FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Research by students on earthworms, the storage of peaches and nectarines, and creating awareness of STEAM to children are among seven studies selected by the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences to receive Undergraduate Research and Creative Award grants at the University of Arkansas.

Students awarded are Alyssa Ferri, Callan Lichtenwalter, Srusti Maddala, Jacob Maris, Matthew Sena, Mary Siebenmorgen and Meaghan Tipton. Four of the seven are conducting research in the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences.

Ferri is receiving $750 for her project, "Quantifying Population Sizes of Native and Exotic Earthworms in Areas of Varying Management in Northwest Arkansas." Ferri is an environmental, soil and water science major working with professor Mary Savin and clinical assistant professor Lisa Wood in CSES.

Lichtenwalter is being awarded $1,000 for her project, "Impact of Teat Order on Feed Consumption in Swine from Birth to Nursery." An animal science major, she is working with professor Jason Apple.

Maddala receives a $1,000 grant for her research, "In-Situ Plant Uptake of Excess Nutrients and Consequential Alteration of Rhizosphere Dynamics." An environmental, soil, and water science major, she is being advised by Wood.

Maris has earned a $500 grant for his project, "The Effectiveness of Rice Straw as a Substitute for Barley Straw in Inhibiting Algae Growth." Another environmental, soil and water science major, he is also working with Savin and Wood.

Sena is receiving $1,000 for the project, "Adsorption Potential of Benzobicyclon Hydrolysate in Arkansas Agricultural Soils." Also an ESWS major, he is being advised by assistant professor Cammy Willett.

Siebenmorgen has been selected for a $500 grant for her project, "Monitoring Postharvest Storage of Peaches/Nectarines to Characterize Ripeness Attributes." A food science major, she is working with research scientist Renee Threlfall.

Tipton has been awarded $500 for her research, "Creating a Better Understanding of STEAM for Children." A human development and family sciences major in Bumpers College's School of Human Environmental Sciences, she is working with clinical assistant professor Laura Herold.

Proposals were reviewed by Bumpers College faculty who serve on the honors program committee. Funding is for one year, through Dec. 1, 2018. Students are required to submit a summary of their project and how the funding was used.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.