WKU News

Photo Credit: Ngoc Nguyen ('20, South Warren High School)

Students from The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky are beginning summer learning at WKU, around the Commonwealth, and around the globe.

In addition to prestigious research internships through the National Science Foundation (NSF) and internships through our new public-private program, the Gatton Sponsored Internship Program, the Gatton Academy also continues with its tenth summer of the Gatton Research Internship Grant and its third year with the WKU Sisterhood Research Internship Grant. Through these latter two programs, 20 rising Gatton Academy seniors will conduct summer research. This summer also features travel and study abroad opportunities for 64 Gatton Academy students with destinations that include Argentina, Chile, China, England, Egypt, Estonia, Jordan, Moldova, Morocco, Moscow, and Taiwan.

“Gatton Academy students are constantly in search of learning and experiences that will expand their understanding within their areas of interest. This is clearly evident in the extensive activities our students are pursuing this summer, from research and internships to study abroad and volunteering,” said Dr. Lynette Breedlove, Director of The Gatton Academy. “These remarkable young people are continuing their pursuit of infinite possibilities as they begin to make a positive impact on their communities and our state.”

A list of grouped student summer plans appears below followed by individual student experiences.

Faculty-Awarded National Science Foundation Study

Two Gatton students will be working in Barrow, Alaska this summer studying the circadian rhythms of Alaskan birds with WKU Department of Biology’s Dr. Noah Ashley on an NSF-funded study:

• EJ Fields (’20) of Hazard
• Ian Storrs (’20) of Covington

National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

The following student has been selected for a prestigious REU funded through the NSF: 

• Drew Aubry (’19) of Fort Knox will be working with Dr. John Buncher and Dr. Warren Christensen at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND, spending ten weeks analyzing a large data set of physics Concept Inventory answers from students
• Sara Barrens (’20) of Louisville will work with Dr. Kevin Chou at the University of Louisville, using a laser flash apparatus and micro-CT scanner to measure the structure/properties of 3D printed metal specimens.   

Gatton Research Internship Grant Recipients

In its tenth year, the Gatton Research Internship Grant program provides support funding for rising seniors to conduct summer research.  Eighteen students were chosen for summer 2019:

