Team to Participate in National Undergraduate Research Program

A team from UNC Wilmington’s College of Health and Human Services and the College of Science and Engineering has been accepted into the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)’s 2024-25 Scholars Transforming Through Research (STR) Program. This five-month initiative aims to elevate undergraduate research through skill-building exercises, mentorship and advocacy training.

CUR is dedicated to promoting and enhancing undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activities. It serves as a platform for institutions, faculty and students to collaborate and share best practices in undergraduate research. CUR provides resources such as conferences, professional development opportunities and networking events, aimed at fostering relationships and mentoring in the field. Additionally, it advocates for the importance and support of undergraduate research initiatives across various educational institutions.

The STR Program is a competitive, application-based professional development initiative designed for teams made up of a campus representative and one to three undergraduate students. The program focuses on enhancing participants' communication and advocacy skills, enabling them to effectively convey the significance of high-impact practices in undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry to various stakeholder groups. This year’s STR program begins in November 2024 and concludes in March 2025 with in-person visits with stakeholders and elected governmental leadership in Washington, D.C.

Led by Laurie Minns, assistant professor of clinical research, UNC Wilmington’s team includes the following students: Anna Vreeling (clinical research), Alaina Doss (pre-nursing, clinical research minor), Nicky Mendoza-Quinonez (public health, clinical research minor), and Niki Dwight (marine biology, clinical research minor). Katherine Liu, assistant director of UNCW’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CSURF) will also provide mentorship to one group within the team, enhancing the collaborative spirit of the program.

Doss and Vreeling are members of an interdisciplinary research team investigating the role of primary caregivers for patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive and terminal brain tumor. The team meets weekly with nurse researchers, graduate students in the clinical research and development program and with School of Nursing collaborators McNeill Distinguished Professor Barbara Lutz and Associate Professor Hayley Estrem. Their work primarily involves qualitative and mixed methods research, leading to two peer-reviewed publications that include student co-authors. The research follows a 'see one, do one, teach one' philosophy and emphasizes collaboration. Vreeling is the fourth undergraduate student to join this research team, and she is currently mentoring Doss, who joined the team this fall.

Dwight and Mendoza-Quinoza are working in the translational research lab at the Center for Marine Science. Their project focuses on screening ocean-derived phytoplankton extracts for anti-parasitic activity. They recently presented their findings at the North Carolina Microbiology Society Meeting. Dr.  Liu will serve as their mentor for the CUR STR program, which is funded by CSURF.

“I’m excited and honored that my amazing team of interdisciplinary undergraduate research students were accepted into this program,” Minns says. “It’s one thing to do research, it’s another to effectively communicate the impacts of that work to scientific and non-scientific audiences. We look forward to representing UNCW during the training sessions and during the advocacy trip to Washington DC in the spring. I also want to thank CSURF for supporting our application and for providing the funding necessary for us to be a part of this excellent cohort.”