![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2019\/04\/UCF-Research-1-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBY NICOLE DUDENHOEFER ’17<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Several of the 22 undergraduate students who received the\u00a02019 Order of the Pegasus<\/a>\u00a0award,\u00a0the university\u2019s highest student honor, have participated in research during their time at UCF. This year\u2019s Pegasus award honorees marks one of the most active classes to be involved in undergraduate research, says\u00a0Aubrey Kuperman \u201913<\/strong>, assistant director for the\u00a0Office of Undergraduate Research<\/a>.<\/p>\n With interests spanning from environmental from health issues, some of this year\u2019s Order of the Pegasus students share details on their research work:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201c<\/strong>More than anything, [research] has showed me that through resiliency, passion and education we truly do have the ability to create real positive change in the world around us.\u201d \u2013 Julia Carlin, biology student<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Major:\u00a0<\/strong>Biology<\/a> \u201c<\/strong>More than anything, [research] has showed me that through resiliency, passion and education we truly do have the ability to create real positive change in the world around us,\u201d Carlin says.<\/p>\n \u201cOverall ,[because of research] I feel I am a better communicator and scholar.\u201d \u2013 Yanelis Diaz, health services administration and biology student<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Major:\u00a0<\/strong>Health services administration<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0biology\u00a0<\/a> \u201c[Research has taught me] how to disseminate complex information to all kinds of populations and mentor others with their own\u00a0approaches to research\u00a0interests. Overall, I feel I am a better communicator and scholar,\u201d Diaz says.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing accepted to the Honors College and LEAD Scholars Academy before making my college decision made me feel like I already had a place on campus.\u201d \u2013 Zach Good \u201918, political science student<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Major:\u00a0<\/strong>Political science<\/a> \u201cI came to UCF because I felt more established here than at any other institution. Being accepted to the Honors College and LEAD Scholars Academy before making my college decision made me feel like I already had a place on campus,\u201d Good says.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t thank UCF and its faculty enough for my success.\u201d \u2013 Adam Searles, biology student<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Major:\u00a0<\/strong>Biology<\/a> \u201cFrom my time in the UCF biology department, NOAA and the FWC, I\u2019ve gained an invaluable network of friends and fellow scientists. These types of personal networks are essential to scientific collaboration and I know will be invaluable in the future. I can\u2019t thank UCF and its faculty enough for my success,\u201d Searles says.<\/p>\n \u201cMy involvement in research has been the backbone for much of my growth during my undergraduate years.\u201d \u2013 Mansoor Qureshi, biomedical sciences student<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Major:\u00a0<\/strong>Biomedical sciences<\/a> After attending the\u00a0Summer Research Academy<\/a>\u00a0following his freshman year, Orlando native Mansoor Qureshi gained the knowledge needed to begin exploring research \u2013 and he even returned to the program to serve as a mentor last summer. Qureshi \u00a0has worked with medicine Associate Professor Mohatshem Samsam on studying how pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments can be used to improve quality of life in patients with migraine headaches. As a Burnett Honors Scholar, the\u00a0Office of Honors Research<\/a>has helped him by offering guidance and workshops on the process of writing a thesis. Although his work is still in the early stages, he has presented at the Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence.<\/p>\n \u201cMy involvement in research has been the backbone for much of my growth during my undergraduate years. I have learned the importance of persistence, even when results don\u2019t match our initial predictions. Failure is an essential prerequisite for progress, because our failures allow us to adjust our approach and continue moving forward,\u201d Qureshi says.<\/p>\n \u201cI have gained critical-thinking skills [through research] that have helped me to apply my knowledge outside of my classes.\u201d \u2013 Maria Bower, environmental engineering<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Major:\u00a0<\/strong>Environmental engineering<\/a> \u201cI have gained critical-thinking skills [through research] that have helped me to apply my knowledge outside of my classes. I have learned how to communicate my research in an understandable way, and I have also connected with other researchers both in my field and in other fields,\u201d Bower says.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nJulia Carlin<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nResearch interest:\u00a0<\/strong>Conservation and veterinary medicine; identifying and quantifying plastic pollution in birds of prey.
\nGraduation year:\u00a0<\/strong>2019
\nOriginally from Wellington, Florida, Julia Carlin aspires to be a conservation veterinarian. To gain experience in the field,\u00a0she serves as president for UCF\u2019s Pre-veterinary Society.This position allowed her to connect with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland to conduct her research. Carlin\u2019s research has opened up opportunities for her to present at the Florida Wildlife Rehabilitators Association Symposium and become a national scholar with the American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association. She\u2019s also won scholarships and UCF\u2019s Distinguished Undergraduate Researcher Award. The\u00a0Burnett Honors Scholar<\/a>\u00a0says she believes her research work also played a major role in her acceptance to the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, where she was one of 20 students to be accepted this year.<\/p>\nYanelis Diaz<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nResearch interest:\u00a0<\/strong>Global health; understanding how universal insurance coverage impacts health outcomes and urbanization\u2019s effect on disease prevalence.
\nGraduation year:\u00a0<\/strong>2019
\nYanelis Diaz came to UCF from Miami to gain access to opportunities that would allow her to create an impact. Her interest in research developed after working on an honors in the major thesis for her health services administration degree with\u00a0health management and informatics<\/a>\u00a0Assistant Professor Latarsha Chisholm. Under\u00a0medicine<\/a>\u00a0Associate Professor Mohatshem Samsam, the Burnett Honors Scholar has worked with a Global Medical Brigades research team. In August, Diaz will travel to Ghana to further her research by conducting lifestyle and health metrics surveys.<\/p>\nZach Good \u201918<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nResearch interest:\u00a0<\/strong>Political science and ecology
\nGraduation year:\u00a0<\/strong>2018
\nBefore North Carolina native Zach Good came to UCF, he already established connections that made him feel like he could make an impact. In 2017, the Burnett Honors Scholar joined the Political Ecology Lab under global environmental politics and sustainability Professor Peter Jacques. Good\u2019s research\u00a0project focused on the values debated in the opening of the\u00a0Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for oil development.\u00a0Since graduating in December with a degree in political science, he has relocated to Tallahassee to complete a Florida Gubernatorial Fellowship with the state government.<\/p>\nAdam Searles<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nResearch interest:\u00a0<\/strong>Marine and coastal life; oyster reef ecosystems
\nGraduation year:\u00a0<\/strong>2019
\nGrowing up in Palm Bay, Adam Searles spent a lot of time outside, which is when he says he fell in love with marine ecosystems. He came to UCF for access to opportunities to learn about and help solve environment issues in the Indian River Lagoon. As a first-year student, the Burnett Honors Scholar reached out to\u00a0biology<\/a>\u00a0Assistant Professor Geoffrey Cook and has worked with him since on various projects. He also credits the Office of Undergraduate Research with helping him to secure grants and fellowships for his work. Searles\u2019 work has been used to inform resource managers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. His research has also earned him awards at the Indian River Lagoon Symposium and the SHORE conference and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hollings scholarship.<\/p>\nMansoor Qureshi<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nResearch interest:\u00a0<\/strong>Health; migraine headaches
\nGraduation year:\u00a0<\/strong>2019<\/p>\nMaria Bower<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nResearch interest:\u00a0<\/strong>Coastal; evaluating when tidal flooding will occur in different places globally.
\nGraduation year:\u00a0<\/strong>2020
\nTampa native Maria Bower knew she wanted to be involved in research as an undergraduate, so she reached out to the Office of Undergraduate Research to find the right field to explore. The department helped connect her to Thomas Wahl, a\u00a0civil engineering<\/a>\u00a0assistant professor and\u00a0coastal engineer<\/a>\u00a0at the university. Bower also participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and\u00a0Burnett Research Scholars<\/a>\u00a0program, and presented at the American Geophysical Union 2018 fall meeting and the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference.<\/p>\n