The highly selective program is a joint project of the Council for Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship (CURCS) and the Center for Academic and Global Engagement that's designed to give undergraduate students experience conducting a scholarly research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Students applied to participate in the program during the early spring semester and went through a rigorous application review and interview process before being selected as a U. Discover Scholar. As part of the program, the scholars meet bi-weekly as a group for lunch hour presentations on various topics related to conducting research and creative scholarship.

Summer 2015 U. Discover Scholars and their faculty sponsors include:

  • Rebecca Froelich, a fine arts major from Vermillion, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Shane Semmler;
  • Johnathan Susemihl, an anthropology major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Samuel Herley;
  • Thayme Watson, a history and political science major from Brookings, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Donald Dahlin;
  • Austin Fritza, a chemistry major from South Sioux City, Nebraska, and faculty mentor Grigoriy Sereda;
  • Lauren Cass, a chemistry major from Medina, Minnesota, and faculty mentor Evelyn Schlenker;
  • Mitchell Wagner, a marketing major from Millbank, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Jing Liu;
  • Kayla Wyffels, a marketing major from Marshall, Minnesota, and faculty mentor William Jones;
  • Thorn Dramstad, a chemistry major from Huron, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Ranjit Koodali;
  • Jose Martin Munoz, a political science and international studies major from Mitchell, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Eric Jepsen;
  • Emily Roberson, a sustainability and anthropology major from Tyndall, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Meghann Jarchow;
  • Rachel Johannsen, a biology major from Milbank, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Jacob Kerby;
  • Shelby Huber, a contemporary media & journalism major from Freeman, South Dakota, and faculty mentor Teddi Joyce;
  • Chelsea Campbell, an English major from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and faculty member Darlene Farabee.

Among the project topics: "Shakespeare in the 19th Century South Dakota"; "Peru and Colombia: Civil-Military Relations in War and Post-War Contexts (1990-2012)"; and "Brand Names vs. Brand Mascots: Studying Gender Responses in Brand Extensions."

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Hanna DeLange
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