Applications for the 2025 McCutchen Research Scholars Program are due Monday, Feb. 24 by 11:59 PM. Application form can be found here.
Karlyn R. Adams-Wiggins, Ph.D. ‘09 (Psychology)
Assistant Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology
Psychology Department
Portland State University
Portland, Oregon 97201
The McCutchen Research Scholar will conduct research with Dr. Adams-Wiggins as part of her research program Identity in Sociohistorical Context (ISC@PDX) at Portland State University. Across all projects in the research learning community (RLC), the McCutchen Research Scholar will gain experience with sociocultural, sociohistorical, and critical psychology theory and methods. You will have the opportunity to contribute to at least one conference submission. This RLC is best equipped to prepare scholars for developmental psychology, human development, educational psychology, and learning sciences doctoral research training, as well as careers related to education and human development. Scholars will receive training in each task before being expected to be fully responsible for it. Dr. Adams-Wiggins’ team members are mostly current and former first-generation students of color.
There are currently three ongoing projects in Dr. Adams-Wiggins’ research program:
Project 1: How do teachers and students’ identities transform in STEM learning environments? Dr. Adams-Wiggins’ team is facilitating Educator Community of Practice sessions as a participatory co-design project in partnership with suburban high school teachers of color seeking to better support Black and Latinx students. We also are partnering with the school’s Black Student Union to integrate student perspectives on how to best promote youth voice and agency in STEM classrooms. This project involves ethnographic fieldwork, qualitative analysis of interview and community of practice session transcripts, and potentially quantitative analysis of survey data. [Related publications: Adams-Wiggins, 2020; Adams-Wiggins, Myers, & Dancis, 2020; Adams-Wiggins & Tierney, 2021; Adams-Wiggins et al., under review (available by email request); Rogat, Adams-Wiggins, et al., 2024.]
Project 2: How do sociohistorical and sociopolitical contexts inform how Black/African diaspora adolescents and early adults come to understand themselves and their relationship with the world? Dr. Adams-Wiggins conceptualizes identity as socially constructed and rooted in interpersonal interactions; regional history, regional politics, and the broader historical and political context of the USA are expected to play important roles. This project involves qualitative analysis of interview and focus group data but may also involve field work conducting interviews and developing participatory action research (PAR) projects. Perspectives from critical psychology and cultural-historical psychology are central to this project. [Related publications: Adams-Wiggins & Taylor-Garcia, 2020; Adams-Wiggins, 2024; Adams-Wiggins et al., in revision (available by email request).]
Project 3: How do undergraduate students of color and first-generation college students develop science identities in research training experiences and STEM undergraduate courses? This project is an extension of Dr. Adams-Wiggins’ K-12 science identity work and includes projects led by doctoral students associated with ISC@PDX. [Related publications: Adams-Wiggins, 2020, Cerda-Lezama et al., in preparation (abstract available by email request).]
Khadijah Mitchell, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Cancer Prevention and Control Program
Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Dr. Mitchell’s research focuses on cancer health disparities, identifying racial differences in lung cancer to advance prevention and precision medicine based on environmental, behavioral, and biological factors. Before joining the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Dr. Mitchell was an Assistant Professor of Biology at Lafayette College, where she was named the Peter C.S. d’Aubermont, MD, Endowed Scholar of Health and Life Sciences and received the Faculty All-Star Award. Her numerous honors include the NIH Fellows Award for Research Excellence.
The McCutchen Research Scholar will be involved in the following research in Dr. Mitchell’s lab: Advancing lung cancer health equity: Exploring biological, behavioral, and environmental factors that drive lung cancer risk in populations of African descent
Background
Lung cancer health disparities: Lung cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. African Americans (AAs) have higher lung cancer incidence and mortality rates, and lower survival rates, when compared to their European American (EA) counterparts.
