HPU Students and Faculty Recognized for Research and Innovation

Jul 11, 2023

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.

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.

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:

“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, presents research on the effects of emerging oral cancer therapies at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

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.

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.”

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, received a N.C. Biotechnology Center flash grant to research antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Travis Carlson, assistant professor of clinical sciences, received a N.C. Biotechnology Center flash grant for research focused on improving diabetic foot ulcer treatment.

Dr. Cale Fahrenholtz, assistant professor of basic pharmaceutical sciences, received a N.C. Biotechnical Center flash grant to research the use of silver metal-based medicines for treatment of rare cancers that start in nerves.

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, participated in the Council of Independent Colleges and Universities’ Teaching Institute this summer.

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, has written a book, “Constitutional Inquisitors,” to be released Sept. 26 by John Hopkins University Press.

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.”

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