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2021 VURF RECIPIENTS

Student Name Faculty Sponsor Sponsor Department Project Title:
Mackenzie Baird Andrej Prsa Astronomy & Astrophysics Discovering Unknown Anomalies in the Astronomical Timeseries
Justin Karach Andrej Prsa Astronomy & Astrophysics Eclipsing Binary Stars Observed by the TESS Mission
Christopher Sheridan Edward Guinan Astronomy & Astrophysics Asteroseismology of the Red Hypergiant VY Canis Majoris – Analyzing Archival Photometry: Period Studies & Internal Structure
Kevin Moposita Scott Engle Astronomy & Astrophysics Finding and Following Exoplanets
Hayley Nofi Edward Guinan Astronomy & Astrophysics The Effectiveness of Rhizobium on Plants in Martian and Lunar Simulant Soil in Preparation for Mars and Lunar Colonization.
Ian Briggs Angela DiBenedetto Biology The effect of Brd2 gene inhibition on Zebrafish interneuron patterning with GFP markers.
Caroline Canally Angela DiBenedetto Biology The effect of using a small molecule inhibitor of Brd2, a critical gene regulator, on the developing excretory system in zebrafish.
Lily Day Robert Curry Biology Influence of male song on extra-pair paternity within a songbird hybrid zone
Mikayla DeSaye Alyssa Stark Biology Blowin’ in The Wind: The Effect of Wind on Ant Behavior, Locomotion, and Adhesion
Michelle Diamandi Elaine Youngman Biology Investigating the role of siRNAs in the nonstop decay pathway of germ cells
Gina Ngo Anil Bamezai Biology Examining the Role of Ly-6A in Regulating Metabolism of Tumor Infiltrated Lymphocytes
Anthony Pasles Dana Opulente Biology Comparison of Clinical and Non-Clinical Isolates of the Opportunistic Pathogenic Yeast Candida tropicalis
Savrina Salartash Brittany Coppinger Biology Quantitative D note variation in Carolina chickadees and black-capped chickadees
Lucie Scura Dana Opulente Biology Exploring the depths: Yeast diversity in Soil
Christina Tillinghast Anil Bamezai Biology Investigating the effectiveness of a dual immune checkpoint blockade using Ly-6A and PD-1 double knockout (DKO) mouse melanoma tumor transplantation in vivomodel
Anna Wilson James Wilson Biology Engineering controlled pdu MCP expression across different bacteria
Zara Zimmer Brittany Coppinger Biology Investigating the influence of achromatic plumage brightness on extra-pair paternity in hybridizing chickadees
Lauren Amoo Kevin Minbiole Chemistry  
Zachary Boyer Matthew O'Reilly Chemistry Organic Synthesis, Identification, and Biological Analysis of anti-MRSA Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitors
Samuel Burwell Vanessa Boschi Chemistry Examining the Extent of Metal Contamination on Dairy Farms Using Copper Sulfate Bovine Footbaths
Alexa Graboske Scott Kassel Chemistry Palladium and Nickel complexes of 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)triazole as catalysts for Suzuki-type cross-coupling reactions
Mia Hess Jared Paul Chemistry Studies of the Cytotoxic Mechanism for Anti-Cancer Ruthenium Compounds Containing Dihydroxybipyridine Ligands
Emily Mahoney Jennifer Palenchar Chemistry Kinetic Characterization of an Essential Haloacid Dehalogenase Present in the Trypanosome Parasite
Katherine Moffa Jared Paul Chemistry Synthesis and Study of Bimetallic Water Oxidation Catalyst Precursors
Megan Fitzpatrick Wenqing Xu Civil Engineering Enhancing the Anion-Exchange Capacity of Biochar for Removal of Nitrate from Wate
Ryan Vaughan Ebelechukwu Nwafor Computing Science Exploring Graph based approaches to Network Anomaly Detection
John Kuchler Mojtaba Vaezi Electrical and Computer Engineering Using Deep Learning to Conduct Research on 5G Wireless Communications
Duncan Smith Xun Jiao Electrical and Computer Engineering Fuzz Testing Quantum Programs
Hailey Carino Kabindra Shakya Geography/Environmental Science Particulate Matter Reduction Policies and Trends in the Philadelphia Region from 1990-2020
Kennedy DeHaven Jennifer Santoro Geography/Environmental Science Water Quality of the North Branch of the Raritan: Does a Golf Course and Suburban Development cause Polluted Water at Schiff Land Preserve and for those Downstream?
Kara Dempsey Steven Goldsmith Geography/Environmental Science Analyzing the impacts of physical and climatic controls on nitrogen and phosphorus export in the Panama Canal Watershed
Michelle Moczulski Tory Chase Geography/Environmental Science Analysis of Heavy Metal Concentrations in the Rio Loco Watershed
Brandon Hornlein Paul Steege History Compliance with Authoritarianism in Poland's Recovered Territories
Ryan Dery Eugene McCarraher History/Humanities From Blackout to Billionaire: The Assimilation of Hip-hop into Mainstream Culture
Kiah Champion Rishtee Batra Marketing & Business Law Generation Z Attitudes and Behaviors in the Plant-Based Food Industry
Frank Simutis Michael Tait Mathematics & Statistics
Luz Escobar Zapata Deeksha Seth Mechanical Engineering Design of an experimental platform for image tracking to study fin kinematics related to social behavior in fish
Daryl Jucar Christina Whitehouse Nursing Voices from Across the Digital Spectrum: Perceptions and Experiences of Persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Adam Kucharczuk Tracy Oliver Nursing Social Media’s Influence on Adolescents’ Food Preferences Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
Peter Webb Peter Webb Physics Superlattices in 2D Materials
Sean Garner David Chuss Physics Development of a Control System for the Michelson Interferometer
Dominic Holcomb Amber Stuver Physics Applying Burst Gravitational Wave Detectable Distance Calculation to Improve Search for Burst Gravitational Waves
Allison Bajada Janette Herbers Psychological & Brain Sciences The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on HomelessShelter Staff
Victoria Riccelli Janette Herbers Psychological & Brain Sciences Assessing Knowledge of Early Childhood Development Before and After a Brief Educational Module: The Development of a Questionnaire to Assess Change
Maeve Schumacher Joseph Toscano Psychological & Brain Sciences Using road sign interpretation to understand mechanisms of temporally limited perception