First Year Research Experience Calendar
|
January 23 |
Orientation and kick off; begin of Canvas course |
|
February 7-14 |
Pre-assessment |
|
March 12 |
Student mid-semester check-in |
|
April 21 - May 5 |
Post-assessment |
|
May 2 |
Roundtable discussion |
|
May 7 |
Research activities officially ends |
|
May 9 |
Deadline for students to submit a draft of the symposium poster |
|
Fall |
FYRE Symposium presentation (date TBA) |
FYRE Student Projects by College
Student Name: Samaire Fleming
Project Title: History of French at JMU
Project description: In preparation for the 100th anniversary of Keezell Hall (built in 1926), which houses the World Languages program at JMU, the student will aid in preparing a website with text and images (including historical photos) of the history of the French program at JMU. This website will be housed on the JMU World Languages and Cultures website. The student will scour JMU Yearbooks (from 1968 onward; the years for 1908-1967 have already been archived in text and images in previous iterations of this project) for relevant information and photos and prepare these for publication on the department website.
Project Advisor: Peter Eubanks (World Languages and Cultures)
Student Name: Edward Tomlinson
Project Title: Locating Slavery's Legacies at VMI
Project description: This project endeavors to uncover, document, and make accessible the historical ties between Virginia Military Institute, the Confederacy, and the Lost Cause. It is a part of the Locating Slavery's Legacies project, based out of the Roberson Center at Sewanee University. The goal of the project is to uncover and document expressions of the Confederacy and the "Lost Cause" intellectual movement at southern universities. We hope that uncovering this history will help facilitate reparative justice at colleges in the South.
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a senior military college located in Lexington, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley. VMl was historically linked to the preservation and perpetuation of slavery, the Confederacy, and the Lost Cause.
This project involves processing archival material and writing brief histories of selected objects such as Confederate statues at VMI's campus. Students will gain research experience, analytical and writing skills, and an in-depth understanding of the Lost Cause and how it shapes current events.
The project is viewable at http://locatinglegacies.org/s/VMI/page/home
Project Advisor: Jonathan Jones (History)
Student Name: Grace Puma
Project Title: Facilitative Leadership: Establishing and Communicating a framework
Project description: The student will help research existing literature about Facilitative Leadership and then help to flesh out a framework of Facilitative Leadership in practice. Facilitative Leadership is the capacity to help people and groups talk and work together productively about difficult issues. It is concerned jointly with issues-focused talk, and shaping people-centered processes that are empowering. This work will be part of a book that is under contract. In addition, the student will help review submitted chapters to the book and help the co-editors (Britt and Lisa-Marie Napoli of Indiana University) shape a book with a cohesive through line.
Project Advisor: Lori Britt (School of Communication Studies)
Student Name: Esther Saint-Germain
Project Title: Creating of Community Through Food
Project description: This project will take a holistic view in studying food messaging on campus. For this project we will interview current JMU students (residential and non-residential) as well as JMU Dining staff. For students, we will focus on their dining experiences and for staff we will focus on organizational messaging. Additionally, we will also complete a textual analysis of messaging in and around campus about dining (i.e., social media, website, posted flyers). Together, we will answer the research question: what does JMU Dining do well in its messaging? What is lacking that needs to be addressed? What sort of community does JMU work to create among the JMU community?
Project Advisor: Kristen Okamoto (School of Communication Studies)
Student Name: Isabella Dunn
Project Title: Heritage Tourism: Remembering "Forgotten" Virginians' Contributions to World War I
Project description: This project combines historical research to promote heritage tourism and expand offerings in Virginia to educate the public on the contributions of Virginians to the US efforts in the First World War (ca. 1914-1920). Thousands from Virginia served on the battlefronts, on the home front, on ships, in hospitals, on bases, and in industries and service roles. How can the contributions of African Americans, women, immigrants, and other minoritized groups be publicly recognized and the value of their contributions be disseminated? This research project uses the Virginia War History questionnaires prepared from 1919 to 1921 (and available on-line through the Library of Virginia) to tell the stories of these Virginians in the Clio Foundation database.
Too often, for minority and underrepresented populations tourism is associated with the memory of trauma or “dark” history (e.g. for African Americans with slavery or discrimination, for Jews with the Holocaust). This project celebrates the contributions of all as Americans rather than commemorates or memorializes based on suffering. It enables us to confront the realities of the historical era, value equally diverse contributions, and contribute to the historiography and public recognition of the history of World War I. The project uses perspectives on the past to address inequities or inequalities in tourism offerings locally and nationwide. It provides opportunities to begin to build a portfolio to pursue a career in heritage tourism, public history, and related fields.
This project is co-sponsored by African, African American, and Diaspora Studies Center (AAAD).
Project Advisor: Maura Hametz (History)
Student Name: Emmalia Notarnicola
Project Title: Bridging Wicked Divides: Can College Students Talk Productively Across Political Divides?
