2026 Summer Research Faculty
Dr Michael Vansco– High School student only
We are exploring the reactivity of short-lived chemical intermediates, which are molecules that exist for only fractions of a second but play crucial roles in shaping the chemistry of complex environments. These include Earth’s and other planetary atmospheres, combustion systems, and biological pathways. Our overarching goal is to uncover the fundamental nature of chemical reactions while tackling exciting questions like:
- How are pollutants formed and transformed in the atmosphere?
- What impact do these pollutants have on human health?
- How might early biomolecules, the building blocks of life, have formed?
As a student researcher, you’ll choose a specific reactive intermediate that is of interest to you, perform electronic structure calculations to understand its reactivity, and participate in setting up a pump-probe laser experiment to generate and study reactive intermediates. You’ll also have the chance to collaborate with scientists at Department of Energy National Laboratories and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory by analyzing data from complementary experiments.
______________________________________________
Dr Megan Cevasco– (High school and undergraduates)
Write up coming soon.
Dr. Charlotte Wentz– (High school and undergraduates)
Synthesis and Characterization of Biobased Copolymers with Programmable Degradation Triggers for On-Demand Drug Release
The core of this project is to synthesize novel block copolymers and investigate how its structure impacts thermal properties and degradation behavior. The insights gained from this investigation will inform the application of these materials in medical plastics, implants, or drug release systems. Moreover, finding a more sustainable and functional route for these commodity plastics is a much-needed effort. In relation to surgical implants, historically, they require a second surgery for removal. However, biodegradable polymers, such as poly (lactic acid) (PLA), are being developed for implants and drug delivery to eliminate this need. While PLA is a promising material, it suffers from several limitations, including brittleness, slow degradation, and an often-uncontrolled drug release profile (known as “burst release”). A promising avenue to overcome these issues is to combine PLA with a second polymer that is less crystalline to provide flexibility and degrades, releases the encapsulated drug, in a more targetable fashion. This work is based on combining two separate polymers, each with unique properties, to create a new material with ideal behaviors for specific biomedical applications as described above. This particular combination of polymers has yet to be fully explored in a systematic way.
Dr Chiara Gamberi– (High school and undergraduates)
Defining Developmental Network of Disease
Genetic mutations affect the product of the mutated gene and at the same time they perturb the interaction network centered on such gene product. Depending on the type of mutation, mild or severe phenotypes (symptoms in humans) may develop. Thus, human diseases typically display constellations of symptoms. Incurable, PKD affects 12.5 million people globally. PKD causes progressive loss of function and non-malignant neoplastic cell growth of the renal tubule, damage of nearby renal tissues, and in most patients eventual kidney failure, dialysis or transplantation by the fifth decade of life. We have established the first Drosophila model of polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in the (Bicaudal C) BicC mutant flies. Found from human to fruit flies, BicC is central to a cellular network that establishes polarity of the fly oocyte and embryo, and it is key to maintain function of the renal tubule in flies and vertebrates. We use a two-pronged approach to defining the BicC network through discovery of its genetic and chemical modifiers: a genetic modifier screen using the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) is yielding the BicC genetic modifiers and mapping nodes of the BicC network, while our drug testing platform highlights BicC chemical modifiers and cyst-reducing molecules as potential PKD drug candidates. Students engaged in this research program become proficient in genetics, molecular biology, and disease modeling while advancing knowledge on incurable disease. This is the only model system in which these studies are possible.
Dr Paul E. Richardson– (High school and undergraduates)
CCU Disease Hunters
The CCU Disease Hunters are a dedicated research team comprised of undergraduate students from Coastal Carolina University with diverse academic backgrounds, including Biology, Biochemistry, Marine Science, Sustainability, and Statistics. The team utilizes advanced genomic techniques to identify and combat diseases that pose significant threats to society. Many of their projects are initiated through collaborations with community partners seeking assistance with disease control in their workplaces. The team has achieved remarkable success, with many students publishing their findings in peer-reviewed scientific journals and earning a multitude of research awards at scientific conferences. Notably, two of their members have been honored with the award for outstanding undergraduate research student in the state of South Carolina. The three project that will be conducted this summer are below and detailed write ups can be read in the PDF documents.
Coastal Carolina University's INBRE Program 