Daniel F. '65 & Ann H. Sullivan Endowment for Student/Faculty Research

For a summer fellowship, he analyzed 30 films—from Full Metal Jacket (1987) to The Creator (2023)—mapping shifts in war cinema from embodied soldiering to algorithmic targeting. Using critical mapping, contextual analysis, and film theory, his research explored how digital technologies reshape the visibility, intimacy, and abstraction of violence, comparing Hollywood and international perspectives.

The project Linear Algebra in Geology is a unique interdisciplinary approach to geology through the lens of mathematics, with an accessible application; The end product is a useable curriculum guide, with examples having the potential to be implemented into St. Lawrence University's own Linear Algebra Course. Geologists tend to be stereotyped as being intimidated and fearful of mathematics, which sets undergraduates up for failure when pursuing real world geological opportunities- often relying on computer and data science, as well as mathematics. 

The Wagner-Jauregg reaction is a powerful, yet largely unexplored organic reaction. This reaction pathway is a specialized type of Diels-Alder reaction that facilitates the formation of large, complex ring structures. This reaction is particularly impactful in synthetic chemistry due to the use of inexpensive and readily available starting materials to create more complex molecules. The Wagner-Jauregg reaction yields two primary products: the double Diels-Alder product and the ene product.

Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is an invasive aquatic plant that is a prevalent issue in certain St. Lawrence County waterways. The floating rosette of the plants grow huge and make it impossible for recreational fishing and boating to occur. Since these plants are so efficent at growing, they crowd out other submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV's), competing for light and space with natives. After being pulled or cut as a conservation effort, water chestnut grows back rapidly within a week, especially in shallow, eutrophic areas.

This study investigates the glacial abrasion patterns at Nigardsbreen, a temperate outlet
glacier of the Jostedalsbreen Ice Cap, Southern Norway. The site is ideal for striation
analyses due to easy access and recent exposure due to continuous retreat. Current glacier
flowline models often assume spatially uniform basal conditions, which simplifies how ice
interacts with variable terrain and creates inaccurate predictions. This research provides a
spatial classification of glacier-bed interaction at Nigardsbreen, which reveals that directional

Over the summer, I worked on creating a website, allowing students to conveniently set up meetings to eat together. Moreover, this website also offers meeting times and locations itself via a machine learning algorithm. Matching uses common interests and common friends as parameters to try to find a suitable meeting for users. Additionally, all the users have the settings to adjust the algorithm as well, and they can rate the offered meetings to get better matches for the future.

As a summer ‘25 SLU Research Fellow, I worked on further developing the Wagner-Jauregg reaction. This reaction produces two major products - the double Diels-Alder (DDA) and Ene products. These products have molecular structures similar to existing pharmaceuticals (such as morphine) but have never been studied before and may lead us to potential new treatments with reduced side-effects. 

Film is a reflection of society, and understanding its power and impact on global issues—such as conflict—can raise awareness about how these issues are perceived worldwide. The goal of the Pixelated Warfare project was to examine how cinema visualizes warfare across both historical and speculative timelines, with a focus on AI warfare’s role in reshaping the representation of war.

As part of her thesis work, Ania spent the summer of 2025 conducting interviews with three different populations: migrants, descendants of migrants, and mental health professionals (e.g., counselors, social workers). The purpose of the project is to further our understanding of the heavily understudied mental health phenomena arising from the (im)migratory patterns from Latin American countries to the United States of America.

This project is the first phase of my cumulative honors thesis for Global Studies. My greater project seeks to understand the Canadian relationship with their First Nations communities and the role that First Nations people play in situating Canada in the global trading system, and how that has evolved over time. Over the summer I spent time first situating myself in this global context. As a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, as a white woman who has ties to the colonial legacies of her home nations, and as an academic, an economist.

This summer research project focused on developing a smart healthcare monitoring system for pets through an iOS mobile application. The goal was to provide pet owners with real-time insights into their pets’ heart health using data visualization and health monitoring logic.

The project involved exploring veterinary literature to determine healthy heart rate ranges for cats and dogs, taking into account factors such as species, size, and age. Based on this research, an abnormality detection algorithm was developed to alert users to potential health concerns.

The goal of the project is to continue evaluating a cohort of St. Lawrence students who have been followed and repeatedly interviewed since their first year on campus. This is the 5th and final phase of Professor Alanna Gillis’s longitudinal study of students’ experiences with the pandemic and how its after-effects vary, according to student background and institutional choices.