Project description: A survey conducted by the Heterodox Academy found that many students would prefer to avoid conversations on any issue that could be controversial. However, engaging in civil discourse with those who hold opposing opinions is the hallmark of a college education. Can engaging students in deliberative dialogue improve their abilities to listen, consider different ideas fairly, and understand other perspectives? This study will utilize quasi-experimental and survey methodology to examine the impact of small group deliberative dialogues on college students’ abilities to talk productively about difficult issues across different kinds of divides.
Project Advisor: Kara Dillard (Madison Center for Civic Engagement; School of Communication Studies)
Student Name: Mia Godfrey
Project Title: Terror Management Lab
Project description: We conduct cutting-edge existential research that utilizes Terror Management Theory (TMT) - a theory concerning the management of death anxiety - as its theoretical framework, we have investigated issues such as suicidality, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, paranormal beliefs, religious beliefs, and various theoretical extensions.
Project Advisor: Lindsey Harvell-Bowman (School of Communication Studies & Psychology)
Student Name: Arsenii Herasymov
Project Title: Capturing Trends in Post-Study Abroad Programming Evaluations
Project description: The Study Abroad unit within the Center for Global Engagement is seeking a highly motivated student with which to partner on analyzing study abroad program evaluations. More than 1,000 students study abroad each year and come back from their programs with insights on their programs. The selected student will work with the Director of Study Abroad on reviewing all student evaluations, starting with the most recent year, and adding in past years as time allows. Together, they will identify key trends in student data in effort to create optimal student study abroad programming in the future. The project will culminate with a final paper and presentation outlining the findings.
Project Advisor: Kathleen Sensabaugh (Study Abroad)
Student Name: Jennyfer Alvarez-Guzman
Project Title: Caregiver Interaction and Language Development
Project description: The quality and quantity of interaction between an infant and caregiver is extremely important to the eventual language ability of the child. This project will examine the interactions between caregivers, traditionally mother versus father, but same sex parents and non-traditional childcare will also be examined. The goal is to determine if there are differences. The student will use the results to consider the impact on language outcomes.
Project Advisor: Rory DePaolis (Communication Sciences & Disorders - CSD)
Student Name: Jean Pierre Marcalaya
Project Title: Post COVID assessment of college students' mental health
Project description: This study will assess college students' (JMU students) mental health status post covid (after the covid-19 pandemic). To assess their mental health status, we will do a survey. We will also interview interested students in a 15-20 minute virtual (zoom session). This zoom session can be a group session or a one-to-one session. This way, we can collect both quantitative and qualitative data (more on this when the mentee starts learning from the mentor). The mentee will assist the mentor in every step of the study including helping creating study materials, acquiring ethical approval from the university, distributing study invitations, attending interviews, assisting in data analysis, and manuscript preparation. If the mentee can participate in all these activities, he/she/they will learn most of the basic steps of human research.
Project Advisor: Raihan Khan (Health Sciences)
Student Name: Katherine Buswell
Project Title: How Student Motivation is Influenced by What Teachers Say and Do
Project description: Motivation plays a crucial role in students' academic performance, engagement, and persistence, particularly when they experience self-doubt, perceive little value in classroom activities, or feel that the effort required for success is too high (Barron & Hulleman, 2015). Consequently, research and reform efforts have increasingly focused on understanding the role of motivation to enhance students' achievement and perseverance. Over the past two decades, researchers have developed several "targeted" (or "wise") interventions designed to support student motivation, achievement, and persistence in academic settings (Yeager, Walton, & Cohen, 2013). These interventions have proven especially beneficial for students from traditionally marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds, such as women, first-generation college students, Black students, and Latinx students (Walton & Cohen, 2011). While research on targeted interventions offers valuable insights into the role of motivation in promoting student learning, these approaches often involve researchers administering interventions directly to students, without engaging classroom instructors. There has been less emphasis on training instructors to support student motivation by adapting their teaching practices, particularly in understanding how an instructor’s words and actions can significantly influence student motivation. So, our lab is currently focused on researching what changes in teaching practices can improve student motivation and subsequent performance and persistence.
Project Advisor: Kenn Barron (Psychology)
Student Name: Taylor Stephenson
Project Title: Expanded investigation into numerical reporting practices in Psychology and related disciplines
Project description: I would like to work with a FYRE student to expand a project begun in FYRE last year. The project took off from a curious observation: that while some disciplines (like Chemistry) have rules for data reporting that express genuine degree of accuracy/precision, Psychology’s guidelines are “rules of thumb” (ex: APA style requires reporting most means to 1 decimal place). Thus, despite Psychology’s explicit value of methodological carefulness, our numerical reporting practices don’t always “walk the walk” -- and we showed last year that in some instances this introduces systematic, avoidable inaccuracy. Last year we worked together to code numerical reporting practices in >100 recent articles that described data from human participant samples, and our data about rates of systematic inaccuracy observed in those articles will be presented at an international meeting this fall. This year, I’d like to expand the set of journals that these articles come from to include some medical journals, and also – pending IRB approval – collect some data from both academics and the lay public that can help inform recommendations we will develop about the best ways to align Psychology’s numerical reporting practices with its expressed values.
