Undergraduate Research Fellows Symposium 2021
Welcome
The College of the Environmental and Life Sciences (CELS), and the College of Engineering, (COE), at the University of Rhode Island are pleased to invite you to this year’s Annual Undergraduate Research Fellows Symposium, on Tuesday, December 14th, from 12-4:30pm!
This event has been a fantastic opportunity for the Coastal and Environmental, Science and Engineering and Energy Fellows to showcase their work, and the work of the university community, to their peers, faculty and staff.
Within the information provided, you will find the following:
- Please register in order to attend this event
- Event Agenda
- Link to Visitor Parking on Campus
- Link to URI COVID Guidelines
- Complete list of all student presenters and their research/project topics. Links to student’s posters and abstracts will be provided shortly.
Thank you for your interest in attending this event and we hope to see you there. If you have any questions prior to the event, please feel free to contact Sarah Puckett at: sarah_puckett@uri.edu.
Agenda
Location: College of the Environmental and Life Sciences (CBLS), 120 Flagg Road, Kingston, RI 02881
12:00-3:13pm: Energy Fellows Oral Presentations, CBLS #010
2:00-3:30pm: Coastal & Environmental and Science & Engineering Fellows Poster Viewing Session, CBLS First Floor
3:30-4:30pm: Certificate and Award Presentations, CBLS #100
student presenter’s and their research topics
Energy Fellows Oral Presentation Schedule: 12:00-3:15 PM
Time | Student Name & Major | Presentation Title | Placement |
---|---|---|---|
12:10 | Collin Treacy, Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mathematics | The Effectiveness of Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation | URI Office of Sustainability |
12:25 | Jesse Duroha, PhD Industrial & Systems Engineering | Energy Conservation Behavior Change Survey Results from the URI Residence Halls | URI Office of Sustainability |
12:40 | Jeremy Belknap, Blue MBA | Building a Clean Energy Economy: Best Practices for Workforce Development Programs | RI Office of Energy Resources |
12:50 | Jenna McCauley, Marine Affairs | Finding Room for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Agriculture | RI Office of Energy Resources |
1:00 | Matthew Moretta, Chemical Engineering | Opportunities for the Clean Transportation Sector in RI | Ocean State Clean Cities Coalition |
1:15 | Kaleigh Canfield, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | Financing the Transition to Solar Power: Opportunities through the RI Renewable Energy Fund | RI Commerce Corporation -Renewable Energy Fund |
1:30 | Claudia Weitman, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | Promising Climate Solutions in New England | RI Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation |
1:55 | Clare Laroche, Ocean Engineering | Identify, Educate, Disseminate: Inspiring Change in RI Solar Policy Through Targeted Outreach | URI Cooperative Extension |
2:10 | Kevin Bugbee-Cassara, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics & Finance | The Impact of Energy Efficiency Implementation in Rhode Island | National Grid |
2:25 | Lance Waranis, Finance | Paving the Way to a Cleaner Future: Energy Efficiency Strategy in Rhode Island | National Grid |
2:35 | Grace Darkow, Mechanical Engineering | Energy Efficiency: Variable Frequency Drives and Refrigeration Controls | RISE Engineering |
2:50 | Ryan Fritz, Masters of Environmental Science & Management | Partnership RI: Corporate Leadership for Sustainability | Partnership RI |
3:00 | Zachary Dewardener, Industrial & Systems Engineering | URI's Smart Grid Research: How strides in artificial intelligence will make our future grid management systems more dependable | URI Department of Engineering NEST Lab |
Coastal & Environmental and Science & Engineering Fellows Poster Presentations: 2:00 – 3:30 PM
POSTER NUMBER | STUDENT NAME & MAJOR | FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM | POSTER TITLE | MENTOR |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Samuel Adesemolu, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Predator and scavenger population index for the Valles Caldera Preserve | Dr. Nancy Karraker |
