Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate Research Students, n=75 and $90,000 Total Research Awards (2004-2022).
Undergraduate research experiences are important to developing the next generation of scientists, experts, and professionals.  I support undergraduate researchers from diverse majors.  If you have interest, contact me egnichol@ncsu.edu.

2024 n=7

Shrusti Patel, Mindy Dunn, Sophia Bradford, DeAndra Lewis, Josephine Kinsey, Jack Wagner, and Marie-Claire Wise.  CNR EH&S Intern. OUR FWS, FWS, and Duke Energy Foundation and CNR Support.

2023 n=7

Shrusti Patel, Mindy Dunn, Sophia Bradford, DeAndra Lewis, Josephine Kinsey.  CNR EH&S Intern.
Sarah Rachita. 2023 Office of Undergraduate Research awardee.  
Holly Walsh. 2023 Office of Undergraduate Research awardee.

2022 n=6

Shrusti Patel.  CNR EH&S Intern.
Emily Pacheco. Duke Energy Foundation Researcher.  2022 Office of Undergraduate Research awardee.
Sarah Rachita.  Duke Energy Foundation Researcher.
Erimi Kendrick. NC State/OUR WS Researcher.
Grace Burke. NC State/OUR WS Researcher.

2021. $2000 n=3

Grace Burke. NC State/OUR WS Researcher.
James Bulluck. Duke Energy Foundation.
Holly Walsh. Duke Energy Foundation.

Awards and Recognitions 2020

April 2020. Congrats to Trevor for receiving both a CNR Enrichment Fund award and a summer OUR research award ($2000) on prescribed fire, biochar, and mitigating pharmaceuticals from land application of municipal wastewater to forests.

 

 

Congrats to Jake Tarosky for receiving a summer OUR research award ($2000) on intermittent flooding of trees.

 

 

 

April 2020. Congrats to Princess Mutasa – for Graduate School at Michigan-Ann Arbor and receipt of an academic scholarship by the National Association of Flood Plain Managers (NAFPM)!

 

 

Samantha Wisenant (Env Science). NC State/OUR WS Researcher. (ORNL GIS Analyst)

 

 

 

Josh Pil (ETM). NC State/OUR WS Researcher. (Carolina Arboretum)

 

 

 

 

Holly Walsh (ETM-Chemistry). NC State/OUR WS Researcher.
James Bullock (Forestry).  Duke Energy Foundation Researcher.

 

 

 

2020. $13,450 n=8

NCSU/Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR. 2020. Annual Productivity Response to Intermittent Flooding of Loblolly Pine. Josh Pil, $2400.

NCSU/Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR. 2020. Chemicals of Concern and Human Foods Crops for Permitted Land Application in North Carolina. Samantha Wisenant, $2400.

NCSU/Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR. 2020. Chemicals of Concern and Human Foods Crops for Permitted Land Application in North Carolina. Holly Walsh, $2400.

NCSU/Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR. 2020. Prescribed fire, biochar, and mitigating pharmaceuticals in forests that treat municipal wastewater. Trevor Pougnet, $1000.

NCSU/Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR. 2020. Jake Tarosky. Intermittent flooding for forests. $2,000.

CNR- Enrichment Fund. 2020. Prescribed fire, biochar, and mitigating pharmaceuticals in forests that treat municipal wastewater. Trevor Pougnet. $1000.

NCSU/ OUR Work Study research program. 2020. Princess Mutasa. $1500.

Duke Energy Foundation. 2020. Josh Pil. Intermittent flooding and GIS mapping.  $750

2019. 14300 n=6

CNR- Enrichment Fund. 2019. Trees as Barriers for Hog Lagoons. Arunabh Saikiah and Daniel Amparo. $1,300.

NCSU/Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program. 2019. Pine Productivity Under Episodic Flooding. Princess Mutasa, ETM, $1500.

NCSU/Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program. 2019. Pine Productivity Under Episodic Flooding. Alison Plumley, ETM, $1500.

Duke Energy Foundation. Undergraduate Research Intern. 2019 Evaluation of Loblolly pine genetics for regeneration at Forest Land Treatment Sites. Josh Pil, $1000.

Duke Energy Foundation. Undergraduate Research Intern. 2019. Productivity of Pine Forests Under Episodic Floods. Princess Mutasa, $3500.

Duke Energy Foundation. Undergraduate Research Intern. 2019 Interception of Nitrogen Emissions in Pine Plantations from CAFO. Arunabh Saikiah, $1000.

Duke Energy Foundation. Undergraduate Research Intern. 2019. Interception of Nitrogen Emissions in Pine Plantations from CAFO. Daniel Amparo, $1000.

Duke Energy Foundation. Undergraduate Research Intern. 2019 Hardwood Seedling Establishment with Episodic Flooding. Jen Bradley, E. Guthrie. $3500.

