Five faculty members receive URCA grant awards
Auburn University at Montgomery’s Undergraduate Research Committee is accepting summer proposals for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) grants after awarding its first round of the grants to five faculty members.
In March, the Office of the Provost allocated $50,000 for undergraduate research or creative activity at AUM. Grant funding is awarded to faculty members whose research involves undergraduate students. Proposals have been funded so far to the following five faculty members:
- Greg Ciesielski, assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded $6,000 for his research project titled: “The Role of Molecular Chaperone Tid1 in the Prevention of Deletions in Human Mitochondrial DNA.” ( 2 proposals)
- Duk (Daniel) Kim, department chair and professor of chemistry, was awarded $3,000 for his research project titled: “Investigation on the Suppression of ROS by Beverages.”
- Ann Marie O’Neill, assistant professor of biology and environmental science, was awarded $3,000 for her research project titled: “Development of a Cancer Macrophage Fusion Hybrid Model.”
- Claudia Stein, assistant professor of biology, was awarded $2,747 for her research project titled: “Screening Plant and Soil Microbial Communities in Native Prairie Ecosystems.”
- Erin Reilly, professor of kinesiology, was awarded $2,385 for her research project titled: “The Effect of Neuromotor Exercise on Cognition and Physical Ability in Pre-school-aged Children.”
The Undergraduate Research Committee will continue to review and fund research projects on a rolling basis throughout the summer until the funds are disbursed. The committee anticipates another call in September for funding in the next fiscal year.
AUM’s Experiential Education and Engagement Center and the University Honors Program share the mission of encouraging undergraduate research and creativity and administering funding for undergraduate research and creativity. To apply, please email Lynn Stallings at [email protected] for the guidelines.
