Dr. Gary Gray
Professor of Chemistry
Wayland Baptist University
Undergraduate
Research
Welch Foundation and Sally
Society, WBU
The School of Mathematics and
Sciences at WBU continually
seeks to engage students in
scientific research to help prepare
them for successful career paths.
Many of our students continue
their education in graduate
schools and have attributed their
success to our help in improving
their critical thinking skills.
Wayland Baptist University is very
supportive in our School’s efforts
to advance our undergraduate
research. Our School also is very
appreciate of the funding
provided by the Welch
Foundation and Sally Society.
The Welch Departmental Grant
has been an incredible program
that has been provided for over
10 years and continues to
positively influence the chemistry
program at Wayland Baptist
University. This year, with the
support of the Sally Society grant,
we are excited to provide nonchemistry students the chance to
participate in the summer
research program.
Students that are involved in our
research programs have multiple
opportunities to present posters
and oral presentations of their
work at local, regional and
national meetings. The benefits
of our student’s research to the
university as a whole continue to
be evident, catalyzing on-going
interests in research across
multiple disciplines.
Both the Welch Foundation and
Sally Society Grant will continue
to shape and direct the interests
of our students, leading them to
pursue graduate degrees in
related fields. An institutional
Recently, Dr. Gary Gray and the
undergraduate research program
at Wayland Baptist University
was recognized by the Welch
Foundation. To read more on the
article please click here.
“With Welch help, we are
showing students a world of
opportunity. I tell them that the
only reason you can’t be a worldclass scientist is if you don’t
choose to be” Dr. Gray
culture that identifies
undergraduate research as a core
program distinctive continues to
grow and blossom at Wayland,
due in no small part to the Welch
foundation and Sally Society’s
support.
Ethan Nicholson
&
Mason Taylor
Welch Foundation Researchers
Dr. Robert Moore
Advisor
Mason will be continuing his research project exploring the nature of the interaction between the DNA repair
protein RecA with select DNA sequences from Mycobacterium tuberculosis that are known to cause drug
resistance when mutated.
Ethan is joining the research group to assist in developing a microfluidic prototyping setup up and designing
microfluidic chips for medical diagnostic applications that could be imaged with the documentation system that
the group designed.
Jake Brozek
Welch Foundation Researcher
Dr. Adam Reinhart
Advisor
Jake will investigate molecular pathways in 4T1 Breast
cancer cells that cause the cells to undergo programmed cell
death in response to plant-derived chemotherapeutic
agents.
Mayra Herrera
Sally Society Grant Researcher
Dr. Daniela Derderian
Advisor
Mayra will investigate how changes in the brain
caused by stress-induced alcohol dependence have
an effect on salty high-fat diet preference. Results
will help give a better understanding as to how
everyday stress can lead to significant health
problems, such as cross-sensitization between
drug-of-abuse and natural reward.
Victoria (Tori) Solis
Sally Society Researcher
Dr. Andrew Kasner
Advisor
Tori is seeking to describe general ecological information on the Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris)
in the local panhandle region due to limited knowledge on the species. The focus of the study has been on
habitat and foraging niche partitioning between male and female Ladder-backed Woodpeckers. Future research
includes radio telemetry work to determine territory and nest habitat associations and testing molecular
techniques to determine a successful sex identification method for nestlings, which cannot be visually identified.