Brianna Farrell
Major: Biology; double minor in chemistry and neuroscience
FYRE Mentor: Dr. Grace Marley, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy
During the spring semester, I explored the facilitators and barriers to implementing long-acting injectable Buprenorphine (LAI-B) in community pharmacies. This project holds great importance to the pharamceutical field since LAI-B, a treatment for opioid use disorder, is currently only available in a clinical setting. While these clinics play a vital role, many patients struggle to find appointment times, transportation, and afford the high treatment costs. Through the FYRE program, I reviewed articles and wrote a literature review on this topic. In addition, I am continuing my research with Dr. Marley while serving as a CSURF Undergraduate Research Ambassador! This experience has equipped me with many valuable skills that I will carry forward in my research journey!
Bryce Settlemier
Major: Art History; double minor in religion and archaeology
FYRE Mentor: Dr. Jamie Brummitt, Philosophy & Religion
“I participated in the FYRE program three years ago and was paired with Dr. Brummitt from the PAR department. Now, in my senior year, she has become my honors thesis advisor. We are working on an expanded version of my original FYRE project. Using methodologies such as archival research and visual analysis, I have been exploring the connections between artifacts, curatorial files, and object presentation in museum settings. FYRE was essential to my growth as a student and researcher. Not only did it connect with my advisor, but it also opened doors to interdisciplinary work. I highly recommend any student interested in research to apply.”
Katelyn Groseclose
Major: Marketing Strategy and Professional Writing; minor in leadership
FYRE Mentor: Dr. Matthew Lastner, Marketing Sales
“My Project was titled ’The Impact of Storytelling Marketing Strategies on Consumers’, where I compared character-centered and product-centered story-based advertisements. I conducted a series of focus groups on UNCW upperclassmen, showing them ads from major brands like Starbucks and Apple, and analyzed which storytelling strategy was most compelling, impactful, and persuasive. Dr. Lastner connected me with so many other faculty members, and I was invited to a Cameron School of Business award ceremony, which was an amazing networking opportunity on top of it. FYRE was the perfect way for me to get started in research, coming in with zero experience, and helped me develop valuable skills like critical thinking, clear communication, and academic confidence. It helped me dive deeper into my intended major and discover which specific areas I really enjoy and want to continue to pursue. I would recommend the FYRE program to every first-year who’s interested; I had a genuinely incredible experience, got so much out of it, and feel like it is completely worth the time and effort.”
Kylie Quann
Major: Psychology
FYRE mentor: Dr. Kate Bruce, Psychology
“I was researching Inter-rater reliability using the Odor Span Task (OST). My favorite part of the research was being able to pick up my own rat and train him in the (OST)! Through my research experience, I was able to learn so much because I attended the weekly seminar meetings and frequently met with Dr. Bruce to further elaborate on new and old concepts. I learned so much about how intelligent rats are and how efficient the OST is at providing a translational model for memory in humans. My experience with FYRE has greatly impacted me because I was able to fully emerge myself into my major as a first-year student and I was able to connect with my lab-mates well. Also, since I was able to gather my inter-rater reliability data and start the delay study with my trained rat, I was awarded with the opportunity to attend a symposium in South Carolina to present my research and gather suggestions and feedback from other social science majors. Currently, I am still in the ABC lab, and I am training a new rat in the OST in a different study. In the future, I am planning on working with Dr. Bruce on my honors thesis”
Kylie Owen
Major: Marketing; minor in digital arts
FYRE Mentor: Dr. Laavanya Rachakonda, Computer Science
“I worked with Dr. Rachakonda from the Computer Science department to develop a low-stress easily accessible webpage to assist in searching for rehabilitation centers. My goal was to create an easily accessible way to those seeking help in the process of addiction recovery. This research allowed me the opportunity to learn more about the relevance of addiction and the need for support during recovery. This research has taught me things I would have never learned in the classroom, or even within my major, and has also allowed me to present in local and international conferences. Though I am not continuing with the research, the program has opened many opportunities for me outside of the research itself.”
