Lamar University Office of Undergraduate Research is proud to announce 16 winners of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). The SURF program awards each winner a $2,000 stipend, free on-campus housing for 10 weeks during the summer and $1,000 for purchasing project materials.

LU’s SURF program was designed from the nationally recognized Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs, allowing undergraduate students at LU to have a rich summer research experience.

“The program helps to improve students’ awareness of what it takes to win in a competitive program and better prepares them for the next grant submission,” said Cristian Bahrim, professor of physics and active director of the Office of Undergraduate Research.  “This is an effective way to train our undergraduates in becoming successful professionals and to be competitive in graduate schools they choose to attend after Lamar University.”

The selection mechanism of winners was based on rubrics . The process of submissions and selection is transparent. Each project proposal is reviewed by four reviewers, which includes two experts in the field. “The review is very professional and also, the feedback offered by reviewers beneficial for students, because it includes technical recommendations,” said Bahrim. “The transparency of LU’s submission and selection process makes our SURF program strong and competitive, and also, builds confidence in students and mentors to work hard and submit high quality proposals.”  

This year, there were 36 submissions, including 22 STEM proposals (61%) and 14 HASBSEB proposals (39%), generated by the efforts of 39 students. (Some SURF proposals were submitted by two students.) The top 16 proposals were selected based on the scores received from 33 faculty reviewers, resulting in a 44% acceptance rate.  Nine out of 16 (56%) winning proposals are in the STEM areas and seven of 16 (44%) are in HASBSEB areas, closely maintaining the submission ratio of 2/3 to 1/3 STEM to HASBSEB. The top 16 SURF proposals awarded for this year, got scores better than 76% from the four reviewers allocated per proposal.

“This score is highly competitive and indicates clearly the excellent quality of the proposals selected for this year’s SURF program,” said Bahrim. “The 16 SURF awards are an all-time record for Lamar University and only possible because of the continuous help and support from Provost Nichols, a true champion in generating student success, and from President Evans, who always has fully trusted our students’ potential to excel in their academic endeavors.”

SURF WINNERS 2020

Name: Muskaan Ali
Major: Psychology
Mentors: Dr. Martha Rinker, assistant professor of psychology, Dr. Elizabeth Aronson, associate professor of psychology
Title: Impact of Personality on Stress Responses: Extroversion and Introversion

Name: Rachel Clark
Major: Music
Mentors: Dr. Jacob Clark, assistant professor of music, Dr. Bryan Proksch, assistant professor of music literature & musicology
Title: Steinway or the Highway? Extending the Benefits of Historical Keyboard Research to Mainstream Performers on Modern Pianos.

Name: Grafton Conger & Cindy Rodriguez
Major: Mechanical/Civil Engineering
Mentors: Dr. Cristian Bahrim, professor of physics
Title: Evaporating Enhancement System Using Sunlight

Name: Menna Elsaka
Major: Microbiology
Mentors: Dr. Ashwini Kucknoor, associate professor of biology
Title: Akkermansia Muciniphila Correlation with Obesity and Metabolic Disorders.

Name: Sierra Hunnicutt
Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences
Mentors: Dr. Lillian Felipe, assistant professor of speech and hearing
Title: Knowledge and Awareness of Hearing Health and Conversation in College Students: The Use of Technological Devices

Name: Christian Jack
Major: Music
Mentors: Dr. Nick Rissman, professor of composition
Title: Listener’s Perception of the Quality of Microphone used in a Recording when Presented with an A-B Comparison.

Name: Ashtyn Jones
Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences
Mentors: Dr. Lekeitha Morris, associate professor of speech and hearing
Title: Influence of Self-Paced Online Training Program on Caregivers Reading Habits.

Name: Cleveland Elijah Keal
Major: Chemical Engineering
Mentors: Clayton Jeffryes/James Henry, assistant professors of chemical engineering
Title: Effects of copper nanoparticles on the digestive tract

Name: Sarah LaRue
Major: Exercise Science
Mentors: Dr. Shannon L. Jordan, assistant professor in health and kinesiology
Title: Effects of Cinnamon and Exercise on Blood Glucose Control in a Sedentary Overweight to Obese Prediabetic Population

Name: William B. Perry
Major: Nursing
Mentors: Dr. Cynthia Pipkins, assistant professor in nursing
Title: Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Psychological Factors in Licensed Nurses: A Secondary Analysis

Name: Cindy Rodriguez
Major: Civil Engineering
Mentors: Dr. Thinesh Selvaratnam, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering
Title: Biological Treatment of Produced Water

Name: Olivia Rigsby
Major: Geology
Mentors: Dr. Edgardo Pujols, assistant professor of geology
Title: Onset of the Sevier Fold and Thrust Belt and Associated Foreland-basin Sedimentation in Central Utah

Name: Ashley Staggs
Major: Speech and Hearing Sciences
Mentors: Dr. Lilian Felipe, assistant professor of speech and hearing
Title: Impact of Dizziness on the Quality of Life and Prevalence of Falls in the Elderly Population of Beaumont

Name: Ambriana Sykes
Major: Chemistry
Mentors: Dr. Ozge Gunaydin-Sen, associate professor of chemistry
Title: Studies of Ammonia Borane-Polyacrylic Acid Composites for Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Name: Talon Weaver
Major: Physics and Civil Engineering
Mentors: Dr. Evgeny Romashets, instructor of physics and Dr. Cristian Bahrim, professor of physics
Title: Forecasting Geomagnetic Storms Generated by Solar Activity

Name: Mason Z. Wyche
Major: Civil Engineering
Mentors: Dr. Thinesh Selvaratnam, assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering
Title: Characterization of Algal-based EPS for the Biosynthesis of Nanomaterials.