Undergraduate Students, Faculty Consider Critical Topics in Charlotte Research Scholars Program

As part of the inaugural Charlotte Research Scholars program, students from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and other UNC Charlotte colleges spent their summers alongside faculty conducting original and cutting-edge research.

The program provided summer research opportunities to 50 undergraduate students, of which 31 are majors in disciplines in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Of the 42 faculty members who served as advisors for the students’ research, 25 are members of the college’s faculty, with 13 of the 21 departments that participated coming from the college.

Students presented posters on their research at the inaugural UNC Charlotte Summer Research Symposium, which featured 87 students presenting posters summarizing their summer research results. The students represented four research programs, including the Charlotte Research Scholars program and REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program in nanoscience, mechanical engineering, and socially relevant computing. Best posters designations were awarded in three broad categories: social sciences, psychology, and math education; natural sciences; and engineering, technology, and computer science.

Chemistry student Lizeth Hernandez was named the winner in the natural sciences category, for her work on “Synthesis and Biological Activity of Tin(IV) Bis(pyridine)selone Complexes.” Her advisor was Dan Rabinovich.

In the Social Sciences, Psychology, and Math Education category, the winner was psychology student Keyara Pierre-Louis, for her topic “Family Partner Involvement in Youth and Family Services: Effects of Pre-Engagement with Families and Child and Family Team Meeting Follow-Up.” Her mentors were Ryan Kilmer and James Cook.

Students from the college who received honorable mentions were Nancy Kempa, who was advised by Ryan Kilmer and James Cook, and Katherine Walker, who was advised by Claudia Avellaneda.
 
For the Summer Research Scholars program, students who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields or social sciences were selected from a pool of over 170 applicants. The University’s Division of Academic Affairs supported the eight-week summer program, with management through the Graduate School. Each scholar received a $4,000 stipend.

“I actually had four students apply to the program because they all wanted to have the opportunity to stay working in the lab finishing projects that they’ve already started working on during the year,” says Dr. Michael Walter, assistant professor, Organic/Materials Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
    
Fellow faculty member Rabinovich, professor of chemistry, has been mentoring Hernandez since her high school days. “She would not have been able to do research on a full-time basis this summer without the financial support from the Charlotte Research Scholars program,” he said.

In addition to research activities, scholars participated in weekly professional development training to build skills critical to professional success. Sessions such as responsible conduct of research, developing a competitive research fellowship application, preparing an academic resume, professional communication tools and an introduction to the graduate school application process were offered.

In future summers, the program plans to expand its efforts beyond the STEM and social sciences to include the humanities and other disciplines.  The program is a catalyst for growing research opportunities and encouraging outstanding students to enroll in graduate programs at UNC Charlotte.

Student scholars and advisors from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are:

•    Student Sarona Bedwan, Anthropology major, faculty member Joyce Dalsheim, Global, International & Area Studies, “Representations of Palestinian Politics as Obstacles to Peace”
•    Student Bryan Guess, Anthropology major, faculty member Donna Lanclos, Atkins Library, “Ethnography and Computer Vision: Applying Social Science to Automated Video Analysis”
•    Student Irma Stevens, Mathematics major, faculty member Jessica Schlueter, Bioinformatics & Genomics, “Statistical Modeling of Gene Duplication”
•    Student Matthew Duty, Biology major, faculty member Amy Ringwood, Biology, “Metal Nanoparticle Accumulation and Effects in Oysters, Crassostrea Virginica”
•    Student Tam Huynh, Biology major, faculty member Inna Sokolova, Biology, “Effects of Ocean Acidification on Metal Homeostasis in Marine Bivalves”
•    Student Dylan Brokaw, Chemistry major, faculty member Jorden Poler, Chemistry, “Novel Materials for Supercapacitor Energy Storage”
•    Student Lizeth Hernandez, Chemistry major, faculty member Dan Rabinovich, Chemistry “Synthesis and Biological Activity of Tin(IV) Bis(pyridine)selone Complexes”
•    Student Reynolds Ivins, Chemistry major, faculty member, Michael Walter, Chemistry, “The Development of Tetraphenyl Porphyrin Dyes for Organic Solar Cells”
•    Student Stephen McMillan, Biology major, faculty member Markus Etzkorn, Chemistry, “Syntheses, Structures and Chemical Reactivity of Fluorinated Isoindanones”
•    Student Patrick Quinlivan, Chemistry major, faculty member Dan Rabinovich, Chemistry “Synthesis and Reactivity of a New Quinoline-Thione Mixed-Donor Ligand”
•    Student Daniel Cunningham, Meteorology major, faculty member Brian Magi, Geography & Earth Sciences, “Lightning and Fires”
•    Student David Goldmintz, Meteorology major, faculty member Manda Adams, Geography & Earth Sciences, “How Representative is the Douglas International Airport Weather Station of Weather in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area?”
•    Student Morgan Rinehart, Earth Science major, faculty member Missy Eppes, Geography & Earth Sciences, “Analysis of Fe Ratios in Soils from a Piedmont Chronosequence, Catawba River, NC”
•    Student Charles Safrit, Geology major, faculty member Sandra Clinton, Geography & Earth Sciences, “Impacts of Stormwater Management on Hydrology and Temperature Response in Urban Streams”
•    Student Stephanie Whitley, History major, faculty member Peter Thorsheim, History, “Weapons Production, Human Health, and the Environment in Britain since 1914
•    Student Cherie Bullock, Criminal Justice major, faculty member Anita Blowers, Criminal Justice & Criminology, “The Aging Population and its Impact on Court Services In Mecklenburg County”
•    Student Crystal Wolterman, Elementary Education major, faculty member Charlene Sheets, Mathematics & Statistics, “Making Meaning of Place Value in Early Elementary Mathematics: Methods and Research Synthesis”
•    Student Aaron Brettin, Physics major, faculty member Donald Jacobs, Physics & Optical Science, “Study of Electrostatic Interactions in Aqueous Solutions”
•    Student Michael Crown, Physics major, faculty member Susan Trammell, Physics & Optical Science, “Heat as a Contrast Agent in Thermal Imaging – Monte Carlo and Heat Transfer Modeling”
•    Student Nicholas Giglio, Physics major, faculty member Nate Fried, Physics & Optical Science, “Infrared Laser Coagulation and Cutting of Blood Vessels”
•    Student Charles Herring, Physics major, faculty member Irina Nesmelova, Physics & Optical Science, “Quaternary Structure Determinants of Chemokine Proteins”
•    Student Krista Smith, Physics major, faculty member, Tsign-Hua Her, Physics & Optical Science, “Ultrafast Laser Ablation of Metals with Synthesized Optical Waveform”
•    Student Madison Young, Physics major, faculty member Susan Trammell, Physics & Optical Science, “Heat as a Contrast Agent in Thermal Imaging – Experimental Results from Tissue Tests”
•    Student Susan Ireri, Political Science major, faculty member Eric Heberlig, Political Science & Public Administration, “The Democratic National Convention and Legislative Productivity of Members of Congress”
•    Student Katherine Walker, Political Science major, faculty member Claudia Avellaneda, , Political Science & Public Administration
•    Student Nancy Kempa, Psychology major, faculty members R. Kilmer & J. Cook, Psychology, “Involvement of Natural Supports: Associations with Family Outcomes in Youth and Family Services”
•    Student Shanique Lee, Psychology major, faculty member Jennifer Webb, Psychology, “Expectations about Weight Gain and Peer Acceptance of Body Diversity Among Ethnically-Diverse College-Bound Females”
•    Student Rickelle Mason, Psychology major, faculty members R. Kilmer & J. Cook, Psychology, “Family Partner Involvement: Relationship with Risk and Team Meeting Functioning in the Child Welfare Context”
•    Student Lauren McGrath, Psychology major, faculty member Lori Van Wallendael. Psychology, “Do Extra-Legal Factors Influence Juror Decisions?”
•    Student Michael Mills, Psychology major, faculty member Lori Van Wallendael, Psychology, “Do Extra-Legal Factors Influence Juror Decisions?”
•    Student Keyara Pierre-Louis, Psychology major, faculty members R. Kilmer & J. Cook, Psychology, “Family Partner Involvement in Youth and Family Services: Effects of Pre-Engagement with Families and Child and Family Team Meeting Follow-Up”
•    Student Rachel Storace, Psychology, faculty member Amy Canevello, Psychology. “Interpersonal Goals and Close Relationships”
•    Student Jamilah Harris, Sociology major, faculty member Stephanie Moller (Smith), Sociology, “Schools and Student Achievement”