The Office of the Vice President for Research is pleased to offer the SPARC competitive research grant program for program for graduate students from all areas of study. Each academic year, SPARC funds the most competitive applications for research, creative or other meritorious scholarly projects, providing up to $5,000 to each successful graduate student applicant.
Through the SPARC program, graduate students have a unique opportunity not only to gain funding for their scholarly projects, but also to grow their experience in developing competitive grant proposals. Students who apply for SPARC prepare detailed budgets, write a narrative description detailing their plans and research methodology, compile supporting documentation and seek the support of their faculty advisors. This process closely reflects many of the steps they will take throughout their academic careers, giving them an edge on the competition.
This year, we are excited to congratulate 54 students from 10 different academic units who have been awarded SPARC grants for 2017-2018. These SPARC recipients, listed below, will use their SPARC funds to engage in research and scholarly projects over a 15-month period.
Congratulations 2017-2018 SPARC Recipients
| Recipient Name | Department or Program | Proposal Title |
| Fadi Abboodi | Biomedical Sciences | Genetic/Epigenetic Changes in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infected Cells Can Preclude the Need for Continuous Expression of HPV Oncogenes in Developing HPV-Associated Cancers |
| Stephanie Ackerson | Biological Sciences | The Role of CTC1 in Cell Cycle Progression and DNA Damage Signaling |
| Huda Atiya | Biomedical Sciences | Role of the Microenvironment in Promoting Left-Right Differences in Mammary Tumor Metastasis |
| Paul Beguelin | Geological Sciences | Cerium Isotopes as a Tracer of Recycled Sediments in the Earth’s Mantle |
| Chad Beneker | Pharmaceutical Sciences | Structure-based Design and Synthesis of Macrocyclic Peptide BRAFwt Dimerization Inhibitors |
| Candace Bethea | Mathematics | The Degree Map in Algebraic Geometry |
| Nandini Bhalla | Mass Communications | The Effects of Self-Construal on Green Corporate Social Responsibility Perceptions: the Moderating Roles of Level of Involvement with Environmental Issues |
| Matthew Blahut | Chemistry | Biochemical and Functional Characterization of the Ferritin-like Protein FtnB in E. coli |
| Marian Botchway | Health Promotion, Education, & Behavior |
Social Networks and Type 2 Diabetes in Ghana |
| Zachary Cannizzo | Marine Science | Development of a Bioenergetics Model to Explore the Impacts of a Climate-Mediated
Range Shift |
| Kelly Caravella | Clinical-Community Psychology | Comparing Autism Symptomatology in Young Children with Fragile X Syndrome and Down Syndrome |
| Brittany Counts | Exercise Science | The Effect of Cancer-Induced Cachexia on Skeletal Muscle Anabolic Flux |
| Baillie DeHaven | Chemistry | Selective Photooxidations in Flow: A Path to Greener Industrial Oxidation Methods |
| Ariel Domlyn | Clinical-Community Psychology |
Triangulating What and When: Refining a Readiness Model of Implementation |
| Lewis Eliot | History | The Illegal Slave Trade in the Atlantic World |
| Jordan Ezell | School Psychology | Anxiety in Preschool Children with Autism: A Biobehavioral Approach |
| Kimberly Gaughan | Theater | The Art of Noh in Solo Performance |
| Melanie Gwynn | Health Services Policy and Management | Continuity of Care: Evaluation of Multi-Facility and Single-Facility Retention in HIV Care and Patient Health Outcomes |
| Jillian Hinderliter | History | Our Bodies, Our Jewish Selves: Jewish Activists of the U.S. Women’s Health Movement, 1968-1988 |
| Jordan Holmes | Chemistry | Ionophore-Grafted Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes as On-Site Trace Metal Speciation Sensor |
| Md Akhtar Hossain | Biostatistics | A Dynamic Joint Model to Predict Co-morbidity Risks for Chronic Disease Patients |
| Nozhan Hosseini | Electrical Engineering | Investigating Software Defined Radio Influence in Future Wireless Communication Systems Design and Implementation |
