Undergraduate Research Fellows Symposium 2022
Welcome
The College of the Environmental and Life Sciences (CELS), the College of Engineering, (COE), and the Cooperative Extension at the University of Rhode Island are pleased to invite you to this year’s Annual Undergraduate Research Fellows Symposium, on Wednesday, 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
- Visitor Parking on Campus
- 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
12:00-3:20pm: 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 |
---|---|---|---|
12:10:00 | Noah Cloutier, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | Facilitating Behavior Change: The Green Thinker Program | URI Office of Sustainability |
12:22:00 | Connor Allamby, Computer Science | Implementing an Intrusion Detection System for a Smart Grid | URI Smart Grid Security Research Group |
12:34:00 | Emily Ferrara, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | Rhode Island Solar Siting and Town Code | Green Development LLC |
12:46:00 | Erik Carlson, PhD Astrophysics | Distribution Network Defense - Protecting Tomorrow's Smart Homes Today | URI Smart Grid Security Research Group |
12:58:00 | John Biller, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | Setting an Energy Efficiency Standard: The First Step to Meeting Providence's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Goals | Providence Sustainability Office |
01:10:00 | Gage Blanchflower, Mechanical Engineering | Incentivizing Change: A look at the power of cash rebates to reach energy reduction goals | RISE Engineering |
01:22:00 | Katie Hampston, Mechanical Engineering | How Smart Grids Can Keep Us Safe | URI Smart Grid Security Research Group |
01:34:00 | Kurta Beyan, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | Increasing Energy Literacy in Rhode Island through Research and outreach | URI Cooperative Extension |
01:55:00 | Serena Russell, Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | Renewable Energy Fund: Support and Growth of Clean Energy in RI | RI Commerce Corp. - Renewable Energy Fund |
02:05:00 | Caitlyn Rodriguez, Business / Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | Incentives for Change: Energy Efficiency for Municipalities | Rhode Island Energy |
02:20:00 | Alyssa Bailey, Biology | RIAgEP: Agricultural Programs and Support for Farmers in RI | RI Office of Energy Resources |
02:30:00 | Josh Fishbein, Industrial & Systems Engineering | 100% Renewable Energy in Rhode Island by 2033: What's the plan? | RI Office of Energy Resources |
02:45:00 | Pumee Rojchanaborworn, MS Ocean Engineering | A Path to Overcoming Energy Efficiency Challenges in Rhode Island | Rhode Island Energy |
02:55:00 | Natalie Bishop, Marine Affairs / Environmental & Natural Resource Economics | The Importance of Communications on Energy Policy Implementation | RI Office of Energy Resources |
03:05:00 | Andrew Masciotti, Finance | Supply Chain Analysis: The Future of Offshore Wind | Xodus Consulting |
Coastal & Environmental and Science & Engineering Fellows Poster Presentations: 2:00 – 3:30 PM
Poster Number | Student Name & Major | Fellowship Program | Poster Title | Mentor |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Molly Ahern, Environmental Science and Management | Coastal and Environmental | Mapping young forest in Rhode Island: Using GIS to assess change in early successional habitat since 2011 | Dr. Jason Parent |
2 | Oliver Allamby, Geology and Geological Oceanography | Coastal and Environmental | Understanding distribution of blue carbon in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts tidal marsh soils | Dr. Mark Stolt, Joseph Manetta |
3 | Aren Antranik, Biology | Science and Engineering | Determining phosphate levels in the septic tank | Dr. Alissa Cox, Owen Placido |
4 | Sarah Barry, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics | Coastal and Environmental | Assessing water quality in Southern New England | Elizabeth Herron |
5 | Jacqueline Brabants, Environmental Science and Management | Coastal and Environmental | Assessing the spatial relationship between onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) and nitrogen pollution of southern Rhode Island’s coastal ponds | Dr. Alissa Cox, Owen Placido |
6 | Jacob Bross, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering | Coastal and Environmental | New England Cottontail Conservation: A sequencing and genetics approach | Dr. T.J. McGreevy, Diana Beltran |
