RU biology students pursue crowdfunding for research

RADFORD UNIVERSITY BIOLOGISTS PURSUE CROWDFUNDING FOR NEW PROJECT

Today, March 30, The RU College of Science and Technology is venturing down a new path for funding projects as a crowdfunding campaign for an undergraduate research project goes live. Emily Guise and April Tingle, two senior biology majors, have had their proposal accepted by the Crowd funding Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CREU) program.

ABOUT THE PROJECT:

Entitled: "From Disposal to Disease: exploring how pollutants affect mosquito-borne diseases", this project will investigate how endocrine-disrupting chemicals affect predatory-prey relationships between Gambusia mosquitofish and mosquito larvae. Morphological and developmental characteristics will be followed in both organisms, and the ability to locate prey or avoid predators will assessed using behavioral software.

Emily and April wrote the proposal under the mentorship of Drs. Sara O’Brien and Justin Anderson, and they will conduct the experiments during the summer of 2015 if funded. That is where the campaign is crucial.

Interested parties can visit https://creu.tilt.com/from-disposal-to-disease-exploring-how-pollutants-affect-mosquito-borne-diseases before April 24 to learn more and help move the project along.  One powerful tool in making crowdfunding campaigns a success is the use of social media to share the link with people who might be interested in helping.

ABOUT CROWDFUNDING AND CREU:

Crowdfunding Research Experiences for Undergraduates (CREU) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing funding for undergraduate research projects. All projects are approved by the host institution and reviewed by an independent expert. All raised funds are awarded to the host institution to be used to fund the project.

For more information please contact:
David Horton
540-831-6277
rhorton@radford.edu