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Undergraduates Solve and Prove through Research

No matter your major, the Undergraduate Summer Opportunity for Applying Research (U-SOAR) program gives undergraduate students the chance to work closely with a faculty mentor to collaborate on inquiry-based research. Participants collaborate with peers and others, use top-quality equipment, find the answers to problems and questions, and forge their way to becoming leaders in their chosen fields. Years from now, participants will draw from the U-SOAR experience and apply it in their careers and lives.

See more on the 2021 U-SOAR class—and remember them. They may be behind the next big discovery. You could be, too. Learn more about the U-SOAR program and how to apply.

Summer Research: Challenging, Exciting, Independent

“The research experience has been challenging yet exciting. It’s precisely what I wanted. I thoroughly enjoy how independent I can be as a researcher and how my advisor challenges me to think about various concepts that could impact our reaction outcomes, such as possible alpha-proton elimination or substitution. I’m learning how to use Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry systems to analyze the contents of the reaction samples I collect. It’s a very powerful analytical instrument that can also be used in a clinical setting. While I am a Medical Technology major, Chemistry has become my recent scientific obsession.”

Curtiss Harbin, student researcher with the Leblond Lab at IUP for summer 2021, transferred to IUP after obtaining an Associate of Science degree in Biotechnology with honors.

What are you researching?

Throughout prehistory, Native Americans utilized outcrops of metarhyolite from South Mountain as a raw material for making stone tools. The earliest use dates to the Paleoindian period and peaks during the Middle Archaic and Transitional periods. During this time, Native Americans quarried for high-quality material in pits approximately 8-feet deep and 20-feet in diameter. Metarhyolite exhibits a wide variety of morphologies, ranging from fine to coarse-grained; gray to blue to red colors; and with or without volcanic flow bands. Interestingly, multiple varieties may be found at any one quarry, such that materials cannot be correlated based on physical appearance alone. This pilot study couples two analytical techniques—portable X-ray Fluorescence (pXRF) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD)—in an attempt to identify chemical signatures, or “fingerprints." See next season for SEM-EDS work.

Why is it important?

These "fingerprints" can be compared with artifacts from Mid-Atlantic sites in an attempt to link artifacts to specific South Mountain quarry loci and reconstruct prehistoric trade networks.

Ethan Edward Addicott

What are you researching?

My work consists of a creative exploration into Black characters in comic books/superhero media. The project, based on an original character, will weave the fictional story with real, important events in Black American History, and will explore the struggles faced by Black Americans throughout the 20th Century. I will use the research I have gathered through reading Black memoirs and historical accounts and do my best to show the 20th Century through the eyes of a Black Superhero, who struggles with his dual identity as a beloved superhero and as a Black man facing systemic racism and oppression in the country that he protects.

Why is it important?

The landscape of comic books/superhero media has always been overwhelmingly white. Even today, characters of color are constantly criticized for being “woke” and rarely get the same positive reception as characters such as Batman and Spider-Man. This project is meant to show that Black characters can and should be regarded as just as important, as well as a commentary about the racially imbalanced history of comics and the continuing struggle to give POC characters the attention they deserve.

Justin Berghoff

What are you researching?

My research is Entomology based in an Ecology lab with Dr. Ellen Yerger and Alexus Bobak. Our main focus is examining the biodiversity of Coleoptera in Eastern Hemlock Forests of Central Pennsylvania. Hemlock forests in Pennsylvania are being stressed by the presence of the pest insect Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA). This ongoing stress has killed or thinned hemlock trees, impacting the nature of these wild forests. In an attempt to control HWA, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has been releasing biocontrol agents, one of which is the predatory beetle Laricobius nigrinus. This study focuses on understanding the other beetles living in impacted hemlock forests, to potentially serve as a baseline for future investigation and biocontrol efforts.

Why is it important?

The forests dominated by hemlock are declining, with some forests showing reduced needle density, some with dying trees, others already dead. While some control methods for HWA are working, they are not enough. Other control methods need to be developed, and for this it’s most effective to know the existing biodiversity. This study offers an understanding of what Coleoptera are found in Hemlock forests in Central Pennsylvania. We hope that this project could potentially provide baseline data for biocontrol efforts that may take place in the future.

M. Emma Bland

What are you researching?

