Author: Matthew

Virginia Terroir and Wine Chemistry (Connell Cunningham)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

This project explores how Virginia’s unique terroir, including its climate, soils, and vineyard practices, shapes the chemical composition of regional wines. Students will analyze key components such as sugars, organic acids, tannins, phenolics, and aroma-active compounds using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and various wet-chemical methods. Students will gain hands-on experience with sample preparation, derivatization, quantitative analysis, and the interpretation of real analytical data. The work connects directly to questions faced by local vineyards and contributes to a growing scientific understanding of Virginia wine chemistry.

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Prerequisites

Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 241) is preferred but not required.

Special Comments

Students should expect to work alongside the Cunningham research group during the Winter Term.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Connell Cunningham (email: ccunningham@wlu.edu)

Scouting for Sierpiński and rummaging for Riesel (Carrie Finch-Smith)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

My favorite number is 509203; it’s the smallest known Riesel number. Riesel numbers are found in many other integer sequences, such as the Fibonacci numbers, the sequence of triangular numbers, the set of Ruth-Aaron pairs, and many others… My research group looks for new results in the intersection of interesting integer sequences and the set of Riesel numbers and Sierpiński numbers.

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Prerequisites

Successful applicants must know how to add, subtract, and mutiply, and more importantly, they must be curious, persistant, and willing to fail over and over again!

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 6

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Carrie Finch-Smith (email: finchc@wlu.edu)

Critical mineral extraction paired with acid mine drainage bioremediation (Margaret Anne Hinkle)

Hybrid: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/22/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 8/14/2026.

Project Description

The research for 2026 will be focused on our collaborative NSF grant with University of Pittsburgh and Hedin Environmental. Rare earth elements, also known as “critical minerals” are those we need for the upcoming energy transition as we move away from carbon-based energy to renewables. You may have heard of a lot of interest in deep sea ocean nodule mining for these REEs – and of the unknown impact that may have on that important ecosystem. These deep sea ocean nodules bind REEs because they are comprised of Mn oxides, known as “the scavengers of the sea.” As it turns out, acid mine drainage contains a lot of rare earth elements, and a by product of acid mine drainage remediation is the precipitation of manganese oxides thanks to the help of manganese oxidizing fungi. We are investigating whether we can take these Mn oxide mineral byproducts of AMD remediation and put them upstream where the water has high concentrations of REEs and extract these REEs in economically viable amounts. We are pairing these field experiments with lab-based experiments, growing the same fungi in our lab that are responsible for manganese oxide biomineralization, and reacting them with REEs to see a) how much of the REEs are removed from solution and b) how? Are they binding to the Mn oxides or to the fungal biomass? The work this summer will better our understanding of whether remediating REEs and Mn from AMD in this way can address the need for domestic sources of critical minerals by enhancing reclamation from AMD discharges rather than creating additional environmental degradation by mining REE ores or seafloor dredging of deep-sea nodules, ideally providing economic incentive for the treatment of AMD-impacted waters, resulting in cleaner, more ecologically diverse streams and rivers.

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Prerequisites

None

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/22/2026

Estimated End Date: 8/14/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 5

Research Location: Hybrid

Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: Pittsburgh, PA to acid mine drainage field sites, toward the end of the summer. )

Contact Information: Margaret Anne Hinkle (email: hinklem@wlu.edu)

Illuminating New Catalytic Transformations (Erin Gray)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Nitrogen-containing organic molecules have broad applications as pharmaceuticals, materials, and agrochemicals; therefore, the development of new strategies to make and break carbon–nitrogen bonds is essential. Our research aims to design catalytic methods to manipulate carbon–nitrogen bonds, making the preparation of these important products more sustainable, cost effective, and efficient. Students in the Gray Group will gain experience in using synthetic organic chemistry laboratory techniques and instrumentation as they design and conduct experiments, interpret data, and examine the scientific literature.

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Prerequisites

Organic Chemistry I (CHEM 241) is preferred but not required

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Erin Gray (email: egray@wlu.edu)

Analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing data for transposable element expression. (Kyle Friend)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Transposable element (TE) expression is linked to human aging and oncogenesis. We are currently analyzing human single-cell RNA sequencing data to identify tissues and cell types that are more prone to TE-mediated damage.

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Prerequisites

No

Special Comments

No

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Kyle Friend (email: friendk@wlu.edu)

Impacts of stress on Marine Invert Microbiomes (Alicia Reigel)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

The Reigel Lab is looking for 1-2 students to join our research team in Summer 2025. My research examines the impacts of human-induced stressors on marine invertebrates and their associated microbial symbionts (i.e., the holobiont). Currently, we are using oysters as experimental models because they are ecologically and economically important to the Eastern seaboard and they afford us many opportunities to collaborate with local non-profits and researchers at other Virginia-based universities. We are exploring the impacts of stress on oyster holobionts via comparative studies of wild and hatchery-raised oysters and aquarium-based stress experiments. Projects may include techniques associated with genetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and culturing of oyster-associated microbes to assess their functional capabilities. While I have broad research questions and established experimental systems, there are many interesting questions and methodologies that can be used to address these questions. Thus, there is room for student researchers in my lab to work directly with me to devise a research project that they are interested in and feel ownership over.

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Prerequisites

There are no specific requirements, but students should be interested in marine microbial ecology, be willing to learn new skills, and to work independently and with a team as necessary. I have a preference for students who are willing to commit to continuing research (via BIOL 421 or 422 directed research credits) in my lab during the academic year (2025-2026) as this allows us to build on work done during the summer, produce publishable manuscripts, and consider attending an appropriate scientific conference to present the completed research.

