Honors Summer Fellows 2025

Each year the Honors College provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to work with UofM faculty on research projects throughout the summer months. In addition to receiving a stipend to conduct research over the summer, the students also receive funding to travel to state and national conferences to present their research during the 2025-2026 academic year.

The Honors College is pleased to announce the 2025 Honors Summer Research Fellows, their projects, and faculty mentors:

Eshan Bhagat (Psychology)
Project Title:  Role of Ventral Tegmental Area to Orbitalfrontal Cortex (OFC) Circuit in Punishment-Driven Decision-Making
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Nicholas Simon, Psychology

Jasmine Blake (Psychology)
Project Title:  Perceptions of AI and Human Therapists
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Berman, Psychology

Rachel Bonner (Theatre)
Project Title: The Healing Power of Arts: Exploring the Intersections of Health and the Arts through Community
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Will Robertson, Anthropology

Jacob Brown (Anthropology and Earth Sciences)
Project Title: Understanding Ancient Resource Use by Sourcing Stone Artifacts from Prehistoric Sites Near Parsons, TN
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ryan Parish, Earth Sciences

Gianna Delisio (Biomedical Engineering)
Project Title: Investigation of the Lewis Basicity of Small Organics Interacting with Uranium Hexafluoride
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William Alexander, Chemistry

Ella Dina (Psychology)
Project Title: The Impact of Antipsychotic Drugs on Risky Decision-Making
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nick Simon, Psychology

Asher Hodge (Biomedical Engineering)
Project Title: Manuka Honey-Enhanced Vascular Grafts for Modulating Neutrophil Inflammation and Improving Patency
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gary Bowlin, Biomedical Engineering

Mauriz Mendizabel (Architecture and Interior Architecture)
Project Title: The Importance of Color in Ancient Egyptian Ornament: An Interdisciplinary Reconstruction
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marika Snider, Architecture

Isaac Perriguey (Biology, Chemistry)
Project Title: Machine Learning for Polymeric Biomaterials
Faculty Mentor: Tomoko Fujiwara, Chemistry

Gabrielle Ramsey (Music Performance)
Project Title: An Investigation of Racial and Gender Bias in Early Music Education
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Zachary Corpus, Music

Gianni Rivas (Electrical Engineering) and Darsh Shah (Computer Science)
Project Title: Exploring AI-Driven Educational Engagement and Psychological Precepts of Violence in Media
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brandon Booth, Computer Science

Keilan Roseheart (Biomedical Engineering)
Project Title: Examining the role of MAP3K4 and HDAC6 on Fetal and Placental Growth in the 129/SvEv Background.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Amy Abell, Biology

Sumiran Sharma (Biomedical Engineering)
Project Title: Development of an Enzyme-Based Colorimetric Sensor for Infection Detection in Wound Care
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jessica Amber Jennings, Biomedical Engineering

Julia Whitehead (Psychology)
Project Title: The Role of the OFC-VP Circuit in Punishment-Driven Decision-Making
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nicholas Simon, Psychology

Ashlee Yancey (Biology)
Project Title: Impacts of Patterns of Urban Development on Biodiversity
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Philip Kholmeier, Biology