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2017 Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium

Poster Judges for each Category.

Judge Affiliation Category Judging
Eugenia PenaYewtukhiw Plant and Soil Sciences, Davis College, WVU Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Kevin Daly Biology, Eberly College, WVU Biological Sciences
Dana Huebert Lima Biology, Eberly College, WVU Biological Sciences
Thorsten Wuest Industrial Eng., Statler College, WVU Engineering
Dady Dadyburjor Chemical Eng., Statler College, WVU Engineering
Tim Nurkiewicz Physiology & Pharmacology, HSC, WVU Health Sciences
Alice Han Chemistry, Eberly College, WVU Health Sciences
Qi Zeng SRF BioNano Research Facilities, WVU Nanoscience
Todd Stueckle NIOSH Nanoscience
Victoria Sanchez Pre-Health Office, WVU Neuroscience
Elizabeth Engler- Chiurazzi Physiology & Pharmacology, HSC, WVU Neuroscience
Grace Lu Chemistry, Eberly College, WVU Physical Sciences
Jessica Hoover Chemistry, Eberly College, WVU Physical Sciences
Heather Henderson Educational Psychology, CEHS, WVU Social Sciences & non-STEM

A. Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Research in Chemistry at West Virginia University (PI: Michelle Richards-Babb; co-PI: Brian Popp; Assistant to Director: Steve Knowlden)

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor
Emily Ankrom Physical Sci #10 (9:30 am) Biochemistry Waynesburg University Blake Mertz, Chemistry
Emily Gleco Health Sci #12 (9:30 am) Chemistry University of Scranton Glen Jackson, Chemistry & Forensics
Elinore Loch Health Sci #10 (9:30 am) Biochemistry Waynesburg University Stephen Valentine, Chemistry
Connor McCormick Physical Sci #4 (9:30 am) Chemistry & Mathematics St. Vincent College Fabien Goulay, Chemistry
Megan Nally Physical Sci #5 (10:30 am) Chemistry & Pre-Engineering Bethany College Carsten Milsmann, Chemistry
Morgan Nyman Physical Sci #13 (10:30 am) Biochemistry Gannon U. Justin Legleiter, Chemistry
Justin Steets Physical Sci #1 (10:30 am) Chemistry The College of New Jersey Jessica Hoover, Chemistry
Tanner Yawitz Physical Sci #14 (9:30 am) Chemistry St. Francis U. Bjӧrn Sӧderberg, Chemistry
Perez Youmbi Physical Sci #12 (9:30 am) Chemistry & Mathematics St. Francis U. Greg Dudley, Chemistry
Natalie Ziemer Physical Sci #9 (10:30am) Biochemistry Grove City Coll. Brian Popp, Chemistry

B. NanoSAFE Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Multifunctional Nanomaterials (PI: Lisa Holland; co-PI: Kim Quedado; Assistant to Director: Rachel Henderson)

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor
Ashley Boryczka Nanoscience #9 (10:30 am) Chemistry & Biomolec. Sci. Clarkson University Nianqiang (Nick) Wu, Mechanical & Aerosp. Eng.
Sarah Foster Health Sci #4 (9:30 am) Biochemistry Allegheny Coll. Aaron Erdely, NIOSH
Allison Haertter Nanoscience #4 (9:50 am) Applied Physics West Virginia Wesleyan C. Mikel Holcomb, Physics
Sarah Hejnosz Nanoscience #6 (9:50 am) Chemistry Saint Vincent College Lisa Holland, Chemistry & Linda Sargent, NIOSH
Brittany Keller Biological Sci #11 (10:30 am) Chemistry Shippensburg University Slawomir Lukomski, Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology
Courtney Kristoff Nanoscience #1 (10:30 am) Chemistry Waynesburg U. Lisa Holland, Chemistry
Jay Magers Nanoscience #7 (10:30 am) Physics Susquehanna U. Matt Johnson, Physics
Merrik Malin Nanoscience #11 (10:30 am) Electrical Engineering West Virginia Wesleyan C. Jeremy Dawson, Electrical Engineering
Kimberly Matsinger Nanoscience #8 (9:50 am) Physics Slippery Rock University Edward Flagg, Physics
Shannon Patberg Physical Sci #11 (10:30 am) Chemistry Marietta College Lisa Holland, Chemistry
James Penney Nanoscience #12 (9:50 am) Biomedical Engineering University of Texas at Dallas Xueyan Song, Mechanical & Aerosp. Eng.
Katelyn Perroz Biological Sci #6 (9:30 am) Chemistry Allegheny Coll. Jennifer Gallagher, Biology
Devan Shell Engineering #1 (10:30 am) Chemistry Catawa College Nianqiang (Nick) Wu, Mechanical & Aerosp. Eng.

