nay studied the phage and metal resistance antagonistism in Escherichia coli.
Megan Toler
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry and Psychology
Mentors: Dr. John Kiss and Dr. Tatsiana Shymanovich
Research: Megan studied gravitropic and phototropic responses in arabidopsis plants.
Kimberrly Colon
Major: Psychology
Minor: Biology
Mentor: Dr. Gabriela Livas Stein
Research: Kimberrly worked in Dr. Steins ‘Caminos’ Lab.
Alicia Costa-Terryll
Majors: Archaeology & Biology
Mentors: Dr. Charles Egeland & Dr. Bruce Kirchoff
Research: Alicia researched paleoecological environments in the Olduvai Gorge.
Lauren Dorn
Major: Kinesiology
Minors: Chemistry & Psychology
Mentors: Dr. Laurie (Gold) Wideman & Dr. Meghan Rose (Gangel)
Research: Lauren studied the protective effect of positive parenting on neighborhood quality/socioeconomic status on insulin resistance (Psychology/Endocrinology).
Alexis Rice
Major: Psychology
Minor: Sports Coaching
Mentor: Dr. Erin Reifsteck
Research: Alexis conducted research with the Morehouse Health Literacy Project (beginning in 2018).