Undergraduate Research Scholarships

Thanks to the generous contributions of the following donors, the Office of Undergraduate Research is able to offer $1200 Undergraduate Research Scholarships to select student researchers.

Scholarship Descriptions

The Lawrence T. Dee and Janet T. Dee Foundation was established by Lawrence Taylor and Janet Teller Dee in 1971 for the purpose of promoting charitable activities in Ogden and the surrounding area. It remains a family foundation dedicated to furthering the growth and well-being of the people of northern Utah.

The availability of this program and number of scholarships offered may vary from year to year, depending on funding. This Spring, students in their second semester of UROP or recently completed 2 semesters of UROP are invited to apply for a $1200 scholarship to support a third semester of research with the same faculty mentor during next Fall semester. The student and mentor are recognized at the annual Undergraduate Research Awards Luncheon.

  • Eligibility – Undergraduate student who has successfully completed 2 semesters of UROP or currently in a renewal semester of UROP * whose research contributes to the well-being of the residents of northern Utah. (Student must be enrolled during the semester of the scholarship).
  • To Apply – The call for self-nominations for the Dee Foundation Undergraduate Research Scholarship is sent to eligible UROP students in Spring semester.

* The scholarship is awarded at the beginning of the Undergraduate Research Scholarship semester and the award is contingent on the student having successfully completed the second semester of UROP and continuing to meet UROP eligibility requirements during the Undergraduate Research Scholarship semester. Students are advised that the Undergraduate Research Scholarship may be counted against their financial aid eligibility.

The John A. and Irene F. Francis Endowment Fund was established by John A. Francis in memory of his wife, Irene F. Francis, and to acknowledge the work of his son, John G. Francis, professor of political science at the University of Utah. The Francis Endowment Fund recognizes outstanding undergraduate researchers in the arts, social sciences, and the humanities.

The availability of this program and number of scholarships offered may vary from year to year, depending on funding. Each Fall, students in their second semester of UROP or recently completed 2 semesters of UROP are invited to apply for a $1200 scholarship to support a third semester of research with the same faculty mentor during the following Spring semester. (Seniors graduating in the spring semester are also eligible to apply. Please note, priority will be given to students who have completed 2 semesters of UROP). The student and mentor are recognized at the annual Undergraduate Research Awards Luncheon.

  • Eligibility – Successful completion of 2 semesters of UROP or currently in a renewal semester of UROP* or seniors who have applied for spring graduation. Students majoring in the arts, social sciences, or the humanities. (Student must be enrolled during the semester of the scholarship).
  • To Apply – The call for self-nominations for the Francis Family Foundation Undergraduate Research Scholarship is sent to eligible UROP students in Fall semester.

* The scholarship is awarded at the beginning of the Undergraduate Research Scholarship semester and the award is contingent on the student having successfully completed the second semester of UROP and continuing to meet UROP eligibility requirements during the Undergraduate Research Scholarship semester. Students are advised that the Undergraduate Research Scholarship may be counted against their financial aid eligibility.

Parent Fund_Logo_horiz italicized[1]The Parent Fund is sustained by parents and supports student-centered programs and initiatives. The Parent Fund plays an integral role in the University of Utah’s ability to provide students with exceptional opportunities inside and outside the classroom.

The availability of this program and number of scholarships offered may vary from year to year, depending on funding. Each Fall, students in their second semester of UROP or recently completed 2 semesters of UROP are invited to apply for a $1200 scholarship to support a third semester of research with the same faculty mentor during the following Spring semester. (Seniors graduating in the spring semester are also eligible to apply. Please note, priority will be given to students who have completed 2 semesters of UROP). The student and mentor are recognized at the annual Undergraduate Research Awards Luncheon.

  • Eligibility – Successful completion of 2 semesters of UROP or currently in a renewal semester of UROP* or seniors who have applied for spring graduation. (Student must be enrolled during the semester of the scholarship).
  • To Apply – The call for self-nominations for the Parent Fund Undergraduate Research Scholarship is sent to eligible UROP students in Fall semester.

