SIU McNair Scholars | McNair Scholars | SIU

We are quite proud of our current McNair Scholars. Meet these leaders of tomorrow:

• Niamh Byrne
• Sydney Carter
• Alexander Cottrell
• Janiyah Gaston
• Carlos Gomez
• Austin Ingram
• Elisa Lopez
• Hannah Phillips
• Santonio Resonno
• LaMya Roach 
• Israel Ruiz
• Zenaya Scott
• Dylan Sneed
• Daniyah Tate
• Melissa Valladares
• Robert Wray

Niamh Byrne 

Major: Geology

College: College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences

Mentor: TBD

Research Interest: TBD

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Sydney Carter

Major: Physiology

College: School of Medecine 

Mentor: Dr. Joseph L. Cheatwood

SRI 2024 Research Title & Abstract: Effects of CBD on mRNA markers of hippocampal neurogenesis in the rodent model of Chemo-brain

Chemotherapy, being the leading way to treat cancer, has proven effective in lengthening the lives of cancer patients. Still, it has the issue of causing several post-treatment cognitive deficits. One of the most widely used chemotherapeutic drugs, Doxorubicin (Dox), can cause several physiological and neurological disorders including cognitive deficits. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa, has been used as a possible neuroprotective agent against neurodegenerative disorders, including Chemo[1]brain. For the current study, Dox was administered to rats along with CBD given orally. Several rodent model-based behavioral tests were administered to assess anxiety and depression-like behaviors resulting from Dox administration. After completing behavioral tests, the hippocampal tissues were isolated from rats. We performed RT[1]qPCR analysis to study the mRNA expression of several markers of hippocampal neurogenesis. The experiment herein will provide insights into how CBD can improve changes in the specific biomarkers of hippocampal neurogenesis following chemotherapy. This also provides evidence supporting our behavioral tests of cognition stating neurogenesis as one of the mechanisms involved in the neuroprotective effects of CBD against Dox-induced chemo-brain. Understanding the mechanism associated with CBD alterations on the behavior deficits related to anxiety, and depression in our rat model can provide future avenues for translational studies to evaluate the efficacy of CBD in human chemo-brain studies.

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Alexander Cottrell

Major: Zoology

College: College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Justin Boyles

Research Interest: Endangered animal species rehabilitation project

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Janiyah Gaston

Major: Communication Studies

College: College of Liberal Arts

Mentor: Dr. Sandy Pensoneau-Conway

Research Interest: Generative AI and its impact on Public Relations Education

Generative AI and its impact on Public Relations Education The purpose of Public Relations is to cultivate the relationship between companies and their target audience. Building these relationships fosters engagement and communication. The PR field is being drastically affected by AI because of its increased use to perform common tasks from creating content to crisis management. With this increased use of AI in the industry, the question is raised should PR students be learning how to use it now. This research focused on how AI is changing the PR field and how PR instructors and students feel about incorporating AI into their course curriculum. We examined instructors’ and students’ perspectives on integrating AI into PR education. Some challenges include ethical concerns and potential job loss, while some benefits are faster work and more personalized communication. PR students can benefit from learning more about AI to enhance their practical skills and critical thinking.

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Carlos Gomez

Major: History

College: College of Liberal Arts 

Mentor: Dr. Theodore Cohen

SRI 2024 Research Title & Abstract: The Revolution Unrealized: A study on the conflict between revolution and military[1]industrial-agricultural effectiveness

The Makhnovschina was a revolutionary anarchist movement in Southeastern Ukraine that lasted from 1917-1921 during the Russian Civil War. During the movement’s existence, they fought for a vision of the future that would be composed of free soviets connected by ties of voluntary trade, protection, and comradeship devoid of any coercive authorities. Despite these clear goals, the Makhnovschina was repeatedly forced to strike opaque agreements with the Bolshevik Party to secure its survival against anti-communist forces, and these and other confusing events have unnecessarily obfuscated our understanding of the movement and its importance. In this study, I used a mix of primary sources from the Makhnovschina and secondary sources detailing the period to construct a mini-history of the Makhnovschina where I argue that the movement represented a nascent Third Russian Revolution, after the October and February Revolutions of 1917. Its eventual destruction by 1921, alongside the defeats of the 1921-1922 Kronstadt and Tambov Rebellions ensured that post-Imperial Russia would never know socialism without the Bolshevik Party before 1990-1991.

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Austin Ingram

Major: Zoology

College: College of Agriculture, Life & Physical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Frank Anderson

SRI 2024 Research Title & Abstract: Mapping terrestrial snail diversity across habitats in eastern North America

Some species have global distributions while others are highly localized, with ranges of only a few square meters. These distributions are driven by a suite of environmental variables and geological processes, and assessing the phylogenetic diversity of different habitats can help us understand the drivers of species distributions and assemblages. Eastern North America habitats harbor high levels of terrestrial species diversity; these habitats are characterized into ecoregions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) based on shared environmental variables, land cover, etc. Land snails are an important component of eastern North American terrestrial ecosystems, but they are often overlooked in ecological research. They are also amenable to investigations of the drivers of species distribution due to their low vagility/high endemism and high representation in research collections. To investigate the drivers of land snail species assemblages in eastern North America, I compiled all land snail observations from eastern North America and built a phylogenetic tree using COI sequences. For each EPA Level III Ecoregion, I pruned the tree to only species found within, which allowed me to assess the phylogenetic diversity of that particular habitat type. The resulting map of eastern North American land snail phylogenetic diversity could be used to assess correlations between land snail diversity and environmental and historic factors.

