Summer Research Heats Up on Campus—Students Soar

Summer is the perfect time for student research—at least at IUP, where students spend some of those warm, sunny days exploring research topics with professor mentors through the Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for Applying Research (U-SOAR) program.

A portrait photo of Isaiah Woodard beside a diagram of a molecule involved in his research

Isaiah Woodard is studying the biochemical and behavioral effects of 5-Hydroxytryptamine in mice. Woodard’s research, with mentor professor Daniel Widzowski, is related to serotonin receptors that function as a neurotransmitter in the nervous system.

Scott Semelsberger works in a laboratory in which fish tanks hold small zebrafish

Sophomore Scott Semelsberger, with guidance from mentor professor Cuong Diep, is researching the process in which zebrafish use stem cells to make new kidney tissue.

Adeline Kubicsek creates art while working at a table with small tools and pieces of metal and other materials on it.

Adeline Kubicsek is investigating jewelry and metals techniques, in consultation with mentor professor Sharon Massey, to create a body of work around the theme of environmentalism and sustainability.

A portrait of Hayley Woodside wearing a headset while filming a video, and a picture of a computer screen showing Woodside's research into how students working on IUP-TV shows adapted during the pandemic

Hayley Woodside is researching how filming, production techniques, storytelling, and student research have adapted to pandemic conditions. With guidance from mentor professor Mark Piwinsky, Woodside is creating a video about students doing research on campus during COVID-19.

Summer is the perfect time for student research—at least at IUP, where students spend some of those warm, sunny days exploring research topics with professor mentors.

From the Collatz conjecture in mathematics to ultrafiltration membranes for drinking
water, from biochemical and behavioral effects in mice to researching people in history who are outside of the gender binary, students from a wide range of majors study a variety of topics. It’s all part of the Undergraduate Summer Opportunities for
Applying Research (U-SOAR) program, which gives students the chance to stretch their wings and do research in their fields as early as their freshman year.