Meet the Chellgren Student Fellows

Chellgren Student Fellows The "Chellows"

Our Chellgren Student Fellows, "Chellows" for short, represent a variety of majors and interests. From throughout different colleges across UK, the Chellows represent the best and the brightest young professionals passionate about academic, research, and community engagement.

2023 Chellgren Student Fellows

Angel Aguilar

Angel Aguilar is majoring in computer science and plans to continually expand his knowledge of computer science and mathematics to create innovative projects. His research project will involve enhancing a combinatorial model to compute flow polytope volumes on non-planar k-caracol graphs. His mentor is Dr. Martha Yip in the Department of Mathematics, College of Arts & Sciences.

Anaya Ali

Anaya Ali is a dual degree candidate for animal Sciences and agricultural and medical biotechnology. She is on the pre-vet track and plans to attend Veterinary School. She was drawn to veterinary medicine because of her love of animals and interest in public health. Her research project will be focused on evaluating the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in *Rhodococcus equi* isolated from horses in Kentucky using different methods. Her mentor is Dr. Yosra Helmy in the Department of Veterinary Sciences, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Sawyer Arbogast

Sawyer Arbogast is a mechanical engineering major and is about to undertake a semester-long independent study in data analysis through virtual reality. Building on a background in thermodynamics and computer programming, Sawyer aims to develop coding pipelines for transferring thermodynamics solver outputs. More specifically, heat transfer, pressure, and shear forces into virtual reality. His interest in coding and computers motivates this research project as he seeks to bridge the gap between theory and immersive visualization alongside his fellow researchers. His mentor is Dr. Savio Poovathingal who is currently head of the CTFL lab at the University of Kentucky.

Maria Arenas-Florez

Maria Natalia is an international student majoring in biology with a minor in creating writing. Her research project in bioinformatics seeks to determine whether there are differences in the frequency of somatic copy number mutations that span entire chromosome arms compared to those with endpoints within a chromosome arm between different genetic ancestry groups. Her mentor is Dr. Yasminka Jakubek, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine.

Kiara Baker

Kiara Baker is majoring in biological sciences and plans to complete her bachelor’s degree at the University of Kentucky before going to grad school where she will pursue a master’s and doctorate degree. She enjoys biology particularly because it allows her to use her creative and problem-solving abilities together to demonstrate her understanding of complex phenomena. Her research project utilities some of the same phenomena to assist with the study of the processes behind limb regeneration in axolotls and other related salamanders. Her mentor is Dr. Ashley Seifert, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Devin Bester

Devin Bester is majoring in mechanical engineering and plans to eventually earn his MBA. Although he enjoys mechanical engineering, he is also interested in stem education and is hoping to learn more about techniques being used to better the field. His research project aims at intersecting music and biology in order to teach students about molecular biology by creating sound from converting amino acid sequences. His mentor is Dr. Luke Bradley, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine.

Alex Branch

Alex Branch is majoring in aerospace engineering and plans to complete a bachelor’s degree. He was drawn to aerospace engineering because although his initial interest was in hydro-related topics, aerospace has many opportunities for the future and is similar in many ways. His project focuses on the tools to address the lack of understanding of the importance of the topic of domestic violence in STEM-related fields and the incorporation of the topic in Social Responsibility in an engineering setting. His mentor is Dr. Giselle Lamas, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, UK Paducah Campus.

Angie Bushroe

Angie Bushroe is currently pursuing a major in psychology. She is passionate about pediatric psychology and interested in working with children in a hospital setting. She plans to attend graduate school for Pediatric Psychology to further explore and apply her interests. Her research project involves working with children in Fayette County Public Schools to access the topic of ADHD in children. Her mentor is Dr. Elizabeth Lorch in the Department of Psychology and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences.

Bailey Darbro

Bailey Darbro is majoring in integrated strategic communication and double minoring in journalism studies and writing, rhetoric, and digital studies. Her experiences as an Asian American adoptee have shaped her passions for storytelling, activism, and highlighting diverse perspectives. Her research project combines her interests by focusing on diverse adoptive families in the U.S. with adolescent children. She will collaborate with a team in the Families, Adoption, and Diversity Lab to engage in qualitative, reflexive thematic analysis regarding how parents and children discuss topics of race and racial/ethnic identity, as well as other minoritized social identities. Her mentor is Dr. Rachel Farr, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Leila Dawson

Leila Dawson is majoring in environmental science and sustainability studies, along with a minor in public policy. She was drawn to environmental studies because of her desire for protecting the natural world and her passion to enact change for vulnerable communities. Her research aims to increase carbon sequestration by building a seaweed blue carbon economy and to create an additional source of income for communities in Indonesia. Her mentor is Dr. Betsy Beymer-Farris, Department of Geography, College of Arts and Sciences.

Elizabeth Elliott

Elizabeth Elliott is majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry, though she plans to add a neuroscience major before long; afterwards, she also plans to attain a pre-nursing degree and attend a yet-to-be-determined nursing school. She was drawn to biology and chemistry both out of an abstract interest in the fields and out of a desire to better help her patients when she enters the healthcare industry. Her research project uses fruit flies to investigate the nature of two-pore domain potassium (K2p) channels in relation to temperature, muscle stretch, membrane potential, and ion concentration. Her mentor is Dr. Robin Cooper, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Beaux Hardin

Beaux Hardin is majoring in French and English and plans to go into educational public policy in colonial-affected countries. Beaux was drawn to both majors because they want to go into law and policy work to make education more accessible to less privileged communities. Their research project looks at the Maghreb (Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco) area, francophone African countries, and their educational policies after French colonization. Their mentor is Dr. Nisrine Slitine El Mghari, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literature and Cultures, College of Arts and Sciences.

Malena Hughes

Malena Hughes is majoring in animal science and plans to attend veterinary school after completing her bachelor’s degree. Her upbringing on her family’s cattle farm drew her to veterinary medicine from a young age. Her research project focuses on analyzing data variance in the Proudman method for counting equine tapeworm eggs through replicate counts in order to assess the method as a diagnostic tool. Her mentor is Dr. Martin Nielsen, Gluck Equine Research Center and the Department of Veterinary Science, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Abigail Humphrey

Abigail Humphrey is majoring in public health and plans to attend graduate school in health management and policy. She chose public health as her major because of it’s populational-based approach to healthcare which peaked her interest. Her research project is designed to analyze and help people understand how the complex healthcare system is correlated with community health. She will also be working on the “TEAMUP” project that allows for connections to be made between the college of Public Health and public health resources. Her mentor is Dr. Rachel Hogg-Graham, Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health.

Anna Melchers

Anna Melchers is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in landscape architecture with a minor in plant and soil science. After completing a case study last year, Anna became interested in public and indigenous land management. In Spring 2024, she will further this research under the mentorship of Dr. Jayoung Koo. Her project will focus on the differences in management and Indigenous relations between the US national parks and those in Australia and New Zealand. Anna hopes that her research will help landscape architects begin to understand the inherent and inextricable ties between their field and Indigenous peoples, cultures, and histories. Anna’s mentor is Dr. Jayoung Koo, Department of Landscape Architecture, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Lordina Mensah

Lordina O. Mensah, a sophomore dual-majoring in civil engineering and information communication technology, envisions a future as a patent lawyer and has a keen interest in the creative and critical aspects of engineering. With plans to take a gap year before embarking on a law degree, she aims to amalgamate her engineering and ICT expertise to enhance information conveyance. Lordina’s current research project delves into the help-seeking behaviors of engineering and business students, contributing valuable insights to the broader goal of implementing effective response strategies in academic settings. Under the guidance of Dr. Sarah Wilson, her mentor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, Lordina navigates the complex intersection of engineering, technology, and human behavior, paving the way for a multifaceted approach to academic support.

