Welcome to the 2021 STEM Scholar Senior Showcase Online Exhibition!
The STEM Scholar Senior Showcase serves to recognize and celebrate our graduating class of STEM Scholars – not just for their hard work, but for their role in shaping the STEM Scholar and Honors community, and for their numerous and varied achievements both inside and outside the classroom.
We are excited to welcome the UConn community and loved ones to join us for the 2021 STEM Scholar Senior Showcase Online Exhibition. This year we are proud of the each and every one of our seniors who are sharing their Honors Thesis research and projects.
Like so many events this year, the STEM Scholar Senior Showcase will be presented a bit differently. To keep our students, faculty, and loved one’s safe, students will be sharing their Honors Thesis through virtual live sessions and an online exhibition. The website boasts project “pitches,” student biographies, and links to supplemental slides of each student’s Honors Thesis.
See below to view the links to live presentations being held Monday, April 19 through Friday, April 23.
Welcome message from Dr. Jennifer Lease Butts
Live Session 1: 4/19 6:30-7:30PM
Monday, April 19, 2021 6:30-7:30pm
Join Session: s.uconn.edu/seniorshowcase_livesession1
Giridhar Murali (Major: Molecular and Cell Biology, Minor: Anthropology)
Isolating Compounds that Inhibit EV 71 Virus
Dhruv J. Dang (Major: Molecular and Cell Biology, Minor: Film Studies)
Language acculturation traits and BMI in Hispanic-American children from 1999-2004
Daniel Schwartzman (Major: Psychological Sciences, Minor: Healthcare Management and Insurance Studies)
A Scoping Review of Employee Wellness Interventions
Amar Kalaria (Major: Physiology and Neurobiology, Minors: Molecular and Cell Biology, Healthcare Management and Insurance Studies)
Lineage Tracing of Stem Cell Division Along the Lateral Ventricles During Early Embryonic Ages
Shaharia Ferdus (Major: Molecular and Cell Biology, Minor: Nutritional Sciences)
Effects of Bacterial Lipid Exposure on Cholesterol Metabolism and Liver Inflammation in HepG2 Cells
Colt Nichols (Majors: Biomedical Engineering & Electrical Engineering, Minor: Mathematics)
Analysis of Low Cost Wearable Biomedical Devices as a Method for Disease Prevention
Pranati Mathur (Majors: Biological Sciences & Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies)
Characterizing Drumming Imitation Capabilities in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Eduardo A. Badillo Colberg (Major: Molecular and Cell Biology)
Reeling in New Antibiotics: Synthesis and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Zinc-Binding Clavanins from Styela clava (Sea Squirt)
Live Session 2: 4/21 5:00-6:00PM
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 5:00-6:00pm
Join Session: s.uconn.edu/seniorshowcase_livesession2
Samhita Gurrala (Majors: Nutritional Sciences and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies)
The prevalence of tooth loss and chewing problems and their association with dietary quality and health status in mobile food pantry users
Parth Patel (Majors: Molecular and Cell Biology & Political Science)
Assessing the Receptiveness of Underrepresented Children towards an Emergency Department Pre-Post Intervention on Physical Activity
Nidhi Chawla (Majors: Physiology and Neurobiology & Women's Studies)
Intersectionality, Access, and Women’s Health: Engaging and Enacting a Feminist Model of Health Care
Ethan Y. Wang (Major: Pharmacy Studies, Minor: Economics)
Approaches to Reduce Use and Duration of Anti-MRSA Agents for Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs: A Review of Recent Literature
Stephanie Akosa (Major: Physiology and Neurobiology; Minor: Psychological Sciences)
Development of Psychological Markers for Motivational Dysfunctions through the use of Tetrabenazine and Electroencephalograms in a Female Rat Model
Mukund Desibhatla (Majors: Physiology & Neurobiology and Spanish, Minor: European Studies)
The Evolution of Novel DA Transporter Inhibitors and their Effects on Effort-Related Motivation: A Review
Michelle Franklin (Major: Nursing)
