Fellowships award winners announced by CUGR

The University of Maine’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) has announced the winners of Academic Year fellowship programs.

Supported by the Office of Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, CUGR provides several fellowship programs including the UMaine Institute of Medicine, UMaine Artificial Intelligence, and Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) fellowships. Undergraduate proposals will be awarded $1,500 each.

This year’s CUGR Fellowship award winners are:

Alexandra Peary, Nursing, “How Physical Activity Implementation Strategies Have Changed in Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” advised by Kelley Strout

Jessica Liggiero, Civil Engineering, “Microplastics Research,” advised by Onur Apul

Connor Firth, Mechanical Engineering, “Human Fall Prevention Using Single-Camera Depth Mapping and a Real-time Feedback System,” advised by Babak Hejrati

Meghan Boos, Biomedical Engineering, “Top-Down Approach to Super Flexible and Antibacterial Wood,” advised by Yingchao Yang

Matthew Harzewski, Computer Science, “Turtlebot Navigation,” advised by Vikas Dhiman

Miao Hu, Mechanical Engineering, “Advanced Design of 3D Printing Head for Aligning Wood Fibers into Three-dimensional Structures,” advised by Yingchao Yang

Stella Cotner, Mechanical Engineering, “Effects of Harsh Environmental Conditions on Mechanical and Physical Behaviors of Tough and Stretchable Hydrogels for the Benefit to Optical Fiber Technology,” advised by Siamak Shams Es-haghi

Samuel Roberts, Environmental Science, “Comparison of Climate Change Patterns Among the Wild Blueberry Fields in Five Major Wild Blueberry Production Counties of Maine,” advised by Yongjiang Zhang

Zachary Doherty, Civil and Environmental Engineering, “Geosmin and 2-Methylisoborneol Removal Through Ultraviolet and Nanobubble Interaction,” advised by Onur Apul

Alex Wilkins, Chemistry, “Synthesis and Analysis of Neuromelanin Formed from Decarboxylated Brominated Eumelanoids Monomers,” advised by Matthew Brichacek

Hannah Maurais, Biochemistry, “Determining the Role of Paratox in Streptococcus agalactiae: Virulence and Bacterial Fitness,” advised by Melody Neely

Dominique DiSpirito, Political Science, “A Study On The Future of Food Recycling Laws in Maine,” advised by Robert Glover

Mackenzie Ladd, Mechanical Engineering, “Characterization of Electrically Conductive Filament for FDM 3D Printing,” advised by Brett Ellis

Zoe Prats, Psychology, “No More Excu-SES: It’s Time to Address Class and Cognitive Function,” advised by Rebecca MacAulay

Alexandria Thompson, Earth and Climate Sciences, “Assessing Mg/Ca as a Key to Past Ocean Temperature in the Southern Jordan Basin, Gulf of Maine,” advised by Katherine Allen

Maxwell Burtis, Mechanical Engineering, “The Performance Assessment of a Lighter-than-air Drone for Glacial Research in the Juneau Icefields, Alaska,” advised by Wilhelm Friess

Emma Fitzpatrick, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, “Relationships Between Plumage Phenotypes and Parasite Infections in Barn Wwls (Tyto alba),” advised by Pauline Kamath

Abigail Muscat, Marine Science, “Identifying Umbrella Species to Inform the Conservation of Intertidal Areas in Acadia National Park,” advised by Brian Olsen

Wendy Crosier, Political Science, “Maine Community Energy Action Network,” advised by Sharon Klein

Lara Chern, Mechanical Engineering, “Durability Testing of a Marine Composite Sample for Wave Energy Converters,” advised by Richard Kimball

Jillian Trujillo, Art History, “Sounds of Maine,” advised by Justin Wolff

Elyeah Schweikert, Wildlife Ecology, “Glacier Modeling to Represent Previous Glacier Size and Climate in the Cairngorms National Park,” advised by Alice Doughty

Jacob Hotaling, New Media, “Short Film Experience with QR,” advised by Jon Ippolito

Willow Wind, Communication, “Communication Goals and Practices of Trans- and Gender Non-conforming Individuals and Their Impact on Mental Health,” advised by Liliana Herakova

