2018 VURF RECIPIENTS

Name Faculty Sponsor Department Project Title:
Zbynek Gold Betty Patch ACSP Extending Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos: Comparing Methodologies across Different Mediums
Vincent Mutolo Andrej Prsa Astronomy & Astrophysics Big Data, Astronomy, and Virtual Reality: An Unprecedented Look at Kepler/K2 Data
Isabella Burda Angela DiBenedetto Biology Investigation of Brd2a and Brd2b Interaction in Zebrafish
Julia Duckhorn Troy Shirangi Biology Tracing a neural circuit for courtship behavior in Drosophila
Taylor Heuermann Robert Curry Biology Investigating potential genetic influences on inter- and intra-specific variance in boldness behavior of hybridizing songbirds
Audrey Lawrence Anil Bamezai Biology Role of 7-Ketocholesterol in Blocking the Pro-Inflammatory Autoimmune Response Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Lukas Troha Michael Russell Biology The Effects of Primary Productivity on Bioerosion by Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Alissa Coonfield Vikram K. Iyengar Biology Neighbors, Rival, and Frenemies: investigating social networks in the maritime earwig
Yazmine Manzanet Elaine Youngman Biology The role of endogenous siRNA in associative learning in Caenorhabditis elegans
Ritesh Karsalia Anil K. Bamezai Biology Investigating the dynamics of lipid raft-based membrane order and ubiquitination on CD4+ anergy
Alexandra Quatrella Angela DiBendetto Biology The effect of inactivating Brd2a protein function on vascular system development in zebrafish using small molecule inhibitors and transgenic fish lines carrying GFP-tagged endothelial cells.
Marielle Dineen-Carey Alyssa Stark (Biology) and Gang Feng (Mechanical Engineering) Biology/Mechanical Engineering Nanoindentation and Elemental Mapping of Strongylocentrotus Purpuratus Teeth from Differing Substrates
Reilly McCracken Jacob Elmer Chemical Engineering Recombinant Earthworm Hemoglobin- A Novel Blood Substitute
Huy Nguyen Justinus Satrio Chemical Engineering Investigating the sorption capacity of hydrochar for organic pollutants and comparing with that of powdered activated carbon (PAC) as a method of treating contaminated water
Emily Legaard Bryan Eigenbrodt Chemistry Characterization of Nannochloris eucaryotum algal lipids with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry
Claudia Macpherson Aimee Eggler Chemistry Elucidating the synergistic relationship between sulforaphane and di-tert-butyl-hydroquinone and the consequential cytoprotective impact
Claire Teahan Jared Paul Chemistry Synthesis and Characterization of a Bimetallic Ruthenium Complex with an On/Off pH Switch for Catalytic Water Oxidation
Vaidehi Shastri Deanna L. Zubris Chemistry A new approach to the synthesis of quaternary ammonium containing polymers
Noa Kopplin Dr. Giuliano Chemistry Synthesis of a Glycosyl Donor for Lipid A Disaccharide
Charlotte Montgomery Jared J Paul Chemistry Electronic Properties of a Ruthenium Hydroxyl-Substituted Polypyridal Complex to Gain Insight Towards the Development Water Oxidation Catalysts
Paul Balog Henry Carter Computing Science Distributed DNS for Tor
Shay Dineen Benjamin R. Mitchell Computing Science Financial Time-Series Prediction using Deep Learning
Matthew Fagerstrom Michael Curran Economics What is the Impact of Monetary Policy on Wealth Inequality?
Jubilee Marshall Whitney Martinko History History and Memory in Bethel Burying Ground
Erin Keaveny Whitney Martinko History Elizabeth Powel: A Female Political Actor In The Early American Republic
Patrick Flynn Maghan Keita Institute for Global Interdisciplinary Studies Rojava and Revolution
Aarya Deb Gang Feng Mechanical Engineering Developing Ultra-Light Silver Nanowire Aerogel for Enhancing Energy Storage Materials
Patrick Treacy Elizabeth B. Dowdell, PhD, RN, FAAN Nursing Unintentional Firearm Injuries of Children and the Efficacy of State Laws
Kyle Richardson Meredith MacKenzie-Greenle Nursing Pediatric Intensive Care Unit nurse evaluation of compassion fatigue and burnout in relation to the death of a patient
Jadyn Anczarski Joey Neilsen Physics X-ray Imaging of the Jet From the Supermassive Black Hole M87
Pablo Aramburu Sanchez Joseph Neilsen Physics X-ray Spectroscopy of the Black Hole GRS 1915+105
Ray Dean Amber Stuver Physics Gravitational Wave Background and Vetoes
Matthew Caesar Amber Stuver Physics Developing an Iterated Cumulative Sum of Squares Change-point Analysis to Probe the Source of Blip Glitches in LIGO Data
Nicole Feeley Joseph Toscano Psychology Influence of Dialect Region on Vowel Perception and Production
Joanna Keane Janette Herbers Psychology Stressful Life Experiences as Predictors of Parent-Child Relationship Quality in Families Experiencing Homelessness