A Celebration of Undergraduate Research at Elon

Undergraduate research is a key element of an Elon education for many students, who work closely with mentors to explore new areas of their disciplines. Through programs such as the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum and Summer Undergraduate Research Experience and participation in the National Conference for Undergraduate Research and other conferences, Elon students and faculty are regularly sharing new discoveries and insights with their peers and the broader community.

This online showcase provides a sample of the groundbreaking research that is taking place at Elon and serves as a platform for students to share their hard work to advance research in their fields.

Madeleine August ’21
Majors:
- Exercise Science
- Public Health Studies
Changes in Salivary Testosterone and Cortisol Indicate Optimal Recovery was Achieved in NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Athletes Between Matches 72 Hours Apart
Changes in testosterone and cortisol have been evaluated as physiological markers of the physical demands of a competitive event. The testosterone to cortisol ratio (T:C) has been used as an indicator of anabolic-catabolic imbalances, where anabolic states refers to molecular…
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Ella Barlick ’20
Major:
- Public Health Studies
A New Approach: Investigating the Relationship Between the Pediatric Inactivity Triad and Body Image Perception in Children
The World Health Organization recommends that children aged 5-17 should acquire 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) a day, yet studies show that few children actually attain this minimum. The Pediatric Inactivity Triad (PIT), consisting of physical…
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Sarah Barron ’20
Major:
- Spanish with Teacher Licensure
Voices of Spanish Speaking Students: How Linguistic Diversity Affects Students in U.S. Public Schools
Linguistically diverse learners (LDLs), or students whose first language is not English, make up the fastest growing student group in U.S. public schools (de Kleine & Lawton, 2015). However, teachers often express uncertainty and feelings of ill-preparedness towards teaching LDLs,…
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Brittany Barton ’21
Major:
- Engineering
Using Optical Coherence Tomography for Measuring Nanoparticle Diffusion in Biological Tissues
Mucus is viscous fluidic biological tissue that is used for protecting airways by trapping and clearing pollutants and protecting from other viruses. In respiratory diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis and COPD, mucus becomes dehydrated resulting in breathing difficulty and increased…
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Adam Behrman ’21
Major:
- Computer Science
Developing a Mobile Application to Facilitate Aural Training and Synesthetic Experiences
Music learners around the world are eager to improve their skills, but some may struggle to find a teacher or an instrument. Additionally, current teaching methods for certain skills, such as relative pitch (RP), may be ineffective at best. An…
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Amanda Bingaman ’20
Major:
- Public Health Studies
Internationally adopted children with PHIV: A longitudinal qualitative study of adoption narratives and HIV disclosure practices
Following the 2010 repeal of the ban regarding immigration of HIV-positive individuals to the United States, an increasing number of families sought to adopt children with perinatally-acquired HIV (PHIV) from other countries. However, little is known about the experiences of…
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Mackenzie Boyd ’22
Major:
- Exercise Science
Pilates and Breast Cancer: A feasibility study
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and cognitive impairment (CRCI) are two of the most common symptoms of cancer survivors that negatively affect their quality of life. This study assesses the feasibility of conducting an online exercise study examining the relationship between acute…
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Jessica Burchett ’20
Majors:
- Psychology
- Music Production & Recording Arts
The feminine and the freaks: Linguistic frames differentially impact perceptions of individuals
The current study examined how gender-related and mental health status-related linguistic frames impact perceptions of hypothetical individuals. Linguistic frames, or short verbal expressions pertaining to certain topics, affect behavior towards marginalized groups (Lakoff, 2004; Landau, Sullivan, & Greenberg, 2009). Results…
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Bailee Castillo ’20
Majors:
- Finance
- Economics
A Dam Problem: Investigating the Influence of Dams on Economic Development
Approximately 59,071 man-made dams have been constructed worldwide to control flooding, provide electricity, supply water, improve navigation routes, farm animals, etc. There is an extensive list of dams that are planning on being built for rapid development. While the intention…
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Caroline Enright ’20
Major:
