USCB Kicks off Summer Research Experience (S.R.E.) for Students
Forget lazing by the pool or lolling on the beach: for the first time, more than two dozen University of South Carolina Beaufort undergraduates and recent graduates spent their summer vacation conducting research.
These hands-on work opportunities gave 25 young scholars in-depth experience in their areas of study and helped them take their research skills to the next level. USCB’s inaugural Summer Research Experience (S.R.E.) initiative supported students and interns who worked with faculty members in research about coral reef ecology, estuarine soundscapes, health markers in wastewater and other topics.
Chancellor Al M. Panu and Provost Eric Skipper’s decision to launch a formal summer research program reinforces USCB’s focus on experiential education. The University’s Student Scholarship and Fellowship Committee initiated the effort in Spring 2021 by asking faculty to compile a list of students who were working with them.
Then, administrators noted that because COVID-19 kept faculty members from traveling to conferences during the 2020-21 school year, the Academics budget had a small surplus. The vote for a $1,000 summer stipend for student researchers was unanimous.
“I am so pleased that through this support, USCB can encourage even more of our students to engage in the types of experiential learning that will deepen their mastery of disciplines of their choosing,” said Chancellor Al M. Panu.
Additionally, the University of South Carolina’s “Support for Minority Advancement in Research Training” (SMART) program provided funding for eight USCB student researchers this summer.
Because funding for summer research was limited, some students worked as volunteers. USCB is committed to continuing its Summer Research Experience (S.R.E.). initiative and hopes to fund more students next summer, said Dr. Juanita Babet Villena-Alvarez, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
Summer 2021 Student Research
“USCB Summer Research Experience” (S.R.E.) Funded Awardees for 2021 ($1,000 each):
1. Anneau Cappelmann (Dr. Eric Montie and Alyssa Marian (College of Charleston, Lab Manager)
2. Kristen Mullins (Dr. Mercer Brugler)
3. Iesha Whittaker (Dr. Mercer Brugler)
4. Ashley Watson (Dr. Mercer Brugler)
5. Yessenia Becerra (Dr. Mercer Brugler)
6. Sam Messinides (Dr. Tye Pettay)
7. Jicayla Johnson-Rosemond (Dr. Mercer Brugler)
8. Jeremy Smalls (Dr. Caroline Sawyer)
9. Hannah Merchant (Dr. Caroline Sawyer)
10. Brianna Bonilla (Dr. Caroline Sawyer)
The following students have also been awarded an additional $1,000 from the University of South Carolina’s “Support for Minority Advancement in Research Training” (SMART) funding:
1. Brianna Bonilla (Dr. Caroline Sawyer)
2. Yessenia Becerra (Dr. Mercer Brugler)
3. Jicayla Johnson-Rosemond (Dr. Mercer Brugler, Dr. Eric Montie)
4. Jeremy Smalls (Dr. Caroline Sawyer)
5. Zharia McFadden (Dr. Summer Roberts)
6. Tamara Pendarvis (Dr. Summer Roberts)
7. Zyamanii Baksh (Dr. Tye Pettay)
8. Melfry Gonzalez (Dr. Tye Pettay)
In addition, these students and interns have worked with faculty on research this summer 2021:
1. Alyssa Marian (College of Charleston graduate student, Lab Manager, Dr. Eric Montie)
2. Jamileh Soueidan (College of Charleston graduate student, Environmental Studies, working in lab via stipend, Dr. Eric Montie)
3. Caroline Tribble (College of Charleston graduate student, Marine Biology, working in the lab via stipend, Dr. Eric Montie)
4. Lindsey Transue (College of Charleston graduate student, Marine Biology, working in the lab via stipend, Dr. Eric Montie)
5. Lindsey Moon (Magellan Recipient, Dr. Tye Pettay)
6. Suchir Shetty (Dr. Tye Pettay, Dr. Mercer Brugler)
7. Gabriella Woodrum (Intern at Port Royal Sound Foundation, Dr. Tye Pettay, graduated spring 2021)
8. Chandler Champman (Intern at Port Royal Sound Foundation, Dr. Tye Pettay, graduated fall 2020, but came back for the summer)
9. Tiffany Serra-Pichardo (College intern from Cornell College in Iowa, Dr. Tye Pettay)
Gabriela Morales (Dr. Ron Erdei)
11. William Mercado (Dr. Ron Erdei)
Incoming USCB freshman Kristen Mullins, who received funding as part of USCB’s inaugural Summer Research Experience (S.R.E.) initiative, retrieves a baited trap from a roadside channel on Spring Island. She and other students collected leeches from alligators, snapping turtles and amphiumas (legless salamanders) found in the trap.
