Undergraduate Research Awards

Unintended Consequences: Assessing the Impact of Dobbs v Jackson (2022) on the Provision of Maternal Healthcare in Cases of Obstetric Emergencies in the United States
Lauren Carson ’25 Political Science and Health Policy and Management
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Abigail Brooks, Women’s and Gender Studies and Sociology

The goal of this project is to assess the impact of the Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) decision on the provision of maternal healthcare in the United States. Since the decision, many healthcare providers across the political spectrum and from a diversity of backgrounds have spoken out about state level restrictions on care, particularly in instances of obstetric emergencies. This project will utilize case studies to analyze any potential correlations between state level reproductive healthcare policy, especially in terms of specific language used, and the ability of healthcare providers to administer adequate care for patients in obstetric emergencies. This project will also analyze the experience of patients from an intersectional lens, looking at the ways in which racial, classed, and geographical differences coincide with state level policy to impact patient treatment in obstetric emergencies.

HI Spectral Emission of Supernova Host Galaxies
Gregory Chepega ’26, Pre-Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joseph Ribaudo, Engineering and Physics

The goal of this project is to develop a python package, in conjunction with the Undergraduate ALFALFA Team (UAT), that will analyze spectra from radio telescopes facilitating the measurement of total emission line flux and emission line profile velocity width. With these measured quantities, we can estimate the gas mass and rotational velocity of a galaxy. These estimated quantities, combined with data regarding stellar mass, will serve as further evidence supporting the Baryonic Tully-Fisher Relation.

A Big-Data Approach to Investigating the Mechanisms of Dementia-Related Neurdegenerative Disorders
Christopher Manning ’26, Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andra Armstrong, Neuroscience

This study will apply machine learning tools to analyze four sets of open data covering neural, clinical, cognitive, and genetic markers of Alzheimer’s Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Vascular Dementia, Mild Cognitive Impairment as well as just standard aging. My goals are to explore data illustrating cognitive decline in multiple populations and establish biological, cognitive, and computational markers—indicators of the state or condition of a patient’s specific process, for instance their memory markers—that can compare the differences in decline among the groups. These markers will indicate certain cognitive levels experienced in different populations within the realm of neurodegeneration. I will specifically look at a control sample of normal aging and the inherent changes in the subject’s cognition and compare that to the decline experienced by subjects who present with Alzheimer’s and other types of Dementia.

Mapping Resources for Neighborhood Learning and Community Economic Development
Johandalys Montas ’25 Economics and Global Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Longo, Global Studies

This summer research project is an attempt to respond to specific community requests that emerged from our campus-community dialogues between Providence College and the Smith Hill neighborhood in the spring semester. Using questionnaires and expert interviews, the research will address the question: How can PC promote learning and economic development in the local community through building reciprocal relationships and sharing resources? The final products will include a public presentation, report, and digital repository on “Resources for Neighbors” that includes campus and local community assets for learning and economic development.

Exploring and Editing
Christina Schwab ’25, English and Theatre
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bruce Graver

At 48 and 50 years of age, Dorothy and Mary Wordsworth accomplished the incredible achievement of crossing the Alps on foot to retrace William Wordsworth’s famed 1790 journey which formed the crux of The Prelude. Although William Wordsworth’s sister and wife were talented writers, their travel journals of this exhibition went largely unpublished. The most recent publication of their writing about this trip was an extremely abridged version of Dorothy Wordsworth’s journals, which was published almost a century ago. In my research, I will carefully analyze and transcribe pages from Dorothy and Mary Wordsworth’s travel journals. I will then compare them with the published version of Dorothy’s journals and write about my findings. By transcribing Dorothy and Mary Wordsworth’s travel journals and noting the important differences, I plan on uncovering important information about their lives and gaining valuable knowledge about these talented yet largely unrecognized women.

The Effects of Corporate Incentive 936 on Puerto Rico’s Economic Development
Gabriel Capella ’25, Economics and Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Casey Stevens, Political Science

This research project explores the forces external/foreign to Puerto Rico’s economy that shaped the effects of Corporate Incentive 936 of the US Tax Code on the Island’s economic development from 1976 (when the Incentive was enacted ) to 2005 (when it was ended), and how these forces contributed to the Island entering a recession immediately after the Incentive’s phase-out. The research question is: What forces external/foreign to Puerto Rico’s economy shaped the effects of Corporate Incentive 936 of the US Tax Code on the Island’s economic development in the period 1976-2005, and how did these forces contribute to the Island entering a recession immediately after the Incentive was ended? To develop an answer to this twofold question, I rely on analytical readings of secondary literature by economists and political scientists, as well as National Archives investigations into Puerto Rican government official documents from the period.

The New Right-Wing Populist: The Presentation of Female Candidates and Historical Roots
Christina Charie ’25, Economics and Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Casey Stevens, Political Science

With the rise of right-wing populism in European politics, female representation in political affairs is also increasing. France’s Marine Le Pen received 41.46% of the vote in the last presidential election. Giorgia Meloni of Italy became the first woman to hold the office of Prime Minister. What aesthetic decisions are being made by far-right female populist politicians? The research will seek to understand if the modern presentations have historical connections to earlier right-wing populist appearances and where they differ from the historical representations.

Gut Microbiome Research
Sean Coyne ’26, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tyler Stack, Chemistry and Biochemistry

The gut microbiome is a diverse and interesting frontier that many doctors and researchers are considering when looking at patient health. My research focuses on enzymes in the gut microbiome that modify corticosteroids, drugs that are similar to the stress hormone cortisol and are commonly used, like prednisone, fluticasone, and more. By characterizing different enzymes in the gut and how they react with the corticosteroids, I hope to one day help future medical professionals consider the gut microbiome when prescribing drugs, allowing them to consider any adverse reactions more effectively, and be able to consider the best treatment for an individual’s gut microbiome.

Uncovering the Mystery of Squid Sunglasses
Sarah Deeley ’25, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hayden Boettcher, Biology

Squid eyes adapt to light in an extremely unique way. In humans, contraction and expansion of the pupil allows differing levels of light into the retina. Squid use a different mechanism that involves the movement of pigment granules, which act as molecular sunglasses. My research will aim to answer two specific questions: (1) What is the distribution of pigment granules within the squid photoreceptor and (2) what specific motor proteins are responsible for the movement of the pigment granules. One protein, the Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), is linked to Alzheimer’s disease in humans. APP is present in squid, and understanding the role it plays within the visual system could help researchers better comprehend the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Using a combination of light and electron microscopy, my research will advance our understanding of the squid visual system at a subcellular level and demonstrate the role of APP within that system.

Water on Europa and Triton
Erick Gonzalez ’25, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Noah Hammond, Engineering and Physics

This investigation seeks to find the cause of the formation of double ridges on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, and Triton, a moon of Neptune. Numerical models created by using MATLAB will be used to test different hypotheses for the formation of double ridges on these moons. Discovering the cause of these double ridges could prove that there is a subsurface ocean beneath the surface of the moons. This would be of great interest as it would mean that these moons could be hospitable in the future.

Competing Motivations in Adolescent Mice
Claire Kelly ’25, Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ryan Post, Neuroscience

To survive in nature’s complex and ever-changing environment, humans and animals alike must be able to balance competing incentives. While adults are likely to express more proportionality in their behaviors, adolescence are known to demonstrate more impulsive actions. The goal of my research is to determine if adolescent mice reveal notable similarities to human behavior, emphasizing imbalanced motivations compared to adult mice. To achieve this, two behavioral assays are used in which fear and hunger are in conflict—the predator odor and open field tests. Time spent in the odor zone, as well as the amount of food consumed, is quantified to test for behavioral imbalance. The third test, tail suspension, complements the findings of the first two assays and measures motivation in terms of active struggling and passive inactivity. The results of these experiments lay the groundwork for comparing motivated behavior in juveniles and adolescents.

How Are Complex Words Recognized In Written Form
Aleksandra Kurylowicz ’27, Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Morris, Psychology

We are investigating a phenomenon where individuals deconstruct non-complex words into numerous parts, despite these words consisting of only one morpheme.
Research has revealed that skilled readers often deconstruct seemingly non-complex words like “corner” into separate components such as “corn” and “er,” despite this segmentation providing the actual meaning of “corner.” Furthermore, “corner” is a consistent word since when pronounced, both “corn” and “er” are uttered clearly and separately. However, words like “mother,” where the components “moth” and “er” are not utterly separately and rather blended together are inconsistent.
We hypothesize that through a masked priming technique, we would find that the participants shown the inconsistent words such as mother, would result in reduced priming especially when compared to the trials using consistent words such as corner. Conducting this could potentially unravel the mechanisms at play in identifying complex-words, thereby offering insights into the cognitive processes that underpin word recognition.

Reprioritization of survival needs during pregnancy in mice
Emma Morley ’25, Biology and Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ryan Post, Neuroscience

The goal of this study is to understand how pregnancy reprioritizes competing motivations, of fear and hunger. We will accomplish this by analyzing the interaction of the competing responses to the threat and food in pregnant mice. I hypothesize that the dams (pregnant female mice), being hypersensitive to predator odors (Navarro-Moreno 2020), will not risk pursuit of the food adjacent to predator odor. I hypothesize that this hypersensitivity to threat will carry over to the open field and the visual threat stimulus. An open field presents an innate threat in the mice and the looming stimulus simulates a predator threat as well.

Sign and Reality: How the New Testament and the Church Fathers Define the Eucharist
Elisia Pagliuca ’25, Theology and Humanities
Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Dever, Theology

This research will be analyzing the biblical and Early Church definitions of the sacrament of the Eucharist in order to demonstrate that the Bible and the Early Church Fathers express both the sign value and the metaphysical reality of the Eucharist. She will be basing much of her research on Augustine’s Tractates on the Gospel of John, especially his treatment of Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John which contains the famous “Bread of Life Discourse.”

The Shift in Race and Ethnicity of Greek Mythological Figures
Angie Pierre ’25, Global Studies and History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Palazzolo, History and Classics

As a part of my senior honors thesis in the History and Classics Department, this project aims at exploring the shift of race and ethnicity in Greek mythological figures. The project is exclusively examining this within Greece and the wider Mediterranean world during the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. Moreover, this project will argue that the race and ethnicity of certain mythological figures changes as people from Greece become aware of other civilizations.

Genuine or Deception: A quantitative investigation into autocratic regimes gender reforms and gender initiatives
Catherine Raacke ’25, Political Science and Women & Gender Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Adam Meyers, Political Science

What do greenwashing, pinkwashing, and gender washing all have in common? For starters, they all have the term “washing.” Secondly, they all involve the engagement of political deceit on the part of the corporation or state entity against the consumer or global citizens. Greenwashing and pinkwashing have been studied extensively in literature; however, gender washing has been confined to the field of State Feminism and has recently begun to emerge in International Relations. For this project, the topic of investigation will be gender washing within authoritarian regimes. The project will analyze the autocratic regime’s perceived commitment to gender initiatives versus their actual commitment. This will be done using indicators for gender equality. Such measures include the percentage of women in legislative bodies and school enrollment data for girls and boys. The end goal is to build a statistical case for gender washing based on a sample size of all autocracies.

Existentialism and Identity in the 21st Century
Samuel Seda ’25, Theology and Humanities
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Raymond Hain, Humanities and Philsophy

The issue of identity has, in recent years, become central to contemporary Western society, including Christianity. From lectures to podcasts, discussions and debates on the relationship among gender, sexuality, and identity abound. My research aims to illustrate the relationship between mid-20th century existentialism and such contemporary cultural conceptions of identity both Christian and secular, especially in terms of gender and sexuality. In doing so, I will consider both Christian and non-Christian approaches to existentialism. I hope to demonstrate that the thought of these mid-century existentialist philosophers gave rise to the perspectives which shape our cultural discussions on identity. I do not intend to offer a critical appraisal of this influence nor of any particular position. Rather, I seek to provide an intellectual history through which the origins of this moment can be better understood in today’s world.

Transitive Inference in Rats
Shelby Bawden ’23, Biology, Psychology, Certificate of Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victoria Temple, Psychology
Transitive inference (TI) can be used to create ordered representations of people and things. Rodents have shown to be capable of creating these mental lists through relational processes of TI, which require higher cognition to perform than associative learning processes (AL). In this study, it is hypothesized that if two groups of rats are presented with two five-item lists of odors, then the rats would be able to link both lists into one ten-item list as an ordered representation using relational processes. After showing if they use relational processes through the administration of probe trials. Probe trials would be administered after reaching criterion on both lists. Finally, to further understand the extent to which rats can use relational processes, list-linking pairs would be administered, such as BI, DG, and EF to assess if the rats created an ordered representation of the ten stimuli.

Who Makes Them Blind?: A Novel in Ten Weeks
Fiona Clarke ’23, English and Art History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Suzanne Fournier, English
This project is the draft of a novel tentatively entitled Who Makes Them Blind?, a title drawn from Exodus 4:11: “The Lord said to [Moses], ‘Who gives [human beings] their sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?’” This line suggests two things: First, blindness and vision are common metaphors for perceptions of reality, and it is these characters’ “blind spots” that cause catastrophes for themselves and others. The line also hints that any person’s character is formed by another, that other ultimately being God. These characters are unable to fully explain themselves; instead, they must look outward to others (ultimately, God). This is a story of a woman who attempts to shut out all others, a woman who forgives too easily, a man digging his own grave in the midst of a murder trial, and a would-be psychoanalyst unable to read her own mind.

Providence’s highway system: urban development or dislocation?
Alec Fraggos ’23, History, Political Science minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Carl Smith, History and Classics
This project investigates the urban development of Providence, Rhode Island and the impact the construction of I-195 and the 6/10 Connector highways had on the communities in the surrounding areas. Furthermore, the project analyzes the major points of influence that drove the city to construct these highways while simultaneously dislocating and isolating predominately communities of color. Similarly, this project also accounts for the resistance efforts in those communities that were forced to relocate as a result of the I-195 highway construction and the extent to which the city was receptive to the community’s concerns. Lastly, this looks at the connections between urban development and highway construction in twentieth century Providence and how the city viewed highways as mechanisms of this development.

A Scepter of Terror or A Sword of Freedom: Elaine Brown’s time in the Black Panther Party
Maeve Plassche ’23, History/Secondary Education, Political Science minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alyssa Lopez, History and Classics
Elaine Brown joined the Black Panther Party in 1968 and by 1974 she became the first and only woman to lead the Party. This project is going to analyze Elaine Brown’s time within the Black Panther Party and what her leadership meant for the Party and its female members. When Elaine Brown was leader she turned the Party’s attention to electoral politics and community service yet much of this work has gone unnoticed in the remembrance of the Black Panther Party. Elaine Brown’s time within the Black Party Panther helped to galvanize other Black women within the Party and as leader she allowed for these women to have a voice which was used to combat racial and gender oppression.

Implicit Statistical Learning in Morphological Structure and Sub-lexical MO-LS Mappings
Natalia Alzate ’24, Biology and Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Johanna Morris, Psychology
The purpose of this study is to understand the different brain processes that occur in disorders like dyslexia. To determine potential differences between proficient and below will look at the ability to pick up on the internal structure of words. By distinguishing such differences, we aim to understand the process of word recognition and therefore design effective ways of aiding children in the process of learning to read. We plan to test the hypothesis that readers differ in their sensitivity to the internal structure of words and that these differences are both correlated with the participant’s ability to read. We plan to do this by measuring the (a) quality of readers’ lexical representations, (b) their sensitivity to the internal structure of words. We will correlate these behavioral measures with electrophysiological brain activity to identify neural signatures and determine if similar neural mechanisms are used in complex word recognition.

The Dignity of Desire: Recovering the Place of Eros in Christian Theology
Ana Botelho ’23, Theology and Philosophy
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Wahl, Theology
The goal of this research is to expand upon the work started by Pope Benedict XVI by crafting a more extensive response to the Nietzschean charge that Christianity poisoned eros. This project will examine different definitions of eros throughout history in order to recover and distill an authentic conception of eros that, on the one hand, avoids subordinating it to agape, and on the other hand avoids separating it from or reducing it to sexual desire. This new conception of eros can then be used to refute the claim that Christianity poisoned eros.

Providence Rhode Island: A Reflection of Inequality in the American Education System
Emily Cavanagh ’23, History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Carl Smith, History and Classics
This project combines scholarly research on education inequality and the urban history of Providence Rhode Island. The City of Providence and the Providence School System will be used as a case study to represent education inequality across the country. The goal of this project is to show education inequality from a nuanced point of view. In the past, research on education has fallen into two categories: Civil Rights and modern issues such as standardized testing. This project will combine both of these categories of research by drawing a connection between the Civil Rights issues such as segregated schools to modern issues of the achievement gap and standardized testing. This project will use local archives in Providence along with one archive in Boston.

Female Power and Influence across the Mediterranean during the Early Roman Empire
Jacqueline Elia ’23, History and Classics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Huber, History and Classics
This project will examine instances of significant female influence and power within the public sphere of various cities across the Mediterranean during the early Roman Empire. My study intends to identify the truth behind a layer of Imperial Roman society and fill in the intentional historical gap created by Roman men who feared female independence in the public domain. This project will rediscover the narratives of societally influential women in the vast Roman Empire left out of the written historical record by analyzing their architectural contributions to their local societies and the subsequent power they earned for themselves through their benefaction.

Art of Community
Nayely Furcal Marte ’23, Business Economics and Global Studies
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Nicholas Longo, Global Studies, Dr. Tuba Agartan, Health Policy and Management, and Professor Eric Sung, Art and Art History
I took an interdisciplinary Community Lens course: Art and Global Studies, which focused on telling stories through the camera lens. Reflecting on things involving our community was transformational for how I saw the city of Providence, where I grew up. It allowed me to use my eyes and art in new ways to find a larger vision. During the semester, I became part of an ongoing action research project with my faculty members, Professors Eric Sung, Dr. Nicholas Longo and Dr. Tuba Agartan, in the Arts of Community project. Which recently received an NEA grant to study the impact of Covid-19 and how the arts can be a vehicle for renewal. This research project will enable me to contribute to the Arts of Community through an original research project (the creation of a case study) and supporting an arts exhibition that will take place at WaterFire in September, 2022.

Flag Priming Effects on Shooter Bias
Patrick Kelly ’23, Psychology and Business Management
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Saaid Mendoza, Psychology
The purpose of this project is to build our knowledge on how racial bias can operate through priming of national symbols. Specifically, I hope to examine how identity salient flags (i.e., American flag and Blue Lives Matter flag) can work to influence prejudiced behavior towards Black individuals. This prospective research will use subliminal imagery to examine a potential increase in discriminatory behaviors, as measured by performance of a lexical decision task and a shooter bias task. Given that Blue Lives Matter was initiated in direct response to the Black Lives Matter movement, I hypothesize that priming individuals with this symbol will result in more subsequent bias being shown against Black individuals on a Shooter Bias task. The American flag will be used as comparison to examine how nationalism also may affect race-based decisions. This project could help demonstrate how symbols may contribute towards expressions of racially charged behaviors.

Brazilian Immigrant Youth, Belonging, and the Role of Education on Martha’s Vineyard
Kayla Luyo ’22, Sociology and Women and Gender Studies, Black Studies minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kara Cebulko, Sociology
This research will be a continuation of my independent study, which is an extension of professor Kara Cebulko’s research on globalization and immigration on Martha’s Vineyard. I am currently researching the role of education systems and its impacts on Brazilian immigrant youths’ sense of belonging on Martha’s Vineyard. This semester I have interviewed two high school teachers from Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School from the English Language Learners department. This summer, I will conduct ethnographic research on the Vineyard, visiting these educational spaces and the communities on the island where Brazilians live. I will also use these pre-established contacts with teachers as entry points for conversations/ formal interviews with other educational staff. Additionally, I will meet with Brazilian immigrant-identifying graduates of MVRHS to better understand how their experiences at these institutions affect their experience post-graduation. These conversations will take place at their homes, workplaces, and favorite spots on the island.

The Predation Resistance of Squashed E. coli
Kathryn Mulvey ’23, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Williams, Biology
The goal of this project is to identify the mechanisms underlying changes in bacterial susceptibility to killing by the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio. The Williams lab has observed that E. coli adopts a unique “squashed” colony morphology in the presence of the predatory bacteria strain NC01, and preliminary data indicates that the squashed E. coli is resistant to predation. I plan to explore this phenomenon through “wet lab” experimental approaches, such as predation efficiency assays, and computational biology approaches, including a thorough analysis of this bacteria’s genome and gene expression to identify the genes and conditions that prompt this defensive response. This research will not only contribute to new data concerning prey resistance to the literature, but also, will provide valuable information regarding bacterial resistance to predation, which is vital for developing new strategies to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Mapping the Thermal Environment and Modeling Its Impacts on Metabolic Physiology
Lily Palumbo ’23, Biology and Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Waters, Biology
We want focus our research on seeing if having a more accurate, localized temperature and humidity sensor allows us to arrive at more useful predictions for insect metabolic rates than using the temperature and humidity available from existing networks of weather stations, supplying the information commonly reported through sources like the news and weather apps on our cellular devices. We want to create custom circuit boards with students from East Providence High School, while also teaching them about environmental aspects, as an outreach program. With these circuit boards, we want to be able to gauge location-specific temperature and humidity in a certain area, rather than relying on the reported values we are given. Simultaneously, we will be developing and deploying these sensors on campus at Providence College to help better understand the ecology of a new invasive species of ants on campus, the needle ant Brachyponera chinesis.

A patient-derived iPSC model to study glutamate deficiency by SHANK-3 Mutation in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Tiffany Berry ’22, Biology and Psychology
Courtney Caccia, ’22, Biology and Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Charles Toth, Biology
The use of human stem cell lines derived from persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) provides a unique opportunity to model brain growth and potential to regain brain activity for treatment. Our lab has previously used stem cells to derive 3D cardiomyocytes to examine cardiovascular disease as well as kidney organoids and macrophages to study kidney disease. Using techniques our lab has learned using these stem cell models have prepared us to examine cell communication in mutated neurons. We will be examining glutamate levels of neurons in those affected by the SHANK-3 mutation. A lowered level of glutamate in cells is present in people with ASD due to a SHANK-3 deletion. We propose using stem cell lines derived from patients diagnosed with ASD who have the SHANK-3 deletion to derive neurons and astrocytes examine the effects of glutamate deficiency on cell communication.

Transcription Factor HLH-11 as a Regulator of the Lipase ATGL-1
Megan Kutey ’22, Biology
Grace Kelley ’22, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Silvestrini, Biology
We have previously determined autophagy gene activity is required for normal lipid storage in C. elegans, but the understanding as to why remains uncertain. Our most recent observations have ruled out the cAMP-dependent PKA pathway as being responsible for this increased activity, and our attention has now turned to transcription factor HLH-11. As a known regulator of ATGL-1, overexpression of HLH-11 may be responsible for the mediation of ATGL-1 stability when autophagy is inhibited. We will measure the transcriptional activity in both wild-type animals and atg-7(bp411) loss-of-function mutants. Moreover, we will perform epistasis analysis to determine any potential genetic interactions between atg-7 and hlh-11. These experiments will provide further insight as to why the typically catabolic process of autophagy is required for the storage of lipids.

The Identity Project
Jalynn Booker ’22, Environmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rachel Bonoan, Biology
I am conducting a series of interviews with both PC students and others to learn about the intersectionality and social identity theory in real time. I am looking to investigate what identity is to them, how they identify themselves, how they see identity in society, how society identifies them, and the impacts of this. There will be a documentary portion of this project, which will be showcased along with photos, featuring the interviews used for research. I am then going to interpret my findings and create a visual experience of people’s responses through a performative series of portraits with components of surrealism created in photoshop. This will be on exhibit in the Center @ Moore Hall in March, 2022.

Discussion of Hope in Children
Kelly Drogan ’22, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Van Reet, Psychology
This project evaluates the relationships between hope and emotional regulation and hope and social support in children. The targeted age demographic will be eight to twelve year olds. The children will complete a series of surveys during the procedure. The first survey will evaluate their perception of hope for their future. The second survey will analyze how that child usually copes with stressful situations. The last survey will determine how much perceived social support the child is receiving in their life.

The Analysis of Mycobacteriophage “Rita”
Anna Fakhri ’24, Biochemistry
Dr. Kathleen A. Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Discovering new bacteriophages in order to further understand their genomic diversity serves as the primary objective of the SEA PHAGES project. The mycobacteriophage “Rita” was discovered during a five-week research period in a soil enrichment culture that was plated and plaque-picked. This semester the basis of the research project refers to the further analysis of Rita through the annotation of its genome sequence. Annotation will be completed using bioinformatics software such as DNA Master, Phamerator, and PECAAN. In annotating a bacteriophage genome, its genetic diversity can be determined through comparison to other phages of the same cluster. Phage genetic diversity is extensive and understanding its characteristics can aid in determining each individual phage’s ability to be utilized in phage therapy. Ultimately the continuation of researching Rita will provide insight on the phage’s unique genomic characteristics.

The localization of TMBI-4 in C. elegans
Kevin Ly ’22, Biology and Psychology
Zachary Mederios ’22, Biology and Health Policy and Management
Edy Pineda ’22, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Silvestrini, Biology
The goal of our research is to understand the cellular and genetic pathways that underlie aging. We use C. elegans as an ideal model to study the genetics of aging due to its short life cycle, transparent body, and easy maintenance in the lab. Various disorders that are linked to tmbi-4 mutations include the metabolic syndrome of aging, autophagy, and neurodegenerative disorders. Currently, there is no published data on the localization of TMBI-4 in C. elegans tissue. Using fluorescence microscopy, we will determine where TMBI-4 is found in the cell. This will provide more insight into the function of TBMI-4 in C. elegans. Our research may be useful to develop gene-targeting therapies that can be translated towards mammalian organisms, ideally to improve the quality of life of the aging population.

Effect of Pretense on Children’s Risk-Taking Behavior
Sophie Riddick ’22, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Van Reet, Psychology
I will be designing and running a study which will allow me to investigate whether pretending differentially affects children’s risk-taking behavior based on the character traits of the pretend identity. To do this, I have adapted a task from previous research to assess risk-taking behavior. I will have children complete this task either as themselves, while pretending to be someone safe, or while pretending to be someone not safe.

Differentiation and Maturation of Cerebral Organoids from APOE3/APOE4 Stem Cell Lines
Christopher Walsh ’23, Biology and Psychology
Hayden Lens ’23, Biology
Morgan Kruzan ’23, Biology
Isabella Glennon ’25, Biochemistry (pictured right)
Courtney Caccia, ’22, Biology and Psychology (pictured left)
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Charles Toth, Biology
This research aims to develop 3-D human stem cell models that can be used to study Alzheimer’s Disease. The project focuses on growing cerebral organoids, which share similar properties to normal brain development and function. We will be expanding upon the research from several labs from the past five years to help understand the mechanism of this complex disease. 3-D models are an important way to study neurological disorders because they can be used to examine possible drugs to treat the causes of many neurological diseases. These organoids will be generated using induced pluripotent stem cell lines (iPSCs) which will examine a gene considered a high-risk factor for the development of sporadic AD.

Circadian Phase Shifts Effect of Social Jetlag on cellular metabolism and circadian genes in Wildtype Flies
Olivia Kozub ’23, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Snodgrass-Belt, Biology
Drosophila, like humans, have circadian clocks which regulate behavioral and physiological systems within the body. This “biological clock” is synchronized to the environment via temperature and/or light cycles. Small fluctuations in day-length trigger a reset of circadian clocks daily. However, large disruptions can cause health and stress issues such as social jetlag. Social jetlag occurs when an individual’s biological clock clashes with the timing of one’s sleep schedule determined by social factors and the demands of the day.

An Unread Colonial Diary
Brigid McEvoy ’23, History and Spanish major with Business and Innovation and Latin American Studies minor
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Adrian Weimer, History and Classics
I will decipher the shorthand of the second half of Michael Wigglesworth’s diary. Wigglesworth was the most popular poet of Early New England. Despite scholarship on many of his famous poems, there is still much to be uncovered given that no one has yet deciphered the second half of his diary.

Navigating the Challenges Faced by Undocumented Immigrants Seeking Women’s Healthcare Services in the Providence Area
Grace Purvis ’22, Biology and Global Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tuba Agartan, Health Policy and Management
This project focuses on immigrant women’s access to women’s healthcare needs and on a narrower basis: undocumented immigrant women. My main goal is to better understand how undocumented immigrant women navigate women’s healthcare services in the Providence area.

Human Capital, Economic Growth, and the Appearance of Conditional Convergence
Brayden Binder ’22, Business Economics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Fang Dong, Economics
Past research into the idea of “human capital” have examined the metric from one perspective. Either the researchers use the quality measurement of human capital, or the quantity measurement of human capital. Now, with the advent of the new version of human capital, being the combined quality and quantity metric, studies have shown that human capital can still be used to explain technological progress. Due to this, future research must either use both metrics or the combined metric in their models to provide the most up to date results in human capital literature. As such, the goal of this research is to further examine the effects of human capital on economic growth, namely GDP growth. The regression equation used will employ both metrics of human capital separately, along with a “catch up term.” Thus, through regression analysis, the research will be examining the role education plays in creating GDP growth.

