STEM Research Projects

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics provide the educational backbone that enables students to explore new technologies that can benefit society. STEM is inherently interdisciplinary and at Grove City College our students explore problems that lie at the intersection of science and engineering. Please see below for a summary of just some of the exciting research projects that students are involved in at Grove City College.

 Check out some of our recent projects!

Applied Science & Engineering

• Organ on a Chip. Dr. Savage and Dr. Pazehoski are teaming up to design and fabricate microfluidic chips that replicate human organ functions. These chips take on a structure and function that replicates organ-level physiology more closely than conventional in vitro cell cultures, making disease modeling and drug testing instantly more relevant to the true in vivo environment. Since 2010, there have been successful emulations of the human lung, intestine, liver, kidney, stomach, heart, uterus, eye, and even brain tissue.

Biology

• Epigenetic Control of Cell Proliferation. Dr. Antoszewski is interested in understanding how cell proliferation is controlled by epigenetic (“above the genome”) modifications and uses the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as her model system. In collaboration with Dr. Robert Duronio at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her students are performing a forward genetic screen to identify genes that interact with a specific modification made to histone H4, one of the proteins that helps compact DNA in the nucleus of the cell. Developing a better appreciation for how this modification affects cell proliferation will inform our understanding of both development and disease.
• Plant Growth Chambers. Dr. Dudt has an interdisciplinary team of students from the Departments of Computer Science, Biology, and Electrical Engineering modifying a mobile plant growth chamber capable of remotely controlling light levels, water, humidity, and temperature.
• Honeybee Health. Dr. Farone’s GCC Bee Project involves an apicultural training and research program that enables students to maintain our Penn State University (PSU) Master Gardener Certified, Pollinator Friendly Garden and Apiary. The research is focused on improving honeybee health and community education. The Project also produces about 400 pounds of honey a year, which is donated to the community. Learn more at www.gccbeeproject.com.
• Characterizing a Plant Pathogen. Dr. Luong is interested in studying what makes the white mold pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a generalist. The main question to address is whether an isolate from a soybean plant would show the same level of disease and undergo the same virulence pathways if infected in other host crops. She also wants to know whether isolates can shift host preferences over time. Additionally, she plans to investigate whether observed phenotypic changes correlate with genotypic modifications.
• Exploring the Lifestyle of a Plant Pathogen. Dr. Luong aims to improve the understanding of how the cosmopolitan plant fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum establishes endophytic relationships with non-host plants, where they live inside a plant and do not cause disease. Farmers utilize crop rotations with non-host grasses like corn, wheat, and ryegrass to break the disease cycle. However, if S. sclerotiorum can endophytically colonize non-hosts, these plants can be a source of the pathogen. Therefore, Dr. Luong will investigate the mechanisms of colonization S. sclerotiorum utilizes with non-hosts and quantify the frequency of finding them as endophytes in the field.
• Analysis of Large-Scale Biomedical Datasets. Dr. MacFawn’s lab uses a special form of immunohistochemistry to stain human cancer slides, enabling identification of up to seven markers on an individual slide. Using high resolution digital scans, the presence and interactions of cells of the immune system (B cells, T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages) can be illustrated across a vast dataset comprised of millions of cells from scores of patients. Much of this work is mediated through computational image analysis programs that employ machine-learning based algorithms. These findings can be correlated with patient features such as age, stage, and molecular profile to better understand trends in the tumor microenvironment with the ultimate goal of promoting patient response to immunotherapies. Dr. MacFawn is currently working in the field of ovarian cancer but plans to expand and synergize his lab’s findings with other solid tumor types. A major aspiration of the lab is to produce a publicly available, high quality multispectral imaging dataset (>100 patients) of ovarian cancer which he and his students will organize and mine for biologically significant insights.
• Integrity of the Intestinal Barrier. Dr. Pazehoski’s students are using a human colon cell culture model to study the integrity of the intestinal barrier tissue. Diseases like Ulcerative Colitis and Chron’s disease involve the breakdown of connections between the cells that form the inner lining of the intestine resulting in compromised function. Dr. Pazehoski’s students are interested in exploring different models of the intestine including a three-dimensional model known as an “organ-on-a-chip.” Additionally, they plan to investigate the influence that various bacteria within the gut microbiome have on the integrity of the intestinal barrier tissue.  
• Human Pathogens. Dr. Stauff’s students focus on deciphering ways that disease-causing bacteria sense and respond to their environment using systems known as two-component systems (TCS). They have used tools of genetics combined with chemistry to figure out how these sensor systems work. These studies have the potential to expand our understanding of how organisms respond to their environment and may lead to the development of drugs that interfere with the strategies that bacteria use to cause disease.
• Detecting Endangered Species. Dr. Wood’s students are detecting cryptic or endangered species using eDNA. They are trying to detect populations of the eastern sand darter (Ammocrypta pellucida), an endangered species in Pennsylvania. The team is also working with the Scrubgrass Creek Watershed Association to map historical strip mines across Scrubgrass Creek Watershed. This information will be utilized to plan future projects and management within the watershed.
• Anti-Cancer Compounds. Dr. Yowler and his research team are evaluating the anti-cancer properties of various organic compounds by determining their toxicity on human cancer (HeLa) cells. These compounds are being synthesized by Dr. Charles Kriley and his students in the Department of Chemistry.
• Bioinformatics. Dr. Yowler is also involved in a large collaborative project with the Genomics Education Partnership. Students are working to annotate various Drosophila (fruit fly) genes to explore the evolution of the insulin-signaling pathway.

