CUGR announces 2017–2018 academic year fellowship winners

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.

CUGR’s advisory committee selected 14 proposals 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.

Four awards were supported by the College of Engineering Crowley Fund and the rest were sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research.

The winners are:

  • Christopher Albert, chemical engineering, “Pulp Yield Improvement Via Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) Reduction,” advised by Thomas Schwartz
  • Cole Butler, civil engineering, “Population Models on Continuous-Valued Heterogeneous Landscapes,” advised by David Hiebeler
  • 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
  • Daniel D’Alessio, mathematics, “Lacunarity within Mammograms,” advised by Andre Khalil
  • Spencer DeBrock, zoology, “The Effect of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid on Black-legged Tick Abundance and Lyme Disease Infection Prevalence in Maine,” advised by Allison Gardner
  • Amy de Silva, communication sciences and disorders, “Lend me your Ear: Context Effects on Ambiguous Idiom Comprehension in Aphasia,” advised by Christopher Grindrod
  • Cara Doiron, finance, “Constructing Identity through the Lens of Fashion,” advised by Samantha Jones
  • Cody Gigac, chemical engineering, “Synthesis of a HaloTag Ligand; for Targeted Genetic Studies of Serotonin Receptors,” advised by Michael Kienzler
  • Mitchell Harling, bioengineering, “The Metabolic Behavior of M1-Like Macrophages when Treated with Extracts from Anti-Inflammatory Foods,” advised by Karissa Tilbury
  • Cory Johnson, biology, “Effects of Dietary Fats on Brain-Adipose Communication,” advised by Kristy Townsend
  • Angus Koller, chemistry, “Polyphenol Oxidase and Total Phenolic Content in Honeycrisp Apples Afflicted with Soggy Breakdown,” advised by Barbara Cole
  • Chloe Lilly, bioengineering, “Slippery Paper Diagnostic Devices with Agar-based Bacterial Detection System,” advised by Caitlin Howell
  • Calla Williams, psychology, “Women in Leadership: How Leadership Framing and Social Identity Theory Influence Women’s Leadership Confidence,” advised by Shannon McCoy

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