Six IU students were selected for the Provost’s Award for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, which recognizes undergraduates who work on excellent or original academic work, according to an IU press release.
This year’s awards went to Radhika Agarwal in Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Rachel Cooper and Neil Craney in Professional Inquiry, Ryan Galloway in Creative and Performing Arts, Jordan Goodmon in Humanities and Gabrielle Malina in Social and Applied Sciences, according to the release.
Students are nominated by professors and then selected by a committee of administrators and faculty. Provost Lauren Robel will recognize and present the awards today in the Indiana Memorial Union, according to the release.
Agarwal is studying biochemistry and biology and plans to research bacterial antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation as well as teach medical students, according to the release. She was recognized for the award because of her work investigating bacterial adhesion to surfaces.
“The depth of thought and knowledge of the literature in the area of her project are impressive and more of the level of a second- or third-year graduate student,” said Yves Brun, biology professor and Agarwal’s mentor, in the release.
Cooper and Craney are both seeking nursing majors and are being recognized for their joint study, “Operating Room Personnel’s Perceptions of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.” Their research made new discoveries of CRNA perceptions, according to the release.
“A lot of rigor was demonstrated in this body of work,” the review committee said in the release. “The finding that technicians may be a barrier toward this nursing role gives way to further research.”
Galloway is pursuing a dance major and has been in several solo and lead dance roles while at IU, including the lead dance role in IU Theatre’s production of “Guys and Dolls,” according to the release.
“Mr. Galloway’s technical expertise, combined with his grace, fluidity and expressiveness were so impressive,” the review committee said in the press release. “The level of dancing by both performers is extremely high, and I would never have guessed I was watching an undergraduate performance.”
Goodmon is a vocal and performance major in the Jacobs School of Music and is recognized for her creative poetry, according to the release.
“What truly made this project shine was the creativity and originality of the piece produced coupled with a clear and coherent understanding of the original work,” the review committee said in the release. “As the faculty mentor points out, there is evidence of knowledge of technical details as well as themes and the historical context. Finally, I simply enjoyed reading this work. This student has a gift of expression and has tremendous potential for continued achievement.”
Malina is studying political science and Spanish and is being recognized for her honors research project focusing on whether conservative Christians feel cognitive dissonance between the Republican Party’s stance favoring the reduction of social welfare programs and the Bible’s teaching on feeding the hungry, according to the release.
She co-authored a paper with her mentor, Christopher DeSante, assistant professor of political science, based on her findings that will be presented at the Midwest Political Science Associations annual meeting.
“It’s difficult to be unimpressed with the caliber of Ms. Malina’s work and the contribution that Dr. DeSante has made to her development,” the review committee said in the release. “Ms. Malina’s work is truly exceptional.”
Suzanne Grossman
