Two University of Arkansas at Fayetteville students from Jefferson County recently received fellowships from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
Courtney Hunter from Pine Bluff and Kristen Kent from White Hall each received a State Undergraduate Research Fellowship to complete ongoing research projects.
Hunter, the daughter of Jeff and Lisa Hunter, is an honors biomedical engineering student in the College of Engineering. She will use the fellowship to complete a research project entitled, “A Light Sheet Confocal Microscope with an Electronically Controlled Scanning Stage: Considerations for Image Cytometry.” Her research mentor is Timothy Muldoon, assistant professor of biomedical engineering.
“It was such an honor to receive the SURF grant,” Hunter said. “I could not have accomplished this without the help of Dr. Muldoon, my mentor, and Josh Hutcheson, the graduate student I work with. I am excited to continue my research with this grant.”
Kent is the daughter of Jimmie Don and Christine McKissack. Kent is an honors biochemistry and anthropology major in the Fulbright College. She will use the fellowship to complete a research project entitled, “Synthesis of Heteroaryl Ketones for Potential Use in Novel Antifungals.” Her research mentor is Matt McIntosh, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
“I am honored to have been awarded this SURF grant because of the opportunity it represents in allowing for the continuation of my research,” said Kent. “My mentor, Dr. Matt McIntosh, and I are quite excited about the prospect of the environmentally friendly route of producing antifungals on which my project focuses.”