Special Comments

Students must be available for regular lab meetings (1-2 per month) during Winter term so that we can work together to develop and define project specifics and deliverables. There may also be some training on research techniques during the Winter Term. All meeting times will be determined after our SRS team membership is finalized to ensure everyone can attend.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: This travel is all tentative and depends on the specific project we work together to devise. Travel may include trips to the Virginia coast to meet with collaborators, visit the oyster hatchery, etc. There will be no travel outside of Virginia.)

Contact Information: Alicia Reigel (email: areigel@wlu.edu)

Consumer Financial Well-Being in the Era of Cryptocurrency: The Moderating Role of Financial Education (Zefeng Bai)

Remote: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/01/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/10/2026.

Project Description

Cryptocurrencies have expanded rapidly in recent years, offering new investment opportunities alongside substantial risks. However, their speculative nature and price volatility have raised debates about whether investors can truly benefit from investing in cryptocurrencies. This project aims to investigate how cryptocurrency investment affects consumer financial well-being. Furthermore, we will examine whether financial education, or other factors related to consumer financial literacy, moderate this relationship. Although financial education is widely viewed as a safeguard that promotes informed financial decision-making, empirical evidence has shown mixed results regarding its effectiveness, suggesting that its protective role may not be universal. This project will adopt a multi-stage analytical approach. It will utilize the most recent 2021 and 2024 data provided by the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS), a nationally representative database that collects information on socio-demographic characteristics, financial background, and investment behaviors of U.S. adults. The 2021 and 2024 cohorts allow for a comparative analysis of how cryptocurrency investment and financial literacy evolve over time, particularly in response to changes in economic conditions. Student researchers involved in this project will gain direct experience analyzing nationally representative datasets and will develop practical skills in applying statistical and econometric methods to derive causal inference and address complex social science questions.

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Prerequisites

BUS202 – Fundamentals of Business Analytics (or equivalent) and ECON203 – Econometrics. Prior experience in Stata is preferred but not required.

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/01/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/10/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 1

Research Location: Remote

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Zefeng Bai (email: zbai@wlu.edu)

Mitochondrial genetics of Virginia’s Freshwater Crayfish (Paul Cabe)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 8 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

Freshwater crayfish are ecologically important species found on nearly all continents. The world hotspot of species diversity is in SE North America. Although hundreds of species are known, many species remain to be described scientifically, hindering research and preventing effective conservation efforts. My lab works to survey, identify and classify Virginia crayfish populations using genetic tools; this includes contributing to efforts to describe new species. We produce and use DNA sequence data, primarily from the mitochondrial genome. Students will experience field work, and learn common DNA techniques like DNA extraction, PCR, gels, DNA sequencing and DNA sequence analysis.

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Prerequisites

Simple lab skills desirable (from Intro Bio or Genetics labs). Good attitude during outdoor field work! (sampling streams)

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 8 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? Yes (If “yes”: Day trips by van to SW Virginia (and other nearby locations), with possibility of one or two nights camping during field trips. All within Virginia.)

Contact Information: Paul Cabe (email: cabep@wlu.edu)

Tracing the Gender-Neutral X in Argentine Media (Romina Green)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 6 weeks, finishing on 7/17/2026.

Project Description

This project is a continuation of SRS projects from 2023 and 2024, using digital humanities tools to trace the emergence and evolution of the gender-neutral “x” in Argentina from 2003 to 2005. This project has now entered its second phase, examining the shift by online communities from using the “x” to the “e” and “i”. Researchers will attend workshops on how to approach researching and archiving a social media site. They will be assigned texts on historical approaches to digital archives and that cover the historical background of the research topic.

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Prerequisites

The primary skill is reading in advanced Spanish, since the articles and comments will use Argentinian slang and political terminology. Understanding of Latin American history and society is helpful but not necessary since researchers will be given text to read throughout the 6 weeks.

Special Comments

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/17/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 6 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 2

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Romina Green (email: rgreen@wlu.edu)

Building an automated polarized light microscope for rock crystallographic texture analysis (Mengying Liu)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/01/2026 and run for 9 weeks, finishing on 7/31/2026.

Project Description

This project aims to build a customized polarized light microscope system for automated rock texture analysis, advancing beyond traditional methods that are either labor-intensive (U-stage microscopy) or time-consuming (EBSD). Building on our preliminary findings that crystal optical axis orientation can be determined through intensity variations under polarized reflective light during 360-degree rotation, students will develop a fully integrated measurement system. The research objectives include designing and fabricating an automated sample stage with precise tilt and rotation control, design and implementing accurate automated positioning mechanisms for polarizer, analyzer and light source components, as well as developing the control electronics and software interface. Students will engage in hands-on engineering through mechanical design using CAD software, circuit design for stepper motor control and sensor integration, optical system alignment and calibration, and programming automated measurement sequences. Students will work from component selection through system integration and validation testing. The successful development of this automated microscope could transform geological texture analysis, reducing measurement time from days to minutes while maintaining spatial resolution advantages over current methods.

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Prerequisites

Preferred but not required: Experience with machine design or circuits design, or experience with MATLAB or Python

Special Comments

Student will have the opportunity to start research as early as winter or spring.

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/01/2026

Estimated End Date: 7/31/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 9 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Mengying Liu (email: mliu@wlu.edu)