2023 SURE Participants
More than 40 Carthage students have been selected to conduct research with faculty this summer as part of the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.
SURE has been a hallmark of the Carthage experience since the mid-1990s. The undergraduate research initiative first began in the natural sciences but now includes all academic disciplines at Carthage. Each summer, between 20 and 50 students are chosen to participate.
Selected students spend 10 weeks on campus researching full-time with a faculty mentor. Students receive a stipend, on-campus housing, a meal plan, and a research budget.
Art
Abigail Smith ’25
Project: Gun Violence in Schools
Mentor: Prof. Ryan Miller
Biology
Joseph Krakora ’26
Project: Species Identification and Stratigraphic Position of Amiid (Bowfin Fishes) Fossils from the Hell Creek Formation of Southeastern Montana, and Recovery and Comparison of their Growth Series
Mentor: Prof. Thomas Carr
Maverick Leer ’26
Project: Compilation of growth data for Eurypterus remipes
Mentor: Prof. Thomas Carr
Chemistry
Iman Deanparvar ’25
Project: Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study of Drug Binding to the V122I Transthyretin Variant
Mentor: Prof. Kevin Morris
Juan Gomez-Solis ’25
Project: Validation of Synthetic PVY NO in Plants
Mentor: Prof. Erin Weber
Jessica Schultz ’24
Project: Development of an Enzyme-based Detection Method for PVY
Mentor: Prof. Erin Weber
Robert Rauscher ’25
Diego Castaneda ’25
Project: Toward Structure-Based Models of Chiral Recognition by Amino Acid Based Macrormolecular Assemblies
Mentor: Prof. Kevin Morris
Economics
Hayden Friese ’24
Project: Strategic Analysis of the BRI: A Political Economy Approach
Mentor: Prof. Brent McClintock
Education
Ellison Vermillion ’25
Project: Urban Education and Sociological Research
Mentor: Prof. Siovahn Williams
Engineering
Wayne Jackson ’25
Project: Developing Inquiry-Based Engineering Labs to Foster Student Learning
Mentor: Prof. Kathryn Hasz
English
Elsie Berg ’24
Project: Disability and the Monster: How Andrew Joseph White’s “Hell Followed With Us” Reimagines Ableist Tropes in Literature
Mentor: Prof. Alyson Kielsel
KJ De Jesus ’24
Project: Politics & Queerness in 1980s Comic Books: A Study on Dykes To Watch Out For, Love and Rockets, and Underground Zine Culture
Mentor: Prof. Shannon Brennan
Management and Marketing
Gregory Mazurkiewicz ’24
Project: Exploring the impact of salary cap structures on labor market processes in professional sport leagues
Mentor: Prof. Carter Rockhill
Mathematics
Emma Conran ’25
Elena Knebel ’25
Brett VanDeWostine ’24
Project: Patterns in Political Polarization
Mentors: Profs. Haley Yaple and Landon Gauthier
Hector Rauda ’25
Project: Applications of Topological Data Analysis
Mentor: Prof. Megan Stickler
Neuroscience
Allyson Lengers ’24
John Massari ’24
Project: Exploring CO2 Sensitivity in Behaviorally Inhibited Rats: Consequences of Extended Space Travel
Mentor: Prof. Sarah Terrill
Caitlin Whiteman ’24
Project: Energy Balance Influences on Avoidance Behavior and Anxiety-like Behaviors
Mentor: Prof. Sarah Terrill
Nursing
Marlena Moore ’24
Project: Care of the Spirit for Vulnerable Patients with Cancer
Mentor: Prof. Cheryl Petersen
Psychological Science
Bo Anderson ’25
Project: Olfaction and Pregnancy
Mentor: Prof. Leslie Cameron
Sarah Tuchel ’24
Project: A qualitative study of expert magicians’ views on magic and misdirection
Mentor: Prof. Anthony Barnhart
Religion
Tyler Kelly ’24
Project: Forms of Resistance in the Black ’80s
Mentor: Prof. Julius Crump
Sociology
Kortni Robinson ’24
Project: Why not me?
Mentor: Prof. Katherine Hilson
Space Sciences
Daifaizon Aldridge ’26
Jill Forgac ’24
Sikiel Graves ’25
Teagan Steineke ’26
Jordan Wheeler ’25
Project: Microgravity Ullage Detection (MUD) NASA Flight Project
Mentor: Prof. Kevin Crosby
Jordan Bopp ’26
Skylar Farr ’26
Hiroki Imura ’25
Juliana Alvarez ’27
Project: Propellant Refueling and On-orbit Transfer (PROTO) NASA Flight Project
Mentor: Prof. Kevin Crosby
John Cargille ’26
Logan Dales ’25
Riley Johnson ’24
Sarah Kersten ’26
Carissa Kiehl ’25
Sydney Pelnar ’25
Joseph Sachtleben ’23
Project: Canopy Near-IR Observing Project NASA Cubesat program
Mentor: Prof. Kevin Crosby
Gabriela Carranza ’25
Zachary Kongable ’26
Kevin Totts ’25
Project: Fiber Optic Sensing System (FOSS) NASA T2U Project
Mentor: Profs. Kevin Crosby and Kathryn Hasz
Shelldyn Earnest ’25
Project: Diffusive transport of water in lunar and Martian regolith simulants
Mentor: Prof. Kevin Crosby