Elon awards 15 Lumen Prizes
Elon names 15 rising juniors the recipients of the 2016 Lumen Prize. This is the university’s premier award for undergraduate research that comes with $15,000 to support their academics and research scholarship. Lumen Scholars work closely with their faculty mentors to conduct in-depth research on their projects.
Winners were selected through a two-step process. Candidates submitted applications and project proposals and two letters of nomination. Candidates then interviewed before being selected by a faculty selection committee.
Here is a full list of the 2016 winners:
Mary Alice Allnutt
Biochemistry
Project title: “The Importance of Neurotransmitter-Stabilized Amyloid Beta Oligomers in the Cell Death Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s Disease”
Mentor: Kathy Matera
Alexander Ball
Biochemistry
Project title: “Using a zebrafish model to study the gut microbiota’s effect on the developing brain’s neurochemistry and structure”
Mentor: Jennifer Uno
Sara Corning
Exercise Science
Project title: “Striking down barriers, striking out the ‘fix’ mentality: Impact of sport on children with special needs and their support team”
Mentor: Caroline Ketcham
Emily DeMaioNewton
English with Concentration in Creative Writing
Project title: “We Tell Stories in Order to Live: Building Women’s Shame Resilience Through Narratives”
Mentor: Jean Schwind
Anya Fredsell
Religious Studies and Public Health Studies
Project title: “Constructing and Performing Authority in Yoga Traditions: An Ethnographic Approach”
Mentor: Amy Allocco
Samantha Friedman
History and Special Education
Project title: “Investigating the Effects of Outdoor Learning Environments on Children with Autism”
Mentor: Scott Morrison
Sarah Holdren
Anthropology and Public Health Studies
Project title: “Narratives of NEC: The Impact of NICU Feeding Practices on Parent Decision-Making”
Mentor: Aunchalee Palmquist
Mariana Kneppers
Biology, Environmental and Ecological Science
Project title: “Life and Death of Atlantic Coastal Marshes: Can Pre-Acclimation to Salt Increase Plant Tolerance to Climate Change?”
Mentor: Brant Touchette
Bethany Lake
Biostatistics and Public Health
Project title: “The Migrant Health Experience in Alamance County: Provider Perspectives on Innovation in Community-Based Health Care”
Mentor: Katherine Johnson
Sara Machi
Marketing
Project title: “An International Transformation of Produce: The Marketing of Imperfect Produce in France and the United States”
Mentor: Alicia Horky
Amy Mullan
Public Health and Policy Studies
Project title: “Newcomers and Nursing: Infant-feeding beliefs and practices of resettled refugee and asylum seekers in North Carolina”
Mentor: Aunchalee Palmquist
Grace O’Hara
International Business
Project title: “Can microfinance help families in a high inflation environment? Field Research in South Sudan”
Mentor: Steven DeLoach
Samantha Perry
Human Services
Project title: “The role of Ethiopian midwives in the prevention of mother-to-child-transmission of HIV: A human rights framework”
Mentor: Cynthia Fair
Cassandra Tumasz
Dance Science, Dance Performance, Choreography
Project title: “Is Anatomical or Metaphorical Imagery More Effective in Releasing Physical and Psychological Stress in a University Dancer?”
Mentor: Lauren Kearns
Alexis Williams
English and Spanish
Project title: “The Perfect “Black” Play: How themes, structure, and plot determine the success or failure of plays by African Americans”
Mentor: Scott Proudfit