Since 2019, the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation has partnered with the Office of Undergraduate Research to support women-identifying students in STEM and/or students who are veterans working on projects in STEM fields.

The availability of this program and number of scholarships offered may vary from year to year, depending on funding. Each Fall, students in their second semester of UROP or recently completed 2 semesters of UROP are invited to apply for a $1200 scholarship to support a third semester of research with the same faculty mentor during the following Spring semester. The student and mentor are recognized at the annual Undergraduate Research Awards Luncheon.

  • Eligibility – Successful completion of 2 semesters of UROP or currently in a renewal semester of UROP*. Students who identify as women working on projects in STEM and/or students who are veterans working on projects in STEM fields. (Student must be enrolled during the semester of the scholarship).
  • To Apply – not available at this time

* The scholarship is awarded at the beginning of the Undergraduate Research Scholarship semester and the award is contingent on the student having successfully completed the second semester of UROP and continuing to meet UROP eligibility requirements during the Undergraduate Research Scholarship semester. Students are advised that the Undergraduate Research Scholarship may be counted against their financial aid eligibility.

Award Recipients

2021-2022 RECIPIENTS
DEE SCHOLARSHIP

Elle Gaudette (Peter Fino) - The Association of Dizziness with Physiological and Balance Deficits in Older Population

Heather Graham (Kim Hackford-Peer) - Literacy and Representation in the LGBTQIA+ Communities

Anika Isom (Ben Christensen) - Rheometry Analysis of Rabbit Vocal Folds for Asthma Medication

Madeline Jensen (Rose Smith) - Impact of Plant and Microbial Diversity on Nitrogen Retention in Storm-Water Green Infrastructures

Kai Pruyn (Tommaso Lenzi) - Biomechanics Analysis of the Assistance Provided by a Powered Knee Exoskeleton for Standing Up

Madeleine Sorenson (Rebecca Utz) - Live Hospice Discharge: A Critical Analysis About the Ethics of Ending Hospice Care for Terminal Patients

Zakary Wankier (Sarina Sinclair) - Use of Loadsol Devices to Assess Patient Ground Reaction Forces During Prescribed Physical Therapy from Home

 
2020-2021 Recipients
Francis Family Foundation

Ayana Amaechi (Marco Bortolato) - Understanding Sex Differences in Pathological Aggression

Dallas Blackburn (Ella Myers) - Inequitable Participation in School Community Councils

Tania Cervantes-Hernandez (Akiko Kamimura) - Dating/ intimate partner violence and social media project

Mariah Erickson (Jack Silcox) - False Hearing and the N400 ERP Component

Grace Mason (Jessica Sanders) - The University of Utah Sexual and Reproductive Health Care and Education Needs Assessment

Olivia Mauchley (Akiko Kamimura) - Discrimination Against Asian Americans During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Sophia Schuman (Conan Kinsey) - Identifying Resistance Mechanisms to Hydroxychloroquine/Trametinib in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Maia Southwick (Monisha Pasupathi) - Feeling Heard in Disagreements Across Relationships

Parent Fund

Aidan Lethaby (Jacob George) - Functional Validation of a Low-Cost Control System for Dexterous Bionic Arms

Travis Seamons (Tara Deans) - Investigation of Mechanisms Behind the QUAS/QF System in Prokaryotes

Rocky Mountain Power

Julia Case (Shelley Minteer) - Evaluating Bipolar and Mixed Redoxmers in Nonaqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Juli Kim (Kristi Warren) - Sex differences in innate lymphoid cells during SARS-CoV-2 infection

Jocelyn Longaza (Andrew Anderson) - Establishing Baseline Kinematics in Division 1 Volleyball Players

Kylie Persson (Tara Deans) - In vitro biogenesis and characterization of platelet-like particles from MEG-01 cells using a microfluidic system

CHEVRON

Brighton Alvey (Andrew Roberts) - Peptide Bicyclization with Chemoselective Reactivity of 1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-diones

Taylor Aucutt (Nicola Camp) - Tumor Genomics as a Route to Clarifying Inherited Genetics in Multiple Myeloma

Emily Cebrowski (Brian Codding) - Weary Feet and Flaked Stone: Testing he predictive power of cost path analysis as a suitability measure for Ideal Free Distribution..

