Summer Undergraduate Research Grant Program

IN THIS SECTION
Contact CTL: The Faculty Development Center
Sullivan Academic Center
Suite S-117
cteachlearn@worcester.edu
508-929-8796
2 women, Priyusha Tollimalli and Disha Khanna in a classroom setting, standing with a projected screen of a presentation between them. Text on the presentation reads "Cattails Invasion: The Crisis in Worcester"
Black and white photo of a woman (Tona Hangen) standing at a podium on the left, and two woman ((Tiernan O’Neal and Maroua Rahaoui) sitting at a table with a laptop to the right. A presentation projected on the wall behind them.
black and white photo of two woman, (Tiernan O’Neal and Maroua Rahaoui), sitting at a table with a laptop looking at each other smiling
three woman (Tiernan O’Neal [left], Tona Hangen [middle], Maroua Rahaoui [right]) standing laughing
Film screening in dark cinema setting with credits rolling and empty chairs in front of screen facing audience
A woman standing, wearing a white shirt (Julie Boisselle", talking to another woman wearing a yellow blouse. a blonde woman in a denim jacket walking in the background. A building and windows from the outside view as the image background
Two white pages taped to a window. The page on the left is titled "Interesting/cod/Surprising" with many light blue rectangle strips of paper taped on the white page. The page on the right is titled "Input for Future" with white stripes on paper taped on the page.
a group of people talking and sitting outside at a black patio table with a light tan table umbrella. Laptops and juice on the table
a group of people talking outside, a brick wall and green trees in the background
two people talking, one sitting at a table, one standing. windows in the background. three people in the background standing and talking
men and woman sitting and standing outside, talking, windows as the background
two woman in blue shirts talking, sitting outside, under an umbrella. Blue skies, green grass and trees, and a brick building as the background
two woman talking and sitting outside. green grass and trees, and brick building as the background
faculty and student seated at library table with laptops open collaborating
faculty and student seated in the cafeteria talking; one woman has a backpack; additional students are standing and seated in the background with flags above them
four faculty seated at a table in the cafeteria talking with a sign that reads "summer research lunch series" with flags hanging above
a group 8 students and faculty of different ages, races and gender, seated at a table in the cafeteria talking and eating with a sign that reads "summer research lunch" and Fogbuster Coffee in big letters on the wall behind
Drag to navigate
Inside the SURG Program - Chapter 2
Social Welfare and Public Mental Health in Early Twentieth Century Worcester
Newspaper clipping with photo of three boys—Edward (4), John (6), and Joseph (9)—featured in headlines about children left homeless after their mother died of pneumonia, used in the Summer Undergrad Research Grant Program.
Broader Impact
Discussing the broader impact of their SURG project.
Two people examine archival photographs and documents on a table in a library or archive, possibly as part of the Summer Undergrad Research Grant Program, with boxes and bookshelves in the background.
Unique Opportunities
Hear what made this project a unique opportunity through the SURG program.
Three women, participants in the Summer Undergrad Research Grant Program, stand smiling before a sign reading "Grafton State Hospital Memorial Cemetery," surrounded by trees.
Introductions
Introducing Student Researcher Abby Rickert, WSU History Professor Dr. Tona Hangen, and their ongoing research project supported by the SURG program.
Stone entrance gate with a metal sign reading "Tewksbury State Hospital" leads to a red-brick building with a green-capped clock tower, home to the Summer Undergrad Research Grant Program, surrounded by trees and grassy lawns.
Advice & Career Outcomes
Advice to future participants in SURG program, and outcomes on current participant's academic and professional careers.
A weathered wooden sign reads "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Tewksbury," mounted on a stone wall, home to the Summer Undergrad Research Grant Program.
Favorite Moment
Favorite moments from their 2025 SURG project.
Inside the SURG Program - Chapter 1
How "Summer Interlude" went from a script for a class project to an award-winning feature film with the help of the SURG program.
Application Process
Application Process
Hear more about the SURG program's role in the project, as well as advice for future applicants.
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes
The film's official BTS teaser.
A close-up of folders, shot lists, and a slate that listed "Alex Lucier" as director and "Brittany Severance" as DP.
Introductions
Introducing Alex Lucier '25, Prof. Brittany Severance, and their SURG project, "Summer Interlude."
Two people examine a camera on a tripod outdoors, on a film set.
Broader Impacts
Explore the bigger picture impact of undertaking a SURG project.

