ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ

Owen Edgington ‘25

Self-Discovery Through Cooking

Supervisor: Kristi McKim

Owen will spend the fall semester cooking his way to self-discovery and toward the online publication of a collection of creative nonfiction essays, photographs, and recipes documenting the journey.

Avie Bishop ‘25

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: Good Shepherd Animal Clinic, Conway, AR

Supervisor: Maureen McClung

Avie, who is exploring the possibility of attending veterinary school after ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ, will hone basic vet-tech skills, acquire more advanced skills, and become familiar with workplace etiquette in a clinical setting.

Lily Black ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: Our House, Little Rock, AR

Supervisor: Kiril Kolev

Lily will support the clients, staff, and volunteers of the Career Center at this homeless shelter and expects the experience will help her discern whether to pursue a nonprofit career.

Alexis Carter ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: Conway City Attorney's Office, Conway, AR

Supervisor: Delphia Shanks

Alexis will support and shadow attorneys in their case and trial work and expects to hone her research, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills while learning about legal careers.

Annie Elliott ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: Centro Sávila, Albuquerque, NM

Supervisor: Kiril Kolev

Annie will assist with grantwriting and fundraising, publicity and outreach, and providing programming and services to clients while supporting the nonprofit’s role as a leading member of the policy focused Albuquerque Justice for Youth Collaborative.

Meghan Fuller-Freeman ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: Temperance Hill Animal Hospital, Hot Springs, AR

Supervisor: Jenn Dearolf

Meghan will learn basic vet-tech skills and support clinic operations while considering a future as a veterinarian.

Katie Gray ‘25

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: UAMS Stead Scholars Program, Little Rock, AR

Supervisor: Jenn Dearolf

Katie will gain experience in public health science and policy while developing teamwork and other professional skills.

Julia Hooper ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: UAMS HEALS Lab, Little Rock, AR

Supervisor: Carmen Merrick

With plans to become a licensed professional counselor, Julia’s experience as a research assistant in the Health and Legal Systems Lab of the Psychiatric Research Institute will allow her to engage with clinic psychologists, contribute to research related to trauma therapy interventions for incarcerated individuals, and explore the interdisciplinary aspects of mental health services.

Annie Kannady ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: Pediatrics Plus, Conway, AR

Supervisor: J.D. Gantz

Annie, who is interested in pursuing a doctorate in pediatric occupational therapy, will shadow and assist occupational therapy for children with developmental disorders and support the food lab and gym.

Sierra Lubetkin ‘25

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: UAMS Child and Family Health Promotion Lab, Little Rock, AR

Supervisor: Andrew Schurko

As a research assistant, Sierra will examine the efficacy of behavioral interventions surrounding tobacco use and related health inequities while gaining experience with research in a medical setting.

Annabelle Neilson ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: House Natural Resources Committee, Washington, D.C.

Supervisor: Andrew Schurko

Annabelle will support Committee staff with research and writing memos that will contribute to policy drafts while exploring a potential career as a legislative assistant.

Houston Phillips ‘24

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: National Retail Sales (NRS) W/Keurig Dr Pepper, Frisco, TX

Supervisor: Lyle Rupert

Houston will gain experience in strategy and sales in a corporate setting, a career he plans to pursue post-graduation, and expects to strengthen his communication, problem-solving, data analysis, and other professional skills.

Sarah Ross ‘25

Official ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Internship: Wesley Foundation, Conway, AR

Supervisor: Robert Williamson

Sarah will lead the worship committee in planning Wednesday night services, lead services, organize fellowship events, and explore a possible career as a pastor.

Jonathan Ryan ‘24

Professional Field Experience: MOVE Physical Therapy and Wellness: Administrative Role

Supervisor: Jenn Dearolf

Building on an earlier internship with MOVE, Jonathan will expand his knowledge of the physical therapy business by learning and contributing to the administrative operations of the company which will help him to discern whether he might like to own a PT practice someday.

Ellen Alston

A Civil Rights Journey

Over Fall Break, Alston and a group of students will visit sites in Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham, Alabama and in Memphis, Tennessee, to gain background in and reflect on the US Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Ellen Alston

A Taizé Journey: An Odyssey Special Project

In May of 2024, Alston and a small group of students will spend a week in the ecumenical monastic community of Taize, France, exploring ideas and practices around living in community, service, spiritual conversation, contemplative practice, and vocational discernment.

