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