Funding for Research as a Sophomore

The Sophomore Scholars Program is an extension of the First-Year Scholars Program. Students and Primary Investigators (PI) receive funding to continue their project into the student's second year. Funding for the Sophomore Scholars Program is competitive; there are only 25 slots available.

In order to be eligible, the following requirements must be met: 

  1. The student and Primary Investigator (PI) worked together in the First-Year Scholars Program.
  2. The student and PI completed required assessment surveys at the end of the program. Students and mentors who have participated in other Office of Undergraduate Research funding programs in the last academic year must have completed those requirements as well to be eligible for the Sophomore Scholars Program.
  3. The student completed all required activities as part of the First-Year Scholars Program.
  4. The student is listed in the program as a presenter at the Symposium of Student Scholars.
  5. The student has a 3.0 GPA or higher.

*Priority will be given to First-Year Scholars who presented their research at more then just the Symposium of Student Scholars

Program Requirements

  • Selected students will be required to:

    1. Work 5-10 hours per week on the research.
    2. Complete a required assessment survey at mid-year (December) and end-of-year (May).
    3. Present at the Fall and/or Spring Symposium of Student Scholars.
    4. Complete at least one more dissemination activity (for example, presenting at a disciplinary conference or an undergraduate research conference, submitting a manuscript for publication, submitting a grant application based on the research, submitting an Intellectual Property disclosure).

  • The PIs will be required to:

    1. Supervise the student(s) on research over the next academic year.
    2. Complete a required assessment survey at mid-year (December) and end-of-year (May).
    3. Guide the student on a presentation at the Symposium of Student Scholars (Fall and/or Spring)
    4. Guide the student on at least one more dissemination activity (for example, presenting at a disciplinary conference or an undergraduate research conference, submitting a manuscript for publication, submitting a grant application based on the research, submitting an Intellectual Property disclosure).
    • Accepted students will receive $1,000 in the Fall and $1,000 in the Spring for this work.

    • PIs will receive up to $1,000 per accepted students for expenses related to the project (for example, supplies/materials, publication costs, participant incentives, travel expenses to present at a conference). Expenses not directly tied to the research project will not be permitted.

  • Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year will open on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

    The application process is to be initiated by the Primary Investigator (PI), by logging into InfoReady and filling out the initial application (please use your KSU credentials) by Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at 11:59pm.

    Once submitted, the student section will be auto routed to the student for completion by Monday, May 19, 2025 at 11:59pm.

    PI's may list one student per application. If the project included more than one student in the First-Year Scholars Program last year, and the PI would like for each of them to be considered, a separate application for each student is required.

Meet the 2024-2025 Sophomore Scholars!

Bagwell College of Education

  • Mentor: Chinasa Elue

    Reimagining College Support: A Critical Exploration of the Impact of Grief and Loss on the Experiences of International College Students

    International student attrition is a rising concern in higher education given the various challenges that have arisen over the past couple of years (Donohue et.al, 2021). The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the racial justice movements, and the current social political climate have significantly impacted our college students like never before (Borgstrom & Mallon, 2022).  Of growing concern is the rising mental health crisis that is sweeping through higher education which deserves an urgent response, especially for international students navigating unfamiliar academic and cultural terrains (Lee et al., 2021). International students are currently facing dire financial constraints, food and housing insecurity, and many other challenges that further complicate their college experiences (Duke et al., 2021). For incoming international freshman students, their college transitions are considerably different from traditional students. Specifically, international students’ college transitions are muddied from their various high school experiences in other countries, assimilation difficulties, and living sometimes hundreds of miles away from home. Further, the grief, loss, and trauma experienced by these first-year international college students during the pandemic warrant special attention as we contemplate the resources and support required for their successful matriculation and degree completion (Sirrine et al., 2021).). The lingering remnants of grief and trauma from the global pandemic continue to impact the college experiences of international students and their ability to successfully navigate their academic and professional goals. Hence, through a qualitative research design, our research explores the lived experiences of international college students. Specifically, our research question investigates the extent to which grief and trauma resulting from COVID-19 have influenced the educational journeys of these international students. The goal of this research is to provide an opportunity to explore and identify strategies for better supporting international students as they navigate the complexities of their academic journey, fostering an inclusive and nurturing environment that promotes their academic and personal growth.

  • Mentor: Jayoung Choi

    Supporting Multilingual, Immigrant-Origin Students

    The research project, Supporting Multilingual Learners and Their Teachers, Parents, and Communities (MLTPC), aims to enhance educational experiences for immigrant-origin and language-minority learners in our schools and communities locally and internationally. Embedded in the large MLTPC project are three current and inter-connected research projects: (a) Dual Language and Bilingual Education (DLBE) programs, with a focus on one Korean-English DLBE (KDLBE) program in a public elementary school in Georgia, (b) trilingual families’ languages practices from justice-oriented perspectives in the United States, and (c) bilingual education for ethnolinguistically minoritized populations in South Korea. 

    1. DLBE Research 
    In this university and K-12 school partnership research, I aim to (a) longitudinally and qualitatively examine the experiences of multiple stakeholders (i.e., students, teachers, parents, and administrators) and (b) enhance teaching and learning in the new KDLBE program at Parsons Elementary school. 

    2. Trilingual Research 
    I examine the macro-level issues (i.e., political, cultural, social, and racial factors, and language policies in schools and districts) as well as micro-level influences (i.e., linguistic and family backgrounds, language variety, language prestige, family’s cultural identities, family members’ agency, and family language policies) pertinent to trilingual families’ language development and maintenance.

    3. Research on Bilingual Education for Immigrants in South Korea 
    I examine diverse perspectives and experiences of stakeholders involved in educating ethnolinguistically minoritized students in South Korea, which has recently undergone a significant demographic change due to the influx of immigrants as well as inter-racial and -ethnic marriages. This research contributes to the current discussion of race, language, and immigration in the South Korean context, with the larger goal of providing transformative and decolonizing education for students who speak socially stigmatized and minoritized languages. 

    The collective, inter-connected research projects described above aim to unpack the ways in which language, culture, identity, agency, power, and ideology affects learning and teaching for immigrant multilingual learners. Through the MLTPC project, this research team hopes to support teachers and immigrant families in disrupting the pervasive monolingual ideology and advocate for a more multi-lingual and -literate society.

  • Mentor: Preethi Titu

    Exploring Preservice Teachers' Experiences of STEM Integration in an Integrated Science Course 

    Recent STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education reform initiatives call for integrated STEM education approaches in which students learn how to solve problems by connecting content and practices of various STEM fields. These reform efforts advocate “restructuring curricula that emphasize explicit integration of STEM” (NRC, 2014, Ring et al, 2018). To accomplish this successfully, it is critical to prepare our undergraduate science preservice teachers (PSTs) for teaching STEM-subjects through integrated approaches. Teacher educators face the need to design and provide teacher education programs that prepare teacher candidates to adopt this evolving context of STEM education and teach STEM through integrated approaches. A curricular approach that integrates STEM learning provides students with opportunities to engage in real-world problems while learning STEM disciplinary ideas and practices. Researchers have indicated that integrated STEM teaching approaches have enhanced science content knowledge, scientific understandings, and higher-order thinking skills. (Becker & Park, 2011; Wells, 2016). To that end, the purpose of this study is to explore how science pre-service teacher education students enrolled in the integrated science course experience STEM. The research questions guiding the study are: 

    1. What are the views of pre-service teachers towards STEM integration in an integrated Science course?
    2. What are the experiences of pre-service teachers with STEM integration and pedagogy after participating in STEM activities within the integrated Science course? 

    Discussion posts, surveys with open-ended questions and interviews will be used as data sources to collect participants' views about STEM, STEM application and student success. This study will use the principles and techniques of grounded theory (Miles & Huberman, 1994) as the methodological approach. Qualitative analysis of the data will be conducted using Dedoose software, applying inductive coding techniques outlined by Corbin and Strauss (2015). 

College of Computing and Software Engineering

  • Mentor: Liang Zhao

    Towards a Resilient Federated Edge Intelligence: A Testbed for Design, Analysis, and Validation of Federated Learning

    In recent years, with the popularization of Artificial Intelligence, there has been an increasing necessity to train Machine Learning (ML) models. One of the best approaches to train such models while preserving the end-user's privacy is Federated Learning (FL). FL is an ML approach in which a central device coordinates multiple other devices to solve machine-learning problems (Bharati et al.). By doing so, FL enhances data privacy, as it never has to be sent to a central server and can instead be trained on devices locally. Therefore, while FL is uniquely positioned to be both efficient and privacy-preserving, it also confronts the challenge of optimizing communications between devices. This has led to the proposal of various communication schemes to expedite the FL process in resource-limited wireless networks.


    However, the unreliable nature of wireless channels have been less explored due to simulations often happening on a single computer. Therefore, there needs to be more understanding of the performance of FL under unreliable communication in real-world distributed low-power IoT devices. Hence, this project aims to develop a testbed for evaluating FL under unreliable communication.


    The proposed testbed substantially benefits researchers and developers working on real-world federated learning systems. It provides them with a valuable platform for conducting proof-of-concept implementations and performance validation, crucial steps prior to deploying and testing their machine learning models in real-world network scenarios. Furthermore, the proposed system will have scientific impacts on various applications, such as scientific machine learning and critical infrastructure, where data privacy challenges are significant concerns.

  • Mentor: Kazi Islam

    Understanding Susceptibility of Adversarial Attacks in multi-modal systems and Development of Mitigation Techniques

    With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, it is used in every part of our lives, e.g., remote sensing, healthcare, finance, security systems, autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, and transportation system. Although AI achieved state-of-the-art performance in multimodal systems, e.g., remote sensing, actors can utilize adversarial attacks to access and manipulate the AI-based system. The attackers can use adversarial example attacks to craft a poison sample in the inference phase to predict incorrect information or perform a model poisoning attack to steal confidential data.

    In this project, students will develop tools to identify the susceptibility of these adversarial attacks and develop mitigation techniques against these attacks. Students will explore the potential security vulnerabilities primarily in multimodal systems but can be extended according to research findings. Student must read research papers, government websites, newspapers, and white papers to prove their hypothesis. Students will learn and apply machine learning algorithms and adversarial attacks to demonstrate their hypotheses empirically. 

  • Mentor: Xinyue Zhang

    Privacy-Preserving Deep Learning for Medical Data with Generative Adversarial Networks

    With its countless applications, machine learning has become an integral part of our lives. In recent years, deep learning also holds a great promise in revolutionizing healthcare and medicine. Moreover, our increasing dependency on machine learning applications presents a growing need to protect sensitive data especially for medical data. Machine learning models, dependent on extensive datasets, can inadvertently memorize training data, making them vulnerable to threats like model inversion and membership inference attacks. For example, in model inversion attacks, even with only public API access, attackers can potentially reconstruct training samples. This research aims to propose a privacy preservation approach from a different perspective that is to protect the privacy of training data samples from the source. We investigate the feasibility of training machine learning models using only synthetic data produced by Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) protected by differential privacy (DP), eliminating the use of raw data samples. Given the sensitivity of medical data, we will evaluate the proposed method with the CheXpert (chest X-ray) dataset and the MIAS (mammography) dataset. In the experiments, we will evaluate the efficacy of synthetic data against raw data from the two datasets in training machine learning models and verify the protective capabilities of GANs. Using the two medical datasets, we will also examine performance of the models to determine the potential trade-offs between privacy preservation and the robustness of a machine learning model.

College of Science and Mathematics

  • Mentor: Scott Nowak

    How do We Build a Muscle? Let Me Count the Genes...

    The process of muscle formation requires the careful coordinated expression of a number of genes both unknown and unknown during embryonic development. We use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism to study the formation and patterning of muscle in the developing embryo.  Key to this process is akirin, a nuclear protein that is essential for expression of a variety of muscle patterning genes.  We have a small number (i.e., 35) known or predicted gene loci that are likely candidate interactions with Akirin during Drosophila muscle development.  This project will involve creating novel genetic lines and collection of embryos from these genetic lines for analysis of their muscles. This project will use both classical and molecular genetic techniques to uncover new genes that interact with akirin during muscle patterning.  This project will also involve high-resolution confocal microscopy to describe the phenotypes of uncovered genes.

  • Mentor: Masafumi Yoshinaga

    Search for Novel Arsenic-Containing Antibiotics

    Arsenic is one of the most persistent and ubiquitous environmental toxins. To overcome this problematic element, life has evolved and acquired a number of arsenic detoxifying mechanisms. Bacteria, due to the immense environmental adaptability and biochemical versatility, have even flexibly devised various ways to utilize arsenic for biological functions such as energy production, osmotic adjustment, phosphate sparing, etc. Our recent studies indicate a new way of bacterial arsenic utilization – offensive weapons. Notably, bacteria wage “arsenic wars”, where some members weaponize environmental arsenic, synthesizing arsenic-containing antibiotics to kill neighboring competitors, while others develop countermeasures against the arsenic weapons. This new emerging “bacterial arsenic wars” concept provides a new dimension to understanding the arsenic biogeochemical cycle and brings new perspective to environmental arsenic biochemistry, as well as leads to discovery and development of new and potent antimicrobials.

    In this project, students will explore novel arsenic-containing antibiotics using 1) prospective bacterial strains that possess novel gene(s) involved in arsenic metabolism/transformation, 2) a genetically manipulatable bacterial strain (Escherichia coli) engineered with the novel gene(s), and/or 3) purified protein(s) encoded by the novel gene(s). The expected outcomes are identification and characterization of 1) novel arsenic-containing antibiotics, and/or 2) novel genes/proteins that carry out novel reaction on arsenic.

    The dramatic increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a grave threat to global health. A dearth of new antibiotics has fostered the emergence and spread of drug-resistant bacteria, resulting in an increase of serious infections with high mortality rates. To overcome this serious health concern, discovery and development of new antibiotics are urgently needed. The future and long-term goal of this project is to demonstrate the potentials of arsenic-containing antibiotics to establish a new pipeline for our shrinking antibiotic arsenal.

  • Mentor: Masafumi Yoshinaga

    Search for Novel Arsenic-Containing Antibiotics

    Arsenic is one of the most persistent and ubiquitous environmental toxins. To overcome this problematic element, life has evolved and acquired a number of arsenic detoxifying mechanisms. Bacteria, due to the immense environmental adaptability and biochemical versatility, have even flexibly devised various ways to utilize arsenic for biological functions such as energy production, osmotic adjustment, phosphate sparing, etc. Our recent studies indicate a new way of bacterial arsenic utilization – offensive weapons. Notably, bacteria wage “arsenic wars”, where some members weaponize environmental arsenic, synthesizing arsenic-containing antibiotics to kill neighboring competitors, while others develop countermeasures against the arsenic weapons. This new emerging “bacterial arsenic wars” concept provides a new dimension to understanding the arsenic biogeochemical cycle and brings new perspective to environmental arsenic biochemistry, as well as leads to discovery and development of new and potent antimicrobials.

    In this project, students will explore novel arsenic-containing antibiotics using 1) prospective bacterial strains that possess novel gene(s) involved in arsenic metabolism/transformation, 2) a genetically manipulatable bacterial strain (Escherichia coli) engineered with the novel gene(s), and/or 3) purified protein(s) encoded by the novel gene(s). The expected outcomes are identification and characterization of 1) novel arsenic-containing antibiotics, and/or 2) novel genes/proteins that carry out novel reaction on arsenic.

    The dramatic increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a grave threat to global health. A dearth of new antibiotics has fostered the emergence and spread of drug-resistant bacteria, resulting in an increase of serious infections with high mortality rates. To overcome this serious health concern, discovery and development of new antibiotics are urgently needed. The future and long-term goal of this project is to demonstrate the potentials of arsenic-containing antibiotics to establish a new pipeline for our shrinking antibiotic arsenal.

  • Mentor: Mohammad Halim

    Development of Therapeutic Peptide Conjugated with Blood-Brain Barrier Penetrating Peptide for Alzheimer’s Treatment

    Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is one of the costliest diseases for the American people, both in terms of the money spent and human suffering that it creates. Americans spent over $300 billion in treating over 6 million patients with AD in 2020 alone. AD is a neurodegenerative disease that produces tangles and plaques within the brain, diminishing cognitive functioning and memory in those who are afflicted with the disease. It has been theorized that the accumulation of amyloid-beta protein may be the cause of the progressive neurological disease known as Alzheimer. While there is currently no known cure, there are some small molecule drugs on the market that can help to lessen symptoms in mild to moderate forms of the disease. However, small molecule drugs have low target specificity and higher toxicity. Beside small molecule drug, several peptide-based drugs have been entered to the clinical trials, however, they failed because they could not effectively cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this research, Iona will design and develop therapeutic peptide conjugated with BBB-penetrating peptide and test their inhibition efficiency against the amyloid beta fibrils. 
    In last decades, peptide-based drug received countless attention, as they are highly selective, well-tolerated, and have less adverse effects. There are ~70 therapeutic peptides on the market, ~200 in clinical trials, and ~600 in the pre-clinical development stage. Currently, no BBB conjugated peptide targeting the amyloid-beta is approved or in clinical trials. The peptide-based drug market is expected to continue to grow substantially over the next 5-10 years. From preliminary studies, several peptides showed excellent binding affinity (Kd= 24-150 nanomolar) against the amyloid beta. These peptides will be conjugated with TAT peptide which is the most widely used penetration peptide for transporting proteins and nanoparticles to the brain. 

    As a sophomore scholar, Iona Alator will synthesize several TAT-conjugated peptide analogues, test their inhibition efficiency against amyloid beta employing selected ion monitoring (SIM) based LCMS assay, ThT fluorescence assay and measure their BBB permeability in brain endothelial cells. The successful outcomes from this research project are (i) developing potent therapeutic peptide conjugated with BBB penetrating peptide and (ii) improving their blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. 

  • Mentor: Madalynn Marshall

    Structural and Magnetic Behavior of the Sb-doped Magnetocaloric Candidate CrNiP

    The demand for clean renewable energy sources continues to rise with the increasing severity of climate change from greenhouse-gas emissions. Refrigeration and air conditioning account for a significant percentage of energy consumption and current gas compression technology is falling short by enhancing the greenhouse effect and having a low cooling efficiency resulting in a larger energy consumption and worsening the energy shortage. Recent breakthroughs with the emerging solid state magnetic refrigeration competitor have shown the potential to revolutionize not only cooling in household devices but for medical health care, industry and even national defense. The exciting behavior behind magnetic refrigeration is based on the magnetocaloric effect (MCE), which can be described as a temperature change in response to an adiabatic change of the magnetic field. Not only can the MCE improve the energy efficiency of cooling and temperature control, but it is also environmentally friendly making these highly advantageous materials to design. 

