The Summer Fellows program at Ursinus College allows sophomores or juniors to pursue an independent scholarly project under the close tutelage of a faculty mentor during an eight week period. Projects can be undertaken as independent research or a creative or artistic endeavor. All Fellows present their research during the last week of the program.
Submissions from 2025
Ambiguity: Hope & Hopelessness, Ashley G. Adam
Investigating the Effects of Cover Cropping on Potentially Mineralizable Nitrogen, Isabelle Barrett
Creating a Narrative About Human Choice and Experience Through Short Fiction, Sidney D. Belleroche
Cover Crops and Carbon: Evaluating Their Impact on Decomposition, Noah Berger
Measuring the Hydrolytic Activity of DFsc Proteins Using Bis(4-nitrophenyl) Phosphate, Rachel Brown
The Effects of Athletic Culture on Intersectional Identities in Higher Education, Raniya Burkett
Ocean Acidification and Increased Temperature Affect the Growth and Survival of Ilyanassa obsoleta, Kayla M. Carr
Cerium Bromide Detectors: Measuring Efficiencies for Gamma Ray Detection, Ewan Chattin
The Blurry Line: Examining the Balance Between Feminism and Nationalism for Women in Early 20th Century Ireland, Seamus M. Clune
Development of Suzuki-Miyaura Cross-Coupling Reaction of Unprotected Indoles, Lucy Cornett
Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Treatment Option for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Charles J. Cunningham V
Singing Our Story: Composing and Writing an Original Musical, Gianna C. Daiuto
The Silent Identity: Asexuality, Aromanticism, and Convention in Le Roman de Silence and The Story of Silence, Anita Farrell
Crazy - EP, Ben P. Focht
Moral and Epistemic Considerations of Political Engagement: A Step Toward Responsible Voting, Riley Frymoyer
Investigating the Capacity of TDP-43 Low Complexity Domain to Target Protein Aggregates in Yeast, Nicholas J. Grahame
The Photoisomerization Properties of 7-Azocoumarins and Their Ability to Function as a Photoswitch, Julia C. Hart
Evaluation of the Energy and Timing Resolution of Cerium Bromide Detectors for Nuclear Applications, Madyson C. Hickman
Utilizing the Combinatory Power of Chemotherapeutic Compounds in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Matthew I. Hyder
The Thermodynamic Fate of Isolated Quantum Systems, John Keim, Isabel Martinez-Robles, Nicolaus A. Chlanda, Sage M. Thomas, Maja Teofilovska, Sarah E. Spielman, Jordyn Strunk, Tina Zhao, Juniper J. Bauroth-Sherman, Hannah Conley, Philip Conte, Aidan Kirk, Thomas J. Carroll, and Michael W. Noel
Scared of the Stage: How Can We Study Music Performance Anxiety, Sophia Kumar
Site 1234: Looking at the Past to Better Plan for Our Future, Cadence R. Latsha
Quantum Memory, Isabel Martinez-Robles
Stoners, Walnuts, Stockings, and Guns: A Material History of Modern Firearms, Aiden Mashaal
Optimization of a Greener Suzuki Cross-Coupling Reaction on Unprotected Indoles, Tyler J. Moyer
Dual Action Dynamics: Assessing Hypopharyngeal Cancer Cell Survival Using Combination Chemotherapy, Luke Nieman
Anti-Blackness Bots in Artificial Intelligence, Orianna N. Oliver
Is Inequity in NBA Team Salaries Hurting Team Performance?, Alec R. Plante
Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Rhodol Esters, Emma N. Reinert
Investigating DnaJB1-Mediated Rescue of α-Synuclein Toxicity in HEK293T Cells, Ella Roche
An Analysis of Difficult Discussions: Strategies that Encourage and Discourage Dialogue, Kylie Ruggiero
From Embarrassment to Prejudice: Online “Cringe Culture” as an Affective and Social Phenomenon, Maxwell Seebold
From Monsters to Mothers and Daughters of the Macabre: Evolving Depictions of Black Girlhood, Womanhood, and Motherhood in Horror, Cara L. Shockley
Shutdowns and Startups: How COVID-19 Policies Shaped Entrepreneurial Trends Across U.S. States, Mia Sideris
Accessible Art: Connecting Community Through Artistic Expression, Michaela M. Speers
Executive Dysfunction in College Aged Students With and Without Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Emily A. Veasey and Tyler Herring
Utilization of Hexadecylamine-SWCNT Functionalization and Thiol-Ene “Click Chemistry” to Inhibit Bacterial Biofilm on Polydimethylsiloxane, Nicole M. Wadlin
Out! Just Over the Line, Rach Wascoe
Effects of Prozac on Voluntary Wheel Running in Mice, Renee Washart
Sounds Good, Feels Good: Subjective and Physiological Measures of Music Perception, Nico Yanzaguano
Submissions from 2024
Exploring the Movement and Behavior Patterns of Megaptera novaeangliae and Balaenoptera edeni in the Gulf of Chiriquí, Panama, Makayla Baessler
The Environmental and Social Impacts of Disposable Diabetes Technology Waste, Lucy Bamford
Mitotic spindles in pam-1 mutant embryos of Caenorhabditis elegans, Jasmine Borie
Combatting Disengagement and Creating Humans Again: Fixing Our School System with Montessori Ideas in the Age of Technology, Meghan Carroll
How to Overcome Life's Biggest Challenges: A Humor Portfolio, Hailey Clark
An Ethnographic Study of Student Engagement in the College Classroom, Adreanna Cunningham
Evaluating Manager Perspectives of Urban Foraging in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Assessing Implications for Food Insecurity, Lauren Davis