2018. $10500 n=12

Duke Energy Foundation. Forest Water Reuse Systems for Wood Production. 2018. Martinez Gonzalez Bertello, $2,500.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  OUR  Evaluation of Pine Families for Replanting on Land Treatment Sites. Jamie Cochran.  $500 summer

NC State Office of Undergraduate Research – Work Study.  How Florence Wasted Us. 2018. Daniel Amparo and Theresa Flood. $3,000.

NC State Office of Undergraduate Research Award.  2018. Evaluation of Pine Families for Replanting on Land Treatment Sites. Jamie Cochran.  $750

NC State Office of Undergraduate Research Award.  2018. A Comparison of Soybean Survival and Growth with and without Municipal Wastewater. Duncan Anderson. $750

Special Topics. 2018. Anna Rimmer and Phillip Barnes. Economics and Forecasts for Wind and Solar Industries in North Carolina and impacts to Forest Landowners.

Work Study. 2017-2018. Water quality parameters for forested water re-use systems. Alston Williard,  Biological and Agriculture Engineering $500.

Work Study. 2018. Woody Biomass Inventory Analyses. Jayna Sananikone, $500.

Duke Energy Undergraduate Intern. 2018. Efficient computing for managing non-targeted screening data of chemicals of concern in wastewater. Giovanni Budi, undergraduate student, Computer Science. $500.

Duke Energy Undergraduate Intern. 2018. Pine plantation growth in lands irrigated with municipal wastewater. Ben Bryant, undergraduate student, Forestry Management.  $500.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  OUR   2018 . Pine tree seedling survival in soils irrigated with municipal wastewater.  Jamie Cochran. $500.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  OUR   2018. Uptake of organic chemicals in municipal wastewater hydroponic systems with soybean.  Duncan Anderson, $500.

2017. $750 n=1

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2017 . Understanding pathways to renewable energy work force opportunities.  Brendan Joyce, $750.

2016. $3300 n=3

Plantation on Nitrogen Mitigation at a Former Swine Waste Application Field, North Carolina, Lauren Hermane, $750.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2016 . Assessment of Groundwater, Wastewater, and Hydrological Data for Potential Land Application of Industrial Wastewater on a Forested Area at Arauco in Moncure, North Carolina, Joshua Moose, $750.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2016 .  Phytoremediation of a Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contaminated Shallow Aquifer in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.  Cory Walker, $1800.

2015. $700 n=1

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR 2015 .   Determining non-regulated contaminants of concern in receiving streams of waste water treatment plants. Hallie Hartley. $700. Outstanding Sustainability Research Project – NC State Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 2016

2014. 3500 n=2

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2014 .   Evaluating solar array fields for ecological services: pollinator conservation. Aaron Sugar. $1,000.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2013-2014.   Evaluating off site migration of municipal wastewater at a small community land application site. Justine Neville, $2,500.

2013. $3700 n=7

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2013.   Can stable water isotope analyses of tree xylem indicate subsurface contamination even during winter sampling events? Yates Synder, $750.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2013.   Evaluating Energy Crops Productivity On Lands Irrigated with Fish Farm Water. Kevin Heavner, Deion Oakes, Claire Basista, Stacy Freeman $1,200.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2013.   Tracing the stable isotopic signature of land-applied wastewater using hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes. Jeffrey Ollison, $750.

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2013.   Finding a Better Mousetrap to Ensure Method and Instrument Precision for Isotopic Analyses of Tree Xylem Tissues. David Yeomans $1,000.

2012. $2400 n=8

NCSU /Office of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2012.   Developing Cellulosic Biomass Resources in North Carolina Using Marginal Lands and Short-Rotation Woody Crops  SRWCs . Patrick Stevens, $1,200.

NCSU /Division of Undergraduate Research Awards Program OUR  2012. Evaluating the Biomass Growth and Impact of Hybrid Poplar Trees on Nitrogen in Ground Water at a Former Hog Lagoon.  Sarah Leichter  $1,200.

Liu, Yileen, Amanda Freeman, Justin LaCroix. 2012. Bioenergy Production Using Trees at Wastewater Treatment Facilities. 8th Annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium  SNCURCS , Duke University, November 17, 2012.

Freeman, Amanda, *J. Lacroix. 2012. Assessing Hybrid Poplar Biomass Production in North Carolina. NCSU Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, Talley Student Center, NC State University, August 1, 2012.

Hodiak, Jonathan. 2012. IMAGINE Safe Drinking Water in South Africa: Student/Community Collaborations to Assess Ground Water Quality and Availability. NCSU Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, Talley Student Center, NC State, August 1, 2012.

Radford, A., H. Berry. 2012. Bioenery Production Using Trees at Wastewater Treatment Facilities.  NCSU Undergraduate Research Symposium, Talley Student Center, NC State University, April 1, 2012.

Shipman, H.. 2012. Landscape and Field Scale Comparison at an Inactive Hog Farm.  NCSU Undergraduate Research Symposium, Talley Student Center, NC State University, April 1, 2012.

