SHIPPENSBURG, Tuesday, Dec. 6 –Twenty-one students from the Shippensburg University Honors Program have received grants to support their undergraduate research and creative projects during the 2011-2012 academic year. The university’s Institute for Public Service recently announced that $11,395 would be awarded to Honors Program students.

Shippensburg University?s Undergraduate Research Grants Program provides financial support to undergraduate students for research or scholarly activities related to their programs of study to enable them to better understand the scientific process, experience discovery, and develop their analytical and communication skills.

The students’ undergraduate research and creative projects span a variety of fields, including elementary and secondary education, psychology, history, English, economics, exercise science, mathematics, physics, and biology, and will take multiple forms, including laboratory research, field work, and artistic projects. Funding is provided by the Shippensburg University Foundation.

“The students who have received grants submitted outstanding proposals,” said Dr. Kim Klein, director of the Honors Program. “One of the Honors Program’s most important goals is to expand our students’ intellectual horizons beyond the classroom by promoting participation in undergraduate research and creative projects, and these grants will allow our students to delve into areas of specialized study.”

The Honors Program grant recipients include:

Benjamin Carlucci, a senior biology secondary education major from Williamsport, $520, “Evaluating the Health of Letterkenny Army Depot Deer through Organ Analysis,” to research organs harvested from deer hunted near the Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, PA.

Elisabeth Davis, a senior history major and French minor from Chambersburg, $100, “The Great and Venerable Woman: A Study of Early Medieval Sanctity and Womanhood,” to analyze how the ideal of the Virgin Mary influenced the lives of early French saints and the Merovingian queen, Bathilidis.

Jessica Espenshade, a senior biology major and German minor from Lancaster, $440, “Presence of Strongyloides robustus in Sciurid in South Central Pennsylvania,” to research the deadly parasite Strongyloides robustus, which is found in the intestinal tract of squirrels. She intends to determine the presence of this parasite in gray, fox, red, and flying squirrels near Shippensburg University in order to develop a baseline for future conservation efforts.

Megan Fick, a sophomore elementary education major from Greensburg, $480, “Community Connection Oral History Project” to edit a book composed of student essays about members of the Franklin County Literacy Center.

Joshua Fink, a senior biology major with a health professions concentration from Shippensburg, $1,140, “Identification and Characterization of Antimicrobial Resistant Xanthomonas and Related Species,” to determine if plant pathogenic bacteria, such as Xanthomonas, are becoming resistant to copper-based bactericides used at six local stone fruit orchards.

Eric Hofmann, a senior biology secondary education major and coaching minor from Hartleton, $550, “Design and Evaluation of a Forensic Science Classroom Activity Using the Methodologies of Project-Based, Cooperative, and Inquiry Based Learning,” to design a simulated crime scene for local high school students to evaluate the effectiveness of hands-on learning.

Olivia Hunt, a freshman psychology major from Palmyra, $225, “New Type of Single Mothers Defying Stereotypes in Appalachia,” to study the types and impact of stereotypes that women in Appalachian Pennsylvania face.

Luther Scott Karper Jr., a senior history major and philosophy minor from Shippensburg, $320, “Torpid and Forgetful of War: The Evolution of the Roman Aristocracy,” to study the development of aristocratic Roman mores and the manner in which these changes influenced Roman history and political structures.

Kelsey Mengle, a freshman chemistry major from Carlisle, $105, “Creating Sets Out of Prime Factorizations,” to create a system that will allow a new proof structure in number theory.

Abigail Montler, a senior elementary education major and Spanish minor from State College, $750, “Classroom Management: Training Pre-service Teachers from Theory to Practice,” to design a manual of best classroom management practices, which she will share with teachers at an elementary school that serves low-income children in the Dominican Republic. She will also design a workshop for Shippensburg University education students based on her research.

Megan Moore, a senior biology major and biochemistry minor from Carlisle, and Laura Nelson, a senior biology major with a pre-health/veterinary concentration from Brodheadsville, $316 each, “Prevalence of Arcanobacterium pyogenes in the White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Population at Letter Kenny Army Depot, Chambersburg, PA,” to research the frequency of this bacteria in deer at Letter Kenny Army Depot.

Julia Saintz, a freshmen history major from Boiling Springs, $415, “Ethical Consumerism in the Appalachia Area,” to research fair trade and how citizens can support its ethical practices.

Rachel Sieke, a senior psychology major from Lewisberry, $530, “Assessment of Self-Efficacy and Recovery in Peer Specialists,” to examine the relationship between peer specialists? confidence in their jobs as well as their own recovery.

Luke Strawser, a sophomore history education major from Port Royal, $680, “In Memoriam: Investigating an Unidentified Civil War Gravestone in Juniata County,” to research the only grave of an unidentified Civil War soldier in Juniata County, PA.

Addy Virtus, a senior psychology major from Shippensburg, $625, “Feedback Seeking and Giving in Relationships,” to study how communication in relationships changes across gender and attachment styles.

The Honors Program at Shippensburg University provides an outstanding undergraduate experience that emphasizes scholarship, leadership, and service. The program includes 175 students who are selected based on academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, and evidence of leadership and civic engagement. Students benefit from small classes, outstanding instruction, exciting research, study abroad, and internship opportunities, and Honors recreational and cultural activities. For more information, visit http://www.ship.edu/honors.