Hannah DeShazer (Micah Drummond) - The Effects of MicroRNA 146a deficiency on Muscle Atrophy and Regrowth

Angelina Liu (Anastasiya Mankouski) - Development of Brain Vasculature and Volume in a Rat Model Combining IUGR and Maternal High-Fat Diet

Iris McCulloch (Andrea Brunelle) - Holocene Reconstruction of the North American Monsoon in Northern Baja California, Mexico

Anna Tidwell (Catherine Loc-Carrillo) - Phage and Antibiotic Combination Treatment for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Polymicrobial Infections

Selena Wirthlin (Bryan Jones) - Comparative Anatomy and Connectivity of the Aii Amacrine Cell in Mouse and Rabbit Retina

DEE FOUNDATION

Rachel D'Agostini (Krista Carlson) - Destruction of Bacteria and Biofilms using an Electrocatalytic Ceramic Probe

Connor Davis (Shane Macfarlan) - Hidden Power: The Impact of Cosponsorship Networks on Legislative Success in the Utah State Legislature

Claire Dinehart (Akiko Kamimura) - Examining Free Clinic Patients Household Environmental Safety and the Resulting Impact on Their Perceived Stress Levels

Kallin Glauser (Elizabeth Clement) - Babies, Bibles, and Barricades: Birth Control in 60's and 70's Utah

Erica Hill (Stacy Manwaring) - Play and Language Development in Toddlers at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sonny Jones (Michael Paskett) - Using Physiological Factors to Study the Mental Workload of Neural Prostheses

Hannah Louise Landicho (Eric Garland) - Studying Efficacy of Mindfulness Therapy for Chronic Pain and Opioid Misuse

Hunter Mansfield (Kimberley Evason) - Investigation of the Serotonin System in Liver Regeneration and Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Kamala Poudyel (Akiko Kamimura) - Perceptions of mental health and stress related to social support and acculturation among Bhutanese refugee women in the United States

2019-2020 Recipients
Francis Family Foundation

Kelsey Barnick (Cagan Sekercioglu) -  Elk Habitat Fragmentation in the Wasatch Mountain Range

Amelie Bennett (Kate Mattingly) - Dancing Together: Building Empathy in Children through Movement

Elizabeth Izampuye (Akiko Kamimura) - Exploring the Relationship Between Patient Satisfaction and Expectations among Free Clinic Patients

Sheva Mozafari (Scott Langenecker) - The Quality of Life of Older Adults and Their Support Persons

Kristianna Radley (Ken Smith) - Searching for the Fountain of Ute: Birthplace and Longevity in Utah

Gus Stevens (Elena Asparouhova) - How Human-Algorithm Interactions in Equity Markets Effect Asset Pricing

Julia Vonessen (Rachel Hayes-Harb) - The relationship between listener attitudes and the comprehension of nonnative-accented speech

Michelle White (Nitin Phadnis) - A mutagenesis experiment to discover the systems of genes underlying sex-ratio chromosomal drive in Drosophila pseudoobscura

Parent Fund

Wonmi Lee (Jules Madga) - Development of a Smart Hydrogel Based Sensor for Monitoring and Preventing Opioid Overdose

Kaden Rawson (Dustin Williams) - Loading a Novel Anti-biofilm Compound into Polyurethane Foam (PU) For Use in Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT)

Rocky Mountain Power

Anna Jacobsen (Sarah Franklin) - Clarifying the role of Smyd5 in heart disease

Nicole Mortensen (Jeffrey Bates) - Molecularly Imprinted Contact Lenses for Patients with Glaucoma

Ali Palmer (Lee Raby) - Maternal Sensitivity as a predictor of infants' physiological reactivity one year later

