Fall 2024 URCA Recipients
East Carolina University’s Office of Undergraduate Research announced that 52 student investigators received Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) awards for the Fall 2024 semester.
The award provides support for faculty-mentored research and creative projects led by undergraduates in four categories:
- Biomedical Science – Any science that applies principles of the natural sciences (life or physical) to medicine or health
- STEM – science*, technology, engineering, and mathematics
*Any science that does not apply principles of the natural sciences (life or physical) to medicine or health - Social Science
- Arts and Humanities
Students apply for the award with a defined project narrative and budget justification summary that they’ve developed in collaboration with a faculty mentor(s).
Awards range from $1,000-$2,000 for each project. The awards may go toward project materials and an assistantship for the student(s).
Award recipients are required to present their findings at venues such as ECU’s Research and Creative Achievement Week (RCAW), the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS), or other scholarly venues deemed appropriate by their mentors.
The Fall 2024 URCA award recipients are:
| Principal Student Investigator | Major | Co-Investigator | Project Category | Mentor's Academic Unit | Faculty Mentor | Faculty Co-Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adala, Sarayu | Biology | Social Sciences | Nutrition Science | Lauren Sastre | ||
| Arthur, Elayna | Social Work | Karigan Zaferatos | Social Sciences | Social Work | Mi Hwa Lee | Abby Schwartz |
| Ayala, Matthew | Engineering: Biomedical Concentration | STEM | Engineering | Kurabachew Duba | ||
| Aycock, Jesper | Biology | STEM | Microbiology and Immunology | Erin Field | Cory Joyner | |
| Backues, Bryana | Health Fitness Specialist | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Katrina DuBose | ||
| Bond, Colbie | Multidisciplinary Studies: Environmental Studies Concentration | Social Sciences | Coastal and Marine Studies | Eric Wade | ||
| Brown, McKyrah | Biology | Biomedical Sciences | Pharmacology and Toxicology | Xian Wu | ||
| Burchett, Jordan | Psychology | Social Sciences | Psychology | Jeannie Golden | ||
| Cannon, Chloe | Public Health | Social Sciences | Health Education and Promotion | Alice Richman | Leslie Cofie | |
| Christman, Gillian | Psychology & Sociology | Social Sciences | Psychology | Courtney Baker | Seth Jones | |
| Coll, Sydney | Public Health & Chemistry | STEM | Chemistry | William Allen | ||
| Conroy, Jillian | Exercise Physiology & Hispanic Studies | Social Sciences | Kinesiology | Bhibha Das | ||
| Davis, Holden | Computer Science | STEM | Computer Science | Kamran Sartipi | ||
| DeBruhl, Sophia | Biology | STEM | Biology | Ariane Peralta | ||
| Devanand, Laksheeta | Exercise Physiology | Biomedical Sciences | Physical Therapy | Swati Surkar | ||
| Eakes, Ashley | Biology | STEM | Biology | April Blakeslee | ||
| Franco-Gonzalez, Arhemy | Biology | Naomi Rose Benson | STEM | Chemistry | Robert M. Hughes | |
| Galvan, Gabriella | Art Education | Humanities/Arts | School of Art and Design | Robert Quinn | ||
| Garcia, Lauren | Environmental Health | Biomedical Sciences | Public Health | Lok Pokhrel | ||
| Hada, Dhwani | Psychology, Neuroscience, & Chemistry | Social Sciences | Psychology | Michael Baker | ||
| Honeycutt, Anna | Public Health | Humanities/Arts | Nutrition Science | Lauren Sastre | ||
| Kannajoshyula, Sruthi | Neuroscience | Biomedical Sciences | Pharmacology and Toxicology | Srinivas Sriramula | ||
| Kimbal, Chapman | Exercise physiology | Social Sciences | Kinesiology | Bhibha Das | ||
| Kohtz, Dana | Biology | STEM | Biology | Baohong Zhang | ||
| Kruger, Kaeleigh | Voice Performance | Biomedical Sciences | Communication Sciences and Disorders | Deirdre Larsen | ||
| Kuropas, Maksym | Biology | Humanities/Arts | Other | Elizabeth McAllister | ||
| Langley, Makayla | Exercise Physiology | Lydia Randall | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Nicholas Murray | |
| Le, Debbie | Biology | Biomedical Sciences | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Xiaomei He | ||
| Locher, Noel | Exercise Physiology | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Zac Domire | ||
| Martines, Cindy | Neuroscience | Biomedical Sciences | Anatomy and Cell Biology | Alessandro Didonna | ||
| McCullen, Patrick | Engineering: Mechanical Concentration | STEM | Engineering | Kura Duba | ||
| McIntire, Caden | Nursing | Social Sciences | College of Nursing | Pestaner Mitzi | Linda Bolin | |
| Meer, Kaylee | Neuroscience | Social Sciences | Psychology | Christyn Dolbier | ||
| Micheo, Makayla | Dance and Choreography | Humanities/Arts | School of Theatre and Dance | John Dixon | ||
| Nieves, Alexiya | Neuroscience & Psychology | Social Sciences | Psychology | Jeannie Golden | ||
| Parker, Kenison | Exercise Physiology | Social Sciences | Kinesiology | Christine Habeeb | ||
| Parrish, Maegan | Exercise Physiology | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Whitney Moore | ||
| Ran'e, Leah | Physics | Biomedical Sciences | Physics | Nathan Hudson | Rukiyah Van Dross | |
| Rivera-Moro, Stephanie | Computer Science | STEM | Computer Science | Madhusudan Srinivasan | ||
| Rodriguez, Adriana | Molecular & Cell Biology | Biomedical Sciences | Biology | Elizabeth Ables | ||
| Rush, Emma | Environmental Health | Paul Jones | Biomedical Sciences | Health Education and Promotion | Stephanie Richards | Sinan Sousan |
| Salaheldeen, Nema | Engineering: Concentration in Biomedical Engineering | STEM | Engineering | Kura Duba | ||
| Sanderson, Macy | Exercise Physiology | Hannah VanStaalduinen | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Chris Mizelle | |
| Thomas, Molly | Entrepreneurship | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Patrick Rider | ||
| Trank, Mikaela | Foreign Languages and Literatures: Concentration in Hispanic Studies | Humanities/Arts | Foreign Languages and Literatures | Laura Dr. Levi-Altsteadter | ||
| Walker, Isaiah | Photography | Humanities/Arts | School of Art and Design | Angela Wells | ||
| Walston, Matthew | Criminal Justice | Social Sciences | Criminal Justice | Sarah Bryson | ||
| Warren, Jackson | Engineering: Concentration in Biomedical Engineering | Biomedical Sciences | Engineering | Ali Vadati | ||
| Washington, Max | Biochemistry | STEM | Biology | Michael Brewer | ||
| Werts, Danielle | Engineering | STEM | Engineering | Jinbo Chen | ||
| Wood, Madison | Public Health: Pre-Health Concentration | Social Sciences | Health Education and Promotion | Lori Ann Eldridge | ||
| Yelamanchili, Raghav | Public Health & Biology | Biomedical Sciences | Physiology | David Tulis |
