Students in the second cohort of the Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Support (ASURS) Fund presented their final projects to Drexel students, faculty and alumni on October 21.  

The ASURS Fund provides undergraduate students with $1,500 to participate in a research project under the mentorship of a faculty member or PhD candidate. Over the last six months, these students have worked on a variety of hands-on research and scholarship reflecting a cross spectrum of the College of Arts and Sciences’ disciplines.   

By participating in ASURS, students gain vital skills through field experiences, laboratory settings and special workshops on using qualitative data, statistical analysis, preparing a case study, conducting community outreach projects — and so much more.  

ASURS provides an environment for students and faculty to learn and work together that may not be available in a traditional classroom. This type of learning opportunity is invaluable for our undergraduate students who are eager to experience hands-on research. 

“I wanted to add something to my resume, and as an international student it had been a bit hard for me to find on-campus jobs,” shared sociology and law major Yuade Harmon, who explored historical research with Harriet Millan, emeritus associate teaching professor of English. “When I saw this position, I was glad to have something that related to my interests as well, so it made the work so much more appealing.” 

The Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Support (ASURS) Fund is supported through the generosity of our donors and alumni. We thank them for their continued support in making this unique experience possible for our students and faculty.  

Learn more about the projects below:  

Suhani Dheer (Mentor: Dr. Maria Schultheis) 
Using a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator (VRDS), this study explores how stopping and turning behaviors differ among adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and those without neurological conditions. The research aims to identify the cognitive demands associated with these driving behaviors, providing insights into driving safety and performance.  

Yuade Harmon and Christina Ing (Mentor: Prof. Harriet Millan)  
Students worked to explore historical research through annotating letters from the Holocaust. As a final deliverable, the students have engaged in their own research regarding their personal family history to write short, fictional pieces based on what they learned. 

Isabel Petry (Mentor: Prof. Kathleen Volk Miller) 
This project involved assisting with a comprehensive and instructive book on the importance of journaling as a form of writing, detailing its importance not only as a benefit in advancing and developing one's writing skills but to further display the benefits of one's sense of self. The student conducted research on different aspects of writing and its instruction, delving specifically into writing for neurodiverse individuals as well as collecting information and data from state legislation regarding policies and priorities on holistic learning and positive education programs. Ultimately, the student used the knowledge that was gathered to generate and create various writing and data. prompts that combine and apply the different techniques, themes, models, and data. 

Elias Gkouveris (Mentor: Dr. Jesse Goldman) 
In 2013, muons from cosmic ray showers were observed at various elevations on Mauna Kea in Hawaii. In this project, the goal was to correlate waveform and lifetime events to identify possible Michel electrons as a final state product of muon capture. 

Lena Tran (Mentor: Prof. Kathleen Volk Miller) 
This project is on social and emotional learning (SEL). It will introduce SEL's concept, objective, application, approaches and various benefits of SEL. The presentation will briefly discuss related teaching philosophies. 

Angelique Attencio and Neetika Mishra (Mentor: Dr. Frank Ferrone)  
The current research focuses on using novel methods to understand sickle cell anemia. The research is currently using lasers to make intracellular concentration measurements of the hemoglobin in the blood by leveling the cell surface and using an interferometric device to measure each cell's oxygenation state and intracellular concentration. 

Eshel Ahmad (Mentor: Dr. Mary Ebeling) 
Touching is Believing: This project investigates the implications of the use of Al assistance in surgical procedures through the lens of sociology. Through Dr. Ebeling's collaboration with a lab in Italy testing soft robotics and AI for use during surgeries, the student has assisted with creating transcriptions of interviews with members of the research team to understand how tacit knowledge translates to AI assistance in surgical medicine. 

Viktor Cannon (Mentor: Dr. Clare Strange) 
As part of a larger project on trends in incarcerated individuals with autism spectrum disorder, a literature review examining criminogenic risk factors among autistic populations was conducted to understand how these factors may present differently and, consequently, affect incarceration pathways. Furthermore, PA Department of Corrections records of autistic inmates were reviewed, and a preliminary codebook was developed for future qualitative analysis of these records. 

Ben Barsky (Mentor: Dr. Aaron Kucyi) 
This project is helping extend research with Postdoc Fellow Dave Braun. Under Dr. Kucyi's Dynamic Brain and Mind Lab, research participants went through behavioral testing to gather data to understand thought movement and its influences, specifically exploring how attention tasks may constrain thought movement and persist afterwards. Preliminary data is being analyzed to draw early inferences for this ongoing project. 

Sevinch Rakhmonova (Mentor: Dr. Evangelia Chrysikou)  
Creative problem-solving is often recognized in the intersection between creative ideation and idea evaluations. Studying these values, continuing research seeks to explore the effect of using transcranial alternating current stimulation with current EEG to examine the role of alpha and gamma band oscillations in creative thinking. Preliminary analyses reveal results that are consistent with the role of alpha oscillations in creative thinking. 

Kira Quitel (Mentor: Dr. Shelby Rinehart) 
In natural tidal marshes, burrowing crabs are known to have important effects on ecosystem structure. However, their effects on restored ecosystems through time is less explored. The current research examined how burrowing crabs might affect the development of belowground biomass and sediments along a chronosequence in restored tidal marshes. 

Karli Faraldo (Mentor: Dr. Gwen Ottinger) 
The current research focused on framing the significance of monitoring benzene concentrations at the fence lines of oil refineries. By examining the health risks, environmental injustices, and historical impact of refineries on surrounding communities, the project underscores why benzene monitoring is essential and highlights the stakeholders who care about this critical work. 

Rachel Jean-Charles (Mentor: Dr. Shelby Rinehart) 
Urban ecosystems have unique attributes that affect the nutrient cycle especially through leaf litter decomposition. In order to understand the potential impacts of urban life on nutrient cycling, a metaanalysis was conducted to estimate the rate of decomposition across urban landscapes and the environmental factors that can influence decomposition.