C. WVU Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) Site (Coordinator/Director: Michelle Richards-Babb and Ken Blemings; Teaching Assistants: Kacee Caster and Amanda Hill)

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor
Amanda Barbarossa Engineering #2 (9:30 am) Biomedical Engineering WVU Sergiy Yakovenko, Human Performance & Exercise Physiology
Patrick Bayly Non-STEM #10 (9:30 am) Painting WVU Naijun Zhang, Painting
Steven Black Engineering #17 (10:30 am) Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering WVU Kashy Aminian, Petroleum and Natural Gas Eng.
Lynsey Blackburn Agric & Env Sci #2 (9:30 am) Environmental Geoscience WVU Jonathan Hall, Geography
John Bowling Non-STEM #6 (9:30 am) Computer & Electrical Eng. WVU Natalia Schmid, Computer Science & Electrical Eng.
Aaron Brake Physical Sci #6 (9:30 am) Forensic Chemistry & Chemistry WVU Tatiana Trejos, Forensic & Investigative Science
Allyson Brezler Engineering #16 (9:30 am) Chemical Engineering WVU Fernando Lima, Chemical Eng.
Conner Castle Engineering #14 (9:30 am) Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering WVU Yu Gu, Mechanical Eng.
Sierra Ciccone Physical Sci #3 (10:30 am) Chemistry WVU Jessica Hoover, Chemistry
Kiara Cogar Non-STEM #1 (10:30 am) Psychology & Political Science WVU Natalie Shook, Psychology
Tatiana Crawford Agric & Env Sci #7 (10:30 am) Wildlife and Fisheries Resource Management WVU Christopher Rota, Wildlife & Fisheries
Lauren Dirkman Health Sci #7 (10:30 am) Public Health WVU Danielle Davidov, Emergency Medicine
Nicole Fama Biological Sci #4 (9:30 am) Biology WVU Craig Barrett, Biology
Jonathan Fisk Biological Sci #10 (9:30 am) Fisheries and Wildlife Management WVU Kyle Hartman, Forestry and Natural Resources
Samuel Gary Biological Sci #7 (10:30 am) Biochemistry WVU Nik Kovinich, Plant & Soil Sciences
John (Drew) Gatlin Engineering #8 (9:30 am) Civil Engineering WVU Dimitra Pyrialakou, Civil & Environmental Eng.
Sydney Giles Physical Sci #8 (9:30 am) Chemistry WVU James Lewis, Physics
Emilee Hough Non-STEM #9 (10:30 am) English & Sociology WVU Kirk Hazen, English
Gregory Hughes Engineering #13 (10:30 am) Computer Science WVU Tech Powsiri Klinkhachorn, Computer Science and Electrical Eng.
Samantha Isaac Nanoscience #2 (9:50 am) Physics & Mathematics WVU Edward Flagg, Physics & Astronomy
Andrew Jemiolo Physical Sci #2 (9:30 am) Physics WVU Earl Scime, Physics
Katelyn Kosar Engineering #4 (9:30 am) Civil Engineering WVU Leslie Hopkinson, Civil Engineering
Soofia Lateef Agric & Env Sci #5 (10:30 am) Chemical Engineering WVU Janet Tou, Animal & Nutritional Sciences
Caroline Leadmon Biological Sci #1 (10:30 am) Biochemistry WVU Dan Panaccione, Plant & Soil Sciences
Michael Lee Engineering #15 (10:30 am) Aerospace Engineering WVU Jason Gross, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng.
Oliver Lin Agric & Env Sci #4 (9:30 am) Biomedical Engineering WVU Lian-Shin Lin, Civil & Environmental Eng.
Mykal Manswell Non-STEM #2 (9:30 am) Sport and Exercise Psychology WVU Scott Barnicle, Physical Activity & Sport Sciences
Natalie Marquart Non-STEM #4 (9:30 am) Marketing WVU M. Paula Fitzgerald, Marketing
Elizabeth Matejczyk Agric & Env Sci #3 (10:30 am) Wildlife and Fisheries Resources WVU Christopher Lituma, Wildlife & Fisheries Resources
Morgan Menke Engineering #5 (10:30 am) Electrical Engineering & Biometric Systems WVU Natalia Schmid, Computer Science & Electrical Eng.
Callie Moles Agric & Env Sci #6 (9:30 am) Agricultural and Extension Education WVU Jessica Blythe, Agricultural & Extension Education
Karagan Mulhall Nanoscience #3 (10:30 am) Immunology and Medical Microbiology WVU Steve Leonard, Pharmacy & NIOSH
Jacob Rabel Agric & Env Sci #9 (10:30 am) Agriculture & Extension Education WVU Jason McKibben, Agricultural & Extension Education
Ali Ranjbaran Biological Sci #5 (10:30am) Biology WVU Craig Barrett, Biology
Elizabeth Ridgeway Engineering #11 (10:30 am) Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering WVU V’yacheslav Akkerman, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng.
Abigail Rosiello Biological Sci #2 (9:30 am) Immunology and Medical Microbiology WVU Jennifer Hawkins, Biology
Elizabeth Satterfield Non-STEM #7 (10:30 am) History WVU Jenny Boulware, History
Megan Schmitz Engineering #3 (10:30 am) Mechanical engineering WVU Ed Sabolsky, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng.
Timothy Scott Engineering #9 (10:30 am) Computer Science, Computer and Electrical Eng. WVU Gianfranco Doretto, Computer Science & Electrical Eng.
Rebekah Shephard Neuroscience #4 (9:30 am) Biology WVU Sadie Bergeron, Biology
Jacqueline Spiropoulos Non-STEM #3 (10:30 am) Sociology WVU Susanna Donaldson, Sociology & Anthropology
Andrew Steele Neuroscience #5 (10:30 am) Biology WVU Andrew Dacks, Biology
Patrick Thomas Health Sci #9 (10:30 am) Biochemistry WVU Laura Gibson, Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology
Shannon Underwood Non-STEM #8 (9:30 am) Psychology WVU Aaron Metzger, Psychology
Rachel Wattick Health Sci #5 (10:30 am) Human Nutrition and Foods WVU Melissa Olfert, Animal & Nutritional Sciences
Isaac Willis Physical Sci #7 (10:30 am) Forensic and Investigative Science & Chemistry WVU Glen Jackson, Chemistry & Forensic & Investigative Sciences
Daniel Wolodkin Agric & Env Sci #8 (9:30 am) Biology & Mathematics WVU Jonathan Cumming, Biology
Steven Wu Health Sci #1 (10:30 am) Biology WVU Yon Rojanasakul, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Bennett Yunker Biological Sci #9 (10:30 am) Biochemistry WVU Teiya Kijimoto, Evolutionary Developmental Genetics
Victoria Zeger Health Sci #8 (9:30 am) Forensic Chemistry & Chemistry WVU Suzanne Bell, Chemistry

