CURS’ Summer Scholars Program celebrates discovery at annual symposium

What happens when curiosity meets opportunity?

For 35 undergraduate students, the Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship’s annual Summer Scholars Program (SSP) helped students bridge this gap with curiosity and opportunity. For nine weeks this summer, student scholars chosen for this program immersed themselves in the process of discovery alongside an Augusta University faculty mentor.

At the end-of-program symposium that took place July 16, student scholars took center stage to present the discoveries, insights and innovations they learned over this hands-on research intensive.

For Merrick Martin, a rising second-year biochemistry student, participating in SSP was an early introduction to research in preparation for his future career.

“This is my first formal research experience. I’d like to pursue a career in medicine or biomedical research; I wanted to immerse myself early in the fields and gain exposure in my understanding of biomedical research and how it can be built upon,” Martin said.

Martin said he has grown a lot because of the SSP. Previously, when he was having trouble with something he would ask his mentor to give him the answer right away. However, Martin’s mentor, Xiaobing Chen, PhD, encouraged him to do his own research and examine more research papers to discover the answer needed.

Mia Olvera, a rising third-year neuroscience student, said she wanted to be a part of the SSP to challenge herself and help push past academic imposter syndrome.

“Research was a huge new world for me. Getting over my own obstacles with myself and thinking I couldn’t do it was a big challenge for me, but I made it!” Olvera said.

Olvera is grateful for her SSP mentor Deborah Jehu, PhD, taking a chance on her and helping navigate the experience from start to finish.

While mathematics and various sciences were predominantly pursued during SSP, the liberal arts were represented for students to work with as well.

Melanie O’Meara, PhD, enlisted the help of two student scholars, Genesis Gabriel and Yarelis Padilla, both third-year digital and visual storytelling students, to research the female art and artists of Black Mountain College (BMC) in North Carolina.

Gabriel and Padilla created scenes for a larger production in the works in collaboration with O’Meara, inspired by the work, methods and practices of female artists at the BMC. Something they both learned from the SSP experience was enjoying the journey without focusing on the destination.

“Something we talked about consistently throughout the project was process over product: let the process of doing this take over rather than what you’ll end up with. Write without thinking,” Gabriel shared.

“We learned about the time that writing takes and thinking creatively and doing the research behind it. We definitely got lost in the process,” Padilla added.

The currently untitled production will be ready to begin production in 2027, and Gabriel and Padilla will be a part of the production however they chose to, whether on stage or off. O’Meara said the scenes Gabriel and Padilla had their hands on are going to be really cool and cannot wait to see them come to fruition.

“We have some of the best faculty mentors in higher education, and our students are fortunate to receive one-on-one guidance from people who are innovative in their fields.”

Quentin Davis, PhD, Director, Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship

O’Meara enjoyed the dedicated time working with Gabriel and Padilla and hopes that they’ve learned a few things about the production process.

“I hope they are really proud and excited about the work that they did and being able to see that come to fruition on the stage … learning how we can learn about texts, a piece of artwork or a method someone used to create that artwork, what happens when we bring it alive which this show will do,” O’Meara said.  

Gabriel and Padilla both agree that the Summer Scholars Program experience has helped broaden their horizons and would gladly go through the program again if they were able to. They’re grateful for the experience with O’Meara and are looking forward to seeing their work come to life on stage next year.

“I’m so glad I got to experience this with Dr. O’Meara. I don’t know if I could have done this with anyone else,” Gabriel said.

“I would gladly go through this program again for a check,” Padilla said, laughing.

A veteran SSP mentor, O’Meara said she is very appreciative of a program like SSP that allows for more time to work directly with students outside of the busyness of the academic year.

Chen, who is a first-time SSP faculty mentor, thoroughly enjoyed her time working with two of the summer scholars cohort, Martin and Chenyu Lin. An assistant professor with the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Science and Mathematics, Chen says she is grateful for the Summer Scholars Program and the hard work from her student scholars.  

“They’re so hard working and diligent and resilient … I think I’ve learned something from them. They’ve helped me build my research lab,” Chen said. “We always say summer is the most productive time for all research faculty and having them this summer made everything possible.” 

Chen said as a new faculty member, having assistance from gifted undergraduates like Martin and Lin this summer was extremely helpful to her work. In looking back at her experience from a faculty perspective, Chen shared she learned a lot about listening to the undergrads, really understand their needs, and adjusting her approach to working with each of them.

In addition to working alongside an AU faculty member, students accepted into SSP participate in various professional development workshops and social gatherings to encourage camaraderie throughout the summer.

“It is a joy and an honor to run the Summer Scholars Program. Each year, we generate new collaborations, welcome new students, and make a lasting impact on the experiences of our undergraduates,” said Quentin Davis, PhD, director of the CURS. “We have some of the best faculty mentors in higher education, and our students are fortunate to receive one-on-one guidance from people who are innovative in their fields.”

Faculty and students call for proposals and applications to participate in the Summer Scholars Program in late fall/early spring. All faculty and undergraduate students are encouraged to apply.