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���ϲ����� Odyssey Program

Project Funding

February 2017

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As of February 2017, the Committee on Engaged Learning has awarded $3,657.974.57 in Odyssey grants to ���ϲ����� students and faculty since the Odyssey Program’s inception in 2005. In this cycle, 40 projects were awarded $134.062.66. This summer, you can find ���ϲ����� students around the globe—in labs, at service agencies, and challenging internships.

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Lyle Alford

A Journey of Faith and Service in Lourdes

Category: SP

Sponsor: Rev. JJ Whitney, Chaplain's Office

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Millions of people travel to Lourdes in France, where the faithful seek healing from the waters of its revered spring. Lyle Alford will work with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers to assist pilgrims at the site. He will give out meals and feed the ill, help those in wheelchairs negotiate the grounds and provide companionship to those who traveled alone. Along with his volunteerism, Alford will discern whether a life in the priesthood calls to him as he explores the differences between French and American Catholicism.

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Iad Alhallak and Alexis Krone

A Kinetic Analysis of the Formation of Supported Lipid Bilayers through Variation in Salt and Lipid Concentration

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Peter Kett, Chemistry

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Iad Alhallak and Alexis Krone will work on a collaborative research project looking at the formation of a model biological membrane. They will investigate the effects that experimental conditions have on whether and how fast a phospholipid bilayer forms on a silicon dioxide (SiO₂) surface from a vesicle solution. Alhallak will examine the role of lipid concentration while Krone will focus on the effects of salt concentration."

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Roshaneh Ali

New Beginnings: Working with the International Rescue Committee

Category: SW

Sponsor: Rev. JJ Whitney, Chaplain's Office

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The International Rescue Committee (IRC) once worked with individuals seeking refuge from Hitler. Currently, the organization is giving aid to Syrian refugees, victims of human trafficking, and others seeking asylum after persecution and abuse in their native lands. Roshaneh Ali will volunteer at the Baltimore location, helping those in need regain control of their lives in a new environment where they will need to find employment and housing. Ali also plans to continue organizing campus drives, gathering donations of basic necessities like warm clothing for the IRC to distribute.

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Braxton Anderson

Characterizing the Tumor Microenvironment of Thyroid Cancer Using DropSeq

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Laura MacDonald, Biology

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Thyroid cancer is the 8^th most common type of cancer in the United States, and it is predicted to increase dramatically in the next decade. Typically, the cancerous thyroid is removed, followed by a radioactive iodine therapy to kill any remaining cancer cells. Braxton Anderson will research the mechanisms of thyroid cancer as a way to identify new therapies. Anderson will use DropSeq, a new technique to identify cell types within a tumor based on their genomic output.

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Kathryn Bolt

Dance Therapy at Eastern State Hospital

Category: PL

Sponsor: Prof. Brigitte Rogers, Theatre Arts and Dance

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Eastern State Hospital in Kentucky treats patients with psychiatric disabilities and brain injuries. Kathryn Bolt will combine her interests in psychology and dance during her summer internship at the hospital. Bolt will instruct Dance Therapy classes using curriculum from DanceAbility International to establish a safe and creative environment where participants can learn the dance techniques. She is interested in seeing the impact dance therapy has on the patients’ mental and bodily states.

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Leah Crenshaw

College Staffer at Ozark Mission Project

Category: SW

Sponsor: Rev. JJ Whitney, Chaplain's Office

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After five years as a camper at the Ozark Mission Project, Leah Crenshaw will serve as a college staffer with supervisory duties over volunteers. The non-profit Methodist organization brings together youth from around the state to provide manual labor assistance to high-need Arkansans. Crenshaw will plan the aid projects, teach the needed construction and technical skills to a 25-30 person group of volunteers, and lead worship services.

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Grace Featherston

Understanding Our Planet One Aerosol at a Time: Quantification of Biomass Burning Aerosols

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Courtney Hatch, Chemistry

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Organic material, known as biomass, releases aerosols when it is burned. These aerosols pose a variety of human health and environmental concerns, including long-term effects on the Earth’s climate. Grace Featherston will collect atmospheric aerosols and quantify levoglucosan, an effective biomass burning tracer, within the collected particles. As such, the extent of biomass burning on local air quality in Conway can be assessed. She will gain a better understanding of organic aerosol physical and chemical characteristics and their diverse environmental effects.