Zahra Saifee (Krista Carlson) - Application of Calcium Phosphate Cements in Dental Pulp Capping

Chevron

Danielle Beatty (Taylor Sparks) - High Entropy Alloy Development And Characterization For Use In Future Renewable Energy Applications

Leota Coyne (Mitchell Power) - Geochemistry of Sediment from Aksumite Empire on the Tigray Plateau, Ethiopia

Kaitlin Hall (Cynthia Furse) - Design of an Interstitial Microwave Applicator for 3D Printing Antennas in the Body

Marina Knysheva (Yan-Ting Shiu) - Investigating the differences of coronary artery histology between atherosclerosis patients

Alejandra Mendez (Matthew Mulvey) - Evolution of Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia Coli in the Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract Over Time

Sarai Patterson (Shelley Minteer) - Design of electrode materials for improved current output of microbial fuel cells

Bianca Ruiz-Negron (Man Hung) - Using machine learning to predict all cause 30 days and 90 days hospital readmissions in patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation

Lindsay Rupp (Rob MacLeod) - Ventricular Pacing Depth Localization Based on Epicardial Activation Maps

Dee Foundation

Marcus Blackburn (Frank Sachse) - Using Electrical Conduction Modeling in the Heart to Investigate Mechanisms of Arrhythmogenesis
Madison Block (William Brazelton) - Differential Identification of Extremophiles in Layered Geophysical Environments

Zachary Bowser (Nitin Phadnis) - Engineering Artificial Segregation Distortion with Chromosomal Breakage

Kathryn Glaittli (Joshua Bonkowsky) - Creating a Zebrafish Model of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease

Nam Nguyen (Christopher Reilly) - Roles of TRPV3 and TRPA1 in Wood Smoke Pneumotoxicity

Caroline Ramous (John David Symons) - Intact endothelial cell autophagy is necessary to observe training-induced vascular adaptations

Gabriella Rasmussen (Alessandra Angelucci) - Tracing Monosynaptic Cortical Circuits of Feedforward and Feedback Connections to V1 Cells that Project to V2

 
2018-2019 Recipients
Francis Family Foundation

Sydney Cahoon (Melissa Schaefer) - Laws and Regulations of the Primate Pet Trade in the United States

Steffi Falla (Trafton Drew) - Electrophysiological Components of Tracking Objects Through Predictable and Unpredictable Occlusion

Chelsea Li (Douglas Grossman) - Investigating Expression of CDKN2A (p16) and Inosine 5'-Monophosphate Dehydrogenase (IMPDH) in Human Nevus and Melanoma Cells and Tissue

Sherry Liao (Eunkyung (Julie) Jeon) - Comparing the Listening Effort, Working Memory, and Speech Perception of School-aged Normal Hearing Listeners and Cochlear Implant Users 

Sophie McQuinn (Tiffany Love) - The Effects of Childhood Trauma and Sex on Brain Structure 

Kira Tanghe (Jim Martin) - Don't Overestimate the Power of the Force 

Evan Tayler (Shane Macfarlan) - The Historical Demography of Baja California, Sur

Parent Fund 

Rachel Cantrell (Ryan Looper) - Synthesis of Tan1057-D Antibiotic Analog(s)

Jabob Tadje (Wayne Potts) - Effects of Infection Pooling on Virulence

 
2017-2018 Recipients
Francis Family Foundation

Charlotte Brickwood (Prof. Melissa Schaefer) - Comparing Behaviors of Western Lowland Gorillas [Gorilla gorilla gorilla] in Indoor and Outdoor Zoo Enclosures 

TaCara DeTevis (Prof. Leona Yi-Fan Su) - Organizational Crisis Management: Public Twitter Response Following E. coli Outbreak in Chipotle Restaurants

Chaise Edebiri (Prof. Noel Voltz) - A Storm at Southern: The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Southern University at New Orleans

Jordin Hartley (Prof. Jennifer Watt) - A Fire History Record for Phyllis Lake Idaho, USA