Project Advisor: Jessica Salvatore (Psychology)
Student Name: John Rosario Cruz
Project Title: Autonomous Vehicles
Project description: The development of an autonomous vehicle is one that has increasingly raised interest within society over the past few decades. A number of different universities have begun to find interest in developing autonomous vehicles. These universities have been experimenting with either fully autonomous vehicles, autonomous golf carts, or even just vehicles that have been programmed to drive by wire. James Madison University, located in Harrisonburg Virginia, began its effort to develop an autonomous vehicle in Spring 2018. The long-term goal of this autonomous golf cart is to be able to aid the elderly with transportation needs. Within different retirement communities, the need for transportation, even from one building to another, is vital. This innovation seeks to alleviate the stress of transportation for those individuals. However, when developing the autonomous vehicle, there were two main questions that were considered by programmers:
1.” How can machine learning models be used to extract relevant passenger information?”
2.” How should an AV user interface incorporate passenger monitoring data to provide safe and reliable mobility service for the elderly?”
Project Advisor: Samy El-Tawab (Computer Science)
Student Name: Matilyn Carter
Project Title: Digging In: Learning about the Shenandoah Valley Through Archaeology
Project description: The Shenandoah Valley, where you now live, has been home to human communities for 15,000 years, and much of that story is in the ground as archaeological information. Join Dr. Carole Nash in visiting and documenting some of these sites, working on artifact collections, and investigating historic records to better understand how the region has changed over this span of time. We will look at information from a wide range of sites, including First Peoples (Native American communities), European colonial settlers and their descendants, and enslaved and emancipated African Americans. We'll work out of Dr. Nash's non-profit organization and lab, Mountain Valley Archaeology, in Mount Crawford, VA (ten miles south of Harrisonburg), along with community volunteers. Transportation is provided.
Project Advisor: Carole Nash (School of Integrated Sciences)
Student Name: Lilly Beatty
Project Title: Two possible projects: 1) Nitrogen in an Unbalanced World 2) Microbiological Investigations of Bordetella avium and Bordetella hinzii, pathogens that affect young turkeys
Project description: Possible Project 1: Nitrogen in an Unbalanced World
This is a multidisciplinary investigation into local and global implications of excess fixed nitrogen in soil and water systems. For most of the history of life on Earth, nitrogen fixation—where nitrogen gas (N2) is converted into ammonia (NH3) by processes like lightning or nitrogen-fixing bacteria—was a balanced cycle. However, the development of synthetic nitrogen fixation during the 20th century, particularly through the Haber-Bosch process, drastically increased the availability of nitrogen fertilizers. This allowed for a significant boost in agricultural productivity but also led to environmental problems. Currently, excess nitrogen in waterways causes algal blooms and dead zones in places like the Mississippi Delta and the Chesapeake Bay. Excess nitrogen in soils contributes to soil degradation. This has implications for agricultural production and is a contributing factor in global climate change. What is the history behind this problem. What are the current local and global implications? What will the near future be? The goal of this project is to find ways to engage students and the general public in thinking about this important topic.
Possible Project 2: Microbiological Investigations of Bordetella avium and Bordetella hinzii, pathogens that affect young turkeys.
This is an extension of a FYRE project that I did last year. This project involves microbiological investigations of two Bordetella species that affect young turkeys. The project has local significance because the disease caused by these pathogens, although not usually fatal, still has significant economic effects on local poultry farmers. This disease has been known for a long time. However, the scientific community still does not know the environmental source of the pathogens that cause this disease.
Project Advisor: Cindy Klevickis (School of Integrated Sciences)
Student Name: Devran Turson
Project Title: Coding in Space and Time
Project description: Twoville is a programming language for creating 2-D designs that can be fabricated out of paper, plywood, vinyl, or acrylic using cutting tools. Dr. Johnson developed the language in order to turn virtual objects into real objects and to teach computer science and mathematics in youth summer camps. What makes Twoville different from other design tools is its bidirectional editor: designs can be shaped with both code and the mouse.
