Thank you to all the students who participated in the 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium and to all the research mentors, staff, family, and friends who supported the event. The Office of Undergraduate Research is proud to showcase the awards for outstanding presentations and honorable mentions below:
Oral / Performance Presentations
Cre8n Txt: Generativity in Textese (Outstanding)
Matthew Angel, Senior, Linguistics, LAS
(Research Mentors: Ryan Shosted, Department of Linguistics & Aida Talic, Department of Linguistics)
Optimizing a Cell Line Model of HIV Latency to Structurally Characterize Virological Synapse Formation and its Impact on Viral Spread (Outstanding)
Neha Arun, Junior, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS
(Research Mentor: Collin Kieffer, Department of Microbiology)
Social Production of an Internal Colony: Urban Space in Black Chicago, 1945-1970 (Outstanding)
Connor Barnes, Junior, History, LAS
(Research Mentors: Mark Steinberg, Department of History & Stefan Djordjevic, Department of History)
Digital Dance Collages (Outstanding)
Jason Brickman, Junior, Dance, FAA
(Research Mentor: John Toenjes, Department of Dance)
Behavior Analysis of Ataxin-2 Knockdown in an ALS Mouse Model (Outstanding)
Hayden Moore, Junior, Bioengineering, ENG
(Research Mentors: Thomas Gaj, Department of Bioengineering & Alejandra Zeballos, Department of Bioengineering)
Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and High Performance Computing for Scientific Problems (Outstanding)
Nikil Ravi, Junior, Mathematics and Computer Science, LAS
(Research Mentor: Eliu Huerta, Department of Physics)
Development and Iteration of Medication Adherence: Applications for Older Adults (Outstanding)
Carson Smith, Senior, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, AHS
(Research Mentors: Renato Azevedo, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health & Timothy Hale, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health)
“AmeriCAN I...?”: Effects of Strength of American Identity on Civic Participation in Second-Generation Americans (Honorable Mention)
Tyeese Braslavsky, Senior, Political Science, LAS
(Research Mentor: Cara Wong, Department of Political Science)
Diet Supplementation with Finasteride is Associated with a Reduction in Atherosclerotic Plaque Size in Mice (Honorable Mention)
Grace Rygiel, Junior, Food Science and Human Nutrition, ACES
(Research Mentors: Jaume Amengual, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition & Patrick McQueen, Division of Nutritional Sciences)
Poster Presentations
Science and Technology
X-rays from Supernova Explosions: Threats to Earth-like Biospheres (Outstanding)
Ian Brunton, Senior, Astronomy, LAS
Connor O'Mahoney, Senior, Astronomy, LAS
(Research Mentor: Brian Fields, Department of Astronomy)
The Impact of Ice Caps on the Stability of Magma Systems (Outstanding)
Lilian Lucas, Junior, Geology, LAS
(Research Mentors: Patricia Gregg, Department of Geology & John Albright, Department of Geology)
Biomaterial-Based Tumor Models to Analyze the Role of Glioma Extracellular Matrix in Therapeutic Efficacy (Honorable Mention)
Edward Neves, Senior, Chemical Engineering, LAS
(Research Mentor: Sara Pedron Haba, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering)
Health and Wellness
The Effects of Dietary Sialyllactose on Volatile Fatty Acid Concentration in Four-Week-Old and Eight-Week-Old Pigs (Outstanding)
Emma Prybylski, Sophomore, Animal Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentors: Ryan Dilger, Department of Animal Science & Rebecca Golden, Department of Animal Science)
Estrogen Receptor Beta 1: a Potential Therapeutic Target for Triple Negative Breast Cancers (Outstanding)
Alexander Wang, Senior, Molecular and Cellular Biology, LAS
(Research Mentor: Benita Katzenellenbogen, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology)
The Mediterranean and Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diets: Associations with Cognition and Psychological Distress Among Latinos (Honorable Mention)
Diana Morales, Senior, Speech and Hearing Science, AHS
(Research Mentor: Susan Aguiñaga, Department of Kinesiology and Community Health)
Social Science and Behavior
Foucault, Power, and Public Health Disparities (Outstanding)
Shivani Bhogaraju, Senior, Political Science, LAS
(Research Mentor: Samantha Frost, Department of Political Science)
Disparity in Administrative Court Decisions: Evidence from Tax and Immigration Courts (Outstanding)
Alexandra Gergova, Sophomore, English, LAS
Matthew Ratajczyk, Junior, Political Science, LAS
(Research Mentor: Luzmarina Garcia, Department of Political Science)
A Social Cocktail: Friends, Alcohol, and Drinking Problems (Honorable Mention)
Rashmi Ghonasgi, Senior, Psychology, LAS
(Research Mentor: Catherine Fairbairn, Department of Psychology)
Data and Information
The Effects of Feeding Non-toxigenic Clostridia and Bacillus on Body Condition Score and Ketosis in Holstein Cows During the Transition Period (Outstanding)
Katelyn Smoot, Senior, Animal Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentors: Lizet Garcia, Department of Animal Sciences & Phil Cardoso, Department of Animal Sciences)
Realistic Video Simulation for Testing Real Time Self-Driving Systems (Honorable Mention)
Bhargav Chandaka, Junior, Mathematics and Computer Science, LAS
Niviru Wijayaratne, Senior, Mechanical Engineering, ENG
(Research Mentor: Shenlong Wang, Department of Computer Science)
Food Systems
Will Our Pumpkins Be Squashed?: Comparing X. cucurbitae Disease Characteristics Across Midwest Isolates (Outstanding)
Kayla Vittore, Senior, Crop Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentor: Sarah Hind, Department of Crop Sciences)
Tissue Specific Aggressiveness of Fusarium graminearum in Wheat and Maize (Honorable Mention)
Harrison Hall, Junior, Crop Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentor: Santiago Mideros-Mora, Department of Crop Sciences)
Numbers, Data, and Computation
The Mechanisms of Misinformation: Clustering Diffusion Networks of Low Credibility Sources by Topology (Outstanding)
Ethan Grinberg, Sophomore, Computer Science and Advertising, COM
(Research Mentor: Jacob Fisher, Department of Advertising)
Investigating the Effects of MEG3 on Tame and Aggressive Behavior in Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) (Honorable Mention)
Abigail Rich, Junior, Integrative Biology, LAS
(Research Mentors: Anna Kukekova, Department of Animal Sciences & Jennifer Johnson, Department of Animal Sciences)
Learning and Human Development
Goals, Goal Conflict, and Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood (Outstanding)
Meghna Paul, Senior, Psychology, LAS
(Research Mentors: Erin Budesheim, Counseling Psychology & Chris Napolitano, Department of Educational Psychology)
Linguistic Discrimination and Latinx Parenting (Honorable Mention)
Milton Guendica Jr, Senior, Spanish, LAS
(Research Mentor: Salvatore Callesano, Department of Spanish and Portuguese)
Nature, Life, and Environmental Change
Stream, Soil, and Survival - An Investigation on Dissolved Oxygen in Aquatic Systems (Outstanding)
Eisha Peyyeti, Freshman, Computer Science, ENG
(Research Mentor: Chieh-Ying (Cindy) Chen, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Do Monogamous Poison Frogs Prefer the Calls of Their Mates Over Those of Strangers? (Honorable Mention)
Molly Podraza, Junior, Animal Sciences, ACES
(Research Mentors: Jen Moss, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior & Eva Fischer, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior)
