2020-Ledford-Scholars-Award-Recipients

2020 ACA Ledford Scholars Awardees The Appalachian College Association is very pleased to announce the award recipients of this year's Ledford Scholars Program These undergraduate students are provided financial support enabling them to work on a significant research project during the summer of 2020 Each student will receive assistance from a faculty mentor at her/his home institution The program culminates with the Ledford Scholars making a public presentation of their research findings during the fall semester Student Name Institution Discipline Proposal Topic Faculty Mentor Maggie Anderson University of the Cumberlands Biology The survivorship of shrub-nesting bird species on reclaimed mine lands Riley Baker Warren Wilson College Environmental Science Comparing native bee diversity in pasture and forest edge habitats Amy Boyd Murl Dirksen Christine Dalton Lincoln Beavers Lee University Anthropology Revitalization in Tazewell County in light of the economic disparities caused by the transition from coal mining industries Benjamin Blakley Carson-Newman University Chemistry Determination of Temperature Gradient Effect on Plasticizer Leaching in Plastic Containers Sara Ash Madison Blanton Milligan College Chemistry Synthesizing novel dipeptide antibiotics against P aeruginosa and testing them against a P aeruginosa culture to determine their effectiveness Kristen Mudrack Bethany Boggs Lincoln Memorial University Biology Gastrointestinal parasites of wildlife in the Cumberland Gap Area Barbara Shock Health Sciences The Correlation of Obesity Related Diseases in Comparison to Income in Rural Counties in East Tennessee Benjamin Christmann Art Archaeological research on the Gournia Excavation Project at the East Crete Study Center in Pachia Ammos, Crete (Greece) Anne Chapin Alanis Burton Rachel Bryd Lee University Brevard College Noah Canady Lincoln Memorial University Pre-Veterinary Studies Biodiversity surveys along the Meso-American barrier reef to compare protected and non-protected areas LaRoy Brandt Matthew Chapman Davis & Elkins College Chemistry/Math/Computer Science Properties of Aliphatically-Bridged Oligoviologens Oma Morgan Biology Evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment techniques of the invasive species Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin) Noel Cawley Biology A Comparative SEM Study Employing MicroSurgically Manipulated Copepod Excretory Systems of Labidocera aestiva and Acartia tonsa Stan Kunigelis Eric Werth Tyler Chitwood Emma Cummings Lincoln Memorial University Lincoln Memorial University Adrianna Deskins University of Pikeville Religion/English/Sociology How Do Emerging Trends Influence Course Materials in the Religion Classroom: A Mixed Methods Study of Faculty and Student Perception of OER Laura Everly Lincoln Memorial University Chemistry Chelation Therapy as a Way to Remove Calcium from Arterial Plaques Ashleigh Thomas Samuel Gruber Lee University Math Dendrite Formation in Lithium-Ion Batteries Debra Gladden Sydney Holter Tusculum University Environmental Science Investigation of community agricultural centers and aquaponics as keys to remedying food deserts Mary Cooper Paxton Huffman King University Biology The effects of non-nutritive sweetener on the development of human obesity and diabetes Laura Kelly Vaughn Samuel Kelly Milligan College Biology Survivalist Chemistry: Producing Organic Solvents to Harness Herbology Matthew McDonald Shannon Kramp Campbellsville University Criminal Justice/Psychology Impact of Trauma-informed intervention on female offenders incarcerated for violent offenses Billy Dale Wilson Jasmine Lafferty University of Charleston Biology Do microorganisms inhabiting the haustorium of Epifagus virginia help the plant colonize the root of the American Beech tree? Aida Esquilin-Jimenez Ruthie Wienk Desiree LaPeer Lee University Anthropology A study of factors affecting first generation college student retention and degree completion in Central Appalachia Amanda Lorch Milligan College Humanities/Film Studies Go Big or Go Home: Rewriting Appalachian Narratives of Home and Identity with Beowulf Todd Edmondson Andrew Lowe Alice Lloyd College Math Education The impact of June Buchanan on the establishment of Alice Lloyd College Steve Herr Madison Mabe Lee University Math/Math Education Dessins d'Enfant and Rational Billiards Surfaces Jason Schmurr Alexis McDowell King University Biology Assessing Nicotine’s Role in the Prevention of Neurodegeneration Laura Kelly Vaughn Criminal Justice An exploration of fish and game traditions within the larger project of Horse Creek: Then and Now Comparative Oral Histories from Rural Appalachia Katherine Everhart Biology Prevalence of Skeletal Pathologies in Non-Human Primates: An Osteological Study Utilizing Natural History Collections George Argyros Megan Clunan Elissa McIntosh Savannah Mynatt Tusculum University Emory & Henry College Emma Nash Montreat College Psychology An analysis of eating-related disorders and symptoms of eating-related disorders in a college community Samuel Noble Lee University Biology Phytochemicals Effect on Cancer Lori West Amber Philpot Lincoln Memorial University Pre-Veterinary Studies Prevalence of zoonotic mosquito-borne disease in competent vectors in southeast Kentucky Bonnie Price Sarah Riedel Bethany College Psychology Quality of Life in Neurotypical Adults Compared to those with Autism Diane Snyder Elizabeth Shepherd University of Pikeville Biology Use of triple labeling immunohistochemical methodologies to identify the relationship between NPSR1, NPs, and other neurotransmitters in the human breast, lung, and colon Phillip Jen Joseph Pearson Neal Doran Kayla Smith Union College History Coal Miners’ Daughters: A Social History Weighing the Cost and Rewards of Coal Dependency in Appalachian Americans Lyle Smith Bryan College Engineering Applying Laser Stimulated Fluorescence to Paleontology at Bryan College Clayton Stanley Lincoln Memorial University Biology Monitoring and assessment of juvenile Cumberlandian combshell mussels raised in captivity and released into the Powell River Aggy Vanderpool Jacob Sturgill Emory & Henry College Biology Epidemiology of Mosquito-Borne Viruses at the Bartlett-Crowe Field Station George Argyros Robert Suthers Lindsey Wilson College Human Services/Counseling The significance of the U.S Narcotic Farm in the history of substance abuse treatment Daniel Schnopp-Wyatt Hannah Turtzer Alderson Broaddus University Chemistry/Environmental Science Water quality impairment in the Tygart River Watershed Kelley Flaherty Julia Warrick Maryville College Biochemistry Optimizing three specific assays (heparin agarose binding assay, an ELISA-like heparin binding assay, and an atomic force microscopy assay) to evaluate heparin binding by specific proteins Angelia Gibson Andrea Wilhelm Lee University Psychology Divergent thinking: Creative fluency in bilinguals Bryan Poole Biology Exploration of the Prevalence of Neuropeptide S and Various Neurotransmitters in Human Gastrointestinal System Phillip Jen Rachel Williams University of Pikeville