Current Academic Year Grant Recipients

Undergraduate Research Grants in 2025 – 2026    

“Effects of Volatile Repellents on Spotted Wing Drosophila”
     Student: Rana Alzyoud
     Mentor: Dr. Vonnie Shields (Biological Sciences)

“Identifying Critical Amino Acids in Gene Product 94 Essential for Lytic Phage Infection”
     Student: Abena Amfo-Koranteng
     Mentor: Dr. Stephen Hancock (Chemistry & Forensic Science)

“Investigating the Effects of Lesion-Induced Damage on Radial Glial Morphology and Reactive Gliosis in the Cerebral Cortex of Turtle Brains”
     Student: Elena Christou
     Student: Kyle Hastings
     Mentor: Dr. Carmen Falcone (Biological Sciences)

“Heavy Metal Contaminants in Ashwagandha Herbal Supplements”
     Student: Mikayla Garraty
     Mentor: Dr. Kelly Elkins (Chemistry & Forensic Science)

“LACV in Chipmunk Samples”
     Student: CJ Gaskill
     Mentor: Dr. Kishana Taylor (Biological Sciences)

“Role of COL5A1 Variation in Physical Activity and Injury ”
     Student: Lauren Greene
     Mentor: Dr. Kathryn E. McDougal (Biological Sciences)

“Search for Non-toxic Counterparts of (Tl,Hg)BaCaCuO High Tempearture
superconductors”
     Student: Tyler Hannesson
     Mentor: Dr. Vera Smolyaninova (Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences)

“Investigating the Role of the P2-P3 Helices in an RNA Riboswvitch”
     Student: Paige Headley
     Mentor: Dr. Ana-Maria Soto (Chemistry & Forensic Science)

“Characterizing the Replication Dynamics of La Crosse Virus in Vero Cells”
     Student: Elexa Jones
     Mentor: Dr. Kishana Taylor (Biological Sciences)

“Analyzing Mutations at the J24 Juction Region of an RNA Riboswitch”
     Student: Manal Khan
     Mentor: Dr. Ana-Maria Soto (Chemistry & Forensic Science)

“Experimental Methodologies Involved in the Interaction of Host-Pathogen Systems: The Effects of Crispr Cas9 Mutants in Dictyostelium discoideum Genes”
     Student: Tatah Lamin
     Mentor: Dr. Michelle Snyder (Biological Sciences)

“Attenuated Total Reflectance - Fourier Transform InfraRed Spectroscopy Characterization of Pressure Sensitive Adhesives: Before and After Chemical Fingerprint Processing ”
     Student: Meagan Miguelpablo
     Mentor: Dr. Khanh-Hoa Tran-Ba (Chemistry & Forensic Science)

“Development of an Anti-transferrin Receptor Recombinant Immunotoxin Using a Stability-Optimized Pseudomonas Exotoxin A Domain III”
     Student: Risa Morales
     Mentor: Dr. John Weldon  (Biological Sciences)

“Refining Population Genetics of Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica) in Maryland and Pennsylvania”
     Student: Sam Norris
     Mentor: Dr. Steve Kimble   (Biological Sciences)

“Identification of Small Proteins”
     Student: Temiloluwa Oladipo
     Mentor: Dr. Matthew Hemm   (Biological Sciences)

“Passing the Microbial Baton: Maternal Microbiota Transfer in Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica)”
     Student: Attia Robinson
     Mentor: Dr. Steve Kimble   (Biological Sciences)

“Dung Beetles: Using their Gut Microbes to Save the Planet, One Plant Fiber at a Time”
     Student: Asa Seay
     Mentor: Dr. Anne Estes  (Biological Sciences)

“SiCu Co-sputtering for Metal-insulator Transition Study”
     Student: Jeremiah Seib
     Mentor: Dr. Vera Smolyaninova (Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences)

“Effects of Fluorine Incorporation on the Superconducting Properties of Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide Thin Films”
     Student: Cristofar Varela Duarte
     Mentors: Dr. Rajeswari Kolagani (Physics, Astronomy & Geosciences)