CATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Martin Agricultural Research Scholarship

Martin Agricultural Research Scholarship

Annually, the Office of Academic Programs awards multiple $2,000 scholarships to students who demonstrate high academic performance, quality research contributions, and a desire for continued learning about research in agriculture.

The scholarship is applied towards your Purdue tuition and fees in the following academic year through the Financial Aid Office.

The Office of Agricultural Research and Graduate Education provides an additional $500 to the student's faculty mentor for supplies and expenses incurred during the course of the student's research. These scholarships are very competitive awards with recipients and mentors being selected by the College of Agriculture Administration.

The 2024-2025 application was due April 5, 2024.

The successful applicant will (with the help of a faculty research mentor):

  1. Continue or initiate a new research project.
  2. Apply for the scholarship.
  3. Obtain and submit a letter of recommendationfrom student's research mentor.
  4. Submit a short research progress report​ at the end of each semester.
  5. Showcase research at the annual Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference in April 2025.

Spring 2024

  • April 5, 5:00 pm - application closes
  • Week of April 24 - notification of selection is sent out
Fall 2024 Spring 2025

  1.  Application is required and must be submitted no later than April 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm.  It should include a description of the research subject, introduction, literature review, hypotheses and objectives; approaches to be used and expected results.  Students are encouraged to seek help from research advisors to complete the proposal.
  1. Letter of recommendation is required from the student's research mentor and should address the student's research potential, academic success and verify that research space is available for the student's project.  Additionally, preference is given to support research mentors who are faculty from the College of Agriculture.
  1. Student's academic performance is taken into consideration when reviewing applications and preference is given to students with a 3.0 and above cumulative G.P.A.
  1. Allocation includes a $1,000 scholarship per semester for the fall and spring semesters.
  1. Student must be registered as a full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours) College of Agriculture undergraduate student while receiving the scholarship.
  1. Student must register for research credit during each semester of the scholarship and must complete a written progress report at the end of each semester.
  1. Student must prepare an oral presentation or poster for the Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference held in April each year.

Student Name - Faculty Research Mentor (Department) - Project Title

  • Addison Hill - Theresa Casey (BCHM) - Analysis of Sertoli Cell Proliferation and Testes Lipid Profile in Neonatal Male Piglets
  • Danny Kanj  - Vikki Weake (BCHM) - Identifying mechanisms underlying AD-associated changes in circadian behavior
  • Joshua Kaluf - Joe Ogas (BCHM) - Proximity Labeling to Identify Transient Protein Interactions with ATP-dependent Chromatin Remodeler PICKLE
  • Mindy Navarrette - Scott Briggs (BCHM) - Determining the role of the transcription factors Zcf27 and Zcf4 in antifungal drug susceptibility and ergosterol gene expression in C. glabratadrug resistant strains
  • Shelby Sliger - Joe Ogas (BCHM) - Characterizing the contribution of histone variant H2A.Z to H3K27me3 homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana
  • Shoshana Keim - Josh Widhalm (BCHM) - Metabolic Mechanisms Preventing Juglone Autotoxicity in Black Walnut
  • Tovia Owens - Kingsley Ambrose (ABE) - Mechanosynthesis of Urea-Gypsum Cocrystals

2023-2024

  • Kayla Grennes - Ying Li (HLA) - Epigenetic Modification of Genes Involved in the Phenylpropanoid Pathway to Alter Metabolic Outputs in Petunia
  •  Amirah Haweit - Amanda Deering (FS) - Application of a Combination of Commercially Available Sanitizers in the Post-Harvest Control of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes on Cantaloupe Rinds
  • Joshua Kaluf - Joe Ogas (BCHM) - Determining the contribution of CHD ATP-dependent remodelers to chromatin assembly in Arabidopsis
  • Amanda King - Tomas Hӧӧk (FNR) - Spatiotemporal overlap of predatory zooplankton and larval fish in nearshore Lake Michigan
  • Stephen Mills - Chris Oakley (BPP) - Costs of cold acclimation: a multi-generational and genetic approach
  • Shelby Sliger - Joe Ogas (BCHM) - Characterizing the contribution of histone variant H2A.Z to H3K27me3 homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana
  • Evy Tobolski - Theresa Casey (ANSC) - The Role of Conductive Cooling and Moringa oleifera Supplementation on the Cheek Lipidome of Sows