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Jessica Frazier-Emerson

Jessica Frazier-Emerson at Ozark Mission Project

Category: SW

Sponsor: Rev. JJ Whitney, Chaplain's Office

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After many years as a camper with Ozark Mission Project, Jessica Frazier-Emerson learned the value of the organization’s goal of assisting disadvantaged Arkansas residents with repair projects for their homes. This year she is serving as a college staff member, supervising young volunteers. Frazier-Emerson will interact with the homeowners, draw up blueprints for projects like wheelchair ramps, order lumber and keep an eye on the budget while ensuring that all participants have a safe and rewarding experience.

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Logan French

Investigating the Genomes of Two Oral Disease Causing Viruses: Human Herpesvirus and Coxcackievirus

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. George Harper, Biology

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The human herpesvirus and the coxsakievirus are linked to some of the most common oral diseases. With an interest in pursuing a career in dentistry, Logan French will compare the genomes between these two virus types. Using genome sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, French will align the genomes to spot similarities and differences that might be tied to the oral diseases.

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Emma Gaither

Don't stop the Bee-at: The Effect of Noise Interference on Waggle Dance Communication

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Maureen McClung, Biology

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When bees find a source of food, they return to the hive and relay the information about its location through a specialized dance. This waggle dance is dependent on the other bees sensing body vibrations. Emma Gaither will investigate whether man-made sounds interfere with the ability of the bees to correctly interpret the location of the food. It is possible that increased anthropogenic noise through transportation and industry are contributing to the decline of these important pollinators by interfering with foraging efficiency.

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Hagan Griffith

The Experience of a Lifetime: Costa Rica Style

Category: SP

Sponsor: Jeff Trimble, Intercollegiate Athletics

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Through the Beyond Sports program, Hagan Griffith will travel to Costa Rica to share a cross-cultural experience with other soccer players from around the world. In addition to training with the coaches of the Costa Rica national team, Griffith will help host service-learning clinics for the Special Olympics program in San Jose to teach local youth about the sport. Griffin will be in charge of her own group of Special Olympics athletes as she instructs them about the fundamentals of soccer through games and other interactive learning experiences.

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Geneva Hill

Volunteering for Italy's Sex Trafficked and Homeless

Category: SW

Sponsor: Prof. Matthew Lopas, Art

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In Arezzo, Italy, Geneva Hill will volunteer at two different agencies to learn more about pressing humanitarian issues. Hill will work with a women’s shelter to help mistreated and exploited victims of the sex trafficking industry as they prepare for their new lives away from their abusers. In addition, she will learn about the impact of poverty and the need for aid as she assists the residents at the only homeless shelter in the city.

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Callahan Hirrel

Development and Implementation of a Functional Programming Language for Teaching Discrete Mathematics Courses

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Brent Yorgey, Math and Computer Science

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This summer, Callahan Hirrel will work with Dr. Brent Yorgey to develop and implement a functional programming language to aid in the teaching of Discrete Mathematics at ���ϲ�����. Hirrel will examine the relationship between math and computer science as he gains an understanding of functional programming and language development. His culminating presentation will be to faculty responsible for teaching the course.

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Anna Holmes

Development of CARDSTOCK, a Card Game Simulation Engine

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Mark Goadrich, Math and Computer Science

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Anna Holmes will work on CARDSTOCK, an automated game design engine that allows users to create, change, and playtest different types of card games. Holmes will focus on increasing the efficiency and speed of the engine’s artificial intelligence through parallelization. This will allow the engine to run on multiple processors at the same time, allowing the computer to run many simulations of a card game’s variables more quickly.

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Jessica Hunter

Analysis of Contortrostatin in Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) venom

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. George Harper, Biology

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Copperhead venom is a complex cocktail of components that have different effects on prey. Contortrostatin is part of this blend, and, as a disintegrin, it blocks the action of certain compounds in the prey's body to subdue it. Medically, this blocking effect can help prevent the growth and spread of cancerous tumors. Jessica Hunter will analyze variation in the contortrostatin gene of the five species of copperhead snakes to gain a more in-depth understanding of this gene and its evolution.