| Victor Kidd | Sport & Entertainment Management | Athletic Role Engulfment: An Exploratory Analysis of High School Football Players |
| Preecha Kittikhunnatham | Chemistry | Photochemical Doping of Semiconductor Nanowires |
| Alicia Lamarche | Mathematics | Exceptional Collections of the Toric Variety Associated to D4 |
| Chelsea Larsen | Exercise Science | Reducing Sedentary Behavior to Improve Blood Pressure |
| Libin Lei | Mechanical Engineering | Rational Design and Characterization of Air Electrode Material for Proton Conducting Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell |
| Zichen Ma | Statistics | Coexpression Analysis Using Count Data Generated by RNA Sequencing |
| Richard McCain | Biomedical Sciences | Intracellular Stress Responses Underlying Models of Mitochondrial Neurodegenerative Disease |
| Kathryn Miranda | Biomedical Sciences | Anti-Inflammatory Role of MicroRNA-30 in Adipose Tissue Macrophages |
| Nazratun Monalisa | Health Promotion, Education, & Behavior | Influences on Parent’s Food Shopping for Children’s Consumption in South Carolina |
| Kendall Murphy | Chemical Engineering | Biomaterials for the Treatment and Prevention of Disuse Muscle Atrophy |
| Bryanna Nelson | Educational Studies | Opportunity or Optical Illusion? Exploring the Intersections of Athletics, Academics, Exploitation, and Race in the Experiences of African American Male Intercollegiate Athlete Graduates |
| Peter Nelson | Linguistics | Animacy and Transitivity in Sentence Processing |
| Trang Nguyen | Social Work | Exploring Adjustment Process of Vietnamese Family Caregivers of Older Adults with Dementia |
| Cassie Odahowski | Epidemiology | Identifying Disparities in the Access to Advanced Surgical Techniques for the Treatment of Lung Cancer in the United States |
| Allison Pierce | Experimental Psychology | Disentangling Overlapping Processes in Inhibition of Return in Visual Search |
| Sahar Pourhoseini | Environmental Health Sciences | A Comparative Uptake and Toxicity Study of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) on Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells |
| Justin Price | Philosophy | Landing Zones - On Target and Transfer |
| Alex Roberts | School Psychology | A Brief, Adaptable Mindfulness Intervention for Teachers to Reduce Stress/Burnout, Increase Well-Being, and Improve Classroom Climate in Secondary School Settings |
| Sudipta Saha | Mechanical Engineering | Investigation on Sweating Boosted Cooling in Thermal Power Plant Application |
| Rachel Schomaker | Biological Sciences | Hungry Algae: Diversification of Trophic Strategies in Cryptophytes |
| Ammon Sindt | Chemistry | Using the Photo-isomerization of Azobenzenes in Co-crystalline Assemblies for the Slow Release of Fragrances |
| Sarah Tryon | Exercise Science | Modulation of Glutamatergic Neurotransmission to the Basolateral Amygdala by Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors |
| Brandon Vanderveen | Exercise Science | Calcium’s Role in the Disruption of Skeletal Muscle Function and Protein Degradation During Cancer Cachexia |
| Andrew Walgren | History | Media Combat: The Great War and the Transformation of American Culture |
| Autumn Wertz | Studio Art | Contemporary Political Art and Columbia |
| Hays Whitlatch | Mathematics | Phylogenetic Distribution of Mitochondrial Genome |
| Lara Wilson | Music Performance | Bel Canto vs. Punk: Lessons for the Cross-Training Singer and Teacher |
| Caleb Wittum | History | Chasquis of Liberty: Indigenous Intellectuals in Bolivia's War of Independence, 1809-1825 |
| Duncan Wright | Mathematics | Entropy of Quantum Random Walks |
| Kristina Zarenko | Anthropology | Skeletal Evidence of Vitamin D Deficiency Osteomalacia and Tuberculosis Among Migrant Groups in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century St. Louis, Missouri |
| Yuleng Zeng | Political Science | Economic Coercion, Credibility, and Peace |
| Jingwen Zhong | Sociology | Social Influence Network Model of Performance Expectations |
16 January 2018