- Policy Studies
The Role of Teacher Professional Development in Initiating Local Level Support for Inclusive Classrooms in the Uganda Education System
Inclusion of individuals of all ability levels in the school system of Uganda has been the law since 2006 (Republic, 2006). However, due to the privatization of schools, inconsistency of resources, and incomplete teacher training, the execution of this protection…
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Marjorie Anne Foster ’20
Major:
- Journalism
Negotiating Islamophobia: The Experiences of College-Age Muslims in North Carolina
Drawing on extended ethnographic research, my project analyzes the experiences of college-age Muslims in North Carolina and examines how they negotiate their religious identities in the face of stigmatization, Islamophobia, and political and social turmoil. Whereas much recent academic literature…
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Taylor Garner ’20
Major:
- International and Global Studies
Women’s Intergenerational Memories of Political Violence in Argentina and Palestine
This research investigates women’s memories of state violence and the ways that women mobilize memories of the past to critique present violence and oppression and enact change in the future. The two contexts that this paper explores are the Argentinian…
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Grace Garrett ’21
Major:
- Biology
The Gut Microbiome and its Influence on Hormones and Fertility in a Zebrafish Model
One in eight couples of reproductive age will experience difficulties conceiving and having children. Today, more than 60% of children have two parents in the workforce, and this percentage is increasing. As more couples postpone starting a family, they are…
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Faith Glover ’22
Major:
- Public Health Studies
Deactivation of Parasitic Nematodes for Improved Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Helminth infections, caused by parasitic worms, impact approximately a quarter of the global population according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This global health issue predominantly affects individuals in developing regions of the world, as they are more likely to…
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Elise Granath ’20
Major:
- Public Health Studies
Community Outcomes and Responses to the Alamance Doula Program
The Alamance Volunteer Doula Program has provided women in child labor and birth with doulas since 2017. Doulas are trained to offer physical and mental support measures to expectant mothers before delivery, during labor and birth, and postpartum, and are…
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Alex Grillo
Major:
- Psychology
Standing experience and environmental contexts: What affects infants’ manual interactions with objects?
Manual interactions with objects appear early in infancy and are the primary way infants gain information about the world, but these interactions change with postural development. With each novel posture, infants gradually learn about and more readily adapt to the…
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Daniel Heintzelman ’21
Major:
- Chemistry
Kinetic Investigations of NOx Chemistry Pertaining to the Global Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen containing compounds (NOx compounds) are of central importance to the global nitrogen cycle and the reactions in which they participate significantly impact many atmospheric processes and even influence global climate change. Despite this, the kinetic properties of many of…
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Margaret Hughes ’21
Major:
- Biochemistry
Assessing the Release and Transformation of Metal Additives from Consumer Plastics
The use of consumer plastics spans a very broad range, including electronics, food packaging, and even clothing. Trace metals are often added to plastics to reduce degradation/discoloration, as well as increase strength and flexibility. However, trace metals can be toxic…
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Kelly Hunter ’21
Major:
- Elementary and Special Education
Exceptional Plans for Exceptional Students: Understanding emergency crisis policies and protocols in K-12 schools
We surveyed almost 50 K-12 classroom teachers and special educators across the United States and interviewed 12 of them to understand their experiences with students with exceptional needs during real or simulated school-based crisis situations, the kind of training they…
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Ashley Jutras ’20
Majors:
- Human Service Studies
- Public Health Studies
“It’s all about labels”: Caregiving experiences among guardians of adolescents and young adults living with perinatally-acquired HIV
Prior to the advent of antiretroviral treatment in the early 1990’s, approximately 30% of children born to HIV-positive mothers were HIV-infected, many of whom did not survive early childhood. Children born with HIV typically experienced upheaval in their daily lives…
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Yasmeen Lee ’20
Major:
- Public Health Studies
