Summer research makes great strides in first year

Bethany Flanagan (’13)

Through Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s new Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) program, 12 MVNU students were able to conduct eight weeks of faculty-mentored scientific research during the summer of 2022. This was the first year for the program.

“Undergraduate research is a high-impact practice,” said Dr. LeeAnn Couts, School of Natural and Social Sciences School Dean. “It is one of the top 10 high-impact practices recognized by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, because it involves close interactions between faculty and students, collaborative student projects, and hands-on learning.

“Given this, it is not surprising that engagement in undergraduate research improves students’ critical thinking abilities, capacity to conduct research, communication skills, motivation to learn, confidence in their skills, understanding of the research process, and the ability to work independently.”

Students who participated were Austin Brown, Daniel Daly, Hannah Crouse, Alyssa Fraley, Chase Hall, Cole Lape, Daisy Latham, Owen Paulus, Cassandra Petrey, Sam Riffle, Colton Sisler and Caleb Syler.

“By participating in this research, I have learned the value that running multiple tests and perfecting techniques can have on the overall data collected for a specific experiment,” said Alyssa Fraley. “These techniques will allow me to be better equipped when entering graduate school in the near future. It has also shown me the value of collaborating with other members of the research team.”

“This experience has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of what it is like to work in a lab,” said Cole Sisler. “I have greatly enjoyed conducting experiments for the purpose of testing a hypothesis and increasing scientific knowledge rather than for the purpose of earning a grade. It was rewarding to see various experiments come to fruition as the summary spreadsheets filled with data. ”

Faculty members included Dr. Jon Bossley, Biology; Dr. Zachary Graber, Chemistry; Dr. Binyang Hou, Physics; Dr. Yuan (Edward) Meng, Engineering; Dr. Luiz Oliveira, Chemistry; and Dr. Michael Robbeloth, Computer Science.

“The SPUR program gave me an opportunity to train the student to become a future scientist in a different way as in a typical classroom setting,” said Dr. Binyang Hou “I have learned that our students can be challenged, and they can perform well with faculty supervision and trust.”

“Besides the time spent on taking courses, the students also volunteered many additional hours to accelerate the progress, prepare presentations, and write reports,” said Dr. Yuan Meng. “I was impressed and touched by their passion.”

The research projects spanned a broad spectrum of fields from environmental biology, chemistry, computer science, to electrical engineering.

At the end of the eight weeks, students submitted a summary report highlighting their findings. They also presented their projects to alumni and members of campus, and will present orally during MVNU’s spring Symposium for Undergraduate Research and Creative Works.

2022 SPUR Projects

• Characterization of Freshwater C. cornutus

• Mayan World Wildlife Field Guide Survey

• Electrochemical Study of the Yttria-Stabilized ZirconiaWater Interfaces

• The Impact of Cations on Membrane Permeability and Structure

• Assessing the Knotting and Unknotting Mechanism of Proteins

• Prototyping for a Wireless Multimodal Sensor System on Contact Lens using Near-Field Communication (NFC) for Real-Time On-Field Concussion Assessment

• Electrochemical Study of the Phospholipid Monolayers at 1,2-Dichloroethane- Water Interfaces

• Zinc Adsorption and Hydration Structures at YttriaStabilized Zirconia Surfaces

• Improvements in the Identification of Obstructed Images