Modern Anomalous Demographic (M.A.D): Diary of a Black Woman
Ekua Boakye-Mensah ’22, Political Science and Global Studies
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zophia Edwards, Sociology
The goal of this project is to understand the complex effects that higher education has on first generation Black women, and the ways it alters and shapes their college experience overall. As a campus voice for women of color, this intersectional identity is essential to the success of many universities and workplaces. The idea here is that the experiences of first generation immigrants, combined with the marginalized identity of Black women, combine to create an intense and grossly under-supported college experience.

Unfair Negative Portrayals of Nuclear Energy in Popular Culture
Alexander Cannon ’22, Theatre
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Matthew Guardino, Political Science
For over half a century, popular culture has depicted nuclear energy as something to be afraid or at least prohibitively cautious of. This is thanks to the conflation between nuclear bombs and nuclear reactors, and hyperbolic depictions of various nuclear threats found in popular movies, television shows, and video games. Specifically, this paper looks at the portrayal of nuclear energy in media such as Godzilla, The Simpsons, Fallout, and Call of Duty, and makes the connection that the influence these media products hold significantly colors the public’s perception of nuclear energy. Drawing on scholarly research in the fields of media studies, popular culture studies and nuclear science, this paper suggests nuclear energy has been misrepresented in popular culture.

Destination, “The True Country:” The Significance of the Journey in Flannery O’Connor’s Fiction
Fiona Clarke ’23, English and Art History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Suzanne Fournier, English
There are two types of journeys, physical or exterior journeys, such as the drive from Georgia to Florida, and spiritual or interior journeys, such as the progression from despair to hope, and a journey of either type has a destination. Flannery O’Connor often uses exterior journeys as outward manifestations of interior journeys, as in the case of the grandmother’s conversion on the road to Florida in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” This research project will examine both types of journeys in O’Connor’s fiction, focusing primarily on her novel The Violent Bear It Away and her short story “The Displaced Person,” to establish the relationship between the interior and the exterior journeys and to determine whether there is a pattern to their beginnings and ends. This will be done in light of O’Connor’s Catholic belief in the “true country…what is eternal and absolute” as the end of all journeys.

Characterization of Immunity Systems in A Cluster Phages
Katherine Cleary ’23, Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen A. Cornely, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Bacteriophages may use two different cycles to infect their hosts, which are the lytic cycle and the lysogenic cycle. During the lysogenic cycle, the phage genome integrates into the bacteria chromosome and becomes a part of the host. If a phage remains in the lysogenic cycle, the host is susceptible to infection from other bacteriophages. This process is known as superinfection and it can have a variety of outcomes. Homoimmunity occurs when the phages have similar repressor proteins. Heteroimmunity occurs when the phages have very different repressor proteins, so a complete infection can take place. When the phages have similar but distinct repressors, a partial infection of the lysogen can occur, which is called mesoimmunity. The goal of this project is to try to infect A5 cluster phage, Zolita, with other A cluster phages. This would allow us to determine if Zolita is mesolytic.

Comparative Genomics of Bdellovibrio: Connecting Genotypes with Predation Phenotypes
Sidney Davis ’22, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Williams, Biology
With the rise of antibiotic resistance, there is a need for alternatives to antibiotics. Predatory bacteria are able to attack plant and animal pathogens, making them potential biological alternatives to modern antibiotics. Based on the literature, there are several genera of predatory bacteria, each with differing predation methods. Though there have been publications focusing on genotypic and phenotypic variations among different genera of predatory bacteria and among different species of Bdellovibrio, there has yet to be a publication that compares the completed genomes of Bdellovibrio available. For my project, I will continue my work on my comparative genomics project on predatory bacteria in which I am investigating how differences in genotype relate to differences in predation. Employing a pangenomics analysis software, I will further explore how particular gene families differ between Bdellovibrio, such as the gene families for lytic enzymes, which predatory bacteria use to invade, digest, and lyse prey.

Solidarity and the Soviet Union
Jillian Forrester ’22, Global Studies and History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Margaret Manchester, History and Classics
My project seeks to investigate the role that the independent trade union Solidarity played in the downfall of Soviet control over Poland. I plan to assess the union from the Soviet perspective and analyze how the Solidarity movement as well as internal Soviet political factors contributed to the de-Sovietization of Poland.

Surveying Southeastern New England for a rare butterfly, Frosted elfin (Callophrys irus)
Isabelle Heron ’23, Environmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Racheal Bonoan, Biology
Conservation scientists have discovered an alarming trend that parallels the human-induced alarm of climate change. Similarly to the increase of global emissions and its effect on the environment, the degradation of global habitat has caused an “insect apocalypse”. While it may not seem as prevalent as the great effects that the climate crisis projects on others, the decline in insects means a loss in biodiversity. It also means losing pollination. Pollination is vital in reproduction and distribution of plants and it also provides resources for other animals. When people think pollination, think of bees, most people think of bees, however butterflies are also pollinators. With a decrease in insect populations, it has become more difficult to study their natural history and protect them. By studying insects, we gain a holistic understanding of ecosystems and have a better chance of successful conservation. My research will focus on the Frosted Elfin Butterfly.

