FIREbird 2022 -2023 Research Grant Winners
The Fund for Independent Research Experience grant (FIREbird) allows undergraduate students to work with a faculty mentor on a research project. Summer funds (up to $3000) and semester funds (up to $1500) may be used for student hourly wages, research incentives, supplies, or travel.
Spring 2023 was the first time a spring award cycle was offered.
Key: Student Name/ “Title of Project”/ School or Department/ Faculty Mentor
Fall 2022
Anna Andersen “Mental Health in the Filipino American Community,” Communication/ Dr. Lindsey Thomas.
Hailey Burnett “Parentage Assignments and Pedigree Construction in House Wrens,” Biological Sciences/ Dr. Pirmin Nietlisbach.
Noah Davison, “A Maya Talking Forest: A Virtual Environment for Digital Repatriation of Kaqchikel Cultural Patrimony” Creative Technologies / Dr. Kathryn Sampeck
Brenden Delcario. “Acting Pedagogy in the Career of Professor Jean Scharfenberg” Theater and Dance/Dr. Ann Haugo.
Ellie DeZur, Erica Elsey and Claire Culbreth, “The Development of a Human Factors Virtual Research and Teaching Lab Using Unity Gaming Engine” Family and Consumer Science/ Dr. Gabriela Fonseca Pereira. .
Kassidy Hansen “Phonological Awareness in Action: A Case Study” Communication Sciences and Disorders/Dr. Ciera Lorio.
Julian Marvel “Elemental analysis of Ground Stone Axes from Noble-Wieting using pXRF,” Sociology and Anthropology/ Dr. Logan Miller.
Carl Orellano “Investigating the expression of virulence factors upon treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with the antimicrobial compound AGXX” Biological Sciences/Dr. Jan-
Lucas Roslewski “Making Geopolymer Concrete Using Waste Glass and Quarry by-products” Geography, Geology and the Environment/Dr. Guang Jin
Julia Schmid “Input Price Determinates and Farmland Value Response” Agriculture/Dr. Michelle Kibler.
Joseph Wittrock “Antimagic Labeling of Subdivided Caterpillars” Mathematics/ Dr. Songling Shan.
Spring 2023
Adeline Bowen "Internal Factors that Influence Overall Rock Strength: St. Peter Sandstone in Starved Rock State Park, Illinois" Geography, Geology and the Environment/ Lisa Tranel.
Eaman Saleh "Evaluation of Dimethyl Fumarate and Sulfasalazine in Tandem with Electrical Stimulation on Glioma ROS Production" Biological Sciences/ Majorie Jones.
Justin So "Leveraging Children's Oral and Gut Microbiomes" Nursing/ Susana Calderon.
Summer 2023
Kyle Clark, Kristen Lane, and Harsh Patel, “Dopamine contributes to associative and non-associative memory in crayfish” Biological Sciences,/Dr. Wolfgang Stein.
Fawwaz Ali Chowhan, “Genetic Screening of Drosophila Melanogaster to recover Hto inserts with distinctive subcellular localization patterns” Biological Sciences Dr. Kevin Edwards.
Brendan Czajka, “Characteristics of Pair Creation” Physics/Dr. Rainer Grobe and Dr. Charles Su.
Lylia Gomez , “Mathematical Modeling for Thermoreception in C. elegans” Physics/ Dr. Epaminondas Rosa.
Alejandro Gonzalez-Jimenez “Secondary English Teachers’ Use of Writing and Conversation to Make Meaning of their Action Research Findings and Future Socially Just Instruction” English/ Dr. Danielle Lillge.
Katie Helmink “Synthesis and reactivity of novel rhenium selenide cluster complexes containing alkyl ligands” Chemistry/ Dr. Lisa Szczepura.
Alma (Allie) High “Investigating Outcomes of STEM Summer Camps in Bloomington-Normal” Politics and Government/ Dr. Will Lewis and Dr. Rachel Sparks.
L.T. Hodges “Technology Use in the IEP Process” Special Education/ Dr. Kim Fisher.
Kiana Itschner-Washington “Freshwater Soundscapes: Do fish howl at the moonBiological Sciences/ Dr. Bill Perry and Dr. Catherine O’Reilly.
Grady Jacobson “Characterization of the inactivation mechanism of the transcriptional repressor RcrR” Biological Sciences/ Dr. Jan-Ulrik Dahl.
Brianna (Sage) Lauper-Cook “Investigating the Reactivity of Cs[Re6Se8I3]” Chemistry/Dr. Lisa Szczepura.
Amelie Mwilambwe “Pollen diet diversity and its influences on bee microbiota and nutrition” Biological Sciences/ Dr. Ben Sadd.
Lane Nichols “Block Copolymer Nanostructures Fabrication” Physics/ Dr. Mahua Biswas.
Caroline Okleiteris “Intron analysis of the rfk-1 gene driver” Biological Sciences/Dr. Tom Hammond.
Delaney Reynolds “Characterizing the Role of LXR in the Regulation of Maternal Glucocorticoid Exposure” Biological Sciences /Dr. Ryan Paitz.
Lillian Ridinger “Reconstructing Ancient Agricultural Economies and Trade Networks at Valle Gianni, Italy” History/ Dr. Kathryn Jasper.
Tyler Simpkins “Effect of rcrB on antibiotic resistance in Uropathogenic E.coli” Biological Sciences/ Dr. Jan-Ulrik Dahl.