UNH Manchester Grant Recipients

Research Experience and  Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2024 

Caroline Heafield, Biotechnology (B.S.) 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Life Sciences 

Topic: Understanding Mechanisms of Bacteriophage BenchWarmer-Induced  

Phage Resistance in Arthrobacter globiformis and Bacteriophage Responses to Bacterial Anti-Phage Systems 

Andrew Stanley, Biotechnology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Life Sciences 

Topic: Isolation, Classification, and Testing the Antibacterial Effectiveness of  

Fusobacterium nucleatum Bacteriophages

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2023

Nadin Jailaubekova, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Life Sciences

Topic: The Role of FoxN2 in Negative Regulation of Ciliogenesis and Possible Application to Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2023

John Horangic, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Life Sciences

Topic: Decoding FOXN2 Interactions with Chromatin and the Requirement for Interaction(s) with RFX Proteins in the Regulation of Gene Expression Controlling Ciliogenesis

Research Presentation Grants 2023

Savannah Lopez, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Patricia Halpin, Life Sciences

Topic: Students Prefer Final Projects That Are Scaffolded to Avoid Procrastination and Negative Impact on Mental Health

Conference: American Physiology Summit

Research Experience and  Apprenticeship Program (REAP) 2022 

James Flynn, Biotechnology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Donald Plante, Applied Engineering and Sciences 

Topic: Mathematical Models of Self Assembly of Viral Capsids 

Research Presentation Grants 2022

Isabelle Laizure, Biotechnology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology 

Topic: Engineered Device in E. coli lyses S. aureus at Physiological Fever Temperatures 

Conference: Association of Southeastern Biologists 

Fardeen Siddiqui, Biotechnology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Life Sciences 

Topics: The Development of Methods for the Isolation of Bacteriophages Infecting Borreliella Burgdorferi and Isolation and Characterization of Marine Pseudoalteromonas spp. Bacteriophages  

Conference: American Society for Microbiology 

Fardeen Siddiqui, Biotechnology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology 

Topic Engineered Device in E. coli lyses S. aureus at Physiological Fever Temperatures 

Conference: Association of Southeastern Biologists 

Shoshana Trudel, Biotechnology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Life Sciences 

Topics: Isolation and Characterization of Marine Pseudoalteromonas spp. Bacteriophages and Isolation and Identification of Borrelielle burgdorferi Bacterial Viruses from New Hampshire Ixodes scapularis 

Conference: American Society for Microbiology 

Meliha Ulker, Biotechnology 

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology 

Topic: Engineered device in E. coli lyses S. aureus at physiological fever temperatures 

Conference: Association of Southeastern Biologists 

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 2021

Isabelle Laizure, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Life Sciences

Topic: Transcriptome Analysis of FOXN2 in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Fardeen Siddiqui, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Life Sciences

Topic: Isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi Bacteriophage

Research Presentation Grant 2020

***Indicates a student who received a grant in 2020 but could not follow through with their plans to conduct or present their research due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vanessa Cleary, Neuropsychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nicholas Mian, Life Sciences

Project Title: The Physiological Assessment of Anxiety in Children

Conference: Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Conference 

Kelsey Duggan, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Project Title: Knock-down of FOXN2 Enhances Adhesion and Reduces Migration in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Conference: AACR Conference on Pancreatic Cancer 

Kate Lu, Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Project Title: Knock-down of FOXN2 Enhances Adhesion and Reduces Migration in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Conference: AACR Conference on Pancreatic Cancer 

Sabrina Oliveira, Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Project Title: Knock-down of FOXN2 Enhances Adhesion and Reduces Migration in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Conference: AACR Conference on Pancreatic Cancer 

***Ava Parr, Neuropsychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Daniel Seichepine, Psychology

Project Title: Cognitive Reserve Moderates the Executive Dysfunction Associated with Parkinson's Disease

Conference: Cognitive Aging Conference

Blanca Santibάñez, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Project Title: Knock-down of FOXN2 Enhances Adhesion and Reduces Migration in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Conference: AACR Conference on Pancreatic Cancer 

Rebecca Skahan, Neuropsychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nicholas Mian, Life Sciences

Project Title: The Physiological Assessment of Anxiety in Children

Conference: Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Conference 

Research Presentation Grant - 2019

Brooke Chauncey, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Project Title: Knock-down of FOXN2 in PANC-1 Cells Cause Deficiencies in Proliferation and Migration

Conference: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

Hannah Curran, Neuropsychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nicholas Mian, Life Sciences

Project Title: The Barriers to Referral & Influences on Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric Emotional Disorders

Conference: Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences

Laina Fitzgerald, Neuropsychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Daniel Seichepine, Life Sciences

Project Title: History of Repeated Head Injury is Associated with Symptomatic Return to Physical Activity after a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Conference: International Neuropsychological Society 2018 Mid-Year Meeting Secretariat