Evan Bess, Biomedical Engineering, “Novel Method of Measuring Bone Density Using Audible Sound,” advised by Michael Mason

Ian Birchler De Allende, Marine Science, “Mitochondrial Genome Sequencing of New England Sea Slugs, Dendronotus frondosus, Doto coronata, and Flabellina verrucosa,” advised by Erin Grey

Hector Orellana, Microbiology, “The Role of McProf in M. chelonae Antibiotic Resistance,” advised by Sally Molloy

Andre Daigle, Microbiology, “Discovering Novel Bacteriophages to Better Understand Drug Resistance of Mycobacteria Pathogens,” advised by Sally Molloy

Samantha Sudol, Psychology, “Sleep Disturbance, Mood State, and Cognitive Performance,” advised by Michael Robbins

Jinyoung Park, Chemistry, “Isolation and Analysis of Glycosaminoglycans Using TEAB Auxiliary,” advised by Matthew Brichacek

Evan Warburton, Biochemistry, “Uncovering the Mycorrhizal Connections Between Mature Trees and Seedlings of Ancient Red Spruce Forests on a Coastal Maine Island,” advised by Peter Avis

Tyler Delargy, Computer Science, “Real Time Reality – 3D Scanning and Full-Body Tracking,” advised by Terry Yoo

Kelvy Zucca, Physics, “Design, Construction, and Investigation of a Small Polarimeter,” advised by David Batuski

John Burnell, Biochemistry, “Mitochondrial Toxicity of Antimicrobial Agent Cetylpyridinium Chloride,” advised by Julie Gosse

Aaron Dustin, Psychology, Mediation of the Religion-Prejudice Link,” advised by Jordan LaBouff

Jon Donnelly, Computer Science, “Deformable ProtoPNet: Human Interpretable Deep Learning with Spatial Invariance,” advised by Chaofan Chen

Audrie French, Microbiology, “Investigating Role of Bacteriophage in Black Soldier Fly Larvae Pathogen Suppression,” advised by Edward Bernard

Julianna Grampone, Biochemistry, “Interferon Response Genes Role in Tissue Damage Post Influenza A Virus,” advised by Benjamin King

Lauren Potter, History, “Holocaust Ghettos Project,” advised by Anne Knowles

Katie Westbrook, Earth and Climate Science, “Cosmogenic Isotope Analysis of Basal Sediment found in Mt. Hunter Ice Cores,” advised by Karl Kreutz

Amanda Sandberg, Biochemistry, “Evaluating Ca2+ Related Drugs for Inhibition of JC Polyomavirus Infection,” advised by Melissa Maginnis

Gunnar Eastman, Computer Science, “Scientific Terminology Extractor (SciTex),” advised by Torsten Hahmann

Kaitlyn Stewart, New Media, “Swipper: A Swipe to Shop Platform,” advised by Jon Ippolito

Zachary Pecora, Animal Veterinary Science, “Prevalence, Distribution, and Risk Factors of Anaplasma Bacterial Infections in Maine Moose,” advised by Pauline Kamath

Kathleen Davis, History, “Mitigation or Obstruction: Investigating the Use of Development Aid in Mitigating Climate Change and Addressing Climate Migration,” advised by Nicholas Micinski

Wyatt Cannell, Molecular and Cellular Biology, “Transcriptional Targets of Nuclear Factor Kappa B (NF-kB)-Mediated Inflammation Following Influenza A Virus Infection,” advised by Benjamin King

Elyse Daub, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, “Linking Molecular Deadwood Inhabiting Fungi to Carbon Dioxide Flux of Decomposing Coarse Woody Debris,” advised by Pete Avis

Delaney Burns, Studio Art, “Thuja occidentalis: Exploring Maine’s “Tree of Life,” advised by Andy Mauery

Jacob Mealey, Computer Engineering, “Ad-Hoc Positioning with Wearable Devices,” advised by Mike Scott