    However, magnetocaloric materials face a major challenge with scaling up for widespread use because they are mostly composed of expensive rare-earth elements or toxic elements. Therefore, it is crucial that we pursue nontoxic rare-earth free magnetocaloric candidates. The rare-earth free MM'X alloys where M and M' = transition metal and X = main group element, have received much attention as excellent magnetocaloric candidates. These materials can exhibit a strong magnetostructural coupling resulting in a large entropy change typically over a wide temperature range, optimal for magnetic cooling technology. Methods such as stress, temperature and chemical pressure can be utilized to drive the magnetic and structural transitions in this family and tune the MCE. 

    During the First-Year Scholars Program (2023-2024) the students have successfully applied chemical pressure to induce a structural transition in the Sb-doped MM'X alloy CrNiP by preparing a series of CrNiP1-xSbx solid solutions and analyzing the polycrystalline samples using powder X-ray diffraction. With only a small percentage of Sb dopant into CrNiP1-xSbx we observe the orthorhombic structure transforms to a hexagonal structure. The resulting structural variation and chemical disorder in the CrNiP1-xSbx series can be used to tune the magnetic behavior and subsequently the MCE. The next steps of this project are to measure the magnetic behavior and determine the MCE

  • Mentor: Mohammad Halim

    Developing Broad Spectrum Antiviral Peptides Targeting the Proteases of SARS and MARS Viruses

    The fatal infectious diseases caused by various emerging viruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SAR-CoV) and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) remains pervasive throughout the world. Moreover, the emerging variants are still infecting millions and killing thousands of people every day. While couple of small molecules drug received emergency approval, small molecule drugs have low target specificity and higher toxicity. Another limitation of those few drugs is that they are designed to treat one type of virus and are not effective for other viruses. In this research, Julia Franz will design and develop a broad-spectrum antiviral peptide targeting the various proteases of SARS and MARS coronavirus. 

    Peptide therapeutics are very attractive over small-molecule medications, as they are highly selective, well-tolerated, and have less adverse effects. There are ~70 therapeutic peptides on the market, ~200 in clinical trials, and ~600 in the pre-clinical development stage. Currently, no antiviral peptide targeting the viral proteases of SARS/MARS is approved or in clinical trials. The peptide-based drug market is expected to continue to grow substantially over the next 5-10 years. However, all these peptide drugs need to be injected as they are degraded in the stomach if taken orally. Unlike the conventional approach of making staple peptide, Julia will develop a novel pi-pi method for our peptide analogues to produce serum stability and potentially an orally active peptide. As evident from our recent publication by several undergraduate and master’s students (Stewart, J.; Halim, M. A. et al. J. Peptide Sci. https://doi.org/10.1002/psc.3553), Temporin L (TL) is considered the most promising candidate. Although TL showed great promise inhibiting the main protease of SARS-CoV-2, however, challenges remain to test its efficacy against other viruses such as MARS and to improve its serum half-life.

    As a sophomore scholar, Julia Franze will synthesize several pi-pi staple TL peptide analogues, test their inhibition efficiency against SARS and MARS proteases, determine their cytotoxicity and their serum stability. The successful outcomes from this research project are (i) developing broad spectrum pi-pi stable peptides targeting various viruses and (ii) improving oral bioavailability of the peptides. The creative approaches and innovation will lead to shifting the current paradigm of antiviral peptide-based drug discovery.

  • Mentor: Whitney Preisser

    What's in a Fish? The relationship between fish size and parasite abundance in freshwater fish in Georgia

    For the Sophomore Scholars program, Cassie will extend her First Year Scholars and SURP projects. As a First Year Scholar, Cassie dissected fish and collected their parasites to contribute to an undergraduate group project that fed into my larger research program and the research project of one of my graduate students. For this project, Cassie and the other students compared the parasite fauna of two locations around the Allatoona dam. As part of SURP, this summer, Cassie will strike out and lead an independent research project of her design, where she will look at the relationship between parasite abundance and host size using multiple species of freshwater fish collected in Cobb and Paulding counties. She will be dissecting fish, collecting their parasites, identifying the parasites, and analyzing her data this summer.

    For the Sophomore Scholars Program, Cassie aims to continue and expand this research project. She will collect host and parasite data from additional fish to significantly increase her sample sizes (approximately doubling the SURP data collection). In addition, because many of these fish have not been identified, Cassie spends a good portion of her lab time identifying fish specimens, which greatly helps other students and projects going on in the lab that also use these specimens.

    While previous studies have found that, in general, parasite burden tends to increase with body size, we don't know if this holds true in freshwater fish in Georgia, and we don't know if the relationship holds for every fish species, or only fish species that can attain larger body sizes. Does it hold when comparing among species as well? Does the relationship between host body size and parasite burden change over time or in response to anthropogenic stressors? Using KSU's collection of preserved fish specimens collected between 1999 and 2016, Cassie will help to determine the generality of this pattern in a novel host-parasite system and over a 17 year time period.

  • Mentor: Carl Saint-Louis

    Pre-Twisted Molecular Geometry's Effect on the Optical Properties of Nitrophenyl-Substituted Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds with Boron-Nitrogen Bonds

    Incorporating a three-coordinate boron center into the structure of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by replacing one of the C=C bonds with a B-N bond creates a more rigid and planar core. These flat-structured heterocycles partially substituted with a boron-nitrogen bond known as aromatic azaborines, are highly regarded for their unique optoelectronic properties such as photochemical stability, high molar absorption coefficient, and high fluorescent quantum yields, as well as large Stokes shifts and tunable absorption/emission spectra, making them excellent candidates for a variety of applications such organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Adding a -NO2 group as a strong electron-accepting moiety to the scaffold of aromatic azaborines, particularly pyrrolinone-fused-1,2-azaborines (PFAs), in an effort to red-shift their absorbance and emission and create electron-deficient n-type organic conjugates, results in significant emission quenching due to intersystem crossing. Another issue with -NO2-substituted PFAs is that they aggregate at high concentrations due to strong intermolecular π-π stacking interactions. In turn, aggregate formation causes emission quenching, also known as Aggregation-Caused Quenching (ACQ). This practical limitation poses significant challenges for -NO2-substituted PFAs’ use in many applications. We recently published results on a novel -NO2-phenyl substituted PFA, in which we addressed the ACQ issue by inserting a phenyl spacer between the PFA scaffold and the -NO2 moiety to create a pre-twisted molecular geometry. This minor modification in molecular geometry resulted in fluorescence that can be completely ''turned off'' via ACQ and ''turned on'' via Aggregation Induced Emission (AIE). Herein, we propose to design and synthesize a second generation of -NO2-substituted PFAs that can overcome the ACQ problem by increasing the steric interactions between the phenyl spacer and the PFA scaffold and creating a larger twist in the molecular geometry by including bulkier groups such as methyl and isopropyl. The addition of bulkier groups to increase the twist in molecular geometry will result in -NO2-phenyl substituted PFAs with aggregation-induced emission, solvatochromism and thermochromism properties. These findings will aid in the development of more improved future AIE-active PFAs, as well as the understanding of how molecular geometry influences these compounds' optoelectronic properties.

  • Mentor: Carl Saint-Louis

    Electron-Rich Polyclinic aromatic compounds containing a Boron-Nitrogen bond: Synthesis and Optical Properties

    Dyes that absorb and emit long wavelength light are gaining popularity in the materials and cell imaging technology markets because they can be used in a wide range of technological applications, such as laser filters, optical recording, photodynamic (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), which use reactive oxygen species or heat to kill tumor cells. Due to their ability to absorb in the red and emit in the near infrared (NIR) region of the spectrum, these dyes can be utilized in bioimaging where NIR light can be safely used since it can deeply penetrate human tissue without causing apoptosis or cell damage, as well as the detection in living organisms with minimal interference from background autofluorescence. The dye's molecular structure, however, is critical for both absorption and emission at longer wavelengths. To guarantee absorption and emission at longer wavelengths and improve the optical properties of these dyes, the scaffold should be flat and rigid, with highly conjugated π-surface. We previously published findings on a new pyrrolidinone fused 1,2-azaborine (PFA) scaffold in which one of the C=C bonds of a heterocyclic hydrocarbon was replaced with a B-N bond, resulting in core rigidification. We also observed an enhancement in photophysical properties such as higher and more intense fluorescence, extraordinary thermal and photochemical stability, high fluorescence quantum yields, and even unique self-assembly behavior. Incorporating a weak electron-donating group into the left hemisphere of the unsubstituted PFA causes a red-shift (bathochromic shift) in absorbance and emission, as well as substantial Stokes shifts and quantum yields of up to 0.5. Herein, we aim to design electron-rich PFA derivatives bearing diverse strong electron-donating groups, such as amino derivatives, to the left hemisphere. We hypothesized that the addition of these amino derivatives will raise the energy of the HOMO, causing the reduction of the HOMO–LUMO gap, resulting in absorption in the red and emission in the NIR region of the spectrum. We will also investigate the effect of solvent polarity on the emission maxima to test for solvatochromism. These findings will help in the design of future electron-rich PFAs that absorb and emit long wavelength light as well as understanding how different electronic groups affect these compounds’ optoelectronic properties.

  • Mentor: Andrew Haddow

    Impact of Per- and Poly-Fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) on Mosquito Behavior

    Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals”, are omnipresent environmental contaminants that are highly toxic to invertebrates, wildlife, and humans. These fluorinated aliphatic compounds have been used in a variety of industrial applications and consumer products since the early 1950s and are resistant to environmental degradation due to their strong carbon-fluorine bond. Though over 4,700 PFAS are known, perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) is one of the two most prevalent PFAS worldwide and toxicologic studies have revealed that these chemicals cause developmental delays, endocrine disruption, reproductive harm, and immunological effects in vertebrates. PFAS primarily enter the environment through the discharge of contaminated wastewater from industrial facilities and from the use of aqueous fire-fighting foams (AFFFs). From there, PFAS enter aquatic ecosystems where they are readily absorbed by both vertebrates and invertebrates following oral exposure. Despite their ubiquitous presence in aquatic ecosystems, the impact that PFOS have on mosquito development, reproduction, behavior, and vector competence is unknown. 

    Our long-term goal is to determine if PFAS exposure of medically important mosquito vectors enhances virus transmission dynamics to inform mosquito control efforts and to determine the role mosquito species have on PFAS bioaccumulation among aquatic and terrestrial predators. The overall objective of this work is to determine the effect PFOS exposure has on immature/adult behavior of Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (a world-wide vector of Zika, dengue, and yellow fever viruses). Our central hypothesis is that PFAS exposure of immature/adult stages will impact fitness, reducing anti-predation behavior of immature and adult mosquito stages in turn increasing predation by aquatic and terrestrial organisms leading to PFAS bioaccumulation in these species. 

    Our team previously characterized the toxicity and developmental effects of PFOS exposure in Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, manuscript in preparation. However, to date no published data exist on the impact PFOS has on antipredation behaviors among immature and adult mosquito stages. The results of this study will provide the preliminary data for future NSF and NIH grant submissions to investigate the impact PFAS (i.e. PFOS) has on mosquito vectorial capacity and its role as driver of PFAS bioaccumulation in endangered aquatic and terrestrial organisms. 

College of the Arts

  • Mentor: Peter Fielding

    Analysis of Visayan/Bisayan/Cebuano Philippine Traditional Vocal Repertoire

    This SYSP serves to continue the in-progress survey of the scales, modes, and pitch collections of Visayan/Bisayan/Cebuano Philippine folk song repertoire. Students will use music notation software to create Kodály-style pitch maps as part of the encyclopedic surveying of these repertoires. Select songs will be sung with solfa syllables, to help assess the pedagogical merits of the repertoire for use in Aural Skills curriculum. 

    Request to extend into SYSP as initial FYSP work was set for two participants, but one dropped out quickly, requiring more time for one student to pursue. Additionally, field recordings housed at Indiana University have not yet been made accessible online (library restructure), so extending into AY 24-25 will enable deeper analysis and comparison of transcriptions vs original source recordings, thereby increasing the value of the work and strengthen subsequent conference proposal and analysis article submissions to academic journals.

    Rationale:
    This project continues to survey and appraises the pedagogical value of the traditional vocal repertoire of Canada's third largest source of new permanent residents; namely the Philippines. This work builds on prior multi-lingual Canadian folk song analysis utilizing post-tonal and Kodály techniques. As a pilot study, this analysis will focus on Visayan/Bisayan/Cebuano Philippine folk song repertoire collected by Priscilla Magdamo, under the auspices of the Silliman University; utilizing her six-volume Folk Songs of the Visayas, corresponding field recordings, and her more recent unpublished transcriptions. Research outputs will be of value to the music and academic communities of the Philippines, as well as the broader Filipino diaspora, including those residing in Canada and the United States.

    Note:  Should the original repertoire be fully appraised, additional Year of Canada historic French Canadian song repertoire can be assessed, thereby adding to the PI's existing cross cultural song analyses by language type.

Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Mentor: Danica Kulibert

    Understanding How Political Parties View Moderate and Extreme Political Candidates

    The current study focuses on perceptions within left and right political parties outside of the US. Democrats and Republicans in the US often misjudge each other (i.e., Democrats and Republicans alike believe the other political party views them more negatively than the other political party actually views them; Lees & Cikara, 2020; Moore-Berg et al., 2020). Meta-perceptions refer to a person’s beliefs about another person’s or group’s beliefs (Frey & Tropp, 2006). Meta-perceptions are often inaccurate as well and can exacerbate intergroup conflict (Finchilescu et al., 2010; Lee & Cikara, 2020). Research on intergroup metaperceptions in political parties has grown substantially over the last decade (Bruneau et al., 2021; Moore-Berg et al., 2020) but little has assessed political percpetions outside of the US.

    My past research has demonstrated that, when evaluating political candidates in their own party (in the US), people approve of moderate political candidates less than extreme or average political members. Political deviance, however, has much stronger and more robust effects on people’s metaperceptions than actual perceptions. People believe Democrats approve of moderate Democratic candidates much less than extreme or normative candidates; similarly they also believe that Republicans approve of moderate Republican candidates much less than extreme or normative candidates. The current study will examine if outgroup metaperceptions of political deviants are more polarized than ingroup metaperceptions of political deviants outside of the US (e.g., Germany, Chile, Nigeria). 

  • Mentor: Sharon Pearcey

    Exploring the Relationship among Biomarkers and Emotion, Substance Use, and Executive Function

    During the 2024 – 2025 academic year, my students will be working on two main projects. First, they will be finishing up the enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol, as well as entering data from the project on self-reported stress. As first year scholars, they were able to use the biomarker data that they analyzed in relation to questionnaire data that had already been coded and create unique research projects to present at our Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology Conference and Symposium of Student Scholars. 

    The second part of the project will be Investigating the relationship among executive function (i.e., metacognitive processes related to decision making, cognitive flexibility, and impulse control), substance use, and epigenetic and inflammatory biomarkers. My students will be involved in every aspect of this study including data collection, running participants on the cognitive tasks, collecting saliva samples, as well as learning new laboratory techniques looking for genetic markers. Specifically, we have identified candidate gene variations at the level of single nucleotides (SNPs) related to substance use, executive function, and mental health outcomes. My students will learn how to use quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to amplify the genes to identify gene variations in the target genes BDNF and COMT. 

  • Mentor: Sharon Pearcey

    Exploring the Relationship among Biomarkers and Emotion, Substance Use, and Executive Function

    During the 2024 – 2025 academic year, my students will be working on two main projects. First, they will be finishing up the enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol, as well as entering data from the project on self-reported stress. As first year scholars, they were able to use the biomarker data that they analyzed in relation to questionnaire data that had already been coded and create unique research projects to present at our Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology Conference and Symposium of Student Scholars. 

    The second part of the project will be Investigating the relationship among executive function (i.e., metacognitive processes related to decision making, cognitive flexibility, and impulse control), substance use, and epigenetic and inflammatory biomarkers. My students will be involved in every aspect of this study including data collection, running participants on the cognitive tasks, collecting saliva samples, as well as learning new laboratory techniques looking for genetic markers. Specifically, we have identified candidate gene variations at the level of single nucleotides (SNPs) related to substance use, executive function, and mental health outcomes. My students will learn how to use quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to amplify the genes to identify gene variations in the target genes BDNF and COMT.

  • Mentor: Chanler Hilley

    Dimensions and Predictors of Social Connectedness in Young Adulthood

    This project explores psychosocial and contextual factors that influence social connectedness during the transition to young adulthood. Recent U.S. Surgeon General reports have called attention to the “epidemic of loneliness” as a public health crisis, based in part on data showing staggering increases in social isolation starting in 2018 and steady decreases in family social engagement over the past 2 decades (Kannan & Veazie, 2023). In subgroup analyses, late adolescents and young adults reported the lowest family social engagement and adolescents and young adults now rank third highest in isolation out of all age groups. Despite calls to attend to youths’ social connectedness, research in this area is lacking, focusing primarily on demographic traits rather than mutable characteristics that may be targeted for intervention. Further, normative transition to adulthood experiences establishing independence, including in adolescents’ residential status (e.g., leaving home), may be isolating. Thus, this study investigates potentially modifiable characteristics like sense of control, place attachment, parental relationships, and messages about the transition to adulthood as they relate to young adults’ connectedness. This project includes a specific emphasis on parent-young adult relationships. Although waning salience of parental influence is normative beginning in adolescence, combined with other indicators of increased social isolation at broader levels as well as qualitatively different social contexts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, parental relationships may be particularly important developmental assets for young adults in the current sociohistorical context. For example, in a cross-national study, the association between COVID-related disruptions and internalizing was attenuated by lower parent-child conflict and more supportive parenting (Skinner et al., 2021). Data for this study have already been collected from three sources: a national sample using an online panel aggregator, a sample of college students at various colleges (typically enrolled in Communication courses), and KSU students in PSYC 1101. Alanna started work on this project during her First Year Scholars experience and has interests in statistics and epidemiology. Gaining experience with more complex research questions and analyses using this existing data will be beneficial for her in preparation for a career that requires a high degree of research acumen. 

  • Mentor: Yian Xu

    Using Cognitive Psychology to Probe the Underpinnings of AI Social Bias in GPT-4

    How do artificial intelligence (AI) models structure the human world? Cognitive psychologists have studied how humans represent the social world in our mind- for example, by relying on social category labels, such as race and gender, to make quick predictions about individual personal traits. Such mental shortcuts, consciously or unconsciously driven, reflect inaccurate perceptions of the world and often lead to social prejudice and discrimination. While human rationality is bounded by limited mental resources, highly capable large language models, such as GPT-4, can process vast amounts of information quickly and efficiently, showcasing a level of cognitive capacity that can potentially surpass the constraints of human rationality. This project aims to apply the cognitive framework of psychological essentialism to investigate whether GPT-4 exhibits social essentialist bias similar to humans, as a way to explore the underpinning of AI social bias and identify areas where large language models mirror or rise above human irrationality. Potential findings from this project will inform the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies in human-AI collaboration, particularly in decision-making processes typically prone to social biases. 