Brady Moore

Brady Moore is a human health science major with a psychology minor. Brady plans to attend Physician Assistant school after obtaining her bachelor’s degree. Brady is passionate about Positive Psychology and plans to conduct a literature analysis of the most up-to-date, relevant research in the field (regarding gratitude). Her mentor is Dr. Laura Bryan, Lewis Honors College.

Leah Moylan

Leah Moylan is majoring in biomedical engineering and is in the scholars in engineering and management honors pathway. She is interested in applying computer science tools to biomedical questions. Her research project uses computational methods to analyze polygenic risk scores for Alzheimer’s disease. Her mentor is Dr. Justin B. Miller, Assistant Professor and Director of Pathology Bioinformatics in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine.

Emalie Mullane

Emalie Mullane is majoring in biology and minoring in dance. She is on the pre-medical track. She chooses to focus her research on biology and neuroscience because she is interested in how the brain affects biological functions. Her research focuses specifically on the endocrine system in rats by studying various hormone levels with the removal of the ovaries. Her mentor is Dr. Jessica Santollo, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Hersch Nathan

Hersch Nathan is currently pursuing a dual degree across electrical engineering and theatre arts. They found their interest in both engineering and theatre through puppetry. They intend to pursue a joint Ph.D. in Engineering and an M.F.A. in theatre at the termination of their undergraduate studies. Hersch aspires to be a university researcher and professor in the domain of autonomy, robotics, and controls and the intersection of puppetry and engineering as well as with aerospace applications. Their current project is in the domain of trajectory planning for robots in complex environments and they are working to improve the algorithms. Their mentor is Dr. Biyun Xie, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.

Brayden Nichols

Brayden Nichols is majoring in architecture and plans to attain a Master’s of Architecture + Health after completing his bachelor’s degree. He was drawn to architecture because he hopes to use design to solve healthcare issues. He currently is working on the CHANGE team, under his mentor Lovoria Williams Associate Professor, which is dedicated to the advancement of health equity among racial/ethnic minorities and medically underserved populations through the implementation of service and collaborative community-engaged research interventions and policy changes. His research project will assess the design of healthcare spaces and their impact on care delivery. His mentor is Lindsey Fay, Department of Interiors, College of Design.

Joy Ntakarutimana

Joy Ntakarutimana is pursuing a degree in neuroscience and plans to attend medical school after receiving her bachelor’s degree. Joy was drawn to neuroscience due to her interest in studying the complexity of the human body. Her research uses immunohistochemistry, microscopy, and image analysis to analyze macrophage deposition in the spinal cord after traumatic injury. Her mentor is Dr. John Gensel in the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, College of Medicine.

Carlee O'Neal

Carlee O’Neal is majoring in chemistry and community and leadership development and plans on pursuing a career in STEM education. She currently works as a stem education intern for a local nonprofit (KSTC), which has solidified her interest and passion for expanding educational equity across the Commonwealth. She is interested in investigating the effectiveness of educational outreach programs that increase student’s participation in STEM fields and ensuring that these programs are making a positive impact on the communities they serve. In her research project, she will analyze the outcomes of the START Program and identify what is working well and what needs to be improved to have a long-term impact. Her mentor is Dr. Luke Bradley, Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine.

Charles Petty

Charles Petty is a Natural Resource and Environmental science Major with a minor in Urban Studies and he will be researching into sustainability in the Metro Atlanta area. This will be done by analyzing each of the 13 metro Atlanta county’s comprehensive plan to give them sustainable scores and he will then compare these scores to see which Metro Atlanta county does sustainability the best. He will do this project under the guidance of Dr. Lynn Phillips, Department of Geography, College of Arts and Sciences.

Siena Pilati

Siena Pilati is majoring in public policy and plans to use her degree to work in government doing policy analysis and reform. She was drawn to public policy and research in public health because she is passionate about using data analysis to solve policy issues. Her research project uses a photo-based method to examine the impacts of opioid use disorder and treatment on communities. Her mentor is Dr. Margaret McGladrey, Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health.

Hollings Ruml

Hollings Ruml is majoring in Spanish and minoring in Biology and plans to attend medical school after graduating from UK. She has a passion for the Spanish language and culture and hopes her proficiency in the language will allow her to communicate with her patients one day. She is joining the Campbell Muscle Lab to study how mutations to sarcomeric proteins modulate the contractile properties of human myocardium. Her mentor is Dr. Kenneth Campbell, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine.

Sam Smith

Sam Smith is a finance major and plans to get his MBA. He was drawn to finance at a young age due to his love of finding the best candy to money ratio for long car rides. His research project is about financial misconduct and how it spreads in a firm. His mentor is Dr. William Gerken, Department of Finance, Gatton College of Business and Economics.

Amica Snow

Amica Snow is a sophomore double majoring in elementary education and history with aspirations of earning a law degree. She was drawn to the field of education because of disparities she observed between Title I and Non-Title I schools, specifically racial disparities and post-secondary opportunities. Her research project uses photo-voice to explore how and in what ways Black adolescent girls define their lives in a post-2020 society. Her mentor is Dr. Thais Council, Assistant Professor of Literacy and Assistant Director of Community Engagement with the Education and Civil Rights Initiative (ECRI) in the College of Education.

Lauren Spencer

Lauren Spencer is a double major working towards degrees in public policy and economics. Lauren’s interests lie in addressing social inequities and investigating the economic impacts of policy. Through her research, she will explore both interests by examining how voluntary busing in school districts from the late 70s to today has impacted community racial transition. Dr. Shybalkina from the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration is guiding her through this exciting project.

Sophia Tseng

Sophia Tseng is a sophomore majoring in biosystems engineering. Invested in environmental studies, her previous projects focused on solar power and water crises. This semester she is doing research with polymeric membranes for water filtration. By adjusting and characterizing dope solutions and flat sheet membranes, her goal is to create a composite membrane that will have the high permeability of polysulfone (PSF) and the selectivity of polyvinylidene fluorine (PVDF). In the interest of sustainability, this composite membrane will be made with the green solvents Rhodiasolv PolarClean and gamma-valerolactone (GVL) instead of petroleum derived solvents. Her mentor is Dr. Isabel Escobar, Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.

Anamei Walli

Anamei Walli is double majoring in public policy and political science and plans to attend law school after completing her bachelor’s degree. She was drawn to policy and the law because of the tangible application to real-world problems and ability to improve disparities in the community. Her research project studies the effect of salient Supreme Court decisions on voter turnout. Her mentor is Dr. Michael Zilis, Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences.

Olivia Walton

Olivia Walton is majoring in English and political science with plans to attend graduate school after completing her bachelor’s degree. She was drawn to these areas because of her love of literature and the humanities as well as her interest in human rights and national affairs. Her research project uses qualitative research methods to dig deeper into the lives of research participants and better understand root causes of the problem she is trying to identify. Her mentor is Dr. Cory Curl, Martin School of Public Policy and Administration.