Randi Gravelle, Biological Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Project Title: Knock-down of FOXN2 in PANC-1 Cells Cause Deficiencies in Proliferation and Migration

Conference: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

Jasmine Huffman, Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nicholas Mian, Life Sciences

Project Title: I Cannot Tell a Lie: Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Deceptive Behavior

Conference: Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences

Elizabeth Maurais, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Project Title: Knock-down of FOXN2 in PANC-1 Cells Cause Deficiencies in Proliferation and Migration

Conference: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

Claudia Maynard, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nicholas Mian, Life Sciences

Project Title: The Barriers to Referral & Influences on Clinical Decision-Making for Pediatric Emotional Disorders

Conference: Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – USA 2018

Jasmine Huffman, Psychology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nicholas Mian, Psychology

Topic: I Cannot Tell a Lie: Emotional Competence as a Predictor of Deceptive Behavior

Undergraduate Research Award 2018

Elizabeth Maurais, Biotechnology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kristen Johnson, Biotechnology

Topic: Effect of Reduced FOXN2 Gene Expression in Transformed Panc-1 Cells

Research Presentation Grant 2018

Zachary Brewster, Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Daniel Seichepine, Psychology

Project Title: Repetitive mTBI Affects Mirror-tracing but not Rotary Pursuit Performance

Conference: Cognitive Aging Conference 2018

William McClelland, Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Biological Sciences

Project Title: Pleural Drainage Enhances Diaphragmatic Pressure Generation in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

Conference: Critical Care Canada Forum 2017

Undergraduate Research Award 2017

Ariel Trachtenberg, Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Biological Sciences

Topic: Bacterial Survey of Acid-Brown Water Elbow Pond in Woodstock, NH USA

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – USA 2016

Vanessa Russell, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stephen Pugh, Biology

Topic: Distribution of Peromyscus leucopus and Peromyscus maniculatus in Northern and Western New Hampshire

Kyle Vynorius, Biology  

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Daniel Seichepine, Psychology

Topic: Effects of Parkinson’s Disease Subtypes on Executive Function and Personality Attributes

Undergraduate Research Award 2016

Barbara Ste. Croix, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nicholas Mian, Psychology

Topic: Mapping Fears in Kids: The Relationship Between Physiological and Behavioral Arousal in Young Children

Undergraduate Research Award (URA) 2014-15

Bruce Rheaume, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Biological Sciences
Topic: Novel Genomic Assembly of Idiomarina abyssalis

Research Presentation Grant 2015

Joshua Linnane, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stephen Pugh, Biological Sciences
Project Title: A Comparison of the Techniques and Results of the Mammal Surveys Done at the Manchester Cedar Swamp
Conference: International Urban Wildlife Conference

Bruce Rheaume, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Kyle MacLea, Biological Sciences
Project Title: Genome Sequencing of the Deep-Sea Bacterium Idiomarina abyssalis
Conference: American Society of Microbiology General Meeting

2014 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA 

Joshua Linnane, Biology

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Stephen Pugh, Biology

Topic: Mammal Survey of the Conservation and Development Areas of Hackett Hill

2012 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Rebecca Mason, Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Charles Walker, Molecular, Cellular & Biomedical Sciences

Topic: The Role of HAUSP in the Mitochondrial Non-Transcriptional p53 Apoptotic Pathway of IMR-32 Human Neuroblastoma Cancer Cells

2011 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA

Lowell M. Mower, History
Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Resch, History
Topic: Seeds of Revolution: The French and Indian War, 1754-1763

Matthew Vartanian, Computer Information Systems
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Mihaela Sabin, Computer Information Systems
Topic: Open Source Development: DONATE System for YWCA

2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

(SURF) USA

Daniel Pepin, Computer Information Systems
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Mihaela Sabin, Computer Information Systems
Project: OpenITware Platform Architecture to Support Learning and Outreach in the CIS Program at UNH Manchester

2010 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

Rebecca Lee, Communication Arts
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Mihaela Sabin, Computer Information Systems
Project: Enabling Technology Transfer from the Computer Information Systems Classroom to the Manchester Community

2009 Undergraduate Research Award (URA)

John Reale, Business
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Thomas Birch, Business
Project: The Double Oral Auction: Markets and Power

2007 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) USA

Kirsten Hildonen, History
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jeffrey Klenotic, Communication Arts
Topic: Film Exhibition in Manchester, NH: Movies as Leisure for an Industrial Working Class

2006 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship – USA

Rayne Coleman, Sign Language Interpretation
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jack Hoza, Sign Language Interpretation
Topic: “Could you Pass the Salt?” Comparing Politeness Strategies of Working Class Spoken English and American Sign Language Users

Michelle Mitchell, History
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Robert Macieski, History
Topic: From Yankee Farm Girl to Factory Operative: Creating a New England Proletariat

2006 Research Presentation Grant

Catherine Overson, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gary Goldstein, Psychology
Topic: Perinatal Loss: Possible Caregiver Barriers: Implications for Training
Conference: National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Asheville, NC