Duke University had 28 undergraduates virtually present at the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) on November 7. The annual symposium showcases North Carolina undergraduate student research and creative work and provides undergraduate scholars in all fields a forum to share the results of their work through posters, presentations, performances, and works of art. More than 400 students from colleges, universities and community colleges in North Carolina participated.
Additionally, twelve students from North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) were awarded $250 stipends to support the research that they showcased at the symposium. Four of these students are from Duke. “We are pleased to reward the intellect and creativity demonstrated by these undergraduate students,” said NCICU President Hope Williams. “Each year we get to witness the passion and resourcefulness that could lead to game-changing research.”
The students and their research projects are:
Abhinav Balu, Understanding the Racial Disparities to Access to Physical Activity and the Resulting Health Outcomes; faculty mentor, Dr. Sumedha Ariely
Autumn Barnes, Perspectives on Genetics Research and Cures for Sickle Cell Disease in Uganda; faculty mentor, Dr. Kearsley Stewart
Emily Barre, Developing a Region of Interest Selection Method for Automated Implementation of the ALARA Principle in Fetal Ultrasound; faculty mentor, Dr. Gregg Trahey
Caleb Cooke, The Failing of Bios: Luke’s Gospel as a Continuation of the Scriptures of Israel; faculty mentor, Dr. Mark Goodacre
Emily Duerr and Ameya Sanyal, A Formative Study on Stress, Family Functioning,and Caregiving in the Context of COVID-19; faculty mentor, Dr. Amber Rieder
Ce'Ondra Ellison, University-Assisted Community Schools; faculty mentor, Dr. Yolanda Dunston
Dorothy Gheorghiu, Effect of androgen treatment on AAV-vector mediated gene therapy for female mice with Pompe disease; faculty mentor, Dr. Dwight Koeberl
Bingxuan Ho, Characterizing Synonymous Codon Usage Bias in Integral Cardiac Proteins; faculty mentor, Dr. Paul Agris (NCICU Award Recipient)
Shannon Houser, The role of LRRK2 in cell cycle regulation and DNA damage response; faculty mentor, Dr. Laurie Sanders (NCICU Award Recipient)
Sarah Hubner and Ema Kuczura, COVID-19 and Its Impact on Women in Kenya: Understanding Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Aftermath of the US’s Global Gag Rule; faculty mentor, Dr. Kelly Hunter
Elliott Kauffman, Development of a Novel Jet Tagging Technique for LHC Collisions; faculty mentor, Dr. Ayana Arce (NCICU Award Recipient)
Leonie Kurzlechner, The cardiac electrophysiologic impact of pharmacological inhibition of the Na/K-ATPase pump; faculty mentor, Dr. Andrew Landstrom
Samuel Liu, Establishment and characterization of culture conditions for primary lung endothelial cells.; faculty mentor, Dr. Aleksandra Tata
Joy Lu, The Effects of Environmentally Persistent Compounds GenX and PFOA on Human Health; faculty mentor, Dr. Thomas Schultz
Jaan Nandwani, Brain Region Specific Differences in eIF2alpha/peIF2alpha Levels in Early Development; faculty mentor, Dr. Nicole Calakos
Priya Parkash, Motivations for the pursuit of STEM amongst US bound Kenyan students: A case study of students enrolled in college access programs like KenSAP; faculty mentor, Dr. Dr. Jenette Wood Crowley
Ayana Paul, An Examination of Heredity in Sporulation Patterns in Cryptococcus neoformans; faculty mentor, Dr. Jennifer Tenor
Meghan Peel and Linda Tang, Understanding the effects of COVID-19 on access to family planning services through big data platforms; faculty mentor, Dr. Megan Huchko
Megan Richards, Development of a Speculum-Free Liquid Applicator for At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening; faculty mentor, Dr. Erica Skerrett
Annika Sharma and Nicolas Grebe, Comparative oxytocin and vasopressin neurocircuitry in relation to mating system in Eulemur; faculty mentor, Dr. Christine Drea (NCICU Award Recipient)
Ayesha Syed and Shayan Smani, The MARBLE Study: Modulating ApoE signaling to Reduce Brain inflammation, deLirium, and postopErative cognitive dysfunction; faculty mentor, Dr. Miles Berger
Shawin Vitsupakorn, Early experiences of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) in India: A narrative review; faculty mentor, Dr. Gavin Yamey (NCICU Award Recipient)
Sarah Watkins, Prenatal Health Differences between First-time and Experienced Mothers?Attending Clinica Esperanza in Roatan, Honduras; faculty mentor, Dr. Dennis Clements III
This article was written with the support of NCICU.
