From left to right, HPU students Bryce Smith, Bennett Kirby, Gabriana del Vecchio and Alex Laughrey with Dr. Brad Barlow, associate professor of astrophysics, at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
HIGH POINT, N.C., July 3, 2023 – Members of the High Point University community frequently conduct, publish and share research and creative works in a variety of ways. Below is a recap of recent initiatives that reflect HPU’s commitment to academic excellence.
NSF Grant Supports HPU Students at National Astronomy Conference
Four HPU students and Dr. Brad Barlow, associate professor of astrophysics, presented research at the 242nd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 5-8. Their trip was funded through a nearly $350,000 research grant Barlow received from the National Science Foundation. More than 2,000 people attended the biannual AAS meeting, representing the largest national gathering of astronomers.
HPU students Gabriana del Vecchio, Bennett Kirby, Alex Laughrey and Bryce Smith presented projects they conducted with Barlow through research courses and HPU’s Summer Research Program in the Sciences (SuRPS).
HPU presentations included:
- del Vecchio presented “Rotational Splitting of Pulsating Hot Subdwarfs Observed by TESS” (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite).
- Kirby presented “O-C Analysis of Hot Subdwarf + White Dwarf Binaries Observed by TESS.”
- Laughrey presented “Constraining Parameters of HW Vir Binaries from the Pattern of Harmonics in their Light Curve Periodograms.”
- Smith presented “EC 23257-5443: An Anomalous Reflection Effect Binary with Phase Dependent Emission Features.”
- Dr. Barlow presented, “Beaming-Induced Asymmetry in the Reflection Effect of Compact Hot Subdwarf + Red Dwarf Binaries,” on an international project he helped start with collaborators in Germany.
“All four students did a superb job presenting their research and representing High Point University in a positive light at the meeting,” said Barlow. “Visitors showed great interest in each of their projects, and our group left the meeting having forged new collaborations. Communicating research results effectively is a vital part of what we do as scientists. The experience our students gained talking with the professionals at the conference is invaluable.”
Barlow’s favorite moment at the conference was when del Vecchio, a senior international business and marketing major, was mistaken as a first-year graduate student in astronomy. After her positive experience in Barlow’s introductory astronomy class, de Vecchio spent the past year learning how to do research with him.
“She is a great example of how faculty and students at HPU value the liberal arts and gaining experience in multiple disciplines to strengthen one’s positioning in any field,” said Barlow.
Sharing Emerging Cancer Therapies
Dr. Ali Shazib, associate professor and dean for practice of the Workman School of Dental Medicine and chief clinical officer of HPU Health LLC, presented research on the effects of emerging oral cancer therapies at the National University of Singapore (NUS) on June 26. Shazib is one of the leading doctors researching the effects of immunotherapy.
As a diplomate for the American Board of Oral Medicine, Shazib discussed navigating oral adverse events from immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, a new form of oncology therapy that has significantly improved patient survival and outcomes. A recent American Society of Clinical Oncology survey revealed significant knowledge gaps and reduced confidence in diagnosing and managing oral adverse events, which can result in inappropriately modifying or ending lifesaving ICI therapy.
HPU Student Entrepreneur Earns NC IDEA Grant
Ivana Korankyi, a medicinal chemistry researcher and Doctor of Pharmacy candidate at HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy, received a $10,000 NC IDEA MICRO grant for her entrepreneurial creation of the Flasky tool, which helps to collect compounds from round-bottomed flasks.
Korankyi’s experience and expertise in the pharmaceutical field sparked the creation of Flasky Labware. As the founder and CEO, she realized there is a significant amount of time spent retrieving compounds out of the round-bottom flasks. Through the Flasky tool, she has saved her lab more than $60,000 in materials and hours worked alone. Korankyi says she is committed to using innovation to add value to the lives of others.
Works Published by Mathematical Sciences Faculty
Dr. Dandrielle Lewis, department chair and associate professor of mathematics, wrote a chapter for the book, “The Ivory Tower, Perspectives of Women of Color in Higher Education,” published by Rowman & Littlefield. Her chapter is titled Triple Threat: Thriving as a Black Woman Mathematician.