7 | Isabella Caldwell, Animal Science and Technology | Coastal and Environmental | Anthelmintic Activity of Bacillus thuringiensis Crystal Protein X Against Haemonchus contortus in Lambs | Dr. Katherine Petersson |
8 | Hailee Carlson, Biological Sciences | Coastal and Environmental | Testing the survival rates of Crassostrea virginica when exposed to coastal stressors | Dr. Jonathan Puritz, Dr. Alexandra Hooks |
9 | Sydney Charette, Animal Science & Technology, Pre-Vet | Coastal and Environmental | Exploring the importance of Tropodithietic acid (TDA) production in marine probiotic Phaeobacter inhibens S4 when in competition with pathogenic bacteria Vibrio coralliilyticus RE22 | Dr. Marta Gomez-Chiarri, Jessica Coppersmith |
10 | Taya Clements, Marine Biology | Coastal and Environmental | The impact of temperature and land-use on the distribution of Brook trout in Rhode Island streams | Dr. Graham Forrester |
11 | Lillian Collyer, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal and Environmental | Analyzing macrohabitat to assess abundance of threatened Sacramento Mountain salamander | Dr. Nancy Karraker |
12 | Ryan Corvese, Environmental Science and Management | Coastal and Environmental | Mapping plant communities and rare plants on South Kingstown Land Trust properties | Tyler Maikath |
13 | Lydia Cross, Marine Biology | Science and Engineering | Testing larval oyster survival in natural and artificial seawater | Dr. Jonathan Puritz, Dr. Alexandra Hooks |
14 | Eva Davet, Civil Engineering | Science and Engineering | Optimizing street sweeping to reduce water runoff pollution in urban areas | Andrew Sheerin |
15 | Jessica Devlin, Biological Sciences | Science and Engineering | Investigation of potential protein biomarkers for Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy in different disease stages of rTg-DI Rat Model | Dr. William Van Nostrand Dr. Joseph Schrader |
16 | Justin DiGennaro, Environmental Science and Management | Coastal and Environmental | Mapping Cyanobacteria in Rhode Island lakes and ponds | Elizabeth Herron |
17 | Emily Drappeau, Marine Biology and Marine Affairs | Hollings Scholar | Anthropogenic Sound Sources in Expanded Southern Resident Killer Whale Critical Habitat: Understanding and identifying potential threats to Southern Resident Killer Whales | Candice Emmons, M. Bradley Hanson |
18 | Willow Dunster, Marine Biology and Marine Affairs | Coastal and Environmental | Morphometric adaptations to different life histories in three Atlantic Shark species | Dr. Bradley Wetherbee |
19 | Hana-lei Evans, Marine Biology | Coastal and Environmental | How light availability affects Coral Calice morphology | Dr. Carlos Prada, Taylor Lindsay |
20 | Noah Goldthwait, Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal and Environmental | Assessing the relationship between Sacramento Mountain Salamander (Aneides hardii) snout-vent length and microhabitat conditions | Dr. Nancy Karraker |
21 | Megan Graff, Wildlife and Conservation Biology | Coastal and Environmental | Effect of site quality on home range size of American Woodcock (Scoloplax minor) and Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) | Dr. Scott McWilliams, Liam Corcoran |
22 | Sara Hamada Mohamed, Biomedical Engineering | Science and Engineering | Development of NeoTex an Advanced Neonatal Monitoring System for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) | Dr. Kunal Mankodiya, Dr. Dhaval Solanki |
23 | Maris Harty, Plant Science | Coastal and Environmental | Does fertilizer type matter? | Dr. Rebecca Brown |
24 | Brett Holden, Wildlife and Conservation Biology | Coastal and Environmental | Comparison of Nesting Phenology of Eastern Towhees at sites managed for American Woodcock | Dr. Scott McWilliams, Megan Grey |
25 | Piper Hunt, Geosciences | Coastal and Environmental | Paleoenvironment Reconstruction Post Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) Mass Extinction | Dr. David Fastovsky, Rebecca Naprstek |
26 | Sloan Keller, Environmental Science and Management | Coastal and Environmental | The effects of land use change over time on wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) occurrence in Rhode Island | Dr. Nancy Karraker, Chloe Johnson |
27 | Maureen Kennedy, Biological Sciences | Coastal and Environmental | Plastic shore litter as a source of microplastic pollution in bodies of freshwater | Dr. Andrew Davies, Dr. Coleen Suckling, Sarah Davis |
