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WVU Student Researchers Present at 2019 URDC

WVU Student Researchers Present at 2019 URDC

Thirty-four West Virginia University students will be taking part in Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol

Thirty-four WVU students will take part in the sixteenth annual Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol (URDC) in Charleston on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.

Students will represent fifteen institutions at URDC, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Capitol Rotunda.  In all, over 90 students will participate.

URDC allows students to present their discoveries in poster format and talk to legislators about their findings.  The projects are original scholarly works and the presenters design posters for a general audience.

Students mentored by faculty from the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, College of Creative Arts, School of Dentistry, College of Education and Human Services, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Reed College of Media, School of Medicine, and the WVU School of Public Health will present their posters in the areas of creative arts, education, engineering, health sciences, humanities, human services, biology, biochemistry, chemistry, geosciences, biology, biochemistry, psychology, agricultural science, and astronomy.

In addition to WVU, other institutions represented are Alderson-Broaddus College, Bethany College, Bluefield State College, Concord University, Fairmont State University, Glenville State College, Marshall University, Ohio Valley University, Shepherd University, University of Charleston, West Liberty University, West Virginia State University, Wheeling Jesuit University, and WVU Institute of Technology.

“Opportunities for students to engage in research and creative activities within their major are expanding at institutions throughout West Virginia. At WVU, students engage in one-on-one faculty mentored research as early as their first year of college. Our students are researching topics important to them and topics that directly impact West Virginia - the health and culture of its residents and the economy and environment of the state. Our state’s future depends on this generation of students. They are the innovators, business owners, legislators and decision makers of tomorrow. The URDC event offers a great opportunity for members of the state Legislature to interact with students and discover the importance of continuing to invest in education and research at WVU and throughout the state.” said Michelle Richards-Babb, Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research at West Virginia University. Richards-Babb, member of the event’s organizational committee, said the event’s attendance has grown. More legislators attend, members of the community and local businesses attend, and local school high school students attend and use the event as an educational field trip. 

“The students really appreciate the interest shown by all attendees, especially members of the state Legislature.” Richards-Babb said.

The following is a list of WVU’s participants, along with their residence, research disciplinary focus, research posters and research mentors:

Daniel Baker, Glen Dale, WV (Engineering), “Rare earth extraction from fly ash,” Edward Sabolsky, Research Mentor

Laykin Beardsley, Parkersburg, WV (Dental Hygiene), “Clinical Study Comparing the Effects of Stannous vs. Sodium Fluoride on Implant Surfaces,” Alcinda Trickett Shockey, Research Mentor

Hannah Belt, Thurmont, WV (Communications/Journalism), “Women Beyond Bars,” Geah Pressgrove, Research Mentor

Katelyn Bond, Vienna, WV (Speech-Language Pathology), “Contextual interference in speech motor learning secondary to similar phonemes,” Kimberly Meigh, Research Mentor

Taylor Bunting, Georgetown, WV (Dental Hygiene), “Oral Health Education Content Analysis of Middle and High Curriculum in West Virginia,” Alcinda Trickett Shockey, Research Mentor

Zachery Donnellan, Morgantown, WV (Chemistry), “Understanding combustion: gas phase kinetics of the CH radical and cyclopentadiene reaction,” Fabien Goulay, Research Mentor

Maria Ducci, Wheeling, WV (Music), “Perceived Advantages to Inclusive Programming in Music Therapy,” Dr. Dena Register, Research Mentor

Nicole Fama, Daniels, WV (Biology), “Genetic diversity and morphological variation in a vulnerable West Virginia native orchid, Corallorhiza bentleyi,” Craig Barrett, Research Mentor

Shianne Ferrell, Smithfield, WV (Communications/Journalism), “Partisan Outrage? Analyzing US Congressional Tweets following The Parkland Shooting,” Nicholas Bowman, Research Mentor

Avery J Field, Morgantown, WV (Forensic Science), “Evaluation of Extraction Techniques for Fentanyl and Metabolites in Liver Tissue for Forensic Purposes,” Luis Arroyo, Research Mentor

Olivia Friel, Bridgeport, WV (Agriculture), “Nutrient uptake analysis of light and hormone insensitive Arabidopsis thaliana mutants,” Nicole Waterland, Research Mentor

