Undergraduate research award recipients announced for the 2017-2018 academic year

The University of Maine’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) has announced the undergraduate recipients of the Research and Creative Activities Fellowships for the 2017–2018 academic year, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is well represented.

CUGR’s advisory committee selected 14 proposals overall from 70 student submissions to be awarded $1,000 each during the semester. Each proposal was reviewed by three reviewers and scored on clarity, research goals and objectives, importance to the field, timeline, budget and faculty commitment letters. Top proposals were then discussed at a panel.

CLAS undergraduates who received awards are:

• Jessica Champagne, psychology, “Maine Understanding Sensory Integration & Cognition (MUSIC) Project: Can Music Learning Improve Cognition in Older Adults?,” advised by Rebecca MacAulay
• Matthew Clark, chemistry, “Examination of the Effects of Processing Parameters on Bioactive Compounds in Maine Seaweeds,” advised by Barbara Cole
• Angus Koller, chemistry, “Polyphenol Oxidase and Total Phenolic Content in Honeycrisp Apples Afflicted with Soggy Breakdown,” advised by Barbara Cole
• Calla Williams, psychology, “Women in Leadership: How Leadership Framing and Social Identity Theory Influence Women’s Leadership Confidence,” advised by Shannon McCoy

Also announced are the MSGC Undergraduate Fellowship Award recipients for the 2017–2018 academic year, supported by UMaine’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) and the Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC).

The purpose of the MSGC fellowship and scholarship programs at UMaine is to provide research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students in aerospace technology, space science, Earth science, human exploration/space development, and other science- or engineering-related fields.

The CLAS winners of the 2017-2018 MSGC fellowship are:

• Daniel Adams, chemistry, “Detection of Hazard Chemicals using Novel Mixed Copper-Lead Nanoparticles. Applications of Vapochromic Sensing Behavior,” advised by Howard Patterson
• Samuel Borer, physics, “Measuring the Cross Section of Charge Current Quasi-Elastic Neutral Hyperons in ArgoNeuT,” advised by Saima Farooq
• Chayton Boucher, chemistry, “Determination of Catalyst Mechanism Using NMR Spectroscopy,” advised by Brian Frederick
• Jason Alexander Dignan, new media, “Huskeh Tech — Mobile Makerspace,” advised by Gene Felice
• Emma Lueders, chemistry, “Synthesis of Copper-Doped Bismuth Oxyhalide for Photocatalysis of Harmful Herbicides,” advised by Howard Patterson
• Stanley Small, computer science, “Counting Peaks in Ice-Core Data,” advised by Sudarshan Chawathe
• Ryan Warner, chemistry, “Photocatalytic Gas-to-Liquid Processing,” advised by Howard Patterson

More information about the fellowship and MSGC is available on the CUGR website.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has funded twelve additional undergraduate research projects for the 2017-2018 academic year under the CLAS Undergraduate Fellowship Award. These fellowships were developed to enhance and increase undergraduate student involvement in faculty supervised research and creative activity.

Dean Emily Haddad is proud to announce the 2017-2018 recipients of the CLAS Undergraduate Fellowship Award:

• Ariel Bouchard, psychology, “Hypoxemia in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Individuals as a Proposed Factor in the Detection of MCI,” advised by Marie Hayes
• Paul Caruso, physics, “Structural Studies of Nanostructured Thin Film Materials Using High Resolution X-ray Diffraction,” advised by Robert Lad
• Cassidy Gagne, psychology, “The effects of exercise on working memory,” advised by Fayeza Ahmed
• Gene Herrschaft, new media, “Facilitating Meaningful Interpersonal Connections Through a Virtual Space,” advised by Nicholas Giudice
• Zachary Kostusyk, psychology, “Priming Prosocial Behaviors Not: Effects of Different Reminders to Help,” advised by Jordan Labouff
• Johanna Lunn, human dimensions of climate change, “Maine’s Culture of Thrift: On Meaning and Motivation,” advised by Cindy Isenhour
• Tessali Morrison, chemistry, “Synthesis of Hydrogel Containing Quaternary Amine Polymers Used for Anti-Biofouling,” advised by William Gramlich
• Kathleen Murphy, political science, “Policy Analysis of V-Notching in the Maine Lobster Fishery,” advised by Teresa Johnson
• Samantha Saucier, sociology, “Troubling Pornography: Tensions of pornography consumption habits,” advised by Jennie Woodward
• Cole Spike, psychology, “Peer Wellness Coaching,” advised by Jordan Labouff
• Nathan Sprangers, music education, “The perceived benefit of homegenous recorder instruction as reported by older adult novice musicians,” advised by Philip Edelman
• Catherine Tufts, chemistry, “The Synthesis and Application of Chiral Phosphate Mimics,” advised by Matthew Brichacek

Congratulations to all of this year’s research award recipients!