This study developed fluorescent carbon dot (CD)-based molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) sensors for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) detection. Two nanomaterials, carbon nitride dots (CNDs) and gamma-carbon dots (γ-CDs), were synthesized and characterized using MicroRaman spectroscopy, FTIR, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy to assess their structural properties. The CDs were integrated with MIPs to create selective biosensors, leveraging their fluorescence for biomarker recognition.

For the 2025 summer, I was awarded a fellowship to continue endocrinology research with the Biology department. During this time, we carried out a longitudinal study on Xenopus laevis tadpoles to determine if glucocorticoids (stress hormones) could accelerate metamorphosis when combined with (t3) thyroid hormone. Based on previous literature and studies, it has been proven that thyroid hormone is a powerful hormone known to climax at the time of metamorphosis in frogs, but we strive to look at the rate at which metamorphosis occurs.

The aim of this project was to identify, write formulae for and write proofs for patterns in reversed digit pairs of numbers (e.g. 3482 and 2843).  My main accomplishments were: 

This project focused on the distinction between moral and intellectual virtues, traits which, respectively, make a person morally good (kindness) or intellectually good (logicality). In it, I researched and worked to set out the structure of a paper arguing that there is good reason to believe that a distinction cannot succeed philosophically, which will be continued as an SYE in the 2025-2026 academic year. 

This was a well spend summer on campus as I had the opportunity to complete a research fellowship that explored how people experience different environments in virtual reality (VR) compared to real life. As part of this project, I learned to use Meta Quest VR goggles and created immersive VR environments using Kuula, a 360° rendering platform. Designing these virtual spaces gave me hands-on experience with VR technology and its potential for psychological and environmental research.

What do our relationships with music, cinema, television, and other media say about us as individuals? Why does the entertainment of our childhood stick with us for so long, forever golden in our hearts and minds, even as we have long exceeded its demographic? How do these “jewels” of our youth mold us into the people we are today, and how do they affect our thoughts, actions, and relationships? 

My research this summer, which investigated the effects of thyroid hormone and stress hormone on the development of the thymus gland in Xenopus laevis tadpoles, provided me with an experience unlike any other.

This summer, I had the opportunity to learn how to identify and analyze brain wave activity in different regions of the brain using electroencephalogram (EEG) technology. More specifically, I observed brain activity changes in human participants using the cyclic sigh breathing technique while undergoing physical stress. A cold pressor test, a procedure that involves participant’s placing their arm in a bucket of ice-water of 1 degrees Celsius, was used to induce physical stress. I devised the methodology of the experiment with aid from my mentor, Dr. Onyper.

This summer research project explored the design and development of a 3D-printed clinostat, a rotating device used to mimic the effects of microgravity on biological samples. In microgravity, cells behave differently: they grow, divide, and organize in ways that aren't typically observed under Earth’s gravitational pull. Clinostats offer a way to simulate these conditions by constantly rotating cells, disrupting the unidirection of gravity and creating a near-weightless environment for experimentation.

During my fellowship, I focused on finding ways to optimize air sampling techniques. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include a diverse group of chemicals that easily evaporate into the air and can have various origins. Exposure to VOCs has been linked to serious health effects, making it a significant public health concern. This fellowship worked to advance the already used methods of evacuated canister sampling and low-cost sensors (LCS).

Throughout my summer fellowship, I spent my time in the Metamorphosis Lab researching Xenopus laevis tadpoles and how their immune system remodels during natural metamorphosis. Our research focused on the thymus gland as it is responsible for the development of T-cells, which protect the body against pathogens. The changes in microanatomy of the thymus were determined using multiple laboratory techniques.

This Research Fellowship project investigates how the European Union has reshaped its approach to international climate finance over the past decade. It begins by tracing key policy shifts and situating them within broader internal and external pressures from UN processes to economic and geopolitical developments. It then maps the EU’s major climate finance instruments by analyzing their stated goals, operational features, and priorities.

This research project explored electromagnetic induction, a topic that is often challenging for students. The primary goal was to create a hands-on learning experience to connect fundamental physics principles with the real-world applications of electricity and renewable energy. The project provided an opportunity to conduct a full research cycle, from initial concept and design to fabrication, data analysis, and final presentation.