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Jacob Idec

Computational Myrmecology: Using Agent-Based Modeling and Custom Video Analysis to Investigate Division of Labor in the Ant Pheidole dentata

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Mario Muscedere, Biology

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Jacob Idec will draw on his interests in animal behavior, entomology and computer science in two interrelated research goals this summer. He will create a��computer simulation��of an ant colony��with artificial intelligence ants and demonstrate how changing behavioral and environmental variables effects��the success or failure of colony tasks. He will also��design and write a computer program to analyze a large volume of video data taken of ants with injured antennae following a pheromone trail and examine the data to learn about how��they compensate for the injury over time.��

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Ian Jenkins

Investigating Molecular Mechanism of Thyroid Cancer Using Novel Cellular Models

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Laura MacDonald, Biology

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This summer Ian Jenkins will conduct research on thyroid cancer, focusing specifically on how the disease progresses through uncontrolled cellular division and motility. He will characterize the role of the protein focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has on the spread of thyroid cancer cells.

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Jonathan Jenkins

Oh, The Places You'll Go with Science! Education at the Burn Camp

Category: SP/SW

Sponsor: Dr. Julie Gunderson, Physics

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The Oklahoma Firefighters’ Burn Camp in Adair, Okla., is a week-long summer experience for children aged 6-16 who are burn survivors. With a Dr. Seuss theme this year, the camp will offer an additional and innovative component for the campers—fun, interactive, and educational science experiments. Jonathan Jenkins is an alumnus of the program, and he will bring 18 of his fellow students and three ���ϲ����� professors with him to share their passion for biology, chemistry and physics at the camp. The experiments range from Jello Brain Surgery to Egg Drop Engineering and will be specially designed to accommodate any physical limitations of the campers, allowing the experience to be accessible to everyone.

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Michael Kramer

Nano-Engineering: Design and Synthesis of an Effective Molecular Receptor for Fullerenes

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Michael Yanney, Chemistry

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Fullerenes are molecules of carbon that form hollow spheres that resemble geodesic domes, egg shapes or tubes. Michael Kramer will work on theoretical studies and��synthesis of a molecular receptor that forms a “ball and socket” type joint with fullerenes. This could have potential applications in separation science and in��organic polymer devices that convert solar power to energy.

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Erika Levy

Behavioral Compensation, Long-term Behavioral Plasticity, and Neuroanatomical Remodeling in Majors of the Ant Pheidole dentata

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Mario Muscedere, Biology

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Certain ants come in two sizes, small and large. The large ones are known as majors, and they principally handle food storage and defense. The small ones, the minors, outnumber the majors 9 to 1. They care for the young, forage for food and take care of the nest. Erika Levy is interested in what happens when the minors aren’t around to do their usual duties. Do the majors change their game plan to keep the nest thriving? How long does it take? Once the nest recovers, do they remember the jobs they did filling in for the minors?

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Justin Lockhart

All Tangled Up: Alzheimer's Research with the University of Texas

Category: PL

Sponsor: Dr. Jennifer Peszka, Psychology

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The Center for Vital Longevity at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is a leader in Alzheimer’s Disease research and treatment. Justin Lockhart will work on a research team that is comparing older PET scans of the brains of Alzheimer patients with newer scans, examining how beta amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles change and grow over time. Lockhart plans to continue his interest in researching dementia as he pursues his doctorate in Clinical Psychology, building on the techniques and skills he develops. His work this summer will help him learn about more than the research by exposing him to the work environment he hopes to join.

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Amber Melcher and Ploy Freebairn

Behavioral Studies in the Locomotion of Caenorhabditis elegans

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Brenda Houck, Biology

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Amber Melcher and Ploy Freebairn will conduct independent research projects on the nematode, Caenorhabditits elegans. Melcher will test the role of electrical connections between cells in and how it contributes to movement essential for the nematode’s survival. Freebairn will perform experiments to test how specialized neurons in the nematode aid in geomagnetic orientation, which could provide insight into the cellular mechanisms underlying migration across species.