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Chemistry

• Anti-Cancer Drugs. Dr. Kriley’s students are pursuing new anti-cancer drugs, starting with compounds that are already known to have anti-cancer activity, like resveratrol and quercetin. In collaboration with the Department of Biology, the compounds are tested on breast cancer cells from a cell line patented by two former faculty members.
• Atmospheric Chemistry. Dr. Falcetta and Dr. Fair work with students to utilize quantum chemistry and computational methods to characterize temporary anions. This work is relevant to the study of the atmospheric chemistry of the earth, as well as the atmospheres of other planets.
• Biochemistry. Students work on protein purification methods of the peroxidase enzymes from radish. This collaborative project spans many course sections with pairs contributing results to develop the overall methodology. Each group adds their result to the dataset and writes a paper evaluating the progress of the developing methods.
• Computational Modeling of Protein Systems. Dr. Fair’s and Dr. Falcetta’s students use molecular dynamics simulations and docking studies to understand the interaction of small biomolecules with proteins, with the possible application of developing methods to fight bacterial infection.
• DTF Energy Transfer Computational Project. This research is about how light plays a role in reaction chemistry. Students simplify complex calculations to test the limitations of published techniques about photocatalytic reactions using thioxanthone, ruthenium (II) and iridium (III).
• Polyethyleneimine and its Antibacterial Properties. A research group of Dr. Wong's studies the efficacy of a positively charged nanopolymer in killing bacterial and viral systems. A convenient and effective tool is utilizing the Particle Charge Detector (PCD) to quantify charges of various concentration, molecular weight, and modified polyethyleneimine solutions.
• Protein Engineering. The holy grail of intrinsic biological fluorescence is the single tryptophan protein. However, tryptophan is the least frequently appearing amino acid in natural protein sequences. As the largest volume side chain, it is challenging to engineer a tryptophan into a buried position within a structure without large-scale disruption. Dr. Shaw is using computational methods to describe natural tryptophan environments and predict locations (and other changes) for the thermodynamically stable incorporation of novel tryptophan residues.
• Temporary anions. At the crossroads of physics and chemistry, temporary anions are formed when a neutral compound accepts an electron. These are so named because they aren’t stable and lose the electron in a very short time, typically nanoseconds to femtoseconds. Temporary anions play a vital role in the chemistry of the upper atmosphere, in certain laser systems, and in electron-initiated chemistry. Our research seeks to calculate the energies involved and determine how long the electron stays attached.