2022-2023

  • Sarah Alvarez - Michael Mickelbart (BTNY) - Stomatal plasticity and water use efficiency as a function of Aux/IAA signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana
  • Alex Dudley - Patrick Zollner (FNR) - Dynamic black vulture home ranges in the Midwest
  • Grace Estep - Jennifer Wisecaver (BCHM) - Identifying a her sex determining gene in Ceratopteris richardii
  • Ellie Fisher - Theresa Casey (ANSC) - Measuring the Effect of Cooling and Moringa Supplement during Heat Stress on Number and Distribution of Leukocytes in Milk
  • Joshua Kaluf - Joe Ogas (BCHM) - Characterization of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler PKR2 Function in Arabidopsis thaliana
  • Alexis Lowe - Caitlin Proctor (FS) - Rural Drinking Water Quality: Understanding the Microbiome of Well Water
  • Noelle Naughton - Mark Hall (BCHM) - Characterizing the role of fungal Cdc14 phosphatases in the response to cell wall stress
  • Krishna Patel - Scott Briggs (BCHM) - Determining the role of the epigenetic factors Gcn5 and Set1 in antifungal drug susceptibility and ergosterol gene expression in C. glabrata
  • Sam Schafer - Diane Wang (BTNY) - Gossypium hirsutum as a Crop System Model to Understand Plant Responses to Drought Stress
  • Jenna Schoonmaker - Theresa Casey (BCHM) - Is a Higher Ratio of Mitochondrial DNA to Chromosomal DNA Indicative of Increased Lactation in Mice?
  • Shelby Sliger - Joe Ogas (BCHM) - Determining The Contribution of Histone Variant H2A.Z to the Promotion of the Epigenetic Mark H3K27me3 in Arabidopsis thaliana

2021-2022

  • Samantha Barker - Cankui Zhang (AGRY) - CML30 (Calmodulin-like 30), a putative phloem-specific gene, is involved in responses to phosphate deficiency in Arabidopsis
  • Hannah Blum - Vikki Weake (BCHM) - Identifying oxidized proteins on cysteine residues in Drosophila melanogaster
  • Jackson Brady - Sara McMillan (ABE) - Wetland Biogeochemical Cycling
  • Anna Donnelly - Brock Harpur (ENTM) - Identify gene expression and splicing changes in the brain of adult Drosophila expressing honeybee MRJPs
  • Alyssa Easton - Hana Hall (BCHM) - Characterization of the consequences of R-loops on survival of aging photoreceptor neurons
  • Sarah Ettestad - Jozef Kokini (FS) - Effects of Cold Denaturation and Shear Stress on Pea Proteins
  • Christabel Hartanto - Jozef Kokini (FS) - Utilizing Bioinformatics to Understand How Protein Structure Impacts its Function and Conducting Cold Denaturation to Improve Pea Protein Gelation
  • Hailey Hedrick - Kara Stewart (ANSC) - Effects of Rest Time Between Collections on Boar Semen Quality
  • Avery Hurst - Qin Xu (FS) - Extraction and Quantification of Juglone from Walnut Husks and Leaves
  • Emily Johnson - Joe Ogas (BCHM) - Investigating the contributions of PKL to DNA damage repair and homologous recombination
  • Makayla Marlin - Vikki Weake (BCHM) - Elucidating the Role of Clock-Cycle Transcription in the Aging Drosophila Eyes
  • Heather Milliron - Qin Xu (FS) - Effect of the Extraction Parameters on the Yield of Total Phenolic Compounds from Potato Peel Waste
  • Jaden Retter - Mindy Mallory (AGEC) - A Test of Futures Market Disequilibrium Using Technical Trading Systems
  • Madison Romanyk - Brad Kim (ANSC) - Effects of novel tumbling application and postmortem aging on cull cow beef loin tenderness

