A total of $45,000 in funding for faculty-student summer research projects has been awarded to 13 Bridgewater College students who will live and work at the college throughout the summer.
A total of $45,000 in funding for faculty-student summer research projects has been awarded to 13 Bridgewater College students who will live and work at the college throughout the summer.
Funding was provided by the Dr. John Martin Summer Science Research Institute, The Research Experience @ Bridgewater and the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) Summer Undergraduate Research Program. The awards, plus free housing on campus for the summer, enable students to devote their summers to research and exploration on a wide variety of projects.
“Undergraduate research experience has become nearly essential for entering graduate school,” said Dr. James Josefson, director of the Wade Institute for Teaching and Learning. “When they present their own project at a professional conference, they learn that they can compete with the best students anywhere. Our students develop skills, knowledge, creativity and initiative that they can communicate to an employer or graduate program. It’s that ability to reflect upon and communicate about learning that has been the hallmark of a Bridgewater College education.”
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 VFIC Summer Undergraduate Research Program allows undergraduate students the opportunity to conduct supervised research with faculty mentors. Hands-on research is conducted in science-related areas with students receiving training in researching methods, analyzing data and creating written and oral presentations of their findings.
The Dr. John W. Martin Summer Science Research Institute and the VFIC Summer Undergraduate Science Research Program fully funded the following project:
- Melissa D. Lempicki, a junior biology major, from Gaithersburg, Md. (with Dr. Stephen Baron), “Use of a Gene Library of Streptomyces SFB5A to Restore Phenotypic Characteristics of a Bald Mutant.”
The Dr. John W. Martin Summer Science Research Institute fully funded the following projects:
- Sarah M. McIntyre, a senior biology major with a minor in psychology, from Nokesville, Va. (with Dr. Moshe Khurgel), “A comparative study of regeneration blastemal in vitro and in vivo.”
- Rachel Zarin, a senior health and exercise science and applied physics double major, from Woodstown, N.J. (with Dr. Jason Ybarra), “Improving Low Cost 3D Printed Prosthetics with Sensors.”
Research Experience @ Bridgewater awards were made for the following projects:
- Lauren A. Buckhout, a junior environmental science and professional writing double major, from Catharpin, Va. (with Dr. Timothy Kreps), “Addressing Food Insecurity in Rockingham County with an Organic Garden and Complementary Education Program.”
- Olivia N. Heeb-Wade, a senior biochemistry and art double major, from Staunton, Va. (with Dr. Anna Leal), “The Effects of Prenatal Probiotics on Physical Endurance in Rats: Introduction of a Probiotic Supplement Early in Life.”
- Iyad I. Hmidat, a junior political science and economics double major, from Gaza City, Palestine (with Dr. Bobbi Gentry), “Anti-BDS Legislation: What Motivates it on the State Level?”
- Joan Lee, a junior English and professional writing double major, from South Riding, Va. (with Dr. Beth Lehman), “The Literary Canon and Other Forces Impacting Text Selection and Ideology in High School English from the 19th to 21st ”
- Robert J. Marenick, a sophomore business administration and professional writing double major, from Mountville, Pa. (with Dr. Sam Hamilton), “Recruitment, Retention, and Outreach: The Creation and Implementation of Secondary Teacher Recognition Program at Bridgewater College.”
- Luke C. Morgan, a senior political science major with a minor in business administration, from Churchville, Va. (with Dr. Bobbi Gentry), “The Relationship between Evangelical Christianity, Political Ideology, and Values.”
- Noah L. Robertson, a junior health and exercise science and philosophy and religion double major, from Newport, R.I. (with Dr. Kyle Kelleran), “The Effects of Physical Exercise on Salivary MicroRNA Levels.”
- Patrick D. Sly, a sophomore computer science major with a minor in computer information systems, from Rockingham, Va. (with Dr. Eric McGregor), “Using D3.js, an Online Textbook.”
- Angela R. Tolomei, a senior theater major from Hanover, Pa. (with Dr. Scott Cole), “Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle: A Study in Translation and Adaptation.”
- Tyler H. Townsend, a junior history and political science major with minors in German and Spanish, from Hampton, Va. (with Dr. Geraldine P. Suter), “‘Art is and Remains a Rare Thing:’ Alfred Döblin’s Drama through a Marxist Lens.”