I am researching ceramic glaze materials using the essential materials that make up glazes: Silica (glass), flux, and Alumina (clay). Starting with an already proven glaze base, I am gaining a relative understanding of the variables that can be added in different combinations to balance these materials by increasing or decreasing fluxes, clay, and glass materials. There are a multitude of choices of the fluxes, clays, and glass material, each offsetting the balance of the glaze. I am testing reactions and altering recipe combinations by lowering the melting temperature (purpose of the fluxes) or creating a matte or glossy finish, which can be changed through the amount of clay or glass added to the recipe. I am also adding different colorants and additives to create a successful glaze through applied research using the glaze kilns on campus.

Why is it important?

Understanding what reactions specific materials have in combination with each other will allow me to alter the firing temperatures of certain glazes. For example, I have been following recipes for cone 6 firings, which requires me to add fluxes that will lower the temperature of the glasses so that they will melt at the lower temperature of the cone 6 firing vs. the higher firing temperature of a cone 10 glaze recipe. This will allow the glaze to melt and make it a successful glaze firing.
Being able to identify whether a glaze will be matte or glossy by looking at the recipe and being able to change the affect by increasing the glass or clay will allow for altering recipes upon desire. Altering these two ingredients can also prevent crazing, which is cracking in the glaze. Once this happens to a glaze, it is no longer food safe. Increasing the specific glass and or clay ingredient will alter the chemical reaction and solve the crazing defect, making it functional once again.

Sandra Buerklin

What are you researching?

This summer, I am learning how to navigate a computer software to create files that are laser cut so that I can make my own reusable metalsmithing tools. These tools are called matrix dies and are used in conjunction with the hydraulic press. The hydraulic press is used to convert annealed (softened) metal sheets into 3-dimensional forms using literal tons of pressure. I am using the formed metal with a specific enameling technique called cloisonné. The reusable matrix dies make the process of creating cloisonné enamel pieces more efficient. These cloisonné enamel pieces can be used in jewelry such as necklaces, broaches, and bracelets. They can also be used in a bezel setting for a box or other form. An artist who uses a similar technique is Aurelie Guillaume, who create cloisonné enamel pieces that celebrate storytelling. This summer I have been producing many unique cloisonné designs using the matrix dies I created with the Rhino Software.

Why is it important?

This project is important because it will give me the opportunity to refine my skills in cloisonné enameling, as well as the opportunity to broaden my skills and knowledge in technology. It also will impact my future as an art professional as well as an educator by giving me the time and resources to hone my skills in metalsmithing, specifically in cloisonné enameling. It will also impact future by allowing me to learn new technological software and techniques.

What are you researching?

Along with my mentor, I am investigating the impact of Covid-19 on high school students’ ability to progress mathematically in preparation for college math classes. My research explores students’ opinions on how the pandemic affected their personal opinion about their math learning.
For part of my research, I will be surveying two groups of students who placed into MATH 100. The first group is approximately 120 students from the Fall 2021 freshman cohort at IUP, and the second group is approximately 240 students from the Fall 2022 freshmen cohort at IUP. They will be receiving the same IRB-approved online Qualtrics survey through their IUP email during the second week of September.
The second part of my research consists of myself and my faculty mentor analyzing institutionally provided identity-wiped data through the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences at IUP. The data for this study consists of math placement test scores, initial assessment scores in ALEKS during the MATH 100 class, and final ALEKS progress in the MATH 100 class.

Why is it important?

This project is important because it investigates the effect that Covid-19 and online learning has had on students and how it relates to their current math scores. Students who have a lower placement in their mathematics course sequence are more likely to switch out of a natural science major and are more likely to not finish their college degree. Studying the negative effects of the pandemic on math knowledge can help us understand how much more remediation might be needed for these students.

What are you researching?

This research is to understand how the kidney develops and regenerates using zebrafish as a model system. Zebrafish express a protein called lhx1a in their kidney stem cells, which allows for the formation of new kidney tissue. Under the supervision of Dr. Cuong Diep, I am validating nine peptides for their ability to bind the lhx1a protein. The peptides will be used to alter the function of lhx1a, affecting the formation of new kidney tissue. In this research, my job this summer is to remake the nine peptides in the appropriate vectors and confirm that they do bind to the lhx1a protein using the yeast two-hybrid system. This process is completed through a series of steps that will ultimately validate the binding of each peptide with lhx1a.

Why is it important?

Kidney disease affects millions of people worldwide each year. The only treatments available are dialysis and transplantation, both of which have severe limitations. Understanding how the lhx1a protein works could alleviate these limitations by leading to regenerative therapy for patients with kidney disease. My project this summer is a small, but important, step in working towards this new treatment for patients worldwide.

Emma Fetchko

What are you researching?