Caleb West

Caleb West is a sophomore majoring in computer science and physics and plans to earn a Ph.D. in physics after completing his bachelor’s degree. He became interested in physics after hearing about recent particle physics research and is invested in research mostly due to a strong desire to learn new information. He will conduct his research project as part of Dr. Renee Fatemi’s lab in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences.

Drew White

Drew White is majoring in human health sciences and wants to attend dental school after completing her bachelor’s degree. She was interested in dental because of her childhood and wanting to help others. Her research project uses complex thinking when it comes to accessibility in Kentucky for healthcare that has been simplified for too long. Her mentor is Dr. Rojas Ramirez, College of Dentistry.

2022 Chellgren Student Fellows

Helena Arjona

Helena Arjona is double majoring in Writing, Rhetoric, & Digital Studies and Media Arts & Studies and plans to work as a screenwriter for movies or video games. Being a Hispanic woman, activism and identity is also very important to her and her research aims to combine the two with with her majors. With the help of Dr. Kishonna Gray, she will research the relationship between video games and race, as well as developing video games to assist with learning for remedial kids at the STEAM Academy in Lexington, KY. Dr. Gray is in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Digital Studies, College of Arts and Sciences.

Ella Brown-Terry

Ella Brown-Terry is an English major with minors in French and History. She plans to obtain her PhD in English and teach at the collegiate level. The study of literature and poetry has allowed her to construct a complex, abstract worldview based on traditions of literary empathy, which she hopes will continue to grow and evolve through her research. She is conducting research in Early Modern literature, and her mentor is Dr. Emily Shortslef, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences.

Kailey Cain

Kailey Cain is majoring in biology and plans to attend Medical School after completing a bachelor's degree. Her passion for science and how it applies to living things drew her to biology. The main question of her project will be to look at the ABCA7 gene and see how different polymorphisms that can occur in that gene can affect the brain in terms of Alzheimer’s Disease. Her mentor is Dr. Steven Estus in the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine.

James Chen

James Chen is majoring in computer science and plans to explore the field of computer science by doing projects. His research project will involve machine learning and web development to create an application. His mentor is Dr. Brent Harrison in the Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering.

Tiffany Clark

Tiffany Clark is majoring in computer science and loves to see how coding can be applied in different fields, which is why she chose to accept a position in a Bioinformatics Lab. Her research project focuses on studying the broad effects of ramp sequences on different pathways in different tissues and how that relates to gene expression; she will focus more on the programming aspect duties. Her mentor is Dr. Justin Miller in the Pathology Department, College of Medicine.

Nicholas Coffman

Nicholas Coffman is majoring in chemical engineering with a certificate in environmental engineering and he plans to pursue his MBA after finishing his bachelor's degree. He was drawn to chemical/environmental engineering because of his passion for nature as well as his problem-solving ability and desire to be challenged. His research project will involve working with Dr. Isabel C. Escobar's graduate students on their work creating and analyzing a variety of different membranes used to filter different substances out of water. Developing and improving these polymeric membranes so that they are easy to produce and recycle is the main focus of the research. Dr. Escobar is in the Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and the Chellgren Endowed Chair.

Elizabeth Corry

Elizabeth Corry is majoring in Aerospace Engineering. She was drawn to research because it allows her to learn more about a variety of subjects. Her research project will expand on the variety of aerial vehicles offered in the UAV Lab by making a 3-D printed “tailsitter” VTOL aircraft. Her mentor is Dr. Sean Bailey of the Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering.

Rohan Desai

Rohan Desai is majoring in biochemistry and has plans to attend Medical School. He was drawn to biochemistry due to its relevance to a future career in medicine and research. His research project will investigate the effects of hypusination of eIF5A, a eukaryotic translation initiation factor, on TDP-43, a RNA/DNA-binding protein, in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and LATE. Desai's mentor is Dr. Maj-Linda Selenica, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, College of Medicine.

Sara Dickens

Sara is currently pursuing Public Health on the pre-medical track aiming to one day become a doctor serving underrepresented communities. She enjoys the sciences and working with children from her past experiences prior to college. Luckily she is able to combine both interests within her research by using online analysis to observe trends in communities that affect children negatively. From there, she will collaborate with mentors, Michael Cull and Elizabeth Riley to develop innovations that will effectively improve those communities. Both Dr. Cull and Dr. Riley work in the Center for Innovation in Population Health, College of Public Health.

Emma Grace Hague

Emma Grace is majoring in Public Health and is planning to attend medical school after completing her undergraduate degree. She is drawn to emergency medicine because of the fast-paced environment and quick thinking that is required. Her research centers around the development of immediate bio-medical interventions for neural trauma like spinal cord injuries. Her research mentor is Dr. Jonghyuck Park, College of Pharmacy.

Faham Hossain

Faham Hossain is majoring in Finance and Management. Faham plans to attend graduate school after finishing his bachelor's degree. He was drawn to finance and management because he likes business and enjoys the various uses of financial and managerial aspects of the business. His research project is analyzing different business trends that companies employ in head-to-head competition. His research mentor is Dr. Walter Ferrier in the Department of Management, Gatton College of Business and Economics.

Rachel Hwang

Rachel Hwang is majoring in Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy and minoring in Criminology. She is passionate about institutional diversity and hopes to attend grad school for Social Psychology to further explore and apply her interests. Her research project involves understanding whether perceptions of change and racial nostalgia are linked to support for racial homogeneity, specifically looking at abortion rights. Her mentor is Dr. Angel Armenta in the Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Pascalle Le Roy

Pascalle Le Roy is pursuing a dual degree in art history and international studies with a minor in Arabic and Islamic studies. They are drawn to these fields because she is interested in the topic of art restitution and repatriation. Pascalle’s research involves collecting intel on how various art institutions deal with art repatriation matters to see what methods work most efficiently. She will then write a paper on how art institutions can justly represent cultures most affected by colonialism without using stolen artworks. Pascalle is doing this research under the guidance of Dr. Udvardy in the Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Cierra Ledford

Cierra Ledford is majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Spanish. She was drawn to anthropology because she enjoys thinking critically about the conditions of humanity. Her research project focuses on what one can learn from rural Kentucky residents about political divides and how this information can be translated to the national political climate. Her mentor is Dr. Ann Kingsolver in the Department of Anthropology, College of Arts and Sciences.

Ginny Lyle

Ginny Lyle is majoring in Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology, and later, she plans to attend veterinary school. She is drawn to veterinary medicine because she can combine her passions for animals, science, and service into one career. Her research project will investigate the effects of diet on metabolic responses in insulin dysregulated horses. Her mentor is Dr. Amanda Adams at the Gluck Equine Research Center, College of Agricultural, Food and Environment.

Jada Lunsford

Jada Lunsford is majoring in kinesiology and plans to attend medical school after completing a bachelor's degree. She was drawn to kinesiology because she loves sports, exercise, and nutrition. Her research project deals with exercise and researching ways to get different age groups involved in exercise to answer her research question. Her mentor is Dr. Melinda Ickes in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, College of Education.

Sandy Nino

Sandy is majoring in Psychology and Spanish. After undergrad, she hopes to attend graduate school in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Her field of study enhances her desire to promote the wellbeing of others by helping through their emotional and mental health. Participating in the Hammer Lab, under Dr. Joseph Hammer as her mentor, this following Spring will only enhance her knowledge in her field. Dr. Hammer is in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology, College of Education.

