Undergraduate Honors Research Fair 2021
November 11, 2021 | 4:30 - 6pm | Sensenbrenner Hall

Undergraduate research can be a transformative experience, valuable not only for graduate and professional school but for any career requiring initiative, independent thinking, and problem-solving skills.  Research fosters close working relationships between faculty, students, and among research teams, and offers students a window into some of the most pressing challenges facing society today. 

The University Honors Program’s Undergraduate Research Fair includes research from our 2021 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship awardees and MU4Gold Research Scholars. Please peruse these talented student’s research posters by clicking on the name of their research title. We hope to see you in person on November 11!

---

 

Natalie Allen,  A&S, Biological Sciences Major
Testing for molecular convergence and selection on gecko opsin genes
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Tony Gamble, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences – Evolutionary Biology  

  

Shir Bloch, A&S, Political Science, Philosophy, and Applied Mathematical Economics Majors
Collegiate Democratic Deliberation: Political polarization as a lens for viewing the “other side” 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amber Wichowsky, Assistant Chair & Associate Professor, Political Science  

  

Grace Dawson, A&S, Writing-Intensive English and Digital Media Majors
Female Agency and Consent in Poems about Sexual Violence in the Middle Ages
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elizaveta Strakhov, Assistant Professor, English  

  

Abigail Dobbins, HESC, Speech Pathology & Audiology and Interdisciplinary Cognitive Science Majors, Literature Minor
Sentence Diversity and Sampling Context for Preschoolers Who Speak African American English
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Maura Moyle, Associate Professor, Speech Pathology & Audiology  

  

Avery Farmer, A&S, Political Science Major
Political Alignment and Activism of Free Black Men in Post-Revolutionary New York (1790-1830)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristen Foster, History

 

Macnessa  Fidlin, A&S, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Philosophy Majors, Interdisciplinary Peace Studies Minor
Fluoridated Water Pollutants Effect on Apis Mellifera Linguistica
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Chelsea Cook, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences – Social Behavior, Neurobiology, and Behavioral Genetics  

  

Ryan Grace, ENGI, Biomechanics Major
The importance of local species interactions to relationships between species diversity and the environment 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joseph LaManna, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences – Community and Population Ecology  

  

Lexi Harwick, A&S, Social Welfare & Justice and Psychology Majors, Interdisciplinary Law & Society and Interdisciplinary Peace Studies Minors
Domestic Violence Shelters and Outreach in Non-urban Locations
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Theresa Tobin, Associate Professor, Philosophy  

 

Lexi Harwick, A&S, Social Welfare & Justice and Psychology Majors, Interdisciplinary Law & Society and Interdisciplinary Peace Studies Minors and Amelia Zurcher, Director, University Honors Program and Associate Professor, English 
Student Perceptions of Grades and the Grading System 

 

Nick Howard, A&S, History Major, Interdisciplinary Public History Minor
The History of Milwaukee Through Objects 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patrick Mullins, Assistant Professor, History  

  

Zelda  Kieser, A&S, Philosophy and Cognitive Science Majors, French and Political Science Minors
Celebrated Author, Maligned Philosopher:Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and Objectivist Philosophy
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gerry Canavan, Associate Professor, English  

  

Pouya  Mirzaei, HESC, Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience and Creative Writing Minors
KCNQ (Kv7) Potassium Channel Regulates Cognition in an Animal Model of Schizophrenia
Faculty Mentor: Dr. M. Behnam Ghasemzadeh, Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences  

  

Rebecca Odeh, A&S, Phsyiological Sciences Major, Business Administration Minor
Spatial Sequestration of Alpha-Synuclein
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Emily Sontag, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences

  

Abbi Ouimet, HESC, Biomedical Sciences Major, Interdisciplinary Culture, Health, and Illness Minor
Sex-specific dysfunction of cognitive and habit circuits underlying opioid self-administration
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Hearing, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences  

 

Qwanzo Rodriguez, A&S, Philosophy Major
Electronic Monitoring in the Milwaukee County Youth Justice System  
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Smith, Harry G. John Professor, History  

  

Heidi Schuler, ENGI, Biomechanics Major, Engineering Leadership Concentration
Patterns of Eye-Hand Coordination during Bimanual Reach-to-Grasp: A Pilot Study 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leigh Mrotek, Research Professor, Biomedical Engineering  

  

Alyssa Spies, A&S, Criminology & Law Studies and Sociology Major, Social Welfare and Justice Minor
Conceptualizations of Reentry Success In the Milwaukee Reentry Council 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Darren Wheelock, Social and Cultural Sciences

 

Aditii Wakhlu, HESC, Biomedical Sciences Major, Neuroscience Minor
Role of D1-and D2-receptor prefrontal-accumbens circuits in cognitive flexibility  
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Hearing, Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences  

  

Austin Walker, ENGI, Mechanical Engineering Major
Electrode Under Suit
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Philip Voglewede, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering  

  

Samuel Wilsdorf, ENGI, Mechanical Engineering Major, Engineering Leadership Concentration
Explorations in Vibrational Testing and Quasistatic Behavior of Additively Manufactured Lattice Structures 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Allison Murray, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering  

  

Gretchen  Zirgaitis, HESC, Exercise Physiology Major
Long-COVID Impact on Physical Function in Males vs. Females
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sandra Hunter, Professor, Exercise Science  

---

MU4Gold Scholars

Madelyn Davenport, A&S, Political Science Major, Economics and Urban Affairs Minor 
Farms Causing Fallout 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amber Wichowsky, Political Science 

 

Cameron Fronczak, A&S, Computer Science Major
Someone is Always Watching
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Zimmer, Computer Science

 

Lisa Gandolfi, A&S, International Relations and Economics Majors
Defending Democracy: Civil-Military Relations and Influence in Politics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Risa Brooks, Political Science

 

Jai Hsieh-Bailey, A&S, Psychology Major
Genetic Risk Associated with Cognitive Decline
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristy Nielson, Professor, Psychology  

 

Fiona Kelly-Miller, A&S, Interdisciplinary Gender and Sexuality Studies Major 
Violence Against Women: Decolonizing Honor Killings 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Enaya Othman, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures 

  

Jordan Mewhorter, A&S, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major  
Structural Basis of Substrate Selectivity in Urea and Guanidine Carboxylases 
Faculty Mentor; Dr. Martin St. Maurice, Biological Sciences 

 

Maryn Schaefbauer, A&S, Spanish & Philosophy Majors
Sociolinguistic Perception of L1 and L2 Spanish in the University Classroom
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sonia Barnes, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

 

Stephanie Waldschmidt, A&S, Psychology, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Theology & Religion Majors 
Pray the Gay Away; Resilience in Christian LGB Young Adults 
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Grych, Psychology