Ten UIS students to present at U of I Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol

Ten students from the University of Illinois Springfield will present their work at the third annual University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Day at the Illinois State Capitol on Thursday, May 5.

The students will display their research from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the first floor South corridor of the Capitol building. Students will be making poster presentations about their research and answering questions from lawmakers and the public.

UIS students will join their peers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Chicago campuses. Students were selected in a competitive process by the Undergraduate Research Steering Committee.

Chemistry major Ashley Hollinshead will present research on optimizing the freshwater denitrification process in heterotrophic bacteria using iron nanoparticles, history major Kendra Baber will discuss the destruction of museums and archeological sites by ISIS, biology major David Seidel will explore if geographic ranges can predict seedling success in tallgrass prairie restorations, and art major Zachary Landes will showcase his original installation “Take it, Don’t leave it”.

John Johnson, a chemistry major, will present research entitled “A Novel Approach to the Investigation of Solenopsins Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Tandem and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry”, art major Tyler Phibbs will exhibit his original artwork called “Cheromerican Warrior”, and psychology major Ashley Park will explore the relationship between poverty and adolescent substance abuse in Illinois.

Psychology major Jacob Eikenberry will present on the effects of workplace incivility and grit on burnout in domestic violence program employees, social work major Jennifer Hickey will discuss the need for Illinois to fund autism support and awareness programs, and sociology/anthropology major Michael Lotspeich will present his research regarding understanding inter-community conflict to building construction in a rural, consolidated local education agency.

The event is co-sponsored by the UIS Undergraduate Research Support Program and the UIS Chancellor’s Office. For more information, contact Keenan Dungey, UIS associate professor of chemistry and director of undergraduate student research, at 217/206-7345 or kdung1@uis.edu.