Asa O'Neal

Asa O’Neal is majoring in mechanical engineering and physics with plans to pursue a graduate degree in aerospace engineering. Asa plans to pursue a career focused on human space exploration, helping innovate through research and design of novel technologies. Asa’s research project involves prototyping a 3D-printed ‘tailsitter’ VTOL aircraft for testing. This will require Asa to integrate appropriate hardware and software, employ additive manufacturing technologies, design installation fixtures, and conduct flight tests. Asa’s research mentor is Dr. Sean Bailey, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering.

Andres Phillips

Andres Phillips is a student majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry. He has always been interested in how chemistry can be used in medical purposes and different ways to apply them. His research project focuses on using innovative chemical techniques to find a way to quantitatively measure the progress of tumors through MRI. His research mentor is Dr. Fanny Chapelin in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering.

Joshua Plain

Joshua Plain is majoring in finance and physics and plans to work in corporate finance post-graduation. He is drawn to finance due to its competitive nature. His research project will relate to business development in the bluegrass. His mentor is Kevin Short at Silver Fern, a Lexington-based software company specializing in solutions for the horticulture industry.

Coleman Reed

Coleman Reed is majoring in computer engineering and mathematics and plans to attend graduate school before making his way into industry. He is interested in bioinformatics because he can apply computer science to the field of biology in order to generate new tools to be utilized in future research. His research project is centered around the development of a database for genomic variants to assist pathologists in the UK Healthcare Clinical Genomics Core pipeline. His research mentor is Dr. Justin Miller in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Lizzie Rice

Elizabeth Rice is majoring in Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology and plans to pursue a career in the biotechnology/ bio pharmacology industry after receiving her bachelor's degree. She was drawn to biotechnology because she enjoys researching new ways to approach disease treatment. Her research is over data sonification and protein synthesis. Her mentor is Dr. Luke Bradley in the Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine.

Elliana Sanchez

Elliana Sanchez is a sophomore working towards a dual bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology with a minor in Animal Science. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree she intends to attend veterinary school. Elliana Sanchez will be working in Dr. Amanda Adams lab next semester under PHD student Erica Jacquay, completing equine research. The research project focuses on stress factors and immune responses in equines, specifically during transportation. To measure stress levels, multiple tests will be performed including: cortisol levels, heart rate, respiration, and temperature. Saliva enzymes and blood samples will be used to measure stress, endocrine response, and immune system parameters. All data will be organized and used to understand stress and immune function in horses with endocrine diseases. Dr. Adams is in the Gluck Equine Research Center, College of Agricultural, Food and Environment.

Anna Stockstill

Anna Stockstill is majoring in political science and environmental sustainability studies with a certificate in peace studies and plans on pursuing a joint J.D. and Ph.D. after graduation. She aspires to be an international environmental lawyer and wants to work with governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations to help shape international laws, standards, and regulations surrounding global environmental issues. Her research project seeks to determine how natural disasters affect global tensions by creating digital maps using ArcGIS software. Her mentor is Dr. Jillienne Haglund in the Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences.

Connor Stuart

Connor Stuart is majoring in Neuroscience and plans to attend medical school after earning his bachelor's degree. His project uses High-Low training to improve functional recovery following spinal cord injury. His mentor is Dr. Ann Stowe in the Department of Neurology, College of Medicine.

Emma Thyne

Emma Thyne is majoring in Political Science with minors in Spanish and International Studies. She plans on pursuing a PhD in Political Science and has a special interest in Comparative Politics, especially as it pertains to gender. Her project will pertain to women and diplomacy, consisting of an original argument and theory. She will work under the guidance of Dr. Tiffany Barnes, Department of Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences.

Emmylou Tidwell

Emmylou Tidwell is majoring in Biology and Music Performance and plans to attend either graduate or medical school after finishing both of her degrees (BM and BS). She hopes to continue working in research in the sciences, as she is highly interested in microbiology and bacteriology. She will be working with Dr. Brian Stevenson from the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UK's College of Medicine during the Spring 2022 semester. She will be studying the gene expression and regulation of Borrelia Burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, particularly in how various regulatory proteins allow the bacteria to respond to its environment as it switches hosts from ticks to vertebrates and vice versa. She will be spending the first month of the semester closely working with her mentor and the graduate students in the lab to familiarize herself with the techniques and various projects that are being carried out. As she continues to work closely with the faculty, she will be able to either join a project of one of the graduate students or develop one of her own that she will present about near the end of the semester.

Gage Tucker

Gage B. Tucker is an Agricultural Education major in the College of Agriculture, Food & Environment with plans to be a secondary Agricultural Education teacher & FFA Advisor upon completion of his Bachelor’s degree as well as attend graduate school in the future. His research looks at stress level comparisons of single versus multiple teacher/advisor agricultural education programs in secondary schools across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. His mentor is Dr. Rebekah B. Epps, Associate Professor of Agricultural Education in the Department of Community & Leadership Development, College of Agricultural, Food and Environment.

Maddy Wade

Maddy Wade is majoring in psychology and management and plans to pursue a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology following graduation. She was drawn to the overlap of these fields because of how interested she is in both business and interpersonal relations. Her research project consists of utilizing network analysis to evaluate the perceptions of leadership roles among employees of various ages. Her research mentor is Dr. Scott Soltis in the Department of Management, Gatton College of Business and Economics.

Helena Weiss

Helena Weiss is majoring in medical laboratory sciences and after undergraduate school plans to work as a laboratory scientist as she attends Medical School. She was drawn to becoming a pathologist and working in a laboratory because she loves feeling like a detective that is forever learning about what she sees in the microscope. Her research is assessing the molecular and cellular changes to skeletal muscle following an anterior cruciate ligament injury and recovery. Her mentor is Dr. Christopher Fry in the Department of Muscle Biology, College of Health Sciences.

2021 Chellgren Student Fellows

Seun Adekunle

Seun Adekunle is majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Cognitive Science. Seun's interest in Computer Science stems from a desire to solve complex problems.

His research project involves energy optimization involving electric devices within smart cities.

Research Mentor: Dr. Simone Silvestri, Department of Computer Science

Olivia Allran

Olivia Allran is majoring in Public Health with a minor in Biology. She was drawn to public health from an interest in examining the social determinants that lead to health disparities.

Her research focuses on analyzing Markey Cancer Center's ACTION Program to determine the most influential and beneficial aspects of medical educational programs for underrepresented students.

Research Mentor: Dr. Nathan Vanderford, UK College of Medicine's Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Madison Baker

Madison Baker is pursuing a dual-degree in Psychology and interdisciplinary Disability Studies as well as two certificates in Social Sciences Research and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awareness. She plans to earn a Ph.D. and work as a school psychologist in the future. She was drawn to psychology because she is passionate about learning about kids with learning, emotional, and physical disabilities and wants to make a positive change in their lives.

Her research project examines the effectiveness of specific intervention strategies in helping students with attention problems/ADHD in the classroom.

Research Mentors: Dr. Elizabeth Lorch and Dr. Angela Hayden, both in the Department of Psychology

Isha Chauhan

Isha Chauhan is majoring in Biology and minoring in Creative Writing with plans to get her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She enjoys biology because of its constant relevance to life and its environmental implications.