D. WVU Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) Site (Participants funded for participation by other mechanisms.)

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor

bJonathan Bard

Biological Sci #14

(9:30 am)

Biochemistry

WVU

Justin Legleiter, Chemistry

aBrittany Brush

Engineering #10

(9:30 am)

Geology

WVU

Omar Abdul-Aziz, Civil & Environmental Eng.

cNathan Burks

Non-STEM #5

(10:30 am)

Finance & Economics

WVU

Bingxin Li, Finance

dZoe Dobler

Neuroscience #1

(10:30 am)

Biology

WVU

Sadie Bergeron, Biology

eAnna Eden

Health Sci #13

(10:30 am)

Biomedical Engineering

WVU

Cerasela-Zoica Dinu, Chemical & Biomedical Eng.

bCaleb Fan

Biological Sci #13

(10:30 am)

Biochemistry

WVU

Justin Legleiter, Chemistry

cYacine Feliachi

Engineering #7

(10:30 am)

Chemical Engineering

WVU

Fernando Lima, Chemical and Biomedical Eng.

cLandon Hall

Nanoscience #10

(9:50 am)

Chemical Engineering

WVU

Charter Stinespring, Chemical Eng.

aMiguel Henriquez

Physical Sci #15

(10:30 am)

Physics

WVU

Earl Scime, Physics

bNoor Malik

Biological Sci #8

(9:30 am)

WVU

Jennifer Gallagher, Biology

bAlex Rubenstein

Agric & Env Sci #1

(10:30 am)

Biomedical Engineering & Mathematics

WVU

Lian-Shin Lin, Civil & Environmental Eng.

cOlivia Santee

Engineering #6

(9:30 am)

Mechanical Engineering

WVU

James Smith, Mechanical & Aerospace Eng.

dAishwarya Vijay

Health Sci #6

(9:30 am)

Biomedical Engineering

WVU

Cerasela-Zoica Dinu, Chemical & Biomedical Eng.

cKenneth Williams

Nanoscience #5

(10:30 am)

Biomedical Engineering

WVU

Cerasela-Zoica Dinu, Chemical & Biomedical Eng.

aFunded by an NSF Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) KY-WV Mid-Level Alliance Phase II (LSAMP-1305039; WV PI: David Miller).

bFunded through faculty grants to Justin Legleiter (NIH grant, R15NS090380), Jennifer Gallagher, and Lian-Shin Lin.

cFunded by the West Virginia University Energy Institute (Director: Brian Anderson)

dFunded partially by faculty grants or faculty overhead.

eFunded by use of academic enhancement stipend as part of student’s University Merit Scholarship.

