While COVID-19’s impacts on the summer of 2020 restricted the research opportunities undergraduate students in the University of Kentucky College of Engineering usually enjoy, the summer of 2021 has been a different story. Thanks to a partnership between the Office of the Vice President for Research, the College of Engineering and different departments and faculty research labs, 22 undergraduate students have been able to participate in paid research opportunities this summer.

“We are pleased to see the significantly increased level of undergraduate student research in our college," said John Balk, associate dean for research and graduate studies. "This is an excellent opportunity for undergrads from all engineering disciplines to apply their fundamental knowledge while conducting their own research projects, and become better practitioners of science and engineering.”

Through the program, funds provided by the VPR’s office were matched by the student’s department or the principal investigator of a grant. Three students worked with faculty members at the UK College of Engineering Extended Campus at Paducah and one participated through the lab of Michael Samaan in the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion.

A list of the students, their major and their research advisor is below.

• Natalie Ban, chemical engineering, Sarah Wilson
• Lucas Bertucci, chemical engineering, John Groppo/Josh Werner
• Laura Brady, chemical engineering, Isabel Escobar
• Cameron Brewer, mechanical engineering, Savio Poovathingal
• Tony Butera, mechanical engineering, Martha Grady
• William Caldbeck, electrical engineering, Jihye Bae
• Johnna Campbell, chemical engineering, Brad Berron
• Lauren Doyle, biosystems engineering, Akinbode Adedeji
• Tory Driskill, mechanical engineering, Hyun-Tae Hwang (College of Engineering Extended Campus at Paducah; both pictured below)
• Kaitlyn Duncan, biosystems engineering, Tiffany Messer
• Ryan Griffith, materials engineering, Matthew Beck
• Wilson Harris, mechanical engineering, Alexandre Martin
• Caleb Kennedy, biosystems engineering, Sridhar Sunderam
• Kristen Kimmel, chemical engineering, Jeffrey Seay (College of Engineering Extended Campus at Paducah)
• Naji Mashrafi, materials engineering, Matthew Beck
• Kiley Power, biosystems engineering, Scott Yost
• Marlee Scholten, biomedical engineering, Michael Samaan (Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, College of Education, with a joint appointment in the F. Joseph Halcomb III, M.D. Department of Biomedical Engineering)
• William Seay, mechanical engineering, Charles Lu (College of Engineering Extended Campus at Paducah)
• Austin Sovar, chemical engineering, Ramkumar Annamalai
• Jacklyn Tierney, mechanical engineering, Sridhar Sunderam
• Delany Weber, chemical engineering, Barbara Knutson/Steve Rankin
• Alex Williams, chemical engineering, Isabel Escobar