Undergraduate Research > News > Undergraduate Researchers Receive $61,000 in 2024-25 Fellowships

Undergraduate Researchers Receive $61,000 in 2024-25 Fellowships

Forty Washington State University undergraduates engaged in mentored research have received fellowships to support their research, scholarship, and creative activity for the coming academic year.

The fellowships total $61,000 and are associated with many types of awards. Recipients are students from four campuses—Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver—and with majors in five colleges—the College of Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences; the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Veterinary Medicine; the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine; and Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.

“Undergraduate researchers work with faculty mentors across the university, and through their efforts, create new knowledge in their field, or reinforce facts, both valuable to research endeavors,” said Jeremy Lessmann, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. The office and a committee review fellowship applications and determine recipients. First-year students through seniors are eligible. 

 “The awards allow students to focus on their faculty-mentored research with less worry about their personal finances. They provide a win-win for the students, the faculty, and WSU.”

This year’s recipients, listed by award, are:

Auvil Scholars Fellowship

  • Yecenia Cortez, WSU Pullman, majoring in biology, mentored by Xiaofeng Guo
  • Macauley Devin, WSU Spokane, majoring in nutrition and exercise physiology, mentored by Catherine Jarrett
  • Casey Frantz, WSU Pullman, majoring in mechanical engineering, mentored by Arezoo Zare
  • Sawyer Hicks, WSU Pullman, majoring in biochemistry, mentored by Michael Konkel
  • Liam Quinn, WSU Spokane, majoring in nutrition and exercise physiology, mentored by Catherine Jarrett
  • Connor Reschke, WSU Pullman, majoring in materials science and engineering, Spanish, mentored by Karl Olson
  • Simon Scheel, WSU Pullman, majoring in chemistry, mentored by Liane Moreau
  • Geselle Sotelo Mendoza, WSU Pullman, majoring in microbiology, mentored by Anders Omsland
  • Braeden Stiffler, WSU Pullman, majoring in biochemistry, mentored by Janice Parks
  • Rawan Tanous, WSU Vancouver, majoring in neuroscience, mentored by Jonah Piovia-Scott
  • Katy Touretsky, WSU Pullman, majoring in neuroscience, mentored by Kristen Delevich
  • Ethan Villalovoz, WSU Pullman, majoring in computer science, mentored by Janardhan Doppa

Scott and Linda Carson Undergraduate Research Excellence Award

  • Michael Fasci, WSU Pullman, majoring in bioengineering, mentored by Ryan Driskell
  • Nathan Jorgensen, WSU Pullman, majoring in chemical engineering, mentored by Jacob Leachman
  • Diego Rangel Monroy, WSU Tri-Cities, majoring in computer science, mechanical engineering, mentored by Ryan Learn

Scott and Linda Carson Undergraduate Research Excellence Award and WSU LSAMP Award

  • Valike Tamakloe, WSU Pullman, majoring in bioengineering, mentored by David Lin

Team Mentoring Program Research Award

  • Riana Abeshima, WSU Pullman, majoring in neuroscience, mentored by Ryan McLaughlin
  • Lauren Benjamin, WSU Pullman, majoring in neuroscience, mentored by Emily Qualls-Creekmore
  • Gemini Gutierrez-Zamora, WSU Pullman, majoring in biology, mentored by Kulvinder Gill
  • Aspen Harder, WSU Pullman, majoring in neuroscience, mentored by David Rossi
  • Molly Lauby, WSU Pullman, majoring in chemistry, mentored by Liane Moreau

WSU LSAMP Award and Team Mentoring Program Research Award

  • Samira Diaz De Leon, WSU Pullman, majoring in biochemistry, mentored by Arden Baylink

Undergraduate Research Fellowship

  • Mackenzie Earl, WSU Pullman, majoring in genetics and cell biology, mentored by Hanjo Hellmann
  • Karlye Ebberson, WSU Pullman, majoring in biology, mentored by Jesse Brunner
  • Suzanne Gelston, WSU Pullman, majoring in chemical engineering, mentored by Haluk Beyenal
  • Jason Ingram, WSU Pullman, majoring in chemical engineering, mentored by Su Ha
  • Kaitlyn Ipsen, WSU Pullman, majoring in genetics and cell biology, mentored by Laura Bartley
  • Bhargav Iyer, WSU Pullman, majoring in biology, mentored by Xiaofeng Guo
  • Peter Martinak, WSU Pullman, majoring in biochemistry, mentored by Alan Goodman
  • Jose Policarpio, WSU Pullman, majoring in mechanical engineering, mentored by Kaiyan Qiu
  • Alejandra Prado, WSU Pullman, majoring in human development, humanities, and psychology, mentored by Pilar Fernandez
  • Ryan Rigos, WSU Pullman, majoring in bioengineering, mentored by Alla Kostyukova
  • David Soto, WSU Pullman, majoring in neuroscience, mentored by Rita Fuchs
  • Hunter Whitlock, WSU Pullman, majoring in biochemistry, mentored by Andrei Smertenko

James A. Weir Undergraduate Research Fellowship

  • Skyler Allison, WSU Pullman, majoring in organic and sustainable agriculture, mentored by Kevin Murphy
  • Trina McConnell, WSU Pullman, majoring in integrated plant sciences, mentored by Andrei Smertenko
  • Akira Park, WSU Pullman, majoring in English, mentored by Ashley Boyd
  • Isabella Santiago, WSU Pullman, majoring in human development and psychology, mentored by Kimberly Meidenbauer

DeVlieg Fellowship

  • Clara Ehinger, WSU Pullman, majoring in chemical engineering, mentored by Yong Wang

Media contacts:

Jeremy Lessmann, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, jlessman@wsu.edu

Read the full article in the WSU Insider.