E. Center for Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Internships (SURI) (PI: George Spirou; Administrator: Erica Stewart

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor
Lindsay Fadel Neuroscience #3 (10:30 am) Neuroscience High Point University Sadie Bergeron, Biology
Karianne Sretavan Wong Neuroscience #6 (9:30 am) Neuroscience University of Rochester Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Physiology & Pharmacology
Hana Ulman Neuroscience #2 (9:30 am) Biomedical Engineering WVU Candice Brown, Neurobiology & Anatomy
Reid Strobl Neuroscience #13 (10:30 am) Biology w/ Neuroscience emphasis WVU Andrew Dacks, Biology
Brian Donaldson Neuroscience #12 (9:30 am) Chemical Engineering WVU Valeriya Gritsenko, Human Performance & Physical Therapy
Emily Silvestri Neuroscience #11 (10:30 am) Neuroscience University of New Hampshire Steven Kinsey, Psychology
Janelle Chuah Health Sci #15 (10:30 am) Biology - Pre- Medical Waynesburg University Paul Lockman, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Olivia Hill Neuroscience #10 (9:30 am) Exercise Physiology WVU Gary Marsat, Biology
Edward Provencher Neuroscience #9 (10:30 am) Biochemistry & Molecular Biology University of Richmond Xuefang (Sophie) Ren, Physiology & Pharmacology
Jawuanna McAllister Neuroscience #8 (9:30 am) Biomedical Sciences North Carolina Wesleyan College Eric Tucker, Neurobiology & Anatomy
Kristen Pechacek Neuroscience #7 (10:30 am) Psychology & Neuroscience St. Catherine University Cole Vonder Haar, Psychology
Abby Williamson Engineering #12 (9:30 am) Biomedical Engineering University of Rochester Sergiy Yakovenko, Human Performance & Exercise Physiology

F. Immunology and Medical Microbiology Research Internships (Director: John Barnett)

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor
Courtney Amend Health Sci #14 (9:30 am) Immunology and Medical Microbiology WVU Edwin Wan, Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology
Osa Benjy- Osarenkhoe Health Sci #3 (10:30 am) Immunology and Medical Microbiology WVU John Barnett, Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology
Kaltume Ndyako Health Sci #2 (9:30 am) Immunology and Medical Microbiology WVU Duaa Dakhlallah, Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology
Andrea Pettit Health Sci #11 (10:30 am) Immunology and Medical Microbiology WVU Jennifer Franko, Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology

G. WVU Cancer Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Program (Coordinator: Alexey Ivanov)

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor
Emmanuel Chan Biological Sci #12 (9:30 am) Molecular Cell Biology & Psychology University of California - Berkeley Patrick Ma, Medicine
River Hames Health Sci #16 (9:30am) Biology WVU Scott Weed, Biochemistry

H. Self-funded or Faculty-funded

Participant Poster (Judged Time) Major Home School Faculty Mentor
Ariana Newton Agric & Env Sci #10 (9:30 am) Horticulture WVU Nicole Waterland, Horticulture
Nanda Siva Neuroscience #14 (9:30 am) Biomedical Engineering & Economics WVU Julie Brefczynski-Lewis, Physiology & Pharmacology
Trinity Shaver Neuroscience #15 (10:30 am) Psychology WVU Cole Vonder Haar, Behavioral Neuroscience
Jessi Tyo Biological Sci #3 (10:30 am) Biochemistry WVU Daniel Panaccione, Plant & Soil Sciences