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Computer Science

• Apps for iPhone & Android. Senior project teams in the Department of Computer Science are developing a range of apps for mobile devices:
  • EventSync is a mobile-first web application designed to help Grove City College students plan and attend customized social gatherings. Users can choose to attend functions that meet their interests or create their own events, inviting others to join in the fun. EventSync aims to simplify the process of social event planning and coordination, enhancing the overall social experience for its users.
  • Orbital Client Hub is a cross-platform mobile app which allows interested executives to quickly see a summary of their company’s ongoing projects with Orbital Engineering. Rather than digging through piles of emails from project managers, users can easily see what percentage of their projects are on schedule or under budget. In addition, locating and diagnosing issues are a breeze with in-depth project searching, filtering, and sorting. Push notifications, alerts linked to projects, and the events calendar keep you up to date with all your Orbital needs!
  • Gex is a cross-platform desktop app that allows engineers at Gecko Robotics to create synthetic data to help automate internal testing. The user can create a virtual surface with various features and run virtual sensors over the surface to gather synthetic data.
  • YADA (Yet Another Data Aggregator) is an open-source data aggregation system designed for use with HVAC systems. Utilizing inexpensive hardware sensors and an intuitive web front-end, technicians and researchers can employ custom python scripts to calculate data values and detect HVAC unit faults in real time.
  • VoteNote is an iPhone application that allows users to collaborate in creating a music playlist for parties, restaurants, or other events. Everyone can add their own songs and vote on their favorites. Popular songs move to the front of the line, so they play earlier. Hosts can choose which genres are allowed, veto songs, and ban users as needed.
  • Child Connect is a web application that helps daycare staff easily track information about their students and forecast future classroom availability. Teachers can access information about their students, such as profile pictures, allergies, adults authorized to pick them up, and emergency notes. Administrators can manage classroom information and enroll new students based on classroom availability.
  • Course Pilot is a web application designed to help new and returning students navigate their semester schedules. Users can create, change, compare, and auto-generate class schedules. Additionally, users can edit an interactive degree report that tracks degree progress, so they can plan for future courses.
  • QwikHR is a Human Resources (HR) web application that allows a manager to post jobs, see all applicants, message applicants, and ultimately hire for their listed jobs. Applicants can see all the active jobs that the manager has created; they can easily apply without a login and will receive a confirmation email upon submitting their application.
• AI in Computer Games. Dr. Dellinger’s students are developing algorithms for waypoint generation in computer games. Video game characters must be able to travel from point A to point B. This can be accomplished by grid maps, mesh navigation, or waypoint algorithms.
• Computer Vision Algorithms. Dr. Wolfe’s research group is working on computer vision algorithms for identifying and tracking ants in their natural habitats. The project is a collaboration between the Departments of Biology, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science.
• Bible Translation Tools. Dr. Dickinson and Dr. Wolfe are working with SIL International on a project to improve the efficiency of translating the Bible into other languages. Automated tools help human translators by suggesting possible translations, but those tools can require substantial computational power to get working for new languages. This project is focused on incorporating more efficient algorithms into SIL’s toolkit, so Bible translators can use the translation tools on common hardware while working in the field. Students Allison Harnly and Jonathan Allarassem have contributed to this ongoing work, learning about statistical machine translation algorithms and working to encode those for use by SIL.
• Visual-Inertial Odometry. Dr. Zhang’s students are working on a new visual-inertial odometry method to utilize the stereo camera input for quadrotor state estimation. With stereo input, the visual scale can be accurately computed, so the initialization process is simplified and yet improved – estimating fewer state variables with an accurate prior scale. In addition, the team investigates the capabilities of deep learning (DL) to identify more distinct and stable visual features for motion tracking.
• Robotic Arm System Design. Dr. Zhang's research team presents a duo of streamlined robotic system concepts: one harnessing the power of a 3D camera and the other leveraging an iPhone. The 3D camera setup brings together computer vision, a robot operating system (ROS), robotic arm movement, and machine learning; it was designed especially for folks delving into AI and robotics, like researchers, teachers, and students. On the flip side, the iPhone-based system involves an app that spots a target object and tells a Raspberry Pi where it is through Bluetooth. The Raspberry Pi then uses a special part to figure out how the robotic arm should move using GCode and a serial cable.
• Spraying System Visualizer. The Spraying System Visualizer is a custom-made web application for Spraying Systems Co. Their salespeople and engineers can quickly create and test virtual models of new AutoJet spraying systems, which will be far more efficient than their current process of making a physical model of every system. The app provides information about the virtual model’s performance, so the engineer can iteratively refine the model, improving the quality of coverage while minimizing waste.

