21 Eberly undergraduates receive Erickson Grants for summer 2020

Twenty one undergraduate students from the Eberly College of Science have received Erickson Discovery Grants for summer 2020 allowing for funded student research, scholarship or creative processes. A total of 64 grants were awarded across the university.

Each year, students from all academic fields can apply for Erickson Grants to cover project costs (supplies, materials, books, specialized software, travel for the purpose of data collection, etc.) and living expenses to make research possible. The grant can be used for all facets of scholarship and creative process, including conceptualization, proposal writing, identification and implementation of methods and communications of results. All projects are conducted under the supervision of faculty. While the project should be primarily the student’s own work, it can be a part of a larger faculty member’s research.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some student research has been delayed.

“Though our students are contending with difficult circumstances this year, we are still seeing an amazing dedication to research and creative processes,” said Alan Rieck, associate vice president and associate dean of Undergraduate Education.

The program is named in honor of Rodney A. Erickson, the 17th president of Penn State. Applications typically open in October and are due in late January.

A list of Erickson Discovery Grant recipients in the college for 2020 is provided below:

• Kyle Batra, “Applying Scaling Laws for Stagnant Lid Convection With Buoyant and Negatively Buoyant Crusts to Determine Exoplanet Habitability,” Astrophysics
• Julia Cipparulo, "Elucidating Gene Expression Changes Implicated in Major Depressive Disorder,” Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Owen Courtney, “Exploring a Requirement for Mitochondrial Function in Cancer Cell Motility Through Challenging Physical Environments,” Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Danny Glickman, “Control of Gold Nanoparticle Synthesis in Polydimethylsiloxane,” University Park, Chemistry
• Ruochuan Huang, “RNA folding under in vivo-like condition,” Physics 
• Christopher Hudson, “Effect of heme on redox-regulated Eag1 K+ channels at the voltage sensor/pore,” Biology
• Lydia Jordache, “Investigating the Roles of 2',3'-cNMPs in Prokaryotic Stress Response,”  Microbiology
• David Kennedy, “Antibiotic Removal by Modified Hairy Nanocellulose,” Chemical Engineering, Chemistry
• Eli Mertick Sykes, “Degradation of Protein Aggregates via Small Molecule Activation of Autophagy,” Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Kennedy Miller, “Characterization of Lanmodulin Homologs as Lanthanide-Binding Proteins,” Chemistry
• Brock Molloy, “Using honey bee collected pollen as an early indicator for viral plant diseases impacting crops in Pennsylvania,” Biology
• Laurena Olsson, “The Effects of Natural RNA Modifications on G-Quadruplex Formation,” Immunology and Infectious Disease, Chemistry
• Ann Marie Paterno, “Nano-Mesh Materials Produced through Anodized Impure Aluminum,” Chemistry
• Taylor Pust, “Investigation of Adhesion Characteristics on Lodged Thromboemboli and Cerebral Arteries,” Biology and Psychology
• Oliver Rose, “The Victorian Red Pill: A Genealogy of the Neoreactionary Movement and its Ideology,” Philosophy, Mathematics
• Matthew Schubach, “Synthesis of Catalytically-Active Organic Nanoparticles,” Chemistry
• Josephine Soddano, “Investigating the Effect of Race on Courtroom Dynamics,” Mathematics
• Thomas Starr, “Characterizing the Single Molecule Dynamics of Cellulases in the Presence of Multiple Cellulose Degrading Enzymes,” Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Carolyn Telfer, “Proposed Mechanism for Conversion of 4-chloro-lysine into 4-chloro-allyl-lysine via BesC,” Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Cristina Valentina Craescu, “Catalysis-Induced Mobility of Enzyme-Bound Lipid Bilayers,” Chemistry
• Yuang Wang, “Investigating the photocatalytic properties of ZnSe Mn2+ nanoparticles,” Chemistry

The Research Opportunities for Undergraduates program is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education, the academic administrative unit that provides leadership and coordination for University-wide programs and initiatives in support of undergraduate teaching and learning at Penn State. Learn more about Undergraduate Education at undergrad.psu.edu.