• Mary Belle Begley (’20) of Springfield will analyze two materials for their abilities to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide making the materials possibly useable in renewable energy sources. She will work with WKU Department of Chemistry’s Dr. Bangbo Yan.    
• Michael Givens (’20) of Greensburg will search for a correlation between how one’s current job aligns with their interests and their job satisfaction. He will work with WKU Department of Management’s Dr. LeAnne Coder.
• Maggie Gossage (’20) of Greensburg will study how the toys men were exposed to as kids have impacted their body image as adults. She will work with WKU Department of Psychology’s Dr. Rick Grieve.
• Matthew Johnson (’20) of Smithfield will investigate hormone levels of cortisol and insulin to understand the effects of exercise on maternal and neonatal health. He will work with Dr. Rachel Tinius of WKU’s Department of Exercise Science.
• Stuart Kernohan (’20) of Bowling Green will create organic compounds that mimic naturally occurring compounds that oxidize certain molecules. He will work with WKU Department of Chemistry’s Dr. Rui Zhang.
• Ashbey Manning (’20) of Ashland will study behavior observations of parent-child interactions and associations between parent behavioral health characteristics and observed child behaviors. She will work with WKU Department of Psychology’s Dr. Timothy Thornberry.
• Lukas Negron (’20) of Frankfort will work on a sub-field of topology called knot theory that deals with exploring the properties of mathematical knots. He will work with Dr. Claus Ernst of WKU’s Department of Mathematics.
• Ngoc Nguyen (’20) of Bowling Green will synthesize a novel degradable monomer (small molecule that can react with other small molecules to form large molecules) and study the rate at which the monomer breaks down in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. She will work with WKU Department of Chemistry’s Dr. Lawrence Hill.
• Patrick O’Boyle (’20) of Elizabethtown will develop a smart parking system for WKU that tracks parking lot availability using computer vision. He will work with Dr. Jeffrey Galloway of WKU’s Department of Computer Science.
• Uria Park (’20) of Crestwood will investigate bacteriophages which inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. She will work with Dr. Paul Himes of the University of Louisville’s Department of Life Science.
• Usman Salim (’20) of London will breed fruit flies from parents of two separate lines of DNA and check to see which genes are expressed, helping researchers understand how the Air Sac Primordium in the fruit fly develops. He will work with WKU Department of Biology’s Dr. Ajay Srivastava.
• Eumin Shin (’20) of Morehead will utilize soil temperature data to predict future patterns of precipitation and vegetative status. She will work with WKU Department of Geography and Geology’s Dr. Xingang Fan.
• David Suarez (’20) of Somerset will physically model the formation of a hypothetical type of star known as a quark star in order to predict numerical values and limits for certain properties of the star such as its mass, radius, luminosity, and cooling rate. He will work with WKU Department of Physics and Astronomy’s Professor Emeritus Dr. Keith Andrew.
• Elisha VanZant (’20) of Lexington will observe genes that relate to the development of fruit flies, particularly their wings. She will work with WKU Department of Biology’s Dr. Ajay Srivastava.
• Sarah Vickers (’20) of Winchester will investigate the lifetime and decay correlations of the neutron. She will work with Dr. Christopher Crawford of the University of Kentucky’s Department of Chemistry and Physics.
• Austin White (’20) of Owensboro will research how computers that are running another computer inside of them endure a cyber-attack. He will work with Dr. Jeffrey Galloway of WKU’s Department of Computer Science.
• Rocco Wrentmore (’20) of Lexington will focus on the impacts of distributed denial of service cyber-attacks, which hackers use to bring down big websites like Facebook and Instagram. He will work with Dr. Jeffrey Galloway of WKU’s Department of Computer Science.
• Sierra Wyllie (’20) of Lexington will use artificial intelligence to make a secure communication system for drones to keep the future skies safe. She will work with Dr. Ismail Abumuhfouz of WKU’s Department of Computer Science.

WKU Sisterhood Research Internship Grant Recipients

Made possible by a gift from the WKU Sisterhood in the fall of 2016, the WKU Sisterhood Research Internship Grant program offers internships for young, underrepresented women between their junior and senior years.

• Camila Lozano (’20) of Coxs Creek will observe how particular genes affect a structure located within the wing discs of fruit flies. She will work with WKU Department of Biology’s Dr. Ajay Srivastava.
• Jocelyn Martin (’20) of Russell will observe which emotions different age groups gravitate towards based on how quickly they process certain emotionally connotative words. She will work with WKU Department of Psychological Sciences' Dr. Andrew Mienaltowski.

Gatton Sponsored Internship Program

The Gatton Sponsored Internship Program works with Kentucky organizations who are interested in a tax-deductible, private-public partnership with our program by providing a project-based summer internship to a Gatton Academy student.

• Natalie Cooper (’20) of LaGrange will complete research at the Wood Hudson Cancer Research Institute.
• JT Reagor (’20) of California will complete research at the Wood Hudson Cancer Research Institute.
• Trivan Menezes (’19) of LaGrange will work at Interapt in Louisville on projects contributing to software applications written in React Native.

NCSSS Student Research Conference

The annual NCSSS Student Research Conference is being hosted by The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus, MS this summer.  The annual conference provides an opportunity for students in STEM schools to come together and collaborate on learning. Participating in the conference gives students the opportunity to present their original research and get hands-on experience with STEM technologies. 