I am researching the School to Adjudication Pipeline in Pennsylvania alongside my mentor, Dr. Christian Vaccaro, assisted by Professor Lindsay Vaughan, and Dr. Robert Orth. The School to Adjudication pipeline is closely related to, and heavily inspired by the more commonly named ‘School to Prison Pipeline’ by researchers and theorists. The school-to-adjudication pipeline is a broad concept that describes how school rules, teachers and administrators can influence whether a juvenile ends up in placement in the juvenile justice system. There are many concepts that describe the School to Adjudication Pipeline, including those that describe how teachers label juveniles as bad or delinquent, how school disciplinary procedures can lead to legal actions, and how schools can be a site where juveniles directly disobey laws, are referred to court, and adjudicated as delinquent because of them. Of these different concepts regarding the School to Adjudication Pipeline, our data—provided to us from the Juvenile Court Judges Commission of Pennsylvania—can address only questions regarding the latter. That is, whether juveniles who are referred to the courts for an offense that took place within the context of a school wind up adjudicated, at what rate, and with what type of disposition.

Why is it important?

Data analysis has proved itself to show importance not only in my research as I recognize the disproportionalities shown within juvenile cases, but in nationally recognized-cases, also. The Cash for Kids scandal was an arrangement for judges to send juveniles to for-profit detention centers for kickbacks of cash. While the Cash for Kids scandal began in 2003, it was not until 2007 that an investigation began, following disproportionalities in the data recognized by researchers. By analyzing data on juveniles, researchers have the opportunity to protect juveniles from flaws in the juvenile justice system.

Lakyn Heming

What are you researching?

I am researching the topic of "moving panoramas," or scrolling backdrops, to fundamentally understand the mechanics and structural elements necessary to their construction and onstage operation. I am attempting to use these discoveries to design and develop a modified version of the classic moving panorama as a part of the scenic design for an IUP Acorn Project being produced by researcher (Jacob Jencks) and peers, to be presented on October 27 and 28, 2022.

The research has three phases, with the first phase consisting of looking at historical and contemporary examples of moving panoramas to determine the various methods and resources used to create them. The second phase is about researching ways to rework or redesign various structural and mechanical pieces of the traditional moving panorama to align more with my needs, using smaller scale models and prototypes to test mechanics. The goal of this phase is to explore possibilities of adapting the classic moving panorama structure of having massive spools that the "scrolling" fabric gets wrapped around and transported between (requiring hundreds of feet of painted fabric) into something that allows for a continuous loop of fabric to scroll endlessly (requiring considerably less fabric), similar to a conveyor belt.

The final phase of research is centered around drafting a complete to-scale three-dimensional model of the modified moving panorama in Vectorworks, including more detailed drawings of various mechanical and structural pieces. This will ensure that all necessary components are presented in a way that is legible and easy for the IUP Scenery Studio carpenters to understand and assemble, allowing the build process to start early in the Fall. I also meet with my faculty mentor, Professor Jones, every week to discuss research findings and progress, develop new research paths and tasks, and brainstorm solutions to potential problems that arise.

Why is it important?

This project is important because the concept of "moving panoramas" has largely died out in theatre, but these panoramas provide an incredible spectacle for audiences as well as being an unparalleled story-telling device. Having a backdrop move onstage behind stationary actors or set pieces creates the simple optical illusion of lateral motion, which is useful in creating scenes like actors boating down a river or riding a pioneer wagon rolling down a trail (such as in our upcoming Acorn Project). This illusion could obviously be recreated simply with video, but having a physical backdrop move rather than video starting and stopping allows for much more suspension of disbelief from the audience.

Jacob Jencks

What are you researching?

My research involves the local forest, White’s Woods. The forest was purchased to serve as a recreational park and natural area for the community. However, over two decades there has been issues in determining the best management of the natural area. My role as a student researcher is to observe, survey, and interview park users to collect public input on their perspectives of the current problem. Observations are made to gauge what the community uses the park for. The survey and follow-up interviews are to get a deeper look into park users’ opinions on current proposals for the forest, and to understand what White’s Woods provides to the community.

Why is it important?

The goal is to gauge what activities park users enjoy and how they perceive current management proposals. In the height of climate change, it is important that natural areas be managed sustainably. Public input is also a key role in perception of what current proposals for the park are deemed safe for users and the forest. This research will also help the township and borough engage with the community to better manage White’s Woods for future generations.

Amber Lawrence

What are you researching?