Posttraumatic Growth in Eating Disorders
Sean Doolittle (Major: Civil Engineering)
Using GIS to Support Established Ideas on the Harmful Impacts of Highway Construction Through New England Cities
Live Session 3: 4/22 4:30-5:30PM
Thursday, April 22, 2021 4:30-5:30pm
Join Session: s.uconn.edu/seniorshowcase_livesession3
Christopher Geiger (Major: Computer Science & Engineering, Minor: Mathematics)
Resist: Reconstruction of irises from templates
Mallika Shekhar (Major: Physiology and Neurobiology, Minor: Neuroscience)
Investigations of binge-like behavior in female, Sprague Dawleys: effects of the catecholamine uptake blocker Lisdexamfetamine and dopamine antagonist Haloperidol
Gaganjot Bedi (Major: Molecular and Cell Biology)
Assessing the Efficacy of Jellow: A communicative aid for children with ASD
Eve Cullerton (Major: Natural Resources - Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation, Minors: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Chemistry)
A comparison of wildlife activity patterns in control and harvested wetlands of Connecticut
James He (Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology; Minors: Neuroscience and Mathematics)
Identifying the Cell Composition and Clonal Diversity of Supratentorial Ependymoma Using Single Cell RNA-Sequencing
James Edward Lee Hormann (Major: Mechanical Engineering)
Computational Validation of Several Radiation Heat Transfer Models
Jason Vailionis (Major: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Symbiont Replacement by Pathogenic Fungus in the North American Dog-Day Cicadas
Live Session 4: 4/23 5:00-6:00PM
Friday, April 23, 2021 5:00-6:00pm
Join Session: s.uconn.edu/seniorshowcase_livesession4
Heather Boucher (Major: Chemical Engineering)
Development of Sustainable Agriculture Biotechnology: Calculating Protist Velocity Distributions in Model Soil Transport Systems
Adrian Gibson (Major: Electrical Engineering)
Light Intensity Modulated Impedance Spectroscopy for Photovoltaic Panels
Gavin Birdsall (Major: Physiology and Neurobiology, Minor: Mathematics)
Using Single-cell RNA-seq Analysis to Assess Heterogeneity in a Model of Ependymoma Brain Tumors
Sam Bird (Major: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
Nesting Habits of Eurycea bislineata
Veda Pandya (Major: Mechanical Engineering)
Aerodynamic Optimization of Aircraft Wing
Siddarth Suresh (Major: Computer Engineering, Minor: Math)
Modern Helicopter Flight Control System Design
Berk Alpay (Majors: Computer Science & Mathematics)
A Probabilistic Model of RNA Constraints on Viral Evolution
Mariam Mohsin (Major: Biomedical Engineering)
Deep Learning Methods for Classifying Sleep Apnea
View All Student Projects
Acknowledgements
Land Acknowledgment: We would like to acknowledge that the land on which the University of Connecticut is home to is the territory of the Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, Eastern Pequot, Schaghticoke, Golden Hill Paugussett, Nipmuc, and Lenape Peoples, who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. We thank them for their strength and resilience in protecting this land and aspire to uphold our responsibilities according to their example.
To our [STEM Scholar] Seniors: Thank you for all your unique contributions and for your role in building and strengthening the STEM Scholar community through your undergraduate years. We will miss you, but we also take pride in your accomplishments as leaders and academics. We are proud to see your growth from consumers of knowledge to producers of knowledge, and we know that there is so much in store for you. Best of luck in the future and please keep in touch!
To those who support our Seniors: Whether you are a thesis supervisor, faculty member, family member, or fellow STEM Scholar student, we thank you for joining us in celebrating our STEM Scholars. For those interested in learning more about the STEM Scholar program and the opportunities it affords, see our additional resources below. While you are here, we encourage you to take some time to browse and explore just how much our graduates have accomplished!