• William Dolan (’20) of Prospect
• Matthew Johnson (’20) of Smithfield
• Hannah Leibman (’20) of Prospect
• Ngoc Nguyen (’20) of Bowling Green
• Hasitha Ramisetti (’20) of Frankfort
• Austin White (’20) of Owensboro

Experiences Abroad

National Security Language Initiative-for Youth (NSLI-Y)

NSLI-Y scholarships are from the U.S. Department of State and fund students for six-to-eight weeks of summer intensive study and immersion in a critical language. The scholarship covers all program costs, travel to-and-from the host country, tuition, housing with a host family, activities, and more. The following students have received NSLI-Y Scholarships for summer language study:

• Tristan Clement (’20) of Robards will travel to Moldova for intensive Russian study with his NSLI-Y Scholarship this summer.
• Bailey Knight (’20) of Lexington will continue his study of the Chinese language this summer with his NSLI-Y Scholarship in Xiamen, China.
• Lea Mitchell (’19) of Hebron will travel to Xiamen, China to study Chinese with her NSLI-Y Scholarship this summer.
• Sarah Pedersen (’20) of Barbourville will travel to Taiwan to study Chinese with her NSLI-Y Scholarship. 
• Zane Polley (’19) of Henderson will continue his study of the Russian language with his NSLI-Y Scholarship in Estonia.
• Emma Poole (’19) of Central City will travel to Morocco to study Arabic with her NSLI-Y Scholarship this summer.
• Abrar Rahman (’20) of Cave City will travel to Morocco to study Arabic with his NSLI-Y Scholarship this summer.
• Madeline Springate (’19) of Versailles will travel to Morocco to study Arabic with her NSLI-Y Scholarship this summer.
• Ian Storrs (’20) of Covington will travel to Moldova for intensive Russian study with his NSLI-Y Scholarship.
• Anna Strunjas (’19) of Bowling Green will travel to Moscow, Russia for intensive Russian study with her NSLI-Y Scholarship this summer.
• Hazel Traw (’20) of Berea will travel to Morocco to study Arabic with her NSLI-Y Scholarship.

England

Now in its ninth year, The Gatton Academy is once again partnering with Harlaxton College in Grantham, England to offer a study abroad course. The following students will study Honors: Introduction to Literature with Drs. Dawn Hall and Ted Hovet of the WKU Department of English:

• Catherine Appelman (’20) of Elizabethtown
• Chloe Banaszak (’20) of Crestwood
• Allison Paige Blevins (’20) of Mt. Sterling
• Akenpaul Chani (’20) of Bowling Green
• Amara Danturthi (’20) of Elizabethtown
• William Dolan (’20) of Prospect
• Michael Givens (’20) of Greensburg
• Maggie Gossage (’20) of Greensburg
• Lars Hebenstiel (’20) of Union
• Mario Hernandez (’20) of Bowling Green
• Chloe-Lin Jaiswal (’20) of Butler
• Matthew Johnson (’20) of Smithfield
• Nathan Jones (’20) of Owensboro
• Stuart Kernohan (’20) of Bowling Green
• Lillian Kimmel (’20) of Princeton
• Lee Knupp (’20) of Russell
• Haley Leach (’20) of Franklin
• Timothy Leggas (’20) of Lexington
• Camila Lozano (’20) of Coxs Creek
• Gabriella Lynn (’20) of Hopkinsville
• Lorenzo Mahoney (’20) of Louisville
• Ashbey Manning (’20) of Ashland
• Jocelyn Martin (’20) of Russell
• Grace McClurg (’20) of Ft. Wright
• Jackson McCoun (’20) of Smithfield
• Owen Mefford (’20) of Alvaton
• Logan Mingus (’20) of Louisville
• Elizabeth Morgan (’20) of Crestwood
• Jerry Morse (’20) of Hopkinsville
• Maunil Mullick (’20) of Bowling Green
• Ngoc Nguyen (’20) of Bowling Green
• Patrick O’Boyle (’20) of Elizabethtown
• Eamon O’Connor (’20) of West Liberty
• Laurel Philpott (’20) of Bardstown
• Dalton Richardson (’20) of Lexington
• Miriam Richardson (’20) of Irvine
• Annissa Roberts (’20) of Paducah
• Nicholas Sabotchick (’20) of Wurtland
• Usman Salim (’20) of London
• Eumin Shin (’20) of Morehead
• Anna Simpson (’20) of Frankfort
• Christopher Nathaniel Smith (’20) of Radcliff
• Lydia Speer (’20) of Bowling Green
• David Suarez (’20) of Somerset
• Elisha VanZant (’20) of Lexington
• Sarah Vickers (’20) of Winchester
• Caeden Whitaker (’20) of Williamsburg
• Elijah Whittle (’20) of Bowling Green
• Sierra Wyllie (’20) of Lexington
• Bruce Zheng (’20) of Grayson