Project Advisor: Chris Johnson (Computer Science)
Student Name: Jacob Sanders
Project Title: Mapping the Potential: Siting Analysis for Solar Photovoltaic Installation in Virginia using Geographic Information System
Project description: This project will allow you to learn Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Data Science. The project focuses on identifying areas in Virginia that are suitable for solar photovoltaic (PV) installations using GIS software and a variety of datasets including remote sensing imagery. The student will utilize digital terrain models to evaluate topographic suitability, census data to consider socio-economic factors, and satellite imagery to assess land cover and existing land use. By applying predefined rules, the project aims to detect and delineate regions that meet the necessary criteria for solar development. This approach will ensure a comprehensive land suitability analysis while considering environmental and socio-economic factors, such as minimizing conflicts with agricultural land and residential areas. We will be starting with Virginia as we are working toward a zero-carbon electricity grid by 2050. The findings will provide a valuable resource for policymakers and stakeholders interested in optimizing the placement of solar installations in Virginia.
Project Advisor: Weiming Hu (School of Integrated Science)
Student Name: Destiny Jones
Project Title: Spatial Auditory Data Representation
Project description: Sound can be used to display quantitative information, as an alternative to visual data representation. This project focuses on using sound to represent spatial information (e.g., data in map form). The hope is that analysts using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to support environmental decision making will be able to consider more data than can be displayed visually.
To research this possibility, we need an experimental platform that will allow us to try different uses of sound for various data analysis tasks and conduct human performance experiments to determine which approaches work the best.
The first goal of this project is to continue development of a plug-in for the QGIS system to allow users to choose which data they want to listen to and using which representation. This plug-in will then stream the selected data to audio generation tools (CoreAudio) on the host Mac computer so that they can be converted into the appropriate sounds.
The result will enable research in such data representations to learn how best to use sounds in environmental decision support systems.
Project Advisor: Steve Frysinger (School of Integrated Sciences)
Student Name: Nicole Hornung
Project Title: Explaining and Gesturing to Virtual Peers
Project description: Want to use augmented reality (AR) to develop learning applications of the future? Then this project might be for you! Augmented reality is technology that lets us see digital content in the real world, through holograms and projections. This can bring new opportunities to advance student learning. What I aim to do is create a system where users would try to explain code or class concepts to a holographic peer who would ask follow-up questions and challenge student understanding. However, we as humans also utilize gestures to help explain concepts and communicate thoughts, so a computer system would need to understand that too. As part of this project, you would be involved in both conducting studies to understand how users behave, to developing a system that recognizes their behavior.
Project Advisor: Isaac Wang (Computer Science)
Student Name: Tyler Yu
Project Title: Mapping and analyzing snowfall trends in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.
Project description: Snowfall is an integral component of the environment of the Shenandoah Valley. Although society often highlights the negative consequences of snowfall (traffic accidents, closures and delays, health impacts), snow is an economic driver for businesses (e.g. ski resorts), helps limit pest infestation (e.g. ticks and the spotted lanternfly), and helps recharge river systems and saturates soils.
In this project, we will use citizen science data to analyze snowfall trends in the Shenandoah Valley. Interannual variability will be examined through environmental factors (e.g. air temperature, precipitation, and the El Niño Southern Oscillation) previously shown to influence seasonal snowfall totals in the eastern United States. We will also examine the synoptic patterns typically responsible for snowfall in the region in ArcGIS. This research will add to the growing collection of regional studies that examine snowfall patterns in the United States.
Project Advisor: Justin Hartnett (Geography)
Student Name: Nicole Centeno
Project Title: Exploring Exercise Patterns in T1D Patients for Personalized Health Solutions
Project description: Are you interested in applying data science to improve health outcomes? This project invites you to dive into the lives of people with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and help shape their future health management. Physical activity plays a critical role in managing blood glucose levels in T1D, but it can be challenging because each individual’s response to exercise is unique. What works for one person might not work for another. Our goal is to study the exercise habits of T1D patients, analyzing patterns based on age, gender, BMI, and more. By understanding these differences, we can create personalized exercise plans that fit each individual’s needs, improving their health and quality of life. As part of this project, you’ll work with real-world data, learning how to analyze and interpret it to make a difference. If you’re interested in health, data science, or personalized medicine, this project will give you the chance to explore all three.
Project Advisor: Prajakta Belsare (Computer Science)
Student Name: Caroline Benedict
Project Title: Isolation of freshwater cable bacteria in the retention ponds of the JMU campus
Project description: Cable bacteria, known for their long-distance electron transfer capabilities, have been predominantly studied in marine environments. This study focuses on the isolation and characterization of freshwater cable bacteria from the retention ponds on the James Madison University (JMU) campus. A population of cable bacteria was identified through sediment sampling and microbial enrichment techniques, showcasing their ability to thrive in freshwater environments. This discovery extends the understanding of cable bacteria beyond marine ecosystems and offers insights into their potential roles in freshwater sediment biogeochemistry, including their influence on nutrient cycling and redox processes. These findings pave the way for further research into the environmental applications of cable bacteria in freshwater systems.