    Based on our work last year, this project will continue to utilize a mixture of vignette-based and survey-based prompts to test GPT-4's capacity to simulate social reasoning and compare it with previously demonstrated human reasoning patterns. In particular, we will use the Switched-at-Birth Task to probe essentialist bias about social categories. This project will test how GPT-4 responds to the Switched-at-Birth task in 8 variations, including 6 familiar social domains (i.e., race, gender, nationality, religion, political affiliation, and social class), and 2 novel, fictional social categories (such as “Tezzies” and “Higges”, which do not exist in reality), to control the possible training effect based on GPT-4’s previous exposure to materials that have already been used in prior studies. Modeled on recent studies examining cognitive biases in large language models, we will generate 146 responses in GPT-4 through OpenAI’s API implementation (Binz & Schulz, 2023) and compare it with a human sample. 

  • Mentor: Alexander Crenshaw

    Improving the Evaluation of Individual Change in Clinical Trials in Psychology

    Establishing effective psychological treatments is essential to reducing the individual, interpersonal, and societal burdens that mental health difficulties cause each year.  A key step in the development of psychological treatments is to evaluate their efficacy through randomized clinical trials. For psychological treatments, these clinical trials tend to focus on two types of outcomes: 1) testing group differences, which test whether and by how much a treatment group shows better average outcomes than a control group, and 2) clinical significance, which evaluates whether those changes produce meaningful improvement in the lives of the individuals who receive the treatment (Baucom & Crenshaw, 2019; Kraemer et al., 2006). Each form of evaluation complements the other and both are critical to fully evaluate a treatment.

    An important limitation of current practices for computing group differences and clinical significance is that researchers define these outcomes in varied ways. First, quantifying group differences in complicated data structures like those in clinical trials can be done in several different ways (Feingold, 2009). Second, methods for determining clinical significance also vary widely across studies (Lambert & Ogles, 2014). Even when studies use the same methods, the criteria for what is considered “clinically significant” often differ by chance alone (Crenshaw & Monson, 2023). This situation results in treatments being evaluated by different criteria across studies, introducing statistical noise, error, and uncertainty into evaluations of a treatment’s efficacy.

    The purpose of this project is to evaluate and improve the standardization of methods for evaluating psychological treatments in clinical trials. Aim 1, which is underway, involves a systematic review of published clinical trials of psychological treatments to formally assess the methods currently used for evaluating group differences and clinical significance in these studies. Next, Aim 2 will compare the specific methods found in the systematic review to determine the extent to which differences in criteria across studies leads to different outcomes or conclusions. Finally, Aim 3 will establish standardized recommendations for future clinical trials of psychological treatments to improve how these outcomes are evaluated in future studies. This project will ultimately lead to better and more standardized evaluation criteria for evaluating psychological treatments.

Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology 

  • Mentor: Ayse Tekes

    Design and Development of a Fully Compliant Bipedal Robot

    There is still an ongoing effort in the design and development of legged robots in the field of robotics. Bipedal robots can imitate the walking gait cycle, hopping, and jumping type locomotion. To accomplish the gait cycle, the four phases of the gait cycle as double support phase, the pre-swing phase, the single support phase, and the post-swing phase should be successfully alternated in a sequence. Compliant mechanisms have been utilized in biomimetic designs due to their inherent properties such as bending of their flexible members rather than joints when forced and their ability to be manufactured as a single piece. In this study, Aaron will work on the design of a fully compliant and serial linkage biped robot using compliant rolling contact and will actuate each leg through stepper motors and belts. The inclusion of compliant flexure reduces the friction, weight and undesired vibrations caused by eccentricity, and increases the overall performance. The hip design will house the motors and four propellers to maintain the balance of the robot. Motion analyses will be performed in MATLAB Simulink and Simscape to optimize link lengths and generate the biped trajectory. The mechanism will be built by 3D printing the parts in polylactic acid and polyurethane and theormoplastic filaments and experimentally tested for a successful gait cycle.

  • Mentor: Muhammad Hassan Tanveer

    Enhancing Robo-Dog Collaboration with Agriculture Ground Vehicle: A Reverse Engineering Approach

    The primary objective of this research project is to enhance the capabilities of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV through a collaborative approach. By reverse engineering both the computational and mechanical aspects of these robots, we aim to unlock their full potential for a wide range of applications.

    One key aspect of our approach involves integrating obstacle avoidance and path planning algorithms into the quadruped robot, enhancing its ability to navigate autonomously in complex environments. By implementing these algorithms, we can improve the robot's efficiency and effectiveness in avoiding obstacles and reaching its destination safely. Additionally, collecting data on the robot's navigation efficiency will allow us to evaluate the performance of these algorithms and fine-tune them for optimal results.

    Furthermore, to broaden the scope of our research, we plan to introduce a variety of different robot systems, including drones and ground robots, to work in tandem with the quadruped robot and the Husky UGV. This multi-robot collaboration will enable us to explore new possibilities and applications, such as coordinated surveillance missions or search and rescue operations. By leveraging the complementary strengths of different types of robots, we can enhance overall system performance and versatility.

    In summary, this research project aims to push the boundaries of robotic capabilities through collaboration, reverse engineering, and algorithm development. By enhancing the computational and mechanical aspects of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV, as well as integrating diverse robot systems, we seek to enable new advancements and applications in robotics technology. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we hope to contribute to the ongoing evolution of robotics and its potential to address real-world challenges effectively.

  • Mentor: Muhammad Hassan Tanveer

    Enhancing Robo-Dog Collaboration with Agriculture Ground Vehicle: A Reverse Engineering Approach

    The primary objective of this research project is to enhance the capabilities of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV through a collaborative approach. By reverse engineering both the computational and mechanical aspects of these robots, we aim to unlock their full potential for a wide range of applications.

    One key aspect of our approach involves integrating obstacle avoidance and path planning algorithms into the quadruped robot, enhancing its ability to navigate autonomously in complex environments. By implementing these algorithms, we can improve the robot's efficiency and effectiveness in avoiding obstacles and reaching its destination safely. Additionally, collecting data on the robot's navigation efficiency will allow us to evaluate the performance of these algorithms and fine-tune them for optimal results.

    Furthermore, to broaden the scope of our research, we plan to introduce a variety of different robot systems, including drones and ground robots, to work in tandem with the quadruped robot and the Husky UGV. This multi-robot collaboration will enable us to explore new possibilities and applications, such as coordinated surveillance missions or search and rescue operations. By leveraging the complementary strengths of different types of robots, we can enhance overall system performance and versatility.

    In summary, this research project aims to push the boundaries of robotic capabilities through collaboration, reverse engineering, and algorithm development. By enhancing the computational and mechanical aspects of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV, as well as integrating diverse robot systems, we seek to enable new advancements and applications in robotics technology. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we hope to contribute to the ongoing evolution of robotics and its potential to address real-world challenges effectively.

  • Mentor: Muhammad Hassan Tanveer

    Enhancing Robo-Dog Collaboration with Agriculture Ground Vehicle: A Reverse Engineering Approach

    The primary objective of this research project is to enhance the capabilities of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV through a collaborative approach. By reverse engineering both the computational and mechanical aspects of these robots, we aim to unlock their full potential for a wide range of applications.

    One key aspect of our approach involves integrating obstacle avoidance and path planning algorithms into the quadruped robot, enhancing its ability to navigate autonomously in complex environments. By implementing these algorithms, we can improve the robot's efficiency and effectiveness in avoiding obstacles and reaching its destination safely. Additionally, collecting data on the robot's navigation efficiency will allow us to evaluate the performance of these algorithms and fine-tune them for optimal results.

    Furthermore, to broaden the scope of our research, we plan to introduce a variety of different robot systems, including drones and ground robots, to work in tandem with the quadruped robot and the Husky UGV. This multi-robot collaboration will enable us to explore new possibilities and applications, such as coordinated surveillance missions or search and rescue operations. By leveraging the complementary strengths of different types of robots, we can enhance overall system performance and versatility.

    In summary, this research project aims to push the boundaries of robotic capabilities through collaboration, reverse engineering, and algorithm development. By enhancing the computational and mechanical aspects of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV, as well as integrating diverse robot systems, we seek to enable new advancements and applications in robotics technology. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we hope to contribute to the ongoing evolution of robotics and its potential to address real-world challenges effectively.

  • Mentor: Muhammad Hassan Tanveer

    Enhancing Robo-Dog Collaboration with Agriculture Ground Vehicle: A Reverse Engineering Approach

    The primary objective of this research project is to enhance the capabilities of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV through a collaborative approach. By reverse engineering both the computational and mechanical aspects of these robots, we aim to unlock their full potential for a wide range of applications.

    One key aspect of our approach involves integrating obstacle avoidance and path planning algorithms into the quadruped robot, enhancing its ability to navigate autonomously in complex environments. By implementing these algorithms, we can improve the robot's efficiency and effectiveness in avoiding obstacles and reaching its destination safely. Additionally, collecting data on the robot's navigation efficiency will allow us to evaluate the performance of these algorithms and fine-tune them for optimal results.

    Furthermore, to broaden the scope of our research, we plan to introduce a variety of different robot systems, including drones and ground robots, to work in tandem with the quadruped robot and the Husky UGV. This multi-robot collaboration will enable us to explore new possibilities and applications, such as coordinated surveillance missions or search and rescue operations. By leveraging the complementary strengths of different types of robots, we can enhance overall system performance and versatility.

    In summary, this research project aims to push the boundaries of robotic capabilities through collaboration, reverse engineering, and algorithm development. By enhancing the computational and mechanical aspects of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV, as well as integrating diverse robot systems, we seek to enable new advancements and applications in robotics technology. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we hope to contribute to the ongoing evolution of robotics and its potential to address real-world challenges effectively.

  • Mentor: Muhammad Hassan Tanveer

    Enhancing Robo-Dog Collaboration with Agriculture Ground Vehicle: A Reverse Engineering Approach

    The primary objective of this research project is to enhance the capabilities of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV through a collaborative approach. By reverse engineering both the computational and mechanical aspects of these robots, we aim to unlock their full potential for a wide range of applications.

    One key aspect of our approach involves integrating obstacle avoidance and path planning algorithms into the quadruped robot, enhancing its ability to navigate autonomously in complex environments. By implementing these algorithms, we can improve the robot's efficiency and effectiveness in avoiding obstacles and reaching its destination safely. Additionally, collecting data on the robot's navigation efficiency will allow us to evaluate the performance of these algorithms and fine-tune them for optimal results.

    Furthermore, to broaden the scope of our research, we plan to introduce a variety of different robot systems, including drones and ground robots, to work in tandem with the quadruped robot and the Husky UGV. This multi-robot collaboration will enable us to explore new possibilities and applications, such as coordinated surveillance missions or search and rescue operations. By leveraging the complementary strengths of different types of robots, we can enhance overall system performance and versatility.

    In summary, this research project aims to push the boundaries of robotic capabilities through collaboration, reverse engineering, and algorithm development. By enhancing the computational and mechanical aspects of quadruped robots and the Husky UGV, as well as integrating diverse robot systems, we seek to enable new advancements and applications in robotics technology. Through this interdisciplinary approach, we hope to contribute to the ongoing evolution of robotics and its potential to address real-world challenges effectively.

  • Mentor: Roneisha Worthy

    Optimizing Water and Nutrient Efficiency in Hydroponic Systems for Sustainable Peach Production in Georgia

    Background: In response to increasing water scarcity and the need for sustainable agricultural practices, hydroponics offers a viable solution by significantly reducing the water and nutrient requirements compared to traditional soil-based agriculture. This project aims to utilize hydroponic technologies to optimize the production of peaches, a crop of significant economic importance in Georgia, ensuring sustainability and efficiency.
    Research Question: How can hydroponic systems be optimized to enhance water and nutrient use efficiency in peach production under varying environmental conditions in Georgia?

    Objectives:
    -To establish the efficacy of Deep Water Culture (DWC) hydroponic systems in the cultivation of peaches.
    -To determine optimal water and nutrient regimes for peach production in hydroponic systems.
    -To assess the environmental impacts and sustainability of using DWC hydroponic systems for peach cultivation.

    Methodology: The research will involve the use of 5 Gal. Black DWC Hydroponics Grow System Deep Water Culture Bucket with Recirculating Drip Garden Kit (8-Pack). The study will compare the growth performance, water usage, and nutrient efficiency of peaches in these hydroponic systems under controlled conditions.

  • Mentor: Da Hu

    Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Drone-Based Detection and Mapping of Bridge Defects

    The safety, reliability, and longevity of transportation infrastructure are critical for maintaining efficient and effective transportation networks. Bridge inspections are an essential part of this process, ensuring that potential issues are identified and addressed in a timely manner. Traditional bridge inspection methods, however, can be labor-intensive, time-consuming, and costly. Furthermore, these methods often require the temporary closure of bridges, causing disruptions to traffic flow and imposing additional burdens on communities. In response to these challenges, the use of drones and computer vision techniques for bridge inspection has emerged as a promising alternative. By leveraging these advanced technologies, inspection processes can be made more accurate, comprehensive, and efficient, while also reducing costs and minimizing traffic disruptions. The development of an automated bridge inspection framework, which combines drone-based image acquisition with sophisticated computer vision algorithms, has the potential to revolutionize the way bridge inspections are conducted, ensuring the safety and longevity of critical transportation infrastructure.

    The proposed project aims to create an automated bridge inspection framework that leverages drone technology and state-of-the-art machine learning techniques for the precise and efficient detection of various defects, including cracks and other structural issues, on bridge decks. This framework will not only streamline the inspection process, but also provide infrastructure managers with a detailed understanding of the bridge's condition, thus promoting better decision-making regarding maintenance and repair activities. By adopting this advanced framework, transportation authorities can improve the safety, reliability, and longevity of their infrastructure assets while minimizing costs and disruptions associated with traditional inspection methods.

  • Mentor: Gaurav Sharma

    Numerical Investigation of Vortex Breakdown Over Compound Delta Wing

    The primary objective of the present research is to undertake a thorough numerical investigation into the phenomenon of vortex breakdown manifesting over a compound delta wing. This inquiry seeks to unravel the intricate fluid dynamics governing this complex aerodynamic occurrence, which involves the abrupt transition from a stable vortex flow to a chaotic state. The study places particular emphasis on the compound delta wing due to its prevalent utilization in contemporary high-performance aircraft, characterized by a multifaceted geometry with multiple surfaces and junctions.

    The essence of vortex breakdown lies in the sudden and unpredictable transformation of a stable vortex, formed over an aircraft's wings, into a chaotic state. The consequences of this abrupt transition hold paramount significance in comprehending the aerodynamic performance of high-performance aircraft. An in-depth understanding of the underlying fluid dynamics is essential for the advancement of design methodologies and ensuring operational safety.

    To achieve these objectives, advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques are employed to scrutinize the intricacies associated with vortex breakdown over compound delta wings. The application of CFD enables a comprehensive numerical examination by solving the governing Navier-Stokes equations, which dictate the dynamics of fluid flow. This approach facilitates meticulous scrutiny of airflow patterns and vortex dynamics, providing a detailed insight into the complex interactions at play within the aerodynamic milieu.

    The research seeks to identify critical parameters influencing vortex breakdown, such as wing geometry, angle of attack, and airspeed, through a methodical numerical investigation. Moreover, the study aims to assess the consequential effects of vortex breakdown on fundamental aerodynamic parameters, including lift, drag, and overall stability. The utilization of state-of-the-art CFD tools ensures the simulation of the entire aerodynamic environment, enabling a holistic perspective on the aerodynamic behavior of compound delta wings.

    In conclusion, this research project signifies a notable stride in advancing the scientific understanding of vortex breakdown over compound delta wings through the application of sophisticated CFD techniques. The outcomes of this investigation are poised to inform future design strategies for high-performance aircraft, contributing to the enhancement of efficiency and safety.

  • Mentor: Razvan Voicu

    Artificial General Intelligence - Control of Real-time Entity (AGI CORE)

    The "Artificial General Intelligence—Control of Real-time Entities" (AGI CORE) project aims to advance real-time control systems by integrating local AI systems with cloud-based large language models (LLMs). Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is a type of AI that can understand, learn, and apply knowledge across various tasks, mimicking human cognitive abilities. AGI CORE specifically focuses on leveraging AGI to manage and optimize real-time systems, particularly in robotics control.
     
    Previous research in this domain has explored various critical parameters for effective AI integration, such as communication mechanisms, end-to-end delay, processing time, and the system's capability to produce accurate directives. Additionally, efforts have been made to optimize the processing time to achieve directive outputs as fast as 1.9 seconds. However, this is still far from the sub-second (100ms or less) response times required by many real-time applications. Consequently, AGI CORE seeks to address this gap by developing a hybrid AI framework that combines the immediacy of local computing with the advanced capabilities of cloud computing.
     
    The primary goal is to engineer a local AI system capable of managing and controlling real-time robotics operations with minimal delay, complemented by enhanced capabilities sourced from cloud systems. This hybrid approach is crucial for applications where timing and precision are paramount, such as in autonomous vehicles, military operations, and medical technologies in biomedical labs. Through AGI CORE, we aim to optimize system responsiveness and introduce advanced contextual understanding capabilities that transcend traditional programmable systems, enabling more dynamic and adaptable applications.

  • Mentor: Hoseon Lee

    Design of a Novel Controlled Radiation Capsule for Improved Brachytherapy Cancer Treatment  

    Annually, approximately 7 million undergo cancer radiation therapy, with 3.5 million cured. Brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy) has two delivery methods: High-Dose Radiation (HDR) and Low-Dose Radiation (HDR). HDR employs high-energy radiation with higher risks to surrounding tissue; LDR has lower risks but longer treatment. In conclusion, the proposed capsule is a combination of the advantages of HDR and LDR resulting in minimizing the radiation risk and treatment time with the potential applications on intracavity cancers. A nuclear radiation simulation tool called TOPAS is used to simulate the difference between the conventional I-125 radiation seed and the proposed design. The results show that conventional seed emits radiation omnidirectionally, and the proposed device blocks the radiation everywhere except the opening “window” where the radiation targets the tumor. For this project, the dosimetry calculations were conducted to figure out the amount of grams of I-125 and the number of radiation seeds in order to determine the dimensions of the capsule. To design the capsule, Solidworks was used to create the inner and outer cylinders and walls, as well as windows through which the radiation can be released. The dimensions are based on dosimetry calculations and TOPAS simulations. COMSOL, a Multiphysics simulation software, is used to simulate both the electromagnet and permanent magnet, allowing easy adjustments to the material and size of the permanent magnet, as well as the current in the electromagnet. These modifications enable finding optimal conditions where the permanent magnet is weak enough to repel yet strong enough to stay attached when the capsule is inactive. Target cancer types are intracavitary cancer such as esophageal, cervical, nasal, oral cavity, but can also include cancers in the eye and brain, due to very localized radiation and minimal risk to surrounding healthy cells and tissue.  

