HPU’s Undergraduate Infrastructure Student Research Center (HUI SRC) has awarded five student researchers with $5,000 grants each as part of the summer 2023 Health Research Concept Competition (HRCC).
The HUI SRC offers three funding cycles per year for undergraduate initiated research projects that are health related and all HPU undergraduate students in each college are eligible to apply. Information on HUI SRC can be found at their website, or by emailing HPU Chemistry Professor David Horgen, Ph.D., via email at: dhorgen@hpu.edu.
The summer 2023 HUI SRC grant winners and faculty mentors are:
Emily Andrist; faculty mentors: Carmella Vizza, Ph,D., and Olivia Nigro, Ph.D.; project title: The impact of Genki Balls on the pathogenic microbial communities of Kawai Nui stream
Lanya Konyu; faculty mentor: Dr. Carmella Vizza, Ph.D.; project title: Effects of Genki balls on Kawai Nui stream water quality
Emily Hackett; faculty mentor: Patricia young, Ph.D.; Optimizing motion capture-based dynamic stability measurements for hula dancing
Frances Pascual; faculty mentor: Chris Capaldo, Ph.D.; project title: Lipid-based biomarket for cervical cancer
Lucah Davis; faculty mentor: Olivia Nigro, Ph.D.; project title: Unearthing oceanic crustal viruses of hyperthermophilic archaea using a metagenomic approach
HUI SRC is funded by the National Institutes of Health, and its core mission is to build HPU’s research capacity and promote greater representation in the realms of biomedical and health research, specifically among students of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders backgrounds and other students that are under-represented in biomedical research in the U.S.
At the same time, the HUI SRC is committed to inclusivity and membership and the grant competition is open to all HPU undergraduate students. HUI SRC invites all HPU undergraduate students who are interested in or curious about research that touches on human health to join the organization and potentially compete for funding.