2011. $6000 n=9

NCSU /Division of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  DUAP   2011-2012 .   Do trees mitigate estrogens in wastewater at wastewater municipal treatment systems? Charles Brandon Tate, $1,000.

NCSU /Division of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  DUAP   2011-2012 .   How does hydrologic redistribution by a mature pine tree alter water sources for surrounding 4 year old pine trees? David Yeoman, $1,000.

NCSU /Division of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  DUAP   2011-2012 .   Do Hybrid Poplar Clones Exhibit Different Toxic Responses to Weathered Fuels? Ivonne Hernandez $1,000.

Radford, Andrew. 2011. Using Municipal Waste Water Land Application Sites to Product Bioenergy From Trees. 7 Annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium  SNCURCS , East Carolina University, November 19, 2011.

Wence, Bryan S. 2011. Growing Concern of Nitrates in Groundwater in South Africa. 7 Annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium, SNCURCS , East Carolina University, November 19, 2011.

Onuh, Adanna C. 2011. Conductivity and Chloride Analysis of Groundwater Wells at the Richard E. Lee Estate Property in Johnston County, N.C. 7^th Annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium  SNCURCS, East Carolina University, November 19^th, 2011.

CNR /Undergraduate Research Awards.  February 2011 . Isotopic Relationships Between Soils and Trees Tissues at Inactive Swine Facility.  Elizabeth Foote $1,000.

Joshua Kotheimer, independent research January 2011 . PAH Analysis of Soils Contaminated with Weathered Fuels. $1000

NCSU /Division of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  DUAP   2011 . Fuel Toxicity To Hybrid Poplars at a Phytoremediation Site in Elizabeth City, NC? Andrew McEachran, $1,000.

2010. $9800 n=4

Progress Energy/Environmental Technology Undergraduate Research Internship 2010. Determination of Sub-surface Nitrogen Contamination Using Chloride Analysis of Groundwater. Terri Mann $3,000.

Progress Energy/Environmental Technology Undergraduate Research Internship  2010. Hydrological Flux of a Small Catchment. Heather Shipman $3,000.

Progress Energy/Environmental Technology Undergraduate Research Internship  2010 . Evaluation of Soil and Groundwater Toxicity at a Phytoremediation Site. Andrew McEachran, $3,000.

NCSU /Division of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  DUAP   2010 . Dendroforensics: Using Stable Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Tree Cores to Evaluate the Migration of Swine Waste in Groundwater? Chris Rhoades, $800.

2009. 5000 n=3

Progress Energy/Environmental Technology Undergraduate Research Internship 2009. Phytoremediation of Hog Lagoon Waste. Rachael Hobbs, $1,000.

Progress Energy/Environmental Technology Undergraduate Research Internship 2009.  Determination of Sub-surface Nitrogen Contamination Using Nitrate Concentrations in Tree Leaves? Marta Pongor, undergraduate student $3,000.

CNR /Undergraduate Research Awards.  February 2009. What Affect Does Nano ZnO Have on the Root Growth of Tree Cuttings in Hydroponic Systems? Laura Brown, undergraduate student $1,000.

2008. $2000 n=3

CNR /Undergraduate Research Awards.  Summer 2008. Phytoremediation of Saline Soils. Brian Johnson, South Garner High School.

CNR /Undergraduate Research Awards.  February 2008.  Monitoring Surface Water Quality Prior To, During, and Immediately After Conversion of Pastureland to Timber Production. Steve Garner, $1,000.

CNR /Undergraduate Research Awards.  February 2008.  Can Stable Nitrogen Isotope Analyses  d¹⁵N  of Tree Stem Cores Age- Date the Occurrence and Migration of Swine Waste in Groundwater? Steven Pires, $1,000.

2007. $3000 n=3

NCSU /Division of Undergraduate Research Awards Program  DUAP   November 2007. Does plant organic matter change equilibrium partitioning  Log Koc  of select polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons  PAHs  between water and petroleum-contaminated sediments? Brian Levine $1,000.

CNR /Undergraduate Research Awards.  February 2007.  Use of Trees and Shrubs to Monitor Nitrogen Export from Human or Live-stock Waste-Amended Fields. Carter Reeb, $1,000.

CNR/Undergraduate Research Awards.  February 2007. The Potential to Detect and Monitor Explosives Contamination in Surface Soils and Groundwater by Analyzing Tree Leaves and Core Tissues For Stable Nitrogen Isotopic Ratios d¹⁵N . Jeremy Diner $1,000.

2006. $1000 n=1

NCSU /Undergraduate Research Awards.  November 2006. Does increased sediment polarity explain why vegetated sediment releases more petroleum contamination than non-vegetated sediment? Carter Reeb $1,000.

2004. $1000 n=1

NCSU College of Natural Resources/Undergraduate Research Scholarships.  November 2004. Is Glomalin Present in Vegetated Refinery Waste? Thomas Crawford $1,000.