Category: SRS Round 1 (November 2025)

CLOSED: Breathing as a Driving Force CLOSED: Behind the Fight or Flight Response to Stress (Ryan Brindle)

On campus: this project is scheduled to begin on 6/08/2026 and run for 10 weeks, finishing on 8/14/2026.

Project Description

When stressed breathing patterns change dramatically. However, the degree to which stress-related breathing drives the cardiovascular stress response (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure) is unknown. This project aims to document stress-related changes in breathing and cardiovascular activity and quantify the degree to which breathing drives cardiovascular changes under stress. Students working in the Sleep and Stress Laboratory will gain experience in human subjects research, learn the deep physiology of the fight or flight response, become proficient in measuring human respiratory and cardiovascular activity, and analyzing time series physiological data.

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Prerequisites

None

Special Comments

None

Project Information (subject to change)

Estimated Start Date: 6/08/2026

Estimated End Date: 8/14/2026

Estimated Project Duration: 10 weeks

Maximum Number of Students Sought: 3

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Ryan Brindle (email: rbrindle@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: 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)

CLOSED: Spider genetics – silk and circadian (Nadia Ayoub)

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

Project Description

Research students have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing work on spider silk or circadian rhythms. For spider silk, the focus of 2026 will be to analyze and publish the results of 8 years of data on the protein composition and material properties of sticky prey capture silks. For circadian genetics, most work will involve working with material from animals that were subject to dissections over 24 hours of either a light-dark cycle or constant darkness. This includes isolating RNA, preparing the RNA for high-throughput sequencing, using the sequencing results to estimate expression levels, and identifying genes that cycle throughout the day. There are also options to work with live spiders on behavioral analysis, or to explore evolutionary analysis of circadian behaviors.

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Prerequisites

Students should have an interest in organisms, genetics, or evolution, and a willingness to learn new skills. Experience with programming or statistical tools would be a strong plus.

Special Comments

I strongly encourage new students to take an independent study in the Winter before summer research.

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? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Nadia Ayoub (email: ayoubn@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: 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)

CLOSED: Fibonacci numbers and D-finite numbers (Greg Dresden)

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

Project Description

The Fibonacci sequence start with 0,1,1,2,3 and then each number is the sum of the two previous terms. By contrast, a D-finite sequence might start the same but then each number is some polynomial times the previous term(s). There’s a connection between these D-finite sequences, and sums of double-products in Pascal’s triangle. I haven’t figured it out yet, but that’s the plan for the summer!

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Prerequisites

Some math sophistication, and Math 225 or equivalent.

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: Remote

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Greg Dresden (email: dresdeng@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Counting Schreier-Type Sets (Hung Chu)

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

Project Description

A finite set F of natural numbers is called a Schreier set if the minimum element of F is at least the cardinality of F. For example, {4,5,11} is a Schreier set because its minimum element is 4, while its cardinality is 3. However, the set {2,4,7} is not a Schreier set because its minimum element is 2, which is smaller than its cardinality, 3. Various connections between Schreier sets and interesting integer sequences have been discovered. A notable result, due to A. Bird, states that the number of Schreier sets whose maximum element is n is equal to the n-th Fibonacci number. In this project, we will study different Schreier-type conditions, count the sets that satisfy these conditions, and explore the integer sequences that arise from this counting.

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Prerequisites

Students should have completed MATH 225 – Bridges to Advanced Mathematics. Completion of an additional proof-based course is strongly preferred.

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: Remote

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Hung Chu (email: hchu@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Developing safer therapeutics (Sarah Kim)

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 goal of the Kim lab is to prolong patient survival and decrease risks associated with cancer treatment by developing safer and more effective chemotherapeutics. We have two projects underway, both of which are available to summer students: Project 1: Pediatric brain tumors. For adult patients with cancer, chemotherapeutics can cause undesirable side effects such as hair loss, nausea, and vomiting. However, when chemotherapeutics are given to children, the side-effects can be more severe. Children may experience lifelong hearing loss, vision loss, or learning disabilities. SRS students will learn about current challenges and promising new therapies for pediatric brain tumors. In the lab, students will formulate chemotherapeutics that are targeted to tumor cells. This project is done in collaboration with a physician at Duke University. Project 2: Medication allergies. You may remember that after we received our COVID vaccines, we were asked to wait 15 minutes before leaving. This was due to the possibility that the vaccine could cause life-threatening allergic reactions requiring hospitalization. Which component of the vaccine could be the culprit of these severe allergic reactions? One leading candidate is a synthetic material called polyethylene glycol (PEG). PEG is derived from petroleum. Unsurprisingly, some people’s bodies identify PEG as an unnatural toxin. Consequently, their immune system launches a severe allergic reaction in response to PEG. Unfortunately, several chemotherapeutics are made with PEG, which could induce allergic responses in cancer patients. SRS students will develop safer, natural alternatives to PEG based on elastin, a protein that is found in our bodies.

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Prerequisites

Fundamentals of Biology (BIOL 111), General Chemistry (CHEM 110), and Introduction to Undergraduate Research in Nanomedicine (CHEM 401, by invitation only) by spring.

Special Comments

Students will be required to take CHEM 401 in the winter term. A meeting with Dr. Kim is required for consideration for the position.

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: 4

Research Location: On campus

Travel Required? No (If “yes”: )

Contact Information: Sarah Kim (email: skim2@wlu.edu)

CLOSED: Cultural Heritage Science at W&L and Other Institutions (Erich Uffelman)

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 Uffelman research group will utilize non-invasive methods such as portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, fiber optic reflectance spectroscopy, IR imaging, and multispectral and hyperspectral reflectance imaging spectroscopy in the VNIR and SWIR to analyze cultural heritage objects—especially paintings. The work will be done at W&L as well as at collaborating museums and institutions. It is possible that some of the work may be done abroad, so students will need to be sure that if they leave the US they can return.

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Prerequisites

Students should either take or be taking Chem 156 and Arth 356 OR do one credit of research with Dr. Uffelman in the winter term of 2026.

Special Comments

See above.

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? Yes (If “yes”: To be determined.)

Contact Information: Erich Uffelman (email: uffelmane@wlu.edu)