UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Teaching Assistant, RAP
NOTE: Arnold Hall is located on the corner of Price and Prospect Street on the WVU Downtown Campus. Come in through the main Price Street entrance (the glass doors in the above picture).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Teaching Assistant, RAP
Cassidy Kidwell is a junior studying Elementary Education with a minor in music from Shady Spring, WV. While in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), she researched under Dr. Travis D. Stimeling, Professor of Musicology at WVU. Their focuses included Appalachian music, artists, history, and zine making, and their research has continued since. She's been a Teaching Assistant for the RAP program for two years and is the Social Media Manager for the Office of Undergraduate Research. She's involved in student organizations such as WVU ACDA and WVU NAfME. She also has several jobs around campus, including being an Orientation Leader, Student Ambassador for the Student Communication Center, and Tour Guide.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, RAP
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, RAP
David Solomon was raised in Morgantown, WV. David earned his Bachelors of Arts in Social Studies/Secondary Education from WVU, where he spent much of his time in public school classrooms working with students. His research interests include labor history and examining inequality throughout Appalachia and the greater United States. Currently, David is pursuing his Masters in 20th Century American History and working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Research Assistantship Program.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Professor, Geology & Geography & Director, Office
Amy Hessl earned dual degrees at the University of California at Berkeley (Anthropology and Conservation and Resource Studies), a M.A. in Geography from University of Wyoming and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Arizona. She has served for more than 20 years as a Professor of Geography in the Department of Geology and Geography at WVU. Amy has mentored dozens of students in her tree ring research lab through NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), the WVU Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), and the WVU SURE program. In her career as a mentor, Amy has most valued watching students have that "AHA" moment for the first time. It's magical.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Assistant Director, Office
Cinthia Pacheco has a Bachelor's degree in Dentistry and Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Pharmacology, all of them from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil. She was also a visiting scientist at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh. Her interest in research started early in her life, when she was still an undergraduate student and participated in a scientific initiation program. As a professor at Newton Paiva University Center in Brazil, she gave similar research opportunities to many students, while she was directing the university efforts on undergraduate research. Along the years, Cinthia had witnessed the beneficial impact that research has in the life of the students and how it can open opportunities in their future careers. Currently, as an Assistant Director of the UGR, Cinthia is committed to continuously increase the participation of students and faculty mentors in undergraduate research.
Job Titles:
- WVU 's LSAMP Campus Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, RAP
Emily Heller grew up in Cherry Hill NJ. I completed my B.S. in Forensic and Investigative Sciences with an emphasis in Forensic Chemistry at WVU. I stayed at WVU to pursue my PhD in Chemistry in the organic/inorganic division. I am currently in my third year of the program working on developing a more efficient method to synthesize benzene rings, as they are often present in active pharmaceutical ingredients. My teaching experience includes the SURE program for three years as well as a TA in the chemistry department for general, analytical, and organic chemistry labs.
Isaac McCarthy, originally from Gerrardstown, WV, is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a Minor in Appalachian Music. During his time in the RAP program, he analyzed the relationship between country musicians and popular culture with Dr. Travis Stimeling in the College of Music. In addition to this research, Isaac has previously presented his original organology work, Survey of Tenor Banjos Created by Andrew Boarman, at the Fall 2022 WVU Undergraduate Research Symposium, where he was selected as the winner of the Arts, Humanities, and Design Poster Presentation category. Outside of research, Isaac is involved in the WVU Jazz program, the WVU Bluegrass & Old Time Band, and the WVU Presidential Student Ambassadors. After completing his undergraduate degree, Isaac hopes to pursue graduate study in Musicology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, RAP
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Graduate Teaching Assistant, RAP
Rachel Midkiff was born and raised in Fraziers Bottom, WV. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and minored in Nutrition and Food Studies at WVU. During undergrad, Rachel pursued her passion for research by volunteering as a research assistant in a Food Science lab, where she helped in isolating and testing functional properties of krill protein. In addition, she discovered her desire to help fellow students as an undergraduate teaching assistant within the Biology program. She has remained at WVU to pursue a Masters degree in Nutritional and Food Sciences, and currently works as a graduate teaching assistant for the Research Apprenticeship Program at WVU. Program at WVU.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Staff and Teaching Assistants Team
- Teaching Assistant, RAP
Saif Abbas is a Junior Undergraduate Student studying Biomedical Engineering from Morgantown WV. Saif Completed the RAP program under Dr. Gritsenko, Professor of the Neuroscience Department at WVU, who specializes in the field of Neuromechanics; which combines the fields of Neuroscience and Biomechanics to get a more complete picture of human movement. His research looked into creating a more accurate insight into the skill of Robotic Surgeons through the use of EMG data, but also also the rehabilitation of stroke patients. His graduation date is May 2024 and then plans on attending Medical School.