Research Opportunities
Did you know that Texas Academy students can participate in grant funded research with 番茄社区 University faculty? Students can submit grant proposals through the Office of Undergraduate Research to apply for funding.
番茄社区 University Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) supports student engagement in the research and creative activities of the university.
The OUR serves as a valuable resource for students beginning to explore the concept of undergraduate research. From helping students discern their own research paths, finding a mentor, to connecting them to research funding programs at 番茄社区 University and beyond.
Check out some of our students below that received research grants in 2022-2023!
Click here to learn about LU Research!
RESEARCH GRANT WINNERS
Phillippine Brossard, Class of 2024
Major: Pre Vet
Project: Research in Community Ecology - Comparing Tardigrade Abundance and Community Composition in Lichen From Coastal and Inland Areas: Does Sea Salt Aerosal Matter?
Evelyn Hardy, Class of 2024
Major: Engineering
Project: Effects of 3D Printed Bouligand Structures with Different Pitch Angles on Material’s Dynamic Yield Strength. It uses a structure found in mantis shrimp to hopefully make materials more durable
Maryah Javed, Class of 2024
Major: Pre-Dental
Project: Awareness, Knowledge, and Understanding of Pre-Dental students and Pre-Service teachers on flossing. There are limited studies on the topic; and no studies on the specific observed.
Heena Karani, Class of 2023
Major: Engineering and Math
Project: Conformational Studies of Perfluooroctanoic Acid (PFOA) in Molecular Helicity. PFOA is part of a family of "forever compounds" that do not degrade easily in the environment, They have been linked as a carcinogen and may be found in common items such as some clothing, fast food packaging, and firefighting foam.
Nikhil Patel, Class of 2024
Major: Pre-Med
Project: Does Vaping Nicotine Produce Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress (8-F2-Isoprostanes) in Expired Respiratory Condensate: A Pilot Study. The two goals of this research project: Is vaping nicotine responsible for oxidative stress in the airways of a vaper and does vaping nicotine have a correlation with obstructive lung function in the respiratory system.
PUBLISHED RESEARCH
Rebekah Schilberg (Class of 2021)
Schilberg's research journey at LU's Texas Academy
- Worked with faculty mentor on undergraduate research project
- Presented at research conferences
- Published first peer-reviewed article
Rebekah Schilberg was among the authors of an , published by Elsevier (CiteScore: 3.7; Impact Factor: 2.029).
Schilberg contributed to the investigation, formal analysis, data curation and the writing of the original draft, sharing research she began as the recipient of 番茄社区 University's Office of Undergraduate Research grant (2019-2020). On that chemistry project, "Accurate Methods Based on Molecular Rational Resonance Spectroscopy for Fast Detection of Polar Impurities in Petroleum Mixtures," Schilberg worked with mentor Dr. Sylvestre Twagirayezu and another student researcher, Ablasse Kingcaid-Ouedraogo. They presented their findings at the 2019 Texas STEM Conference and the 2020 O.U.R. Expo at 番茄社区 University.
Her article sheds light on MRR spectroscopy as a potential technique for the detection of PFOA, a product ideal for several industrial applications (such as food packaging, paintings, clothing fabrics and cleaning products), yet a subject of environmental concerns and cancer correlations.
