The Vice President for Research is pleased to announce the 2017-2018 recipients of the SPARC Graduate Research Grant. These 54 graduate students from 10 academic units worked with faculty advisors to prepare and submit competitive proposals, earning valuable grant-writing experience, as well as funds to support their research and scholarly projects.
2017-2018 SPARC Graduate Research Grant Recipients
| Recipient Name | Department or Program | Proposal Title |
| Fadi Abboodi | Biomedical Sciences | Genetic/Epigenetic Changes in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infected Cells Can Preclude the Need for Continuous Expression of HPV Oncogenes in Developing HPV-Associated Cancers |
| Stephanie Ackerson | Biological Sciences | The Role of CTC1 in Cell Cycle Progression and DNA Damage Signaling |
| Huda Atiya | Biomedical Sciences | Role of the Microenvironment in Promoting Left-Right Differences in Mammary Tumor Metastasis |
| Paul Beguelin | Geological Sciences | Cerium Isotopes as a Tracer of Recycled Sediments in the Earth’s Mantle |
| Chad Beneker | Pharmaceutical Sciences | Structure-based Design and Synthesis of Macrocyclic Peptide BRAFwt Dimerization Inhibitors |
| Candace Bethea | Mathematics | The Degree Map in Algebraic Geometry |
| Nandini Bhalla | Mass Communications | The Effects of Self-Construal on Green Corporate Social Responsibility Perceptions: the Moderating Roles of Level of Involvement with Environmental Issues |
| Matthew Blahut | Chemistry | Biochemical and Functional Characterization of the Ferritin-like Protein FtnB in E. coli |
| Marian Botchway | Health Promotion, Education, & Behavior |
Social Networks and Type 2 Diabetes in Ghana |
| Zachary Cannizzo | Marine Science | Development of a Bioenergetics Model to Explore the Impacts of a Climate-Mediated
Range Shift |
| Kelly Caravella | Clinical-Community Psychology | Comparing Autism Symptomatology in Young Children with Fragile X Syndrome and Down Syndrome |
| Brittany Counts | Exercise Science | The Effect of Cancer-Induced Cachexia on Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Flux |
| Baillie DeHaven | Chemistry | Selective Photooxidations in Flow: A Path to Greener Industrial Oxidation Methods |
| Ariel Domlyn | Clinical-Community Psychology |
Triangulating What and When: Refining a Readiness Model of Implementation |
| Lewis Eliot | History | The Illegal Slave Trade in the Atlantic World |
| Jordan Ezell | School Psychology | Anxiety in Preschool Children with Autism: A Biobehavioral Approach |
| Kimberly Gaughan | Theater | The Art of Noh in Solo Performance |
| Melanie Gwynn | Health Services Policy and Management | Continuity of Care: Evaluation of Multi-Facility and Single-Facility Retention in HIV Care and Patient Health Outcomes |
| Jillian Hinderliter | History | Our Bodies, Our Jewish Selves: Jewish Activists of the U.S. Women’s Health Movement, 1968-1988 |
| Jordan Holmes | Chemistry | Ionophore-Grafted Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes as On-Site Trace Metal Speciation Sensor |
| Md Akhtar Hossain | Biostatistics | A Dynamic Joint Model to Predict Co-morbidity Risks for Chronic Disease Patients |
| Nozhan Hosseini | Electrical Engineering | Investigating Software Defined Radio Influence in Future Wireless Communication Systems Design and Implementation |
| Victor Kidd | Sport & Entertainment Management | Athletic Role Engulfment: An Exploratory Analysis of High School Football Players |
| Preecha Kittikhunnatham | Chemistry | Photochemical Doping of Semiconductor Nanowires |
| Alicia Lamarche | Mathematics | Exceptional Collections of the Toric Variety Associated to D4 |
| Chelsea Larsen | Exercise Science | Reducing Sedentary Behavior to Improve Blood Pressure |
| Libin Lei | Mechanical Engineering | Rational Design and Characterization of Air Electrode Material for Proton Conducting Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell |
| Zichen Ma | Statistics | Coexpression Analysis Using Count Data Generated by RNA Sequencing |
| Richard McCain | Biomedical Sciences | Intracellular Stress Responses Underlying Models of Mitochondrial Neurodegenerative Disease |
| Kathryn Miranda | Biomedical Sciences | Anti-Inflammatory Role of MicroRNA-30 in Adipose Tissue Macrophages |
| Nazratun Monalisa | Health Promotion, Education, & Behavior | Influences on Parent’s Food Shopping for Children’s Consumption in South Carolina |
| Kendall Murphy | Chemical Engineering | Biomaterials for the Treatment and Prevention of Disuse Muscle Atrophy |
| Bryanna Nelson | Educational Studies | Opportunity or Optical Illusion? Exploring the Intersections of Athletics, Academics, Exploitation, and Race in the Experiences of African American Male Intercollegiate Athlete Graduates |
| Peter Nelson | Linguistics | Animacy and Transitivity in Sentence Processing |
| Trang Nguyen | Social Work | Exploring Adjustment Process of Vietnamese Family Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia |
| Cassie Odahowski | Epidemiology | Identifying Disparities in the Access to Advanced Surgical Techniques for the Treatment of Lung Cancer in the United States |
| Allison Pierce | Experimental Psychology | Disentangling Overlapping Processes in Inhibition of Return in Visual Search |
| Sahar Pourhoseini | Environmental Health Sciences | A Comparative Uptake and Toxicity Study of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) on Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells |
| Justin Price | Philosophy | Landing Zones - On Target and Transfer |
| Alex Roberts | School Psychology | A Brief, Adaptable Mindfulness Intervention for Teachers to Reduce Stress/Burnout, Increase Well-Being, and Improve Classroom Climate in Secondary School Settings |
| Sudipta Saha | Mechanical Engineering | Investigation on Sweating Boosted Cooling in Thermal Power Plant Application |
| Rachel Schomaker | Biological Sciences | Hungry Algae: Diversification of Trophic Strategies in Cryptophytes |
| Ammon Sindt | Chemistry | Using the Photo-isomerization of Azobenzenes in Co-crystalline Assemblies for the Slow Release of Fragrances |
| Sarah Tryon | Exercise Science | Modulation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission to the Basolateral Amygdala by Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors |
| Brandon Vanderveen | Exercise Science | Calcium’s Role in the Disruption of Skeletal Muscle Function and Protein Degradation During Cancer Cachexia |
| Andrew Walgren | History | Media Combat: The Great War and the Transformation of American Culture |
| Autumn Wertz | Studio Art | Contemporary Political Art and Columbia |
| Hays Whitlatch | Mathematics | Phylogenetic Distribution of Mitochondrial Genome |
| Lara Wilson | Music Performance | Bel Canto vs. Punk: Lessons for the Cross-Training Singer and Teacher |
| Caleb Wittum | History | Chasquis of Liberty: Indigenous Intellectuals in Bolivia's War of Independence, 1809-1825 |
| Duncan Wright | Mathematics | Entropy of Quantum Random Walks |
| Kristina Zarenko | Anthropology | Skeletal Evidence of Vitamin D Deficiency Osteomalacia and Tuberculosis Among Migrant Groups in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century St. Louis, Missouri |
| Yuleng Zeng | Political Science | Economic Coercion, Credibility, and Peace |
| Jingwen Zhong | Sociology | Social Influence Network Model of Performance Expectations |