OK NSF EPSCoR Summer 2022 REU Award Recipients Announced

Five Oklahoma undergraduate students have been selected to participate in the Oklahoma NSF EPSCoR Summer 2022 Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Award recipients will work on research projects under the guidance of faculty mentors Drs. Morshed Khandaker, University of Central Oklahoma; Dr. Eric LoPresti and Dr. Khaled Sallam of Oklahoma State University, and Dr. Joshua Schultz of The University of Tulsa. The research will primarily be in the OK NSF EPSCoR RII-theme areas of weather, water, carbon, infrastructure, and energy.

The Oklahoma NSF EPSCoR REU program strengthens and encourages undergraduate students' early participation in the university and scientific communities by providing one-on-one mentorship and unparalleled research opportunities at the state's research-intensive campuses.

Summer 2022 REU Recipients:

• Student Researchers
  Hussein Alizereej and Mark Jones, University of Central Oklahoma
  Research Project Title
  Anti-Corrosion Behavior of Mg and Zn Nanoparticle Incorporated Nanofiber Membrane
  Faculty Mentor & Lab Site
  Dr. Morshed Khandaker, University of Central Oklahoma
  Award Amount: $5,000

• Student Researcher
  Alejandra Escobar, Oral Roberts University
  Research Project Title
  Development of New Sensing Approaches for a Fabric-reinforced Soft Robot
  Faculty Mentor & Lab Site
  Dr. Joshua Schultz, The University of Tulsa
  Award Amount: $5,000

• Student Researcher
  Jonathan Merheb, Oral Roberts University
  Research Project Title
  Solar-Driven Membrane Distillation 
  Faculty Mentor(s) & Lab Site(s)
  Dr. Khaled Sallam, Oklahoma State University
  Award Amount: $5,000

• Student Researcher
  Austyn Rice, Northeastern State University
  Research Project Title
  Pollination Ecology of an Important Dune Perennial in the Southern Great Plains
  Faculty Mentor & Lab Site
  Dr. Eric LoPresti, Oklahoma State University
  Award Amount: $5,000