Bridgett Johnson (Prof. Jared Rawlings) - Literature Review of Research in Early Childhood Music Education 

Ellie Kaiser (Prof. Tanya Flores) - Preliminary Data Collection for Corpus of Phonological Acquisition by Hispanic Hearing-impaired Children

Luciana Salmi (Prof. Elisabeth Conradt) - Study of the contribution of social support in the effects of prenatal maternal anxiety and depression exposure on newborn neurobehavior

Carly Shields (Prof. Marissa Diener) - Needs of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Health Care Settings

Megan Tyler (Prof. Maureen Mathison) - Gamification of Biology Literacy

Parent Fund

Jazmine Hurley (Prof. Akiko Kamimura) - Evaluation of Intimate Partner Violence Curriculum in Residency Training Programs

Chevron 

Katy Glaittli (Prof. Joshua Bonkowsky) - Behavioral Screen for Zebrafish Model of ALD

Moriah Henning (Prof. Andrew Merryweather) - Developing 3D Printed Prosthetic Hand for Brain-Computer Interface Control

Chloe Lim (Prof. Kimberley Evason) - Serotonin effects on liver size and hepatocellular carcinoma in transgenic zebrafish

Kailee Pinney (Prof. Gabriel Bowen) - Origination of Isotopic Variance in Same-Site Birds

Ellie Rasmussen (Prof. Alessandra Angelucci) - Tracing monosynaptic cortical circuits of feedforward and feedback

Hanin Sheikh (Prof. Sarah Franklin) - The Role of Smyd1 as a Histone Methyltransferase in Heart Disease

Dee Foundation

Sullivan Howard (Prof. Akiko Kamimura) - Opioid and pain medicine use among free clinic patients

Dallin Romney (Prof. Kuenhan Park) - Efficacy of Passive Radiative Thermal Cooling Textiles for Human Application

Simran Saini (Prof. Jessica Kramer) -  Synthesizing Antifreeze Proteins Found in Nature to be used in Cryopreservation of Cells

Angela Zhu (Prof. Yelena Wu) - Sun-protection Understanding (SUN) in Schools

2016-2017 Recipients
Francis Family Foundation

Emily Brixey (Prof. Lien Shen) – The Magical Girl’s Influence on Female Empowerment

Sally Goodger (Prof. Maeera Shreiber) – The Ethics of Fairy Tale Retellings of the Holocaust in Children’s and Young Adult Literature

Tyler Herrera (Prof. James Curry) – United States House of Representatives: Understanding the Self-Executing Rule

Emma Martin (Prof. Jerry Root) – Medieval Perspectives in Religious and Secular Contexts: the Legend of Theoplilus and the Romance of the Rose

Tyler Mattinson (Prof. Paul Bernstein) – Mechanism Behind the Improvement of Visual Performance by Carotenoids

Eve Olson (Prof. Rachel Hayes-Harb) – Voice Onset Time in Arabic and English Stop Consonants

Ashma Shrestha (Prof. Elisabeth Conradt) – A Biobehavioral Approach to Measuring Emotion Dysregulation in Pregnancy

Vai Suliafu (Prof. Eric G. Poitras) – Using Mouse Cursor Coordinates to Predict the Learners’ Usefulness Rankings of Online Resources with an Intelligent Web Browser

Undergraduate Advancement

Christina Jones (Prof. Lela Graybill) – The Pre-Raphaelite Sisterhood: Artist and Muse

Jace Jones (Prof. Marc Calaf) – Modeling of Vertical and Horizontal Axis Wind Tubines to Improve Efficiency 

Chevron 

Margaux Klingensmith (Prof. Dale Clayton) - The influence of neighbors on allopreening rates in mating pairs

Elaine Ong (Prof. Clement Chow) - Identifying genetic modifiers influencing retinal degeneration diseases

Asma Rokhaneevna (Prof. Clayton Williams) - Preparation of Single Mode Optical Fibers for Application in 3D Interferometry 

