Background Image for Header:
Research Ambassadors
Requirements
Minimum requirements to serve as an undergraduate research ambassador include:
- 1 year of undergraduate research experience
- Concurrent involvement in research at the time of ambassador appointment
- Ability to attend meetings twice a month (biweekly) at pre-scheduled meeting times
- Ability to complete 15 hours of service over the course of the semester
- Maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA at the time of serving
- Strong interpersonal communication skills
- Strong interest in advocating undergraduate research programming and promoting the positive aspects that the Office of Undergraduate Research offers
Additional research and leadership experiences will be taken into consideration when offering the role of an ambassador including:
- Past enrollment in any research program or symposia (e.g., RAP, SURE, NIST SURF, REUs, URDC, POH, NCUR, WVU’s Undergraduate Spring Symposium, WVU’s Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, travel-funded research, or other conference presentations)
- Serving in a prior role with a demonstrated community impact on campus (e.g., serving in a student organization, serving as a resident assistant, extensive volunteering)
- Proven commitment to expanding opportunities in undergraduate research
Opportunities to Serve
Ambassadors are asked to serve in several ways. Throughout the semester, opportunities might include:
- Presenting undergraduate research opportunities to various student organizations
- Tabling in the Lair or other spaces on campus for event promotions
- Providing event support at the Undergraduate Spring Symposium
- Recruiting at Decide WVU Days
- Recruiting at WVU Junior Preview Days
- Providing programmatic support to the RAP program
Student organizations interested in hosting ambassador presentations on undergraduate
research opportunities as well as students interested in becoming UGR
Ambassadors in future semesters should contact Dr. Cinthia Pacheco at
undergradresearch@mail.wvu.edu for more information.
2024-25 UGR Ambassadors
-
Cooper Coursey
Undergraduate Research Ambassador
Major: Biology
Graduation Year: 2025
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania
Student Organization Involvement: Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), Research Ambassador Program (UGR), National Biological Honors Society (TriBeta), Undergraduate Research Association (URA), Pre-Med Club, The Pride of West Virginia Mountaineer Marching Band (MMB)
Interest and Hobbies: Playing Trumpet and French Horn, hiking, traveling, skiing, cooking, camping, birdwatching
Fun Fact: I am licensed to fly a small aircraft.
Research Area: My primary research is in environmental microbiology and nematology, where my lab generates novel techniques for microbial environments and manipulated pathways to understand the roles of individual environmentally occurring microorganisms' abilities to interact and disrupt the impact that nematodes ultimately hold. Nematophagous fungi are a versatile carnivorous group of organisms that specialize in trapping and digesting nematodes. Our main goal is to compare the interactions of nematodes against various isolates of nematophagous fungi, and evaluate the possibilities of these molecular interactions to treat surfacing contaminations and parasitic disorders. Our research has resulted in the modification of environmentally occurring processes of fungi associated in conjunction with nematodes. In the future, we hope to produce biological control outcomes against different types of roundworm isolates.
-
Rachel King
Undergraduate Research Ambassador
Majors: Computer Science, Physics
Graduation Year: 2025
Hometown:
Student Organization Involvement: First2 Network
Interest and Hobbies:
Fun Fact:
Research Area:
-
Victoria Nist
Undergraduate Research Ambassador
Major: Animal Nutritional Sciences
Graduation Year: 2025
Hometown: Massillon, Ohio
Student Organization Involvement: Office of Undergraduate Research (UGR) Ambassador, HONR 297 (RAP 1) TA, Mountaineer Undergraduate Research Review (MURR) STEM Section Editor, WVU Swim Club President, Davis-Michael Scholars Program Tutor
Interest and Hobbies: Swimming, boating, reading, cooking, and traveling
Fun Fact: She is a published author for her work with Dr. Heather Chaney in the Division of Animal and Nutritional Sciences in the Davis College.
Research Area: She currently conducts research in Reproductive Toxicology under Dr. Elizabeth Bowdridge in the Department of Physiology, Pharmacology, and Toxicology in the WVU School of Medicine through the SURE and Honors EXCEL programs.
-
Bernardo Pereira
Undergraduate Research Ambassador
Major and Minor: Neuroscience, Psychology
Graduation Year: 2026
Hometown: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Student Organization Involvement:
Interest and Hobbies: Soccer, tennis, reading
Fun Fact: I can speak three languages fluently
Research Area: I am a part of a Neuroscience lab that works on mice models of ischemic strokes to better understand post stroke cognitive and motor effects. More specifically I am currently exploring how a enzyme in the brain called TNAP is affecting the blood brain barrier, brain endothelial cells and elevated inflammation in ischemic strokes. -
Caden Ginter
Undergraduate Research Ambassador
Majors: Computer Science, Physics
Graduation Year: 2027
Hometown: Carlisle, PA
Student Organization Involvement: Secretary of the Society of Physics Students, Secretary of Quantum Technology Club, Undergraduate Research Ambassador
Interest and Hobbies: Hiking and Coding
Fun Fact: Was a fencer in High School
Research Area: Computational Quantum Materials Science
