The Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship offers funding twice per year (Fall and Spring) in support of faculty-led undergraduate student research, scholarship, and creative activity. Faculty and students in all academic disciplines are encouraged to submit proposals.
Funds can be used to towards travel or the purchase of materials and supplies necessary for the project. Individuals may submit one proposal (travel or materials) per seasonal round.
See previously funded projects below.
Please review the Call for Proposals.
Faculty may submit an application needed to conduct research or scholarly work OR an application for travel to conduct or present research or scholarly work in collaboration with one or more undergraduate students. A Mentoring Philosophy and the Department CFC Budget number are required components of the application. Please note: Faculty must accompany the traveling student(s) to the research experience to receive funding from CURS. Review the Call for Proposals prior to submitting an application.
**New Fall 2024** Faculty research projects must be submitted to the CURS Undergraduate Research Opportunity Portal by August 31st/January 31st to be reviewed for CURS funding. Documentation of research courses (ex. CURS 2990, HONR 3990H, or Department 4990) for students to receive funding. CURS abides by the add/drop deadline set forth by the Registrar's Office. Students need to email curs@augusta.edu to be registered for a CURS course. CURS will submit research course requests to the Registrar each semester prior to the Add/Drop deadline. Any request after these deadlines will be implemented in the second 8 week session of the term or the following term.
Restrictions:
Please review the Call for Proposals.
Undergraduate students may submit an application for travel to conduct or present research or scholarly work produced in collaboration with a faculty mentor. For travel grants, students must complete a Travel Authorization Form to upload into your grant application.
Student travel grants must be student-written (a faculty mentor may review the proposal), and these submissions are weighed against other student applications. Review the Call for Proposals for guidance.
**New Fall 2024** If two or more students are traveling to the same location to present or conduct research, each student will submit their OWN PROPOSAL. Any shared expenses such as lodging should be clearly explained in the Budget Justification of the application. Each student should submit their own Travel Authorization form which states all travel costs. AU expects responsible financial stewardship. Only one person may be reimbursed for a given receipt, thus shared costs are the responsibility of the travelers.
Restrictions:
Please note request should not exceed $1000. Caps on grants vary by year depending on state funding.
If you receive funding for Materials, your grant will be transferred to your home department. If you receive funding for Travel, your grant will be distributed through reimbursement following your submission of the Travel Expense Statement. Please name your file LASTNAME_INITIAL_2024TravelExpense .pdf and send to CURS@augusta.edu with the subject line “Travel Expense Statement.”
Please contact curs@augusta.edu if you have any questions.
2024 Fall Grant Awardees
|
Faculty Mentor |
Department |
Student(s) |
Title of Project |
|
Prof. Chadwick Tolley |
Art & Design |
Lauren Rich, Sophia Byne, Seth Prior |
Reimagining Literacy: The Art of Making Zines and Graphic Novels. |
|
Dr. Almira Vazdarjanova |
Pharmacology & Toxicology |
Madden Jones, Jasmine Patel, Jackson Stewart |
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder research |
|
Dr. Shogo Mori |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Timothy Pagsisihan, Rain Crippen |
Characterization of the enzymatic homologation pathway |
|
Dr. Nevin Lambert |
Pharmacology & Toxicology |
Gavin Feinberg |
G protein trafficking and signaling in living cells |
|
Dr. Ravirajsinh Jadeja |
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology |
Veer Patel |
Short-chain fatty acid signaling in retinopathy of prematurity |
|
Dr. He Yang |
Mathematics |
Jessica Brown |
Predictive Modeling of U.S. Missing Persons: A Data-Driven Approach |
|
Dr. He Yang |
Mathematics |
Travel Grant |
Predictive Modeling of U.S. Missing Persons: A Data-Driven Approach |
|
Dr. Robert Cromer |
Biological Sciences |
N/A |
Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Wildlife Movements |
|
Dr. Jennifer Bradford |
Biological Sciences |
Kayla Wilder |
Does the CXCR3/CXCL10 Pathway Alter Triple Negative Breast Cancer Invasion Ability? |
|
Dr. Matteo Borgini |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Kyara Vences, Emil Ayala-Cosme, Deborah Yang |
