The WSU Office of Undergraduate Research named 12 CAS students as recipients of four different fellowships for 2020-21. Each will receive funding to support of mentored research, scholarship and creative activities for the 2020-21 academic year.
“In addition to the long-established Auvil and Carson undergraduate research awards and the NSF-funded Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), we received additional support this year from an anonymous donor. This made it possible to support the efforts of many additional student researchers,” said Mary Sanchez Lanier, assistant vice provost.
Meet the CAS student recipients:
Auvil Fellows
The Auvil Scholars Fellowship began in 2006 with a gift from the estates of Grady and Lillie Auvil, Wenatchee tree-fruit entrepreneurs. Auvil awards are available to undergraduate researchers from all majors, in all grades, from any WSU campus. Nearly 250 WSU undergraduates have received this award over the years; they are known as Auvil Fellows. The new recipients are:
- Lucas Blevins, a sophomore music composition major mentored by Gregory Yasinitsky.
- Christopher Huong, a senior psychology and sports science major mentored by Sarah Ullrich-French.
- Tabitha McCoard, a senior fine arts major mentored by Hallie Meredith.
- Georgie Rosales, a senior English and psychology major in the Honors College mentored by Rebecca Craft.
- Olivia Willis, a junior neuroscience and psychology major in the Honors College mentored by Cheryl Reed.
Carson Fellows:
The Scott and Linda Carson Undergraduate Research Endowed Excellence Fund, established in 2013, helps researchers as they progress in their careers. The Carsons, WSU alumni, have supported the university with their service and numerous financial gifts over many years. These newest awards bring the total number of Carson Fellows to 14, since the first in 2014-15. The Carson award gives preference to student researchers who are in their junior and senior years.
- Annie Lu, a senior mathematics major mentored by Nikolaos Voulgarakis.
LSAMP Research Fellows
LSAMP supports the academic achievements of underrepresented minority students in STEM majors, helps members reach personal and professional goals and offers programming in the areas of professional development, networking, and community-building. The program also offers awards for top students pursuing mentored research. The new awardees are:
- Jesús Mendoza, a senior zoology major mentored by Douglas Call.
- Marcelo Ruiz, a senior mathematics and mechanical engineering major mentored by Jacob Leachman.
Undergraduate Research Fellows
Thanks to the generosity of donors to the Undergraduate Research Development Fund, the office can make awards to a wide variety of students pursuing research. These general awards from the Office of Undergraduate Research have supported students across the university for a number of years. Recipients of these awards in 2020-21 include:
- Krista Brutman, a senior mathematics major in the Honors College mentored by Bertrand Tanner
- Kyle Hulse, a junior zoology major mentored by Wesley Dowd
- Brianna Knode, a senior chemistry and genetics and cell biology major in the Honors College mentored by John Wyrick
- Anna McDonald, a sophomore biology major mentored by Joanna Kelley
- Kyla Quale, a junior zoology major in the Honors College mentored by Erica Crespi
Overall, 32 WSU students received 2020-21 awards totally nearly $50,000. All are students at Pullman and represent more than 20 majors across STEM and non-STEM fields. Awardees include five sophomores, 13 juniors, and 14 seniors; 18 females and 14 males; and, nine first-generation students. Thirteen recipients are members of the WSU Honors College.
By Bev Makhani for WSU Insider