Eighteen Bridgewater College students have been awarded funding to conduct fulltime research this summer under the mentorship of faculty members. Among the areas of study are the impact of artificial intelligence, limb regeneration in axolotls and stories from the North River watershed.
Funding was provided by the Dr. John W. Martin Summer Science Research Institute and by The Research Experience @ Bridgewater (TREB). Recipients of these awards receive free on-campus housing for the duration of their research along with a stipend. Many of the students will present the results of their research at academic conferences or at BC’s own ASPIRE: A Celebration of the Arts, Scholarship, Performance, Innovation and Research Excellence, to be held in spring 2027.
The Dr. John W. Martin Summer Science Research Institute is named for a beloved professor at Bridgewater, who taught in the chemistry department from 1961 until his retirement in 1985.
Martin Science Research Institute awards were given for the following projects:
- Juliana Trist, a rising junior biochemistry major, “Structure-Function Analysis of 12alpha-Hydroxysteriod Dehydrogenase Using Advanced Methods” with Dr. Rippa Sehgal, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry.
- Isabel Wilson, a rising senior biochemistry major, “Investigating Functional Consequences of Pathologically Mutated E1 Subunits in the Branched-Chain alpha-Keto Acid Dehydrogenase Complex” with Dr. Rippa Sehgal, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry.
- Isaac Plange, Liberty Ammamoo and Benjamin Kaperday, all rising senior engineering majors, “Small-Scale Wave Tank for Engineering Research and Education” with Dr. Mohammad Uddin, Assistant Professor of Engineering.
- Emmanuel Acherefi and Godfred Abotar-Aidoo, both rising senior engineering majors, “CFD Investigation of a Modified Wells Turbine Under Random Sea Wave Conditions” with Dr. Mohammad Uddin, Assistant Professor of Engineering.
- Nana Montans, a rising senior biochemistry major, “Use of Reporter Plasmids to Study Regulation of the Polyhydroxybutyrate Depolymerase Gene of Streptomyces Nymphaeiformis” with Dr. Stephen Baron, Harry G. M. Jopson Professor of Biology.
- Lauren Fisher, a rising senior environmental science major, “An Analysis of the Antifungal Properties of Sassafras Albidum” with Dr. Ed Lickey, Associate Professor of Biology.
- Sydney Teeter, a rising senior biology major, “Does Niacin-Mediated Immune Modulation Impede Limb Regeneration in Axolotls?” with Dr. Moshe Khurgel, Associate Professor of Biology.
The Research Experience @ Bridgewater (TREB) is a donor-funded initiative providing support for teams of Bridgewater faculty and undergraduate students to spend the summer in collaborative research and creative, scholarly work in any discipline.
TREB funded the following projects:
- Emma Strawderman, a rising sophomore biochemistry major, “Navigating Choice, Engagement and Autonomy in Higher Education: A Literature Review in the AI Century” with Dr. Sevinj Iskandarova, Assistant Professor of Business Administration.
- Acen Hite, a rising senior computer science major, “AI-pples to AI-pples: Testing the Creativity and Empathy Limits of LLM/LRMs with a Card-Based Party Game” with Dr. Sam Hamilton, Associate Professor of English.
- Philipa Effah, a rising senior political science major, “Common Patterns in Arm Control Treaty Formation and Their Effectiveness on Treaty Formation” with Dr. Robert Andersen, Professor of Global Studies and Kline-Bowman Chair of Creative Peacebuilding.
- Brooklyn Williams, a rising senior human development and family science major, “Developing a Culture of Inquiry in Early Childhood Classrooms: Ways to Use What Science Tells Us” with Dr. Donna Hoskins, Associate Professor of Health and Human Sciences.
- Landon Frye and Lilyana Greene, both rising sophomore environmental science majors, “Connecting People to their Watershed: Creating an Interactive Map to Display Data and Stories from the North River Watershed” with Dr. Timothy Kreps, Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Science.
- Annie Nash, a rising junior strategic communications major, and Reema Mansour, a rising senior computer science major, “Developing Effective Pedagogical Approaches for Teaching AI Literacy in the Communication Discipline” with Dr. Jeff Pierson, Professor of Communication Studies.
Media Contact:
Heather Cole
Editor & Media Relations Director
hcole@bridgewater.edu
06/01/26