Project Advisor: Cheng Li (School of Integrated Sciences)
Student Name: Anabelle Lienard
Project Title: Impact of Daycation Activities on Immersion and Well-Being
Project description: Daycation, the practice of visiting a destination for a single day without overnight accommodation, has rapidly emerged as a popular trend in the tourism industry. This phenomenon allows individuals to enjoy traditional tourism experiences—such as pools, spas, dining, and beach access at hotels and resorts—at a lower cost and with greater convenience. Despite the increasing availability of day passes and on-site experiences offered by hospitality venues, scholarly understanding of daycation remains limited. The existing tourism literature predominantly emphasizes the benefits of extended vacations on well-being, highlighting how prolonged escapes from daily routines contribute to mental restoration and long-term work-life balance. However, it is unclear whether daycations, given their shorter duration, can offer comparable well-being enhancements. This gap raises important questions about the potential of daycation to provide meaningful relief from daily stressors and its overall impact on an individual's well-being. Against this backdrop, our research aims to explore the various forms of daycation activities and assess their effects on participants' immersion levels and subsequent well-being. By investigating this underexplored area, this research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of contemporary tourism practices and their implications for individual well-being, thereby offering valuable insights for both scholars and industry practitioners.
Project Advisor: Yiran Liu (Hart School of Hospitality, Sport & Recreation Management)
Student Name: Cai Chitwood
Project Title: Exploring Teachers’ Perceptions on Artificial Intelligence
Project description: The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) presents significant challenges and opportunities for teacher preparation programs. Teachers often have a limited understanding of AI’s potential impact on their teaching practices. It is crucial for teacher educators to equip teachers with the skills to leverage AI to promote educational equity. Thus, helping teachers reflect on their understanding of AI’s role in teaching and learning is a vital aspect of contemporary teacher education. This project will involve learning how to do literature review on the use of AI in teacher education and how to create interview questions that will be used with teachers.
Project Advisor: Katya Koubek (Educational Foundations & Exceptionalities - EFEX)
Student Name: Audra Porter
Project Title: Designing Online CPD Using a Place-Based Education Approach for Multilingualism in STEM Education.
Project description: Most K-12 teachers that teach STEM classes or are called upon to teach STEM courses have been in the workforce with other terminal degrees, in a particular subject matter and have been teaching those subject matters to their students. Moreover, pre-service teacher education does not really focus on STEM education as a discipline so new teachers are also inducted into the workforce without any training in teaching STEM in K-12. However, teaching STEM requires K-12 teachers to design and implement a curriculum where they can integrate science, technology, engineering, and math subject matters through an interdisciplinary approach rather than teach them in isolation. I present a design for online CPD for STEM education for K-12 educators that hinges on collaboration with the parent community and other community stakeholders, be able to cover a larger workforce of K-12 STEM educators, leverage the multilingualism that many K-12 teachers specialize in, in order to be able to reach out to more students who are bilingual and multilingual and motivate them to enroll for STEM courses and to harness place based learning as a pedagogical approach and theoretical framework for bringing in more relevance to teach and implement cross-curricular concepts in STEM.
Project Advisor: Parama Chaudhuri (Learning Technology and Leadership Education)
Student Name: Nathan Carter
Project Title: Bridging the career trajectory: An exploration of how teacher education programs support their graduates during induction
Project description: The purpose of this project is to explore the work of teacher educators in supporting early career teachers during their initial years in the teaching profession. The national teacher workforce has grown by over half, increased in the number of new teachers, and become more female, more diverse, and less stable in recent decades (Ingersoll et al., 2022). With a high percentage (40-50%; Ingersoll et al., 2022) of teachers leaving the classroom within their first five years, teacher induction programs are a popular way to improve teacher retention. Although teacher induction programs across Virginia and the country vary in duration and scope, research indicates that working with a mentor who teaches the same subject and having collaboration time with colleagues have the strongest positive effect on teachers remaining in the classroom (Ingersoll, 2012). These supports are typically provided by the school districts that hire early career teachers, however teacher education programs, like those at JMU, are in a unique position to offer wrap-around support that complements what is offered in the schools. Having a deeper understanding of how a variety of teacher education programs bridge professional education and teacher induction can help better support early career teachers to survive and thrive in the classroom.
Project Advisor: Angela Webb (Middle, Secondary, & Mathematics Education)
Student Name: Mikhail Rolsen
Project Title: Developing a measure of Community Cultural Wealth
Project description: Students from minoritized identities are critically underrepresented in STEM fields. Many institutions attempt to address this education debt by providing minoritized students with “cultural capital”, an accumulation of skills valued by the majority community. These training initiatives support the perception that minoritized students operate at a deficit; they lack the necessary skills to be successful in higher education but will improve if they are provided adequate resources. Many researchers have challenged this narrow view of capital. They argue that people from minoritized communities possess Community Cultural Wealth (CCW), different forms of capital that are built on resilience, community, and culture, and that these strengths enable students from minoritized identities to be successful in academic spaces. In most research, CCW is measured using qualitative methods, but few studies have attempted to measure CCW quantitively (i.e., through Likert-style survey questions). The goal of this study is to develop a quantitative measure of CCW (i.e., a survey), and to collect evidence of validity for the measure. Evidence of validity refers to the body of evidence suggesting that an established survey measures what it is designed to measure.