Comparison of 0057 and ML35 Genome Sequences to Determine Prey Range and Predation Efficiency
Jiana Ingrassia ’22, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Laura Williams, Biology
This project aims to use genome sequences to understand how genotypic variation affects phenotypic variation. This research will implement a combination of wet lab and computational techniques to assess what accounts for these differences in prey range and predation efficiency. Prey specific mechanisms, and how they affect predation, is widely unexplored, therefore assessing why variation in genotype occurs will help us better understand what features of prey bacteria make them more or less susceptible to predation. The specific goal of this project is to use computational methods to compare and contrast two different prey strains, and use this data to generate testable wet lab hypotheses. This data will help establish possible reasons for prey range variation and predation efficiency, contributing to the lab’s understanding of how predatory bacteria can be used in clinical therapies.

Exploring the Relationship Between Healthcare Access and Cancer Diagnosis
Kara McCurdy ’22, Health Policy and Management
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Candidus Nwakasi, Health Policy and Management
Given the growing burden of cancer and the persistent issue of poor healthcare access in the country, this study explores the relationship between cancer and poor access to health. The study will use the 2019 National Health Interview Survey data (NHIS data) to examine the association between ability to pay for healthcare services and cancer diagnosis, and between healthcare utilization and cancer diagnosis.

Determining the mechanism through which Sulforaphane reduces α-Synuclein levels in a Parkinson’s yeast model
Angela Mitsuma ’23, Biology and Music
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Silvestrini, Biology
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common human neurodegenerative disease. As such, it is important to investigate possible treatments. Numerous studies have shown α-Synuclein aggregation to be integral to the pathogenesis of PD. Thus, the Austriaco lab has conducted tests to determine Sulforaphane’s (SFN) impact on α-Synuclein levels in a Parkinson’s yeast model. Although our data demonstrates a reduction in α-Synuclein aggregation when using SFN, the mechanism behind this process is still unknown. The goal of my project is to determine if SFN reduces α-Synuclein levels through targeting the YAP1 pathway in yeast. SFN is known to target the KEAP1 pathway in mammals, which is very similar to the YAP1 pathway in yeast. Thus, the YAP1 pathway is a strong candidate for regulation by SFN.

How social behavior and interactions scale with group size in fruit flies
Leigh Paradis ’23, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. James Waters, Biology
The interactions between individuals in social groups are important for how groups perform, but relatively little is known about how interaction patterns scale across different sized groups. Random models suggest that interaction frequency should depend only on density, but biological theory suggests that different kinds of social groups should exhibit different patterns. Using computer vision methods and the open-source R programming language, I will characterize the scaling of interaction rates in groups of fruit flies to test whether their behavior best matches either of the competing hypotheses. My research can be conducted remotely and the results will complement other ongoing projects in the lab involving measuring the metabolic rates of groups of flies.

Pilot Study: Further Investigating Neurophysiological Differences Among English Speakers
Joemari Pulido ’24, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Morris, Psychology
The purpose of this pilot study is to examine how English speakers efficiently process complex words, in order to identify the brain patterns of brain responses that correlate with the processing of complex English words and how different this process is among individual English speakers. This pilot study will serve as a trial run of Dr. Morris’ ongoing research study “Neural correlates of visual statistical learning and morphological processing.” Furthermore, this research will help further characterize individual differences in the neurocognitive processes of native speakers of a language which is an important goal of recent research being done in this area of study.

Bermuda’s Maritime Economic, Geographical, and Political Importance and Expansion Leading Up to the Imperial Crisis from 1740 to 1800
Gretchen Richardson ’22, History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Steven Smith, History and Classics
This research project will examine Bermuda’s economic, geographical, and political importance and expansion leading up to the Imperial Crisis from 1740 to 1800. The purpose is to understand how and why the island balanced two contradicting loyalties – as an aid to the rebelling colonies in their fight for independence while also remaining under the control of the Crown. This project will provide an answer to my overarching research question: How did Bermuda fit into the complex puzzle of the Colonies’ independence from the British Crown, and how did they, in turn, contribute to Bermuda’s success as a remaining British territory?

Neural Correlates of Visual Statistical Learning and Morphological Processing
Tess Rooney ’22, Psychology, Neuroscience Certificate
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joanna Morris, Psychology
My project aims to examine how complex words are processed in the brain. I will address the differences in reader sensitivity to varying structures of words and how this affects reader ability to recognize similar patterns in other sequences. Participants will be presented with complex words differing in structure. To examine how the brain reacts to these words, scalp-recorded event related potentials will be measured (ERPs). ERPs are small voltages generated in the brain in response to stimuli events that demonstrate the psychophysiological effects on brain processes. The findings from this study will provide insights into reader sensitivity and provide a foundation for further inquiry on learning disabilities, such as dyslexia.