Wellstar College of Health and Human Services

  • Mentor: Gerald Mangine

    Agreement Between Methods for Describing the Intensity of a High-Intensity Functional Training Workout

    The purpose of this study is to examine the agreement between velocity-based descriptors of high-intensity functional training workout intensity, more traditional descriptors of exercise intensity (e.g., percentage of max strength), and commonly accepted metrics of HIFT intensity (e.g., lactate, HR, and RPE). For this study, participants will be asked to report to the Human Performance Laboratory (HPL; Room 1104 in Prillaman Hall on the Kennesaw State University Main Campus) on three separate occasions wearing athletic clothing. The first baseline visit will be used to quantify relevant physical and physiological attributes by assessing body composition (via 4-compartment model) and performance in workout-relevant exercises (i.e., power clean, toes-to-bar, and wall ball shots). The first experimental visit will begin within 48 – 72 hours of the baseline visit, and the second experimental visit can begin within 48 – 72 hours of the first experimental session. All visits for this study will be completed within 14 days of enrollment, and always at a time that is consistent with the participant's normal training schedule. Experimental visits will begin with a heart rate variability assessment, followed by a subjective rating of effort, and then a blood sample donation for lactate concentration analysis. Participants will then initiate a standard warm-up that will conclude with maximal speed assessments, followed by a 5-minute rest break, and then completion of either a lesser- (LV-WOD) or higher-volume (HV-WOD) workout consisting of barbell power cleans (5 or 10 repetitions), toes-to-bar (10 or 15 repetitions), and WB (15 or 20 repetitions). All pre-exercise assessments, except for maximal velocity assessments, will be repeated immediately following completion of the workout. Workout order will be randomly assigned by the research team prior to the second visit with participants being notified of the order at the beginning of the warm-up period on that visit. They will complete the remaining workout on their third visit. 

    Changes in speed (i.e., repetition completion rate) for each exercise will be monitored and recorded during both experimental workout conditions, and then be calculated as a percentage of the participants' established maximal speed. Relationships and agreement between their percentage speed and established metrics of intensity will then be statistically examined.

  • Mentor: Mark Geil

    Biomechanics of Infant Crawling Development

    In 2022, the CDC removed crawling from the new list of infant developmental milestones, in part due to the lack of normative and subjective data on crawling. While we have extensive data from motion analysis on child walking development, the same techniques do not work well with infants. Using a novel non-invasive technique and a mat with distributed pressure transducers, this project will create the largest normative database on crawling in history. Over three years, we will assess typically developing infants every two weeks from onset of crawling until transition to walking, collecting crawling speed, weight distribution, cadence and step lengths, and the percent of each crawling cycle when 2, 3, or all 4 limbs are in contact with the ground. We will also collect a sample o 15 children with limb loss to represent atypical development through our partnership with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. We will use these data to identify which variables are most sensitive to limb mechanics. The long-term goal is to enable earlier identification and intervention for pediatric neuromuscular conditions such as cerebral palsy. 

  • Mentor: Mark Geil

    Biomechanics of Infant Crawling Development

    In 2022, the CDC removed crawling from the new list of infant developmental milestones, in part due to the lack of normative and subjective data on crawling. While we have extensive data from motion analysis on child walking development, the same techniques do not work well with infants. Using a novel non-invasive technique and a mat with distributed pressure transducers, this project will create the largest normative database on crawling in history. Over three years, we will assess typically developing infants every two weeks from onset of crawling until transition to walking, collecting crawling speed, weight distribution, cadence and step lengths, and the percent of each crawling cycle when 2, 3, or all 4 limbs are in contact with the ground. We will also collect a sample o 15 children with limb loss to represent atypical development through our partnership with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. We will use these data to identify which variables are most sensitive to limb mechanics. The long-term goal is to enable earlier identification and intervention for pediatric neuromuscular conditions such as cerebral palsy. 

  • Mentor: Matthew Lyons

    Addressing the Social Determinants of Health Using Complex Systems Methodology

    This project will focus on addressing the social determinants of health through complex systems methods. It will include continued work on an ongoing systematic review of moral distress in social workers, data scientific exploration of a large scale longitudinal data set on the homeless service system in Cobb County, and research support on a funded NIH R01 grant. 

  • Mentor: Daphney Carter

    Assessing the Cardiovascular System in Response to Non-Traditional Exercise Interventions

    Blood flow restriction is a method of temporarily reducing blood flow by inflating a cuff on the upper part of a limb. This has been shown to have promising benefits for the musculature when combined with exercise and in the absence of exercise. In certain cases, such as injury and illness, individuals may be unable to exercise or maintain their physical activity levels. These declines in physical activity may be associated with declines in the cardiovascular system. While the current application of blood flow restriction alone does not appear to improve the cardiovascular system, it seems this protocol could be altered to improve comfort and effectiveness.
    Thus, this project is designed to test the effectiveness of more frequent cuff inflations that occur for a shorter duration than the typical protocol. We will collect data on the cardiovascular system and perceptions before, during, and following the protocol. If this seems to be a more comfortable and effective method of blood flow restriction, then a future study may determine whether repeated application improves the cardiovascular system or maintains the cardiovascular system during reduced physical activity levels.

Information for Current Sophomore Scholars

  • The Undergraduate Peer Mentors host workshops and events throughout the academic year that are open to Sophomore Scholars. Accepted students are encouraged to attend relevant sessions, but attendance is not required.

    Event

    Peer Ambassador Workshops

    More Info

Sophomore Scholars from Previous Years

2023-2024 Sophomore Scholars

College of Architecture and Construction Management

  • Mentor: Ermal Shpuza

    Daylighting in Buildings: Sustainable Design Strategies for Building Floorplates

    Buildings — including material production, construction, operation, and maintenance — are responsible for more than 55% of global energy use, way more than transportation, industrial and agricultural production combined. To achieve a sustainable balance between the built and natural environments and guarantee healthy and productive lives for future generations, we must rethink the way we design and construct buildings in order to minimize their energy use. Daylighting is one of the fundamental green design strategies, which has direct implications for work productivity, wellbeing, and safety. Architects strive to increase the levels of daylighting in houses, workplaces, educational buildings, and healthcare facilities either by increasing the amount of fenestration or by limiting the depth of floorplates so that most spaces in buildings are close to the daylight perimeter. Meanwhile, daylight buildings not only make for happier and healthier tenants, but they also require less energy for artificial lighting. But there is a catch, which comes bundled in three main issues: First, the more we elongate buildings to minimize floorplate depth, the longer the length of the building envelope thus the total construction cost; Second, due to longer envelopes, skinny buildings are more prone to energy loss through their perimeters and thus require more energy for cooling and heating; Third, in most climatic zones, buildings with elongated floorplates could be prone to overheating due to direct sunlight when shading is not considered well.  

    The project seeks to raise students’ understanding about the effect of basic building design on daylight levels, energy use, as related to sustainable design goals. Students will analyze a large stock of buildings in KSU campuses and the surrounding areas of Cobb County focusing on the shape and size of building floorplates. Relying on simple measurements of daylight levels, and the well-established precedent normative indices, students will develop a classificatory matrix that brings together building area, envelope area, and daylight levels as a derivative of the building floorplate shape. The classification matrix would enable the rating of various buildings form the standpoint of the optimal balance between high levels of daylighting and low envelope cost.

  • Mentor: Pegah Zamani

    Impact of Air Pollution Exposure in Latino Communities: An Equity-based Framework for Environmental Engineering

    What makes a community sustainable, equitable, and healthy to serve people of different 
    backgrounds, resources, and abilities? What is the impact of the built environment on human health, safety, and welfare at multiple scales, from buildings to cities?

    This research instills in students a holistic understanding of Sustainable Development Goals and the 
    role of the design process in integrating multiple factors to shape the built environment on different scales. Our projects aim to deepen understanding of diversocioctors (such as socio-cultural) that impact sustainability, equity, and health in a community. The projects challenge students to solve complex problems through effective collaboration skills, emerging sustainable systems, and innovative design strategies. Students would be engaged in design research projects advocating the integration of multiple factors in shaping healthy environments — framed by diverse ecological, social, cultural, political, and economic forces. 

College of Computing and Software Engineering

  • Mentor: Ahyoung Lee

    Low-Power Low-Cost Long Range Radio Networking for Internet-of-Energy Manufacturing Industry 

    This project aims to explore new techniques including (1) AI/ML models for the design of efficient algorithms on energy-starved IoE application networking systems, (2) array antenna control systems to determine beamforming for data transmission reliability and energy efficiency, and (3) a new cloud network paradigm such as a consolidation of Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) such as using Long Range Radio (LoRa) technology with edge cloud computing to support QoS both energy-starved IoE and general Internet-of-Thinks (IoT) data communications. LoRa is a low energy consumption, low bit rate, cost-effective, and license-free IoT, which has a significant long range. LoRa can be combined with software-defined networking to create unified, adaptable, rapid-deployable networks. Therefore, these project solutions are applicable to many high-impact situations where communication is lost, as well as monitoring energy intake and usage patterns at the data-driven application site, zone, system, and device level.

  • Mentor: Shirley Tian

    Addressing Challenges of Cybersecurity Education and Research

    There has been an increasing effort in cybersecurity teacher preparation for secondary education in recent years. However, one of the significant challenges teachers face when trying to teach cybersecurity topics is the lack of expertise, time, and resources needed to develop a cybersecurity curriculum for their classrooms. With this need in mind, the goal of this project is to develop a standards-based cybersecurity curriculum for secondary education to help increase student cybersecurity literacy and build a robust pipeline of future cybersecurity talents. The expected outcome of this project is to provide a comprehensive, ready-to-use, standards-based, hands-on cybersecurity curriculum that is readily available for secondary education teachers to implement in their classrooms. This project will also develop a website that shows the research contents, research team publications, and researchers’ names.  

  • Mentor: Liang Zhao

    Website Fingerprinting: Attacks and Defenses

    Website fingerprinting acts as a detective trying to guess what one has been up to online. Imagine someone looking at the digital 'footprints' left by web browsing - the timing, direction, and size of the data sent and received, even if tools are used to keep online activities private, like proxies, VPNs, or Tor, this detective could potentially piece together which websites have been visited. In this field, machine learning (a smart computer program that can learn from patterns) is used to better understand and protect online privacy. In the case of website fingerprinting, these smart programs can analyze data footprints and guess the websites they originally came from. This project revolves around investigating methods to safeguard digital privacy and comprehending the strategies employed to compromise it, specifically in the domain of web security. The application of web security techniques is at the core of this study, aiming to enhance the protection of users’ online activities and data from prying eyes. By delving into the intricacies of website fingerprinting and employing machine learning methodologies, the project seeks to contribute to a more secure and privacy-conscious digital landscape.  

College of Science and Mathematics

  • Mentor: Heather Abbott-Lyon

    The Role of Phosphorus-Containing Minerals in the Origin of Life

    Phosphorus is one of the six essential elements for life, playing a key role in our nucleic acids (DNA, RNA), cell membranes (bilayersipid bilayers), and coenzymes (e.g., ATP). Discovering the mechanisms by which phosphorus is released from minerals and characterizing the subsequent reactivity is crucial to understanding the origin of life on Earth and the potential for life to exist elsewhere in our universe. In this project, students will monitor the chemistry of phosphorus-containing minerals with water and small organic molecules to determine what abiotic or non-biological reactions occur.

    Following synthesis, which Ellie has already successfully learned phosphitetal phosphite samples will be analyzed using infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and NMR or nuclear magnetic resonance to confirm their structure. Additionally, careful measurements on the solubility pHsdifferent pHs will be performed. Following characterization, students will perform reactions betwephosphitesal phosphitesprebioticand prebiotic molecules such propanolnol, propanol and glyphosphitetal phosphite samples will be reacted at modest temperatures (60-80oC) and atmospheric pressure, approximating the conditions in tidal pools on the early Earth. The formation and relative abundances of organic molecules containing phosphorusphosphonates phosphonates and organophosphates, will be identified using NMR. 

    The proposed experiments will address the research question, “What products can be formed when phosphorus-bearing mineabioticallyd abiotically with prebiotic molecules in comets or on the early Earth?” The information obtained during this project will origin-of-life scientists determphosphitesal phosphites could have been an important precursor for phosphorubiomolecules biomolecules on the early Earth. 

  • Mentor: John Barrows

    Mechanism of Transcription Regulation by Metalloregulators 

    Our laboratory uses various molecular biology and biophysical techniques to determine consensus DNA-binding sequences for transcription factor proteins. Transcription factors are essential regulators in all organisms that control gene expression. In bacteria, transcription factors often regulate genes by binding to a specific DNA sequence usually found immediately upstream of the regulated gene, and DNA-bound transcription factors either enhance or repress the ability of RNA polymerase to initiate transcription. Typically, transcription factors respond to environmental stimuli, often requiring a co-factor to bind DNA efficiently.

    For this project, we are interested in determining the transcription regulatory network (i.e. the set of genes a transcription factor regulates) for a DtxR family regulator in the model bacterium, Thermus thermophilus HB8. DtxR regulators are found extensively throughout gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and these transcription factors often regulate genes involved in heavy metal transport. Additionally, DtxR proteins often require a metal cofactor to bind DNA. Notably, Thermus thermophilus has only one DtxR homolog (encoded by the TTHA0754 gene), and no previous literature exists regarding this protein.  

  • Mentor: Brandon Carpenter

    A Major Regulator of Germline Transcription, LSL-1, Contributes to Developmental Defects when Histone Methylation is Inappropriately Inherited

    Histone methylation is a post-transcriptional modification to the N-terminal tails of histone core proteins that regulates DNA accessibility, and consequently, gene expression. Like DNA, histone methylation can be inherited between generations, and is highly regulated during embryonic development. At fertilization, histone methylation must undergo maternal reprogramming to reset the epigenetic landscape in the new zygote. During maternal reprogramming of histone methylation in the nematode, C. elegans, H3K4me (a modification associated with active transcription) is removed by the H3K4 demethylase, SPR-5, and H3K9me (a modification associated with transcriptional repression) is subsequently added by the histone methyltransferase, MET-2. Maternal loss of SPR-5 and MET-2 results in ectopic expression of germline genes in somatic tissues and a range of developmental phenotypes, including a severe developmental delay. Using a combination of RNA-seq and ChIP-seq experiments, a recent study identified a major regulator of germline transcription, LSL-1, that turns on germline genes in the germline during development. From our own transcriptional analysis performed on C. elegans lacking SPR-5 and MET-2, we find that lsl-1 is significantly upregulated in somatic tissues. Together these data suggest that LSL-1 may be turning on germline genes aberrantly in somatic tissue and contributing to developmental delay. To test this hypothesis, we knocked down lsl-1 using RNA interference (RNAi) and found that the developmental delay in spr-5; met-2 mutants is significantly rescued.

    To take the next steps in this exciting project as a sophomore, we will perform RNA-seq to identify the germline genes in spr-5; met-2 mutants that are dependent on LSL-1 and that contribute to complex developmental phenotypes including developmental delay. In addition, we will perform follow up genetic and immunohistochemistry experiments to complete the data necessary to begin writing a manuscript. Together, our findings will provide mechanistic insight into how inappropriate inheritance of epigenetic states perturb germline versus somatic cell fate specification during embryonic development. 

  • Mentor: Paula Jackson

    Investigating the Impact of Prescribed Burns on the SoMicrobiomeal Microbiome of the Longleaf Pine

    In our lab, we are investigating different aspects of the longleaf pine ecosystem, which is an ecosystem that used to cover about 90 million acres across the Southern US but has been reduced to less than 3% of its original range. Because it is home to more than 30 endangered and threatened species, as well as due to the value of the longleaf pine trees themselves, the restoration of this ecosystem has become a strong priority. 

    The longleaf pine ecosystem relies on frequent fires to subsist, and its range has been reduced in part because of fire suppression, but clearing the forests for construction, development, agriculture, and faster growing species for lumber have also played a role.  For his sophomore scholar’s year Dylan would like to focus his research on an aspect of our broader study. Dylan would like to follow up with a self-contained project and study the ecological succession of the bacterial soil community at our study site after fire.

    Over the first year some of the 1st. Year Scholars in our team were fortunate to observe a prescribed, controlled burn at our study site; implemented as part of the restoration initiatives for the longleaf pine ecosystem. We took advantage of this burn and collected soil samples shortly thereafter and at increasing time intervals. Little is known about the microbiome of the soil of the Montane Longleaf Pine, and less about the ecological succession that takes place shortly after fire. The longleaf pine ecosystem is frequently subdivided into four different habitat types: Montane, Sandhills, Rolling Hills and Flatwoods. The least known of these is the Montane habitat, which is where our study site is located.  

    We think that that by characterizing the soil microbiome (getting to know the community of organisms in the soil) in general, and in particular, given that fire is such an integral part of the restoration process, studying the ecological succession within the soil community after a fire, we will be able to help inform the restoration of this ecosystem. Dylan’s work on this project will greatly help move this aim forward.

  • Mentor: Whitney Preisser

    What’s in a Fish? A Survey of Parasites Infecting Freshwater Fish Species in Georgia

    Georgia is a hotspot for freshwater fish diversity in the United States, yet we know almost nothing about the parasites infecting these species. With my research program, I seek to survey and describe the parasitic diseases of freshwater fish in the state. I am requesting funds for Kaleigh Jones to assist in this research. 
     
    KSU has 188 jars containing almost 1000 ethanol-preserved freshwater fish collected around the state between 1999 and 2016; 115 species of fish are represented in this collection! Kaleigh will continue her work with these specimens, dissecting these fish using a stereo microscope and collecting and identifying their parasites using a compound microscope. She will collect data on the host and parasites on paper datasheets and then will input the data into a shared datasheet on OneDrive at the end of the week. We will use these data to publish surveys on parasitic diseases of these fish species and study the distribution of diseases across Georgia watersheds. 
     
    Kaleigh will also use the data she collects to continue her work on an independent research project. Last year, Kaleigh investigated the parasite fauna of two families of freshwater fish in Georgia, Ictaluridae and Catostomidae, with another undergraduate researcher. She will continue on this project, adding in additional taxa when needed. 

Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Mentor: Tyler Collette

    The Effects of Personality on Post-Traumatic Growth

    Last year, KSU students and I expanded on previous research by evaluating models of resilience among individuals with above-threshold PTSD symptomology. Our goal was to validate a model for theoretical anxiety buffers anticipated to mitigate the harmful impacts of traumatic experiences. This research enriched the wider literature and solidified the theoretical foundations of ABDT. Moreover, it paved the way for exploring interventions that harness individuals’ innate resources and the cultural foundations underpinning them. Our student team showcased this work at both local and national conferences, and we have been diligently preparing for publication. 
     
    In this context, Alexa's previous contributions stand out. In prior semesters, Alexa introduced innovative approaches to evaluate factors she believed would moderate the relationship between anxiety buffers aimed at lessening the psychological aftermath of traumatic events on long-term outcomes. Inspired by prior research, Alexa emphasized evaluating the role of personality at the individual level and pinpointing its role as a pivotal moderator overall model.  
     