Annie Rowley (Prof. Kai Kuck) - Designing and Developing a Capnograph for Use in Developing Countries and Low-Resource Areas

Sydney Stephens (Prof. Denise Dearing) - Dietary Changes in the Chisel-Toothed Kangaroo Rat: Reflections Through Stable Isotope Analysis

Shalauna Thompson (Prof. Kevin Whitty) - Investigation of Carbon Dioxide Capture by Titanium Sorbents Using Thermogravimetric Analysis

Dee Foundation

Gemma Clark (Prof. Jennifer Weidhaas) - Effects of Temperature on Microbial Processes Influencing the Performance of Treatment Wetlands

Warren Jensen (Prof. Claudia Geist) - Expressions of Masculinity Among LDS Men

Zoe Kozlowski (Prof. Lori Gawron) - Assessing the Unmet Contraceptive Need in Homeless Women in Salt Lake City

Sarah Patterson (Prof. Danielle Endres) - Utes Nickname Research Project

2015-2016 Recipients
Francis Family Foundation

Ali Mitchell (Prof. Alison Denyer & Prof. Paul Monty Paret) - Art, Ecology and the Politics of Land Use

Ciria Alvarez (Prof. Kim Hackford-Peer) - Dream Defenders-An analysis of Federal, State and Institutional Policy affecting Undocumented Students

Margaret Carlson (Prof. Akiko Kamimura) - Perceptions of Violence Against Women Among College Students in the US, Japan, India, Vietnam, and China

Parent Fund

Christie Morgan (Prof. Lindsay Gezinski) - Is There a Sex Trafficking Problem in Salt Lake County?

Shaswat Chapagain (Prof. Ravi Ranjan) - Relationship of Catheter Contact Force with Acute and Final Radiofrequency Lesion Size

Jenny Le (Prof. Pinar Bayrak-Toydemir) - Autism spectrum disorder: The development of a comprehensive approach for the molecular diagnosis of autism

Chevron 

LeAnn Lam (Prof. Robert Bowles) - CRISPR Genome Editing of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells for Controlled Extracellular Matrix Deposition in Tissue Engineered Intervertebral Disc

Emily Dennis (Prof. Srividya Bhashara) - Effect of HDAC Inhibition on Genome Stability

LeAundra Jeffs (Prof. William Brazelton) - Comparative Metagenomics of Serpentinization Powered Microbes

Christina Hyer (Prof. Susan Bock) - Influenza Vaccine Virus-Like Particle (VLP) Production in Trichoplusia Ni

Deanne Yugawa (Prof. Charles Murtaugh) - Determining the Effect of Sox9 Deletion in PTF1A Knockouts

Dee Foundation

Cole Richards (Prof. Keith Koper) - Physical Mineral Characteristics of Fault Zones as a Function of Distance from the Core

Colton Leavitt (Prof. Sujee Jeyapalina) - The Inherent Properties of Fluorohydroxyapatite: Decreasing Downgrowth and Infection in Percutaneous Intraosseous Implants

William Nguyen (Prof. Milind Deo) - Flow in Nanoporous Rocks

Alberto Martinez (Prof. Milind Deo) - Effect of Nanoporous Materials on Saturation Pressure in Shale Reservoirs

2014-2015 Recipients
Francis Family Foundation

Sam Katz (Prof. Michael Cottle) - Stockham: The father of digital audio recording

Erika Longino (Prof. Jose Galarza) - A sustainability master plan for navajo communities in need

Juliana Penham (Prof. Katharine Coles) - Poemage: visualization of sonic elements in poetry

Parent Fund

Micah Crapo (Prof. Jason Watson) - Honors Thesis: Behavioral transitioning and cognitive controls

Dee Foundation

Adam Whitney (Prof. Charlie Hicks-Little) - Assessing the Need for Physical Therapy Among the Homeless Population of Salt Lake City

 Joseph Fuell (Prof. Daniel Leung) - Identification and Evaluation of Antidiarrheal Drugs from Native American Herbal Remedies