Preliminary data in our lab suggests that Tipin is required for efficient tissue regeneration in planarians. We have conducted two trials of Tipin knockdown using dsRNA, then examined post-amputation blastemal growth and photoreceptor regeneration. The results from these trials suggest that Tipin is required for the speed/rate of regeneration as there seems to be a window of opportunity in the timing of regeneration. The ability to regenerate photoreceptors is lost once this window is closed.
We intend on replicating this experiment twice more to gain statistical power. Furthermore, to assay for proliferative cells in both control and experimental groups, we will use immunohistochemistry (IHC) during varying stages of regeneration. This project will allow us to determine the correlation between Tipin and cell proliferation at different stages of tissue regeneration, allowing us further understanding of the Tipin knockdown phenotypes.

Why is it important?

The results of my work will unveil key aspects of tissue regeneration in planarians, allowing us to understand these regenerative aspects in higher organisms with similar regeneration processes. We expect that as we link fate with cell division, we are better able to understand the regulation of cell division.

Eman Soliman

What are you researching?

I currently work with two different strains and sexes of mice. The two different strains are C57B6 mice and BalbcJ mice. There are both males and females of each in our lab. We are exploring how both factors (sex and strain) can affect the head twitch responses from 5-hydroxytryptophan which is the precursor to serotonin. After we observe the differences between these factors, we are planning to explore the causes of these effects. Estrogen is going to be our first hormone we target to potentially identify what could be the causing factor of different responses from females. After we record the mice’s activity after injection with the 5-HTP, I must go back and interpret the videos. After I have scored the videos, we interpret the data and compare them to previous studies.

Why is it important?

This research is important because it may help us understand the mechanisms behind what is causing these responses. If we can identify what specifically causes the differences, it would allow us to target these factors more specifically in further research. It would allow us to use the difference between sex and strains to aid us in choosing which mice for specific future projects.
If we can demonstrate consistent differences in responses of female and male mice in response to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HT), this may indicate sex-differences serotonergic neurotransmission (e.g., in receptor sensitivity) in the mice and/or differences in cellular mechanisms for absorbing and metabolizing 5-HT. If we demonstrate consistent differences between strains of mice, this could impact selection of a specific mouse strain as a model for future studies.

Nickolas Vasil

What are you researching?

I am researching the current necessity for increased civil society support and funding for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Western Balkans. The European Union (EU) is a uniquely positioned inter-governmental organization that has immense power in promoting multilateral cooperation. Despite its best efforts, like any global superstructure that exists today, the EU falls short in being able to successfully fulfill all of its promises due to the nature of socio-political discourse within its continent. While the EU remains an imperative model for economic development and social unity, genuine progress lies in the hands of the people and people-oriented organizations that drive local development across Eastern Europe.
Persistent use of inadequate progress indicators, paired with a lack of political will to push for change, has perpetuated a sense of complacency with the current conditions in the Western Balkans. By implementing Genuine Progress Indicators (GPI) to augment pre-existing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP) measurements, a more holistic model can be used to assess the overall progress of individual nations. Implementing better qualitative metrics to track the problems and progress of developing nations, paired with protective legislation and the promotion of regionally based development programs, can help foster genuine development. This can only be assured through increased multilateral cooperation based on a more horizontal governance model.
Through a careful examination of current EU standards, successful use of GPI metrics in other nations, and existing civil society projects in Western Balkan nations (such as Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia & Herzegovina), the case for a more holistic understanding of the benefits and pressing necessity for increased civil-society support can be made. I am immensely fortunate to use my time studying at the University of Amsterdam this summer to gain insight from my peers and professors that helps better my personal research.

Why is it important?

Despite the fact that the European Union is an influential inter-governmental structure, it is severely limited by its foundation in member-state approval and hierarchy of standards that favor present member states over helping candidate members in the Western Balkans. Over the past decades, there has been a general decline in EU Enlargement strategies and meaningful support for developing nations in Eastern Europe that struggle to meet EU accession standards.
Being a part of the EU carries economic and socio-political benefits but more broadly, it symbolizes genuine unity for the European continent. While the EU remains vital to future progress, not all solutions reside within EU control. Genuine progress lies with grassroots movements and support for local NGOs that have a better understanding of the current challenges within developing nations. Now more than ever, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the urgency for strengthened European unity and commitment to both improve and protect vulnerable nations throughout the Western Balkans. The sake of the European continent, and that of global cooperation even, begs for genuine commitment to current socio-political conditions, and that happens when power is returned to the people.

Amanda Zaner