Speakers at REU/SURE Events

Speaker Affiliation Group(s) Topic
Barbara Foster Dept. of Chemistry, WVU REU & SURE Laboratory Safety
Ali Elliott Biosafety Officer Health Sciences Center REU & SURE Biosafety Training
Graduate Students Various WVU Depts. REU & SURE Peer Advice, Networking
Graduate Coordinators Various WVU Depts. & Colleges REU & SURE Graduate School & Recruitment
Trisha Hopkins Psychology, WVU SURE Diversity Awareness & Implicit Bias
Michelle Richards-Babb Chemistry & Office of, UG Research, WVU REU & SURE Oral Present. Skills/Lab Notebks, Ethics, Responsible Conduct of Research, Poster Preparation
Hellen Nditsi Office of UG Research, WVU SURE Get to Know Bingo & Photos
Heather Henderson & Paul Hernandez Education, WVU SURE Mentee Training
Linda Blake Wise Library, WVU REU & SURE Library Research Search Tools
Amy Cyphert & Cate Johnson ASPIRE Office, WVU SURE Prestigious Scholarships
Speaker Affiliation Group(s) Topic
Leigh Pratt ASPIRE Office, WVU SURE NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Chanelle Pickens Evansdale Library SURE Research Question Formulation
Nathalie Singh-Corcoran Writing Studio, WVU SURE Technical Writing: Ethics, Clarity, and Cohesion
Maja Husar Holmes Public Admin, WVU SURE Science & Public Policy
Ed Sabolsky, Marjorie Darrah, WVU Faculty/Staff SURE Work in Academia vs. non-Acad.
Amy Welsh, and Carrie White
Victoria Sanchez, Jessie Barclay & Jessica Johnston Pre-Health & Career Services, WVU SURE Interview Simulations & Resume Feedback
Shelly Stump WVU Office of Graduate Admissions & Recruiting REU & SURE Ice Cream Social & Graduate Recruitment Networking Event
Brian Popp Chemistry, WVU REU & SURE ChemDraw Training & NMR Intro
Carsten Milsmann Chemistry, WVU REU Intro to EPR
Justin Legleiter Chemistry, WVU REU & SURE Graduate Recruit. & STM/AFM
Jeff Petersen Chemistry, WVU REU Crystallography Intro
Stephen Valentine Chemistry, WVU REU & SURE Intro to Mass Spec
Casey Jelsema Statistics, WVU SURE Intro to Statistics for Research
Gabe Tapia McNair Scholars Program SURE The Art of Research Writing
Kim Quedado IGERT Project Manag. REU & SURE Morgantown Kids Day
Peter Willis NASA, JPL, Caltech REU & SURE Career Mentoring

Our summer programs have been enriched by the contributions of these speakers. We are deeply appreciative and want to thank all of our speakers for their time, effort, and support of summer undergraduate research experiences at West Virginia University!

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Acknowledgements

PERSONNEL

Chemistry REU

  • Michelle Richards-Babb, PI 
  • Brian Popp, co-PI
  • Steven Knowlden, Asst. to REU Director

WVU SURE 

  • Michelle Richards-Babb, Director/Educ. Coord. 
  • Kacee Caster, Teaching Assistant 
  • Amanda Hill, Teaching Assistant 
  • Hellen Nditsi, Office of UG Research, Coord. 
  • Kim Quedado, Assistant to Director 
  • Ken Blemings, Honors College Dean 

Nano REU

  • Lisa Holland, PI
  • Kim Q uedado, co-PI
  • Rachel Henderson, Asst. to REU Director 
  • Symposium Booklet
  • Michelle Richards-Babb
  • Hellen Nditsi 
  • Kacee Caster
  • Amanda Hill

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Chemistry REU (PI: Michelle Richards-Babb, co-PI: Brian Popp) 

National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Chemistry (CHE 1559654) with recreational activities funded by WVU Research Corporation and the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. 

Nano REU (PI: Lisa Holland, co-PI: Kim Quedado) 

National Science Foundation (NSF) Divisions of Materials Research and Chemistry (DMR 1559880) with recreational activities funded by WVU Research Corporation and the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. 

WVU SURE (PI: Michelle Richards-Babb & Ken Blemings) 

Sponsored in part by (i) the West Virginia Research Challenge Fund through a grant from the Division of Science and Research, HEPC, (ii) WVU Office of the Provost, and (iii) the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, the College of Business and Economics, the Health Sciences Center, the Colleges of Creative Arts and Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, and the Departments of Chemistry and Biology. 

WVU Cancer Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Program (Coord: Alexey Ivanov) 

Financial support for the fellowship program comes from the Edwin C. Spurlock Fellowship Fund, the Edward L. Reed Cancer Research Endowment, the Dr. David B. McClung Cancer Research Endowment Fund, and the Joe Marconi Cancer Research Fellowship Endowment. 

WVU Center for Neuroscience SURI (Director: George A. Spirou, Program Coord. Erica Stewart) 

Funded by the Center for Neuroscience and the NIH/NIGMS CoBRE Grant 8P30GM103503. 

LSAMP KY-WV Mid-Level Alliance (WV PI: David Miller) 

Stipends and tuition for two SURE participants were funded through the NSF Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) KY-WV Mid-Level Alliance Phase II (LSAMP-1305039).