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Engineering

• Fish Hydrodynamics. Dr. Anderson’s students study the hydrodynamics of remora fish (suckerfish). The project is a comparative study of resonance in swimming over various fish species and body lengths. Fish swim in a large water treadmill, or “flume,” and their body curvature and the three-dimensional position of their tail tip and snout are determined in real time. Real time means each tail position is accomplished in less than 1/50th of a second, which is a breakthrough in this field of study. The work has application to novel propulsion systems, marine vehicles, and fish biology.
• Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicle. Dr. Rumbaugh’s students are designing a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to collect data for fisheries’ research in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.
• Underwater 3D Imaging. Time of flight (ToF) cameras are a recently introduced technology for generating 3D images for mapping, modeling, and navigation. ToF cameras are quickly gaining adoption in robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, and cell phones. However, commercially available ToF cameras can’t be used underwater since they rely on infrared light. Since 2019, over 20 students have worked with Dr. Rumbaugh to advance the state of the art in underwater imaging by modifying existing time of flight (ToF) cameras with green laser illuminators that allow for underwater use. Our ECE students have been involved in making key advances in circuit design, optics testing, image processing software, and field deployment. These students have run cameras in the lab, in pools, rivers, and lakes, resulting in student publications at international academic conferences.
• Autonomous Delivery Robot. Dr. Brooks and Dr. Mohr are leading a team of students to design an autonomous delivery robot that can travel across campus. They have developed a prototype consisting of a Bluetooth-controllable mechanical chassis, a Velodyne Lidar sensing system with basic proximity-checking capabilities, a GPS-RTK system for navigation, a Robot Operating System (ROS) software architecture, and the shell of a basic web-based user interface.
• Happy Feet. Dr. Richards and Dr. Buxton have a team of students investigating the acoustic signature of foot strikes during walking and running. The sound signature is correlated to kinematic and kinetic parameters such as average and peak pressure/force, center of pressure/force velocity, and contact time. Sound signatures are analyzed by Dr. Hutchins (Computer Science) through various software platforms and machine learning algorithms. The team plans to capture additional data using a SmartSuit (Rokoko) and analyze it using a biomechanics software package to correlate acoustic signals and kinematic/kinetic phenomena during walking and running.
• RF Propagation. The impact on the ionospheric conditions from space weather (e.g., geomagnetic storms) is a difficult phenomenon to study as it requires datapoints from geographically separate locations. The Ham Science Citizen Investigation (HamSci) project developed by the University of Scranton and Case Western Reserve University seeks to enable this geographically dispersed data collection by providing the design of small radio receivers and a common database to aggregate the data. Grove City students built a GRAPE 1 receiver, configured the system to automatically send data to the HamSci network, and have been exploring the impacts of various space weather events.