Understanding Social Media’s Impact on Breastfeeding Black Millennials
The World Health Organization recommends six months of exclusive breastfeeding for infants. Race disparities exist, where only 27.9% of black women exclusively breastfeed at 6 months compared to 45.1% of white mothers. Previous research suggests that these disparities are due…
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Annie LeMasters ’20
Major:
- Psychology
Exploring Outdoor Play: A mixed-methods study of the quality of preschool play environments and teacher perceptions of risky play
Risky play occurs when play is accompanied by thrilling feelings with a real or perceived level of risk (Brussoni et al., 2015). Research has demonstrated cognitive, social, and physical benefits of engaging in risky play for children’s development (Sandseter, 2009).…
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Jonathan Martinez ’20
Major:
- Exercise Science
Brain Activity During Unilateral Physical and Imagined Isometric Contractions
Past studies measuring brain activity within the prefrontal and sensorimotor cortices primarily recorded changes before and after an intervention is performed on one side of the body within one hemisphere (usually the contralateral) of the brain. For example, Ranganathan and…
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Emma McCabe ’21
Major:
- Exercise Science
Good Food, Good Mood: Perspectives on the relationship between nutrition and mental health within CAA Division I collegiate athletic programs
Research has shown a strong relationship between one’s diet and mental health. The student-athlete population may be more susceptible to mental health issues than the general population, and few athletes are fully aware of the effects that nutrition can have…
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Amanda Ornstein ’21
Major:
- Psychology
Factors Associated with the Perceptions of Help-Seeking and the Mental Health of Student-Athletes
Student-athletes are under a unique set of stressors due to their extensive time commitment at a university not only athletically, but academically and socially as well (Wolanin et al., 2016; Armstrong & Oomen- Early, 2009). The literature surrounding athlete mental…
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Nicole Plante ’20
Major:
- International and Global Studies
Negotiating Belonging in Place: Refugee Families and Youth Experiences of Resettlement
Despite the prevalence of refugees in the news and a surge in research on forced displacements and refugees in general, there is a relative lack of specific research on intersections of their resettlement experiences, belonging, and well-being that moves past…
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Andrew Stevens Purdy ’20
Major:
- Music Theatre
Art Without Eyes: The Process of Creating a Podcast Musical
The purpose of this research was to explore how an existing work of musical theatre can be reimagined and presented to a broad audience in an innovative format. High quality theatre is often inaccessible to the general public, whether it…
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Morgan Reich ’20
Major:
- Biology
Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Based on Intervention Followed by a Home Exercise Program on Gait and Cognition in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by rigidity, tremor, bradykinesia, balance deficits and cognitive impairments. Several studies have shown that individuals with PD exhibit decreased gait speed and shorter step length. However, it is not known if…
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Maeve Riley ’20
Majors:
- English Literature
- Drama & Theatre Studies
Neocolonialism and the Irish Playwright: Studies on Subalternity during the Celtic Tiger Period
This essay will argue that the plays of the 1990s in Ireland should be studied with a neocolonial lens with a focus on globalization. Despite the usual postcolonial through line of overt political commentary, this essay follows the through line…
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Felicia Robinson ’21
Major:
- Elementary Education
The Untold Stories of Desegregation: Learning from the Living Past
Currently, there is much research and conversation regarding the racialized experiences of Black students in public schools (Brown & Brown, 2012; Cokley, 2006; Saddler, 2005). One point of emphasis in the literature is the historical analysis regarding the experiences of…
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Jean Ross ’21
Major:
- Biology
A Study of the Functions of Multimodal Signaling in Insects
Animals communicate with one another about activities that are central to their survival and reproduction. Many animals communicate using more than one kind of signal, including chemical, acoustic, tactile, and vibrational signals. Such “multimodal” communication is a focus of study…
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Maria Santana-Garces ’20
Major:
- Public Health Studies
“We are not different from others”: A qualitative study of career aspirations, relationships, and childbearing among Hispanic/Latino adolescents with perinatally-acquired HIV
