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糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock awards $100,000 to students for research, creative works

More than 100 undergraduates at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will receive $1,000 grants to conduct original research, creative works, and community service projects this year as part of the university鈥檚 Signature Experience Award Program. Award winners will complete their signature experiences by the end of the 2019 spring semester and present their work at the 2019 Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Showcase on April 18. Students can use their grants to pay expenses related to their projects, which are designed to contribute to their academic development. This year, 144 students applied for the grants, representing an 82 percent increase in applications over last year, said Dr. Jeremy Ecke, chair of the Department of English and director of the Signature Experience program. Of the 144 applicants, 112 student projects received funding, and an additional 20 unfunded applications were recognized as Honorary Signature Experience projects and applicants were invited to present at the April showcase. To receive an award, undergraduate students must have a minimum 2.5 grade point average and have a faculty member to mentor the project. 鈥�The growth of the Signature Experience over the past two years reflects the serious engagement of our students and faculty in the support and development of undergraduate research and creative endeavors,鈥� Ecke said. 鈥淭he Signature Experience is a direct embodiment of the university鈥檚 five strategic goals: it directs resources toward student success, research, and creative endeavors while fostering community engagement and promoting projects that support diversity and global citizenship.鈥� This year鈥檚 applicants come from all of the university鈥檚 colleges and reflect a diverse range of topics. Students are researching topics ranging from breast cancer and traumatic brain injury to soil composition in the Little Rock Zoo, bank erosion in Coleman Creek, adaptation of Micronesian immigrants, and culturally based responses to homelessness in French and U.S. cities. Chancellor Andrew Rogerson announced the program in 2017 to inspire students to conduct original research and creative projects with guidance of faculty mentors. Last year, 79 students received awards. Congratulations to the following students: College of Arts, Letters and Sciences