This semester, research on the team will involve writing research protocols for the JMU Institutional Review Board, conducting cognitive interviews with undergraduate students, qualitatively analyzing student responses, and using student responses to revise or accept questions within the measure. It may also include virtual meetings with researchers across the nation to plan mass distribution of the measure. Subsequent semesters will include analyzing quantitative survey data using R Studio and conducting student focus groups.
Project Advisor: Rosario Marroquin-Flores (Biology)
Student Name: Charlotte Haacke-Golden
Project Title: Monarch Butterflies and Milkweed species
Project description: Climate change is affecting pollinator species, such as the monarch butterfly. In experimental studies, we are determining monarch butterfly preference and caterpillar growth on eight species of native milkweed which may be increasing in toxicity due to increased levels of CO2. The student will cultivate milkweed species in the Bioscience greenhouse in the spring semester and plant the seedlings in experimental plots outside of Bioscience in the late spring. We will monitor seedling growth and survival in the greenhouse as some species are more difficult to propagate than other species. The student will count eggs and measure caterpillars on milkweed species in garden plots during the fall semester if they decide to continue research in our lab.
Project Advisor: Heather Griscom (Biology)
Student Name: Neema Ajandeh
Project Title: Molecular sponges: Functionalizing sustainable materials to remove ions from water
Project description: Is my water safe to drink? That’s a question we don’t have to ask at JMU because we have access to safe and reliable water sources. However, there are many places where water contains ions that we want to extract because we have a safety concern (lead) or because the ions are rare and are needed for other applications (gold). In this project, we will synthesize composite materials, or “molecular sponges,” to remove ions from water. These sponges consist of a biopolymer or mineral framework that can be chemically modified to adsorb specific contaminants. We are interested in exploring these materials because of their sustainability. In this project, we will synthesize selective molecular sponges by controlling their materials properties and incorporating other molecules that can be used to selectively remove contaminants from solution.
Project Advisor: Barbara Reisner (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Student Name: Josephine Funderburg
Project Title: Computer simulation of parenting and the life history of the dinosaur Maiasaura
Project description: Maiasaura was a genus of dinosaur that lived in the Upper Cretaceous Period in North America. The discovery of Maiasaura was the first evidence of a dinosaur feeding its young, hence the name given to it, which means "good mother reptile." The number of fossil specimens of Maiasaura that have been obtained is extremely high and have led to a number of fairly low uncertainty estimates for life history statistics (e.g. age distributions, survival rates, etc.) making Maiasaura one of the best understood extinct vertebrates in the fossil record. In this project, we will take these empirically-obtained values and construct a computer simulation, specifically, an agent-based model (ABM), of the species to observe its population dynamics. ABMs are models where individuals (agents) are unique and autonomous and interact with each other and their environment locally. We will adjust survivorship rates simulating a trade-off between parenting and individual survival and see how these effects propagate to the population demographics. The goal of this project is to determine how impactful the role of parenting was in establishing a stable population.
Project Advisor: Alex Capaldi (Mathematics & Statistics)
Student Name: Soren Doucette
Project Title: Investigating Population Effects on Stellar Cluster HR diagrams
Project description: Clusters of stars have stars forming at the same time. One way astronomers probe stellar evolution is by creating synthetic HR diagrams (luminosity versus temperature plots) that help identify a star's properties at a given time. It turns out that many stars are actually binary or multiple stars (but so far away they appear to be a single star). In this project, the student will create a series of simplified HR diagrams using blackbodies to model the individual stars of a large cluster. Each HR diagram will consist of a different population of single or single+multiple stars. The stellar models will be made by the student in python. The models will be compared to see the effects of (1) different populations on the spread of the luminosity in HR diagram for stars of the same nominal age and, if time allows, (2) how the aging of stars affect the apparent distribution of stars in the HR diagram. Models from the literature will be used to define how stars of a given initial temperature/size might age. Where appropriate, the various models also will be compared to existing studies of stellar cluster populations.
Project Advisor: Harold Butner (Physics and Astronomy)
Student Name: Lekhika Karki
Project Title: Cumulative impact of food preservatives on gut health, gut microbiome, and gut-brain axis
Project description: My lab focuses on understanding the role of dietary ingredients in our health and behavior. Recent increase in the body of knowledge of gut-brain-axis (the communication between our gut and the brain) shows how significant a role the gut bacteria are playing in shaping up one’s overall health and even behavioral changes. Different dietary ingredients promote or inhibit certain groups of bacteria and thus change the signaling between the gut and the brain, hence impacting our bodily functions. My lab currently investigates whether the long-term consumption of food preservatives changes the gut bacterial population and thus overall health and behavior. We use mice as our experimental model and study the changes in the gut wall composition and mucosal integrity as well as the changes in the relative increase or decrease in certain bacterial species in the gut in response to consuming food preservatives for an extended period of time.
