Spring 2025 URCA Recipients
East Carolina University’s Office of Undergraduate Research announced that 50 student investigators received Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) awards for the Spring 2025 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 Spring 2025 URCA award recipients are:
| Principal Student Investigator | Major | Co-Investigator | Project Category | Mentor's Academic Unit | Faculty Mentor | Faculty Co-Mentor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Allen | Exercise Physiology | Megan Wozniak | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Chris Mizelle | |
| Lina Alnimer | Nutrition Science | Social Sciences | Nutrition Science | Lauren Sastre | ||
| Charlotte Bickley | Biology and Chemistry | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Biology | April Blakeslee | ||
| Vivian Bryan | Exercise Physiology | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Nicholas Murray | ||
| Tyler Bryant | Exercise Physiology | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Chuck Tanner | ||
| Ketan Chamakura | Biology and Public Health | Biomedical Sciences | Biology | Yong Zhu | ||
| Christine Chan | Biology and Environmental Studies | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Biology | Rebecca Asch | ||
| Aryn Cimmerer | Nursing | Social Sciences | College of Nursing | Mitzi Pestaner | ||
| Ariana Collins | Biochemistry | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Chemistry | Adam Offenbacher | ||
| Brook Connolly | Fine Arts | Humanities/Arts | School of Art and Design | Heather Muise | Matt Egan | |
| A'riana Crumpler | Public Health | Social Sciences | Health Education and Promotion | Kelli Russell | Leslie Sanchez | |
| Nia Cruz | Fine Arts and Communications | Humanities/Arts | School of Art and Design | Angela Frank-Wells | ||
| Gabriela Curlings | Public Health and Sociology | Social Sciences | Public Health | Alice Richman | ||
| Sophie Davis | Biomedical Engineering | Biomedical Sciences | Biology | Lauren Anllo | ||
| Dhanushi Dedakia | Physics | Biomedical Sciences | Physics | Juan Beltran-Huarac | ||
| Kara DuBois | Neuroscience and Psychology | Biomedical Sciences | Anatomy and Cell Biology | Karen Litwa | ||
| Neil Garza Hernandez | Biology | Biomedical Sciences | Microbiology and Immunology | Graham Bitzer | ||
| Jason Ingram | Fine Arts and Design: Concentration in Film and Video | Humanities/Arts | School of Art and Design | Erick Green | ||
| Madison Kennedy | Exercise Physiology | Biomedical Sciences | Kinesiology | Christine Habeeb | ||
| Austin Kohler | Dance Performance and Choreography | Humanities/Arts | School of Theatre and Dance | John Dixon | ||
| Raga Sri Kondapaneni | Public Health | Social Sciences | Health Education and Promotion | Lori Ann Eldridge | ||
| Trinity Lamb | Biochemistry | Zachary Barefoot | Biomedical Sciences | Physical Therapy | Stacey Meardon | |
| Caramia Landis | Community and Regional Planning | Social Sciences | Community and Regional Planning | Misun Hur | Emily Yeager | |
| Molly Lasure | Engineering | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Engineering | Alex Vadati | Acela Martinez Luna | |
| Renee Maher | Theatre Education & Musical Theatre | Humanities/Arts | School of Theatre and Dance | Amanda Pinkham-Brown | ||
| Joanna Mathew | Biology | Social Sciences | Health Services and Information Management | Ashley Burch | ||
| Dylan Miller | Physics | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Physics | Nathan Hudson | ||
| Caitlyn Mooers | Biology | Biomedical Sciences | Physiology | Bobbie Garvin | ||
| Garrett Moore | Art | Biomedical Sciences | School of Art and Design | Amy McIntyre | ||
| Lawrence Newkirk | Biology | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Biology | Xiaomei He | ||
| Thomas O'Sullivan | Computer Science | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Computer Science | David Hart | ||
| Jungyeon Park | Computer Science | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Technology Systems | Sohan Gyawali | ||
| Yanni Pavlikianidis | Biochemistry | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Multidisciplinary Studies | Philip Boyer | ||
| Amilia Price | Physics: Research Concentration | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Physics | Regina DeWitt | ||
| Gianna Provenzano | Biology | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Biology | Rebecca Asch | ||
| Trisha Rangaraju | Public Health | Dhwani Hada | Social Sciences | Kinesiology | Bhibha Das | |
| Nicholas Reid | Public Health and Chemistry | Social Sciences | Public Health | Lori Ann Eldridge | ||
| Emily Saddison | Biology and Hispanic Studies | Kayli Williams | Humanities/Arts | Foreign Languages and Literatures | Laura Levi Altstaedter | |
| Mason Schwartz | Biology | Biomedical Sciences | School of Dental Medicine | Ramiro Murata | ||
| Diana Scott | Printmaking | Humanities/Arts | School of Art and Design | Heather Muise | Matt Egan | |
| Kiarash Sehizadeh | Biology | Biomedical Sciences | School of Dental Medicine | Erzsebet Szatmari | Alexandre Vieira | |
| Hannah Shook | Speech and Hearing Sciences | Biomedical Sciences | Communication Sciences and Disorders | Deirdre Larsen | ||
| Lydia Simmons | Biology | Biomedical Sciences | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Morgan Milton | ||
| Cayson Sipprell | Dance and Psychology | Lydia Taylor | Humanities/Arts | School of Theatre and Dance | John Dixon | John Dixon |
| Maximillian Skinner | Biology | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Biology | Joseph Luczkovich | ||
| Alexis Thomas | Chemistry | Biomedical Sciences | Chemistry | Colin Burns | ||
| Alexia Tormey | Dance: Performance and Choreography | Humanities/Arts | School of Theatre and Dance | Sayward Grindley | ||
| Irving Villanueva | Computer Science | STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) | Computer Science | Madhusudan Srinivasan | ||
| Reagan Weaver | Film and Production | Humanities/Arts | School of Art and Design | Ken Wyatt | ||
| Braxton Worsley | Computer Science | Biomedical Sciences | Computer Science | Moritz Dannhauer | Swati Surkar |