    This year, we will be focused on expanding this research through a true experiment. Our design will evaluate whether mere contemplation of death can trigger comparable reactions (though considerably milder in intensity) and then evaluate whether or not elements of personality serve to counteract the existential anxiety stemming from the manipulation. 

  • Mentor: Chanler Hilley

    Social Support, Identity, and Aspirations of Opportunity Youth

    During the Fall semester, the sophomore-year scholar will focus on recruiting and interviewing youth who are not currently in school or work, commonly referred to as “disconnected youth” or “opportunity youth,” about their experiences, connectedness, and aspirations. During the Spring semester, the sophomore-year scholar will have the opportunity to work on transcription, coding, and analysis of the interview data just described.

    This project extends the work conducted during the first-year scholars experience, which focused on conducting reviews of prior research and using those reviews to design and plan for the qualitative study explained above. This project will involve collaborating with other students to recruit and interview 30 youth. The sophomore-year scholar will also be supported to pursue research questions they are passionate about from this or other studies undertaken by our research group, which will set the stage for research capstone or other research-oriented experiences during the student’s junior and senior years. 

  • Mentor: Ranbir Kang

    Modeling and Analysis of Silting in a Local Lake in Kennesaw, GA. 

    The proposed research builds upon the work completed with the support of the First Year Scholars Program. It included field surveys of Frey Lake using different equipment including a laser scanner and a drone. We also collected a significant amount of historical data on the landscape as well as long-term climate data. The requested funds from the Sophomore Scholars Program will be used to add a new layer of surveys to model the silt thickness and silt distribution in Frey Lake. It will involve using an inflatable boat, depth sounder, and sonar. The data will be used for geospatial modeling and preparing raster as well as vector models of the distribution of silt thickness across the lake bed. The objective is to use these results and write a manuscript for a peer reviewed journal such as Geographical Bulletin.  
     
    The proposed research will increase our understanding of freshwater lakes which serve multiple function for cities across the world such as providing water to communities, controlling floods by storing extra water, offering recreational opportunities, promoting fish and wildlife, and serving as natural laboratories for ecological research. While providing cutting-edge training to the student, it would also support the efforts of many local, regional, and state agencies involved in the management of freshwater systems.

  • Mentor: Robin Smith Mathis

    Voices of Resilience: Women in Law Enforcement Navigating Communication Barriers 

    The project is a continuation of last years’ project examining law enforcement narratives. It would provide clarification and contradictions necessary to understand the layers of communicating in a masculine profession. A masculine profession is one that has historically been held by men. In addition, the rules, norms, and culture of the profession are rooted in masculine values (i.e., competition, aggression, and power etc.). Women face unique communication challenges in the workplace. Then, within various professions, the differences can vary. Law enforcement presents a complex communication environment Emma Smalley found as a FYS, interviewed women in various states regarding mentorship, assimilation, and experiences of isolation. She transcribed and coded interviews. The results led to several other explorations such as, men’s perspective, representation within social media, retention, and motherhood.

  • Mentor: Emily Scheinfeld

    Compounded Grief Beyond the Pandemic: What it Looks Like and How People Cope 

    Many families rarely talk about death, grief, and end of life before one our loved ones are going through it. Even then, the topic is so taboo in the United States, that many continue to avoid conversations surrounding death or grief altogether. But research has shown us that when parents talk to their children about major, often taboo, issues such as sex, alcohol, or drugs, kids are likely to engage in healthier habits overall. These kids are also more likely to talk to others about these issues (like romantic partners or friends when it comes up) and to feel like they can go to their parents if they need to about these types of topics. So why would the same not be the case when it comes to death? That is, if we talk to our loved ones about death in some way (relationships, laughing, storytelling, love, religion, final wishes, identity), would their children be better able to have conversations with their own families, talk about their grief with others (including therapists), and better able to cope overall? That is what we are hoping to find out. And along the way, we hope to destigmatize death and grief, especially during a time in our society, when it seems to surround us. 

    This year, we will be diving headfirst into the Quantitative data we collected (which took almost 4mos to collect 280 quality responses). With Kelly and Jessica, Ella and I will be exploring a number of end-of- life issues, including grief, final conversations, and communal coping and coping strategies. We aim to get at least 2 manuscripts out of this data set this year, with another the following year. 

    Ella also aims to take the feedback she received from NCUR and the student symposium to improve her manuscript that work with some of the qualitative data from a portion of that dataset. From there, we will look at getting that manuscript published this year. 

    With Dr. Elue, we are looking at grief in the eyes of students. She and I are working on how people turned to the internet to grieve right now, by analyzing themes on Reddit. We will be publishing this piece over the summer. We then are looking forward to doing a similar project using SAS analysis (working with Dr. Gary Wilcox) to examine students specifically and their return to college, coping with the pandemic, being overwhelmed following the pandemic, and dealing with various issues of grief at that time. We are also developing a roadmap to interview or conduct focus groups to explore nontraditional students, veteran students, first generational students, and/or international students and their experiences of various forms of grief and compounded grief in college, including how they cope with it. 

Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology 

  • Mentor: Ashish Aphale

    Conductive Polymer Based Electrode Materials for Ultracapacitor Applications 

    This project will focus on synthesis and characterization of novel nanocomposite electrode for energy storage system. A combination of atomically thick carbon nanomaterial and conducting polymer such polyaniline (PANI) will be used for synthesizing electrode films. Thin films of electrodes will be developed using electropolymerizing technique and various electrochemical characterizations such as cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and charge discharge tests will be conducted to study their performance. Surface and interface morphological characterization will also be conducted to analyze the electrode material. 

  • Mentor: Turaj Ashuri

    Autonomous Robotic Navigation in Complex Terrains 

    Making a vehicle drive itself off-road is quite different from self-driving cars on regular roads. Off-road situations lack clear rules and lanes, which means the vehicle must handle unexpected challenges as they come up. Industries like Agriculture, Construction, Mining, and Space Exploration are interested in using automation for tasks usually done by people, especially those that are boring or even dangerous. Automating off-road vehicles does not just help with tasks; it brings a bunch of benefits. It lets industries grow their work easily. These automated vehicles can work in lots of places without much trouble. This kind of flexibility makes work faster and more efficient.

    Additionally, using automated vehicles means work does not have to stop. They do not get tired or need breaks, so they can keep going without pauses. This helps get tasks done sooner and makes things work better overall.

    In this project, the student will create a self-driving robot by combining basic programming skills and robotics components. The student will start with a small robot kit, like Arduino or Raspberry Pi, and learn programming languages like Python or C++. The student will attach sensors such as ultrasonic or infrared to help the robot "see" its surroundings. This allows to write code that processes sensor data to make decisions, like avoiding obstacles. The work gradually improves robot's capabilities by adding more sensors and refining the code. Online tutorials, forums, and libraries are great resources. Through experimentation, learning, and iteration, the student will gain valuable skills in robotics, coding, and problem-solving while bringing a self-driving robot to life. 

  • Mentor: Turaj Ashuri

    Autonomous Robotic Navigation in Complex Terrains

    Making a vehicle drive itself off-road is quite different from self-driving cars on regular roads. Off-road situations lack clear rules and lanes, which means the vehicle must handle unexpected challenges as they come up. Industries like Agriculture, Construction, Mining, and Space Exploration are interested in using automation for tasks usually done by people, especially those that are boring or even dangerous. 

    Automating off-road vehicles does not just help with tasks; it brings a bunch of benefits. It lets industries grow their work easily. These automated vehicles can work in lots of places without much trouble. This kind of flexibility makes work faster and more efficient. 

    Additionally, using automated vehicles means work does not have to stop. They do not get tired or need breaks, so they can keep going without pauses. This helps get tasks done sooner and makes things work better overall. 

    In this project, the student will create a self-driving robot by combining basic programming skills and robotics components. The student will start with a small robot kit, like Arduino or Raspberry Pi, and learn programming languages like Python or C++. The student will attach sensors such as ultrasonic or infrared to help the robot "see" its surroundings. This allows to write code that processes sensor data to make decisions, like avoiding obstacles. The work gradually improves robot's capabilities by adding more sensors and refining the code. Online tutorials, forums, and libraries are great resources. Through experimentation, learning, and iteration, the student will gain valuable skills in robotics, coding, and problem-solving while bringing a self-driving robot to life. 

  • Mentor: Awatef Ergai

    The Effect of Gaming on Novice Pilots 

    Global aviation is suffering pilot shortage; by 2032, it is expected that international aviation will be 80,000 pilots short. Hence, there is an immediate need to identify ways to expedite pilot training. Researchers have found that gaming positively impacts cognition and hand coordination. Specifically, the abilities of people with expertise levels in video gaming have significantly affected performance scores in many flight simulators. However, these studies lack generalization due to the small sample size. This study investigates whether prior gaming experience impacts the flight performance of novice pilots using a large sample size, flight simulator, and eye-tracking metrics.

    We will gather data on two student groups for this study: students with little or no prior experience with gaming and with significant gaming experience. Both groups will receive initial training on basic operations and controls of an aircraft using KSU’s FAA approved flight simulator. After the initial training, students will be asked to fly a straight and level mission (maintaining a consistent altitude, heading, and attitude). During this task, participants will wear eye-tracking glasses to record what controls their eyes were attending to. They will also be graded based on a rubric. Student researchers will take part in data collection and get hands on experience with participants and data acquisition in addition to basic research skills.

    This project is the first of its kind at KSU to use gaze tracking device and a flight simulator, so the results from this research will not only determine whether there are statistically significant differences in how the two groups learn to fly the aircraft but also set a precedent for gaze tracking in aviation research at KSU.  

  • Mentor: Beibei Jiang

    An Analytical Model to Quickly Estimate Battery Capacity and Predict the Remaining Useful Life of Lithium-Ion Batteries

    The research on next-generation energy storage devices become a very important topic due to the increasing demand for high performance and reliable energy storage systems (e.g., Li-ion battery) in the fields of electric vehicles, biocompatible medical devices, and consumer electronics. Lots of efforts are being made in the field of developing innovative materials and improving device fabrication methods so that the device performance can be significantly improved. One of the biggest challenges is to quickly test the device performance to evaluate the changes being made to the design. However, the current battery testing method can take up to months to finish, which significantly slows down the development. It is therefore urgent and necessary to improve the current battery testing methodology to meet the needs of fast development in the market for electric vehicles.  

    The project proposed a way to enable quick testing through data-driven machine learning prediction and experimental validation. Firstly, a large amount of data will be collected to build the machine learning model through some basic data science skills. Secondly, the physical model will be introduced to improve the accuracy of the model. Finally, the model predicted results will be validated by experimental data, which in turn will also be used to improve the model.  

    The goal of the first phase of the model is to improve prediction accuracy to >95%. During the second phase of model development, the goal is to reduce testing time to < 24 hours. During the third phase of model development, the goal is to improve prediction accuracy to >99% and to reduce testing time to < 12 hours.  Upon the completion of the one-year FYSP program, the goals for all phases have been completed, and a model has been developed for LCO chemistry-based coin cell batteries.  
     
    We aim to explore a variety of batteries with diverse chemistries and significantly higher energy densities as part of the sophomore program. Our objective is to gather more comprehensive insights applicable to practical electric vehicles. We will apply similar testing procedures to these batteries to identify models capable of effectively simulating battery performance. These models will enable swift predictions and estimations of battery behavior. 

  • Mentor: Dal Hyung Kim

    Study on Biomimetic Locomotion of a Hexapod Robot Based on Fire Ants Gair Motion

    Hexapod robots have been highlighted in the last few decades because of their stable locomotion in complex and uneven terrain. Multiple legs are controlled with a degree of insect autonomy so that the robot can move in an uneven and complex environment to complete a planned task. A Hexapod robot has advanced features such as accessibility and stability in an extraterrestrial environment.

    Biomimicry is one of the most innovative methods to create a solution by mimicking the phenomena in nature. Insects can flexibly alter their gaiting pattern to adapt to various locomotor conditions. Various six-legged insects such as an ant and cockroach have been used as a model for biomimetic robots because legged animals can easily outperform the robots over rough ground.  

    In this project, we plan to develop a hexapod robot, which creates biomimetic locomotions from gaiting patterns found in a fire ant. To achieve this goal, we formulate the following research objectives: (1) design and fabricate a hexapod robot using 24 degrees of freedom based on an insect, (2) study a gaiting pattern by characterizing locomotions in a fire ant, and (3) develop a control method of a hexapod robot based on the characterized locomotion. The recent development in our lab demonstrated the omnidirectional locomotion tracking system for a walking insect in real time. We will utilize this system to observe the ant's walking behavior, and design various gait patterns (e.g., tripod, tetrapod gait pattern)based on observation. The machine learning-based image processing algorithm (deepLabCut) will be utilized for analyzing a gait pattern. Eventually, we will test the biomimetic locomotion for the developed hexapod robot in various ground conditions. 

    In the future, this work will be extended to study an adapted gait pattern for a damaged hexapod robot because a robot cannot be fully operating when one or more legs are not fully functional during the operations such as rescue and search operations, disaster responses, and human-inaccessible environments such as distant planet

  • Mentor: Ayse Tekes

    Design, Development, Modeling, and Validation of Soft Robots in MATLAB Simscape 

    Soft robots, often inspired by biological structures and living things, are designed, and developed from flexible and deformable materials, unlike traditionally designed rigid mechanisms. Soft robots have the potential to be used in various applications due to their unique characteristics. They can be designed to mimic the movement and behavior of natural organisms, making them suitable for tasks such as delicate object manipulation, exploration of complex and constrained environments, medical procedures, and even assistance in rehabilitation processes. The flexibility and compliance of soft robots also make them safer for interactions with humans and unpredictable surroundings, as they are less likely to cause harm or damage. The advancements within the realm of soft robotics have provided us with insights into a diverse range of potential applications. These applications encompass various domains such as manipulation, locomotion, surgery, animation, and rehabilitation. New studies have also brought up interesting problems about how to understand and control soft robots and materials. Solving these problems is really important for making safe and effective robots that can work well in changing situations. 

    Despite the numerous advantages of soft robots due to their inherent properties, the challenges arise as the complexity of design increases, such as the derivation of mathematical modeling, optimization of the geometry, and development methods. Creating accurate mathematical models for these robots includes the study of nonlinear and large deformations when the robot interacts under different conditions. Unlike traditional rigid robots, where the design parameters are often more straightforward to define, since soft robots deform during motion, optimizing the design to achieve specific tasks while accounting for their deformable nature is challenging. 

    To address this problem, we will design, develop, model, optimize, and study the motion analysis of complex soft robots in MATLAB Simscape. Simscape is a toolbox in MATLAB that consists of a library to design and simulate mechanical and electromechanical systems. The toolbox allows the user to design complex rigid, compliant, and soft mechanisms while animating the motion in the mechanics explorer. 

Wellstarlstar College of Health and Human Services

  • Mentor: Matthew Lyons

    Investigating the Social Determinates of Health from a Complex Systems Perspective: Poverty, Stress, and Human Health in International Context

    I have several ongoing projects on which the contributions of a Sophomore Scholar could be significant. These include my role as co-investigator on an NIH R01 studying mental health among young women in Kampala, Uganda (where I lead the implementation evaluation), my ongoing community-engaged research on homelessness as a social determinant of health, or my theoretical (soon to be empirical) investigation of moral distress in the child welfare workforce. One of the unique value propositions that I provide for scholars as a mentor is that there is a wide range of opportunities for them to engage with, and they are able to make choices throughout the year regarding which tasks and projects are most suited to their long term academic and professional interests.

    Among these opportunities, there are both qualitative and quantitative data to analyze pertaining to human health which could provide a foundation in research methods through the practice of psychiatric epidemiology and the study of social determinants of health. There are potential community-engagement opportunities with local social-service organizations serving the homeless (including two separate Lead agencies for homelessness continua of care: the Cobb Center for Family Resources and Fulton Partners for Home). There are also ongoing manuscripts to be submitted for peer reviewed publication. Specifically, a position as Sophomore scholar would provide critical support to Jada in the ongoing development of peer-reviewed manuscripts based on the 2022 Cherokee County Homelessness and Housing Insecurity Needs Assessment, in which she was an instrumental part of project coordination, data analysis, and report writing. 

  • Mentor: Matthew Lyons

    Investigating the Social Determinates of Health from a Complex Systems Perspective: Poverty, Stress, and Human Health in International Context

    I have several ongoing projects on which the contributions of a Sophomore Scholar could be significant. These include my role as co-investigator on an NIH R01 studying mental health among young women in Kampala, Uganda (where I lead the implementation evaluation), my ongoing community-engaged research on homelessness as a social determinant of health, or my theoretical (soon to be empirical) investigation of moral distress in the child welfare workforce. One of the unique value propositions that I provide for scholars as a mentor is that there is a wide range of opportunities for them to engage with, and they are able to make choices throughout the year regarding which tasks and projects are most suited to their long term academic and professional interests.

    Among these opportunities, there are both qualitative and quantitative data to analyze pertaining to human health which could provide a foundation in research methods through the practice of psychiatric epidemiology and the study of social determinants of health. There are potential community-engagement opportunities with local social-service organizations serving the homeless (including two separate Lead agencies for homelessness continua of care: the Cobb Center for Family Resources and Fulton Partners for Home). There are also ongoing manuscripts to be submitted for peer reviewed publication. Specifically, a position as Sophomore scholar would provide critical support to Jada in the ongoing development of peer-reviewed manuscripts based on the 2022 Cherokee County Homelessness and Housing Insecurity Needs Assessment, in which she was an instrumental part of project coordination, data analysis, and report writing. 

  • Mentor: Evelina Sterling

    Understanding the Needs of Georgia’s Hispanic/Latino Population with Regard to Adolescent Health 

    Across the United States, young people are at risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. In Georgia, the teen pregnancy rate is ranked the 12th highest in the United States.  The rate of HIV diagnoses among young people ages 13 to 24 is more than double the national rate for this age group.  Georgia also has some of the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections among young people compared to the rest of the United States. 
     
    KSU is working with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to research and evaluate their adolescent health and youth development program and services.  State-funded adolescent health and youth development programs and services are available at no cost throughout the state at participating local health departments.  These programs are based on the positive youth development approach as recommended by the CDC.  It utilizes and recognizes young people’s strengths and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities encouraging positive relationships and providing the support needed to build on their strengths. 
     
    DPH forms critical relationships between district and county health departments as well as after school programs and county and community agencies, holding workshops with parents, faith-based institutions, and public health leaders to foster collaborations around key adolescent health and youth development issues. 
     
    These programs require the implementation of evidence-based risk reduction strategies addressing HIV/AIDs prevention and teen pregnancy prevention including skill building around communication, goal setting, decision making, and avoiding risky behaviors in order to foster building healthy behaviors, developing life stills and promoting positive youth development. 
     