Project Advisor: Bisi Velayudhan (Biology)
Student Name: Madison Cervenak
Project Title: Cracking Absurdle: The Hidden Math Behind the Ultimate Word Game
Project description: Are you someone who enjoys puzzles, games, or trying to outsmart tricky challenges? If so, this project is for you! In this research experience, we’ll dive into Absurdle — a sneaky, ever-changing version of the popular game Wordle. Unlike Wordle, where the word is fixed, Absurdle changes its hidden word based on your guesses, trying to make the game as hard as possible. But with the power of math and strategy, we can outsmart the game!
In this project, we’ll explore the mathematical secrets behind Absurdle, learning how concepts like probability, combinatorics, and game theory can help us develop strategies. You don’t need to have any experience with advanced math or programming — we’ll start with the basics and work our way up. Along the way, you’ll pick up coding skills and simulate strategies to see what really works.
This project is all about curiosity and problem-solving. By the end, you’ll have the tools to take on any puzzle-based challenge through the lens of mathematics.
Project Advisor: Johnathan Bush (Mathematics and Statistics)
Student Name: Sydney Hartman
Project Title: Computational Investigation of Ethanol Reactivity on Copper Catalyst Surfaces
Project description: The chemicals needed for textiles, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and other commercial products are typically produced as byproducts of fossil fuels. Ethanol derived from corn is a promising renewable source of these chemicals, however the reaction pathways for oxidation and reduction of ethanol are poorly understood. Oxygen adsorbed on copper catalyst materials can influence the selectivity of the reaction, determining whether ethanol oxidizes to form acetaldehyde or reduces to form ethylene. This computational surface science project will use software based on quantum mechanics to predict the structure and energies of ethanol molecules as they react on copper catalyst surfaces, exploring the role of adsorbed oxygen in determining which products form. Research will be conducted using high performance computing (HPC) resources available at JMU and Argonne National Laboratory.
Project Advisor: Kendra Letchworth-Weaver (Physics and Astronomy)
Student Name: Margaret Mallet
Project Title: Assessing animal locomotion using machine learning
Project description: Animal locomotion is often assessed using video. My lab uses video to assess the locomotor performance and contexts in primates. Specifically, we are interested in chimpanzee locomotor behavior as they are human's closest living relatives, and their body plans are similar. This project specifically aims to assess joint angles in chimpanzees through machine learning. The project involves recognizing joint centers of rotation (shoulder, hip, knee, elbow) and training a network to do the same. This data is important for understanding how chimpanzees move and the evolution of locomotion in humans.
Project Advisor: Lauren Sarringhaus (Biology)
Student Name: Amaro Otero
Project Title: Data-Driven Analysis of Localized Control Patterns in Spatiotemporal Systems Using Reaction-Diffusion Equations
Project description: Research into spatiotemporal self-organization and pattern formation in naturally evolving systems has garnered significant attention within the field of statistical mechanics over the past few decades. These patterns hold immense interest because of their remarkable similarity to crucial biological, chemical, and physical processes, such as DNA oligomers, skin pigment development, and oscillatory chemical reactions.
While numerous Turing-like models have been proposed to mathematically describe reaction-diffusion systems, only a limited few exhibit the nonlinear and chaotic behaviors closely resembling those found in natural systems. The Gray-Scott model, serving as the primary model of study, uniquely possesses both of these behaviors and boasts a rich parameter space replete with a multitude of intriguing dynamical regimes.
The Gray-Scott model is a cubic, autocatalytic reaction involving two chemical concentration densities, u and v. This research project centers on the exploration of emerging spatiotemporal patterns within the Gray-Scott model. This exploration involves systematic data generation and analysis utilizing standard data science tools to study and categorize generated spatiotemporal patterns. Additionally, the project will involve the development and testing of machine learning toolkits designed to create Fisher information matrices. The Fisher information matrices will be used along with generated spatiotemporal data to gain insights into the role of machine learning in studying spatially localized patterns.
Project Advisor: Jason Czak (Physics and Astronomy)
Student Name: Ethan Legaspi
Project Title: Investigation into the structure-property relationship of Gd- and Nd-doped ErBa2Cu3O7-? Superconductor
Project description: Superconductors are materials that can carry electric current without resistance when cooled below a certain temperature, called the critical temperature (Tc). This allows them to conduct electricity with no energy loss, making them useful for reducing energy costs. Superconductors can also create strong magnetic fields, which are important in technologies like MRI machines and Maglev trains. However, most superconductors require either extremely low temperatures or very high pressures to work, which limits their widespread use.