Her research project will investigate the molecular basis for mutations in the ABCG5 ABCG8 sterol transporter that cause Sitosterolemia, a rare, recessive form of familial hypercholesterolemia. She will also determine if therapeutics used in the treatment of other diseases caused by mutations in ABC transporters will restore function to ABCG5 ABCG8.

Research Mentor: Dr. Gregory Graf, UK College of Pharmacy

Catherine Cornwell

Catherine Cornwell is majoring in Mechanical Engineering and plans to complete the 5th year MBA program. She was drawn to engineering because she likes using math and creativity to solve problems.

Her research project uses skills in product design, prototyping, and distribution for a custom apparatus for research on insect thermal tolerance.

Research Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Teets, Department of Entomology

Ryan Crane

Ryan is a Neuroscience and Psychology dual degree student with minors in Spanish and Math. He is interested in psychology because of an introductory psychology course he took two years ago, and plans to go into medical school to study more cognitive sciences.

He will be participating in the Cognition Health and Sleep Equity (CHaSE) Lab. Ryan will be studying the effects of sleep on cognitive health.

Research Mentor: Dr. Lauren Whitehurst, Department of Psychology

Chase Eastham

Chase Eastham is majoring in Agriculture and Medical Biotechnology and plans to complete the MD/PhD program after undergraduate studies. He was drawn to biotechnology because he loves the possibilities of viral-mediated gene therapy that uses lentiviruses to deliver CRISPR constructs to host cells in-vivo.

Chase will be assisting the Nagy lab in their efforts to understand viral replication and evolution mechanisms. He is excited to explore the possibilities of alternative tropisms these viruses can express when pseudotyped.

Research Mentor: Dr. Peter Nagy, Department of Plant Pathology

Anna Erpenbeck

Anna Erpenbeck is majoring in Electrical Engineering with a focus in power and energy. She hopes to one day combine concepts of engineering, chemistry, and data science in the environmental or medical fields.

Her research project involves experimental microelectrode technology and their neurological applications. This project will help progress the understanding of how biochemistry can assist the treatment of neurological diseases.

Research Mentor: Dr. Greg Gerhardt, Department of Neuroscience

Christine Haddad

Christine Haddad is majoring in Biology and plans to attend medical school after completing a Bachelor of Arts through the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences. She is drawn to biology because she loves to study bodily processes and hopes to apply it to her medical-oriented future.

Her research project includes studying the effects of external Ca2+ concentration on the membrane potential of crayfish skeletal muscle to see if crayfish skeletal muscle will respond like larval Drosophila (in that with increasing concentration of external Ca2+ the membrane potential will hyperpolarize and with lower external Ca2+ concentration the membrane will depolarize). In this project, she will measure membrane potentials and intracellular recordings with varying the Ca2+ concentrations in the bathing media and learn the dissection of the models to make these recordings.

Research mentor: Dr. Robin Cooper, Department of Biology

Leena Haider

Leena Haider is a History major who is currently debating pursuing a PhD and a career in civil or foreign services or embracing a career in healthcare after completing a bachelor's degree. Despite her inner turmoil, history is her passion because its study is about context and methodology which when done correctly gives a full and unbiased understanding of the past. She loves the process of research, contextualizing and analyzing sources, and presenting her work.

She will be researching the responses of Black newspapers to fascism in Nazi Germany compared to White newspapers in the United States.

Research Mentor: Dr. Nikki Brown, Department of History

Shria Holla

Shria Holla is majoring in Mathematical Economics and plans to attend graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in Economics. She pursued economics because she enjoys the discipline's quantitative behavioral analysis.

Her research project will be under the Center for Poverty Research.

Research Mentor: Dr. James Ziliak, Gatton Department of Economics

Jackson Huse

Jackson Huse is a sophomore in Computer Engineering and Pre-Medicine and plans to attend Medical School after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelors Degree. His interest in computers and technology started at a young age and his interest in medicine, though more recently acquired, is in Surgery and Surgical Technology.

His research project uses DNA computing, which implements computer systems by using DNA molecules and their reactions, in order to design new types of computations and an automation software tool for them.

Research Mentor: Dr. Sayed Salehi, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Tesslyn Hutchinson

Tesslyn Hutchinson is majoring in Biology and plans to be on the genetics track. Although she plans to be a genetic counselor in the future, polyamine biology in neurodegenerative diseases has piqued her interest.

Her research project employs cell culture models, bioinformatics, animal behavior, drug discovery, and more to answer various research questions.

Research Mentor: Dr. Daniel Lee, Department of Neuroscience

Megan Johnston

Megan Johnston is majoring in Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology with a minor in Plant and Soil Sciences. Her interest in agriculture stems from the time she spent on her grandfather's farm at a young age, in which her curiosity over the mechanisms behind plant development grew.

Her research project involves using molecular biology techniques to identify the impact Rho-GTPase pathway genes have on F-actin dynamics in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Research Mentor: Dr. Tomokazu Kawashima, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

Katie Keen

Katie Keen is a Chemistry and Biology double major with goals to attend MD/PhD graduate school in preparation for a career in healthcare, research, and higher education. She is particularly interested in studying viral transmission, virulence, and evolution on a molecular scale: specifically, how these topics relate to novel viruses that infect humans and common vector species to cause disease.

Her research project will involve studying HeV (Hendra virus) fusion and matrix proteins and their respective interactions with cholesterol within the cell membrane as HeV propagates.

Research Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Dutch, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry and Vice Dean for Research

Abbey Loar

Abbey Loar is a Psychology major who plans to attend graduate school to earn a masters in Clinical Psychology. She is interested in the workings of the brain and how that relates to behavior.

Her research project searches to better understand how people cope and recover from severely traumatic and/or stressful events. She will be participating in phone calls and surveys to collect self-reported data from participants who have been diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, regarding their status. She will use this information to explore beneficial and effective treatment and prevention programs to help improve outcomes of those who have PTSD.

Research Mentor: Dr. Christal Badour, Department of Psychology

Nyah Marasigan

Nyah Marasigan is majoring in Media Arts and Studies. She was drawn to the various business and creative aspects of media industries because she has interest in becoming an executive, entrepreneur, or lawyer in the industry, along with incorporating her creative voice.

Her research project focuses on what it is like to run for judiciary posts and how social media transforms campaigns. How these political candidates interact with journalists, how they run for office, and the abundance of legal restrictions in campaigning will be explored throughout her research as well.

Research Mentor: Dr. Jim Hertog, Department of Journalism and Media

Kassidy Maust

Kassidy Maust is majoring in Public Health and plans to complete the University of Kentucky’s 4+1 masters degree program. She was drawn to public health because she loves working with people to establish equal foundations in quality of life and advocating for equity in healthcare.

Her research project aims to determine the factors that contribute to being a good leader in healthcare by examining positions of leadership during times of crisis with statements from leaders themselves and their subordinates.

This research will build off of the dissertation written by Dr. Maureen Jones in the Department of Public Health and establish themes to identify competency in leadership.

Boston Oliver

Boston Oliver is a second year student majoring in Psychology and minor in Criminology. Her plan after undergraduate is to attend graduate school to become a licensed social worker.

Her research will be on the emotionality of whiteness in urban education settings and how it in turn impacts urban education.

Research Mentor: Dr. Cheryl Matias, Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Emma Poole

Emma is majoring in Arabic and Islamic Studies and International Studies and plans to attend Law School after completing a bachelor’s degree. She wants to use her language skills in Arabic and Russian in her career in immigration law.