    The purpose of this specific project is to work with DPH to collect and analyze data from throughout the state to assess the effectiveness of their adolescent health programs and services and develop recommendations for improvements and next steps.  This is a very interdisciplinary research project, and students across all majors are encouraged to apply, particularly those interested in medicine, public health, health education, adolescent/school health, youth development, behavioral health, health equity, health policy, reproductive/sexual health, program evaluation, social science research, quantitative research and statistics, qualitative research, etc.   

2022-2023 Sophomore Scholars 

College of Architecture and Construction Management

  • Mentor: Giovanni Loreto

    Sustainable Building Materials: Architectural Forms and Structural Design (History and Technique in Reinforce Concrete Formworks: A Study of Pier Luigi Nervi Approach)

    The last hundred years in architecture and civil engineering have been widely dominated by the use of concrete, which became the second most consumed commodity after water. Although concrete and cementitious materials have a low embodied energy (of approximately MJ90 MJ/kg), they are used in vast quantities. In 2016 world production of cement amounted to approximately 2.8 billion tons, with production and usage accounting for almost 8-9% of total global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

    Although the technology has improved, providing stronger and more durable concrete, the construction techniques have not changed. Historically, concrete and reinforced concrete structures have been constructed using rigid formwork, mainly relying on the use of either steel or timber to generate the required temporary support structure.

    Starting from these considerations, this research project aims to advance our fundamental understanding of nonrigid concrete formworks in an effort to marry architectural form and structural design. By challenging the paradigm of rigid formwork, this research technology will impact the embodied energy and the carbon emission associated with new concrete constructions by possibly saving up to 30% in concrete volume when compared to an equivalent strength prismatic member. In addition, the provision of an inexpensive, extremely lightweight, and globally available formwork material in place of wood will help address the need for housing in building economies that rely on reinforced concrete construction but lack in access of wood construction materials. This research thus offers exciting opportunities for engineers and architects in the move towards a more sustainable construction industry.

    Students working on this research project will investigate the use of formwork in concrete structures with varying degree of flexibility to achieve:

    1. more economical construction while improving sustainability and resilience of concrete structures
    2. conform to varying architectural forms
    3. the adoption of advanced concrete materials (such as Ultra High Performance Concrete, Engineered Cementitious Composites, etc.) in constructions

College of Computing and Software Engineering

  • Mentor: Maria Valero de Clemente

    Study of the Impact of Skin Properties in ML for Glucose Estimation

    Accurate understating of the absorption (scattering) properties of human skin is still a challenge in biomedical optics and biomedical engineering. Furthermore, the impact of skin roughness and pigmentation is known to affect the light distribution when light beams are propagating through the skin. In this project, estimating the impact of these factors on the images obtained from fingers, ears,and other tissues is crucial for determining features that make the ML model more accurate. In this regard, the student will work with Dr. Valero and Dr. Lu from East Carolina University, whose primary research has been based on the understanding of biological systems by investigating their interaction with light by the measurement of scattered light signals. The project will follow an approach based on the study of Radiative Transfer Theory, the two-layer model human skin, and the influence of angles in light scattering.

    The first parameter that we are interested in studying and incorporating in the ML model for glucose monitoring is the light propagation within the tissue. Because we are interested in understating the light propagation on a survey of cylindrical tissue (finger or earlobe), we will express the fluence on the edge of a circle and obtain the scattering profile at a cross-section with radius 𝑎 . We will incorporate the features of light propagation and study the impact in our current ML model. Studies will be conducted to determine light propagation and absorption in other tissues like ear lobulescruracrura of antihelix. The second parameter that will be studied is the skin roughness impact on the blood glucose model. To understand the implications, we will use the two-layer model human-skin proposed by Dr. Lu. We will use it to determine the impact of the roughness on light absorption and investigate if the variables introduced by roughness can be used as features for AI model. The third parameter that will be considered is skin pigmentation. The natural absorbers present in tissue are the chromophores that are present in biological pigments, specifically, the heme pigment of hemoglobin, myoglobin, bilirubin, and melanin. Melanin is one of the critical contributors to skin pigmentation. We will perform a quantitative approach to systematically measure the absorption of different wavelength lasers in our current prototype, the impact of the model results, to finally select a light laser with a wavelength in a range acceptable (producing accurate glucose ) for different levels of melanin.

  • Mentor: Arthur Choi

    Towards Bounding the Behavior of Deep Neural Networks

    Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in the form of deep neural networks, have revolutionized a diverse range of fields. As neural networks become more pervasive, the need to understand the boundaries of their behavior is becoming increasingly important. For example, can we formally guarantee that an autonomous vehicle will not violate traffic laws, such as reaching excessive speeds? Towards the goal of bounding the behavior of a neural network, we propose first to bound the behavior of individual neurons by incrementally tightening formal bounds on it. Subsequently, we seek to bound the behavior of a neural network.

  • Mentor: Turaj Ashuri

    Design of a Soft Hand Prosthesis with Deep Learning Vision-based Manipulation for Disabled People

    Over 2 million people in the United States live with limb loss, and this number is expected to double by 2050. Scientists use the latest knowledge and technology to help these people by designing prostheses to retain the function and cosmetic appearance of a biological limb. Amputees commonly use myoelectric prostheses, which are controlled by the generated electromyographic impulse of muscles’ nerves to control the prosthetic.

    Despite recent technological advances, control of myoelectric prostheses remains a challenge. This challenge results in device rejection by the amputee and overuse injuries of the intact limb. Learning to distinguish different muscle groups is a cumbersome process hampering an easy adoption by the amputees. Therefore, the overall acceptance of these devices is still low, leaving the amputees with an open problem to be addressed by the scientific community.

    We propose a novel vision-based design that uses an artificial neural network to help amputees making an automated grasp. Building blocks of this design are: 1) an embedded camera in the palm controlled by the amputee to take a snapshot of the object to grasp; 2) a trained convolutional neural network to identify the image of the object taken by the camera and to find a suitable grasp type; 3) another differently trained convolutional neural network based on finite element method to command and control a fine coordinated movement of the prosthetic hand; and 4) a soft robotic prosthetic hand, controlled by the second neural network to autonomously grasp the object.

    This new intuitive technique is similar to how a human interacts with an object to make a suitable grasp. People with a disability represent a significant part of our society. We expect our results and outcomes to be of economic and medical benefit to our community by providing a functional design and important knowledge for use in commercialization of the future human prostheses. In the long run, we expect our method to increase the quality of life for people with amputation by providing them better ways of communicating their intentions and goals to their myoelectric prosthetic, thereby reducing the support they need.

College of Science and Mathematics

  • Mentor: Mohammad Halim

    Peptides Therapeutics for Covid-19: Targeting the Protein-Protein Interactions of Receptor Binding Domain and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2

    The SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus. This virus translates four structural and many non-structural proteins. One of the most important structural proteins is spike (S) protein which allows the virus to be attached into the host surface by interacting with human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (hACE2) receptors present in the upper and lower respiratory system. Recent studies show that the SARS-CoV-2 has 10-20 times greater affinity to the hACE2 receptors, resulting in greater transmissibility.

    The S protein comprises of S1 and S2 domains. The S1 domain is responsible for binding to ACE2 receptors via its receptor-binding domain (RBD. The interaction between the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and the ACE2 receptor is the critical route of entry for the virus. Therefore, the S protein is a potential target for drug or vaccine development. Small molecules or peptides can be designed as therapeutics that will disrupt the interaction between the S protein and the ACE receptor; however, small molecules are not ideal for targeting the large protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Peptides, on the other hand, can disrupt the PPIs effectively as they possess larger surface compared to small molecules and thus specifically bind the interface binding region. 

    Our central hypothesis is that antiviral peptides which were known to inhibits SARS and other viruses can be repurposed and improved for effective covid treatment. Our group recently computationally screened antiviral peptides, that were known to work against SARS-CoV-1 and other viruses, targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Based on Grace’s computational screening results during her First-Year Scholars program, some peptides were the most promising candidates which could potentially block the entry of SARS-CoV-2. During her sophomore scholar program, she will work on the following aims:  

    Aim 1: Based on the previous computational screening results, 5-6 peptides will be synthesized using standard Fmoc-based synthesis protocols. The synthesized peptides will be purified using RP-HPLC and characterized by mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism (CD).

    Aim 2:  The inhibition efficiency of the best peptides against RBD will be performed by SARS-CoV-2 Spike-ACE2 Interaction Inhibitor Screening Assay Kit. 

    The expected outcome of this project to identify potent antiviral peptide and advance our knowledge of how these peptides can be further improved. The expected results will have a very positive impact on the public heath imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

  • Mentor: Ramya Rajagopalan

    Predatory Myxobacteria of the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem

    Myxobacteria, a group of gram-negative rod-shaped predatory bacteria primarily found in soil, kill and lyse their prey using antimicrobial compounds and lytic exoenzymes and use the released nutrients to facilitate their growth. Myxobacteria are typically found in soils with a neutral pH level. However, we have detected myxobacterial presence in soil samples, with a pH range of 4.5-5.5, collected from the longleaf pine conservation area in Paulding County by whole microbiome sequencing. The isolation of novel myxobacteria is of great interest as they are a potential source of useful metabolites such as antimicrobial compounds.

    The goal of this project is to isolate wild myxobacteria from 48 soil samples collected from the longleaf pine conservation area. The soil samples will be treated with antifungals and placed on starvation media streaked with prey bacteria as bait in order to lure myxobacteria from the soil. Isolated wild myxobacteria will be analyzed for their predation capabilities against a range of clinically significant prey bacteria and screened for the production of antimicrobial compounds.

  • Mentor: Mohammad Halim

    Synthesis, Characterization, and Mass Spectrometry Studies on Scorpion Venom Peptides to Develop Therapeutics Against SARS-CoV-2

    The corona virus began a worldwide pandemic in the beginning of 2020, infecting over 605 million and killing over 6.48 million people worldwide as of August 27, 2022. Recently FDA authorized some vaccines for emergency use, however, the infection and death toll is rising each day, there is an urgent need for effective and selective antiviral drugs/peptides. Several small molecules have showed promising results for covid-19 treatment, however, very few studies have been performed for antiviral peptide therapeutics. Repurposing of drugs such as Remdesivir, Favipiravir and others exhibit some therapeutic efficacy against Covid-19. Therefore, development of new effective and specific antiviral agents and strategies are urgently needed to provide alternate therapeutic molecule to treat SARS-CoV-2. Antimicrobial peptides, isolated from living species, are potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents. Scorpion’s venom contains a mixture of peptides and proteins with varied bioactivities and receives a great attention due to their potential application in peptide drug design and development.

    This novel RNA virus translates 29 proteins including 16 non-structural, 4 structural and 9 accessory factor proteins. Among all SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins, the main protease has important role for viral polyproteins maturation and replication. Drug repurposing provides a useful and effective solution for identifying potential therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. The most successful 3CLpro inhibitor is lopinavir, a protease inhibitor used to treat HIV infections. This drug is also marketed as lopinavir-ritonavir as a boosted form. However, a clinical trial of lopinavir–ritonavir for adult patients with severe Covid-19 infection have not shown much promise. Despite some challenges, peptides have several advantages including high specificity and effectiveness, easy to synthesize, high potency, low toxicity, fewer side effects, and low accumulation in tissue. Our central hypothesis is that peptides which were known to inhibits protease of other viruses can be repurposed and improved for effective covid treatment.

    During the sophomore Scholars program, Naom will conduct research with following specific aims:

    Aim 1: Based on the previous computational screening results, 5-6 peptides will be synthesized using standard Fmoc-based synthesis protocols. The synthesized peptides will be purified using RP-HPLC and characterized by mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism (CD).

    Aim 2: To assess the inhibition efficiency of the synthesized peptides, protease inhibitor assay will be conducted.

    The expected outcome of this project to identify potent antiviral peptide inhibitors against 3CLpro and advance our knowledge of how these peptides can be further improved for their efficiency through structural guided investigation. The expected results will have a very positive impact on the public heath imposed by covid-19 pandemic. In addition, our findings will help to address important strategies on designing peptide therapeutics against the viral proteins.

Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Mentor: Anna Weinstein

    Women Writers of Film & Television (WWFTV) Digital Humanities Project

    Underway since Fall 2020, the WWFTV digital humanities project will culminate in a searchable digital archive to serve as inspiration for aspiring young women screenwriters and to provide industry professionals and screenwriting scholars easily accessible quantitative and qualitative scholarship on the works of women film and television writers. To date, there is no online resource dedicated to the study of women’s screenwriting contributions to U.S. and global film and television industries. As such, this project will serve as significant scholarship in film and television studies, offering a new framework through which to examine historical and contemporary screenwriting.

    Students working on this project study current and pioneering women screenwriters and their most prominent works. Students research some of the top-ranked films and series in each decade and the genres where women have found the most success. 

    Students are searching online archives for interesting women writers whose work was influential, well-received, or in some way intriguing in retrospect but, in many cases, whose names are not commonplace to those who create, consume, or analyze film and television. Student scholars are compiling genres or categories of films or television shows that women often wrote for (e.g., soaps, afterschool specials, teen movies, rom-coms, romance) and gathering information about the most compelling women from each decade.

    As we move into the next phase of the project, incorporating data into the website, students will draft new biographies, factcheck and rewrite existing biographies, update the database, and integrate fair use and public domain image links. Students working on the WWFTV project have obtained critical research and writing skills, as well as oral presentation skills as they share their research with their peers. Students have presented their research at the KSU Symposium of Student Scholars, the Southeastern Women Studies Association (SESWA) conference, NCUR, and the Posters at the Georgia State Capitol. 

    The WWFTV site is soft launching in September 2022 and hard launching in Summer 2023. In the coming years, I will apply for external funding for WWFTV so I can continue working with undergraduate researchers to build out the site. The ultimate goal is to make the site comprehensive, including U.S. and global women screenwriters, which will involve continual work to excavate data from the archives and update the site as women screenwriters produce new works.

  • Mentor: Jennifer Willard

    Exploring the Role of Individual Differences in False Confessions and Informant Behavior

    In Cortney’s First-Year Scholars Program project, we conducted focus groups with students to explore students’ perceptions and experiences using the instant messaging app, GroupMe, in their college courses. Because Cortney is interested in topics in Psychology and Law, our plan is to involve her in a study investigating whether relationship status (friend versus stranger) impacts rates of false confessions and informant behavior. The data for this study are already collected. It was an experimental study that involved bringing two participants (either friends or strangers) into the lab and randomly assigning one participant to become our participant-confederate. Under the direction of researchers, participant-confederates cheated on test and later sent a plea to their innocent partner to take the blame for the cheating. Innocent participants were then falsely accused of cheating. Our primary dependent variables included false confessing (i.e., signing a statement indicating they cheated), engaging in informant behavior (i.e., stating they were an eyewitness to the participant-confederate’s offense, showing the text-message plea as proof of their innocence), and destroying evidence (e.g., erasing the text-message plea).

    The plan is to have Cortney assist in identifying recent articles published to strengthen the literature review, fill gaps in the coding of some data, and assist in analyzing a portion of data from the study. As part of this study, participants completed individual difference measures, including empathy, perspective taking, emotional intelligence, and the Big Five trait measures (i.e., openness, consciousness, agreeableness, extraversion, and narcissism). These data have yet to be analyzed.

  • Mentor: Shubam Sharma

    Pathways to Purpose Among Marginalized Older Adults

    This project aims to explore the pathways to developing and maintaining a sense of purpose among marginalized older adults. Previous research has primarily used quantitative, self-report measures to assess how older adults define and maintain a sense of purpose in life. Further, previous research has largely ignored how older adults who face challenges due to aspects of their identity may pursue and maintain a sense of purpose differently than those who are not marginalized. As such, our project seeks to fulfill these gaps through conducting one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with older adults who identify as marginalized. Twenty-two older adults will be interviewed and are currently in process of being conducted by the student. The semi-structured interview has been designed for this project and asks about older adults’ experiences with challenges that have acted as barriers for the development of their sense of purpose in life. The interview also asks about resources that have aided in the maintenance of purpose in life. Interviews are expected to be completed by the end of September, 2022. The next phase of the project will comprise of in-depth qualitative coding of the interviews. A grounded theory analysis will be performed. The student will first be trained in this qualitative method and will then conduct practice coding with a sample dataset. Coding of actual study interviews will then follow. Themes are expected to reveal the ways in which marginalized older adults have faced challenges that may act as barriers for the maintenance of their purpose and also what resources have helped them to develop a purpose. Findings are expected to be of practical relevance that may be used to develop interventions for older adults from marginalized communities.

  • Mentor: Israel Sanchez-Cardona

    Examining Factors and Interventions to Promote Personal Resources and Well-Being

    This project explores how personal resources, which can be enhanced and promoted, are linked to individual's mental health, positive behaviors, and well-being (e.g., stress, work engagement, job boredom, positive affect) in different settings (i.e., work, school, healthcare, employment). One of the projects during participation in the FYS program consisted of implementing intervention programs related to personal resources and psychological well-being. This intervention is a brief program that aims to develop four malleable personal resources: self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience. Promoting these personal resources enhances people’s ability to handle challenging situations, set and achieve goals, and engage in healthy behaviors. The program was implemented in a public organization in Puerto Rico. During Summer 2022, we started data analysis and writing of the manuscript. We expect to continue this work and submit the article for publication during Fall 2022. The student participating in the First-Year Scholars Program AY21-22 (Edwin Trejo Rivera) is collaborating on this project.

    Currently, we are working on two projects to explore the interconnectedness of demands and resources on stress, resilience, and work outcomes. The first project aims to understand the precursors of work-related stress and well-being among nursing personnel. As part of this project, we expect to identify the coping strategies used by nursing personnel to deal with daily demands and the effect of job and personal resources on their psychological health and performance. The second project aims to analyze how the gender identity of women in managerial positions affects their psychosocial well-being and their type of leadership. Specifically, in this project, we aim to identify women's leadership style in managerial positions and further analyze how the fit or misfit between the gender identity of women in managerial positions and the stereotyped characteristic of the position affects psychosocial well-being. The student will continue participating in these projects through the Sophomore Program and actively participate in dissemination efforts (presentation and publications).

Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

  • Mentor: Ayse Tekes

    Development MultiMulti Degrees of Freedom 3D Printed Torsional Mechanism to Be Utilized in Engineering Courses

    The project aims to design and develmultimulti-degree of freedom torsional system consisting of a rod, disks, potentiometers, a motor, and support to be utilized in the vibrations and control laboratory (ME4501). The existing equipment favorably utilized in vibrations and control laboratories is bulky, expensive, and has an embedded data acquisition system preventing the mechanical engineering students to have a deep understanding of the signal flow from the sensors and actuators to the data acquisition card. To address this problem, we will develop a 3D printed low-cost (less than $100 including the mechanism and sensors) torsional laboratory equipment. Once the design is finalized, and parts are 3D printed, we will select the appropriate sensors, and will revise the design if necessary. Multiple setups will be developed.

    The learning objectives that are tied to the proposed laboratory equipment will be identified, a lab handout with in-detail descriptions for the students taking ME 4501 will be created, and then will be shared with the laboratory students.

