Undergraduate Academic Project Grants

Initiated by then-Chancellor John Bardo in 1996, the Undergraduate Academic Projects Grant Program funds a variety of student projects. Administered by the Office of the Provost, the Academic Project Grants Program awards students and faculty with materials, supplies, and travel support to conduct research and creative work during the academic year. Students and faculty construct proposals, which are reviewed by a formal faculty committee made up of representatives from across the colleges.  

Student and faculty proposals were submitted for competitive review. Several of these awarded projects are still in process, but for some you may see the final product of what was produced. Feel free to click on selected titles and explore the projects. Many thanks to the Academic Project Grant committee for their work, and to Suzanne Melton, the administrative support specialist for this program in the Office of the Provost.  Members of the committee include:   

Callie Schultz, College of Education and Allied Professions 

Allison Cruse, Hunter Library  

Frankie West, College of Arts and Sciences 

John Hildreth, College of Engineering and Technology  

Kim Hall, Chair, College of Health and Human Sciences 

Steve Ha, College of Business 

Leo Lei, College of Fine and Performing Arts 

Kloo Hansen, Coordinator, The Office of the Provost 

College of Arts & Sciences

Biology

Investigation of the Structure of Olfactory receptors in HEK293 cells
Student Awardee: Jamie Blaylock
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Robert Youker

Investigation of the Effects of Secondary Mutations in NBD2 Domain of CFTR
Student Awardee: Margaret Bray
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Robert Youker

Chemistry and Physics

Developing Lanthanide Metal-Based Calcium Fluoride Nanoparticles with Enhanced Luminescent Properties for Optical Applications
Student Awardee: Matteo Fratarcangeli
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Channa De Silva

Investigation of the Weathering of Automotive Clear-coat Formulations Using Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for Forensic Purposes
Student Awardee: Madeline Dunn
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nuwan Perera

Geosciences and Natural Resources

Groundwater-surface water interactions within the Gribble Gap watershed in Cullowhee, NC.
Student Awardees: Charles Wright, Brittany Payne
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Mark Lord

Defining Hollows and Using GIS to Constrain Geomorphic Factors That Contribute to Landslides in the Southern Appalachians
Student Awardee: Nick Guarneri 
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Cheryl Waters-Tormey

Investigating ductile structures in the Webster-Addie ultramafic body to further understand deformation in the deep oceanic lithosphere
Student Awardee: Cecillia Utterback
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Amy Fagan

Mapping bedrock geological features that contribute to landslides in the Southern Appalachians
Student Awardee: Logan Smith
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Cheryl Waters-Tormey

Assessing the effect of fire-related canopy closure on wood boring (saproxylic) beetle communities.
Student Awardees: Sierra Croney; Henry Williams
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Jane Dell

College of Fine and Performing Arts

School of Art and Design

Untitled: Denim
Student Awardee: Chloe Kaylor
Faculty Sponsor: Justin Morgan Kennedy

Gone But Never Forgotten
Student Awardee: Cristina Colom
Faculty Sponsor: Justin Morgan Kennedy

School of Stage and Screen

BA Senior Project: Research, Pattern Making, and Construction of an Edwardian Dress from Photographic Reference
Student Awardee: Jasmine Herbert
Faculty Sponsor: Victoria Depew