Her research delves into the Arabic language, using her Arabic language skills in order to translate a manuscript of Kitab al-Hikma. Through translating this text, she will discover the social and theoretical foundations of early Islamic authority, specifically the authority of Islamic sainthood.

Research Mentor: Dr. Aiyub Palmer, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Nicholas Relich

Nicholas Relich is majoring in Economics and Political Science and plans to pursue a career in public service. He views the intersection of these disciplines as a means to positively impact others through government policy.

Nicholas will use econometrics methodology and digital mapping software to research how the Purchase of Development Rights program affects affordable housing options in Lexington, KY.

Research Mentor: Dr. William Hoyt, Department of Economics

Hallie Rice

Hallie Rice is majoring in Political Science with minors in Philosophy and Criminology with certificates in Peace Studies and Financial Planning and plans to work to reform the criminal justice system through politics after obtaining her undergraduate degree (BA). She was drawn to this research because she is passionate about criminal justice reform and generally bettering the lives others by reducing stigma surrounding substance use.

Her research project uses qualitative interviews to learn about personal experiences with the mobile harm reduction unit through Voices of Hope.

Research Mentor: Dr. Amanda Fallin-Bennett, College of Nursing

Elizabeth Ruschman

Elizabeth Ruschman is a Human Health Sciences major with a pre-medicine focus, and she plans to attend medical school after college. She is passionate about research regarding equity in healthcare access and affordability.

Her research will focus primarily on studying racial disparities in health literacy, healthcare transition (HCT), and financial toxicity in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors in Kentucky. She will also assist with similar projects focused on health equity in cancer care delivery research.

Research Mentor: Dr. Jean Edward, College of Nursing

Bailey Smith

Bailey Smith is majoring in Community Leadership Development and plans to pursue a master’s degree in Public Administration after receiving her bachelor’s degree. She was drawn to community research because she loves interacting and helping people.

Her research project involves evaluating the purpose, objective, and programming of One Lexington.

Research Mentor: Dr. Bryan Hains, Department of Community, Leadership, and Development

Caroline Sumner

Caroline Sumner is majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry, Biology, and Business and plans to attend Medical School after completing her undergraduate degree. She has always been interested in the neuroscience of drug abuse disorders and their possible treatments, leading her to choose a Neuroscience major.

Her research lab uses neuroscience technologies, fMRI and TMS, in a clinical setting to observe the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on a subject who has ingested THC; the lab investigates the use of TMS as a possible intervention for the treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder.

Research Mentor: Dr. Michael J. Wesley, Department of Behavioral Science

Olivia Swanbeck

Olivia is a sophomore currently working towards dual degrees in Neuroscience with a minor in Pharmacology and Psychology in Cognitive Science. She plans to attend graduate school after her undergrad.

Her research project deals with chemo-genetically altering neural signals to help aid in the knowledge of addiction behaviors.

Research Mentor: Dr. Cassandra Gipson-Reichardt, Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Megan Wiley

Megan Wiley is a second-year student enrolled in the Gatton College of Business and Economics. She is double majoring in Marketing and Management, with a minor in International Business, and Certificate in Sales. She has always had a passion for philanthropic work and community service.

She will be conducting a discovery research project on the relationship between nonprofits and law enforcement.

Research Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Stoltzfus, Lewis Honors College

Zora Woolfolk

Zora Woolfolk is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She plans to attend graduate school in pursuit of a Ph.D. after the completion of her degree. She was drawn to psychology because she hopes to one day help dispel the stigma around mental health.

The research lab she will be joining explores how neural changes during sleep and the autonomic nervous system define restorative sleep and support cognition.

Research Mentor: Dr. Lauren Whitehurst, Department of Psychology

Kotomi Yokokura

Kotomi Yokokura is majoring in Social Work and minoring in Public Policy. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she plans on pursuing a master's and Ph.D. to continue conducting research on poverty and to help create more effective policies. Kotomi was drawn to Social Work as she is passionate about addressing social inequality.

Her research project uses qualitative methods to examine college food insecurity.

Research Mentors: Kendra OoNorasak and Dr. Tammy Stephenson, both in the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition

Past Chellgren Student Fellows

Jasmine Ahmad, Psychology & Health, Society, and Populations
Kaitlynn Albers, Journalism
Molly Armstrong, Neuroscience
Constance Bledsoe, Neuroscience and Psychology
Madison Boosveld, Neuroscience and Psychology
Cameron Brewer, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Kennedy Brown, Human Health Sciences
Garrett Demaree, Civil Engineering
Burke Doud, Mechanical Engineering
Riley Droppleman, Biology
Madilyn Flandermeyer, Materials Engineering
Sophia Gonzales, Art History
Emily Guerrero, Neuroscience
Bethany Ison, Neuroscience and Spanish
Mihir Kale, Political Science
Shauna Kitts, Social Work
Faith Makumbi, Physics
Ian Metzgar, Chemical Engineering
Lexi Nolletti, Neuroscience
Reagan Parker, Linguistics
Jake Patty, Chemical Engineering
Maryrose Ramsey, Chemical Engineering
Jennifer Rodriguez, Marketing
Marlee Scholten, Biomedical Engineering
Rachael Snyder, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Tori Vestal, Foreign Language and International Economics
Meredith Williams, Biology
Sam Wyse, Chemical Engineering
Gabija Ziemyte, Physics

Amina Addington, Political Science & Economics
Rachel Brown, Agriculture Individualized - Entomology
Hannah Cleary, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Hailey Combs, English
Sereniti Coulter, Linguistics and Modern & Classical Languages, Literatures & Cultures/Arabic & Islamic Studies
Laura Cuevas-Meledez, Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies & Spanish Language and Linguistics
Chloe Ditka, Kinesiology
Melanie Duckworth, Mechanical Engineering
Dean Farmer, Economics & Political Science
Anna Foose, Agricultural and Medical Biotechology
Jansen Hammock, Political Science
Zoe Hert, Biology
Kayla Holmes, Sociology
Emily Keaton, Philosophy, Sociology & English
Keyarius Kibler, Psychology
Peter Koutrodimos, Accounting & Finance
Elena Liu, International Studies and Foreign Languages and International Economics
Mikayla Mitchell, Economics
Olivia Morris-Bush, Political Science
Lauren Myfelt, English & Natural Resources and Environmental Science
Nadja Nelson, Nursing
Nidhi Patel, Nursing
Alyse Ptacek, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology & Neuroscience
Asante Ruiz, Foreign Languages and International Economics
Reagan Smith, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Giovanna Weinman, Political Science
Emory Wilds, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology

Nicole Blackstone, Political Science & Sociology
Jessica Blake, Psychology
Cole Blanford
Sydney Blocker
Alison Bomkamp
Carly Boone
Eli Bradshaw, Political Science & Psychology
James Campbell
Chase Carlton
Chey Chandler, Agriculture and Medical Biotecnology
Alex Cochran
Michael DiGirolamo
Nahaba Hamada
Emily Huffman, Neuroscience
Angela Jones
Samuel Langford
Caylee Marshall, Chemical Engineering
Danielle Peterson, Biological Chemistry
Brittney Sawyer, Kinesiology
Kyra Seevers
Mikayla Spencer
Hannah Thomas, Biology & Health, Society and Populations
Anna Wagner
Savina Williams, Economics & International Studies
Anastasia Zevan