    The sophomore scholar will introduce the lab equipment to the students, and students will be instructed and guided by both the supervisor TekesTekes) and the sophomore scholar (Galilea Rosas Guzman). The student survey will be collected and final revisions will be implemented based on student feedback.

  • Mentor: Ashish Aphale

    Detection of Trace Heavy Metals in Water: Development of Electrochemical Sensors

    Modern industrial processes often result in release of heavy metal cations (such as Ca, Cr, Hg, Cu, Pb etc.) in water bodies, causing adverse biological and ecological consequences. Although, numerous techniques have been developed to detect heavy metals in aqueous solutions, their early detection in trace concentration remains a challenge. Electrochemistry based impedance sensors have gained considerable attraction due to miniaturization and low cost. Electrodes fabricated using high surface area nanocomposite materials have shown promise towards development of sensor platform. This project aims at developing basic understanding of structure-property-function relation to development of sensor device with superior sensitivity, selectivity, and lower detection of limit.

  • Mentor: Jungkyu Park

    Novel Thermal Coating for High-Speed Airplane

    In comparison to various other materials, carbon fiber, specifically carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) remains pre-eminent amongst other materials for use on aeronautical systems. Due to its high specific strength (strength-to-weight ratio), CFRP has been able to carry heavy loads while maintaining a lightweight build. This strength and weight efficiency has allowed for commercial airplanes such as the Airbus A350 and the Boeing-787 Dreamliner to greatly outperform common aluminum frame airplanes. Despite its extraordinary strength and light weight efficiency, when influenced by heat resulting from air resistance, CFRP is known to undergo serious degradation that would significantly decrease the effectiveness of the polymers. To prevent this degradation and maintain the strength of the CFRP, thermal protective layers (TPLs) are designed to shield the CFRP from heat exposure.

    This research is focused on the examination of the effectiveness of TPLs, that are hybrid compositions of epoxy resins and buckypaper (carbon nanotubes) for 3K 2x2 twill carbon-fiber, through experimental methods. Experimental thermal analysis of the CFRP is performed at 225 °C for hot plate testing and 650 °C for heat gun testing. The results show that the addition of buckypaper in the thermal protective layer seemed to detect nearly 48°C less heat on average of the four measured intervals in hot plate tests. From heat gun tests, moreover, it was clearly seen that the carbon fiber TPL that contains the epoxy and buckypaper is dominant in terms of heat dispersion. The anisotropic thermal transport property of nanostructured carbon is expected to spread heat accumulated in hot spots efficiently, preventing the heat from being propagated into the CFRP body material. As the next step, we will use analytical method and FEA simulations to explain this heat dissipation phenomena.

  • Mentor: Giovanni Loreto

    Sustainable Building Materials: Architectural Forms and Structural Design

    The last hundred years in architecture and civil engineering have been widely dominated by the use of concrete, which became the second most consumed commodity after water. Although concrete and cementitious materials have a low embodied energy (of approximately MJ90 MJ/kg), they are used in vast quantities. In 2016 world production of cement amounted to approximately 2.8 billion tons, with production and usage accounting for almost 8‐9% of total global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

    Although the technology has improved, providing stronger and more durable concrete, the construction techniques have not changed. Historically, concrete, and reinforced concrete structures have been constructed using rigid formwork, mainly relying on the use of either steel or timber to generate the required temporary support structure. 

    Starting from these considerations, this research project aims to advance our fundamental understanding of non‐rigid concrete formworks in an effort to marry architectural form and structural design. By challenging the paradigm of rigid formwork, this research technology will impact the embodied energy and the carbon emission associated with new concrete constructions by possibly saving up to 30% in concrete volume when compared to an equivalent strength prismatic member. In addition, the provision of an inexpensive, extremely lightweight, and globally available formwork material in place of wood will help address the need for housing in building economies that rely on reinforced concrete construction but lack in access of wood construction materials. This research thus offers exciting opportunities for engineers and architects in the move towards a more sustainable construction industry.  

    Students working on this research project will investigate the use of formwork in concrete structures with varying degree of flexibility to achieve: 

    more economical construction while improving sustainability and resilience of concrete structures
    conform to varying architectural forms
    the adoption of advanced concrete materials (such as Ultra High Performance Concrete, Engineered Cementitious Composites, etc.) in constructions

Wellstar College of Health and Human Services

  • Mentor: Tyler Collette

    Mechanisms of Trauma and Resilience: Extending Lessons Learned to Individuals with Above ThresPTSD PTSD

    Last year, KSU students and I examined the underlying mechanisms of resilience in the face of traumatic events by modeling the relationship between adverse events, anxiety, and post-traumatic growth while accounting for theoretical anxiety buffers that are predicted to moderate the detrimental effects of adverse events. Insights from this research not only informed broader literature and provide evidence for the theoretical framework of ABDT, but has laid the groundwork for research into interventions that target individuals’ natural resources and the cultural foundations that shape them. Students on this project presented at local and national conferences and have worked on products for publications. The current project will extend this work with a unique sample of individuals with above threshold PTSD. Data will be collected through Qualtrics for validation and normalized data modeling. Further, experimental designs will be employed to evaluate how mere thoughts of death can elicit similar (albeit far less in magnitude) responses to alleviate the anxiety associated with such adverse events.

    Specifically, Quinn took on a special role last year by evaluating factors that he proposed should moderate the relationship between anxiety buffers proposed to reduce the psychological impact of a traumatic event on long term outcomes. Previous work supported Quinn’s idea to evaluate the stability of self esteem at the individual level and determine its role as a moderator in the broader model I had specified. His success has led our team to consider this a vital component to the validation study proposed for the coming year.

2021-2022 Sophomore Scholars 

Bagwell College of Education

  • Mentor: Sohyun An

    Still Racist, Sexist, Classist, and Ableist: Analysis of Children's Books


    Children's books are an invaluable source of information and values. They reflect the attitudes in our society about diversity, power relationships among different groups of people, and various social identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, gender, economic class, sexual orientation, and disability). The visual and verbal messages young children absorb from books (and other media) heavily influence their ideas about themselves and others. Depending on the quality of the book, they can reinforce (or undermine) children's affirmative self-concept, teach accurate (or misleading) information about people of various identities, and foster positive (or negative) attitudes about diversity. Children's books teach children about who is important, who matters, who is even visible.

    Therefore, carefully choosing and using quality children's books is an indispensable educational and child-rearing task. It is important to offer young children a range of books about people like them and their family's as well as about people who are different from them and their family. All of the books should be accurate and appealing to young children.

    Fortunately, there are some good anti-bias children's books, which are available as a result of the ongoing activism of many individuals and groups over many years. However, while choices have improved over past decades, the lack of quality multicultural kids books currently being published has frustrated many communities. The number of children of color in the United States continues to rise, but the number of books published by or about people of color stays the same or even decreases.

    This research analyzes the recently published children's books and investigates if the books reproduce or challenge societal biases and prejudices on different groups of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, economic class, disability, and sexual orientation. The goal of the research is to report the current state of children's books regarding its role to teach children anti-bias understanding and, ultimately, to educate children better with anti-bias education. 

College of Architecture and Construction Management

  • Mentor: Giovanni Loreto

    Sustainable Building Materials of the Future: Architectural Forms and Structural Design

    What will cities look like in 30 years from now? What is the future of building materials?

    This research project seeks to bridge the gap between material science and construction, looking at sustainable approaches in designing new buildings and infrastructures. It can take decades for a breakthrough in engineering from a lab to a building site. This research embraces the need for innovative architectural forms while building upon structural design principles to create a new generation of smart materials.

    Students working on this research project will investigate the use of sustainable approaches in building materials of the future to (1) achieve more economical construction, (2) improve sustainability and resilience, and (3) advance architectural forms and forces.

    The goal is to advance our fundamental understanding of cementitious materials and their construction in an effort to marry architectural form and structural design. The last hundred years in architecture and civil engineering have been widely dominated by the use of concrete, which became the second most consumed commodity after water. Although concrete and cementitious materials have a low embodied energy (of approximately MJ90 MJ/kg), they are used in vast quantities. In 2019, cement production amounted to approximately 3.2 billion tons, with production and usage accounting for almost 8-9% of total global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

    This research aims to impact the embodied energy and the carbon emission associated with new concrete constructions by possibly saving up to 30% in concrete volume compared to an equivalent strength prismatic member. This research thus offers exciting opportunities for engineers and architects to move towards a more sustainable construction industry.

Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Mentor: Lara Smith-Sitton

    Internships and the Job Market: How Remote Work Impacts College Student Careers

    The National Association of Colleges and Employers defines an internship as "a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. . . .giv[ing] students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections . . . giv[ing] employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent" ("Position Statement" NACE). The American Association of Colleges and Universities and employers universally recognize that internships are valuable, even essential, experiences for college students with upwards of 96% of hiring managers opting to hire students with one or more internships on their resumes over those who do not. Yet, we are living in a changing world due to public health and economic concerns, especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted the global economy as well as internships. This has also brought up forward concerns for college students and employers about how to structure workspaces, who to recruit, and what jobs will exist in the future. There is a need to not only understand the scope of the changes to college internships in recent history as well as the landscape and opportunities for the future.

    Building on the research of Global Workplace Analytics, an organization that collects data about telecommuting and remote work, this project will consider current data that approximately 43% of the global workforce does a significant amount of work from home as well as predictions that over 30% of the US workforce will continue working offsite fulltime into the year 2021 . . . and into the future. This study seeks to understand the changes in student internships, discern trends for the future, and ascertain how to support students and employers engaged in remote internships. Through an IRB-approved research protocol with surveys and student interviews the project is guided by three key questions:

    1. What were the experiences and perceptions of KSU student interns during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those performing remote internships?
    2. What preparation and/or support would have strengthened their experiences, and how can this be incorporated into student internship courses?
    3. What is the likelihood of more remote internships in the future?

    The research gathered will be disseminated through a scholarly publication, including a journal article and book proposal about college internship program design. The student will learn how to develop survey instruments, conduct interviews, and analyze data. The student will also become an expert on the tools and practices that will help students thrive in remote work internships and jobs. The data is essential to help faculty and administrators, as well as students and employers, understand how to modify internships for the future. In short, if more employers will be hiring remote workers, students need to be prepared to work from home, understand how to get those jobs, and know how to succeed outside of traditional office spaces. In addition, more information is needed about best practices for remote internships and the future of the college internships.

  • Mentor: Anna Weinstein

    Women Genre Writers in Film and Television

    In this project, students will research women’s work in writing for film and television. Students will research some of the top-ranked films (and series) in each decade and the genres where women have found the most success. Students working on this project will be searching for interesting women writers whose work was influential, well-received, or in some way intriguing in retrospect, but whose names are not commonplace to those who create, consume, or analyze film and television.

    Student scholars will compile genres or categories of films or television shows that women often wrote for (e.g., soaps, afterschool specials, teen movies,coms-coms, romance) and gather information about the most compelling women from each decade.

    This is an excellent opportunity for students with an interest in film and television, screenwriting, or women’s representation in media to explore online archives and obtain critical research skills. Students should be comfortable working independently and under faculty supervision and should be willing and eager to conduct most research on their own.

    *Here are some interesting statistics about women’s work writing for film and television in the past few years:

    • 2018: women accounted for 16% of all writers working on the 250 top-grossing films.
    • 2019: women accounted for 19% of all writers working on the 250 top-grossing films.
    • 2017-2018: women accounted for 25% of all writers working on broadcast network programs
    • 2018-2019: women accounted for 35% of all writers working on broadcast network programs

    *Data from San Diego State University’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film’s Celluloid Ceiling Report and Boxed-In Report.

  • Mentor: Anisah Bagasra

    Perceptions of COVID 19 among Religious Leaders: Implication for Health Messaging in Faith Communities

    The purpose of this study is to examine perceptions of COVID-19 among faith leaders, specifically:

    1. What is the prevalence of religious interpretations of COVID-19 (the illness as a result of sinful behavior, as a sign of the coming end of times/day of judgement, the illness as a test from God, karma, etc.)?
    2. Where do faith leaders turn to for information about COVID-19?
    3. What protective health behaviors are faith leaders engaging in to avoid contracting COVID-19 and what is their perceived risk of contracting the disease given their community role?
    4. How do faith leaders translate their own beliefs and external messaging into communications for their communities? To what extent do they view health communication as a responsibility within their position?

    This study will use anonymous surveys to examine perceptions of COVID-19 and health behaviors related to COVID-19 among faith leaders from various faith backgrounds. The second phase of the study will utilize virtual focus groups to discuss in depth how health policy and religious policies, as well as theological interpretations of illness and suffering intersect to impact how faith leaders communicate information regarding COVID-19 to the religious communities they lead. This mixed method approach seeks to gain descriptive evidence of the prevalence of religious and spiritual interpretations of the disease, as well as understand how these interpretations shape faith leaders' messaging, particularly health information and meaning attributions shared with their communities. This study will use a multi-modal, mixed methods approach. Initial descriptive research to measure perceptions of COVID-19, health protective behaviors used by faith leaders, and how they communicate with their communities during social distancing will be collected through an anonymous internet-based survey. This survey will be distributed directly to faith leaders via email and through religious community hierarchy (for example, a District Superintendent may be requested to share the survey link with their pastors, or an imam may be asked to share the survey with other imams). Additionally, participation will be solicited via Social Media, specifically Facebook by posting on the Investigators page, and sharing on pages dedicated to religious communities.

    The second phase of the study will involve conducting 4 different focus groups with 6-8 participants through Zoom. These focus groups will last approximately 40 minutes and allow for in-depth discussion of:

    1. How religious perspectives, public health policy, and other factors influence how faith leaders view Covid-19 and interpret the suffering caused by this illness
    2. How these interpretations translate into public communication with faith followers

  • Mentor: Kyung Hun Jung

    Self-Driving Cars are Coming but You Still Need Driver-Training Programs


    Summary: Self-driving cars are already on the road. However, they are not perfect. Human drivers are still responsible for monitoring the driving status of the vehicle and step in when it is necessary. Therefore, experts point the importance of research on effective monitoring of the driving status by human drivers and smooth transfer of control from a vehicle to the driver. In this driving-simulator project, we will examine how human drivers behave when self-driving cars are malfunctioning. Specifically, we will identify (1) the signs of malfunctioning/incapability of the self-driving cars that are frequently missed by human drivers and (2) undesirable responses that human drivers make when they attempt to regain control of the vehicle. Finally, we will (3) generate a list of recommendations for a driver-training program that improves the monitoring/handling ability of drivers.

    Developing a driver-training program for safer use of motor vehicles has evident importance considering the noticeably high fatality on the road: for example, an average of 101 people was killed in motor vehicle crashes per day in 2018. Motor vehicle fatality is also the leading cause of accident death among adolescents. This research project was developed to reduce fatality on the road in the era of self-driving cars.

    A self-driving car is a vehicle that can sense its environment and perform the dynamic driving task with little or no human input. As an example of the self-driving technology, a driverless-taxi service has been commercialized in the Phoenix metropolitan area since December 2018. As expected, the technology has been developed with a promise of offering safer and convenient travel. However, such promises have been betrayed by fatal crashes and unexpected handover of vehicle control from the car to the human driver especially when the driving conditions are difficult to handle.

    In the field of aviation, although the autopilot technology has been developed decades ago, human pilots are still required to monitor the status of the airplane and step in when it is necessary. Similarly, human drivers of self-driving cars are expected to recognize the signs of malfunctioning/incapability of the car and skillfully step in when it is necessary. However, there is not enough research for improving such abilities of human drivers.

    In this project, we will examine how human drivers behave when self-driving cars are malfunctioning using driving simulators with a steering wheel and brake/accelerator pedals. The simulators will present various scenarios of malfunctioning/incapability of the self-driving technology on computer screens where each scenario includes unique signs of the malfunctioning. Participant drivers will be asked to monitor the driving status of the car and step in when they believe it is necessary.

    We will identify:

    1) the frequently missed signs of malfunctioning/incapability of self-driving cars and
    2) desirable/undesirable reaction patterns of human drivers when they unexpectedly step in and control the vehicle.

    Finally, we will 3) generate a list of recommendations for developing a driver-training program that improves the drivers ability to recognize critical signs of incapability of self-driving cars and how to react in such scenarios.

  • Mentor: Brian Moore

    Examination of Predictors of Resilience in Military Personnel

    Studies examining resilience as a protective factor typically occur following trauma exposure. Data were collected 1,000 deploying military medical personnel who were then tracked through their deployment and upon their return to their home station. The present project will analyze various psychological and social factors related to resilience and trauma exposure across the deployment cycle.

  • Mentor: Robin Smith Mathis

    Joking, Juries, and Jurisprudence: Informal Communication in a Formal Workplace Setting

    This project explores the use of humor to cope with workplace stress, particularly the legal profession. For the purpose of this project, the legal profession has been narrowed to the courtroom. Furthermore, we are interested in how judges, court reporters, and attorneys communicate to cope. The courtroom is a tense workplace. Humor has long been studied as a coping mechanism in a variety of demanding and emotionally draining work scenarios. The litigation field (courtroom law) has a high burnout rate. This project would frame an argument that informal communication and humor serve as survival skills to persevere in a challenging profession.

  • Mentor: Evelina Sterling

    Health Disparities: The Impact of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality on Health Outcomes

    Our main goal is to live a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, being sick is a part of life. Whether it is a sudden acute injury or a long drawn out chronic condition or a serious life limiting disease, we will all experience the consequences of illness in some capacity. While illnesses can be reduced to their biological causes and clinical treatments, there is much more to being sick. Social factors, including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, and even issues like age, religion, and geography, also play an important role in promoting health and preventing disease. Moreover, social determinates of health, or conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age, significantly affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

    My research projects are very multidisciplinary, combining aspects of biology, psychology, sociology, public health, nursing, statistics, human services, education, business, etc. These projects aim to shape how people think about and eliminate health disparities through investigating how social, economic, environmental, cultural and lifestyle factors contribute to differences in morbidity and mortality within certain populations and communities. I currently have three large-scale National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded projects specifically looking at the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality on chronic conditions utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Additionally, I investigate how social issues related to systemic racism, poverty, sexism, and homophobia contribute to lack of appropriate healthcare access. I work with both patients and healthcare providers to identify and combat barriers to care for many underserved populations. My research projects also include research questions related to ethical decision-making, cultural competency, health literacy, and behavior change. Because you cannot separate mental and physical health, my projects focus on both as well as the influence of physical health on mental health and versaversa. Given the current opioid crisis, I also try to integrate the impact of substance use disorders on many health outcomes, which is even further compounded by issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Since KSU is located at the crossroads of urban and rural living, I also stress how geography contributes to people's experiences with health and illness.

    In addition to collecting both qualitive and quantitative data to better understand health disparities, I am also interested in actually developing and implementing new programs and approaches to promote health, prevent disease, and ensure health equity. This includes self-management interventions, educational programs, and policy improvements. Instead of being restricted to a traditional laboratory, the world is my lab. My research collects data from real people in the real world, allows us to pivot our research questions depending on the findings, and supports interventions and programs that will benefit people right now, contributing to a healthier world.

