SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three Wofford College students have received research funding through the Student/Faculty Research Program of South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Inc. (SCICU) for 2017.

Of the nearly 50 undergraduate research proposals from SCICU member colleges, 31 student projects were selected for funding with a total of $90,000 granted. The student researchers will have through December to complete their projects. They will present their findings on Feb. 22, 2018, at the Milliken & Co. headquarters in Spartanburg.

Wofford students receiving funding this year are:

Mitchell R. Attreed, a junior chemistry major from Appleton, Wisc.
Juliana Mejia Rima, a junior psychology and Spanish major from Jackson Heights, N.Y.
Madalyn Anne Snoddy, a junior biology and Spanish major from Columbia, S.C.

Attreed’s project is titled “Interaction of Palmitoyl-CoA and TOFA on the Activity of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase, a Target Enzyme for Treating Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.” His faculty sponsor is Dr. Ramin Radfar, professor of chemistry.

Rima’s project is titled “Longitudinal Tracking of the Effects of Study Abroad.” Her faculty sponsors are Dr. Britton Newman and Dr. Beate Brunow, assistant professors in the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures. Snoddy is studying “How Increased Temperatures Affect Algal Symbiont Cell Divisions in Cnidarian Hosts.” Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Geoffrey Mitchell, professor of biology.

Five Wofford students received funding from SCICU in 2016 and made presentations on their research in February of this year at the annual SCICU Research Symposium at Milliken & Co. in Spartanburg.

They are:

Lillian Gower Fant, a senior physics major from Greenville, S.C. (Radfar, sponsor)
Aaliyah N. Keels, a senior biology major from Blythewood, S.C.; and Madison Brook Capotosti, a junior chemistry major from West Columbia, S.C. (Joint project; Radfar, sponsor)
Katherine Elizabeth Howell, a senior English and government major from Greenville, S.C. (Dr. Deno Trakas, professor of English, sponsor)
Ian G. Rines, a junior biology major from Moncks Corner, S.C. (Lori Cruze, assistant professor of biology, sponsor)

Developed by SCICU in 1995, the Student/Faculty Research Program is designed to strengthen educational programs for students attending member institutions by providing quality undergraduate research experiences.

The 2017 Undergraduate Student/Faculty Research Program is supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Lee Bryan, Joan S. Coker, the Daniel-Mickel Foundation, the Mills B. Lane Memorial Foundation and Debbie S. Nelson.