In May, 2021 the Office of Undergraduate Research Announced 143 SURF Awards for the Summer Semester. Congratulations to all!

School of Architecture & Urban Planning

  • Franziska Burkard, Brett Dominguez, and Jacob Rohan working with Lindsey Krug: “Department of Interiority:Studying the Agency of Bodies in Architecture”
  • Jessica Dray and Teresa Klopp working with James Wasley: “Building Integrated Photovoltaics Case Study and Data Base Project”
  • Annabelle Fritz working with James Wasley: “Community Water and Energy Resource Centers (CWERCs): Case Studies and Design Guidelines”
  • Jessica Van Dyck and Luis Carlos Ylizalturri Fernandez working with Trudy Watt: “Phase III Design Research”
  • Andres Velazquez working with James Wasley: “Thermal Stratification Study of 613 Sixth Street”

Lubar School of Business

  • Annika Gogan working with Laura Swenson: “The Future of International Accounting in the United States”

College of Engineering & Applied Science

  • Andrea Alonso working with Mahsa Dabagh: “The Impact of Disturbed Flow Induced Arterial Stiffness on Mechanotransduction in Endothelial Cells”
  • Brock Behnke working with Hani Titi: “Field Evaluation of Wisconsin Highway Pavements Durability and Performance Due to Harsh Climatic Conditions”
  • Samuel Catania working with Brian Armstrong: “Computer-Based Monitoring and Control for a Solar Sculpture”
  • Morgan Connaughton working with Mahsa Dabagh: “A Meta-Analysis on Prevalence of Organ-Specific Cancer and Hypertension”
  • Luke Davitz working with Priyatha Premnath: “Biomechanical Properties of p21KO Mice with Tibial Injuries”
  • Samia El-Meanawy working with Pradeep Rohatgi: “Aluminum Graphene Reinforced Nanocomposites”
  • Nicholas Gilhaus and Mohamed Maache working with Ryoichi Amano: “Industrial Energy Assessment Project”
  • Erik Hansen working with Pradeep Rohatgi: “Applications of Self-Healing Man-Made Materials”
  • Alishah Horton working with Pradeep Rohatgi: “Biomedical Applications of Self-Healing Materials”
  • Seth Krebs working with Priyatha Premnath: “UC2288’s Role in Osteogenic Differentiation”
  • Zoheb Mubshar working with Pradeep Rohatgi: “Infiltration of Mixture of Course Nickel Powder and Graphene by Molten Aluminum to Form Metal Graphene Composites”
  • Evelyn Murphy Barrett and Tien Wong working with Pradeep Rohatgi: “Application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Manufacturing Metal Matrix Composites”
  • Mitchell Murray working with Mohammad Rahman: “Teaching Nonverbal Gesture Communication to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder through the Usage of Modeling with the NAO Robot”
  • Mason Schoof working with Jian Zhao: “Development of Algorithms to Calculate Deformation of Materials from Laser-Scanning Point Cloud Data”
  • Humza Siddiqi working with Priyatha Premnath: “Troubleshooting Bone Embedding, Cutting, and Histology”
  • Davan Siegfried working with Benjamin Church: “Correlation of Oxide Layer and Coking Resistance of AFA Alloys”
  • Natalia Sotelo working with Pradeep Rohatgi: “Biocompatible Self-Healing Materials and Biological System Applications”
  • Matthew True working with Mahsa Dabagh: “Modeling of Adhesive Interactions between Cancer Cells and Red Blood Cells”
  • Nathaniel Valentine working with Matthew Petering: “Distributing a Gerrymandring Antidote: Sharing Fair Maps of the Legislative Districts in 30 U.S. States with the American Public”
  • Weiling Xia working with Xiaoli Ma: “Synthesis of Covalent Organic Framework Nanofiltration Membranes with Improved Salt Rejection”

School of Education

  • Leticia Cortes and Kintressa Gosz working with Elizabeth Rollins: “Navigating Spaces in Higher Ed: Collaborating for the Inclusion of Underrepresented Voices in Teacher Education Phase 2”
  • Haley Elmendorf working with Tania Habeck: “ACCESS Culturally Responsive Resources Repository
  • Cloe Jimenez working with Tania Habeck: “Multi-Languages, Literacies, and Culture Library’s ACCESS Collection”

School of Freshwater Science

  • Jacob Budke working with Laudong Guo: “Characterization of Dissolved Organic matter Derived from Plastic Degradation”
  • David Cooper working with Marcia Silva: “Non-Invasive Detection of Thin Biofilm in Pipes”
  • Kevin Hicks working for Marcia Silva: “Developing and Testing a Sensor for Detection of Phosphate in Water”
  • Emma Kraco working with Dong Fang Deng: “Supplementation of Phytase to Improve the Growth Performance and Immunity of Rainbow Trout Fed Alfalfa Protein-Based Diet”
  • Andres Lira working with Marcia Silva: “Sensor for Detection of Virus using Holographic Imaging and Deep Neural Networks (DNN)”
  • Luke Osvatic working with Marcia Silva: “Protein Functionalization of Porous Particles for Degradation of Organic Compounds from Water”
  • Garrett Scapellato working with Ryan Newton: “Determining Growth Characteristics of Sewer System Flavobacteria”
  • Manav Sunilkumar Menon working with Marcia Silva: “Improving and Testing a Programmable Microfluidics Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) Platform”

