Japanese Garden on the campus of SIU Carbondale.

April 09, 2026

SIU Carbondale students earn Thrasher undergraduate research awards

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Seven Southern Illinois University Carbondale undergraduate students are receiving Susan C. Thrasher Undergraduate Research Fund awards to work with a faculty mentor on a research project during 2026-2027 academic year.

Sponsored by SIU Carbondale’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, the award supports research or creative activities under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students receive a cash award credited to their SIU statement when the activities and research are completed – including presenting their work at the spring 2027 Creative Activities and Research Presentations.

This is the second year for the undergraduate research award honoring 1976 SIU Carbondale economics alumna Susan Thrasher.

Award winners, their majors, and general description of their projects:

  • Anneliese Brower, undergraduate second year, geology, will work with Liliana Lefticariu, professor, School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, on “The influence of rock substrate on the microbial community survival under Mars-analogue toxins.”
  • Journey Mowery, undergraduate third year, elementary education with a minor in child and family services, will work with Lingguo Bu, professor, School of Education, on a project examining how 3D-designed and 3D-printed mathematical models can support K-8 mathematics learning.
  • Elijah Neitzel, undergraduate second year, biology with a pre-medicine focus will work with Laxmi Sagwan-Barkdoll, assistant professor of practice, School of Biological Sciences, on “Determining the role of second sphere residues in the activity of watermelon malate dehydrogenase.”
  • Gil Powers, undergraduate fourth year, electrical and computer engineering, will work with Haibo Wang, professor, School of Electrical, Computer, and Biological Engineering, on “Enhancing IoT security using power rising and descending signatures (PRIDES) and transformer-based signature analysis.”
  • Sidney Raymer, undergraduate third year, geography and environmental resources, with minors in environmental science and political science, will work with Justin Schoof, professor, School of Earth Systems and Sustainability, on “Measurement and analysis of the urban heat island effect in Carbondale Illinois.”
  • Jessi Rudloff, undergraduate second year, mechanical engineering, will work with Lichang Wang, professor, School of Chemical and Biomolecular Sciences on “Studies of functionalization of a 2,7-di-(N,N-diphenylamino)-9,9-dimethyl-9H-fluorene derivative (DDFy) on its electronic properties for solar cell and luminescence sensor applications.”
  • Lillian Schuler, undergraduate third year, physiology, will work with Nafisa Jadavji, assistant professor, biomedical sciences-School of Medicine-Carbondale, on “Evaluating the impact of increasing dietary intake of vitamin B12 on ischemic stroke outcomes.”