2 | Jessie Adley, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Evaluating the efficacy of using drone-mounted thermal imaging to identify Scolopax minor individuals within a single roosting site | Kristopher Corbett |
3 | Morgana Agin, Environmental Science & Management | Coastal & Environmental | Understanding variability and properties of tidal marsh soils for prediction of blue carbon sequestration | Dr. Mark Stolt |
4 | Steven Aguilar, Plant Sciences | Coastal & Environmental | Researching Varieties on Muskmelon (Cucumis Melo) in New England | Dr. Rebecca Brown |
5 | Temitope Aina, Biomedical Engineering/Mathematics | Science & Engineering | The Characterization of the Mechanical Properties of Silk Hydrogels | Dr. Ryan Poling-Skutvik |
6 | Raisa Alejandro, Biomedical Engineering | Science & Engineering | Optimization of a Hydrogel Platform for the Optical Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes | Dr. Daniel Roxbury |
7 | Afnan Altekreeti, Biomedical Engineering/Mathematics | Science & Engineering | e-Fabric Guard: An E-Textile Respiration Sensing System for ICU Monitoring | Dr. Kunal Mankodiya |
8 | Alexandra Beardwood, Environmental Science & Management | Coastal & Environmental | Effects of Nitrogen Loading on Potential Denitrification in Wetland Soils | Dr. Serena Moseman- Valtierra |
9 | Hieu Bui, Biomedical Engineering/Mathematics | Science & Engineering | Creating a simple tool to determine Mn Oxidation states color metrically | Dr. Joseph Goodwill |
10 | Alexandra Byrne, Mechanical Engineering | Science & Engineering | Thermoset Resin and its Marine Applications | Dr. Carl Ernst-Rousseau |
11 | Maria Calderon, Health Science and Spanish | Science & Engineering | Quantifying the horizontal movements of nymphal Ixodes scapularis | Dr. Jannelle Couret |
12 | Marissa Caponi, Wildlife Conservation Biology/Soil Environmental Science | Coastal & Environmental | Assessing Bacteria Monitoring in Public Waters Around Rhode Island | Dr. Elizabeth Herron |
13 | Nicole Casale, Biotechnology/Cell & Molecular Biology | MARC U*STAR | Transfecting Cells to Secrete Dengue Specific Antibodies | Dr. Alan Rothman |
14 | Dario Castillo, Marine Biology | Science & Engineering | 10-year monitorization of tag and recapture data of the most treasured ecotourism animal, the Southern Stingray at Stingray City, Grand Cayman | Dr. Bradley Wetherbee |
15 | Mackenzie Cetta, Plant Sciences/Sustainable Agriculture & Food | Coastal & Environmental | Methods of Establishment for a Permaculture System | Dr. John Taylor |
16 | Caroline Cohen, Wildlife Conservation & Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Effectiveness of predatory auditory cues in mitigating herbivorous crop damage by Spodoptera frugiperda (armyworms) | Dr. Evan Preisser |
17 | Brenna Collins, Civil Engineering | Science & Engineering | Marine Algae (Ulva spp.) Surface Detachment Using Electric Potential | Dr. Vinka Craver |
18 | Ally Cuomo, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Effectiveness of Laser Scarecrows for preventing bird damage to Sweet Corn Crops | Dr. Rebecca Brown |
19 | Ian Delmonico, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Nest site selection of American Woodcock (Scoplax minor) in Rhode Island, USA | Dr. Scott McWilliams |
20 | Jahnae Drummond, Marine Biology | Science & Engineering | The exploration of photo identification for Southern Stingrays, Hypanus americanus | Dr. Brad Wetherbee |
21 | Abril Avila Enriquez, Fish Wildlife and Conservation Ecology/Environmental Engineering | Science & Engineering | Microhabitat important for a threatened salamander in managed forest lands in New Mexico | Dr. Nancy Karraker and Ryan Healy |
22 | Robin Fidel, Biotechnology & Data Science | Science & Engineering | Gene copies role in the immune related genes of the Eastern Oysters, Crassostrea Virginica | Dr. Rachel Schwartz |
