57 KU students receive Undergraduate Research Awards for spring 2026
LAWRENCE — This spring, 57 University of Kansas students received an Undergraduate Research Award (UGRA) from the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships. UGRA recipients are awarded a $1,000 scholarship as they work on mentored research and creative projects.
Students apply for UGRAs by writing a five-page research proposal under the guidance of a mentor. Faculty reviewers evaluate the applications based on the merit of the applicant’s proposal and a recommendation from the mentor.
The Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships is now reviewing applications for 2026 summer and fall semester UGRAs, and the application portal will reopen for the 2027 spring semester in the fall. Online guidance and individual advising appointments are available to help students prepare strong applications. More information can be found on the KU UGRA webpage.
Students who received awards for spring 2026 are listed alphabetically:
Tatum Aikin, senior in microbiology; “The Effect of PTPN22 Allelic Variation on Macrophage Phenotype and Function,” mentored by Robin Orozco, molecular biosciences.
Anvitha Ananthaneni, senior in behavioral neuroscience; “Electrooculography for Communication: Comparing Performance Between Augmented Reality and Screen Interfaces,” mentored by Jonathan Brumberg, Department of Psychology.
Charles Andrade, sophomore in political science and global & international studies; “Made in China, Blamed in America? Foreign Cues and Voter Accountability,” mentored by Jack Zhang, political science.
Parnian Arafi, senior in biochemistry; “Alzheimer-mutant γ-secretase Complexes Stall Amyloid β-peptide Production,” mentored by Michael Wolfe, medicinal chemistry.
Meghan Arias, senior in microbiology; “Determining Whether PARP14 Impairs HSV-1 Replication in a Strain-Specific Manner,” mentored by David Davido, molecular biosciences.
Ananya Balakrishnan, senior in behavioral neuroscience; “A Test of Modern Anti-Black Racism and Antisemitism,” mentored by Glenn Adams, social psychology.
Lucas Beach, senior in geography and global & international studies; “Fishing as a Feud: GIS Analysis of Turkish Commercial Activity and Maritime Conflict in the Kastellorizo Archipelago,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Ollie Berwanger, freshman in geography; “Can Ecotourism Among the Indigenous Villages in the Chagres National Park Help Rainforest and Freshwater Conservation for Panama Canal Operations?,” mentored by Peter Harry Herlihy, geography.
Jessica Bishop, senior in geography; “Bus to Bounty: Measuring the Service Quality of Lawrence and KU’s Coordinated System When Connecting KU Students to Grocery Stores,” mentored by Yoonjung Ahn, geography & atmospheric science.
Julianna Brandberg, senior in global & international studies; “Legislative Evolution in Spain in the 21st Century and Impacts on Human Trafficking,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Sophia Brewer, senior in elementary education-unified; “Data Mountain,” mentored by Lisa Didion, special education.
Molly Busenitz, senior in mechanical engineering; “Machine and Human Lip Reading: What Can They Learn from Each Other?,” mentored by Sara Wilson, mechanical engineering.
Eli Cochrane, senior in psychology, political science and data science; “Savviness Signaling and the Hedged Expression of Conspiracy Beliefs,” mentored by Mark Landau, psychology.
Owen Dalton, junior in microbiology; “Measuring Potential Sensory Tradeoff Using Endocranial Casts in Peromyscus Maniculatus,” mentored by Allie Graham, molecular biosciences.
Joseph Discavage, senior in physics & astronomy; “Characterizing Super-Earth Exoplanets Using Data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS),” mentored by Ian Crossfield, physics & astronomy.
Taylor Doyle, senior in political science, multimedia journalism and global & international studies; “Clean Curriculum: Menstrual Hygiene Education in Bangladesh's Secondary Schools,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Avery Dunlap, senior in speech-language-hearing; “The Relationship of Enjoyment and Listening Comprehension in Autistic Children,” mentored by Meghan Davidson, speech-language-hearing.
Benjamin Erickson, senior in elementary education; “Data Mountain,” mentored by Lisa Didion, special education.
Isabella Estes, junior in physics & astronomy and mathematics; “Investigating Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry at a Future Muon Collider,” mentored by Ian Lewis, physics & astronomy.
Andrew Fewins, senior in economics and global & international studies; “Securing the Spark: Evaluating the Relationship Between Spatial Scale and Cost to Defend in Ukrainian Power Infrastructure,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Alexander Figueroa, senior in film & media studies (concentration: production), English (concentration: creative writing) and American studies; “Gazing Through a Glass Box,” mentored by David Mai, film & media studies.
Ehrin Fonseca, sophomore in music performance; “Ecuadorian Music as a Resource to Enhance Trombone Technique in Academic Performance,” mentored by Micheal Davidson, brass & percussion.
Carly Gagnon, senior in biochemistry; “The Mechanisms of Tumor Growth Inhibition by Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Induction in a Clinically Relevant Colorectal Cancer Model,” mentored by Kristi Neufeld, molecular biology.
Bhavya Gupta, senior in microbiology and global & international studies; “Where Mountains Meet Medicine: How Medical Syncretism Shapes Access and Care in Rural Ladakh,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Mark Horvath, senior in mechanical engineering; “Novel Application of the Lyapunov Exponent to Daily Life Data in Young and Elderly Populations,” mentored by Carl Luchies, mechanical engineering.
Abby Hout, junior in microbiology; “Lake Water and Microbial Diversity: A Transect Study of Sand Microbiomes,” mentored by Benjamin Sikes, ecology & evolutionary biology and the Kansas Biological Survey.
Kelsea Kilmer, senior in microbiology; “Exploring Mitogenomic and Physiological Influences on Mitochondrial Density,” mentored by Emily Beck, molecular biosciences.
