SUBJECT: CONGRATULATIONS! SURE 2023 Faculty Awardees

Campus Community, 

On behalf of the SURE Administration Committee we would like to extend our congratulations to the following 34 faculty members who received funding for a SURE summer undergraduate student researcher. These projects, across all four colleges, demonstrate the breadth and range of our faculty's research expertise as well as their commitment to mentoring and developing undergraduate student researchers. This is also a SURE record in terms of proposals submitted and funded!

Throughout the summer, SURE students will be participating in professional development workshops, building cohort relationships with other undergraduate researchers, and engaging in fun, social activities in addition to their research work. Congratulations SURE 2023 faculty mentors and student researchers listed below, and a special thanks to our faculty reviewers for their hard work: Wayne Fu (COB),  Chris Burke (CEHHS), Amanda Esquivel (CECS), Yunus Zeytuncu (CASL), Maureen Linker (Provost Office), Hafiz Malik (CECS), and Amy Seipke (Library). 

Take a minute to hear from previous undergraduate researchers about the doors that opened for them by participating in the program: Short Video -  SURE at UM-Dearborn

and now for our 2023 SURE Awardees...

CASL:

• Antimicrobial Efficacy of Nanoparticle Embedded Foley Catheters, Christopher Alteri, (faculty mentor), Molly Lesko (student researcher)

• Bioconjugation of Gold Nanoparticles, Krisanu Bandyopadhyay, (faculty mentor), Nazik Ebrahem (student researcher)

• Binding and Characterization of Novel Chemical Analogues to Detect Riboflavin Deficiency, Marilee Benore, (faculty mentor), Travis Branscum (student researcher)

• Changes in Rainfall Driven by Climate Change Impact Insect Biomass and Abundance, Anne Danielson-Francois, (faculty mentor), Jordyn Burks (student researcher)

• Alley Activation as Urban Acupuncture for Post-Industrial Cities: A Proof-of-Concept Approach, Paul Draus, (faculty mentor), student researcher TBD

• Study the Role of Cancer Cell Chirality During Detachment from the Primary Tumor, Jie Fan, (faculty mentor), Courtney Hadrian (student researcher)

• Role of Endosomal pH Regulation by NHE9 in Exosome Secretion, Kalyan Kondapalli, (faculty mentor), Mariam Duhaini (student researcher)

• Social Determinants of Energy Efficiency, Antonios Koumpias, (faculty mentor), Felix Silva (student researcher)

• Synthesis of Microbial Carbohydrate Antigens for Antibacterial Vaccine Development, Shannon Li, (faculty mentor), Maria Stoica (student researcher)

• Investigation of Aromatic Stacking in B2 Vitamin-Carrier Protein Interaction, Simona Marincean, (faculty mentor), Nathan Medawar (student researcher)

• “The Pandemic as a Portal?“ Covid, Agency, and the Carceral System, Anna Muller, (faculty mentor), Natalie Albrecht (student researcher)

• Environmental Health Research-to-Action: Assessing Impact, Carmel Price, (faculty mentor), Adam Almaleky (student researcher)

• Social Psychological Causes and Consequences of Participating in Multilevel Marketing, Harmony Reppond, (faculty mentor), Mariam Salmassi (student researcher)

• Clifftop Documentary, Adam Sekuler, (faculty mentor), Ava Abramowicz (student researcher)

• Effects of Seed and Fruit Packaging on Fruit Dispersal in Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), David Susko, (faculty mentor), Asma Jamil (student researcher)

• City Use of ARPA Funding, Dale Thomson, (faculty mentor), Erin Robinson (student researcher)

• Mechanisms of Heavy Metal Removal Using Microorganisms, Sonia Tiquia-Arashiro, (faculty mentor), Grace Pagnucco (student researcher)

• A Simpler Approach of Force Calibration in Cell, Suvranta Tripathy, (faculty mentor), Noah Biestek (student researcher)

• Baicalein Suppresses Tumorigenesis of the Progesterone-Sensitive ER𝛼 Positive of Breast Cancer Cells by Targeting Multiple Signaling Pathways, Besa Xhabija, (faculty mentor), Aidan Mclaughlin (student researcher)

CECS:

• Affect and Emotion in L3 Driving, Areen Alsaid, (faculty mentor), Caleb Nickens (student researcher)

• Recycling of Plastic Bottles Using 3D Printing, Georges Ayoub, (faculty mentor), student researcher TBD

• Automated Vehicle Malfunction and Coping Strategies Development, Shan Bao, (faculty mentor), student researcher TBD

• Explainable Artificial Intelligence for Increased Trust in Machine Learning, Abdallah Chehade, (faculty mentor), Hanadi Matar (student researcher)

• Effectiveness of an ACL Injury Prevention Program on Kinematic Performance in Amateur Youth Soccer Players, Amanda Esquivel, (faculty mentor), Kenny Conuel Oralde (student researcher)

• Measure of Perceived Design Feature of Vehicle Cockpit using VR in terms of Human-Centered Design, Sang-Hwan Kim, (faculty mentor), Sukayna Hamka (student researcher)

• Virtual Reality and User Accessibility, Bruce Maxim, (faculty mentor), student researcher TBD

• A Haptic Interface for Interacting with a Digital Twin of a Soft Robot, Alireza Mohammadi, (faculty mentor), Harleen Gill (student researcher)

• Improved Polymer Recycling by Additive Manufacturing, Christopher Pannier, (faculty mentor), student researcher TBD

• Characterizing Geometrical Uncertainties in Additive Manufacturing of Metamaterials, Rafael Ruiz, (faculty mentor), Yuankai Chen (student researcher)

• Bird-Eye View Vehicle Detection, Zheng Song, (faculty mentor), Jonathan Schall (student researcher)

• Second-Life Battery Storage Systems for Power Grid Applications, Wencong Su, (faculty mentor), Larico Andres (student researcher)

CEHHS:

• Creating an Oral History Archive of Ypsilanti's BIPOC & Working-Class Food Growers, Finn Bell, (faculty mentor), Briana Hurt (student researcher)

COB:

• The Use of ChatGPT Among Students, Jun He, (faculty mentor), Steven Hou (student researcher)

• Digital Market Strategies in the Korean Entertainment Industry, Kyungwon (Kyung) Lee, (faculty mentor), Kathy Bibang (student researcher)

All the best for the upcoming summer months,

The SURE 2023 Admin Committee: 

Maureen Linker, Associate Provost

Yunus Zeytuncu, Associate Dean, CASL, Mathematics

Amanda Esquivel, Associate Professor, CECS, ME

Hafiz Malik, Professor, CECS, Chancellor’s Inclusive Excellence Fellow

Kelsey Parker, Strategic Initiatives Manager, Office of the Provost

Amy Seipke, Engineering & Mathematics Librarian

Laurie Sutch, Executive Director Experience+

Susan Flannery, Senior Administrator, Mardigian Library

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Maureen Linker, Ph.D.

Associate Provost