Synthesis And Purification Of Peptides As Nrf2 Inhibitors |
|
Dr. Siva Panda |
Chemistry and Biochemistry |
Holden Dinkins, Brianna Lynn, Manya Sharma, Rishi Krishnamurthy |
Development of New Drug Candidates for Cancer Treatment using Molecular Hybridization and Rational Drug Design Approach |
|
Student Travel Awards |
Major |
Mentor |
Mentor Title of Project |
|
Katherine Conkright |
Chemistry |
Dr. Siva Panda |
One-Pot Synthesis of Arylpiperidinone Conjugates as Potential Therapeutics for Cancer |
|
Jaylan Richardson |
Integrated Studies |
Dr. Karen Wiles |
Skeletal Muscle and Bone Depictions For Student Anatomy And Physiology |
|
Holden Dinkins |
Medicinal Chemistry |
Dr. Siva Panda |
Synthesis of Novel Biotinylated Diarylpiperidinone Derivatives as Potential Antitumor Agents |
|
Elisha Westmore |
Psychology |
Dr. Jia He |
Molecular Hybridization of Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin to Target Cancer Cells |
|
Brianna Lynn |
Forensic Chemistry |
Dr. Siva Panda |
COMPLEAT project |
2024 Spring Grant Awardees
| Faculty Mentor | Student(s) | Title of Project | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Dawn Langley-Brady | Nursing Science | Truc-Mi Hoang, Brandi Bramwell, Julie Bishara, Jasmine Patel | Elucidating Biological Pathways of Essential Oils For Analgesia in Chronic Pain |
| Dr. Deborah Jehu | Community & Behavioral Health Sciences | Amaya Sommer | Randomized Controlled Trial Of Exercise In People Living With Dementia |
| Dr. Jennifer Bradford | Biological Sciences | Sona Jose, Jesse Seng, | Production of a novel mouse model with dysfunctional NF-κB signaling in bone marrow-derived macrophages |
| Dr. Kumar Vaibhav | Neurosurgery | Manuela Guzman Zabala, Vivha V. Amble, Tajman S. Randhawa, Sriram Budim | Living with TBI: When and How it goes bad? |
| Dr. Matteo Borgini | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Emil Ayala, Deborah Yang, Kyara Vences, | Synthesis Of Peptides As Protein-protein Interaction Inhibitors Of Nrf2 |
| Prof. Raoul Pacheco | Art & Design | Terry Wilber, Diana Rojas Romero | Extending Capabilities of Clay |
| Dr. Jadeja Ravirajsinh | Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Amelia Newell |
Novel Therapy Target for Retinopathy of Prematurity: Exploring the Role of HCAR2
|
| Dr. Shogo Mori | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Gracie Blackstone, Shivam Patel, Favor Aruna | Site Directed Mutagenesis and Purification of the Homologation Enzyme HphA |
| Dr. Siva Panda | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Nihal Amineni, Brandon Powell, | Development of Natural Product-Based Therapeutics for Cancer Treatment |
| Dr. Stacey Bennetts | Biological Sciences | Gabsu Smallwood | An Investigation on Zn tolerance in a Phyllite Population of a Rare Plant Species, Pediomelum piedmontanum |
| Dr. Theja DeSilva | Physics and Biophysics | Joshua Hale | Two Oral Research Presentations at American Physical Society's March Meeting |
| Dr. Trinanjan Datta | Physics and Biophysics | Brody Brogdon, Logan Beatty | Electromagnetic Nerve Stimulation and Synchronizing Coupled Chaotic Neural Network |
| Student Travel Awards | Major | Mentor | Title of Project |
| Amanjot Saini | Cell and Molecular Biology | Dr. Brian Agee | Development For A Natural, Green Synthesis Of Loperamide |
| Amaya Sommer | Kinesiology | Dr. Deborah Jehu | Dual-Task Posture In Older Adults With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury |
| Annya Forbin | Psychology | Dr. Elizabeth Culatta |
Behavioral Changes In Women Who Have Experienced Sexual Assault
|
| Danila Dokuchayev | Dental Hygiene | Dr. Rafael Pacheco | Color Stability Of Various Resin Sealants After Staining Protocol |
| Elyse Vincent | Psychology | Dr. Jenelle Slavin-Mulford | The Impact of Administration Modifications on TAT Narratives |
| Iris Truong | Chemistry | Dr. Siva Panda |
Design and Synthesis of Molecularly Hybridized Ibuprofen as Potential Anticancer Agents
|
| Josh Hale, Logan Beatty, Shawn Macon, Brody Brogdon | Physics, Computer Science, Physics, Physics | Dr. Trinanjan Datta, Dr. Abdul Malmi-Kakkada | |
| Katherine Flemming | Chemistry | Dr. Matteo Borgini |
Synthesis and Screening of α-Methylene Lactams as Covalent Inhibitors
|
| Skyler Owens & Shopno Ahmed | Chemistry, Chemistry | Dr. Shogo Mori | Characterization of HPHA: The First Enzyme in the Homologation Pathway |
| Sonia Jose | Cell and molecular biology | Dr. Jennifer Bradford | Involvement of the NF-kappaB and CXCL10/CXCR3 Signaling Pathways in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Invasion |
| Vanessa Browning & Taylor Kate Guerrero | Psychology, Elementary Education | Dr. Alex T. St. Louis | From Science Thought to Science Practice: Developing Student Questioning Through Scientific Inquiry |
