Undergraduate Research

Summer Research Program

The cornerstone of Undergraduate Research at Xavier is the Summer Research Program. Each spring, Xavier faculty members apply for funding to hire undergraduate students as summer researchers. Student researchers get first-hand experience of what it means to be an academic in their discipline of study whether that be in the lab, art studio, or historical archives; and get paid while doing it. The CAS Undergraduate Research Program supports work in all disciplines within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Recently funded projects by discipline and faculty mentors:

Biology:

Dr. William Anyonge
- (2021) Cortical Bone Thickness in Three Principal Limb Bones in Domestic Canines
- (2021 with Dr. Mandy Powers) Changes in skull shape may have evolved in response to predatory and feeding behaviors in Felidae
- (2021 with Dr. Mandy Powers) The genetic basis of dental patterning in cave-dwelling fish
- (2020) Limb Proportions and Locomotor Behavior in Prosimians
- (2019) Comparison of jaw morphology in marsupials in relation to diet
- (2019) Limb Proportions and Locomotor Behavior in Primates
Dr. Wilber Escoria
- (2021) A bioinformatics approach to assess how mutations in lipid regulator genes contribute to human cancers
- (2021) Disruption of DGAT2 function is linked to abnormal proliferation and lipid metabolism following genotoxic exposure
- (2021) SREBF1 promotes homeostatic control of lipids in response to DNA damage
Dr. Mollie McIntosh
- (2021) An assessment of combined sewer overflow and channelization impacts on an urban stream ecosystem
- (2019 with Dr. Rae McNeish) Microplastics and anthropogenic litter in the Mill Creek Watershed, Cincinnati, Ohio
Dr. Kathryn Morris
- (2021 with Dr. Jonathan Morris, Physics) Relationship of soil size and density on the depth of fungal growth and anastomosis events
- (2021 with Dr. Jonathan Morris, Physics) Chemical delivery to root size and fungi cutting in a MATLAB fungal network model
- (2021 with Dr. Jonathan Morris, Physics) Final destination of chemical transport affected by origin point in a modeled fungal network
- (2020) Time to network fusion affected by resource flow and branching rate in a modeled fungal network
- (2020) Direction of model run does not influence dynamics of fusion in a modeled fungal network
- (2020) Fusion path length not affected by hyphal tip growth parameters in a modeled fungal network
- (2019 with Dr. Jonathan Morris, Physics) Resource Movement Controls Hyphal Tip Morphology
Dr. Annie Ray
- (2021) Curating and Improving Xavier's Insect Collections
- (2021 with Dr. Emily Franzen) Effects of trap treatments on capture of wood boring beetles
- (2020) Improving trapping technology for wood boring insects
- (2019 with Dr. Emily Franzen) Effect of trap height on capture of adult Trichoferus campestris (Faldermann [Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae]) in Eastern deciduous forests
- (2019 with Dr. Emily Franzen) Effect of Fluoropolymer Preparation on Capture of Longhorned Beetles in Panel Intercept Traps
- (2019 with Dr. Emily Franzen) Assessing trap and lure design of solar-powered light traps for capture of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)
- (2019 with Dr. Emily Franzen) Trapping methods for carrion beetles in southwestern Ohio
Dr. Hanna Wetzel
- (2021) The effects of a monoclonal anti-cocaine Fab fragment on urinary cocaine clearance in rats

Chemistry:

Dr. Supaporn Kradtap-Hartwell
- (2019) Paper based assay using egg white protein for determination of copper
Dr. Stephen Mills
- (2020) Exploration of Proteins in the Summer of Covid-19
- (2020) Identification of New Metalloproteases
Dr. Richard Mullins
- (2021 with Dr. Daniel Whitehead, Clemson University) Diversification of a Rare Diazacyclobutene Scaffold
- (2021) Methodology of Inuloxin A
- (2020) Thiazoles
- (2019) Total Synthesis of Thiocladospolide A