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Elisa Lopez

Major: Marketing & Supply Chain Management

College: College of Business and Analytics

Mentor: Dr. Terry Clark

SRI 2024 Research Title & Abstract: Using Sustainability as A Business Attribute from A Marketing Perspective

This research advances our understanding of how strategic environmental messaging in social media can shape consumer attitudes and behaviors by examining social media’s role in environmental advertising, using visual and informational cues to influence. Integrating insights from applied psychology with social media dynamics provides actionable strategies for promoting environmentally sustainable product preferences. It examines how using a logo to emphasize a product’s life cycle serves as an informative piece, helping consumers understand what they are buying and potentially evoking feelings of pride or accountability. This, in turn, may shape positive perceptions and behaviors toward sustainability, specifically focusing on brand image, purchase intention, and trust. Effective strategies aligning corporate interests, consumer behavior, and environmental responsibility are crucial for lasting impact. Emotions, guided by Higgins’ self-discrepancy theory, drive decisions aligned with self[1]perceptions to enhance positive feelings and avoid negative ones like guilt. Augmented by Social Judgment Theory and Cognitive Appraisal Theory, this study shows how individuals interpret environmental messages based on personal perspectives and emotional assessments. Surveys via Prolific engaged 400 US participants, assessing reactions to an ad featuring a fictional product life cycle logo. Findings show significant correlations between pride, brand image, trust, and purchase intention, especially among environmentally conscious individuals.

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Hannah Phillips

Major: Microbiology

College: College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences

Mentor: Dr. Scott Hamilton-Brehm

SRI 2024 Research Title & Abstract: Assay development to monitor the affects from antisense suppression of the toxin microcystin produced by the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa

In freshwater environments, cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) occur when blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) grow under eutrophic conditions and begin to produce cyanotoxins. Microcystis aeruginosa is one of the major cHAB contributors in fresh and brackish waters. This microorganism is of specific concern because it produces a heptapeptide toxin called microcystin, a phosphatase inhibitor which affects the liver. Eutrophication of freshwater environments across America coupled with global warming and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is expanding the occurrence and intensity of cHAB events every year. Methods that control cHAB growth or toxin production are currently underdeveloped. As a result, there is a need to develop methods of controlling cHAB growth and toxin production. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) technologies have been successfully used to block messenger RNA transcripts in eukaryotic systems from expressing proteins. In this study we have examined the use of an ASO to suppress the expression of microcystin toxin in M. aeruginosa. A robust assay was developed that could determine toxin concentrations within a sampling of cells to evaluate the ASO effectiveness. HPLC quantification combined with filtration/cell lysis provided an economical and rapid detection assay. Two different strains of M. aeruginosa were used to test the efficacy of ASO application.

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Santino Resonno

Major: Zoology

College: College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences

Mentor: TBD

Research Interest: TBD

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LaMya Roach 

Major: Information Technology 

College: College of Engineering, Computing, Technology, and Mathematics 

Mentor: TBD

Research Interest: Significance of User Authentication 

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Israel Ruiz

Major: Geology

College: College of Agricultural, Life and Physical Sciences

Mentor: TBD

Research Interest: Hydrology

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Zenaya Scott 

Major: Political Science

College: College of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology

Mentors: TBD

Research Interest: Voter restrictions on the minority voters

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Dylan Sneed

Major: Psychology/ Sociology

College: College of Health and Human Sciences 

Mentor: TBD

Research Interest: Human Behavior: Empathy

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Daniyah Tate

Major: Psychology

Mentor: Dr. Michael Hylin

SRI 2024 Research Title & Abstract: Early Life Stress Effects on Perineural Nets within Hippocampus- Amygdala Circuit

Everyone deals with stress, acute or Chronic stress exposure during early life can have lasting effects on brain development, potentially impacting learning, memory, and emotional regulation (Eachus et al., 2021) This study investigates how early life stress influences the development of the perineural net (PNN), a structure surrounding the hippocampus and amygdala, in rodents. We have compared 4 groups: a control group with no stress exposure, a group experiencing mild stress through early handling and limited bedding, a group experiencing moderate stress through maternal separation during adolescence, and a final group exposed to chronic stress through both maternal separation and limited bedding during adolescence. By examining these groups, I aim to understand how different types and durations of early life stress impact the development and structure of PNNs within the hippocampus[1]amygdala circuit. This research has the potential to reveal how early life stress affects learning, memory, and emotional responses, paving the way for interventions that could mitigate these negative consequences.

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Melissa Valladares

Major: Communication Disorders and Sciences

College: College of Health and Human Sciences 

Mentor: Dr. Maria Claudia Franca

SRI 2024 Research Title & Abstract: The Impact of Socio-Economic Status on Language Skills and Development in Young Children

Socioeconomic status (SES) significantly impacts language skills and development in children. This meta-analysis focused on young children in the first years of life, up to and including 5 years and 6 months of age, and aims to investigate how wide the gap is, which can be found by reviewing assessments, which include vocabulary, syntax, and language processing. Investigating all areas of language, how they develop language, and how they develop due to the effect of SES is necessary to understand the gap. By understanding the width of the gap and which skills have a greater gap, intervention methods can be established to eliminate the gap. Intervention skills include promoting services already provided and viewing which ones are most efficient were also investigated. This study found that children from low-SES households perform significantly lower than those from high- and mid-SES groups, as shown in studies done on children as young as 7 months old.

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Robert Wray 

Major: Zoology 

College: College of Agriculture, Life and Physical Sciences 

Mentor: TBD

Research Interests: TBD 

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