• Luke Johnson, biology, mentored by John M. Bush. 鈥淧hages in different types of water and their effects鈥�
• Kimberly Maurer, English, mentored by Paul Crutcher. 鈥淏reaking 鈥淪ingle Story鈥� Silence: Celebrating Positive, Diverse Girlhood鈥�
• Bonnie R. Young, dance, mentored by Stephanie Thibeault. 鈥淔ortune Favors the Bold: Confidence in Dance鈥�
• Thuy Le, chemistry, mentored by Noureen Siraj. 鈥淎 portable nanosensor for nitroaromatic detection鈥�
• Katherine Ashley Hall, theatre arts, mentored by Yslan Hicks. 鈥淐ross-dressing: The Transformative Power of Costumes on Shakespeare鈥檚 Stage鈥�
• Robert Hill, chemistry, mentored by Noureen Siraj. 鈥淭unable Porphyrin Nanoparticles As Combination Drug For Cancer Therapy.鈥�
• Emily Anderson, biology, mentored by Shanzhi Wang. 鈥淓nzymatic Characterization of Bgp from B. burgdorferi, the Main Causative Agent in Lyme Disease in the U.S.鈥�
• Reem Al-Shukri, biology, mentored by Alexandru Biris. 鈥淧lasmonic Nanovectors for Selective Targeting and Killing of Cancer Cells鈥�
• Humam Shahare, biology, mentored by Noureen Siraj and Tito Viswanathan. 鈥淯se of Ionic Liquid Electrolyte to Enhance the Supercapacitance of Doped Carbon Materials鈥�
• KateLin Carsrud, English, mentored by Jeffrey Condran. 鈥淏raddock Avenue Books Spring Catalogue at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference, Portland, Ore., March 2019鈥�
• David Alan Cline, physics, mentored by John Nichols. 鈥淒evelopment and Implementation of a Miniature Musical Tesla coil鈥�
• Chandrasimha Reddy Penthala, chemistry and biology, mentored by Wei Zhao. 鈥淪ynthesis of NiFe-Based Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheets on Nickel Foams for Water-Splitting Electrocatalysis鈥�
• Sarah Harper, art education, mentored by Timothy Garth. 鈥淐urating Connections: Museum Skills and Pk-12 Learning Engagement鈥�
• Caleb Alexander-McKinzie, English/legal studies, mentored by Heather Hummel. 鈥淏lood Orange Review and Braddock Avenue Books Literary Reading at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference, Portland, Ore., March 2019
• Grayson Treat, English, mentored by Heather K. Hummel. 鈥淭he Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference Undergraduate Resource Guide鈥�
• Madeleine Logan, biology, mentored by Robert Sikes. 鈥淢inimizing Stress in Wild vs Domesticated Mammals: The Effects of Anesthesia and Handling Time鈥�
• Bonn Belingon, chemistry, mentored by Shanzhi Wang. 鈥淧otential Use of Enzyme Glucose Oxidase (GOx) as an Antimicrobial Agent鈥�
• Tyler Maxwell, biology and chemistry, mentored by Qingfang He. 鈥淒e novo Biosynthesis of Resveratrol in Metabolically Engineered鈥�
• Madison Brown, English, mentored by Jeffrey Condran. 鈥淧resenting the 2019 Equinox Literary Magazine at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference, Portland, Ore., March 2019鈥�
• Kathryn Bates, English, mentored by Jeffrey Condran. 鈥淔unding Undergraduate Literary Magazines: An Investigation at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference, Portland, Ore., March 2019鈥�
• Noemi Garcia, biology/Spanish, mentored by Stephen Grace. 鈥淕ene Discovery for Health Promoting Phytochemicals in the Medicinal Plant Echinacea鈥�
• Jessica Yvonne Ley, theatre arts, mentored by Lawrence D. Smith. 鈥淭he Default: An Exploration of Heteronormativity through Stage Performance鈥�
• Serena Mykenzie Gordon, theatre arts, mentored by Lawrence D. Smith. 鈥淎 Theatre of Cruelty Experience鈥�
• Caroline Kornelsen, chemistry, mentored by Noureen Siraj and Tito Vishwanathan. 鈥淪ynthesis of a Betaine Ester Surfactant via a Novel 鈥淕reen鈥� Method of Esterification鈥�
• Grace Young, biology, mentored by Robert Sikes. 鈥淢inimizing Stress in Wild vs Domesticated Mammals: The Effects of Anesthesia and Handling Time鈥�
• Jessica L. Morris, biology, mentored by Scott Woolbright. 鈥淓valuating Variation in Soil Composition among Habitats at the Little Rock Zoo鈥�
• Carol Ann Bowerman, biology and chemistry, mentored by Nawab Ali. 鈥淭he Investigation of Silver-coated Gold Nanorods as an Effective Nano-drug Vessel鈥�.鈥�
• Maxwell Rollins Campbell, biology/music, mentored by Carl R. Stapleton. 鈥淓ffects of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds on Ostracod Densities in Fourche Creek鈥�
• Arooba Ilyas, biology/chemistry, mentored by Noureen Siraj. 鈥淭ea Waste as an Adsorbent for Water Purification鈥�
• Ryan Mann, biology, mentored by Shanzhi Wang. 鈥淭he Affects of Caspase-1 Cleavage on Alpha-Synuclein鈥�
• Travis Jumper, chemistry, mentored by Anindya Ghosh. 鈥淎 Novel Synthetic Chemical Pathway for the Formation of Amides鈥�
• Lauren Humphrey, graphic design, mentored by Kevin Cates. 鈥淐hildren’s Bible for residents in Mongu, Zambia鈥�
• Aaron Prosser, graphic design, mentored by Kevin Cates. 鈥淥rgano Guys Action Figures鈥�
• Tracy V. Cook, English, mentored by Jana McAuliffe. 鈥淏rief Thoughts of the 21st Century鈥�
• Tina Hesabizadeh, interdisciplinary studies, mentored by Gregory Guisbiers. 鈥淪ynthesis of Selenium-based Nanostructures鈥�
• Vardah Asad Sheikh, physics, mentored by Tansel Karabacak. 鈥淣anorod Arrays for Flexible Photodetector Applications鈥�
• Lyle P. Arnett, Physics, mentored by Tansel Karabacak. 鈥淕rowth of Metal Oxide Nanostructures (MONSTRs) by Hot Water Treatment/Deposition鈥�
• William James Avery King, molecular biotechnology, mentored by Alexandru Biris. 鈥淓valuation of Gold Nanoparticles with Various Aspect Ratios for Use as Artificial Extracellular Matrices for Growing Neural Cells鈥�
• Thomas Jackson, theatre arts, mentored by William Marshall. 鈥淪cenic design for Fringe Festival鈥�
• Conor Van Lierop, theatre arts, mentored by William Marshall. 鈥淟ighting design for the Fringe Festival鈥�
• Brandy Rochelle Mimms, dance performance, mentored by Stephanie Thibeault. 鈥淒eaf can Dance.鈥�
• Taylor S. Green, theatre arts and dance, mentored by Lawrence D. Smith, 鈥淭he Elaine Twelve: Aftermath of the Massacre of 1919鈥�
• Emily Nichole Fendley, French / anthropology and nonprofit leadership studies, mentored by Rosalie M. Cheatham. 鈥淗omelessness: Causes, Culturally-based Responses and NGO Engagement in Mid-sized French and US Cities鈥�

College of Education and Health Professions

• Emilia Zsuzsanna Rak, social work, mentored by David J. Namir. 鈥淐hange Your Days鈥�
• Wesley C. Smith, nursing, mentored by Jeffrey K. Carmack. 鈥淎n Assessment of Time Spent Teaching Hearing and Non-hearing Patients鈥�
• Tamara J. Martin, communication sciences and disorders, mentored by Dr. Donna J. Kelly. 鈥淚nvestigation of Interdisciplinary Assessment Measures of Acute and Persistent Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) Sequela in Adults鈥�
• Darleene Rua and Michelle Henderson, nursing, mentored by Leigh Snead. 鈥淪tudents鈥� Perceptions and Skills Performance in Two Student-led Emergency Simulated Scenarios鈥�
• Jessica Swatzel, communication sciences and disorders, mentored by Dana Moser. 鈥淓ffects of Applying Brain Stimulation during Language Intervention?鈥�
• Darrien Adams, health education and promotion, mentored by Janea Snyder. 鈥淕rowing Healthy Communities Projects (Wellness Fair & Garden to Grill Cooking Class)鈥�
• Emily Junkans, communication sciences and disorders/ Spanish, mentored by Jeremy Ecke. 鈥淟anguage and Identity: Academic English and International Students鈥�

• Stuti Chatterjee, biology, mentored by Philip H. Williams. 鈥淚sland project – Automated water quality sensors/wildlife webcam鈥�

College of Business

• Emelie Blennow, marketing, mentored by Dr. Casey Rockwell. 鈥淎nalysis of Ethical and Legal Implications of Autopilot vehicles. Is Tesla the new Pinto?鈥�
• Maximillian Holzmueller, economics and Finance, mentored by Moiz Bhai. 鈥淎 Case Study in Agrowponics鈥�
• Alexander Reid Palmer, Human Resource Management, mentored by John Hendon, 鈥淢edical Marijuana and Federalism鈥�

College of Social Sciences and Communication

• Nicholas J. Popowich, journalism, mentored by John A. Kirk. 鈥�Documenting the Black Power Movement in Arkansas鈥�
• Rhonda Thomas, professional and technical writing, mentored by Heidi Skurat Harris. 鈥淎lexander鈥檚 Stray Mare: Tracing an Ancestor from Georgia to Pre-territorial Arkansas鈥�

• Julie O鈥橦ara, political science, mentored by Joseph Giammo. 鈥淭he Effect of Elite Discourses on Secessionist Movements鈥�
• Dylan Wright, political science/Spanish, mentored by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm. 鈥淭he Language of Truth: Exploring the Discourse of Latin American Truth Commission Recommendations鈥�
• Jordan Wallis, political science, mentored by Rebecca Glazier. 鈥淕od and Country: Veteran Services in the Little Rock Religious Community鈥�
• Mary Katelyn McBrayer, applied communication, mentored by April Chatham-Carpenter. 鈥淒isrupting the Cycle of Mental Illness: Building up Intergenerational Family Resilience through Positive Communication鈥�
• Robin A. Freeman, applied communication, mentored by Avinash Thombre. 鈥淯nderstanding Communication Strategies for Women without Children鈥�
• Octavious Harris, criminal justice/law enforcement, mentored by Trisha N. Rhodes. 鈥淓xploring Predictors of Sentencing for Male and Female Prisoners in Arkansas鈥�
• Michael Meziere, criminal justice, mentored by Molly Smith. 鈥淓xamining the Relationship between Religiosity, Rape Myth Acceptance, and Sexual Misconduct鈥�
• Asiah Bradley, criminal justice and psychology, mentored by Molly Smith. 鈥淐orrelates of Sexual Misconduct Victims’ Use of Campus Resources鈥�
• Morgan Paige Topping, political science, mentored by Rebecca Glazier. 鈥淗ow Social Media can Increase Participation in Community-based Research: The Case of the Little Rock Congregation Study鈥�
• Rosalinda Roper, political science/international studies, mentored by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm. 鈥淓xploring Variation in International Response to Refugee Crises鈥�
• Madeline Burke, international studies, mentored by Casey Rockwell. 鈥淭he Unregulated Regulators鈥�

CSSC & CALS

• Nicole Ursin, anthropology/history, mentored by Juliana Flinn. 鈥淎daptation of Micronesian Immigrants鈥�
• Katherine Roberts, philosophy/interdisciplinary, mentored by Jana McAuliffe. 鈥淒iversifying the Discipline: An analysis of the 2019 Arkansas High School Ethics Bowl鈥�
• Emma Beth Williams, professional and technical writing/legal studies, mentored by Jana McAuliffe. 鈥淎n Axiology of Public Philosophy: A Study in Public Intellectualism鈥�
• Solomon Ra鈥檖hael Davis, international studies/philosophy, mentored by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm. 鈥淢aking Human Lives Better: How Material and Symbolic Reparations Improve Post Civil War Peace鈥�

Engineering & Information Technology

• Andrew Mark Cherry, mechanical systems engineering, mentored by Jin Wook Lee. 鈥淎 Quadcopter with Improved Lift Capabilities鈥�
• Rebecca L. Bishop, geology, mentored by Rene A. Shroat-Lewis. 鈥淢onitoring Coral Patch Reefs of San Salvador Island, Bahamas for Diversity and Disease鈥�
• Christopher Flocken, computer science, mentored by Steven Minsker. 鈥淔unctional Programming Design鈥�
• Lamarcus Coleman, computer science/mathematics, mentored by Mariofanna Milanova. 鈥淎pplying Deep Reinforcement Learning to Economic Event Prediction鈥�

• Ahmed Alazzawi, systems engineering, mentored by Kamran Iqbal. 鈥淎ltered Muscle Synergies While Walking Under Higher Postural Constraints鈥�
• Josh Carlat, computer science game option, mentored by Sean Orme. 鈥淎 Look into the Feasibility of Teaching Game Engine Design at the Undergraduate Level鈥�
• Nikki Mullen, mechanical systems engineering, mentored by Andrew Wright and Alex Biris. 鈥淐haracterization of Nanoparticle Scaffolding Polymer鈥�
• Luke Tyhurst, information science, mentored by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm. 鈥淒eveloping an Online Platform: From Market Research to a Minimum Viable Product鈥�
• Zezhang Lin, computer science, mentored by Chia-Chu Chiang. 鈥淎utomatic Customization of Web Pages to Enhance User Experience鈥�
• David M. Hough, environmental geology, mentored by Thomas Colby. 鈥淚nvestigating the Age and Significance of a Rare Occurrence of Metagabbro in the Ouachita Mountains, Central Arkansas, USA鈥�
• Jason Spencer, geology, mentored by Michael DeAngelis. 鈥淢ineralogical, Petrological and Geochronological Investigation of the Blue Ball Lamproite Dike near Waldron, Arkansas, USA鈥�
• Cody Smith, geology, mentored by Michael DeAngelis. 鈥淩eproducing and Improving the Sol-Gel Synthesis of Nanoscale Enstatite (Mg2Si2O6) and Diopside (CaMgSi2O6)鈥�
• Li Zhou Morrow, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Ashokkumar M. Sharma. 鈥淒esign and Development of a Unique Transparent Fishing Tackle Box鈥�

• Michael Tyler Kee, geology, mentored by Laura Ruhl. 鈥淓volution of Contaminants in Weathered Coal Combustion Residuals: an Environmental Case Study鈥�
• Julian Reid Ervin, environmental geology, mentored by Laura Ruhl. 鈥淢icroplastics in Fourche Creek Wetlands鈥�
• Derrick Fuell, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Srikanth B. Pidugu. 鈥淎 Novel Macro-mixer for Medical Applications鈥�
• Jacob H. Jackson, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Ashokkumar M. Sharma. 鈥淲ater Recycling System for a Hydraulic Ram Pump鈥�
• Denver Ellis, computer science, mentored by Jan P. Springer. 鈥淚mproving Versatility of Smart Mirrors Through Facial Recognition and Rotational Measurements鈥�
• Joshua Ray, environmental engineering, mentored by Lashun Massey.鈥淎 Novel Collaborative Approach to Addressing Environmental Engineering鈥�
• Kajal Shukla, computer science, mentored by Mariofanna Milanova. 鈥淏oosting Deep Learning Risk Prediction for Electronic Health Records鈥�
• Zaire Idalis Husband, computer science/information assurance, mentored by Jan P. Springer. 鈥淢ulti-Factor Authentication鈥�
• Taima Zidan Suid, computer science with mathematics minor, mentored by Jan P. Springer. 鈥淢ulti-Factor Authentication鈥�
• Malik Shakur El-Amin, computer science, mentored by Jan P. Springer. 鈥淢ockSOC – A prototype Special Operations Center鈥�
• Sam Willis, computer science, mentored by Mariofanna Milanova. 鈥淐omputer Vision System to Identify and Quantify Waste鈥�
• Chance Melby, computer science, mentored by Jan P. Springer. 鈥淎nalysis of Red Team Coordination: Finding the Correct Attack Methodology鈥�
• Adam Ness, systems engineering/mathematics, mentored by Marc D. Glidden. 鈥淩amifications of Bank Deserts on Financial Literacy鈥�
• Christopher F. Bohner, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Ashokkumar M. Sharma. 鈥淒esign-for-manufacturing, construction, and testing of a thermochemical system to generate power from municipal solid waste鈥�
• Pablo J. Centeno, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Ashokkumar M. Sharma and Srikanth B. Pidugu. 鈥淧ick and place robot鈥�
• Bryan S. Wilson, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Ashokkumar M. Sharma. 鈥淒esign, construction, and testing of a re-designed gasifier鈥�
• Jonathon M. Horn, geology, mentored by Margaret E. McMillan. 鈥淎nalysis of short-term changes in bank erosion and sediment transport in Coleman Creek, Little Rock, AR, using 糖心Vlog传媒V aerial surveys鈥�
• Patrick W. Paladino, geology, mentored by Margaret E. McMillan. 鈥淎nalysis of Short-term Changes in Bank Erosion and Sediment Transport in Coleman Creek, Little Rock, AR, Using Field Surveys鈥�
• Mandolin Harris, geology, mentored by Laura Ruhl. 鈥淓volution of Karst Spring Water in the Ozark Mountains: Impacts on Water Quality鈥�
• Elias Perez Reyes, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Srikanth B. Pidugu. 鈥淓ffective Thermal Conductivity of Open Celled Copper Foam metals鈥�
• Alexandria L. Smith, electronic and computer engineering technology, mentored by Hirak Patangia. 鈥淎n Evaporative Energy Harvester鈥�
• Sherif A. Selim, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Kailash C. Jajam. 鈥淎dditive Manufacturing of Multiphase Syntactic Foams Modified with Glass Microballoons and Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs)鈥�
• Alex Alvarez, mechanical engineering technology/Spanish, mentored by Sandra Leiterman. 鈥淏B-8 in STEM Ed鈥�
• Nigel Kelly, mechanical systems engineering/mathematics, mentored by Alexandru Biris. 鈥淔abrication of Hafnium Thin Films for Optical Applications鈥�
• Ashley Strohmeyer, electrical and computer engineering technology, mentored by Alexandru Biris. 鈥淔abrication of Titanium Disilicide Films Using Pulsed Laser Deposition鈥�
• Eric Nelson Sutherland Jr., mechanical systems engineering, mentored by Soheil Saedi. 鈥淎n Investigation on the Effects of Heat Treatment Process on Phase Transformation of NiTi Shape Memory Alloys鈥�
• Evan Angle, computer science/physics, mentored by Albert Baker. 鈥淐an Enhanced VR Display Resolution Impact Application Effectiveness?鈥�

Honorary Signature Experience Award winners

• Gary Morries, biology, mentored by Scott Woolbright. 鈥淪urvey of Climate Relict Populations of Varied Groundsnakes (Sonora semiannulatum) from Rare Arkansas Glade Ecosystems.鈥�
• Madison Victoria Rodgers, political science, mentored by Rebecca Glazier. 鈥淓ngagement and Religion among Little Rock Congregations: 聽The Reciprocal Relationship between Community Involvement and Political Involvement鈥�
• Christopher Tate, post-bac nursing, mentored by Leigh Snead. 鈥淪tudents鈥� Perceptions and Skills Performance in Two Student-led Emergency Simulated Scenarios鈥�
• Elizabeth Jarrott, nursing, mentored by Leigh Snead. 鈥淪tudents鈥� Perceptions and Skills Performance in Two Student-led Emergency Simulated Scenarios.鈥�
• Laura Ruiz Astorga, international studies and psychology, mentored by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm. 鈥淲omen鈥檚 Empowerment in Conflict-Affected Societies鈥�
• Victoria Yvonne McHargue, biology/chemistry/ American sign language, mentored by John Bush. 鈥淯sing Bacteriophages for Potential Bio-remediation for a Water Source鈥�
• Allie Woodville, political science and anthropology, mentored by Eric Wiebelhaus-Brahm. 鈥淭he Syrian Refugee Crisis and Information Technology: From a Public Involvement Perspective鈥�
• Katie Matthews, biology, mentored by Scott Woolbright. 鈥淪oil Microbial Communities Associated with a Prairie Restoration in Northwest Arkansas.鈥�
• Taylor Hudson, mechanical engineering technology, mentored by Ashokkumar M. Sharma. 鈥淒esign Modification, Construction and Testing of Ram Pump 鈥� A Performance Improvement Study”

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student Sylvia Szwedo talks about her chemistry project during the 2018 Student Research and Creative Works Showcase. Photo by Benjamin Krain