RE123 (REBa2Cu3O7, where RE=rare earth element) is a superconductor class which has different crystal structures with varying number of CuO2 planes and CuO chains display different critical temperatures (Tc), under normal pressures. Er123 (ErBa2Cu3O7-x) is one significant member of this class of superconductors having a Tc of about 90 K and high stability. Gadolinium (Gd) and (Nd) neodymium are magnetic rare-earth ions and doping Er with Gd and/or Nd will introduce additional magnetic interactions making Gd- and Nd-Doped ErBa2Cu3O7-? superconductor an interesting system to study the interaction between superconducting and magnetic phases in the same system.
In this project, the student will synthesize several materials of different doping levels of Gd- and Nd-doped ErBa2Cu3O7-? Superconductor using high-temperature furnaces, measure their crystal structures using an x-ray diffractometer and analyze the data. After the student synthesizes good samples, we will measure magnetic susceptibility data to better understand how superconducting and magnetic phases interact.
Project Advisor: Sachith Dissanayake (Physics and Astronomy)
Student Name: Isabella Caldwell
Project Title: What floral traits lead to pollinators maintaining or ignoring species boundaries?
Project description: In my lab, we study the floral phenotypes that attract pollinators in two locally growing species, Silene virginica (red flowering, hummingbird pollinated) and Silene caroliniana (pink flowering, bee and butterfly pollinated). These two species rarely hybridize, but there are some local populations that appear to be hybrids. I am looking for a student who is interested in evolution and speciation to measure several flower traits in the greenhouse to (1) compare the naturally occurring hybrids to artificially generated hybrids in the greenhouse and (2) later in the spring, assist in pollinator observations outdoors (hummingbirds, butterflies, bees). This will help us understand which traits (e.g. floral color, petal size, nectar amount) between the two species and hybrids are associated with pollinator preference. While each species has their own dedicated pollinators, butterflies have been observed pollinating both species. Another goal of outdoor pollinator observations would be to see whether we can observe butterflies moving pollen between the two species. Weekly tasks would include measurements of floral color (photographic and biochemical), nectar measurements (volume and sugar content), flower morphology (size, length, cell surface), and recording data in a spreadsheet. Ultimately, we will use the phenotypic measurements to understand the genetic basis of the traits and that of speciation.
Project Advisor: Andrea Berardi (Biology)
Student Name: Kiki Protopsaltis
Project Title: Diversifying the Orchestral Repertoire with New Zealand Composers
Project description: Are you curious about New Zealand music and orchestral composers and do you want to help make a global impact on orchestra repertoire? This project is for you!
This project aims to expand the symphony orchestra repertoire to include orchestral pieces by contemporary New Zealand composers. Upon returning from their Fulbright Research project in New Zealand, the faculty member is working on creating a database and handbook of orchestral music by New Zealand composers which will greatly contribute to the traditional orchestral canon. The faculty member is seeking enthusiastic and curious student applicants to assist in putting together this database that will highlight orchestra pieces specifically geared towards University Orchestras, Youth Orchestras, Community Orchestras, and public high school orchestra programs. The final goal is to disseminate this research and information into articles, which the student can help co-author, and publish findings into peer-reviewed articles.
Project Advisor: Kira Omelchenko (Music)
Student Name: Sitara Tepley
Project Title: Pariahs in Paris: The French Colonial Subject in the Metropole 1914-1940
Project description: My research investigates African (especially Algerian) soldiers, workers, activists, actors, and elites who lived and worked in the Paris region from 1914 to 1940. I'm researching how they represented themselves & how they were represented in photography, film, fine arts, and caricature. I need help searching digitized periodicals (in French) about people like: Malian/Algerian stage & screen actor Habib Benglia (1895-1960); Algerian painter & miniaturist Mohammed Racim (1896-1975); and others.
Project Advisor: Maureen Shanahan (School of Art, Design & Art History)
Student Name: Anna Berkey
Project Title: Honors College First Year Research Assistant
Project description: Our project focuses on gathering and analyzing assessment data from over 1,200 students to evaluate progress toward key program-level objectives. Through this large-scale study, we aim to understand how well students are achieving the learning outcomes set by our academic program, focusing on areas like critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration. This data will help us identify strengths and areas for improvement in our curriculum, ensuring that students are developing the necessary skills for success in their future careers.
We are using a mix of survey tools and data analysis techniques to collect meaningful insights, while keeping the process student-centered and accessible. By participating in this project, you’ll not only contribute to the improvement of your own academic experience but also gain valuable insights into the world of educational research and data analysis. For students interested in research, education, or data science, this project offers a hands-on opportunity to engage with real-world data and make an impact on future educational outcomes. Your involvement will help shape the future of our program and ensure it continues to meet student needs.
Project Advisor: John Lee (Honors College)
