Seventeen University of Central Arkansas undergraduate students, with the support of 15 faculty members, have secured grant funding for in-depth research projects to be completed this year through the Arkansas Department of Higher Educationâs Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF).
The SURF program is designed to allow undergraduate students from across the state to conduct comprehensive research projects in their specific fields of study with the assistance of faculty mentors.
Eleven BTĚěĚĂstudents received $4,000 awards to conduct two- or three-semester projects; six students received $2,750 awards to conduct one-semester projects.
Five of UCAâs six colleges are represented with funded projects.
âUndergraduate research is a high impact practice that helps develop an array of skills and leads to both personal and professional growth,â said BTĚěĚĂProvost and Executive Vice President Patricia Poulter. âBTĚěĚĂis fortunate to have a number of faculty dedicated to mentoring students in this meaningful way.â
One of the awarded students, An Chi Yang, is working on a project titled âSynthesis of Triazole-Based Drugs for the Treatment of Chagas Disease.â
“SURF allows students like me who are motivated about research to dive deeper and discover new findings to further make our community and the world a better place to live,” she said.
Gregory Naumiec, assistant professor of chemistry, is Yangâs faculty mentor on this project.
“SURF is an amazing way to allow students to further their education in a unique way, letting them devote a lot more time to research,â he said. âAn’s project has the potential impact to help in the fight against Chagas disease â an illness that impacts the lives of tens of millions of people in the Western Hemisphere.”
Another of the awarded students, Lillie Wren, will work on a project titled âThinking Outside the Box: A Suffrage Centennial Celebration To-Go.â
“Through research of suffrage-era graphic design fonts, motifs and styles, as well as cardboard package design techniques, I will create a series of handcrafted mini ballot boxes that viewers can take home as keepsakes,â said Wren. âI will distribute my boxes to attendees at UCA’s Suffrage Centennial Celebration [this September] and urge them to register to vote.”
Gayle Seymour, art history professor and associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, is Wrenâs faculty mentor. She underscores the importance of research and creative endeavors to the undergraduate experience and says Arkansas is âso lucky to have a funding source for [undergraduates] at the state level.â
To be eligible for SURF funding, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.25, 30 or more hours of credit toward a degree at the time of funding and the support of a faculty mentor. All types of undergraduate research are eligible for support, and all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply.
All projects began on Jan. 1 with end dates of either May 1, Aug. 1 or Dec. 1 of this year.
A complete list of awarded students, their project titles and faculty mentors follows:
(Faculty Mentor â Student Name
Project Title)
Dr. Ahmad Alsharif (Computer Science) â Wesley Britten
âPrivacy Preserving of Data Collection and Dynamic Billing within the Smart Gridâ
Dr. Douglas George (Sociology) â Jared Flemens
ââWhy Do People Think I’m A Racist When In My Heart I Know I’m Not?â A Search For Answersâ
Dr. Tamara Haselkorn (Biology) â James DuBose
âThe Effects of the Burkholderia Bacterial Symbiont on its Social Amoeba Hostâs Fitness and Microbiome Formationâ
Dr. Nykela Jackson (Education, Teaching and Learning) â Teyhaunna Jackson
âTeachers’ Perceptions of Competency Based Educationâ
Dr. Michael Kithinji (History) â Blake Johnson
âSpeaking Truth to Power: Political Theatre in Kenyaâ
Dr. Michael Kithinji (History) â RoâKevia Cooper
âTea Industry in Kenya: The Kenya Tea Development Agency and its Impact on the Tea Farmers in Kenyaâ
Dr. Mackenzie Long (Chemistry) â Kathryn Walden
âComputing the Reactivity of Cationic Gold Halide Complexesâ
Dr. Thomas Lowder (Exercise and Sport Science) – Kirsten Walker
âExercise to Improve Quality of Life in Patients with Ehlers-Danols Syndromeâ
Dr. Shauna Meador (Mass Communication and Theater) â Jillian Gregory
âTransparent Women: Exploring Outdated Aesthetics on the Modern Woman’s Bodyâ
Dr. Matthew Moore (Sociology and Criminology) â Cally Mars
âSociological Imagination: How is it Acquired, Developed, and Utilized in Everyday Life? A Public Sociology Research Projectâ
Dr. Sharif Mahmood (Mathematics) â Alex Du
âPrevalence and Determinants of Infant Mortality in Arkansasâ
Dr. Gregory Naumiec (Chemistry) – An Yang
âSynthesis of Triazole-Based Drugs for the Treatment of Chagas Diseaseâ
Dr. Kari Naylor (Biology) – Jacie Cooper
âFszA-GFP Analysisâ
Dr. Ahmad Patooghy (Computer Science) – Gavin Epperson
âEnabling Machine Learning in Arduino-Based Embedded Systems Using Data Preprocessingâ
Dr. Gayle Seymour (Art History and Gender Studies) â Lillie Wren
âThinking Outside the Box: A Suffrage Centennial Celebration To-Goâ
Dr. Ken Sobel (Psychology) â Rachel Bearden
âWhy Do Psychosis and High-Functioning Autism Have Diametrical Associations with Migration?â
Dr. Ken Sobel (Psychology) â Nemi Shah
âWhy Do People Justify Choices They Did Not Make?â
For more information, contact Amanda Hoelzeman at (501) 852-2659 or ahoelzeman@uca.edu.