Classics and Modern Languages:

Dr. Diane Ceo-DiFrancesco
- (2021) Student Perspectives on the Impact of Immersive Learning
- (2020 with Dr. Leah Dunn, Occupational Therapy) The Role of Dissonance in Short-Term International Immersive Learning
- (2020) Instructor Perspectives on the Implementation of Virtual Exchange
- (2019 with Dr. Leah Dunn, Occupational Therapy) The Impact of Short-term Immersive Learning Experience on Student Cultural Competence

Communication:

Dr. Thomas Wagner
- (2021) The Impact of Community Engaged Learning, Journaling, and Stories on Student Attitudes, Advocacy Intentions, and Understanding of Jesuit Gifts
- (2020) Climbing the Popularity Ladder: Social Comparison and Image Fixation on Instagram

Computer Science:

Dr. Mike Goldweber
- (2021) Two Database Internals Visualization Tools
Dr. Katie Timmerman
- (2019) The Return Statement: Fostering a Living Curriculum with Adaptive Data Visualization

English:

Dr. Niamh O'Leary
- (2019) Integrating Drama-Based Pedagogy in the E/LA Classroom

History:

Dr. Julia O'Hara
- (2019) Rosario Ibarra de Piedra and the Politics of Human Rights in Twentieth-Century Mexico
Dr. Kathleen Smythe
- (2021) Cycling Through Paradise, Dayton Edition
- (2020) Biking the Dayton Bioregion : A Historical Analysis
Dr. Karim Tiro
- (2020) The Diary of Captain Abraham Robinson Johnston, 1839-1843
- (2019) Notes Home from Robinson – A Case Study in 19^th Century Masculinity
Dr. Marita von Weissenberg
- (2021) Suffering and Support: Female Saints and their Husbands in the Late Middle Ages
- (2019) The Impact and Intent of the Biography of St. Isidore the Laborer
Dr. Amy Whipple
- (2021) 2015: The Year that England Spoke

Mathematics:

Dr. Eric Bucher
- (2021 with Dr. Esmeralda Nastase) Cyclic Spectral Decompositions of Circulant Graphs
- (2020 with Dr. Esmeralda Nastase) Bandwidth and Linear Embeddings of Caterpillar Graphs
- (2020 with Dr. Esmeralda Nastase) Radiant Graphs
- (2019 with Dr. Esmeralda Nastase) The Linear and Cyclic Bandwidth of a Graph
- (2019) 3-cyclic bandwidth and 3-cyclic bandwidth critical graphs
Dr. Minnie Catral
- (2021) Characteristic Polynomials of Matrices with a Prescribed Digraph
- (2020) Sign pattern matrices and applications
- (2020) The Analytic Connections Between Sign Patterns and The Characteristic Polynomial
Dr. Carla Gerberry
- (2021) How the Pandemic Changed Mathematics Instruction and Students’ Perspectives of Online Learning
- (2020) The Impact of Online and Hybrid Learning
Dr. David Gerberry
- (2021) Comparing the Similarity of Ohio’s Congressional Districts using the Genetic Algorithm
- (2020) An Evolutionary Mathematical Approach to Congressional Redistricting
- (2019) A Mathematical Approach to Congressional Redistricting
Dr. Hem Raj Joshi
- (2021) Modeling the Spread of Covid-19 in Cuyahoga County
- (2020) COVID-19 Model for Ohio
Dr. Esmeralda Nastase and Dr. Eric Bucher
- (2021 with Dr. Eric Bucher) Cyclic Spectral Decompositions of Circulant Graphs
- (2020 with Dr. Eric Bucher) Bandwidth and Linear Embeddings of Caterpillar Graphs
- (2020 with Dr. Eric Bucher) Radiant Graphs
- (2019 with Dr. Eric Bucher) The Linear and Cyclic Bandwidth of a Graph
Dr. Aqeeb Sabree
- (2020) Reconstructing Functions with Sinc Squared

