GCC Undergraduate Research Grant Awardees Present at Dennis Dean Research Conference
May 16, 2022
Recipients of Global Change Center Undergraduate Research Grants recently presented their work at the annual Dennis Dean Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship Conference held on April 29, 2022. Each student, under the mentorship of a GCC-affiliated faculty member, showcased their creative and scholarly accomplishments in several diverse research projects.
Please join us in commending these bright students on their exciting research accomplishments!
Antonia Mendrinos
CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOLOGY MAJORS, CHEMISTRY MINOR
MENTORED BY DR. JULIA GOHLKE
Adverse birth outcomes associated with proximity to poultry animal feeding operation in rural Eastern Shore, Virginia
Antonia also presented her research to the Society of Toxicology conference in San Diego, California this past spring!
Victorjose Catalan
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION MAJOR, PATHWAYS TO SUSTAINABILITY MINOR
MENTORED BY DRS. MERYL MIMS & TRACI DUBOSE
Projecting species distribution models across state landscape for conservation
Hokie Graduate Spring 2022.
Amy Fiorellino
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR, GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS MINOR
MENTORED BY DR. JOHN JELESKO
Poison Ivy urushiol levels are not correlated with microbe levels nor reproductive metrics
After graduating with her BS this spring, Amy will begin a new position working Environmental Health & Safety with a small-plane manufacturer in Kansas.
Tyler Allen
BIOLOGY MAJOR
MENTORED BY DRS. AUSTIN GRAY AND BRYAN BROWN
Impact of microplastics on native crayfish ectosymbiosis: Are fitness and growth affected?
A Hokie Graduate this spring 2022, Tyler will embark on his graduate studies with the Gray Toxicology and Ecology Lab beginning Fall 2022.
Gabi Dugan & Nicole Gaspari
GABI: BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEERING MAJOR, WITH A MINOR IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
NICOLE: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES MAJOR, WITH A MINOR IN SOCIOLOGY
MENTORED BY DR. SUSAN WHITEHEAD AND IGC FELLOW MELISSA BURT
Restoring connectivity: impact on ant seed-dispersal mutualisms
Gabi and Nicole are working to share their project data on the Global Ants Database and publish their findings. Gabi is a Hokie Graduate Spring 2022, and Nicole plans to conduct undergraduate research in microbiology and cell biology projects during her upcoming senior year.
The Global Change Center at Virginia Tech, with support from the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, is proud to sponsor undergraduate students and their research projects that align with our mission for advancing collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches to address critical global changes impacting the environment and society. Supported projects address basic and/or applied aspects of global change science, engineering, social science and the humanities and are sponsored by a GCC Faculty mentor.