23 | Emma Fritz, Animal Science/ Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Do personality types influence breeding behavior among vulnerable New England cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus transitionalis)? | Dr. Justin Richard |
24 | Katie Gheysen, Marine Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Three-Dimensional Habitat Use of Shortfin Mako Sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) | Dr. Brad Wetherbee |
25 | Chloe Gilligan, Marine Biology/Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Histology of ntra- and trans-generational acclimatization of a temperate coral (Astrangia poculata) | Dr. Hollie Putnam |
26 | Marian Gonzalez, Biological Sciences | Science & Engineering | Coastal Identities in the Ocean State: How Does Coastal Identity Influence How Individuals Utilize and Visit Coastal Spaces in RI? | Dr. Melva Trevino-Pena |
27 | Thomas Grantz, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Biological Control of Japanese Knotweed using Aphalara itadori | Lisa Tewksbury |
28 | Wenricka Griffith, Biological Sciences | Science & Engineering | Examining disease resistance amongst the Eastern Oyster, Crossostrea Virginica | Dr. Dina Proestou |
29 | Sebastien Guerrier, Biotechnology | Science & Engineering | Wear-IoTex: Wearable e-textile glove kit for in-home Parkinson’s motor assessment | Dr. Kunal Mankodiya |
30 | Suraiya Hamidzada, Biological Sciences | Coastal & Environmental | Phylogeographic analysis of the Eastern Cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus | Dr. T.J. McGreevy |
31 | Finn Harty, Marine Biology | Coastal & Environmental | EecSeq: an alternative capture sequencing method for non-model species | Dr. Jonathan Puritz |
32 | Victoria Helle, Environmental & Natural Resources Economics/Marine Affairs | Coastal & Environmental | How to Effectively use Science Communication | Dr. Alissa Cox |
33 | Casey Hogan, Environmental Science & Management | Coastal & Environmental | The effect of holding times and incubation times on bacterial concentrations | Dr. Elizabeth Herron |
34 | Denecia James, Biological Sciences/Biotechnology | Science & Engineering | Breeding Better Oysters: Applying Experimental, Genetic, and Genomic Techniques to Improve Disease Resistance in The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica | Dr. Dina Proestou |
35 | Thalia Johnson, Biological Sciences | Science & Engineering | Genetic Analysis of the New England cottontail, Sylvilagus transitionalis | Dr. T.J. McGreevy |
36 | Maddy Kistler, Biological Sciences/Ocean Engineering | Coastal & Environmental | A Low-Cost, Small Space, Alternative Larval System for Co-Cycling pH and Dissolved Oxygen | Dr. Jonathan Puritz |
37 | Sadie LaFleur, Civil Engineering | Science & Engineering | Enrichment of Manganese Oxide Nanoparticle Producing Bacteria from Natural Sediment | Dr. Vinka Craver |
38 | Jordan Larossa, Marine Affairs | Coastal & Environmental | Comparison of the performance of wild and selectively bred oysters in a Rhode Island farm | Dr. Marta Gomez-Chiarri |
39 | Mallory Lentz, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Heat Priming the Green Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) as a Defense Against Rising Ocean Temperatures | Dr. Coleen Suckling |
40 | Gianna Lourenco, Marine Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Utilizing Science Communication Tools to Educate and Understand Community Experiences Towards Aquaculture Farms in Southern New England | Dr. Tracey Dalton |
41 | Levi Louis, Geology/Geological Oceanography | Science & Engineering | Modeling Extreme Weather Events in Southern New England | Dr. Issac Ginis |
42 | Ellie Madigan, Marine Biology/Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | The impact of habitat and temperature on the relative abundance of the Eastern Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) throughout Rhode Island’s watersheds | Dr. Graham Forrester |
43 | Joseph Maiorano, Marine Biology | Coastal & Environmental | The Effect of Spawning and Overwintering on the Mortality Rate of Various Populations of Eastern Oysters | Dr. Jonathan Puritz |