College of General Studies

  • Leah Ackley working with Michael Pauers: “Morphometric Analysis of New Guinea Rainbowfishes (Atheriniformes, Melanotaeniidae)”
  • Jesse Sieren working with Michael Pauers: “Phylogeography of the Lake Malawi Cichlid Genus Labeotropheus”

College of Health Sciences

  • Cassidy Bertagnoli, Jena Burton, Erica Jackson, and Odalyz Santiago working with Sabine Heuer: “Image Naming in Older Adults”
  • Tania Ortega working with John Heilmann: “Validation of an Automated App for Assessing Spanish-Speaking Students”
  • Brandon Schultz working with Troy Skwor: “Effect of Wastewater and Antibiotics on Mutation Rates in Aeromonas”
  • Gracie Williams working with Shelley Lund: “Perspective on Culturally Sustaining Practices for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication”

College of Letters & Science

  • Marit Bastian working with John Berges: “Genetic and Functional Diversity of PAH-Degrading Bacteria from the Milwaukee River Watershed”
  • Emma Brunzelle, McKayla Healy, and Morgan Stark working with Joseph Walzer: “Whose Land? Settlement, Dispossession, and Race in Urban and Rural Wisconsin and New York”
  • Josie Carballido working with Amy Olen: “Medical Interpreters’ Experiences Working with Distressed Families in Pediatric Medical Encounters”
  • Dylan Childs working with Charles Paradis: “Milwaukee Column for Teaching and Research of Groundwater Flow and Contaminant Transport”
  • Daniel Collison working with Ionel Popa: “Investigating the Role of Cross-Linking Chemistry on the Biomechanics of Protein Hydrogels”
  • Kimberly Dood working with Ionel Popa: “A New Method to Measure Protein-Protein Interaction”
  • Stephan Drena, Hadiya Johnson, and Pilar Sharp working with Rachel Buff: “Documenting the Movement for Black Lives Demonstrations in Wisconsin”
  • Ian Gallagher working with Rafael Rodriguez Sevilla: “Stages of Copulation in Enchenopa Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)
  • Daniel Gugg working with Hanyong Park: “What in the Speech Signal Causes Foreign Accent?”
  • Sophia Hamdan working with Liam Callanan: “A Biography of Lester Maitland, Pioneer Wisconsin Aviator”
  • Annika Huber working with Jae Yung Song: “The Acoustic and Articulatory Characteristics of Second-Language Vowels”
  • Jerald Kellner working with Rafael Rodriguez Sevilla: “The Function of a Novel Signal Type in the Repertoire of Enchenopa Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)
  • Rachel Keuhn working with Karyn Frick: “Effects of Long-Term Estrogen Receptor Beta Agonism in Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease”
  • Corinne Kronschnabel working with Cristopher Cantwell: “Gathering Places: Religion and Community in Milwaukee”
  • Carli Kugel working with Han Joo Lee: “Computerized Centrality of Event Interpretation Training for PTSD”
  • Danielle Leider working with Marcellus Merritt: “The Role of Self-Selected Leisure Activities in Daily Activity Patterns, Blood Pressure, and Moods”
  • Edgar Leon Gomez and Holden Skeels working with Paru Shah: “C3: Candidate Characteristics Cooperative Database”
  • Connor Lynch working with W Hobart Davies: “Parantal Decision Making Regarding Pain Medication”
  • Bo Malames working with Krista Lisdahl: “Physical Activity and Depression in Adolescent Cannabis Users and Non-Users”
  • John Michalski working with Victoria Mccoy: “A Review and Synthesis of the Fossil Record of Latex”
  • Morgan Moore working with David Pacifico: “Remote Archaeological Mapping of the Middle Sechin Valley, Peru”
  • Ian Morley working with James Moyer: “Recording from Neurons: Fundamentals of Patch-Clamp Neurophysiology”
  • Caitlin Nelson working with Christine Larson: “Neurobiological Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder”
  • Luke Nicol working with Gerlinde Hoebel: “Bout Calling in Eastern Gray Treefrogs”
  • Ryan Nicol working with Peter Dunn: “Food Abundance and Breeding Ecology of Tree Swallows”
  • Shawn Obarski working with Caitlin Bowman: “Remembering Specifics and Generalities”
  • Kennedy Onell working with Krista Lisdahl: “Impact of ADHD Symptoms and Cannabis Use on Executive Functioning in Adolescents and Young Adults”
  • Starlesha Owens working with Erin Parcell: “Voices of Gun Violence”
  • Lillian Pachner and Henry Wehrs working with Amanda Seligman: “The Birth of Zero”
  • Naomi Raicu working with Ionel Popa: “Developing  a New Approach to Measure Protein Unfolding at Tissue-Level Scale”
  • Sparrow Roch working with Jean Creighton: “The Search for Life in Space: Diverse Perspectives”
  • Hope Ruedin working with Bonita Klein-Tasman: “Effectiveness of Telehealth Group for Improving Peer Relationships for Adolescents with NF1”
  • Sana Shakir working with Adam Greenberg: “Exploratory Analysis of Odorant Chemical Structure for Olfactory Perception”
  • Callen Shaw working with Christin Larson: “The Neuroscience of PTSD and Depression Risk in Youth Victims of Violence”
  • Sheridan Sinnen working with Amy Olen: “Provider Guidelines for Working with Medical Interpreters”
  • Marina Slawinski working with Ionel Popa: “Freezing Induced Pore Formation in Protein-Hydrogels”
  • Alexander Sweet working with Gerinde Hoebel: “Information Content of Eastern Gray Treefrog Calls”
  • Logan Teehan working with Joseph Aldstadt: “Analytical Chemistry of Kratom: “Development of a Novel Method Based Upon Sequential Injection-NMR”
  • Nathaniel Tennies working with Filipe Alberto: “Building and Interactive Online Tool to Help Monitor the Population Dynamics of Giant Kelp in Southern California”
  • Matthew Wagner working with Jennifer Gutzman: “Identification of MYH9-Related Disease Zebrafish Models”
  • Taylor Wilcox working with Krista Lisdahl: “Co-Use of Alcohol and Cannabis: Links with mood in the ABCD Study cohort”
  • Luis Carlos Ylizaliturri Fernandez working with Rachel Bluff: “Regional Border Militarization in Mexico and Central America, 1994-Present”

