2021 ACA Ledford Scholars Awardees The Appalachian College Association is very pleased to announce the award recipients of this year's Ledford Scholars Program. These undergraduate students are provided financial support enabling them to work on a significant research project during the summer of 2021. Each student will receive assistance from a faculty mentor at her/his home institution. During the fall semester, the Scholars provide a video presentation of their research findings, which is recognized and made available for viewing on the ACA's website. Student Name Institution Academic Major(s) Proposal Topic Faculty Mentor The Effects of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on Lipid Metabolism in Sydney Bailey King University Cell & Molecular Biology the Model Organism C. elegens Laura Kelly Vaughan The Impact of the Printing Press on the Spread of the Charity Beam Johnson University History Protestant Reformation Gerald Mattingly Tracing microbial community structure in marine sediments of Arianna Brown Maryville College Biochemistry/ Exercise Science Svalbard, high Arctic (79°N) with quantitative PCR Joy Buongiorno Connor Buchanan Emory & Henry College Exercise Science Exploring the Impact of Covid-19 on Appalachian Adolescents J.P. Barfield Criminal Justice A qualitative Analysis: Interviews with family members of Alexa Calix Campbellsville University Administration capital murder victims Dale Wilson Assorted Arboreal Appalachian Arachnids: A Study of Biodiversity and Habitat in Appalachian Arboreal Jumping Thomas Cocks Lee University Biological Science Spiders (Salticidae) Thaddeus McRae Piroplasms in the Genera Babesia, Theileria, and Cytauxzoon Evan Collett Lincoln Memorial University Biology from Ixodid ticks in the Cumberland Gap Region Barbara Shock In the Confines of Plants: The Effects of the Ketogenic Diet on Elizabeth Combs Emory & Henry College Psychology/ Biology GABA Levels in Arabidopsis Christine Fleet Can Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) Conservation Biology & populations be detected in the Susquehanna River Watershed of Ian Cook Lincoln Memorial University Fisheries New York State using eDNA survey methods? Whitney Kistler Synthesizing and analyzing ruthenium(II) compounds to determine whether they achieve the ability to behave as Vayda Darnell Tusculum University Chemistry photodynamic chemotherapeutics (PDTs) Dennis Ashford Assessing the growth and survival of two species of endangered freshwater mussels native to the Powell River, Epioblasma Caitlin Davidson Lincoln Memorial University Biology Education capsaeformis and Epioblasma brevidens Aggy Vanderpool Jacob Dockery Lee University Engineering Science Construction and Use of an Atomic Force Microscope David Harkins Determining the effects of specific neurotransmitters on breast Nyla Gulley University of Pikeville Biology cancer tissue Phillip Jen Blake Harris Lee University Mathematics Dendrite Formation in Lithium-Ion Batteries Debra Gladden Determining C. elegans Relevance as a Model Organism for Caroline Hawkins King University Biology Celiac Disease Kelly Vaughan On the Beat, Getting the Heat: Police Perspectives on Daniel Holley Lee University Sociology “Defunding” in Appalachia Arlie Tagayuna Finding Hill Women: Preserving the Appalachian Female Stacey Horton King University English Narrative through Digital Archiving Erin Kingsley Digitally Curated Art Exhibit Focusing on the Specific Medieval Hagiographic Topos of Cephalophoria Depicted in the Sequence Lindsey Johnson Lee University Humanities/ Anthropology of Events Medieval Authors Likely Intended Jared Wielfaert Musical Practices of the Hindu-Gujarati Community of Chattanooga, Tennessee: The Role Music Plays in Maintaining Emmalyne Karnes Lee University Music/ Anthropology Identity Murl Dirksen Comparative analysis of the dietary trends of the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, in South Carolina and Whitney Kincaid Montreat College Environmental Science Florida Joshua Holbrook Examination of other possible pathways that allow for a more Mackenzie Lamb Maryville College Chemistry conscious production of terpenes Nathan Duncan The Effects of Childhood Trauma on Attachment and Substance Jada Ledgister Lee University Psychology Abuse Bryan Poole How did British colonialism in 1950s Borneo influence a series Sydney Maines Tennessee Wesleyan University Secondary Education/ History of unintended ecological consequences? Jack Seitz Analysis of "pond building" behavior of the American alligator, Brenna McEntire Montreat College Environmental Science Alligator mississippiensis, in maintaining ecosystem balance Joshua Holbrook Identifying the Milnesium sp. in the Swannanoa, NC area and establishing a lab colony to facilitate further work on life cycle, Danika Moody Warren Wilson College Anthropology/ Sociology population genetics, and development Kirk Adams Investigating college students perceived attitudes using Intergroup Contact Theory (ICT) to determine how contact with marginalized communities might contribute to the Desirhea Morton Emory & Henry College Psychology construction of attitudes Celeste Gaia How did burley tobacco agriculture shape the land and the people of East Tennessee and Horse Creek, specifically, in the Peter Noll & Samantha Nelson Tusculum University History 20th century? Katherine Everhart Communications (Multimedia Examination of the Factors that May Increase the Threat of Sarah Owens Milligan University Journalism) COVID-19 in Native American Communities Simon Dahlman Biology/ Environmental Phylogeographic Study into the Age of Southern Appalachian James Patterson Emory & Henry College Science Grass Balds Gerald Bresowar Characterization of the Lumbar Arteries in Relationship to Jarvis Pennington Lincoln Memorial University Biology Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgical Landmarks LaRoy Brandt Activity of ticks from various habitats and times of day, and corresponding infection status with Borrelia spp. and Babesia Emily Roark Lincoln Memorial University Biology (Teaching) spp. Barbara Shock When Will Life Go Back to Normal? Analysis of the Hannah Rollins Lee University Mathematics Demographic Factors Affecting COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Richard Moy Engagement in the Time of Pandemic: Collaborative Learning Anna Rutherford Lee University Sociology in Appalachia during COVID-19 Arlie Tagayuna Characterization of KCNE3 in Various Membrane Matthew Scheyer Campbellsville University Chemistry Environments using EPR Spectroscopy Indra Sahu Investigating college students perceived attitudes using Intergroup Contact Theory (ICT) to determine how contact with marginalized communities might contribute to the Ty Smith Emory & Henry College Psychology/ Sociology construction of attitudes Celeste Gaia Developing assays to investigate the uncharacterized Cade Sterling University of the South Biochemistry coronavirus NiRAN nucleotidylation activity Clint Smith Two Case Studies Regarding Botulism in America: The Great Abbey Swanner Lee University Mathematics Depression Era and the Post-FDA Approval of Botox Caroline Maher-Boulis Estimate of owl diversity and habitat preferences that various Eli Tate Lincoln Memorial University Conservation Biology owl species utilize in East Tennessee Laroy Brandt The Effects of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on Lipid Metabolism in Rebekah Thomas King University Cell & Molecular Biology the Model Organism C. elegens Laura Kelly Vaughan Investigation of the behavioral effects of the introduction of a new bull to an established group of captive African elephants at Emma Throneburg Lenoir-Rhyne University Biology the North Carolina Zoo Carly York Slugs on Drugs: How nicotine addiction affects sea slugs behaviorally when it is placed in their environments by use of Brooke Turner Ferrum College Pre-Medical Science approach-avoidance Jason Powell Generation of an LM and SEM-based marine copepod Lena Watson Lincoln Memorial University Veterinary Health Sciences identification database and guide Stan Kunigelis Accounting & Financial How well is the need for accounting academics being met in John Wilson University of Charleston Planning central Appalachia? Rick Ferris.