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Kathleen Mowery and Delaney Wells

Understanding Rwanda: Culture, Education, Development

Category: GA

Sponsor: Dr. Carol West, English

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Kathleen Mowery and Delaney Wells will join twelve K-12 teachers on a trip to Rwanda through Dr. Carol West’s Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Mowery and Wells are working toward certification to teach at the high-school and elementary levels respectively. The group will visit Rwandan schools and universities, meet with government officials, experience the culture and history of the country and meet with ���ϲ����� alumni now working in Rwanda. Mowery and Wells will help develop curriculum units on Rwanda that can be implemented in American schools in 2018.

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Bosco Ndemeye

A Bidirectional Programming Environment for Creating and Editing Vector Graphics

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Brent Yorgey, Math and Computer Science

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Unlike any popular image formats like JPEGs are made of a grid of pixels, Vector graphics are made of paths with start and end points-they can follow curves or become shapes that create images ranging from simple drawings to complex diagrams. Vector graphics are made by either using editing software or programming code to draw the image. Bosco Ndemeye is working to create a Graphical User Interface that combines these two methods, so a user can directly manipulate the image as the programming code automatically updates itself in real time.

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Alexis Pace

Dominican Republic

Category: GA

Sponsor: Dr. Duff Campbell, Math and Computer Science

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Alexis Pace will experience the culture of the Dominican Republic as she participates in a multi-faceted service trip to the country through Momentum Ministries. First, she will use her Spanish language skills to interact with local children, learning their preferences for music and stories. Next, as part of a carpentry team, she will help repair homes damaged by a hurricane last fall. Finally, with a medical team she will assist with hygiene education and seeing the differences in how those in the Dominican Republic perceive medicine.

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Eugene Pegues

Development of a Reusable Colorimetric Surface Tethered Polydiacetylene

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Peter Kett, Chemistry

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One major problem with biosensors like glucose test strips used by diabetics is that they typically are for one-time testing, leading to increased health care costs and environmental impact to dispose of the waste. Eugene Pegues will work to develop an inexpensive and reusable biosensor based on a glass slide that reveals the presence of the streptavidin protein through a color change.

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Lauren Petrisin

Cape Town: Leadership, Service and Culture

Category: SP

Sponsor: Dr. Leslie Templeton, Psychology

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Lauren Petrisin was selected to participate in a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, this summer through LeadAbroad. The organization’s goals are to develop the student’s leadership skills through educational seminars, provide community service outreach in the host country, and increase the understanding of a foreign culture. Petrisin plans to use her enhanced leadership knowledge and ability to create connections between diverse groups as she pursues a career in physical therapy.

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Heather Prowse

A Unique Perspective: How CDC Controls Tuberculosis

Category: SP

Sponsor: Dr. Mark Sutherland, Biology

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This summer, Heather Prowse will work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga. The CDC is the nation’s leading public health protection agency. Focusing on tuberculosis, Prowse will take a multi-faceted look at how the CDC works to control a single disease at the local, national and international levels. She will see how medical scientists, doctors, epidemiologists and public health leaders from a variety of disciplines and areas of interest come together to address all aspects of an infectious disease, ranging from prevention to testing and control. This interdisciplinary approach will give her a unique insight into the way the CDC functions.

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Lexus Raney

Foraging for Drugs: A Novel Model of Drug Addiction in Animals

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Sara Taylor, Psychology

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Researchers have created many theories about drug and alcohol addiction to identify and explain patterns of abuse. Animal models are often used in an attempt to understand human behavioral and neural connections to addiction, with operant conditioning being the most common—an animal receives a reward for pressing a lever. However, this doesn’t accurately reflect natural conditions or responses in the real world. Lexus Raney will spend her summer developing and characterizing a new animal model of addiction, based on��innate food-seeking behaviors of rodents.

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Reynol Rodriquez and Sierra Hubbard

Insect Biodiversity in Sky Islands of Arkansas

Category: UR

Sponsor: Dr. Matt Moran, Biology

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Sky Islands are mountaintops isolated from their significantly different lowland environments, often with unique insect species found nowhere else. Reynol Rodriquez and Sierra Hubbard will examine the insect biodiversity at four sky islands in Arkansas: Mount Magazine, Petit Jean Mountain, Poteau Mountain and Rich Mountain. They hope to raise awareness of the number of insect species found only in the state along with the genetic diversity at these mountain peaks.