College of Nursing

  • Hannah Frohlich and Julio Mejia working with Alexa Anderson: “Examining the Relationships between Substance Use Disorders with Human Sex Trafficking and COVID-19: Literature reviews to identify knowledge gaps”
  • Alex Nelson and Steven Schomisch working with Joshua Gwon: “Attention Bias Modification for e-Cigarette Users”

Helen Bader School of Social Welfare

  • Sydney Pittner working with Rebecca Konkel: “In/Out Decisions and Charge Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic and a Time of Social Unrest”

Peck School of the Arts

  • Aullen Anderson, Mich Dillon, Ava Hager, and Victoria Leite working with Glenn Williams: “Adams Garden Park Art Initiative ‘Rain Chains'”
  • Joshua Bausch working with Kathryn Martin Meurer: “Collecting Connections: 2020-2021”
  • Andrew Beale working with Rebecca Holderness: “Impact Market Assessment for 2Ft.D”
  • Meghan Berger and Peter Green working with Nathaniel Stern: “Leverage: Taking Anti-Racist Action in This Moment”
  • Gabriel Brusky, Tyler John, and Cecelia Stocker working with Sean Kafer: “Rehabilitation from a Violent Past”
  • Mich Dillon, Garrett Kocourek (CEAS), and Mary Widener working with Nathaniel Stern: “Breath: Environmental Data-Driven Kinetic Sculptures”
  • Shelly Feil working with Emily Berens: “Utilizing UX/UI Design for Behavioral Therapy App Development”
  • Ashley Garcia and Zoe Glise working with Mair Culbreth: “Social Kinesthetics of Skateboarding Communities”
  • Ashley Garcia, Zoe Glise, Jessica Lueck, and Madison Westreich working with Simone Linhares Ferro: “Milwaukee through Embodied Research”
  • Kelly Khamphouy and Nkaujoua Xiong working with Sean Kafer: “Violence against Asian American Women from both within the Community and Outside”
  • Paula Lovo working with Portia Cobb: “Voices of Gun Violence Audio Archive”
  • Lilly Luft working with Adam Hawk: “Digital Technologies in Traditional Craft”
  • Kathryn Schneider working with Sheila Feay-Shaw: “A Comparison of the Experience and Motivation for Participation by High School Students in Both Band and Choir”

Zilber School of Public Health

  • Andrea Bishop working with Linnea Laestadius: “Use of Companion Chatbots for Aid with Suicidality and Self-Harm: Analysis of Experiences Shared on r/Replinka
  • Nicole Carlson working with Ellen Velie: “Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Self-Reported Childhood Body Size”
  • Sophie Fournier working with Shengtong Han: “Statistical Rare Variant Association Tests Comparisons via Simulations”
  • Alia Glinski working with Todd Miller: “Analysis of Algal Toxins in Water Samples from Green Bay”
  • Derek Johnson working with Lance Weinhardt: “Health and Healthcare among Older Immigrants in Milwaukee During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
  • Shayla Rubbani working with  Paul Florsheim: “The Parents Empowering Parents Study”
  • Cheyenne Tezlaff working with Todd Miller: “Analysis of Cyanobacterial Toxins in Fish from Lake Champlain”