Penn State Harrisburg grows Research Experience for Undergraduates initiative

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg’s Office of Research and Outreach has provided funding to support 12 undergraduate research projects, involving 21 students, during the 2024-25 academic year, through an initiative designed to support and grow undergraduate research opportunities on campus. 

Students participating in the "Research Experiences for Undergraduates" have the opportunity to gain practical experience in research, scholarship or artistic efforts through the program. The students, supervised by one or more faculty members, design their own research problems, prepare study proposals and present their findings during the poster presentation session at Penn State Harrisburg's Research and Discovery Day in April. 

“We are excited that this new initiative allows us to provide more opportunities for undergraduate students to conduct impactful research,” said Sharareh “Sherri” Kermanshachi, vice chancellor for research and outreach at Penn State Harrisburg. “With the mentorship of our faculty, students are addressing real world challenges and we look forward to seeing their projects progress.”  

The students and their projects are: 

• Ilianna Valentin and Nicole Rosario-Flores – “Accuracy and Efficiency in Threat Intelligence in Homeland Security: The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Tools in Threat Detection” 

  • Faculty member: Christopher Dolan, assistant teaching professor of homeland security and public policy 

• Ananya Ananthnarayan Iyer – “Exploring the Electrical Resistance of Play-Doh” 

  • Faculty member: Steven Carabello, associate teaching professor of physics 

• Ielon Raykhelson – “Enhancing Intrusion Detection Systems: Integrating Generative AI Techniques for Improved Cybersecurity” 

  • Faculty member: Bimal Ghimire, assistant professor of computer science 

• Dessire Amaya, Angela Deras, Angela Patterson, Makayla Smith and Victoria McQueen – “Police appearance policies in the United States” 

  • Faculty members: Jennifer Gibbs, associate professor of criminal justice, and Siyu Liu, associate professor of criminal justice 

• Matthew Rice – “Data-Driven Strategies to Impact Socioeconomic, Health, and Environmental Decision-Making” 

  • Faculty member: Rukayya Ibrahim, assistant professor of mathematical sciences 

• Khushi Patel – “Effectiveness of Artificial Intelligence Algorithms for Common Insect Bite Detection across Diverse Skin Types” 

  • Faculty members: Md Faisal Kabir, assistant professor of computer science, and John Dougherty, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Penn State College of Medicine 

• Yeganeh Abdollahinejad – “Optimizing Efficiency in Non-Profit Public Hospitals in Pennsylvania: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach on Healthcare” 

  • Faculty member: Dariush Khezrimotlagh, associate professor of mathematical sciences 

• Amaya Betancourt, Sanchari Das, and Rylee Elizabeth Martinez – “Communication and de-escalation training in police academies” 

  • Faculty members: Siyu Liu, associate professor of criminal justice, and Jennifer Gibbs, associate professor of criminal justice 

• Zachary Rusnak – “A Foundation for Studying Medical Cannabis Dispensary Access in Pennsylvania” 

  • Faculty member: Daniel Mallinson, associate professor of public policy and administration 

• Abena Brantuo, Tiffany Zheng and Razan Hassan – “Using bivalent tacrines as molecular structural probes to assess selective sensitivity of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in arthropods” 

  • Faculty members: James Mutunga, assistant professor of biology, Nik Tsotakos, assistant professor of biology, and Joseph Mitchell Spear, research project manager 

• Anmol Garg – “NeuroAdaptive VR (NAVR): A Personalized Approach to Improve Peer Interaction of Youth Using Virtual Reality and Biofeedback” 

  • Faculty members: Sayed Mohsin Reza, assistant professor of computer science, and Dara Babinski, assistant professor of psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine 

• Rizzie Lu – “Real-Time Energy Optimization Framework for a Community of Smart Solar Homes” 

  • Faculty members: Md Habib Ullah, assistant professor of electrical engineering, and Sayed Mohsin Reza, assistant professor of computer science