Faculty pair with students on research

Ten teams pairing faculty and students for research are taking part in the Faculty Undergraduate Summer Engagement (FUSE) program this year at the University of North Georgia (UNG).

UNG's Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA) is providing funding for seven of the projects, with the College of Science & Mathematics funding two others and a NASA Space Grant funding the other project.

The students will present a poster session on their research from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. July 25 in the Cottrell Ballroom of the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation at UNG's Dahlonega Campus. University faculty and staff, students and the general public are welcome to attend the FUSE 2024 poster session to learn more about the students' research.

FUSE students and faculty mentors funded by CURCA include:

• David Morris and Grace Scott, supervised by Karrie Ann Fadroski, senior lecturer of biology and outreach and engagement coordinator for environmental leadership, and Dr. Dobrusia Bialonska, associate professor of environmental microbiology, "The effect of chestnut cultivation on soil microbial communities at the Hurricane Creek Field Station."
• David von Meyer and Sydney Sharrock, supervised by Dr. Francisco Guzman Fulgencio, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, "Origin of the Elements: Modeling Krypton Emission in Planetary Nebulae."
• Genevieve Lima and Ellie Nicholson, supervised by James Mackenzie, associate director of film, "Cordati: a short documentary on an Italian painter."
• Ryan Lambert, supervised by Dr. Abby Meyer, associate professor of psychological science, "Effects of Diet and Exercise on Long-Term Memory and Cognition."
• Michael Liner and Tyler Simpson, supervised by Dr. L. Zane Miller, assistant professor of chemistry, "Design and Implementation of Porous Hybrid Materials for Removal of Water Pollutants."
• Elizabeth Hawn, supervised by Dr. Kathryn Narciso, lecturer of psychological science, "Students' Behaviors & Attitudes about Generative AI: A Pilot Study."
• Erika Guzman-Cantellano, supervised by Dr. Lori Wilson, associate professor of chemistry, "Advancing Water Quality Analysis for Residents of Lumpkin County, Georgia."

Projects funded by Dr. John Leyba, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, include:

• Hagan Eubank and Kaitlyn Roach, supervised by Dr. Jeremy Olson, assistant professor of chemistry, "Upcycling Laboratory Waste Into the Next Generation of Antibiotics."
• Alex Christensen, supervised by Rahul Shahni, assistant professor of chemistry, "The Synthesis of a Bio-Based Semi-Rigid Diamine Monomer for Polymers and Plastics."

The project funded by a NASA Space Grant is:

• Emerson Bentley, supervised by Dr. Gregory Feiden, associate professor of physics and astronomy, "Convective Deepening as a Driver of Weakened Magnetic Breaking in Solar-like Stars," and student Jack Vogel, "Radial Velocity Confirmation of Candidate Hot-Jupiter TOI-2024b."

Mackenzie and some of his students, including Nicholson, learned about Italian painter Bruno Cordati during their "Film in Italy" education abroad experience in summer 2023 in Barga, Italy. That helped inspire Mackenzie to apply for FUSE funding to produce a documentary on the painter, in part by working with Cordati's grandson.

This summer on the "Film in Italy" trip, Mackenzie filmed 12 hours of content and regularly sent back the files via Google transfers to Nicholson and Lima so they could begin editing the clips into a documentary that will be less than 10 minutes.

Part of the FUSE process includes regular meetings where the groups share updates on their research.

"We've never done anything like this before. It's nice to get out of our comfort zone," Nicholson, a senior from Athens, Georgia, pursuing a degree in film and digital media with a production concentration, said. "We've gone to Dahlonega, met other students and shared our research with each other. It's very fun."

Lima, a senior from Thomasville, Georgia, also pursuing a degree in film and digital media with a production concentration, has not attended the education abroad trip in Italy. But she jumped at the chance for the paid internship through FUSE.

"I want to go down the editing route for my career. This is a great opportunity," Lima said. "I love art and art history. I wanted to learn more about this."

Mackenzie is grateful to see his students embracing their project.

"It's so cool to see students taking the lead in research," he said. "I've enjoyed seeing how much ownership Ellie and Genevieve are taking of the storytelling."

Roach, a senior from Cleveland, Georgia, pursuing a degree in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration, has thrived on being part of the research team with Olson and Eubank. She is part of UNG's McNair Scholars Program and said the project of upcycling lab waste into antibiotics aligns with her desire to work in medical research.

"It's been very interesting. It's one of my favorite projects so far," Roach said. "I want to do organic synthesis when I go to graduate school."

Eubank, a senior from Clarkesville, Georgia, pursuing a degree in biology with pre-medicine advisement, is seeking to become a physician and will apply to medical school soon.

"Being able to work in an organic lab will provide me good skills and be a precursor to things I will be doing later in my life," Eubank said.

Olson appreciates the way FUSE is one of multiple efforts at UNG that sets its undergraduate research apart from larger universities.

"Our students get to set up the project, work it up and use the instruments down the hallway to study the results of our projects," Olson said.

Lambert, a senior from Alpharetta, Georgia, pursuing a degree in psychology and minors in neuroscience and biology, first conducted research in UNG's caterpillar laboratory before transitioning to vertebrate research. Now, FUSE has allowed Meyer and him to expand their research on whether exercise can help vertebrates avoid cognitive decline even while eating a high-fat diet.

"I've always been interested in the brain and neuroscience and the psychology," Lambert said.

Lambert expressed gratitude for CURCA, the physical therapy and biology faculty, and facilities staff who have been so supportive of the research. He is part of a larger group of students working with Meyer on a long-term basis on the project, and he also said his fellow student researchers have been instrumental in the testing that can last three or four hours daily for eight days in a row.

Meyer said Lambert is gaining valuable skills for graduate school.

"He has been an incredibly diligent worker. He is the epitome of a self-motivated student whose ultimate goal is truly to learn and to excel," Meyer said. "He does so, persevering through all kinds of obstacles. He's able to manage his time really well."