Phoebe Lane, senior in human biology; “The Effect of Unanticipated Trunk Contact on Knee Loading During Stop-Landing,” mentored by Yu Song, health, sport & exercise science.
Hannah Lindenlaub, senior in interior architecture; “Designing for Neurodiversity: Enhancing Campus Experience for Students with ASD,” mentored by Casey Franklin, interior architecture.
Hannah Loub, senior in global & international studies and multimedia journalism; “Policy in Practice: Exploring the Efficacy of Disability Policy Through the Lens of UK University Students,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Gia Luc Vo, senior in biotechnology, “Does Obesity Promote Survival of B Cell Lymphoma During Treatment?,” mentored by Jack Treml, School of Professional Studies.
Elizabeth Makwabe, junior in exercise science; “Menstrual Phase Influence on Athletic Performance,” mentored by Quincy Johnson, health, sport & exercise sciences.
Nawfal Malik, senior in exercise science; “Backward or Forward? Comparing Hopping Directions for Identifying Knee Deficits After ACL Injury,” mentored by Yu Song, exercise science.
Shea Marney, senior in political science, global & international studies and French; “Pick Up Your Books and Pens: A Study of the Fluctuations of Educational Inequality in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany Using PISA Data from 2000-2022,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Terry Mechem, senior in physics & astronomy; “The Effects of Galaxy Environment on Star Formation,” mentored by Gregory Rudnick, physics & astronomy.
Emily Messenger, senior in applied computing, “Automatic Prediction of Cardiovascular Pathologies,” mentored by Suzanne Shontz, electrical engineering & computer science.
Shayaan Mohammed, senior in computer science, mathematics and interdisciplinary computing (economics); “Computational Simulation of Herding-Driven Market Volatility: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach,” mentored by Xuemin Tu, mathematics.
Allison Muzzy, senior in journalism & mass communications and political science; “A Textual Analysis of People’s Daily Articles Mentioning International Organizations,” mentored by Jack Zhang, political science.
Anna Nguyen, senior in speech-language-hearing sciences; “Understanding Shared and Unshared Speech Sounds with Bilingual English-Vietnamese Children,” mentored by Margarethe McDonald, speech-language-hearing.
Levi O'Connor, junior in psychology; “The Identity-relevant Intersection of Racism and Patriarchy,” mentored by Glenn Adams, psychology.
Rigel Parker, senior in microbiology; “Impacts of the Presence of Glomeromycete Spores on Germinating Seeds in Soil,” mentored by Benjamin Sikes, ecology & evolutionary biology.
Chloe Peacock, senior in sociology and psychology; “Navigating Misinformation in the Age of AI: How College Students' News Sources Shape Political Trust and Voting Intentions,” mentored by Tracey LaPierre, sociology.
Madalenna Pieropan, senior in American studies, minor in film & media studies; “Surviving Culture,” mentored by Jonathan Hagel, history.
Anastasia Place, senior in elementary education-unified; “Data Mountain BASE: Building Analytic Skills for Education,” mentored by Lisa Didion, special education.
Elliot Rausch, senior in political science, global & international studies, East Asian languages & cultures; “Strait Talk: Media Biases in Taiwan,” mentored by Brian Lagotte, global & international studies.
Mira Rausch, senior in molecular, cellular & developmental biology and ecology, evolution & organismal biology; “Detecting Hantavirus on KU Field Station Property in Rodents,” mentored by Jocelyn Colella, ecology, evolution & organismal biology, KU Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum.
Grace Reeder, senior in elementary education-unified; “Data Mountain,” mentored by Lisa Didion, special education.
Selena Reno, senior in psychology and social welfare; “The Mediating Effect of Psychological Control in the Relationship Between Parent-Experienced Childhood Emotional Abuse/Neglect and Adolescent Offspring Anxiety,” mentored by Kristy Allen, clinical child psychology.
Baruch Samuel, senior in mechanical engineering; “Level 2 Rocket – Dimpled vs. Smooth Nosecone Study,” mentored by Christopher Depcik, mechanical engineering.
Udita Shah, senior in molecular, cellular & developmental biology; “Characterizing the Translation Accessory Factor EF-G1B in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biological Function and Role in Antibiotic Resistance,” mentored by Josie Chandler, molecular biosciences.
Ariana Siddique, senior in molecular, cellular & developmental biology; “Leveraging Digital Tools to Strengthen Near-Peer Mentoring and Executive Function Development,” mentored by Valerie Thompson, Bureau of Child Research.
Laia Terencia Hernandez, senior in biochemistry; “The Role of Adenomatous Polyposis Coli in Reactive Oxygen Species-induced DNA Damage Response,” mentored by Kristi Neufeld, molecular biosciences.
Lauren Thompson, senior in ecology, evolution & organismal biology; “Description of a Significant Cretaceous Shark Fossil,” mentored by Christopher Beard, ecology, evolution & organismal biology.
Noah Tucker, senior in chemistry; “Characterization of a Novel Uranyl Crown Ether Complex,” mentored by James Blakemore, chemistry.
Macyn Ward, senior in behavioral neuroscience; “Reconsidering the Role of Subjective Binge Episodes in Bulimia Nervosa: A Comparison of DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 Diagnostic Criteria,” mentored by Kelsie Forbush, clinical child psychology.
Timothy Webb, junior in computer engineering; “Designing a Safe and Functional Human-Robot ‘Hand Over’ Task Using Open-Source Robotics,” mentored by Arvin Agah, electrical engineering & computer science.
Clare Wincentsen, junior in interior architecture; “Investigating Anti-ligature Furniture in Healthcare Environments,” mentored by Herminia Machry, architecture.