Music:

Dr. Ben Chamberlain
- (2021) Investigation of the Inclusion of Female Composers in Music Streaming Services
- (2021) Diversifying Beginner Band Music

Occupational Therapy:

Dr. Leah Dunn
- (2020 with Dr. Diane Ceo-DiFrancesco, Classics and Modern Languages) The Role of Dissonance in Short-Term International Immersive Learning
- (2019 with Dr. Diane Ceo-DiFrancesco, Classics and Modern Languages) The Impact of Short-term Immersive Learning Experience on Student Cultural Competence

Philosophy:

Dr. Alexis Dianda and Dr. Richard Polt
- (2021) Beyond the Great Books
Dr. Daniel Dwyer
- (2021) St. Thomas Aquinas and 20th Century Phenomenology: On the Relation between Real and Mental Being
- (2020) Edmund Husserl
- (2019) The Phenomena as it Appears; Bracketing the Epistemological Question
Dr. Steven Frankel and Dr. John Ray
- (2021) Equality and Excellence in Ancient and Modern Political Philosophy
Dr. Michael Sweeney
- (2021) Liberation Theology or Philosophy?

Physics:

Dr. Marco Fatuzzo
- (2019) Computational Analysis of the Infall-Outflow Boundaries of a T Tauri Star Sphere Using Mathematica
- (2019) Perturbation of Earth-Bound Asteroids
- (2019 with Dr. Jonathan Morris) Early Simulations for the structure of Bi₂Fe_4-xM_xO₉
Dr. Justin Link
- (2021) Precision Machining
- (2020) Role of Calcium and Reactive Oxygen Species in Muscular Dystrophy Disease Progression
Dr. Jonathan Morris
- (2021 with Dr. Kathryn Morris, Biology) Relationship of soil size and density on the depth of fungal growth and anastomosis events
- (2021 with Dr. Kathryn Morris, Biology) Chemical delivery to root size and fungi cutting in a MATLAB fungal network model
- (2021 with Dr. Kathryn Morris, Biology) Final destination of chemical transport affected by origin point in a modeled fungal network
- (2020) Accelerometers and Data Fitting in MatLab
- (2019 with Dr. Marco Fatuzzo) Early Simulations for the structure of Bi₂Fe_4-xM_xO₉
Dr. Haider Raad
- (2020) Using a Computer Simulation to Analyze the Effect of Exposing SARS-CoV-2 Particles to Electromagnetic Waves
- (2019) Low Profile, Integrated Antennas
- (2019) Analysis of EEGs Based on Shapes and Colors
Dr. Heidrun Schmitzer
- (2021) Depth of Water vs Cavitation
- (2019) The Paddle Theorem and Rotational Inertia

Political Science:

Dr. Mack Mariani
- (2021) The Impact of an Increase in African American Legislators in Ohio’s 107th General Assembly
- (2020) The impact of Ireland’s National Gender Quota on the Dáil
- (2019) Gender Quotas in Irish Politics
Dr. Timothy White
- (2021) The Importance of Dialogue in Peace Processes: McGuinness and Paisley in The Journey
- (2020) The Good Friday Agreement, Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol
- (2020) Irish Catholicism in the 1950s: Stella Days and the Challenge of the Modern World
- (2019) The Role of the Diaspora in Redefining Irish Identity: Brooklyn and Recent Irish Migration

Theology:

Dr. Marcus Mescher
- (2021) Normative Power and Clergy Sexual Abuse in Chile
- (2021) SEE, JUDGE, ACT: The Importance of Community Voice in Creating Moral Agents of Change Through Solidarity with Survivors of Domestic Abuse
- (2020) Exploring Moral Injury in Relation to Clerical Sexual Abuse
- (2020) Response to Spiritual and Mental Health Crisis due to Increased Screen Time
- (2019) Restorative Justice for Survivors of Sexual Violence