Elon names 2018 Lumen Scholars

Fifteen rising juniors at Elon have been named recipients of the 2018 Lumen Prize, the university’s premier award that comes with a $20,000 scholarship to support and celebrate their academic achievements and research proposals.

Lumen Scholars will work closely with their mentors over the next two years to pursue and complete their projects. Efforts traditionally include coursework, study abroad, research both on and off campus, internships locally and overseas, program development, and creative productions and performances.

The name for the Lumen Prize comes from Elon’s historic motto, “Numen Lumen,” which are Latin words meaning “spiritual light” and “intellectual light.” The words, which are found on the Elon University seal, signify the highest purposes of an Elon education.

The 2018 Lumen Prize Winners

Amanda Bingaman
Public Health Studies
Project title: “Internationally adopted children with PHIV: Application of the Family Adoption Communication model to adoption and HIV disclosure narratives”
Mentor: Cynthia Fair
 
Isabel Blanco Araujo
Psychology
Project title: “A retrospective, cross-generational study of children’s play behaviors in Venezuela”
Mentor: Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler
 
Grace Carter
Biology
Project title: “Resurrection of Extinct Retroviruses within the Chimpanzee Genome as a Tool to Combat Viral Infection in Human Populations”
Mentor: Alfred Simkin
 
Morgan Collins
Strategic Communications
Project title: “Corporate Political Activism: The Case of Patagonia as ‘The Activist Company’”
Mentor: Barbara Miller 

Colin Deutsch
Biochemistry
Project title: “The effect of obesity on the gut-brain axis and how it influences the learning ability of zebrafish”
Mentor: Jennifer Uno
 
Jordan Devries
Psychology
Project title: “Young, Anxious, and Feeling Alone: An examination of the role of social influences in help-seeking for young adults with anxiety”
Mentor: CJ Fleming
 
Sarah Dolce
Environmental and Ecological Science
Project title: “A strange new world: hybridization in the Anthropocene”
Mentor: Amanda Chunco
 
Mary Emmerling
English
Project title: “Analyzing the Representations and Influence of Nineteenth-Century Cultural Attitudes Towards Female Sexuality in Christina Rossetti’s Poetry”
Mentor: Rosemary Haskell
 
Caroline Enright
Policy Studies
Project title: “The Role of Teacher Professional Development in Initiating Local Level Support for Inclusive Classrooms in the Uganda Education System”
Mentor: Stephen Byrd
 
Avery Hatch
Biochemistry
Project title: “Assessing the Transformation and Bioaccessibility of Metal Nanoparticles in Synthetic Biological Fluids: Implications for Human Health”
Mentor: Justin Clar

Yasmeen Lee
Public Health Studies
Project title: “Understanding Social Media’s Impact on Breastfeeding Black Millennials”
Mentor: Stephanie Baker
 
Jonathan Martinez
Exercise Science
Project title: “Implications of the Cross Education Phenomenon on Rehabilitation and Training”
Mentor: ​Matthew Wittstein 

Arianne Payne
Communication Design
English
Project title: “By Any Means Necessary: Understanding Black and Indigenous Grief, Resistance, and Endurance Through Stories”
Mentor: Tita Ramirez
 
Nicole Plante
International and Global Studies
Project title: “Examining How Refugee Parents and Children Create Belonging in the United States”
Mentor: Sandy Marshall
 
Amanda Ruvolo
History/Social Studies Teacher Licensure
Project title: “Transforming Social Studies: A Case Study of Place-Based Education at a Rural High School in North Carolina”
Mentor: Scott Morrison