University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown

Faculty-Student Mentorship Projects

Here is a sample of some of the recent research, scholarship, and creative activities supported by the President’s Mentorship Fund for Faculty-Student Scholarship.

Spring 2024 Recipients

  • Dr. Laura Ritchey and students Evan Lenz and Maxwell Cunliffe: Using RT-qPCR to evaluate the degree of hidden breaks in rice cprRN
  • Dr. Bruce Robart and students Selena Laughlin and Zachary Connor: Employing Gene Coalescence to Evaluate Past Refugia and Dispersal Hypotheses for Pedicularis racemosa, Part II
  • Dr. Manisha Nigam and student Karin Ilagin: Michael Addition Reaction in a Green Solvent
  • Dr. Cynthia Ofori-Boateng and students Desean Hunter, Abigail Knapp, Marcos Lopez, Flash Stroop, Jillian Verbus, Tracy Yu: Sustainability Analysis of Waste Oil and Spent Coffee Grounds Biodiesel Production Technologies
  • Dr. Elaine Wilson and students Emily Elson and Hannah Ribblett: BRIDGE to Independence for Students in Special Education
  • Dr. Stephanie Jimenez and student Juliana Butz: Travel to the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Feb. 29 - March 2


Past Recipients

Fall 2023

  • Dr. Ryan Bird and students Roman Beran and Joe Holecz: Dynamics of Peptide Bonds, Part II: The Study of Acetohydroxamic Acid using Chirped-Pulsed FTMW Spectroscopy
  • Dr. Bruce Robart and students Anna Startari and Zachary Connor: Employing Gene Coalescence to Evaluate Past Refugia and Dispersal Hypotheses for Pedicularis racemose
  • Mr. John Teacher and students Saara Alsayed, Jay Miller, Gloria Mancilla, and Amity Shallenberger: Designing with and creating projected image and videography while merging technologies
  • Dr. Ryan Kerrigan and student Aleya Schreckengost: Examining Minera Fluid Inclusions to Assess the Economic Potential of Allegheny Hydrothermal Systems
  • Dr. Manisha Nigam and student Korina Pebley: Green Reduction in Organic Synthetic Sequence
  • Dr. Mitzi Schaney and student Nicholas Scelsi: Trace Metal Analysis of Soils in Prince Gallitzin State Park
  • Ms. Geeta Verma and students Aidan McMoil, Abigail Knapp, Flash Stroop and Nicole Hudak: Hands-On Beer Brewing Experience in Chemical Engineering Senior Project


Spring 2023

  • Dr. Sharon Bertsch and students Isabella Nagy & Anthony McCann: Influence of Ethnic Background on Perceptions of Sexism and Infidelity
  • Dr. Luis Bonachea and students Katherine Pugar, Claire Hummel, and Alexis Lupey: Creating a Digital Teaching Collection of Spider Identification, Taxonomy, and Reproductive Anatomy
  • Dr. Ryan Kerrigan and student Christopher Howard: Examination of the 417-million-year-old Volcanic Ash Layers in New Paris, PA to Understand the Building of the Appalachians
  • Dr. John Mullennix and students Leah Miller and Rachel Strode: Information about Artist Drug Use Affects Viewers’ Impressions of Art
  • Dr. Manisha Nigam and Dr. Matthew Tracey and students Elaynah Pirzada & Michael Moslak: Development of a Multi-Step Green Organic Synthetic Sequence


Fall 2022

  • Dr. Bruce Robart with students Anna Staratari and Briana Maxwell: Taxonomic and Genetic Relationships Among Members of the Pedicularis sudetica Complex, part 2
  • Dr. Ramesh Singh and students Abigail Knapp, Renee Firek, Megan Gray, Aidan McMoil, Nicholas Bliss, Ian Dundas, Nicholas Gorschak, Devin Gomish and Katherine Croyle: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Fixation by Chlorella vulgaris Microalgae Cultivated in a Photobioreactor and Electroflocculation of Chlorella vulgaris using Electrodes of Different Materials
  • Dr. Susan Wieczorek and students Angel Auxtero & Hannah Larson: It Always Gets Better:  It’s Life; It Has To” (Addiction and Survival) and Illness is a Tunnel; Not a Cave (COVID-19 Experience)