Known causes of lung cancer health disparities: Our research team has shown African genetic ancestry (a biological factor) increases lung cancer risk in AA lung cancer patients (1). We also discovered AA lung cancer patients have significantly higher problems with homologous recombination repair (a key DNA repair pathway and biological factor) than their EA counterparts (2,3).
Novel causes of lung cancer health disparities: Cigarette smoking (a behavioral factor) and radon exposure (an environmental factor) are the leading causes of lung cancer and act by creating DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) (the most extreme type of DNA damage). It is unknown which of the four DSB repair pathways are used by populations of African and European descent based on genetic ancestry (a biological factor), and if the inability to effectively repair DSBs can increase their risk of developing lung cancer.
Hypothesis
African genetic ancestry populations have greater DSB repair pathway alterations that increase their lung cancer risk.
Research Goals
Goal 1: Use dry lab (bioinformatic) approaches to compare disease-causing human variation in DSB repair pathway genes and assess their functional consequences.
Goal 2: Use wet lab approaches (DSB repair assays before and after cigarette smoke and radiation exposure) to compare DNA repair efficiency in cells with African and European ancestry-derived disease causing genes.
Impact
Human genetic variation in DNA repair pathways may underlie lung cancer health disparities in AAs. This newfound knowledge can be used to assess patients in the clinic and better stratify them for treatment with drugs that target DNA repair deficiencies.
References
1. Mitchell, K. A., Shah, E., Bowman, E. D., Zingone, A., Nichols, N., Pine, S. R., Kittles, R. A., & Ryan, B. M. (2019). Relationship between West African ancestry with lung cancer risk and survival in African Americans. Cancer causes & control : CCC, 30(11), 1259–1268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-019-01212-z
2. Mitchell, K. A., Nichols, N., Tang, W., Walling, J., Stevenson, H., Pineda, M., Stefanescu, R., Edelman, D. C., Girvin, A. T., Zingone, A., Sinha, S., Bowman, E., Rossi, E. L., Arauz, R. F., Jack Zhu, Y., Lack, J., Weingartner, E., Waterfall, J. J., Pine, S. R., Simmons, J., … Ryan, B. M. (2019). Recurrent PTPRT/JAK2 mutations in lung adenocarcinoma among African Americans. Nature communications, 10(1), 5735. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13732-y
3. Sinha, S., Mitchell, K. A., Zingone, A., Bowman, E., Sinha, N., Schäffer, A. A., Lee, J. S., Ruppin, E., & Ryan, B. M. (2020). Higher prevalence of homologous recombination deficiency in tumors from African Americans versus European Americans. Nature cancer, 1(1), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43018-019-0009-7
Crystal L. Price, PE ‘87 (Mechanical Engineering)
Senior Mechanical Engineer
KMEA
12500 San Pedro Ave, Suite 140
San Antonio TX 78216
Ms. Price is a Senior Mechanical Engineer at KMEA, a mid-size technical consulting company servicing the markets of the Federal Government, State and Local Governments, Education, Energy, Infrastructure, and Facilities. The mission of KMEA is to manage their clients “environmental, engineering, and sustainability interests by designing and implementing effective solutions.” Founded in 1996, KMEA is headquartered in San Diego, California with an operations office in San Antonio, TX. The McCutchen Research Scholar will be working in the San Antonio, TX office in the Architecture & Engineering (AE) Department primarily with Ms. Price, Project Manager/Senior Mechanical Engineer. The Scholar’s role will be to learn and help fine-tune KMEA’s in-house engineering design standards, and then to team with them on active projects as they arise over the summer.
KMEA engineers actively follow applicable regulations and utilize engineering technologies in their design work. Their technological knowledge extends into the latest building information modeling (BIM) and collaboration software platforms such as Revit for vertical building design, and AutoCAD Civil 3D for site design. The McCutchen Research Scholar will begin by learning Revit modeling and system design techniques specifically for mechanical design. They will explore how advanced modeling methods, utilizing physical analysis tools, leverage valuable information within mechanical systems to drive design decisions. Additionally, the Scholar will learn how mechanical modeling standards enhance consistency and efficiency across projects. The Scholar will learn to employ a variety of tools and techniques to effectively monitor engineering design values within mechanical systems as modifications are made to the physical model.