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Exercise Science

• Carbohydrate, Glucose Regulation, and Endurance Performance. Dr. Prins’ research program examines how carbohydrate availability, carbohydrate ingestion, glucose regulation, substrate oxidation, exercise economy, and exercise-induced hypoglycemia influence endurance performance. This work challenges long-standing assumptions that high carbohydrate availability is always required for optimal performance and instead examines when, how, and for whom carbohydrate intake may be beneficial. His studies compare low- and high-carbohydrate dietary strategies, evaluate different carbohydrate dosing approaches during prolonged exercise, and use continuous glucose monitoring, indirect calorimetry, metabolic cart analysis, and ¹³C-glucose breath tracer analysis to better understand fuel use, glucose stability, and performance in trained athletes. This research is helping move the field beyond one-size-fits-all fueling recommendations toward more individualized, evidence-based nutrition strategies.
• Low-Carbohydrate and Ketogenic Diets in Athletes. Dr. Prins’ research group studies the safety, efficacy, and performance implications of low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets in trained athletes. This line of work has examined fat oxidation, metabolic flexibility, glucose homeostasis, cardiometabolic health, exercise economy, substrate utilization, and endurance performance during both low- and high-carbohydrate dietary conditions. These studies are helping redefine how scientists, coaches, and practitioners think about the relationship between dietary carbohydrate, metabolic health, and athletic performance.
• Exogenous Ketone Supplementation. Dr. Prins and Dr. Buxton investigate the physiological, metabolic, cognitive, and performance effects of exogenous ketone supplements, including ketone salts, ketone esters, and R-1,3-butanediol products. Their research has examined ketone dose-response effects, acid-base balance, hypoxic exercise physiology, endurance performance, resistance exercise performance, cognitive function, mood, metabolism, hemodynamics, and exercise-induced hypoglycemia. This work is part of a broader effort to understand whether ketone-based strategies can influence human performance, brain energy metabolism, and metabolic regulation.
• Allulose Supplementation and Exercise Metabolism. Dr. Prins and his research team are examining the acute and chronic effects of D-allulose, a rare low-calorie sugar, on exercise metabolism, glycemic control, substrate utilization, muscle glycogen, and endurance performance. Current projects evaluate allulose in resting and exercising conditions, including endurance cycling, half-marathon running, sprint performance, and comparisons with other non-nutritive sweeteners. This work is designed to determine whether allulose has practical value for athletes and for individuals seeking improved glucose regulation without the metabolic effects of traditional sugars.
• Metabolic Health, Training Load, and Real-World Performance. Dr. Prins and collaborators are extending laboratory-based metabolism research into applied sport settings. Current projects examine how habitual carbohydrate intake, insulin resistance, and metabolic health may relate to training volume, intensity distribution, body composition, recovery, injury susceptibility, and performance outcomes in endurance athletes and team-sport athletes. This work includes collaborations using AI-derived endurance training data and professional sport populations.
• Sports Hydration and Performance. Dr. Prins is leading research on novel hydration and electrolyte products designed for endurance exercise, including studies conducted in hot and humid conditions. This work examines hydration status, thermoregulation, thirst, gastrointestinal comfort, blood glucose stability, metabolic responses, and endurance performance. The goal is to determine whether targeted electrolyte strategies can improve performance and physiological regulation without relying on high-carbohydrate formulations.
• Quadrupedal Movement Training. Dr. Buxton studies Quadrupedal Movement Training (QMT), a novel form of exercise in which the hands and feet remain in contact with the ground while the performer moves through dynamic transitions and postures. His team has examined the effects of QMT on flexibility, movement control, muscular endurance, energy expenditure, and muscle activation compared with traditional bodyweight exercises. Ongoing work continues to define the biomechanical and physiological demands of QMT using wearable sensors, motion-capture technology, and applied performance testing.
• Strength, Conditioning, and Tactical Performance. Dr. Gerhart’s students conduct applied research with athlete and tactical populations, including cyclists, firefighters, military personnel, law enforcement, paramedics, EMTs, and other first responders. Their work examines how resistance training, conditioning strategies, and environmental or occupational stressors influence performance, physiology, and job-task readiness.
• Exercise and Cognitive Function. Dr. Ault’s team studies the effects of exercise, exercise intensity, exercise modality, and dietary supplementation on cognitive function and mental health-related outcomes. Current projects examine working memory, reaction time, executive function, spatial processing, and the effects of dietary supplements such as probiotics and nootropic compounds on mood, stress, and cognitive performance.

