Seven upperclassmen score summer research experiences

University of North Georgia (UNG) student Lani Chastain knows the thrill of winning a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). The junior pursuing a degree in physics also know the disappointment of losing it.

"I got one last year, but it was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic," Chastain said.

This year, many colleges and universities organized their projects to be conducted virtually, hybrid or in-person with safety protocols to allow students to gain the experience and remain safe during the pandemic. Many UNG students applied and seven received REU or research-based projects, including Chastain, who gained entry into two programs.

The 21-year-old from Chickamauga, Georgia, was selected to join the second edition of the Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Internship Program. It funds exceptional U.S. undergraduate students to complete an internship in Canada in summer 2021.

Chastain also won an international REU hosted by the University of Florida along with mentors from Monash University in Australia. The project will focus on gravitational physics and gravitational-wave astronomy for a period of nine to 10 weeks starting in June.

"I was so surprised that I got both of them," she said. "It was really comforting to know I had options. I wasn't limited to whichever one takes me like last year. I could pick this time."

Chastain chose the gravitational physics project with the University of Florida.

"I want to go into gravitation-wave astronomy because it's a new field. I think it's interesting to grow as a new physicist in a new field," she said. "And they can tailor the project to my skills and interest."

Six others will develop their skills and interests during other research-based programs this summer.

Bailey Bullard, a junior pursuing a degree in chemistry, will work on the production and testing of engineered biochar for the removal of phosphorus from stormwater runoff at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi.

Rebecca Corley, a junior pursuing a degree in physics, will work on an astroparticle physics project at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. The native of Athens, Georgia, will likely work with data collected at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica.

Jared Oenick, a junior from Sharpsburg, Georgia, pursuing a degree in biology, will participate in a Kidney Undergraduate Research Experience (KURE). Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the eight-week summer research program gives students the opportunity to learn about advances in kidney research. Oenick will be mentored by the University of Alabama at Birmingham's renowned faculty and staff.

Suzanne Steel, a senior pursuing a degree in physics, will join a summer research program with the DESY national research center and particle accelerator facility in Hamburg, Germany to research high-energy particle physics. Her project will work with the DESY CMS group. Because of the pandemic, the 22-year-old from Alpharetta, Georgia, will participate in the program virtually.

Jacob Spurlock of Concord, Georgia, and Quinn Parker of Conyers, Georgia, received awards to participate as students in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) for 10 weeks this summer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Parker is a junior pursuing a degree in physics. Spurlock is a 2021 graduate with a degree in physics and has been accepted into graduate school at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The VFP seeks to increase the research competitiveness of faculty and students at colleges and universities historically underrepresented in the research community. During the program, faculty and up to two students collaborate with DOE laboratory research staff on a research project.

Students interested in pursuing summer research opportunities or undergraduate research projects may contact the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities office at curca@ung.edu.