2023 VURF RECIPIENTS

Student Name: Faculty Sponsor: Sponsor Department: Project Title:
Aryan Chawda Edward Guinan Astronomy and Astrophysics Kepler-442b: The Hall of Fame Exoplanet
Eddie Marici Edward Guinan Astronomy and Astrophysics Analysis of 75-yrs of Photometry of Bright Red Supergiant Antares: Astereoseismology and Properties of the Nearest Supernova Progenitor
Jennelle Maldonado Kelly Prsa Astronomy and Astrophysics Modeling a Binary Star from a Sample to Contribute to the Calibration of Asteroseismic Scaling Relations
John Hensler Andrej Prsa Astronomy and Astrophysics Synthesizing Binary Star Population Models of the Milky Way Galaxy
Laura Callahan Kelly Prsa Astronomy and Astrophysics Remodelling An Eclipsing Binary Star System for the Improvement of Red Giant Masses
Caoimhe Edmark Brittany Coppinger Biology Inter-individual variation and intra-individual consistency in call structure patterns of Carolina chickadees
Elizabeta Berisha Matt Youngman Biology Determining the age-dependent site of action and substrate specificity of DAF-18, a PTEN-like phosphatase in C. elegans
Grace Welsh Dana Opulente Biology Growing Pains: How Invasive Species Impact Yeast Phenotypes
Micaela Murphy Troy Shirangi Biology Utilizing trans-Tango to identify the postsynaptic partners of sexually dimorphic neurons in Drosophila melanogaster
Alex Kochman Charles Coe Chemical Engineering Zn Zeotypes for Enhancing CO2 Capture and Air Separation
Alexandra Kot Laura Bracaglia Chemical Engineering Developing a Hydrogel Method for Modeling Polymer Nanoparticle Diffusion Rates in Vivo
Ben Johnson Jacob Elmer Chemical Engineering Improving Gene Therapy by Inhibiting IFI16
Brian Costello Jennifer Palenchar Chemistry What Are Ancient Eukaryotic Trypanosomes Doing with Bacterial Haloacid Dehalogenases (HADs)?
Hailey Bierling Jared Paul Chemistry Synthesis Monometallic and Asymmetric Bimetallic Complexes with a Highly Conjugated Bridging Ligand
Harrison Bernhard Matthew O'Reilly Chemistry Synthesis of Antimalarial Cyclic Tetrapeptide Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
T'Naysia Watt Bryan Eigenbrodt Chemistry Lipid Quantification of Nannochloris Eucaryotum
Zachary Toles Kevin Minbiole Chemistry A Systematic Analysis of the Disinfectant Properties of Multicationic Derivatives of Benzalkonium Chloride (BAC)
Elisabeth Ford Barry Selinsky Chemistry  
Jeremiah Mathew Sarah Cooney Computing Sciences Exploring the Claims and Features of Mobile Applications for Christian Spirituality
Kathleen Jordan Laura Meinzen-Dick Economics Analyzing Land Tenure Security in Matrilineal Regions of Mozambique
Ben Mongirdas Jiafeng Xie Electrical and Computer Engineering Fast Number Theoretic Transform Hardware Accelerator
Brenna Bruffey Lisa Rodrigues Geography and the Environment Mangrove filtration of plastics in La Parguera salt flats
Christine Polakiewicz Nathanial Weston Geography and the Environment Evaluating Potential Toxicity of Hurricane Ida Sediment Deposits in the Raritan Watershed
Emma Spangler Steven Goldsmith Geography and the Environment Understanding the Degradation, Toxicity, and Environmental Impact of Macroplastics in Streams
Shealyn Murphy Isabel Hong Geography and the Environment Breaking Ground on the Relationship Between Earthquakes and Tsunami Deposits along the Cascadia subduction zone in the Pacific Northwest, USA
Ashleigh Reen Paul Camacho Humanities/ACS The Invisible Self: A Transformation of Acedia for Contemporary Culture
Dylan McMahon Kathryn Haymaker Mathematics and Statistics A Combinatorial Approach to Music Similarity
Khang Bui Jesse Frey Mathematics and Statistics Bootstrapping a Ranked-Set Sample
Abdullah Al Rafi Mahmud Michael Tait Mathematics and Statistics  
Aryan Patel Calvin Li Mechanical Engineering Nanostructures and Atomic Layer Deposition of Ceramic Substrates
Riley McCarry Gang Feng Mechanical Engineering Nanostructural and Nanomechanical Mapping of Sea Urchin Tooth to Understand the Self-Sharpening Mechanism
Ava Drewer Calvin Li Mechanical Engineering Optimizing the Nucleation of CO2 Hydrates with the Addition of Chemical Additives
Peter Scarperi Meredith MacKenzie Greenle Nursing Attitudes regarding Palliative and End of Life Care among Pediatric Oncology Nurses
Kaitlyn Karpovich David Chuss Physics A New Look at the Complex Magnetic Field Structure in the Core of the Orion Star Forming Region
Khushi Vandra Amber Stuver Physics Employing StatVET-Bursts for Burst Gravitational Wave Data Quality Investigations
Mackenzie Weidel Georgia Papaefthymiou-Davis Physics Topographical and Magnetic Characterization of Ferritin Heteropolymers by AFM/MFM
Sean Wade John Harles Political Science Modernizing the Veterans Affairs Enrollment Process
Isabel Lima Irene Kan Psychological and Brain Sciences Sleep quality and its association with Sleep-related Behaviors in College Students
Matthew Domanico Ben Sachs Psychological and Brain Sciences Assessing the Differential Impact of Sub-Chronic Stress on DNA Methylation in Male and Female Mice
Jake Caselli Grant Berry Spanish Does Perception Match Performance? Neurophysiological Correlates of Cognitive Control