Matthew Becton

ovprweb on April 2, 2017

James L. Carmon Scholarship Award 2017

Matthew Becton, a doctoral student in the College of Engineering, conducts research in the Computational Nano/Bio-Mechanics Lab. His highly multidisciplinary research crosses the boundaries between computational modeling, molecular biology, chemistry, physics and engineering to understand the structure and properties of various materials at the nanometer scale. Much is unknown about the effects of nanomaterials inside the body. Becton’s research aims to probe the mechanical factors of cell damage and destruction utilizing nanoparticles from a predictive modeling viewpoint to provide a fundamental understanding of cell-nanoparticle interactions. His research has strong applications in medicine, ranging from gene delivery, bioimaging and biosensors to nanovaccines and drug delivery. Such knowledge will not only guide the use of nanoparticles, but also save time and cost on in vitro and in vivo studies.

Kevin Vogel

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Postdoctoral Research Award 2016

Kevin Vogel, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of entomology, uses comparative genomics and molecular biology to study reproduction and development processes in mosquitoes. Over the last three years, he worked to identify and characterize a hormone receptor that, when silenced, blocked the maturation of mosquito eggs. Vogel hopes that more complete understanding of this important receptor may lead to new ways of controlling mosquito populations. He is also involved in another project, which focuses on characterizing the bacteria that colonize the digestive tract of mosquitoes—the mosquito gut microbiome. Recent studies have demonstrated that mosquitoes are incapable of growing and developing into adults without their gut microbiota, and the microbiome also plays an important role in the survival of the pathogens that mosquitoes transmit.

Alexander Tokarev

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Postdoctoral Research Award 2016

Alexander Tokarev, a former postdoctoral research associate in the department of textiles merchandising and interiors, is recognized for his role in creating a new, inexpensive way to manufacture extraordinarily thin polymer strings commonly known as nanofibers. The new method, dubbed “magnetospinning,” provides a very simple, scalable and safe means for producing large quantities of nanofibers that can be embedded in a multitude of materials, including live cells and drugs. Many thousands of times thinner than the average human hair, nanofibers are used by medical researchers to create advanced wound dressings, and for tissue regeneration, drug testing, stem cell therapies and the delivery of drugs directly to the site of infection. Nanofibers are also used in other industries to manufacture fuel cells, batteries, filters and light-emitting screens. Tokarev now works for Sawgrass Technologies, Inc. in Charleston, S.C.

Josh Clevenger

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

James L. Carmon Award 2016

Josh Clevenger, a doctoral student in the Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, uses genomic data and computational approaches to find genetic signatures of resistance to aflatoxin in peanut. Aflatoxin is a highly carcinogenic compound that causes liver damage in both animals and humans, and it is especially problematic for farmers in developing nations. Clevenger developed new computational tools to sift through mountains of genetic information to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, in the peanut genome. These powerful genetic markers can be used to select for desirable traits, such as aflatoxin resistance, quickly and efficiently. Clevenger’s program, which he named “SWEEP,” may usher in a new era of genetic mapping for cultivated peanuts, and he has made the tool freely available to other researchers to hasten those advances.

Sarah Budischak

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Robert C. Anderson  Memorial Award 2016

Sarah Budischak, a recent doctoral graduate in ecology, studies the disease transmission and health implications of parasitic infections. Her dissertation research on the consequences of coinfection—the simultaneous infection of a host by multiple pathogens—in wild African buffalo required extensive field research in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Budischak received National Science Foundation doctoral research and international travel grants, and she published her research in leading journals, including three dissertation chapters and two manuscripts from previous research. She is also recognized for her mentorship of numerous undergraduates, and for her service as president of Ecoreach, a graduate student-run program that helps coordinate ecological activities for K-12 students, which grew considerably under her leadership. Budischak is now a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University.

Arnab Banerji

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Robert C. Anderson  Memorial Award 2016

Arnab Banerji, a recent doctoral graduate in theater and film studies, is recognized for his scholarship on Asian performing arts, Indian cinema and Indian popular culture. His doctoral dissertation, Setting the Stage: A Materialist Semiotic Analysis of Contemporary Bengali Theatre from Kolkata, India, documents and analyzes the production practices and material conditions of Bengali group theater, including design practices and the training of actors, technicians and writers. Banerji has also published several scholarly papers and presented his research at numerous international conferences. After his graduation, he worked briefly as an adjunct professor at the Department of Theatre at Barnard College, where he taught a special topics course on traditions of Indian performance. He is now an assistant professor of theater arts at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Chi Zhang

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Graduate Student Excellence-in-Research Award 2016

Chi Zhang, a recent doctoral graduate in Bioinformatics,
studies the mechanisms of cancer initiation, progression, metastasis and post-metastasis development using large-scale data analyses of cancer tissue samples and computer modeling. Much of his research focuses on cancer micro-environment alterations and the Warburg’s theory, which states that the primary cause of cancer is the replacement of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.  Zhang uses new genomic and transcriptomics data to explore this theory more completely by examining the fundamental metabolic changes that appear to be one of the primary causes of cancer in multiple tissues. His work could lead to new approaches to cancer prevention and treatment. Zhang is currently working as a postdoctoral
associate in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology.

Asher Rosinger

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Graduate Student Excellence-in-Research Award 2016

Asher Rosinger, a recent doctoral graduate in anthropology, is recognized for his work on human water consumption and nutrition. During one year of fieldwork in lowland Bolivia, Rosinger combined ethnographic methods with objective biomarkers of nutrition and disease to test how diet and local knowledge protect health. By considering both foods and drinks, he investigated how people meet their water needs in an environment with little to no access to potable water throughout the majority of the year. His research has broader implications within anthropology for advancing our understanding of human adaptations to heat as well as developing a holistic understanding of human water needs. Rosinger is now working as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Horry Parker

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Graduate Student Excellence-in-Research Award 2016

Horry Parker, a recent doctoral graduate in geology, has made several outstanding contributions in the fields of geology and geophysics. He applied geophysical methods, including seismology and magnetics, to study the structure and composition of the southern Appalachians and Atlantic Coastal Plain. The results provide new insight into tectonic processes associated with Appalachian mountain building and the relationship between geologic structure and the present topography of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This project required extensive fieldwork, including the deployment of an 85-station network of broadband seismometers across the southern Appalachians and adjacent coastal plain. Parker is currently applying seismic methods for imaging the crust-mantle boundary, or Moho, to investigate the formation of the South Georgia rift basin.

Lindsey Harding

ovprweb on March 24, 2016

Graduate Student Excellence-in-Research Award 2016

Lindsey Harding, a recent doctoral graduate in English, distinguished herself by producing a sophisticated dissertation that investigated multi-modal forms of writing, including photography and digital archives. A hybrid of creative non-fiction and faux documentary, personal family history and rhetorical criticism, photography theory and homemade imaging, Harding’s dissertation explores the relationship between photography and motherhood and, more specifically, the cultural construction of motherhood through digital photographs. A chapter of her dissertation, titled “Motherhood Reimag(in)ed: A Study of Domestic Photography in the Digital Age,” is forthcoming in Photographies. Harding is the lead web developer for the literary journal Mandala, a publication of the Institute for African American Studies. She currently serves as the assistant director of the Franklin College Writing Intensive Program and as the faculty advisor and editor for The Classic, the Writing Intensive Program’s journal of undergraduate writing and research.