Habiba Ahmed, Neuroscience
Jessica Appel, Mathematics
Lexi Axtell, Human Health Sciences
Kelly Benzenhoefer, Journalism
Umair Bhutto, Biology & Chemistry
Elyse Blakeman, Finance & Spanish
Natasha Boelstler, Neuroscience
Kendall Brown, Psychology
Jacob Bruce, Political Science & History
Shelby Buckman, Economics & Mathematics
Kayla Carter, Political Science & Sociology
Elizabeth Caudill, Chemistry
Doug Center, History & Secondary Social Studies Education
Emad Chishti, Neuroscience
Carly Coleman, Psychology
McKaylee Copher, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Adrienne Corwin, Computer Science
Alston Croley, Physics & Mathematics
Sam DeJesus, Chemical Engineering
Mitchell Dennis, Physics & Computer Science
Tsage Douglas, Public Health & Foreign Language
Maddi Dyment, Community and Leadership Development & Journalism
Allison Eades, Natural Resources and Environmental Science
Molly Fernandez, Marketing & Psychology
Jada Green, Economics & Finance
Usman Hamid, Psychology & Biology
Michael Hamilton, Political Science & International Studies
Camden Hausberger, Finance
Sophia Jackson
Jenna Jodts, Psychology
Savannah Jones, Human Health Sciences
Madison Justice, English
Katie Kirk, English
Edith Koutone, International Studies
Mackenzie Loar, Special Education
Chimene Ntakarutimana, Psychology
Thomas Ostertag, Chemical Engineering
Caylyn Railey, Biology & Chemistry
Isabella Ritz, Materials Engineering
Drew Rosenzweig, Finance & Marketing
Meet Soni, Neuroscience
Madan Subheeswar, Biology & Business Management
Kara Tauer, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology & Chemistry
Joe Walden, Psychology & Neuroscience
Jeremiah Wayne, Biology & Neuroscience
Savannah Wills, Art History & Arts Administration
Anna Wilwerding, Health, Society and Populations & Environmental and Sustainability Studies
Maya Woolfolk, Biology

Hadeel Abdallah, Political Science & Arabic and Islamic Studies
Sami Abul-Khoudoud
Kalli Ajim, Chemical Engineering
Seth Biedenbender, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Tessa Blevins, Psychology
MiKayla Carter, English
Katherine Clowes, Chemistry
Julianna Dantzer, Environmental and Sustainability Studies & Natural Resources and Environmental Science
Yujie Ding, Biology
Daniel Dopp, Computer Science & Computer Engineering
Marygrace Duggar, Chemical Engineering
Hannah Dvorak, Chemical Engineering
Rueben Golyatov, Biosystems Engineering
Genghis Goodman, Economics & Computer Science
Willie Graas, Natural Resources and Environmental Science
Katilin Henning, Anthropology & International Studies
Hina Iqbal, Neuroscience
Matthew Jones, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Morgan Kelly, Biology
Anne Klette
Katherine Kloska, Chemistry
Meghana Kudrimoti, Biology & Political Science
Haley Latta, English
Rachel Lietzow, Foreign Language and International Economics Chinese & International Studies
Emily Livingston, Pre-Communication Science and Disorders
Emily Major, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Kayla Mattingly, Biology
Marissa McDowell
Alyssa Mertka, English
Courtney Michael, Psychology
Gregory Milburn, Chemistry & Biology
James Morelli, Biosystems Engineering
Simran Nanda, Pre-Law
Weston Owen, Chemistry & Biology
Jourdan Owens, Human Health Sciences
Esther Putman, Biology & Neuroscience
Jennifer Rawe, International Studies
Ethan Reed, Mathematics & Computer Science
Michael Regard, Public Health
Kendall Rump, Neuroscience & Biology
Patrick Ryan, Chemical Engineering
Dealla Samadi, Biology & Neuroscience
Nicholas Scheper, Chemical Engineering
Mihir Shah, Biology
Aaron Silverstein, Neuroscience & Psychology
Susie Smith, Political Science
Eashwar Somasundaram, Biology & Chemistry
Weilian Song, Computer Science
Courtland Stephens, Marketing
Nicholas Telesz, Materials Engineering
Samuel Thompson, Chemical Engineering
Angelia Wei, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology & Mathematics
Julianna Witt, Equine Science and Management & Animal Science

Sloan Anderson, Biology
Annie Baker, Biology & Chemistry
Esias Bedingar, Physiology
Drury Bell, Classics & Mathematics
Curtis Bethel, Chemical Engineering
Andrea Bomkamp, Marketing & Economics
Sommer Cade, Architecture
Benjamin Childress, Economics
Kylie Colvin, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Sarah Coulson
Brianna Damron, Pre-Nursing
DeAnna Duffy, Psychology
Faith Evans, Biology
Heather Gosnell, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Jonathan Hamilton, Mechanical Engineering
Nicholas Hodge, Architecture
Claire Kellen, French
Aiko Lovejoy, Foreign Language International Economics - Spanish
Natalie Malone, Psychology
Nicole Martin, Chemistry
Nora Mattingly, International Studies
Lillian McGhiey, Psychology
Hannah Meredith, Elementary Education
Elijah Myers, Mathematics
Christa Newman, Psychology & Anthropology
Bridget Nicholas, Chinese & International Studies
Aya Omar, Biology & Animal Science
Christina Pistilli, Biology
Alex Polus, Computer Engineering
Madelyn Roeder, Elementary Education
Shauna Rust, International Studies
Brett Seymore, Accounting & Finance
Fox Thorpe, Chemical Engineering
Payton Wallace, Accounting & Finance
Brent Watts, International Studies & Theatre
Sylvia Wilson, Biology & Political Science

Shiza Arshad, International Studies, Chinese & Gender and Women's Studies
Evelyn Beckert, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Stacey Brothers, Psychology and Spanish
Elysha Calhoun
David Cole, English
Ashley Cutshaw
Thomas Daley, Biology & Philosophy
Emily Daley
Sabita Dumre, Biology
Abraham Dutch
Taylor Elder, Psychology and Kinesiology
Janet Hall, Psychology
Kyle Hancock, Public Health
Kaylee Hicks, International Studies
Ross Hildabrand
Ameena Khan, Psychology
Hannah Latta, Biology
Kaitlin Lemaster, Animal Science
Ryan McElhose, Sociology
Zerina Mehic, Animal Science
Caroline Nickerson
Marie Noel
Meredith O'Dell
Michael Parsons
Nathan Petrie, English & Poetry
Boone Proffitt
Sibi Rajendran
William Reichert, Chemical Engineering
Matthew Resch, Computer Science & Mathematics
Paige Richie, International Studies & Political Science
Rebecca Schladt, Civil Engineering
Abby Schroering, Theater & English
Austin Sprinkles, Political Science
Loretta Stafford
Angelo Stekardis
Danielle Stephens
Anna Townsend, Biology
Ava Vargason, Chemical Engineering
Madeline Wagner, Nursing
Natalie Watkins, English & Gender and Women's Studies
Jared Wittrock, Chemical Engineering & Mathematics