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Mathematics

• Consensus Theory for Networked Systems. Dr. Drai leads a team of students to investigate applications of Networked Control Systems. These applications include social influence networks, wireless sensor networks, and non-centralized coordination of motion in animals and robotics.
• The Thinking Classroom. Dr. Flanders has been working with the Westinghouse Academy of Pittsburgh Public Schools on implementing The Thinking Classroom and has assisted in the writing of the school improvement plan for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
• Topological Data Analysis. Dr. Jackson leads a team of students who apply topological data analysis (TDA) to find hidden information in data. The team has looked at using TDA to investigate areas including congressional redistricting, musical analysis, patterns in temperature changes, fluid dynamics, and the motion of swimming fish. Most of their work has been focused on data that displays periodicity. In particular, data on the motion of swimming fish has led to the analysis of how using angle measurements and changing the length of the sliding window embedding affects that results.
• Generalized Calkin-Wilf Tree. Dr. Jackson and Jacob Collins have been working on a generalized version of the Calkin-Wilf Tree. This work touches on many areas of mathematics such as Egyptian fractions, automorphism groups, integer sequences, and linear algebra. The original Calkin-Wilf Tree gives a way of enumerating all of the positive rational numbers. The generalized version rather enumerates all pairs of integers that have a greatest common divisor of 1.
• Rating and Ranking Problems. Dr. Drai works with students to study the general problem of rating and ranking n items for which data is available in the form of m pairwise comparisons. This is an important problem originating in the social sciences (voting theory, social choice), sports or ecology (tournaments) and more recently, e-commerce. The main mathematical tool used is the discrete Hodge decomposition which can be derived using only basic graph theory and linear algebra. A more advanced treatment involves algebraic topology and cohomology theory.
• Polytope Number Sequences. Polytope number sequences are created from the geometry of polytopes. These sequences have interesting connections to each other and to a variety of classical combinatorics topics such as binomial coefficients and Eulerian numbers. Students have found patterns in the sequences while working with families of polytopes.
• Non-Euclidean Geometry. Students are studying a new type of non-Euclidean geometry created from exponential and power functions. The students are studying how this new geometry is similar to the standard types of geometry including Euclidean, spherical, and hyperbolic. They are endeavoring to prove theorems to show these relationships.
• Networked Control Systems (NCS). Networked control systems (NCS) are a type of distributed control systems where sensors, actuators, and other devices are interconnected. The study of NCSs is an interdisciplinary research area with applications in many fields like sociology, political science, biology, robotics, and computer science. The students are attempting to formulate and answer precise questions using computer simulations and mathematical reasoning with linear algebra, graph theory, and differential equations.

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Physics

• Nanotechnology. Dr. Wolinski’s students synthesize and characterize nanowires composed of gallium oxide. This wide bandgap semiconductor is the focus of enormous global interest as a material which may be used for the development of high voltage electronic devices. Efforts are also underway to develop experiments to study the Casimir force, a consequence of quantum mechanical fluctuations in the vacuum.
• Pulsating Variable Stars. Dr. Clem leads a team of students to utilize the GCC observatory at Edinboro, PA for imaging and spectroscopic analysis of pulsating variable stars in the Milky Way galaxy. The observatory houses a remotely controlled 20-inch Cassegrain telescope which is used to monitor light fluctuations from variable stars, track and follow near-Earth asteroids, conduct extrasolar planet characterization via transit observations, and determine star cluster ages and distances via multi-band photometric observations.
• Physics Education Research. Dr. Wagner conducts research into how students learn physics and how to better facilitate that learning. She is currently part of a multi-institution collaboration developing a standardized evaluation of student understanding of topics in fluids statics and fluids dynamics. She is also developing a taxonomy of the numerous alternate conceptions about buoyancy identified both in her own research and in other published studies. Results of her work can help instructors identify and understand the difficulties faced by their students, and to test the efficacy of pedagogical interventions.

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