Ferris State University's 2023 Summer Student Research Fellows program features 10
teams participating in projects with faculty mentors as part of a 10-week program.
Ten teams of faculty mentors and students from six Ferris State University colleges will collaborate during the 2023 Summer Student Fellowship program, supported by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
Now entering its 12th year, the program seeks to foster diversity by engaging underrepresented students in research and creative experiences in various disciplines. Among the participating students is Danique Walker, completing her last semester in Ferris’ Nursing curriculum. The Jamaica native and transfer student from Montana State University joins Susan Owens, an associate professor in the College of Health Professions’ School of Nursing, for “Planetary Health: Scoring a Baseline for the Ferris School of Nursing.”
“We will consider greater stewardship and focus on sustainability in the Nursing program by reviewing the methods for handling waste materials produced in our facilities,” Walker said. “A similar study completed at the University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing should give us a frame of reference for establishing best practice recommendations. The goal is to identify Planetary Health strengths and to implement meaningful change where there is a need for growth in our production and handling of waste products in healthcare.”
Danique Walker
Walker said this 10-week program is an exciting way to conclude her School of Nursing studies.
“I plan to approach this with an open mind, a philosophy I have brought to each one of my experiences at Ferris,” Walker said. “I am open to beginning my career in intensive care nursing, where adhering to best practices can greatly impact patient health and safety outcomes. This fellowship should also give me perspective on what postgraduate studies could look like if I choose to pursue a Master of Science while I begin my professional life.”
Michigan College of Optometry Professor Alison Jenerou will spend her summer mentoring student fellow Bridgette Vedra in assessing the impacts of stroboscopic training on volleyball players.
“Senaptec, an Oregon-based provider of strobe glasses, donated two pair for our project, and our Summer Student Fellowships grant covered the cost of more of these units,” Jenerou said. “Ferris’ volleyball athletes will be on campus for sports camps and pre-season conditioning, which will give us our chance to meet with them and complete our studies.”
Jenerou said Vedra will enter her second year of studies at the Michigan College of Optometry, and each MCO student must complete a research project with faculty during their four years in the college.
“This fellowship will demonstrate to Bridgette how institutional review boards operate
and provide the opportunity to collaborate with the athletes regarding informed consent
related to this study,” Jenerou said. “We, of course, will offer our findings in the
annual 2023 Celebration of Student Research and Creative Activities Symposium on Friday,
Sept. 15, in the Eisler Center, with hopes of further presentations to our college
and at sports science conferences.”
Here are the other 2023 Summer Student Fellowship project participants and subjects:
Student Fellow: Kathryn DeSanti, Biology
Faculty Mentor: Eric Nybo, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Project: The Metabolic Engineering of Macrolactone Antibiotics
Student Fellow: Makenna Karst, Architecture and Sustainability
Faculty Mentor: Kate O’Connor, Engineering and Technology, Architectural Technology
and Facility Management
Project: Innovation Through Investigation: Creating a Cooperative Social Community
Structure
Student Fellow: Kody Drewer, Optometry
Faculty Mentor: Vandana Rajaram, Optometry
Project: The Effect of Mindfulness Practice on Visual Attention: A Pilot Investigation
Student Fellow: Juan P. Morales Zimbron, Industrial Chemistry Technology/Manufacturing
Faculty Mentor: Luis Rivera, Arts, Sciences and Education, Physical Sciences
Project: Solvation of Halogen Bound Complexes
Student Fellow: Sydney Starmer, Pharmacy
Faculty Mentor: Minji Sohn, Pharmacy; Pharmaceutical Practices
Project: The application of health informatics on antimicrobial stewardship programs
in rural healthcare clinics using Collaboration to Harmonize Antimicrobial Registry
Measures (CHARM)
Student Fellow: Amanda Vondra-Speltz, Business Administration
Faculty Mentor: Leslie Sukup, Business, Management
Project: Examining the Relationship Between Resilience, Staffing Levels, Working Hours,
Work Mode, Job Satisfaction and Productivity
Student Fellow: Chase Rasmussen, Pre-Physician Assistant Studies/Biology
Faculty Mentor: Jim Van Treese, Arts, Sciences and Education, Social and Behavioral
Sciences
Project: Exploring the Reasons Underlying the Decision to Apply to Physician Assistant
Versus Medical Doctor Graduate Study
Student Fellow: Bryce Longenberger, Master of Social Work
Faculty Mentor: Janet Vizina-Roubal, Arts, Sciences and Education, Social Work
Project: Development of a Trauma And Dementia Interdisciplinary Screening Tool