  • Mentor: Evelina Sterling

    Health Disparities: The Impact of Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality on Health Outcomes

    Our main goal is to live a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, being sick is a part of life. Whether it is a sudden acute injury or a long drawn out chronic condition or a serious life limiting disease, we will all experience the consequences of illness in some capacity. While illnesses can be reduced to their biological causes and clinical treatments, there is much more to being sick. Social factors, including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, and even issues like age, religion, and geography, also play an important role in promoting health and preventing disease. Moreover, social determinates of health, or conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age, significantly affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

    My research projects are very multidisciplinary, combining aspects of biology, psychology, sociology, public health, nursing, statistics, human services, education, business, etc. These projects aim to shape how people think about and eliminate health disparities through investigating how social, economic, environmental, cultural and lifestyle factors contribute to differences in morbidity and mortality within certain populations and communities. I currently have three large-scale National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded projects specifically looking at the intersections of race, class, gender and sexuality on chronic conditions utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Additionally, I investigate how social issues related to systemic racism, poverty, sexism, and homophobia contribute to lack of appropriate healthcare access. I work with both patients and healthcare providers to identify and combat barriers to care for many underserved populations. My research projects also include research questions related to ethical decision-making, cultural competency, health literacy, and behavior change. Because you cannot separate mental and physical health, my projects focus on both as well as the influence of physical health on mental health and versaversa. Given the current opioid crisis, I also try to integrate the impact of substance use disorders on many health outcomes, which is even further compounded by issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Since KSU is located at the crossroads of urban and rural living, I also stress how geography contributes to people's experiences with health and illness.

    In addition to collecting both qualitive and quantitative data to better understand health disparities, I am also interested in actually developing and implementing new programs and approaches to promote health, prevent disease, and ensure health equity. This includes self-management interventions, educational programs, and policy improvements. Instead of being restricted to a traditional laboratory, the world is my lab. My research collects data from real people in the real world, allows us to pivot our research questions depending on the findings, and supports interventions and programs that will benefit people right now, contributing to a healthier world.

  • Mentor: Sara Doan

    Messages Gone Viral: How Infographics About COVID-19 Spread on Social Media

    Have you ever wondered why people share some visuals about COVID-19 online and not others? What makes a good message about COVID-19 to share on social media? Come and work with Dr. Doan to find out! You'll learn about what visual design principles encourage people to engage with health information online by gathering a collection of charts, graphs, and infographics from social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You'll use nVivo, a software available through the university, to collect and tag these images. Next, you'll learn to sort these social media posts to understand what types of written messages (encouraging behavior like mask wearing, sharing statistics, etc.), visual design tools (like color, contrast, typography), and types of posts (an infographic, a chart, etc.) are engaged with most online. After we make our research categories into a formal codebook, you'll learn how to conduct inter-rater reliability, a way of testing our codebook with outside users to make sure that it makes sense outside of the original coding. Then, we'll write about, and hopefully publish, our results to help designers, public health officials, and people who run social media campaigns use our work to design more engaging posts about how to help people understand and stop the spread of COVID-19.

Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

  • Mentor: Sandip Das

    On-board Wave Energy Harvesting for Sustainable Boats and Ships


    Ocean wave is an abundant source of clean energy which offers great advantages over other renewables, such as its availability during both day and night times and much higher energy density compared to wind and solar. Currently, there are no viable or commercial technology available to harvest wave energy by individual boats and ships. In the United States only, there are more than 87,000 commercial fishing vessels and more than 100,000 recreational fishing boats. The world fishing fleet exceeds four million vessels, most of which are gasoline powered and release tons of polluting, toxic and greenhouse gases into the environment. In this project, we propose a novel hybrid wave energy conversion (HWEC) device that can be easily integrated and retrofitted into a boat or a ship to harvest renewable energy from the ocean waves and produce on-board electric power. This technology will reduce the dependence on gasoline – thus reducing the polluting and greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the global warming effects.

    The aim of this project is to design and fabricate a prototype of the proposed magneto-piezoelectric hybrid wave energy conversion device by applying electrical engineering and energy conversion principles resulting in a low-cost, modular HWEC device that can be easily retrofitted inside a fishing vessel or any other types of boats or ships – mounted underneath the decks, onto the floors or virtually anywhere on the vessel to produce clean electrical energy. The technology is scalable and could be easily adapted to next generation of all-electric commercial vessels, as well as navy ships. The first-year research scholar will gain valuable knowledge on renewable energy harvesting techniques from ocean waves, receive hands-on training and develop important and useful engineering research skills through this project.

  • Mentor: Yusef Mahmoud

    Minimizing Power Losses in Solar Photovoltaic Systems

    Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems generate electric power by converting sun light into electric power. Due to its cleanness and sustainability, there has been growing interest in building solar PV projects over the world replacing traditional fossil fuels-based power plants. One of the problems facing solar PV projects is their lower efficiency. A major factor limiting their efficiency is partial shading which occurs when part of a solar system is shaded by a tree, cloud..etc. This project is to reduce the power losses experienced by solar PV systems when they are partially shaded. The project uses a novel algorithm that optimizes power extraction during partial shading.

  • Mentor: Cyril Okhio

    STEM Mentor-Protege Program with Marietta Schools Using the Texas Instrument TI-RSLK as a Tool

    With existing relationships with Marietta Schools and the Development assistance from Texas Instruments TI, this effort will use the Texas Instrument Robotic System Learning Kit (TI-RSLK), to foster and further develop the pathways for a STEM Mentor-Protege Program between the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department Students & Faculty, and the Marietta Schools' Teachers and Middle/High School students (especially Females & Minority students), to create and nurture a sustainable STEM-Pipeline. This can then be further developed to also provide a foundation for possible responses to RFPs from Agencies such as the National Science Foundation NSF, in the foreseeable future.

    In the broader sense, this Research effort will lay the foundation for a Sustainable Mentor-Protégé, STEM-Student-Pipeline (especially for Females and Minority students). Students working on this project would be exposed to both the foundations and deeper understanding of how electronic system design works. They will also be involved in the processes of affordable Design, Build & Test activities.

    The TI-RSLK will allow students working on this project to learn about Robotic Systems and the Engineering Applications associated with them. Texas Instruments will supply the Project with several TI-RSLK Robots for Hands-On activities throughout the effort.

    At the end of each Program period, students would have demonstrated the value of the following: Mentoring relationships and the role that gender plays in STEM mentoring, particularly cross-gender mentoring relationships and whether they encourage positive socialization to the field in the same manner as same-gender mentoring relationships.


    • Mentoring relationships and the role that gender plays in STEM mentoring, particularly cross-gender mentoring relationships and whether they encourage positive socialization to the field in the same manner as same-gender mentoring relationships
    • The role of gender in different types of mentoring models and in the terms of mentoring relationships (i.e., formal or informal). For instance, studies could examine whether males and females in STEM fields receive the same benefits through formal and informal e-mentoring programs or whether mentoring relationships that utilize the citizen model facilitate the retention of females within STEM disciplines
    • The elements of successful mentoring relationships formed by females in STEM disciplines to provide a more holistic picture of what factors need to be included in the design of such mentoring programs for maximum benefits

  • Mentor: Yizeng Li

    Mechanical Responses of Lipid Vesicles Under Different Hydraulic Environment


    Mammalian cells are protected by a plasm membrane made of lipid bilayers. This membrane is highly deformable under various mechanical conditions, creating different morphologies for cells.  My prior studies have shown that the responses of cells are highly sensitive to extracellular hydraulic pressure, which is particularly prominent when cells reside in confined spaces. Although cells are living systems that respond actively to environments, they as enclosed vesicles respond passively to physical conditions in the first place. Differentiating the passive and active responses will help us better understand how cells adapt to environments and carrier out functions. It is challenging to differentiate the two types of responses in living cells; however, using liposomes will enable us to focus the study on the passive responses.

    In this interdisciplinary study, we will use both mathematical and experimental models to study the responses of passive liposomes. In particular, we will construct liposomes and observe their morphologies and motility under various hydraulic environments. The mathematical models will be developed on continuum mechanics and will be programed in MATLAB. The prediction from mathematical models will serve as guides to further design meaningful experiments.

  • Mentor: Philippe Sucosky

    Exploring the Effects of Spaceflight Microgravity on Blood Flow and Cardiovascular Disease


    Long-duration spaceflight poses multiple hazards to human health, including physiological changes associated with microgravity. A recent study reported the existence of blood flow abnormalities in the jugular veins of six astronauts participating in long-duration spaceflight missions aboard the International Space Station, and an occlusion in the vein of one more. Although the cause-and-effect relationships between microgravity, blood flow alterations and cardiovascular disease have not yet been elucidated, it is well known that the vasculature is sensitive to its surrounding mechanical environment. Abnormalities in the fluid stresses imposed by blood flow on the surface of blood vessels for example are known to trigger inflammatory responses that may lead to cardiovascular disease. In this context, the hemodynamic alterations resulting from spaceflight microgravity may trigger a biological response leading to disease. Testing this hypothesis requires the characterization of the stress environment experienced by the vasculature under microgravity. To address this research need, we propose to develop computational fluid dynamics models of the human carotid bifurcation under unit gravity and modeled microgravity conditions, and to quantify their fluid stress characteristics on the arterial wall. This work will enable future investigations of the risk posed by spaceflight microgravity on cardiovascular disease.

  • Mentor: Ayse Tekes

    Development of Wire Actuated Monolithic Soft Gripper Positioned by Robot Manipulator

    Robotic grippers integrated with end effectors have been widely used to pick and place targeted objects or assemble parts in the automation industry. Grippers are commonly attached as an end effector to the multi-link robots to change its orientation, and the performance of the gripping motion highly depends on the design of the gripper itself. Rigid mechanisms designed by traditional links and joints exhibit low performance compared to compliant mechanisms due to the friction, clearance, and backlash. A mechanism is said to be underactuated if the number of actuators is less than the degrees of freedom of the system and adaptive if the mechanism response adopts to the new environment.

    This project aims to design and develop an adaptive wire actuated compliant gripper mimicking human hand. The compliant gripper will be oriented through a 2D link robot. The configuration of the robot will be actuated by servo motors. The robot and the gripper will be 3D printed using polylactic acid (PLA) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). 

  • Mentor: Amir Ali Amiri Moghadam

    Development of Soft Fluidic Sensor for Body Motion Sensing


    Stroke rehabilitation is very important for recovery after stroke. The patients need to exercise regularly and their progress should be monitored. Thus, development of body motion sensors which can detect the motion and performance of patients would be very important. The sensor data can be sent to medical centers to monitor the progress of the patients.  This project aims to develop soft motion sensors which can safely interface with human body to measure large motions/deformations. 

    The proposed soft sensors generally consist of a patterned balloon and a fluidic pressure sensor. As the balloon being stretched and deformed the internal pressure of the balloon will change. Consequently, the pressure reading can be correlated to deformation of balloon to create a motion sensor. The balloons can be fabricated from thermoplastic materials or silicons by means of molding, and thermoforming.

  • Mentor: Muhammad HassanTanveer

    Biology to Biotechnology - Mimicking BATS sensing behaviors on Mobile Robots

    In mobile robot research, the robot needs to answer three main questions in order to make it navigate.

    1. Where am I?
    2. Where am I going?
    3. How do I get here?

    In order to address these questions on the Robotic Platform, we follow guidelines for the environmental model, for the interpretation and examination of the environment, for the location and condition of the system and for the planning of the movement.

    As we see, BATs navigation in the forest will resolve all the above questions by merely transmitting a sound wave and having to know the environment by hearing the echo.

    In the first part of the project, we will concentrate on creating a simulation environment like a forest and making our robot maneuver through acoustic laws. 

    The second step is to verify this strategy with a real robot and how fast the sensor is responding.
    But, on a larger scale, we can solve a lot of payload problems on robots and only set up a simple acoustic sensor to get to know the whole area.

College of the Arts

  • Mentor: Jessica Stephenson

    Building a Digital Database to Document Photography and Carved Ivories

    Establishing an organized database is foundational to documenting, preserving, presenting and interpreting historical materials. For this project, the student will collaborate with the faculty member in the ongoing development and analysis of a digital database to record photographs and carved ivory sculptures produced during the late 19th century in the Congo, Central Africa. These materials are housed in archives and museum collections throughout the United States, United Kingdom and Europe. While a single or digital images may capture an archived photograph, each carved ivory sculpture is documented through hundreds of digital records that collectively capture the details of each. With thousands of carved ivories housed in museum collections, the digital database continues to grow. While travel restrictions due to Covid-19 has put a temporary halt on onsite production of digital records by the faculty member, the organization, refinement, cataloging and analysis of already collected records continues.

    Over the course of the year the student will contribute to the development of this database by editing, organizing and cataloging digital records and analyzing archival content to develop thematic clusters for conference presentation and potential publication. By conducting this work the student will contribute to the first-ever visual database on early colonial-era photographs and carved ivories from the Congo. This database serves as the primary source for the writing of a postcolonial African Congo history in counterpoint to established colonial narratives. The database will be utilized by source archives, museums and scholars in the field and serves as reference material for historical research and future publication. This is an opportunity for a student to gain experience in developing primary research skills relevant to archives, art history, history, anthropology, and museum collections management and to hone technical skills in image editing.

    Students interested in this project should be comfortable working with MAC computers and have a firm working knowledge of programs such as Excel, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Students in African and African Diaspora Studies, French, History, Anthropology, Art, Art History and Education are particularly welcome. Students should be able to work independently and under supervision through virtual meetings. An ability to read French is beneficial, but not required.

  • Mentor: Peter Fielding

    Broadening the Western Music Theory Canon


    Working with faculty, students will help survey a variety of print music sources of underrepresented composers and music genres in the Western Music Theory canon. Project will evaluate, identify, and classify musical examples and excerpts to augment existing introductory undergraduate music theory and aural skills course materials. In addition to assembling materials to augment existing KSU curriculum, materials will be shared through a wider academic and educational readership, as possible.

  • Mentor: Peter Fielding

    Broadening the Western Music Theory Canon


    Working with faculty, students will help survey a variety of print music sources of underrepresented composers and music genres in the Western Music Theory canon. Project will evaluate, identify, and classify musical examples and excerpts to augment existing introductory undergraduate music theory and aural skills course materials. In addition to assembling materials to augment existing KSU curriculum, materials will be shared through a wider academic and educational readership, as possible.

College of Computing and Software Engineering

  • Mentor:Suon Suo

    Building Modern Services with Security Assurance in the Edge Infrastructure

    This project aims to address these critical security issues by using adaptively data-driven execution model in the cloud-edge systems, including various IoT devices, and revisiting how they affect resource management and energy consumption. It also helps in learning and usage of resource control as the IoT devices should be capable of running two or different applications on the same time. The goal of this project is to explore the possible solutions to improve the security of the modern edge services and propose solutions to advance the reliability of the edge infrastructures.

    Specifically, this project will help you achieve the following outcomes:

    1) Understanding the techniques and concepts of using these IoT devices for better implementation;
    2) Analyzing the semantic gaps in the cloud and the edge, and design augmented abstractions to bridge the gaps;
    3) Using the data-driven execution model to provide effective, efficient, and secure components;
    4) Increasing the fundamental understanding of cloud-edge systems in resource management and energy control.

College of Science and Mathematics

  • Mentor: Melanie Griffin

    Molecular Cargo Delivery into Bacteria; Delivering the Goods


    Common bacteria are very easy to grow and study in a research lab.  They are interesting because many have useful abilities such being able to degrade toxic waste products, producing antibiotics or for food production, such as yogurts and cheese.  It is also relatively easy to manipulate bacteria to do even more useful things we want them to through genetic engineering.  Of course, there are also some bacteria that are harmful to humans.  Our lab is investigating a molecular approach that may allow us to modify good bacteria or selectively target harmful ones for destruction.

    The Griffin lab has recently demonstrated that a cell-penetrating molecule called TAT-CaM, developed in the lab of Dr. Jonathan McMurray at KSU for mammalian cells, can be used to deliver cargo proteins into eukaryotic fungal cells.  We want to now determine if this molecule can also be used in bacterial cells.  We seek to determine the diversity of the cargoes accepted for delivery and the limitations of what can be moved that are both beneficial and toxic.  This is of particular importance if this system is to be used for industrial and biotechnology processes as well as for the potential therapies against medically-relevant bacteria.

  • Mentor: Martin Hudson

    How to Make a Brain in Three Easy Steps


    The Hudson lab at Kennesaw State University is broadly interested in: (1) understanding how cells in the body become neurons; and (2) how neurons connect to one another to make neural circuits and how those circuits control an animal's behavior. To do this, we primarily use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model for these studies. Nematode worms have many advantages for studying the nervous system. First, they have an invariant cell lineage, which means that whenever a cell divides, we know exactly what its daughter cells are going to be. Second, they're see-through, which means that we can actually see neuronal cell bodies and axon bundles without having to dissect the animals. Third, we can use fluorescent reporter genes to label individual cells in the worm's brain. Finally, we can use genetics to change the underlying genes required for nervous system development and function. By creating mutations that change the fate of a neuron or the shape of an axon, we can figure out which genes are required for making the nervous system and how that affects behavior. Is this relevant to humans and human neurological disorders? Oh yes! The genes required for shaping the worm's nervous system are the same genes required to shape the human nervous system. As such, we can look at the worm version of human disease genes and understand what the consequences are for mutating that particular gene and how it affects nervous system development and function. We have two main projects on-going in the lab. The first one is to examine a class of proteins called transcription factors to figure out how they affect whether a cell becomes a neuron or something else. Second, we are examining how sensory neural circuits connect together, and whether defects in nervous system connectivity lead to behavioral defects.

  • Mentor: Glenn Young

    Environmental Impact on Decision Making in Ecological Communities

    Evolutionary game theory (EGT) is a mathematical framework through which we can study decision making in ecological communities. As the name suggests, EGT borrows ideas at the heart of game theory, which can be very generally defined as the study of decision making in competitive situations. By considering interactions between individuals occupying the same ecological niche as games, we can utilize the extensive toolset offered by classical game theory to understand when these individuals should cooperate or when they should "defect" as the terminology goes. Researchers have made great strides over the past 50 years both expanding the mathematical understanding of EGT, and applying it to study a wide range of biological systems, from bacterial communities to social vertebrates to cancer cells.

    This project will focus on a recent branch of EGT that couples game theoretic decision making with a simple model of the surrounding environment. These so-called "ecol-evolutionary" models allow us to study environmental impact on ecological interactions, and helps address important questions related to environmental uncertainty due to climate change, over-harvesting or overgrazing, or simply environmental effects of the seasons. Students will help develop mathematical models, study systems of differential equations both analytically and using computer software (MATLAB), and possibly study simple stochastic systems (if interested!).