44 | Juliana Marcotrigiano, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Understanding factors influencing distance Glyptemys insculpta move from streams | Dr. Nancy Karraker |
45 | Anna Mascia, Molecular Neuroscience & Psychology | MARC U*STAR | Determining the Transfection Efficiency in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Neurons | Dr. Claudia Fallini |
46 | Isabelle Massé, Health Studies/Psychology | Science & Engineering | Investigating the factors of diverse student retention in Computer Science | Dr. Bryan Dewsbury |
47 | Kayla Medeiros, Animal Science & Technology | Coastal & Environmental | Analysis of ovine larval populations during the periparturient period | Dr. Katherine Petersson |
48 | Katia Mendez, Biology | Science & Engineering | Best Practices For Eggshell Washing in Free Range Poultry | Dr. Becky Sartini |
49 | Janelle Mercer, Marine Biology/ Aquaculture and Fisheries Science | Coastal & Environmental | Plastic particle concentration in Westport River with comparison to Narragansett Bay | Dr. Andy Davies |
50 | Richard Mercer, Biological Sciences/Marine Affairs | Coastal & Environmental | Impacts of human physical barriers and water temperature on the movements of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | Dr. Graham Forrester |
51 | Shamar Morgan, Mechanical Engineering | Science & Engineering | Landmark-Based Map Localization for Robots | Dr. Paolo Stegagno |
52 | Augustina Munter, Environmental & Natural Resources Economics | Coastal & Environmental | Enhancing the Sustainability and Productivity of Urban Agriculture through an Urban-adapted High Tunnel Production System | Dr. John Taylor |
53 | Siena Negash, Biomedical Engineering | Science & Engineering | Development of Tacrolimus Loaded Nanocomposite Microparticles for the Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension | Dr. Samantha Meenach |
54 | Jennifer Newport, Environmental Science & Management | Coastal & Environmental | Effectiveness of seashell bioremediation to remove high nutrient levels | Dr. Soni Pradhanang |
55 | Nana Oblie, Pharmaceutical Sciences | Science & Engineering | Detection of anti-MRSA compound laurenobiolide from different parts of the tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) | Dr. Matthew Bertin |
56 | Jena Panas, Marine Affairs | Coastal & Environmental | A guide to Rhode Island Department of Health’s Walk with Ease program | Jasmine Franco, RIDOH |
57 | Gwenevier Riendeau, Marine Biology | Coastal & Environmental | Response of Benthic Fauna to a Changing Environment in Narragansett Bay | Dr. Jeremy Collie |
58 | Betsi Santos, Cell & Molecular Biology | Science & Engineering | Field survey and rearing of native planthoppers, leafhoppers, froghoppers and treehoppers for non-target testing for biocontrol of spotted lanternfly | Alana Russell |
59 | Jessica Szpila, Wildlife Conservation Biology & Biological Sciences | Coastal & Environmental | Effects of sea level rise on the reproductive success of Saltmarsh Sparrows at Jacob’s Point | Dr. Steven Reinert, SALSri |
60 | Ashley Tai, Cell & Molecular Biology | Science & Engineering, MARC U*STAR | Enzyme Catalyzed Degradation by the AAA+ Protease Lon | Dr. Jodi L. Camberg |
61 | Athena Vieira, Marine Affairs, Geological Oceanography, & Political Science | Coastal & Environmental | Establishing a Baseline of Coastal Hazard Impacts on the U.S. Shipbuilding and Repair Industry | Dr. Austin Becker |
62 | Ashley Volk, Environmental Science & Management | Coastal & Environmental | Assessment of Photogrammetry Software and its Ability to Process Images for Waterbird Abundance | Kristopher Corbett |
63 | Zach Waskowicz, Biotechnology | Coastal & Environmental | Testing the Efficacy of Tissue Microsatellites on Fecal Samples in Identifying the Gender of the New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus Transitionalis) | Dr. T.J. McGreevy |
64 | Sarah Zaniewski, Wildlife Conservation Biology & Chinese | Coastal & Environmental | Can Precipitation Affect the Detection Rate of Endangered Jemez Mountain Salamanders? | Dr. Nancy Karraker |