Little research has investigated Hispanic/Latino youth with perinatally-acquired HIV (PHIV), that comprise 26% of those living with PHIV and are now surviving into young adulthood. This population faces a myriad of challenges such as stigma from peers and family members,…
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Connor Simpson ’21
Major:
- Physics
Comparing Methods of Mixing Excitation Mechanisms for Modeling Composite Galaxies
A spectrum is like a fingerprint for each galaxy that determines what elements are inside based on the light it gives off. By analyzing different segments of galactic spectra, we can tell whether a galaxy is star-forming or has an…
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Emma Siritzky ’20
Major:
- Psychology
Change Detection and Recollection in Younger and Older Adults: An Eye Tracking Study
Prior research has found that hippocampal function is related to eye movements in response to unfamiliar stimuli (novelty preference) in the Visual Paired Comparison task (VPC; Manns, Clark, & Squire, 2000). A separate line of research found that age differences…
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Andrea St. Laurent ’20
Major:
- Biology
Investigating the Role of Asparagine Synthetase in Chemotherapeutic Resistance in Leukemic and Neuroblastoma Cells
Asparaginase (ASNase) is one of the first-lines of chemotherapy used in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It breaks down asparagine in the body forcing the cell to undergo apoptosis. Yet, some patients develop resistance to ASNase treatment. Asparagine…
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Erin Swisher ’21
Major:
- Sociology
Humanitarians of the Majority World: A look into the lives of national aid workers
Humanitarian aid work saves lives of people in crisis, refuge, and loss. Every month, over one million people flee their home countries because of conflict or natural disaster. Those who aid, provide relief, and improve the quality of life for…
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Lexi Uknis ’21
Major:
- Mathematics with Teacher Licensure
Analyzing the Effects of a Revised Curriculum in a Content Course for Middle Secondary Mathematics
As an extension of previous research done to redesign the curriculum for a mathematics content course for prospective middle and high school teachers, the purpose of this research was to analyze the effectiveness of the redesigned curriculum. This research came…
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Rebecca Usher ’20
Major:
- Biology
Investigating the behavioral ecology of solitary Orchelimum erythrocephalum
The red-headed meadow katydid (Orchelimum erythrocephalum) is a potential model species for studying topics of interest to behavioral ecology, including acoustic communication, mate searching behavior, and predator avoidance. Although behavior for other species in the genus has been well described,…
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Emma Walker ’22
Major:
- Biomedical Engineering
Deactivation of Parasitic Nematodes for Improved Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Helminth infections, caused by parasitic worms, impact approximately a quarter of the global population according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This global health issue predominantly affects individuals in developing regions of the world, as they are more likely to…
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Mara Walters ’20
Major:
- Public Health Studies
“It Makes Me Feel Like I Have Freedom”: Examining the Social-Emotional Effects of a School Garden at a Title I Elementary School
Spending time in nature has a multitude of established benefits yet is a diminishing trend among children in the modern world. Due to the positive connection between the natural world and human health, the growing disconnect can be viewed as…
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Alyssa Zee ’21
Major:
- Sport Management
Communicating Study Abroad Opportunities to Student-Athletes: What’s Happening at Division I Schools?
The opportunity to participate in high impact practices (HIPs) in college is often beneficial and rewarding (Kuh, 2008). Among many effective HIPs, studying abroad has become gradually more important in developing better educational programs at colleges over the years (Kitsantas,…
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A Celebration of Undergraduate Research at Elon

Madeleine August ’21

Ella Barlick ’20

Sarah Barron ’20

Brittany Barton ’21

Adam Behrman ’21

Amanda Bingaman ’20

Mackenzie Boyd ’22

Jessica Burchett ’20

Bailee Castillo ’20

Caroline Enright ’20

Marjorie Anne Foster ’20

Taylor Garner ’20

Grace Garrett ’21

Faith Glover ’22

Elise Granath ’20

Alex Grillo

Daniel Heintzelman ’21

Margaret Hughes ’21

Kelly Hunter ’21

Ashley Jutras ’20

Yasmeen Lee ’20

Annie LeMasters ’20

Jonathan Martinez ’20

Emma McCabe ’21

Amanda Ornstein ’21

Nicole Plante ’20

Andrew Stevens Purdy ’20

Morgan Reich ’20

Maeve Riley ’20

Felicia Robinson ’21

Jean Ross ’21

Maria Santana-Garces ’20

Connor Simpson ’21

Emma Siritzky ’20

Andrea St. Laurent ’20

Erin Swisher ’21

Lexi Uknis ’21

Rebecca Usher ’20

Emma Walker ’22

Mara Walters ’20

Alyssa Zee ’21