Everett Zuras, Chemistry, “Effect of Experimental Parameters on Size and Catalytic Performance of Water-Stable Gold-Aryl Nanoparticles,” advised by Alice Bruce

Kettie Rose Cormier, Civil and Environmental Engineering, “Development of a Rapid LAMP-Based Field Method for Fecal Contamination Monitoring,” advised by Jean MacRae

Sydney Jackson, Marine Science, “Assessing Non-invasive Methods for Characterizing Marine Mammal Genetic Diversity Through Environmental DNA,” advised by Kristina Cammen

Nicholas Johnson, Finance, “Measuring China’s Footprint in the American Economy,” advised by Stefano Tijerina

Mustafa Elhefnawi, Biochemistry, “The Regulation of Autophagy During GPCR Signaling,” advised by Joshua Kelley

Bivek Bista, Mechanical Engineering, “Hybrid Carbon Nanotube based Catalytic Materials as a Biochemical Sensor,” advised by Sharmila Mukhopadhyay

Rebecca Collins, Chemistry, “Catalysis of Enantioselective Chiral Phosphates,” advised by Matthew Brichacek

Riley Grindle, Molecular and Cellular Biology, “Neutrophil Inflammatory Regulation via Differentially Expressed MicroRNA during Influenza A Virus Infection,” advised by Benjamin King

Conner Ingalls, New Media, “Digital instrument “Slap-Box,” advised by Nathaniel Aldrich

Samuel Vaccaro, Mathematics, “Ultimate Truths and Their Relation to the Limits of Human Understanding,” advised by Robby Finley

Stella Cashman, New Media, “20-Sided Story,” advised by Jon Ippolito

Kaitlynn Raye, Communication Sciences and Disorders, “Improving Patient Satisfaction Among Communication Impaired Adults,” advised by Nancy Hall

Emma Sperry, Biomedical Engineering, “Designing a Functional Trunnion Prototype for Attachment of an Artificial Leg to a Femoral Implant to Be Used For Osseointegrated Prosthetics,” advised by David Neivandt

Samuel Holbrook, Biology, “Modeling Tropical Glacier Extent Over Time,” advised by Alice Doughty

Molly Glueck, English, “Reconstructing the Romantic Legacy: Annotating the Sublime, Imagination, and Freedom through Black Studies,” advised by Elizabeth Neiman

Noah Lambert, Computer Engineering, “Artificial Intelligence for Energy Efficiency,” advised by Drew Hooke

Kimberly Hunt, Music (Piano) Performance, “Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Interpretive Architecture,” advised by Phillip Silver

Grace Harman, Microbiology, “Effects of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Aeromonas hydrophila on the Development of Black Soldier Fly Larvae,” advised by Edward Bernard

Noa Buzby, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, “How Did Extinct Ice Age mega-herbivores Affect Soil Nutrient Cycling?,” advised by Jacquelyn Gill

Jasmine Lamb, Communication Sciences and Disorders, “Promoting Health for Sipayik through Alternative Energy Solutions,” advised by Sharon Klein

Sarah Meyer-Waldo, Mechanical Engineering, “A Dance of Life: teshuvah – to turn towards one’s self,” advised by Samantha Jones

Averi Taylor, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, “Validating the Precision and Accuracy of a Bluetooth-enabled pH and Temperature Data Logger to Monitor Ruminal pH in Ruminally Cannulated Dairy Cattle,” advised by J. J. Romero

Maxwell Prybylo, Computer Science, “Pri-Con: A Usable Privacy-Conscious Intelligent Agent,” advised by Sepideh Ghanavati

Basel White, Biomedical Engineering, “An Exploratory Analysis on the Measurement of the Hurst Exponent through the Use of the Power Spectrum and 2D WTMM Methodology on Monofractal and Multifractal Images,” advised by Andre Khalil

Jacob Holbrook, Biomedical Engineering, “Diffusive Properties of Cellulose Nanomaterial Hydrogels,” advised by Michael Mason

Laura Curioli, History, “Credit Claiming in the Modern Age: Media Influence on Counterterrorism Operation,” advised by Asif Nawaz

For more information, visit the CUGR website or email cugr@maine.edu.