Specific learning objectives for this experience are:
• Create duct and piping systems to suit project requirements.
• Understand and work with tools to create conceptual mechanical layouts.
• Convert placeholder systems to create detailed layouts.
• Use analytical connections to create mechanical systems and reduce modeling time.
• Use system connectors in mechanical designs and track model design data with color fill
legends, tagging Revit Spaces, and filters.
• Perform physical systems analysis to validate design data and then conclude your
learning by creating advanced schedules in Revit.
• Create and modify a simple schedule to improve the presentation of existing fields of
data.
Janille A. Smith-Colin, Ph.D. ‘03 (Engineering Studies/Civil & Environmental Engineering)
J. Lindsay Embrey Trustee Assistant Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
Dr. Janille Smith-Colin is an Assistant Professor of civil and environmental engineering at Southern Methodist University (SMU). She specializes in the sociotechnical analysis of transportation infrastructure systems. Her research advances equity, mobility, and resilience objectives by investigating disproportionate impacts experienced by vulnerable communities and populations. She is a co-principal investigator of ACCESS-M (Advancing Community-Centric Equitable Systems and Solutions in Mobility); a research center funded by the United States Department of Transportation. The center’s goal is to increase accessibility and mobility for underserved communities. The Smith-Colin Research Group has nine members – three PhD students, one masters, four undergraduates, and a postdoctoral fellow.
Communities most vulnerable to natural hazards and chronic stressors have historically experienced underinvestment in critical infrastructure. The SMU research team has discovered infrastructure deserts (low-income neighborhoods with highly deficient infrastructure) – see Infrastructure Deserts Storymap. Dr. Smith-Colin’s research, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Smart and Connected Communities program and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), investigates the impact of infrastructure deserts on community well-being and resilience.
The project “Improving Communities Through Smart and Resilient Infrastructure Investments” integrates emerging technologies (e.g., crowd-sourced data, advanced analytics, participatory decision-making, and artificial intelligence) into infrastructure equity planning and investment processes. This research focuses on neighborhood infrastructure (e.g., parks, sidewalks, public transit, gathering places, etc.).
The McCutchen Research Scholar will assist with field recruitment and data collection in three neighborhoods across the city of Dallas, guided by a local non-profit Groundwork DFW. Data collection will include survey dissemination and resident interviews, as well as photo documentation of adequate and deficient neighborhood infrastructure. The McCutchen Scholar will also support preliminary survey data analysis, visualization of results, and reporting of results to project stakeholders. As a member of the research team, the scholar will gain exposure to community-based research in engineering. They will hone the skills needed to contribute to mixed methods research including geospatial analysis skills. The scholar will also develop an understanding of civil engineering concepts such as resilience, infrastructure performance, and equitable infrastructure planning.
In addition to the student’s research assistant duties, the McCutchen Research Scholar will also attend activities in the Summer Research Intensive (SRI) hosted by the Office of Engaged Learning (OEL). This program includes weekly professional development workshops, covering topics such as project management and presentation skills. The program also features a weekly lunch speaker series to expose students to the research of SMU faculty and guests. SRI culminates in a Three Minute Thesis-style competition and provides opportunities for student researchers to socialize and network.
SMU is a nationally ranked global research university, with a “high research” classification according to The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. SMU’s Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering is one of the oldest engineering schools in the Southwest. The school offers graduate programs, including master’s and doctoral degrees, across various engineering disciplines. The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at SMU Lyle performs leading-edge research to expand knowledge and develop new designs and methods to sustain people and nature in natural and built environments. The mission of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is to advance learning and discovery in service to humanity.