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Fifteen ÐßÐßÊÓƵ University students have been named as 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows, the Office of Undergraduate Research announced. Each will receive a $2,000 stipend and up to $1,000 for research support, as well as free housing on campus while working under the supervision of a faculty mentor.

Receiving 2018 Summer Research Fellowships were:

Isaac Angeron of Beaumont, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, will be studying the “Fabrication of Large Antifouling Patterns via Hot Embossing Methods for Marine Coatings.” His mentors are Assistant Professor Keivan Davami and Assistant Professor Maryam Vasefi.

Kimberly Boase of Beaumont, a junior majoring in speech and hearing, will be Identifying Use of On-Campus Hearing Services and Accommodations by College Students with Hearing Loss in Southeast Texas. Her mentors are Assistant Professor Ashley Dockens and Assistant Professor Heather Reading. 

Ashley Borel of Nederland, a sophomore biology major, and Hayden Henslee of Nederland, a freshman biology major, will be researching “Microbes Found in Plastics from River Runoff and Their Potential Role in Coral Disease of the Meso­American Barrier Reef, Belize.” Their mentor is Associate Professor Matthew Hoch. 

Jordan Bryant of Port Arthur, a sophomore social work major mentored by Assistant Professor Ginger Gummelt, will be researching “The Cultural Revolution of Traditional Gentrification in the Community of South Park: A Social Work Research Case Study.” 

Katelin Catching of Texas City, a junior biology major, will be researching “The role of plastic waste in causing disease in the coral Porites astreoides direct pathogen transmission or indirect facilitation?” Her mentor is Associate Professor Matthew Hoch.

Anna Clifton of China, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, will be researching “New Generation Environmentally Friendly and Low Cost Aqueous Zn-ion Batteries as a replacement for Li-ion Batteries.” Her mentor is Assistant Professor Ramesh Guduru.

Madison Demel of Conroe, a senior chemical engineering major, will complete a “Computational Study of the Effect of Substituents on the [2+2] Cycloaddition of Alkylated 3(2H) ­Furanones.” Her mentor is Associate Professor Christopher Martin.

Frederick Donahey of Fort Worth, a sophomore pre-medicine and chemical engineering major, will complete an “Analysis of Non coding Regions of the Chloroplast Genome for Phylogenetic and Population Genetic Diversity in Hesperocyparis Macrocarpa Clade (California Cypress; Cupressaceae).” His mentor is Assistant Professor Randall Terry.

Katherine Harmon of Vidor, a junior biology major, will research “Rhomboid gene silencing using synthetic siRNAs in Tritrichomonas foetus.” Her mentor is Associate Professor Ashwini Kucknoor.

Mackenzie Hudson of Humble, a senior psychology major, will be “Creating a Data Mining ÐßÐßÊÓƵ to Assess and Reduce Alzheimer's Disease Risk.” Her mentors are Assistant Professor Maryam Vasefi and Assistant Professor Mahdi Safa.

Jorge Montero-Vallejo of Baytown, a senior mathematics major, will research “Modeling and Understanding the Mechanisms Behind Daily Fantasy Sports.” His mentor is Assistant Professor PJ Couch.

William Perry of Mauriceville, in nursing, will research “Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Psychological Factors in Nurses: A Conceptual Model.” His mentor is Assistant Professor Cynthia Pipkins.

Dikshant Singh of Beaumont, a sophomore chemical engineering major, will research “Public and Environmental Risk Identification of Commonly Transported Chemicals at Ports in Gulf of Mexico.” His mentors are Assistant Professor Berna Tokgoz and Dr. Assistant Professor Cagatay Tokgoz.

Shanetta Williams of Port Arthur, a senior in interdisciplinary studies, will research “Pre-Service Teachers' Awareness & Attitude Towards Environmental Education.” Her mentor is Associate Professor Mamta Singh.