2019-2020

  • Megan Casey - Dr. Sara McMillan (ABE) - Promoting the Expansion of Urban Agriculture by Revealing Relationships between Socioeconomic Data and Green Space
  • Yuwen Chen - Dr. Luiz Brito (ANSC) - Genetic Architecture of Food Allergy and Feeding Behavior in Pigs
  • Jessica Elliott - Dr. SongLin Fei (FNR) - The Impact of Emerald Ash Borer and Forest Structure on Understory Plant Invasion in Indiana
  • Tyler Huth - Dr. Jeremy Lohman (BCHM) - Structure - Function Analysis of Methylmalonyl-CoA Epimerase
  • Hannah Levengood - Dr. Cankui Zhand (AGRY) - Genetic Transormation of Broadleaf Plantain (Plantago Major)
  • Sarah Luecke - Dr. Theresa Casey (ANSC) - Understanding the Impact of Circadian Rhythm Disruption on Glucose Homeostasis in Periparturient Dairy Cattle
  • Mariah Nondorf - Dr. Brad Kim (ANSC) - Effect of In Utero Heat Stress on Meat Quality of the Muscles From the Pigs Born From Gilts Exposed to Gestational Heat Stress
  • Ana Pascual-Garrigos - Dr. Chris Rochet (BCHM) - Strategies for Therapeutic Intervention Against Alpha Synuclein Aggregation in Parkinson's Disease
  • Mauri Isabella Prislusky - Dr. Chittaranjan Das (BCHM) - Purification and Crystallization of M137L DUB
  • Joshua Randall - Dr. Scott McAdam (BTNY) - Eco-Physiology of Silphium
  • Kristin Sauder - Dr. Michael Mickelbart (BTNY) - Do Plants Alter Stomatal Development in Response to Water Stress?
  • Aashka Atul Shah - Dr. Vikki Weake (BCHM) - Difference in the Luciferase Activity of Photoreceptor Cells on Using Different GAL-4 Drivers
  • Zhiyang "Stan" Tu - Dr. Qin Xu (FS) - Effect of Hot-Break with Shear Method on the Quality of Tomato Product
  • Nathan Watervoort - Dr. Jody Banks (BCHM) - Determining the Structure of a Sex Determining Pheromone in C. richardii

2018-2019 Scholars

  • Benjamin Anderson - Dr. Vikki Weake (BCHM) - Identification of Additional Drosophila Melanogaster Regulatory Subunits
  • Gabrielle Buck - Dr. Natalia Dudareva (BCHM) - Reverse Genetic Probing for a Cytosolic Shikimate Pathway
  • MaryClaire Chamberlain - Dr. Lisa Mauer (FS) - Effects of Sugars and Sugar Alcohols on the Gelatinization Temperature of Potato Starch
  • Han Chen - Dr. Yaohua Feng (FS) - Knowledge and Attitude of Health Professionals toward Food Safety: A Comparison between China and America
  • Justin Couetil - Dr. Michael Ladisch (BCHM) - Cross-Flow Hollow-Fiber Microfiltration via Liquid-Gated Membranes for E. coli+GFP Concentration from Skim Milk
  • Wenyi Fu - Dr. Qin Xu (FS) - Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Walnut Husk and its Antioxidant Actives 
  • Bailey Goff - Dr. Kara Stewart (ANSC) - Effects of Drying and Warming on Teat-Seeking Success of Neonatal Piglets
  • Abigail Gress - Dr. Scott Briggs (BCHM) - Determining the Role of the Epigenetic Factor SET4 in Antifungal Drug Resistance in S. Cerevisiae
  • Jianheng Ling - Dr. Jeremy Lohman (BCHM) - Assessing Acyl Transfer Reaction in Polyketide Synthase Pathway
  • Zian Liu - Dr. Xiaoqi Liu (BCHM) - The Role of Plk1 in Ascorbate-Toxicity in Prostate Cancer Cells
  • Kaylen Meeks - Dr. James Forney (BCHM) - The Role of UBC9 in Genome Reorganization During Macronuclear Development
  • Ana Pascual-Garrigos - Dr. Jeremy Lohman (BCHM) - Synthesis and Biological Activity of Non-Decarboxylatable Malonyl-CoA
  • Claire Stamper - Dr. Vikki Weake (BCHM) - The Effect of Epigenetic Factors in Visual Function over Time in Drosophila Melanogaster
  • Ashwin Sunderraj - Dr. Mathew Tantama (BCHM) - Characterizing Opiod Neuropeptide Binding Domains for Fluorescent Sensor Design