Every summer, the Office of Undergraduate Research programs the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR), a nationally competitive opportunity that provides undergraduate students with an intensive 10-week summer research experience under the mentorship of a University of Utah faculty member. We are delighted to announce the SPUR 2025 faculty mentors and their projects. Last summer in partnership with OUR program partners, over 240 students came to the University of Utah representing 96 different institutions.
The following faculty were competitively selected to work with students. Thank you to the OUR Advisory Council.
Genevieve Albouy, Health & Kinesiology
Enhancing learning with non-invasive brain stimulation of deep brain structures
Bill Anderegg, School of Biological Sciences
Assessing carbon fluxes and aspen mortality in Colorado mountain forests
Luiza Aparecido, School of Biological Sciences
Thermotolerance of Utah plants
Amanda Bakian, Psychiatry
Investigating the relationships between extreme weather and air pollution events with suicide in Utah
Kelly Baron, Family & Preventative Medicine
Sleep Health Disparities
Katie Baucom, Psychology
PreventT2 Together: Examining the efficacy of couple-based lifestyle intervention to prevent type 2 diabetes
Ashley Dalrymple, Bioengineering
Changes in the Spinal Cord After Leg Amputation
Julio Facelli, Biomedical Informatics
Structural Bioinformatics Studies in Molecular Mimicry Onset of Autoimmune Diseases
Jordan Gerton, Physics & Astronomy
Fostering Sensemaking in Introductory Physics Labs using a Design-Based Research Approach: Creating an Educational Intervention for Teaching Assistants
Adam Hughes, Biochemistry
Investigating the molecular mechanisms of mitochondrial-derived compartment formation
Skyler Jennings, Communication Sciences and Disorders
How brain activity shapes the way your ear processes sound
Lindsay Keegan, Internal Medicine
Modeling Stability and Bifurcation in Cholera to Inform Intervention Strategies
Lauri Linder, School of Nursing
Digital Health Interventions to Support Symptom Management for Children and Adolescents with Cancer
Monika Lohani, Psychology
Challenges and coping strategies for climate change adaptation among underrepresented frontline communities of Utah
Alysse Loomis, College of Social Work
Evaluating Implementation of a Statewide Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Training and Teleconsultation Program
Ursula Martinez, Family & Preventative Medicine
Project IMPACT
Ed Munoz, Ethnic Studies
Latinx Criminal Justice Professionals
Anandh Babu Pon Velayutham, Nutrition and Integrative Physiology
Gut Microbes, Diet Derived Microbial Metabolites and Cardiovascular Health
Alexandra Ponette-González, College of Architecture + Planning
Mapping Personal Heat Exposure in Salt Lake City using Wearable Sensors
Abby Pulsipher, Pharmaceutics & Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment with Synthetic Glycosaminoglycans
Lee Raby, Psychology
Baby Affect and Behavior Study (BABY)
Ofer Rog, School of Biological Sciences
Understanding organization of heterochromatin
Jenn Shah, Environmental & Sustainability Studies
Climate Anxiety Amongst Undergraduates
Samira Shiri, Mechanical Engineering
High Throughput Experimentation Revealing the Intricate Interplay of Oil Spills and Microplastics Across Diverse Conditions
Sarah Small, Economics
Reading During Recessions: The Relationships Between Literature, Libraries, and Regional Economic Hardships in the United States
William Smith, Psychiatry
The True Cost of Discrimination on Human Health: Discrimination Appraisal and Discrimination Validation Stress
Claire Son, Educational Psychology
Promoting Vocabulary Learning in Young Children with Interactive Digital Stories
Martell Lee Teasley, College of Social Work
The Center for Research on Race, Health Equity, and Public Policy
Chen Wang, Materials Science and Engineering
Recycling Carbon Fiber to Fight ‘Range Anxiety’ in Electric Vehicles
Haohan Zhang, Mechanical Engineering
Eye-tracking sensing through machine learning for the Utah Powered Neck Exoskeleton
Weiquan (Wendy) Zhu, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Promote Remyelination and Functional Recovery in Mouse Models of Neuroninflammatary Disease
Lynne Zummo, Educational Psychology
A Climate of Hope: Investigating learning at an innovative exhibit towards new knowledge, theory, and practice of climate change learning with diverse audiences
We encourage OUR community to share this opportunity with undergraduate researchers! Student applications are open from November 1, 2024 to January 26, 2025.
For more information, visit the Office of Undergraduate Research website.