Other Experiences Abroad

• Amara Danturthi (’20) of Elizabethtown will travel with the Youth Ambassadors Program to Argentina and Chile.
• Uria Park (’20) of Crestwood received a full scholarship to attend the BP Global STEM Academy in Cairo, Egypt through the AFS-USA program.
• Jason Qiu (’20) of Paducah will study Chinese in Shanghai for eight weeks through CIEE.

Other Notable Individual Experiences

• Pranay Agrawal (’19) of Lexington will intern with Commerce Lexington and will tutor at Eye Level Learning Center.
• Lily Berry (’20) of Salem will work with the AHEC Health Researchers Youth Academy.
• Claire Braun (’20) of Union will participate in the Brown University Pre-College Program.
• Devin Davis (’19) of Georgetown is a Wright Scholar Research Assistant Program Intern with Dr. Nicholas Miller.
• Benjamin Davison (’19) of Morehead has a Data Analysis Internship at Fehr and Peers in Los Angeles, CA where he will be studying Baseball Analytics for the Los Angeles Angels.
• Caden Dosier (’19) of Walton will work with the Invasive Species Surveying Field Research Team with the Arizona Conservation Corps in Coconino National Forest.
• Sanya Dronawat (’20) of Prospect will participate in the Vanderbilt Summer Academy and the AHEC Health Researchers Youth Academy.
• Evan Hendrickson (’19) of Mount Vernon will continue his research with the WKU Department of Chemistry’s Dr. Cathleen Webb.
• Chloe-Lin Jaiswal (’20) of Butler will conduct research at the University of Cincinnati Computational Chemistry Department.
• Matthew Johnson (’20) of Smithfield will present his WKU faculty-mentored research at the 11^th Annual Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance (SEA)-PHAGES Symposium at the HHMI Janelia Farm campus in Ashburn, VA.
• Nathan Jones (’20) of Owensboro will participate in the Michigan Math and Science Scholars Program and the Governor’s Scholars Program for Music.
• Gabriella Lynn (’20) of Hopkinsville will be working at the Mansfield Animal Hospital in Hopkinsville.
• Owen Mefford (’20) of Alvaton will participate in the Governor’s Scholars Program for Writing and the YMCA Conference on National Affairs.
• Logan Mingus (’20) of Louisville will participate in the Governor’s Scholars Program.
• Satya Moolani (’19) of Owensboro is continuing research with WKU Department of Biology’s Dr. Michael Smith.
• Laurel Philpott (’20) of Bardstown will work with Bernheim Forest’s Educational Program.
• Meghan Pierce (’20) of Smiths Grove will intern with the Bowling Green Refugee Center as Assistant to the Immigration Program Manager.
• Richard Pike (’19) of Hodgenville has a new job with the WKU IT Department.
• Hannah Shapiro (’19) of Lexington will participate in the University of Pikeville’s Optometry Camp.
• Hannah Suter (’20) of Shelbyville will participate in the Governor’s Scholar Program.
• Graham Stephens (’19) of Tompkinsville is a Machine Learning Engineer Intern at Advent Health Partners in Nashville, TN.
• Zoë Ward (’19) of Bowling Green Research will be a technician at the Missouri River Bird Observatory.
• Sydney Wheeler (’19) of Bowling Green will be a counselor at the Center for Gifted Studies’ summer programs in Bowling Green.

About The Gatton Academy: Established in 2007, The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first residential two-year program for gifted and talented junior and seniors. The Gatton Academy’s students enroll as juniors and are full-time WKU students pursuing their interests in advanced science, technology, engineering and mathematical careers. The Gatton Academy has been named to Jay Mathews’ list of top-performing schools with elite students, marking the tenth consecutive appearance.