MEET THE 2023 LUMEN PRIZE SCHOLARS

15 students were selected to receive

$20,000 for research

Abigail Hobbs

Managing Editor of The Pendulum | @abigaillhobbss

Every year, 15 rising juniors win $20,000 for research and scholarship through the Lumen Prize. Established in 2007 by former Elon University President Leo Lambert, the goal of the Lumen Prize is to give students an opportunity to pursue research and support other experiences such as international travel, service projects and workshops. For the next two years, the Lumen Scholars will work closely with their mentors to complete their research.

Lauren Beuerle

Project: Mathematical Modeling of COVID-19

Transmission with Focus on Asymptomatic Carriers and Vaccination Schedules

Mentor: Karen Yokley

“I’m very passionate about it because I’ve wanted to do this since COVID happened. … I find it incredibly interesting.”

Coral Clark

Project: Silenced and Sidelined: Examining the Intersectional Impact of Ableism and Racism on Maternal Health Mentor: Yanica Faustin

“This research means a lot to me because it’s studying a population that I’m a part of. … I’m looking forward to actually be able to analyze the data and bring some answers to people.”

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Gabby Conover

Project: Interactions Between the Blood Brain Barrier and the Gut-Brain-Axis and its Impact on Brain Development and Behavior in Zebrafish

Mentor: Jen Uno

I’ve always been a really curious person and fascinated by the way the world around me works.”

Ryan Gibbons

Project: Soil Carbon Sequestration in Elon

Forest: Role of Past Land Use, Forest Age, and Landscape and Soil Characteristics

Mentor: Kelsey Bitting

“I value the world we live in, and I value the both natural beauty and the resources that it gives us so that we can live as society.”

Samantha Hinton

Project: Service Provider Perspectives on Barriers to Healthcare Utilization of Latinx Immigrants in Post-ICE Alamance County

Mentor: Molly Green

“This project is really, really close to my heart. My goal as a researcher and as a person is to make a tangible difference in the world around me, and I feel like this project will give me the ability to really make a difference in people’s lives.”

Olivia Lancashire

Project: Intersections Between Christian Ideas of Hell and Religious Trauma

Mentor: Lynn Huber

“I’m really passionate about kind of helping people that adopted this topic in early age, because I can’t imagine what even just experienced on a small scale how that would kind of translate on a much larger scale.”

Corey Mccall

Project: Assessing the Effects of COVID and the COVID Vaccine on the Cardiac Health of the General Population: A Heart Rate Variability Study

Mentor: Robert Vick

“I actually was diagnosed with myocarditis in February so the project became really personal after that, taking on like a whole different meaning because the way it started and the way it is now is completely different.”

Sam Perri

Project: Shedding Light on the Surface Composition of Aqueous Aerosols

Mentor: Anthony Rizzuto

“This research is an incredible opportunity to just get started in the whole world of research because it is a huge world and so many moving pieces and it’s a big part of my future, I know already. So it’s also an amazing opportunity to take ownership of my own project and call the shots.”

Bailey Reutinger

Project: Increasing the Accuracy of TreeRing Data Processing to Improve Models for Predicting Future Climate

Mentor: Nicholas Bussberg and David Vandermast

“I’ve known I want to do research for quite a while. ... I think a few of the things that I’m really looking forward to are like some supplemental activities, like experiences and coursework.”

Aniya Scott

Project: Centering the Black Community in the Pittsboro, N.C. Water Crisis

Mentor: Jessica Merricks

“This project actually means a lot to me because I do identify as a member of that community, so knowing that I am actually giving back to them and helping them in terms of their health is something that really brings joy.”

Henry Searle

Project: Who Is Being Real Versus Who Is Not: Correlates, Cues, and Accuracy of Perceptions of Others’ Authenticity

Mentor: Katrina Jongman-Sereno

“I’ve had a kind of a complex relationship with authenticity, never really understanding. People always say, ‘Be authentic, be yourself.’ That’s what people are looking for. But no one ever says what that means.”

Jackson Spaeth

Project: Intercropping as a Method to Reduce the Concentration of Toxic Metals in Cash Crops

Mentor: Dan Wright

“I wanted to study this because chemistry was really intimidating to me at first ... I decided to focus on this project because it’s the chemical analysis of a biological system.”

Christina Stafford

Project: Abolition in the Modern U.S.: Media and Identity Influence on Perceptions of Prison Abolition

Mentor: Jessica Carew

“I really want to be able to take this research back to my community. ... We can help to better inform other people and hopefully move towards progress.”

Carter Stoke

Project: Exploring the Power of Theacrine: Assessing the Impact of High Theacrine Doses on Hemodynamic Measures, Cognitive Measures, and Physiological Stress

Mentor: Titch Madzima

“It’s a really just an opportunity for me to get a step into the research field, I’m really excited about it.”

ARCHIE Z.H. TAN

Project: Improving Early Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer with Synthetic Data

Mentor: Scott Spurlock

“It’s a great start of my research journal. I think my research will be very helpful and useful, especially to the computer science field, like people can start realize the power of synthetic data.”