Evaluating Spatial Clustering as a Lunar Crater Classification Method, Annalyse Dickinson
Mutations of the DFsc Protein Active Site, Seth Dunham-Snipes
Computer Scientists in the Media, Tre Dunlap
What Does It Mean to Do the Most Good?: Cases in Population Axiology and Their Implications for Effective Altruism, Trey Dykeman
One Island, Two Worlds: An Investigation of the Diverging Economies of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Daniel Espinal
Immunohistochemistry Staining for DCX and GFAP in Axolotl Spinal Cord Reveals Migration Pattern of New Neurons and Radial Glial Cells in Regenerating Tissue, Connor Evangelisto
Oocytes & Embryos: MBK-2 and CDK-1 Localization in C. elegans, Cristina Feathers
Bears & Bats: Effects of Environmental Factors on Ursinus Campus Bat Biodiversity, Slade Figard
Carbon Nanotubes Inhibit Biofilm Formation on Polydimethylsiloxane, Nicholas Fiore and Candace Hudson
Identity as a College Student Predicts Life Satisfaction and Personal Growth, Julia Gallo
Optimizing the Quantification of the Degradation of PET, Danielle Hanna
Distributing the Ursinus Food Forest Harvest: Considering the Lenape and Questions of Equity, Elwood Harney
Synthesis and Analysis of 7-Nitroso-4-Methylcoumarin as a Reactivity-Based Probe, Morgyn Henry
Inverse-Kinematics Proton Scattering From 42Si, Alyssa Himmelreich
Evaluating the Effects of Concussions and tDCS on Executive Functioning in College Students, Macey Hoffman and Erin Dychdala
Literature’s Representation of Mental Illness in Women: Recognition, Power, and Agency in a Restrictive Society, Kathryn Horan
Learning Styles: The Biggest Myth in Education, Aaliyah Johnson
Site-Directed Mutagenesis of the G4DFsc Protein, Maya Kyriakos
Queer Coding and Representation: The Motion Picture Production Code and Its Impact on the LGBTQ Community, Amber Leech
Quantifying and Characterizing Microplastic Contamination in the Greater Philadelphia Area, Emily Lybashev
The Interaction Between Two Protein Quality Control Systems, Ryan Martin
Analysis of Fluorogenic Probes for the Detection of Chlorite in Drinking Water, Morgan McFarland
Understanding Neurodivergence Through First Person Narratives, Keegan McGowan
Using Cache Files to Improve the Efficiency of the UCGretina Simulation Code, Blake McNulty
Synthesis and Photophysical Characterization of Novel Rhodols, Cael Milbourne
Gender-Specific Mental Health Outcomes in Central America: A Natural Experiment, Thea Nagasuru
"Black History is Black Horror”: A Filmic Analysis of Trauma in Horror Noire, Kyra Norman
The Effects of Acetyl CoA Carboxylase 2 (ACC2) Deletion on Chronic Lipid Overload, Joshua Oduwole
Assessing Climate Niches in Agricultural Fields to Support Biological Pest Control, Andrew Philburn and Sierra Hufnagle
Colorimetric Assessment of Phagocytes Post-Injury in the CNS of A. mexicanum, Andrew Phillips
Sex Differences With Voluntary Wheel Running in Mice With a Systemic Deletion of Acetyl CoA Carboxylase 2, Paige Ponzo
Measuring the Density of Ultracold Rydberg Atoms, Chakradhar Pulipaka, Philip Conte, and Aidan Kirk
Revelation and Refusal: Movement and Stasis in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America (1991 and 2013), Leo Quinn
Cover Cropping: How Sustainability and Economics Can Work Hand in Hand, Emma Reyes
Associations Between ADHD Tendencies, Emotional Valence, and Physical Functioning in College Students, Brooke Richards
Effects of DNA Interactions on the Assembly and Stability of Oligonucleotide-Lipid Nanoparticles, Sophia Roedema
Synthesis and Characterization of Potential Small Molecule Methyltransferase Inhibitors, Ryan Ruch
Impacts of Competition From Living Mulches and Tillage Systems on Nitrogen Dynamics in Soil, Kaelin Ryan
Effects of Induced Ribosomal Stalling on Sup35 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Cole Sexton
Madeline Hepburn is Missing: A Creative Look into Stylistic Writing, Ze'ev A. Shaheen
Protein Interactions between PAM-1, CDC-25.1, and CDK-1 in C. elegans, Madison Smith
Lunar Crater Categorization and Why Accessibility Matters for Planetary Scientists, Gavin Soueidan and McKenzie Snyder
Writing a Young Adult Fantasy Book, Miara Truog Sebouhian
Developing Model Systems to Study Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance and Enveloped Viral Pathogens, Hana Yolacan
Submissions from 2023
The Role of MBK-2 and CDK-1 in Oocytes and Early Embryos of pam-1 C. elegans, Alexa R. Alessandrini
The Effect of pH on the Mobility of Dopamine Ion Transport Through Carbon Nanotubes, Jacqueline Allen
Mental Imagery: The Cognitive Processing of Concrete and Abstract Words, Luke Ammazzalorso and Ella McCarthy
From Hobby to a Business: Fiber Arts and Their Multiple Purposes, Bethany Baskerville
Communicating Climate to Ourselves and Others, Connor Bernier
Rain Garden Maintenance Guide, Hannah Blanco
Revitalizing the Healthcare Market: An Analysis of Hospital Pricing Transparency Compliance, Ellie Bruggeman
Optimizing the Characterization of Cutin Degradation, Matthew Burns
Effects of DNA Interactions on the Stability of Oligonucleotide-Lipid Micelles, Cianna Chung
