Student Success Stories

Alyson (Alee) Quirk

Alee is an Honors College student and was mentored by Dr. Kristin Barry. Alee published an online educational StoryMap documenting Native American removal.
Dr. Barry writes: "Alyson developed the Visualization of Native American Removal StoryMap which has been published online as a resource for educators and serves as the foundation for a larger project visualizing additional Native American removal stories. The Pepsi Grant provided critical funding that enabled Alyson to rsearch, develop, and publish the StoryMap during the Fall 2025 and early Spring 2026 semesters. This support gave her dedicated time to advance the project while continuing her academic studies."

Autumn Voegerl

Autumn is an Anthropology and Sociology student and was mentored by Dr. Chad Menning. Autumn presented her research at the annual meeting of the North Central Sociological Association.
Dr. Menning writes: "Autumn presented her paper, Have We Learned Anything? An Examination of Party Safety Signals in a Post #MeToo Society, at the annual meeting of the North Central Sociological Association in Pittsburgh, PA. The Pepsi Grant helped offset the costs of attending the conference, making it possible for her to share her research with a regional audience of scholars."

Avery Renshaw

Avery is a Medical Education student and was mentored by Dr. Bart Pederson. Avery won first place at the Indiana Academy of Science for research on neonatal hypoxia.
Dr. Pederson writes: "Avery investigated how glycogen levels in the brain affect survival during hypoxic conditions in neonatal mice, addressing a leading cause of death in newborns. Using a mouse model with differing brain glycogen levels, Avery found that mice with higher glycogen levels survived significantly longer under hypoxic conditions. Avery presented this research at the Indiana Academy of Science and earned first place in the Science of Matter, Science, and Environment category."
 

Amaya Smith

Amaya is a Educational Psychology student and was mentored by Dr. Ligia Gomez. Amaya presented her research at the Educational Psychology Student Symposium and become a co-author on an international conference presentation.
Dr. Gomez writes: "Amaya presented her research, Exploring the Impact of Parents' Beliefs & Self-Efficacy on Literacy-Building Practices, at the Educational Psychology Student Symposium in December 2025, where she was the only undergraduate presenter. The Pepsi Grant gave Amaya the opportunity to conduct a deeper analysis of the data. Drawing on her fluency in Spanish, she analyzed and organized the data and prepared the symposium presentation. Her contributions to the qualitative analysis also supported a presentation at the World Social Science Association Conference in March 2026. In recognition of her work, she was listed as the second author of the presentation, Beyond Books: How Parent Beliefs and Self-Efficacy Drive Literacy Practices at Home in Bolivia."

Daniel Schultz

Daniel is an English student and was mentored by Dr. MaryLou Vercellotti. Daniel presented his research at Practical Criticism Midwest conference and is preparing a journal article for publication.
Dr. Vercellotti writes: "Daniel presented his research at Practical Criticism Midwest, a regional conference organized by graduate students in Ball State University's Department of English. He also submitted a presentation proposal to the Second Language Research Forum, an international conference on second language research, and is currently preparing a journal article based on his work. The Pepsi Grant made this in-depth undergraduate research experience possible, allowing Daniel to engage in every stage of the research process, from reviewing the literature and coding data to presenting his findings to a scholarly audience."

Anastasia Faddis

Anastasia is a Chemistry student and was mentored by Dr. Robert Sammelson. Anastasia presented her research at two scientific conferences and will begin a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Sammelson writes: "Anastasia presented her research at both the Indiana American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting and the national ACS meeting. These experiences strengthened her graduate school applications, and she will begin her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Kentucky. The Pepsi Grant provided additional support that allowed Anastasia to devote more time to her research, leading to greater progress and stronger research outcomes."

McKaylin Lort

McKaylin is a Mathematical Sciences student ans was mentored by Dr. Roza Aceska. McKaylin presented original research at multiple conferences and co-authored two mathematics manuscripts.
Dr. Aceska writes: ""McKailyn conducted undergraduate research in graph theory and its applications. She attended the GROW 2025 Conference at Columbia University, where she received support and encouragement as an undergraduate considering graduate study in the mathematical sciences. She presented original research at the Indiana Spring Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), the Ball State Student Symposium, and the Midwest Graph Theory Conference. McKailyn is also a co-author on two mathematics manuscripts, one currently being submitted to a journal and another in progress. Reflecting on her experience, McKailyn shared, 'The Pepsi Grant allowed me to pursue these opportunities with less concern about expenses. Additionally, it provided me with valuable experience in mathematics research and helped me develop a strong interest in graph theory."

Olivia Glaeser

Olivia was a Medical Education student mentored by Dr. Bart Pederson. Olivia presented a poster with her research findings at the 30th Annual Student Symposium at Ball State University.
Dr. Pederson writes: "Olivia is studying sex-dependent differences in mouse models with varied muscle glycogen levels to address sex bias in research where females have been insufficiently studied in the fields of biology and medicine. This is especially prevalent in studies using mouse models. Over the summer, she measured tissue glycogen levels in mice that previously performed several types of exercise. These measurements are key pieces of data for her honor’s thesis project and the poster she will present.”

Cody Hauger

Cody was a Exercise Science student mentored by Dr. Shannon Powers. Cody plans to become a research assistant in an action research study and is a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Powers writes: "The intervention involves providing twice-weekly exercise programming: a cardio dance program and strength and conditioning. Cody has a coaching background and is studying Exercise Science. He subs for our regular strength and conditioning instructors. These classes consist of muscular endurance and flexibility exercises with a highly varied population. Some folks are chair-bound, and others have high fitness levels. He has the ability to teach to the individual and accommodate everyone's needs. This typically takes instructors a long time to learn how to do, but Cody is a natural. Participants shared their appreciation and discussed their fitness gains with me.”

Katrina Procuniar

Katrina was a Biology student mentored by Dr. Eric (VJ) Rubenstein. Katrina co-authored a manuscript based on work in the Pepsi Summer Research Award.
Dr. Rubenstein writes: "In collaboration with other members of our team, Katrina discovered that two genes (called UBC6 and UBC7) help cells cope with a form of stress called proteotoxic stress, which is the harmful accumulation of damaged and misshapen protein molecules. Humans encounter this type of stress in a number of debilitating diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Because budding yeast cells perform nearly all of the same tasks human cells do to stay alive (including combatting proteotoxic stress), Katrina performed her research in budding yeast. It is very likely that Katrina’s impactful work investigating the function of UBC6 and UBC7 will also apply to the human versions of these genes, with relevance to our understanding and treatment of devastating disease.”

Noah White

Noah was a Landscape Architecture student mentored by Dr. Dorna Eshrati. Noah plans to present to findings at the National Conference on Beginning Design Student.
Dr. Eshrati writes: "Entering design school can be challenging due to the need to master new tools, develop a creative vision, and work under strict deadlines. The goal of the research project was to develop a soft skills toolkit for first-year students entering the environmental planning and design fields. This toolkit emphasized skills including communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability in order to prepare students for academic challenges and professional success. Literature shows professionals with strong soft skills excel in adaptability and collaboration, meaning this project is important because it provides students with resources to become well-rounded designers/collaborators. The project started with a literature review to identify students' skill gaps. Additionally, personal insights were gathered to pinpoint transitional design challenges faced by students, ensuring the toolkit addresses critical gaps that were not identified in the literature review. The outcome of the study was a toolkit enhancing students' interpersonal skills, aimed at fostering academic and personal growth in the environmental planning and design fields.”