Cassidy Cantrell
Robert Cass
Andrew Cech
Steven Chapman
Erika Darnell
Andrea Eastes
Jonathan Elliot
Donald Grasse
Richard Grewelle
Caitlin Harris
Nathan Hewitt
Jordan Jorgensen
Jordan Keeton
Maddie Lockridge
Miriam Malik
Lindy Massey
Jacob Mattingly
Trevor McNary
Sadie Meyer
Lexi Neukirch
Tolu Odukoya
Stephen Parsons
Michael Perry
Sammy Petitte
Kelsey Potter
Marcel Roman
Katelyn Sandell
Madison Scott
Brenton Smith
Danna Spears
Daniella Straathof
Jay Van Doorn
Faith VanMeter
Sarah Wagner
John Walker
Evan Willett

Noora Aljabi
Demarkus Butler
Joy Coles
Mary Kate Elliot, English & French
Matthew Fahrbach
Allison Ferguson, Communication Disorders
Taban Flores, Journalism & Communications
Emily Furnish
Rekha Gupta
Haley Herrell
Kayla Johnson
Hannah Kembel, Philosophy & Psychology
Umang Khandpur
Morgan Lane
Allie Lehman
Erica Mattingly
Stefanie Muller
Autumn Murphy
Tamas Nagy
Roshan Palli
Catherine Palmer-Ball
Sangana Pampati
Joseph Papp
Kaitlyn Schuster
Avril Simms, History
Karisa Sisk
Olivia Smith, Psychology
Grace Trimble
Emily VanMeter
Heidi Vollrath
Arti Vula
Sarah Whelan
Devon Wilson
Ryan Winstead

Chelsea Ahting, International Studies & Political Science
Rachel Aretakis, Journalism & Spanish
Lindsey Austin, Broadcast Journalism
Daniel Bostelman, Materials Engineering
Emily Bryant, Chemistry & Biology
Ellen Burns, Biology
Emily Combs, Psychology
Zainab Farooqui, Biology
Joanna Foresman, Biosystems Engineering
Eloise Fourie, Psychology
Madison Gooch, Management
Caitlin Hagan, Political Science & Spanish
Bonnie Hance, Secondary English Education
Josiah Hannah, Computer Science
Sarah Hayden, Political Science
Byron Hempel, Biochemistry & Biology
Drake Jackson, Mathematical Economics & Spanish
Burhanuddin Johar, Biology
Amanda Kaiser, Biology
Dominique Luster, Theatre
Bethany McClintock, Accounting
Michael Miller, Biology
Bradley O'Neal, International Studies & Spanish
Nicole Schladt, International Studies & Gender and Women's Studies
Michael Sheehy, Theatre
Tamika Tompoulidis, Communications
Skylar Trott, Biology
Jacob Welch, Anthropology
Breyon White, Chemistry

Maria Bane
Catherine Brereton
Jennifer Brogie
Carter Daniels
Jonathan Davies
Brett Dickens
David Dirkes III
Charles Fieseler
Jonathan Finnie
Jared Flanery
Tyler Flynn
Courtney Ford
Geraldine Goh
Jillian Harris
McKinley Heflin
Andrea Hiller
Cody Hollan
Alexandria Jarrells
Mary Jennings
Deron Johnson
Kelsey Joseph
Abigail Kerins
Taylor Lloyd
Shelby Malone
Madison McGhee
Allison McVey
Saumya Mehta
Zach Motes
Asri Mumpuni
Lindsay Oberhausen
Emily Pena
Justin Penny
Amanda Rambo
James Rossi
Ethan Rutledge
Elizabeth Schaller
Emma Scott
Sarah Seger
Alexandria Sehon
Abdel-Sater Shalash
Williams Spence
Jonathan Tyler
Grant Weherly
Mary Ellen Wimberly
Madeline Wright

Elizabeth Dunn, Psychology
Shady El-Maraghi, Biology & French
Lindsey Elza, Architecture
Laura Feder, Kinesiology
Lisa Fioretti, Biology
Amber Gay, Mechanical Engineering
Eric Gilland, Chemistry & Biology
Philip Houtz, Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology
Matthew Hufford, Political Science & International Studies
Adesuwa Ighodaro, Biochemistry
Sidrah Khan, Marketing & Secondary Education
Andrea Lowe, Communications
Kristyn Mickley, Nursing
Deepa Patel, Biochemistry
Megan Schultz, Biology
Zachary Willand
Fei Xiong, Biology
Alyssa Yson, Management & Marketing

Taylor Amerman, Marketing & Community and Leadership Development
Benjamin Barnes, Kinesiology
James Chapman, Political Science & International Studies
Sudipa Chowdhury, Biochemistry
James Dimayuga, Political Science
Jason Grant, English & Linguistics
Hadley Hurst, Political Science
Eseosa Ighodaro, Biology
Nazeeha Jawahir, Chemistry & Philosophy
Rachel Keller, International Studies (FLIE Spanish) & English
Christina Kuchle, Forestry & Natural Resource Conservation
Dylan Murphy, Biology
Adrienne Pfendt, English
Shannon Smith, Biology
Jennifer Strange, Finance & Marketing
Stephanie Straub, English
Michele Tomiatti, Sociology & Psychology
Kenisha Webb, Biology

Kerri Borden
Jenna Brashear
Laura Crawford
Eli Darby
Chelsea Darnell
Lindsey Felton
Alecia Fields
Sarah Fogarty
Tiffany Ge
Sarah Groppo
Jason Hope
Brittany Kidwell
DJ Lacy
Lesley Mann
Allison Overdorf
Kathryn Preston
Lisa Rogers
Eric Schlich
Mark Smith
Bradley Sturdivant
Joseph Tarantino
Binh Tran
Jessalyn Ubellacker
Krishna Vyas
Brett Wolff

Email	chellgrencenter@uky.edu
Phone	859-257-6894

Meet our Fellows

Chellgren Student Fellows The "Chellows"

2023 Chellgren Student Fellows

Angel Aguilar

Anaya Ali

Sawyer Arbogast

Maria Arenas-Florez

Kiara Baker

Devin Bester

Alex Branch

Angie Bushroe

Bailey Darbro

Leila Dawson

Elizabeth Elliott

Beaux Hardin

Malena Hughes

Abigail Humphrey

Anna Melchers

Lordina Mensah

Brady Moore

Leah Moylan

Emalie Mullane

Hersch Nathan

Brayden Nichols

Joy Ntakarutimana

Carlee O'Neal

Charles Petty

Siena Pilati

Hollings Ruml

Sam Smith

Amica Snow

Lauren Spencer

Sophia Tseng

Anamei Walli

Olivia Walton

Caleb West

Drew White

2022 Chellgren Student Fellows

Helena Arjona

Ella Brown-Terry

Kailey Cain

James Chen

Tiffany Clark

Nicholas Coffman

Elizabeth Corry

Rohan Desai

Sara Dickens

Emma Grace Hague

Faham Hossain

Rachel Hwang

Pascalle Le Roy

Cierra Ledford

Ginny Lyle

Jada Lunsford

Sandy Nino

Asa O'Neal

Andres Phillips

Joshua Plain

Coleman Reed

Lizzie Rice

Elliana Sanchez

Anna Stockstill

Connor Stuart

Emma Thyne

Emmylou Tidwell

Gage Tucker

Maddy Wade

Helena Weiss

2021 Chellgren Student Fellows

Seun Adekunle

Olivia Allran

Madison Baker

Isha Chauhan

Catherine Cornwell

Ryan Crane

Chase Eastham

Anna Erpenbeck

Christine Haddad

Leena Haider

Shria Holla