Every spring semester, the Center for Undergraduate Excellence has the arduous and exhilarating task of selecting Chapman University’s most distinguished student scholars and creatives to participate in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. Selected students will pursue intensive research or creative projects throughout this 8-week fellowship under the expert guidance of faculty mentors in their chosen discipline. Fellows commit to a minimum of 30 hours of research per week, in addition to attending stimulating faculty seminars and professional development workshops weekly. Students across all majors and fields commune and connect during this on-campus fellowship, bonded by their mutual dedication to creating and discovering.

The Center for Undergraduate Excellence is thrilled to announce the 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows!

Daniel Chang (’19)

Chemistry, Schmid College of Science and Technology

Project: Stereospecific Synthesis of Vinylcyclopropanes

Faculty Mentor: Justin O’Neill

Valeria Park (’20)

Business Administration and Economics, Argyros School of Business and Economics

Project: Reorganization of Systematically Important Financial Institutions

Faculty Mentor: Steven Gjerstad

Maya Collins (’20)

Biological Sciences and Spanish, Schmid College of Science and Technology

Project: Do mycosporine-like amino acids, like other Molecules of Keystone Significance, deter predation of the sea hare Aplysia californica?

Faculty Mentor: William Wright

Ryley Hall (’19)

Chemistry, Schmid College of Science and Technology

Project: Design and Evaluation of Fatty Acyl Conjugates for siRNA Delivery and Silencing in Breast Cancer Cells

Faculty Mentor: Keykavous Parang

Felicia Viano (’19)

History and Peace Studies, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Project: Icons, Images, and Paraphernalia: Analyzing Visual Tactics of the United Farm Workers and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Faculty Mentor: Alexander Bay

Natasha Hikita (’20)

Psychology, Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences

Project: Effects of Positive Emotions and Ethnicity on Pediatric Postoperative Distress

Faculty Mentor: Brooke Jenkins

James Francese (’19)

Mathematics, Schmid College of Science and Technology

Project: New Algebraic Methods for Clifford Analysis

Faculty Mentor: Mihaela Vajiac

Jacquelin Dang (’20)

Screenwriting and Peace Studies, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts

Project: Real Talk: Asian Alienation

Faculty Mentor: Eric Young

Emily Cauble (’19)

Biological Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology

Project: Gain-of-function p53 mutations in field cancerization of histologically normal prostate tissues

Faculty Mentor: Marco Bisoffi

Brandon Bernardo (’21)

Biological Sciences, Schmid College of Science and Technology

Project: The Roles of Known Growth Promoting Hormones on Solar Tracking in Sunflowers

Faculty Mentor: Hagop Atamian

Allie White (’18) 

Strategic Corporate Communication, Public Relations & Advertising, School of Communication

Project: Faculty Perceptions and Behaviors Related to College Students’ Mental Health

Faculty Mentor: Sara LaBelle

Edena Khoshaba (’21)

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Schmid College of Science and Technology

Project: The Effects of Induced Liver Disease in Rats on Cytochrome P450-Mediated Metabolism in the Brain

Faculty Mentor: Reza Mehvar

Ben Bond (’18) 

Religious Studies, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Project: Voodoo Fire in New Orleans Jazz

Faculty Mentor: Julye Bidmead

Lauren Friend (’19)

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Schmid College of Science and Technology

The Locomotion of Pacific Hagfish in Confined Spaces

Faculty Mentor: Douglas Fudge

Sophia Morrissette (’20)

Peace Studies and Psychology, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Project: Asian-American Female Feminist Movements

Faculty Mentor: Eric Young

Nicholas Piscitelli (’18)

Philosophy, Health Sciences Pre-PA, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Project: Patient Autonomy and Medical Decision Making

Faculty Mentor: Michael Robinson

Congratulations to all 2018 SURF Fellows! 

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