Jesse Goodman, Morgantown, WV, Nolan Mull, Ridgeley, WV, and Albert Nunez, Stafford, VA (Computer Science), “Mind-Reading Through EEG Data,” Frances Van Scoy, Research Mentor

Jasmine Grossman, Grafton, WV (Biomedical), “Reducing PLGA nanoparticle and MnO core size to enhance MRI breast cancer detection,” Margaret Bennewitz, Research Mentor

Jessica Hogbin, Hedgesville, WV (History), “Power and Influence Noblewomen in Early Modern Europe,” Matthew Vester, Research Mentor

Nolan Holley, Ripley, WV (Biochemistry), “Identification of a sulfonamide analog that reduces cell viability in acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” Laura Gibson, Research Mentor

Brooke Hostetler, New Martinsville, WV (History), “Immigrant contribution to the evolution of history in the early 20th Century Morgantown,” William Hal Gorby, Research Mentor

Annalisa Huckaby, Morgantown, WV (Biology), “Generating bioluminescent Gram-negative bacteria to improve visualization of bacterial pathogenesis,” Mariette Barbier, Research Mentor

Victoria Irr, Wheeling, WV (Engineering), “Subsurface modeling and well configuration design for deep direct-use geothermal development at WVU,” Nagasree Garapati, Research Mentor

Muriithi-David Kem, Kennesaw, WV (Engineering), “Fabrication of Kirigami based structures for flexible electronics applications,” Konstantinos Sierros, Research Mentor

Amal Khan, Scott Depot, WV (Psychology), “The Effect of Mentorship on Women's Self-Efficacy,” Paul Hernandez, Research Mentor

Eva MacFarland, Bridgeport, WV (Psychology), “Racial Prejudice on College Campuses: The Role of Intergroup Anxiety and Contact,” Natalie Shook, Research Mentor

Andrew McGrady, Branchland, WV (Geology), “Determining Changes in Porosity of Mature Shales on Interaction with Fracturing Fluids,” Shikha Sharma, Research Mentor

Grace Nowicki, Scottdale, WV (Public Health), “Highlighting the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risks Among Appalachian Children with Disabilities,” Lesley Cottrell, Research Mentor

Juliana O'Reilly, Martinsburg, WV (Biomedical), “Maternal Exposure to Electronic Cigarettes Affects Memory and Learning of Their Offspring,” I. Mark Olfert, Research Mentor

Travis Rawson, Morgantown, WV (Immunology and Medical Microbiology), “Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cell Chemotactic Potential in Neonatal Sepsis,” Cory Robinson, Research Mentor

Madison Riffe, Charleston, WV, and Samantha Phelix,  (Biology), “Building a Brain: Studying Development of the Hypothalamus Using Zebrafish,” Sadie Bergeron, Research Mentor

Kenyane Simpson, Morgantown, WV (Child Development and Family Studies), “Correlations between Maternal Depression, Breast Feeding Self-efficacy, and Maternal Literacy Practices,” Amy Root, Research Mentor

Aaron Stavrakis, Vienna, WV (Biology), “Evaluation of toxicity of mild and stainless steel welding fumes on mouse macrophage cells,” Stephen Leonard, Research Mentor

Kathryn Taylor, Cross Lanes, WV (Biochemistry), “Consumption of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) sarcoplasmic protein on bone health,” Janet Tou, Research Mentor

Grant Tennant, Mineral Wells, WV (Wood Science and Technology), “Application of Thermal Treatment to Appalachian Hardwoods to Increase their Physical and Mechanical Properties.,” Dr. Kaushlendra Singh, Research Mentor

Erica Tracewell, Vienna, WV (Education), “The Effects of Instructional Rubrics on Essay Quality,” Melissa Patchan, Research Mentor

Mya Vannoy, Cross Lanes, WV (Immunology and Medical Microbiology), “The Epigenetic Role of Septic Microparticles in Alzheimer’s Disease,” Duaa Dakhlallah, Research Mentor

Brishti White, Morgantown, WV and Liza Grossman, Grafton, WV (Neuroscience), “Humoral (B cell) immune system imbalance is associated with development of depressive-like phenotype,” Elizabeth Engler-Chiurazzi, Research Mentor

Olivia Young, Ridgeley, WV (Astronomy), “Pulsar and Fast Radio Burst Searching with the 20m Telescope at Green Bank Observatory,” Maura McLaughlin, Research Mentor