Sarah Donaghy

Conversations On Being

Over the course of the coming academic year, Donaghy and a group of students will explore what it means to be human, how we want to live, and who we will be to each other through engagement with and reflection on materials from or connected to the On Being Project, a two-decades-old multimedia collaboration founded by Krista Tippett.

Ann Muse

Here There Are Blueberries Project

Muse and a small group of students plan to travel to New York City to attend a performance of Here There Are Blueberries, visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and participate in a three-hour workshop with two members of the Tectonic Theatre Project.

Jake Nelson ‘25

Archeological Maintenance and Learning

Supervisor: Anne Goldberg

Jake will perform a variety of maintenance, preservation, and lab tasks at the Plum Bayou Archaeological State Park in Scott, Arkansas, where he hopes to learn from professional archaeologists more about the array of responsibilities of working at a historical site.

Molly Schalk ‘26

Creating an Archival System for Historically Significant Familial Records

Supervisor: Ann Muse

Molly will spend the summer in France accessing and inventorying the Peugeot (French auto maker) family – her family – archives in an effort to begin documenting the historical value of these materials.

Lauren Allen ‘24

Kinship Connections in Domestic Violence Shelters

Supervisor: Anne Goldberg

Lauren will research how connections between residents of a domestic violence shelter may or may not mirror those of a family and how such bonds may impact a resident’s progress or success within the residential program.

Kennedi Burns ‘24

UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Supervisor: Latorya Hicks

Kennedi will do an undergraduate research project studying how change in platelet protein affects the yield of chromosomal instability following radiation for the Division of Radiation Health and receive mentorship from Dr. Rupak Pathak from the College of Pharmacy. She expects to grow her skills in responsibly conducting research and communicating science while increasing her proficiency in research methods and enhancing her leadership capacity.

Andres Caro

Inhibitory mechanism of sulforaphane on the mitochondrial electron transport chain

Caro will work with two students to evaluate the hypothesis that sulforaphane, a potential anti-cancer drug, inhibits the mitochondrial electron transport chain, thus inducing reactive oxygen species that triggers apoptotic cell death.

Kya Carroll ‘24

UAMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Supervisor: Jenn Dearolf

Kya will be paired with and mentored by a faculty member in cardiovascular, pulmonary, or hematologic research and will have the opportunity to conduct multiple research projects and observe surgeries, experiences she expects will enhance her career competencies and propel her toward a career in research.

Erin DeWald ‘25

Reclaiming Chalk

Supervisor: Todd Tinsley

Over the course of the coming academic year, Erin will develop a system for turning chalk nibs from ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ classrooms into new chalk sticks in an effort to make the campus more sustainable.

Anna Eichenberger ‘25

The Stead Scholars Program at UAMS

Supervisor: Laura MacDonald

Anna will gain experience in public health science and policy while developing her research skills and considering a possible research career.

Hannah Fewell ‘24

Exploring Muscle Fiber Profiles in Spinner Dolphin Calves

Supervisor: Jenn Dearolf

Hannah will examine the fiber-type profiles of juvenile spinner dolphins, whose major locomotor muscles continue to develop postnatally, to gain insight into the timeframe for maturation of the muscles and to compare with adult muscles.

Peter Kett

Assessing the Impact of the Adsorption of Gold Nanoparticles on the Structural Integrity of a Model Biological Membrane

Using a quartz crystal microbalance, Kett and two students will study how gold nanoparticles of different sizes and surface coatings affect the integrity of biological cell membranes, using supported lipid bilayers as their model membrane.

Tyrone Mason ‘24

Efficiently Simulating Card Games

Supervisor: Mark Goadrich

Tyrone will use computer coding to attempt to simulate the card game Hearts more predictably and more efficiently, which will allow the program to run optimally and finish games more quickly, an experience he expects will help him hone his code writing and teamwork skills.

Noah Morris ‘24

Abstract Strategic and Stochastic Software Implementation

Supervisor: Mark Goadrich

Noah will work within programming syntax Ludii and general engine CardStock to learn the capabilities and limitations of abstracting card games and working with code.

Eden Robbins ‘26

Bacterial Populations in the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Creek Preserve’s Water and Sediment

Supervisor: Jenn Dearolf

Through weekly sampling from the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ Creek Preserve, Eden will test the relationship between bacterial populations in water bodies and its sediment as an indicator of environmental and health concerns.

Kelsey Sample ‘25

Measuring the oxidative density of locomotor muscles in spinner dolphins

Supervisor: Jenn Dearolf

Kelsey will examine the oxidative capacities of spinner dolphins to learn more about how the locomotor muscles grow over the lifespan of these mammals.