This program is supported by the generosity of
Lt. Col. James F. Sheehan ’55 and Commonwealth of Massachusetts Student Success Funds

Interested in summer undergraduate research? The next call for applications will go out in January 2027. Contact Julie Habjan Boisselle for more information.

2026 Projects

Dr. Kaushik Mukherjee (Business Administration & Economics), Aidan Joseph & Tristan Tram: Churn or Continue – Financing Implications for a Manufacturer

Dr. Abir Bukhatwa (Business Administration & Economics) & Zahra Foladi: Informal Entrepreneurship and Economic Survival: Afghan Women’s Home-Based Businesses After the 2021 Taliban Takeover

Prof. Brittany Severance (Communication), Nathan Kane & Marcus Oliver: Rot

Dr. Aimée X. Delaney (Criminal Justice) & Lauren Larose: 20 Years Analyses of Youth Substance Use/Misuse Within a HIDTA

Dr. Hyesun Kim (Criminal Justice) & Aaryan Mohan Adhatra: The Association Between School Discrimination Experiences and the Onset Age of Substance Use: The National YRBS Analysis

Dr. Riley McGuire (English) & Cassandra Xavier: Critical Edition of Lews Carroll’s Sylvie and Bruno

Dr. Nafisa Nipun Tanjeem (Interdisciplinary Studies) & Grace Baning: The Politics of Gender in the Post-Uprising Bangladesh

Dr. Benjamin Jee (Psychology) & Ian Marrero Rodríguez: People’s Mental Model of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Brittany Jeye (Psychology) & Myranda Peterson-Messina: Long-Term Memory for Color shapes and Color Category Boundaries

Dr. Jacquelyn Raftery-Helmer (Psychology), Sophia Baker & Sarah Clements: Supporting Autonomy in Anxious Youth: Evaluating an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Parents

2025 Projects

Dr. Kaushik Mukherjee (Business Administration & Economics) & Juan Davila: Profits Versus Partners – Business Consideration for Big Box Retailer

Dr. Abir Bukhatwa (Business Administration & Economics) & Safa Khan: Determinant of Women Empowerment in Developing Countries

Dr. Weichu Xu (Chemistry), Agathon Malek & Sean Furlong: Synthesis of Novel DNA Polymerase IIIC Inhibitors as Antibacterial Agents for Drug Resistant G+ Bacteria

Dr. Nada Alsallami (Computer Science) & Maria Delia: Financial Literacy and Budgeting Smart Application

Dr. Jamie Remillard (English) & Dakota Gelinas: Ethical Code-Switch: A Qualitative Study on the Ethical Codes of Journalists Transitioning into Higher Education Public Relations

Dr. Mariana Calle (Health Sciences) & Emma Heintz: Evaluating Diet and Nutrition Knowledge of Division III Soccer Players

Dr. Tona Hangen (History & Political Science), Kaylee Chen & Abby Rickert: Social Welfare and Public Mental Health in Early Twentieth Century Worcester Project Website

Dr. Maria Fung (Mathematics) & Alivia Glynn: Using Bibliotherapy to Transform Mathematics Trauma and to Relieve Mathematics Anxiety in College Students Project Presentation

Dr. Benjamin Jee (Psychology) & Hiba Farhan: Testing Games to Promote Children’s Science Learning Through Play

Dr. Sarah Eagan (Psychology) & Andja Kola: Continuing to Understand the Psychological Sciences Publication Process and Active Data Collection for Qualitative Research on the Effect of Sexual Violence on Immigration

