Nineteen University of Oregon undergraduate students will dedicate their summer to conducting research and scholarship on topics ranging from the effect of ketamine on the behavior and pathology of Alzheimer’s model mice to a study of how law and governance shape informal sheltering in Lane County. The fellows were selected through a competitive review process that evaluated the applicant’s research idea, proposed methodology/approach, and investigator biography. The VPRI Undergraduate fellows and O’Day fellows will receive a $5,000 fellowship award to support them during the summer.

“The summer period often presents the best opportunity to make substantial progress on a research project,” said Karl Reasoner, senior program manager of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. “These fellowship awards allow students to immerse themselves in their topics and network with a group of peers that share similar interests.”

During the fellowship period students will participate in professional development and research communication training. Fellows will present their work at the university’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in May.

VPRI Undergraduate Fellowship

Nicholas Burns, Environmental Science

Flowering plant species fitness in response to neighboring competition and pollination

Mentor: Lauren Hallett  

Petra Chinsangaram, Psychology

The role of experience in the perception of non-native speech

Mentor: Melissa Baese-Berk       

Kaden Coulter, Data Science, Applied Economics, Business, and Society

DeepMReye Implementation

Mentor: Michelle Marneweck     

Kimberley Davis, Biology (Hui Scholar)

Effects of phosphorylation on the Pus4 protein in yeast

Mentor: David Garcia

Olivia Estes, Psychology          

The effect of ketamine on behavior and pathology of Alzheimer's model mice

Mentor: Michael Wehr

Paul Graf, Biology

Designer RNA binding proteins as switches to modulate chloroplast gene expression in plants

Mentor: Alice Barkan

Skye Grubb, Anthropology (Hui Scholar)

Fluctuating asymmetry of the crania and postcrania in primates

Mentor: Frances White

Dora Ho, Multidisciplinary Sciences

Infant responsiveness to maternal play bids in the context of poor nutritional health

Mentor: Dare Baldwin

Lazar N. Isakharov, Human Physiology

Zinc status on copper-mediated oxidative stress and cerebrovascular health in Alzheimer's disease

Mentor: Ashley Walker  

Payton Jefferis, Biochemistry 

Co-delivery of immunoregulatory and osteogenic proteins for promotion of localize bone repair

Mentor: Marian Hettiaratchi

Elena Kuypers, Biology (Urman Scholar)

Localization and interaction of proteins and ZNFX-1 in C. elegans

Mentor: Diana Libuda   

Zach Marshall, Biochemistry

Viral neonatal inflammation impairs adult respiratory motor plasticity in male and female rats

Mentor: Adrianne Huxtable

Kathryn Morris, Psychology, Sociology

When home is illegal: How law and governance shape informal sheltering in Lane County

Mentor: Claire Herbert   

Tapley Sorenson, Neuroscience (Hui Scholar)

Assessing cortical noradrenergic activity across the sleep-wake cycle in a mouse model

Mentor: David McCormick           

Tallula Wynia, Philosophy, Human Physiology (Hui Scholar)

Aortic protein expression and elastin insufficiency

Mentor: Ashley Walker  

O’Day Fellowship in Biological Sciences

Riley Acker and Troy Houser  

Theta oscillations in episodic memory

PI: Dasa Zeithamova      

Ethan Busi and Naomi Wilson

Characterizing the activation of PI3K via Rab5 on a supported lipid bilayer

PI: Scott Hansen

Calvin Nair Chmelir and Samuel Bertrand

Grimes molecular biology zebra mutation lab

PI: Daniel Grimes

Grimes molecular biology zebra mutation lab

Kyla Schmitt and Ethan Torres

Analyzing rhododendron response to fire across an elevation gradient

PI: Jeff Diez

— By Karl Reasoner, Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation