Our CURE Grants
The program is organized in cohorts, a structural strategy that allows for quick program expansion and scalability. A new cohort is recruited each year from faculty applications. Faculty participating in a STEM-CURE cohort are responsible for the design, implementation, and expansion of their CUREs. Additionally, faculty act as mentors for the next cohort. There will be a total five cohorts over the course of the grant.
Cohort IV Grantees 2022-2023
Mesa Community College
Disparities in urban tree cover in Mesa, AZ - Studies show that socioeconomic status and race can both affect the number of trees in neighborhoods and parks. Students will help document urban trees in areas near the college.
Grantee - Sean Whitcomb
COURSE- Environmental Biology, BIO105
Phoenix College
How population growth and climate change impact the current and future availability of the water supply in Phoenix - student will analyze the past and present water data. Groundwater and surface water levels will be plotted against population growth to understand the effects of human water demands on water supply.
Grantee - Abdeer Hamdan
COURSE- Introduction to Geology, GLG101
Phoenix College
Climate change mitigation research - students will collect, model, and analyze data related to the albedo factor of materials and/or blackbody radiation on the Phoenix College campus or in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Grantee - Emily Bogusch
COURSE- Introduction to Physics, PHY101
Cohort III Grantees 2021-2022
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Evaluating Local Environmental Quality to Understand Climate Change Effects CURE
Grantee - Jacqueline Cala
COURSE- Biology Concepts, BIO 100
Mesa Community College
Creating an opportunity for Chemistry students to connect and apply their knowledge of competency-based lab techniques to real-world problem analyses CURE - in this CURE students will analyze soil samples from the Navajo nation to look for contaminants in the soil that could disrupt plant growth and affect human health.
Grantee - Asmita Kane
COURSE- General Chemistry, CHM 151
GateWay Community College
Isolation and identification of microbes around drought-tolerant plant roots (rhizosphere microbes) CURE - in this CURE students will identify the bacterial and fungal species present around the roots sampled and share that information with agricultural partners.
Grantee - Saroj Chirravuri
COURSE- Microbiology, BIO 205
Pollinator Diversity in Urban Habitats CURE
Grantee - Jennifer Foltz-Sweat
COURSE- Introductory Biology for Allied Health, BIO 156
Phoenix College
Do Photography Mentoring Programs Build Resilience in Adolescents CURE
Grantee - Anndee Rickey
COURSE- Introduction to Psychology, PSY 101
Cohort II Grantees 2020-2021
Estrella Mountain Community College
Crime Modeling CURE: Mathematical Models of Crime in Phoenix Metro
Grantee - Filippo Posta
COURSE- Elementary Linear Algebra, MAT 225
Glendale Community College
Honeybee CURE: The effects of diet on the honey bee gut microbiome
Grantee - Nicholas Baker
COURSE- General Biology (Majors) I, BIO 181
Mesa Community College
Microbiome Research CURE: a study of the microbial gut community of the lower termites as a model for microbiome research
Grantee - Francesca De Martini
COURSE- General Biology (Majors) I, BIO 181
Chandler Gilbert Community College
Energy Analysis CURE: Utilizing steam turbine diagnostics data to find anomalies and model more efficient solutions to meet the needs of an energy industry partner
Grantee - Arlisa Richardson
COURSE- General Physics I, PHY 111
GateWay Community College
Bat Ecology CURE: Ecology and seasonal diet variation in urban bats
Grantee - Herb Wildey
COURSE- General Biology (Majors) II, BIO 182
South Mountain Community College
Drought Tolerance in Desert Plants CURE: Kinetic characterization of betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase (BADH) from desert plants
Grantee -Chelsea McIntosh
COURSE- General Chemistry II, CHM 152LL
Cohort I Grantees 2019-2020
Phoenix College
Wastewater Treatment CURE
Grantee - Robin Cotter
COURSE- Microbiology, BIO 205
CURE Description- Students test for the presence of E.coli, Pseudomonas species, nitrates and microplastics at each stage of the wastewater treatment process using FTIR and 16S gene sequencing. Students will then test hypotheses relating to the biodegradation of microplastics and the conditions in which Pseudomonas species can enhance the wastewater treatment process.
Phoenix College
Short Blood Sample CURE
Grantee - Anna Marti-Subirana
COURSE- General Biology (Majors) I, BIO 181
CURE Description- Short blood samples often render inaccurate results, but may be the only option when it is difficult to draw enough blood from patients. This CURE will test if short samples produce inaccurate Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) results. Students will collect, process, and test blood samples (standard and short) for BMP analytes and determine the minimum number of samples required to produce significant results.
Phoenix College
Zoo Plant Collection Showcase CURE
Grantee - Elena Ortiz
COURSE- Plants and Society, BIO 108
CURE Description-Students will develop a scope of work for an interactive map of the interesting plants of the Phoenix Zoo. Students will create interactive map prototypes that are compliant with zoo standards and ADA regulations and present their interactive maps and the pros and cons of different map creation services to the Phoenix Zoo.
Phoenix College
AZ Water and Air Data Mining CURE
Grantee - Frank Marfai
COURSE- Elements of Statistics, MAT 206
CURE Description- Students utilize public data sets from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the Department of Health Services (AZDHS) to identify patterns across data sets. Students will be looking at issues such as the distribution of ozone, impact of uncontrolled burns on air quality, PFAS (chemicals found in Teflon and many other products), arsenic in water, and look for relationships with public health data.