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Mary Rose Siebenmorgen

Rediscovering My Family's European Roots

Category: GA

Sponsor: Dr. Carol West, English

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With a surname that is familiar to Conway residents, Mary Rose Siebenmorgen is interested in visiting the area in Germany that her father’s family originally called home. In addition, she will see the town of Niederbuchsiten, Switzerland, where her maternal side originated. She will immerse herself in the culture and history of both countries as she learns about her own roots and the daily lives of the German and Swiss people. This cross-cultural exploration will give her a new perspective on her ancestors, their motivations to emigrate, and the history of the city they helped to create in America.

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Bridget Umble

Team Eire and the Women's Lacrosse World Games

Category: SP

Sponsor: Liz Daly, Intercollegiate Athletics

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With dual Irish/American citizenship and a love of lacrosse, Bridget Umble is honored to be a member of Team Eire, the Irish Developmental Team for the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup event in England this summer. This secondary team for the Irish National Team will be included in various tournaments and games both at the World Cup and during the next four years. Umble hopes to increase her skills to win a spot on the national team during the next tryouts.

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Garrett Wolf

Internship at Faulkner County Juvenile Court System

Category: PL

Sponsor: Dr. Lindsay Kennedy, Psychology

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Building on his desire to work with children, Garrett Wolf will intern with legal professionals and juveniles this summer at the Faulkner County Juvenile Court. He will receive special training to help with drug screenings and assessments of those involved in the legal proceedings. During this process, he will serve as a mentor and role model for troubled youth. This behind the scenes look at the legal world will help Wolf prepare for future career opportunities tied to his psychology major.

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Margaret Young

Identity and Gender in the Scottish Highland Games

Category: GA

Sponsor: Dr. Leslie Zorwick, Psychology

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Since the 11^th century, the Scottish Highland games have been a well-known part of the culture of Scotland. The festivals feature sporting games of strength, like the caber toss, shot put and hammer throw along with music and dancing competitions. The games were exclusively male for centuries, but increasing numbers of women are participating. Margaret Young is interested in discovering how gender and identity plays a part in the events by interviewing male and female participants at six different Highland games across the country, seeing how this new gender blend affects the perception of this traditional cultural event.

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Benjamin Zamzow and Sarah Nieman

Internship: Children's Eternal Rainforest

Category: PL

Sponsor: Dr. Matt Moran, Biology

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The Children’s Eternal Rainforest is the largest private reserve in Costa Rica, and it was created with donations from children, schools, and other organizations in 44 countries. Benjamin Zamzow and Sarah Nieman will intern at the rainforest this summer. They will use cameras to help determine the biodiversity of animal life in the reserve, and the information they collect can help with conservation efforts. In addition, they will create educational presentations for visitors to the park.

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Dr. Julie Gunderson

Design and Construction of a Fluorescence Microscope

Category: UR

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Due to the high costs, you can find single-molecule fluorescence microscopes only at large, well-funded research institutions. Dr. Julie Gunderson will work with one student researcher to design, construct, and conduct experiments with a home-built single-molecule capable fluorescence microscope. Her goal is to create a low-cost piece of equipment that can be built by scientists at smaller institutions.

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Dr. David Hales

Proline Under the Influence: The Effect of Neighboring Amino Acids on the Conformational Flexibility of Proline

Category: UR

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Dr. David Hales will take two ���ϲ����� students for a week of chemistry laboratory work with Dr. David Clemmer at Indiana University. The students will measure the three-dimensional shapes of peptides in various stages of unfolding. They will spend the rest of the summer at ���ϲ����� modeling, fitting, and processing the data.

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Dr. Michael Miyawaki

What is Your Race? Examining Part-Latino Racial Identity

Category: UR

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According to Census data, Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, and they also have one of the highest rates of intermarriage, with more than 25% of Latino newlyweds having a non-Latino spouse. Dr. Michael Miyawaki and Samantha Lewis will research the children of such marriages to get a demographic picture of the part-Latino population and their racial identity.

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Dr. Damon Spayde

Experimental Nuclear Physics at ���ϲ�����

Category: UR

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One ���ϲ����� student will perform computer simulations and data analysis for the MOLLER experiment at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Virginia. The high precision measurements could reveal previously unknown physical processes.

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