28 | Emma Lokey, Biomedical Engineering | Science and Engineering | Rehabilitation Bike for Motor-Impaired Patients | Dr. Kunal Mankodiya, Dr. Dhaval Solanki |
29 | Latsany Lopez, Biotechnology | Science and Engineering | Artisanal fishers and food security in Rhode Island | Dr. Melva Treviño Peña, Jami Miller |
30 | Ellie Madigan, Marine Biology and Wildlife and Conservation Biology | Coastal and Environmental | The impact of Hurricane Irma on the mortality and morphology of restored and wild Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) in the British Virgin Islands | Dr. Graham Forrester |
31 | Jayden R. Messier, Wildlife and Conservation Biology | Coastal and Environmental | The effects of landscape composition on wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) occurrence in Rhode Island | Dr. Nancy Karraker, Chloe Johnson |
32 | Sophia Motta, Geological Oceanography | Coastal and Environmental | Is saltwater in your drinking water? Seasonal impacts on electrical conductivity | Dr. Thomas Boving, Jeeban Panthi |
33 | Alexandra Moura, Marine Affairs | Coastal and Environmental | Growth and survival of wild and selectively bred oysters in Rhode Island | Dr. Marta Gomez-Chiarri, Rob Hudson |
34 | Angela Nolan, Biotechnology | Coastal and Environmental | Monitoring the genetic distribution of the Eastearn Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) | Dr. Thomas McGreevy, Dr. Diana Beltrán |
35 | Arianne Parvaresh-Rizi, Biomedical Engineering | Science and Engineering | Enhanced Macrophage Uptake via DPPS-Loaded Spray Dried Microparticles | Dr. Samantha Meenach |
36 | Alberto Paz, Cell and Molecular Biology | Science and Engineering | Simulating cryopreservation strategies for increasing the rate of genetic gain in aquaculture selective breeding programs | Dr. Thomas Delomas |
37 | Halle Peterlin, Geological Oceanography | Coastal and Environmental | Oysters, not just a delicacy: Understanding the reproductive biology of oysters | Dr. Jonathan Puritz, Dr. Alexandra Hooks |
38 | Benjamin Poepsel, Marine Biology | Coastal and Environmental | The effects of sewage effluent on oyster larval populations | Dr. Jonathan Puritz |
39 | Hazelynn Rios, Animal Science and Wildlife and Conservation Biology | Science and Engineering | Evaluation of sampling methods for Hypena opulenta, a biocontrol agent released for management of invasive swallow-worts | Dr. Lisa Tewksbury, Alexandra Johnson |
40 | Naomy Robalo Moreno, Wildlife and Conservation Biology | Science and Engineering | Field surveys and rearing of native hoppers to be used in host range testing for biological control of spotted lanternfly | Dr. Lisa Tewksbury |
41 | Hector Santiago, Biotechnology | Science and Engineering | Comparing extracted DNA/RNA concentrations from oyster gill and mantle tissues utilized in EecSeq For exome surveying | Dr. Jonathan Puritz, Jacob Green |
42 | Maricarmen Serna, Marine Biology and Environmental Economics | Science and Engineering | Temporal trends in the composition and social network of Southern Stingrays at Stingray City, Cayman Islands | Dr. Bradley Wetherbee |
43 | Zoe Scipioni, Marine Biology and Wildlife Conservation Biology | Coastal and Environmental | The effects of abiotic and biotic factors on the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) | Dr. Thomas McGreevy, Andrea Petrullo |
44 | Vivian Stansell, Wildlife Biology and Marine Biology | Coastal and Environmental | Breeding behavior of the New England cottontail rabbit | Dr. Justin Richard |
45 | Deanna Torres, Marine Biology | Science and Engineering | COVID-19 Pandemic forces Southern Stingrays (Hypanus americanus) to social distance | Dr. Bradley Wetherbee, Colby Kresge |
46 | Kali Vanderlaan, Ocean Engineering | Science and Engineering | Investigation of the vertical stress thresholds of helical anchors | Dr. Christopher Baxter, Dr. Aaron Bradshaw, Hannah Miller |
47 | Ashley Velzis, Marine Biology | Coastal and Environmental | Ingestion and accumulation of microplastics by the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) | Dr. Andrew Davies, Dr. Coleen Suckling, Sarah Davis |
48 | Ashley Volk, Environmental Science and Management | Coastal and Environmental | Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of long-term well data in Rhode Island | Dr. Soni M. Pradhanang, Mamoon Ismail, Jeeban Panthi |