A total of $52,140 in funding for faculty-student summer research projects has been awarded to 12 Bridgewater College students who will conduct research under the mentorship of a faculty member throughout the summer.
Funding was provided by the Dr. John Martin Summer Science Research Institute and The Research Experience @ Bridgewater. The awards enable students to devote their summers to research and exploration on a wide variety of projects. The award also enables students to travel to professional state and national conferences in their discipline to present their research.
“The experiential learning opportunities afforded by the summer undergraduate research scholarships help our students to develop skills and relationships that will propel them into successful graduate programs,” said Dr. Jill Lassiter, director of the Wade Institute for Teaching and Learning. “Through collaboration with a faculty member students learn invaluable discipline-specific research skills, leadership, creativity and problem-solving.”
The Dr. John Martin Summer Science Research Institute is named for a beloved professor at Bridgewater, who taught in the chemistry department from 1961 until his retirement in 1985.
The Research Experience @ Bridgewater is a donor-funded initiative providing support for teams of Bridgewater faculty and undergraduate students to spend the summer in collaborative research and creative, scholarly work in any discipline.
The Dr. John W. Martin Summer Science Research Institute fully funded the following projects:
- Daniel R. Hancock, a senior physics major, from Ferrum, Va. (with Dr. Deva O’Neil), “Translating an Analytical Approximation of Gravitational Waves into Python Code”
- Anton M. Kopti, a sophomore computer science major with a minor in mathematics, from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem (with Dr. Jason Ybarra), “Using King Model Simulations to Refine Virial Cluster Mass Estimates”
- Kynah B. Walston, a senior psychology major, from Fairfield, Pa. (with Dr. Curtis Bradley), “Effects of Gender and Gustatory Reinforcers on Caffeine and Ethanol Self-Administration in Mice”
Research Experience @ Bridgewater awards were made for the following projects:
- Dareen Awwad, a junior applied physics and business administration double major, from Ramallah, Palestine (with Dr. Jason Ybarra), “Neural Network Analysis of Handwritten Astronomical Records”
- Erin M. Fitzpatrick, a senior political science major with minors in Spanish and peace studies, from Wyoming, Mich. (with Dr. Kevin Pallister), “Elections in Latin America”
- Jacob W. Howard, a junior computer science major with a minor in mathematics, from Ruckersville, Va. (with Dr. Verne Leininger), “Translating an Analytical Approximation of Gravitational Waves into Python Code”
- Anastasiya P. Kalyuk, a senior professional writing major, from Grottoes, Va. (with Dr. Sam Hamilton), “A Framework for Writing Self-Efficacy”
- Cailyn P. Leo, a senior biology major, from Pasadena, Md. (with Dr. Moshe Khurgel), “Sex Determination in Axolotls using PCR”
- Gemma E. Leonard, a senior health and exercise science major, from Sterling, Va. (with Dr. Jill Lassiter), “The Impact of Service Learning on the Success of Undergraduate Students in Healthcare Professions”
- Emily A. Schloss, a sophomore biology major, from Chantilly, Va. (with Dr. Moshe Khurgel), “Study of Weak Electrical Fields in Axolotl Regeneration”
- Joshua M. Sprouse, a senior biology major, from Charlottesville, Va. (with Dr. Ed Lickey), “Determining Gene Flow between Baldcypress and Pondcypress”
- Kenneth J. Williams, a senior computer science major from King George Va. with Dr. Janne Flory), “Future Improvements of Data Integration Models”
Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College is home to nearly 1,800 undergraduate students.
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