Niloofar Ghorbani, assistant professor of actuarial science, co-authored a research article, Call and Put Option Pricing with Discrete Linear Investment Strategy, for the “Journal of Mathematical Finance.” She also co-authored a report, Aggregated Traffic Anomaly Detection Using Time Series Forecasting on Call Detail Records, for Hindawi Security and Communication Networks, one of the largest open access scholarly journals publishing research communication. In addition, Ghorbani joined five others to author a 16-page report, FDC Net: Presentation of the Fuzzy CNN and Fractal Feature Extraction for Detection and Classification of Tumors, for “Hindawi Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience.”
Edward J. Fuselier, associate professor of mathematical sciences, co-authored a research article, Implicit Surface Reconstruction with a Curl-free Redial Basis Function Partition of Unity Method, for the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics’ “SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing,” volume 44, issue 5.
HPU Awarded Three Biotechnology Flash Grants
High Point University received three Flash Grants totaling $82,500 from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. Each award is $27,500 and supports student interns. The Flash Grant program identifies and energizes creative ideas that exhibit early indications of exceptional commercial potential.
These grants infuse a quick jolt of funding at a critical early point when a small, targeted influx of funds is crucial to shaping innovative research ideas into high-potential life sciences technologies. The theme for this round of funding was disruptive life sciences technologies that have the potential to impact global health or translational research that is taking bench-scale research and advances it through subsequent technology development milestones. These grants support innovative ideas likely to result in technology development.
HPU faculty will utilize the flash grants for the following projects:
- Dr. Meghan Blackledge, associate professor of chemistry and director of Natural Science Fellows, Dr. Briana Fiser, chair and associate professor of physics, and Dr. Pamela Lundin, assistant professor of chemistry, will explore surface patterning at the nano and micro scale in conjunction with self-assembled monolayers (one-molecule thick films) to create bacterial biofilm-resistant silicone catheters or other indwelling medical devices. This technology would help combat bacterial transmission and aid in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
- Travis Carlson, assistant professor of clinical sciences, and Dr. Brad Clark and Dr. Jwala Renukuntla, both associate professors of basic pharmaceutical sciences, will focus on a topical delivery system for diabetic foot ulcer treatment to deliver more accurate dosing while reducing the possibility of infection.
- Dr. Cale Fahrenholtz, assistant professor of basic pharmaceutical sciences, will examine the use of silver metal-based medicines for difficult-to-treat, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, which are rare cancers that start in the lining of the nerves. The research could revolutionize the current standard of care treatment.
Teaching About the Holocaust
HPU hosted a committee from the NC Council on the Holocaust on June 2-4. The group of six teachers or retired teachers are writing the curriculum for Holocaust education in North Carolina schools.
Council members include Holocaust survivors, children and grandchildren of survivors, as well as educators and businesspeople who support this work. The Council is comprised of members from across the state who are appointed by the governor, speaker of the House, and president pro tem of the Senate.
Religion and Philosophy Professors Present Research
Dr. Amy MacArthur, assistant professor of religion and philosophy, was selected to participate this summer in New Currents in Teaching Philosophy, which is the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities’ Teaching Institute. The institute is designed to help philosophy instructors at small liberal arts colleges offer undergraduate students a more compelling and attractive experience. Philosophy trains students to be clear, precise and rigorous thinkers and writers. It also provides a model for successful argument and communication across profound differences of opinion. The initiative is made possible through generous support from the Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Book Set for Release
Dr. R. Scott Ingram, assistant professor of criminal justice and pre-law advising, is scheduled to publish a new book, “Constitutional Inquisitors,” by John Hopkins University Press on Sept. 26. Ingram said he had sought a history of the U.S. Department of Justice but found none existed more than 20 years ago when he began as a prosecutor in St. Louis. He set out to write one, and over the years narrowed the project.
“The book is about the origins and practice of early federal prosecutors,” said Ingram. “It traces their evolution from their creation in 1789 as an afterthought or a practical necessity to an executive official who possesses considerable discretionary power. In doing so, it recounts both well-known and previously unknown criminal cases, examining the correspondence between well-known figures such as Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton and less-well-known federal prosecutors such as William Rawle and Richard Harrison.”