Dr. Kathryn Frazier (Psychology) & Ahmir Byfield: Supporting Faculty and Student Motivation: A mixed methods inquiry

Dr. Adam Saltsman (Urban Studies) & Theo Bailey: Laboring for Change

2024 Projects

Dr. Aleel Grennan (Biology), Priyusha Tollimalli & Disha Khanna: Investigating the Use of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism(RFLP) to Determine the Distribution of Invasive Cattail Species in Worcester, MA Project Presentation

Prof. Brittany Severance (Communication) & Alexander Lucier: Summer Interlude Project Instagram

Dr. Sarah Eagan (Psychology) & Andja Kola: Qualitative Transcription Methodology from a Trauma Informed Perspective Project Website

Dr. Siri Colom (Sociology), Carrie Hale & Victoria Nascimento: When We All Get to Heaven: an Audio Documentary Project Website

Dr. Tona Hangen (History & Political Science), Tiernan O’Neal & Maroua Rahaoui: How the Other Half Lived in Worcester: Creating a Social History Digital Humanities Dataset from Local Archival Collections, ca. 1890-1950 Project Website

Dr. Weichu Xu (Chemistry) & Daniel Fung: Synthesis of Lanthanide Based Nanorods with Triple-Triple Annihilation Up Conversion (TTA-UC) Properties

Dr. William Hansen (Earth, Environment, & Physics) & Ella Tatarczuk: Forest Change in Central Massachusetts: An Assessment Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery and Vegetation Surveys

2023 Projects – see also the WSU news story

Dr. Abir Bukhatwa (Business Administration & Economics) & Samuel Fonseca: Financial Literacy Among College Students

Dr. Alex Briesacher (Sociology), Dr. Thomas Conroy (Urban Studies), Abigail Holden & Elizabeth Stone: The Psychological Impact of Advanced Placement on Worcester State Public School Students

Dr. Alexandra Burgess (Psychology) & Riane Anderson: The Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Alcohol Use as Moderated by Gender and Pandemic Positionality

Dr. Anne Armstrong (Earth, Environment, & Physics) & Andrew Stefanik: Restore the Pollinators, Restore the Soil Invertebrates?

Dr. Benjamin Jee (Psychology) & Andja Kola: Simple Card Games to Promote Children’s Learning About Biological Variability

Dr. Colleen J. Sullivan (Psychology), Scout Beaudoin & Jessica Rancourt: Bringing the Library Home: Fostering Library Engagement and Family Involvement

Dr. Hansun To (Mathematics & Computer Science) & Tommy Thach: Study of Advanced Partial Differential Equations

Dr. Kathryn Frazier (Psychology) & Alix Barry: Intensive Mothering, Parenting Behavior and Maternal Wellbeing Project Publication

Dr. Nabin Malakar (Earth, Environment, & Physics) & Abdallah Al-Obaidi: Investigating Air Quality and Heath Vulnerability in Worcester, MA

Dr. Nada Alsallami (Mathematics & Computer Science) & Jason Lee: Health Care Android App

Dr. Nafisa Tanjeem (Psychology) & Christina Howland: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Garment Workers’ Working

Comprehensive SURG Project List 2020-26 (restricted to WSU community)

I learned way more than I could've in the classroom, due to the one-on-one work and the hands-on practice aided by my professor. I am also more inspired to work in this field!
— SURG Participant
I got to bond closely with the students and learn from them in a way I don't usually get to inside the classroom.
— SURG Participant
I found that the project was very interesting and beautiful, listening to the lives of others was nice, knowing their history is what makes them alive again.
— SURG Participant
We reached out to scholars elsewhere working on similar stuff and they were very receptive and helpful! We did not expect that piece AT ALL, it revived our enthusiasm.
— SURG Participant
This project greatly enriched his mathematical skills, fostering analytical skills, problem-solving, and effective communication.
— SURG Participant
Contact CTL: The Faculty Development Center
Sullivan Academic Center
Suite S-117
cteachlearn@worcester.edu
508-929-8796