Skip to main content

Accessibility menu

Skip to main content Skip to footer

Eagle Apprentices

A page within Undergraduate Research & Creativity

Logo for the 2027 National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Grand Rapids, MI. Below it reads, "Click to learn more about presenting at NCUR" Logo for the 2027 National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Grand Rapids, MI. Below it reads, "Click to learn more about presenting at NCUR"
Image of the UWL Student Research & Creativity Laureate logo. "UWL Research & Creativity Laureate" is surrounded by laurels. Below the logo it reads, "Click to learn more about how to become a URC Laureate." Image of the UWL Student Research & Creativity Laureate logo. "UWL Research & Creativity Laureate" is surrounded by laurels. Below the logo it reads, "Click to learn more about how to become a URC Laureate."

Each year, as a recruiting and retention incentive, the UWL Admissions Office will offer 25+ incoming freshmen scholars the opportunity to work side by side with a faculty member on special projects or collaborative research related to the students' major. Students selected to be an Eagle Apprentice will work approximately 2-3 hours per week during each semester and receive a $1,000 scholarship for their work as undergraduate researcher assistants. If these students return as an Eagle Apprentice a second year, they will receive another $1,000 scholarship for their continued participation.

Even working just 2-3 hours a week will allow students to gain experience working in their major. Another advantage of the program is that it helps students determine early on whether their chosen major is the right fit for them, allowing them to switch majors sooner rather than later.

Here are comments from a few Eagle Apprentices when asked how their semester was going:

Through the research, I am able to learn all about loyalty programs and other general marketing concepts. I never realized how much every seemingly simple marketing concept is actually affected by an uncountable amount of characteristics. I am now looking forward to being able to take marketing classes once I am accepted into the College of Business.

I am having a blast with my apprenticeship! Dr. K has been a great mentor, and I'm learning a lot. Such things involve how electromyograms (EMGs) work and how to place them on different muscles, different theories of attentional focus and motor output, anatomy of the human body, how to do work software and other equipment, how to write up a research study (and soon run one), and much more. I'm incredibly happy that I took on this opportunity. Thank you!

Questions about the selection process for the Eagle Apprentice Program can be directed to admissions@uwlax.edu. Questions about the program related to research or mentorship can be directed to nbakken@uwlax.edu.

Former Eagle Apprentice Accomplishments & Highlights

Biology

Lauren Broman

Eagle Apprentice ‘22-‘23, Class of ‘25

Major(s): Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Sumei Liu, Biology

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Publications:

  • Liu, Sumei & Sargent, Caroline & Broman, Lauren & Yao, Daniel. (2024). Role of CRF 1 and CRF 2 Receptors in Stress-induced Increase of Intestinal Epithelial Permeability in the Mouse Colon. Physiology. 39. 10.1152/physiol.2024.39.S1.815.
  • Valeri, Lexi & Broman, Lauren & Liu, Sumei. (2025). Regional Differences in Stress-Induced Increase of Epithelial Permeability in the Mouse Intestine. Physiology. 40. 10.1152/physiol.2025.40.S1.0483.

Other:

Chemistry & Biochemistry

Jenna Jeske

Eagle Apprentice '24-'25, Class of '26

Major(s): Chemistry

Mentor(s): Kristofer Rolfhus, Chemistry & Biochemistry; Heather Walder, Archaeology & Anthropology

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Other:

Anna Meilahn

Eagle Apprentice ‘23-‘24, Class of ‘26

Major(s): Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Kelly Gorres, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Grants Awarded:

  • UWL Undergraduate Research & Creativity Grants
    • “xCT Protein Expression in Epstein-Barr Virus Infected Cells,” awarded Spring 2024
    • “Time Dependence of Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation on xCT Expression,” awarded Fall 2024
    • “The Impact of Anti-Inflammatory Drug Sulfasalazine on Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation,” awarded Spring 2025
    • “Epstein-Barr Virus and Anti-cancer Drug Erastin: Insights into Mechanisms of Viral Control,” awarded Fall 2025
  • UWL CSH Dean's Distinguished Fellowships
    • “Time Dependence of Epstein-Barr Virus Reactivation on xCT Expression,” awarded for Summer 2025

Presentations:

Publications:

  • Meilahn, Anna & Gorres, Kelly. (2025). Abstract 1628 xCT Protein Expression in Epstein-Barr Virus Infected Cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 301. 108669. 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.108669.

Other:

Lucas Strauss

Eagle Apprentice '25-'26, Class of '28

Major(s): Biochemistry

Mentor(s): Todd Weaver, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Computer Science & Computer Engineering

Adam Grunwald

Eagle Apprentice '22-'23, Class of '25

Major(s): Computer Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Elliott Forbes

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Publications:

  • Grunwald, A., Nguyen, P. and Forbes, E., "dptv: A New PipeTrace Viewer for Microarchitectural Analysis," Proceedings of the 55th Midwest Instruction and Computing Symposium, pp. 274-284 Mar. 2023.

Other:

Economics

Ryan Kitzan

Eagle Apprentice '24-'25, Class of '27

Major(s): Economics

Faculty Mentor(s): Nabamita Dutta, Economics; Adam Stivers, Finance

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Publications:

Kitzan, R., Stivers, A. & Dutta, N. (2026) Fortune favors the bold and patient: how economic freedom impacts economic preferences. Contemporary Economic Policy, 44(3), 486–514. 10.1111/coep.70021

Other:

Menards Family Initiative student researcher

Exercise & Sport Science

Jonah Zoschke

Eagle Apprentice '22-'23, Class of '25

Major(s): Exercise & Sport Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Daniel Freidenreich, Exercise & Sport Science; Ward Dobbs, Health Professions

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Other:

Graduated with Highest Honors

Geography & Environmental Science

Melanie Weis

Eagle Apprentice '24-'25, Class of '27

Major(s): Environmental Science, Geographic Information Science

Faculty Mentor(s): Joan Bunbury, Geography & Environmental Science; Margaret Maher, Biology

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Global Cultures & Languages

Noelle Hackenmueller

Eagle Apprentice 23’-24’, Class of ‘26

Major(s): Spanish Education & Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Faculty Mentor(s): Kimberly Morris, Global Cultures & Languages

Grants awarded:

  • UWL Undergraduate Research & Creativity Grants
    • “From Uncommon to Familiar: The Evolution of Language Teachers’ Experiences During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic,” awarded Fall 2022
    • “Diverse Nation, Dying Language Enrollment: Exploring If and Why First-Year University Students Study Foreign Languages”, awarded Fall 2023
    • “From the Classroom to the Plaza: How University Students’ Language Learning Perceptions Differ in Spain and the U.S.,” awarded Spring 2025

Presentations:

Other:

Marketing

Lauren Maresh

Eagle Apprentice '25-'26, Class of '28

Major(s): Marketing, Finance

Faculty Mentor(s): Nese Nasif, Marketing

Presentations:

Mathematics & Statistics

Charlie Klawitter

Eagle Apprentice '25-'26, Class of '28

Major(s): Mathematics

Faculty Mentor(s): Chad Vidden & Nathan Warnberg, Mathematics & Statistics

Grants Awarded:

  • Undergraduate Research & Creativity Grants
    • "Coloring Solution Sets to Arithmetic Progressions," awarded Fall 2025
    • "Connections Between Ramsey Theory and Anti-Ramsey Theory: Gallai-van der Waerden Numbers," awarded Spring 2026

Presentations

Other:

Microbiology

Vanessa Giallombardo

Eagle Apprentice ‘22-‘23, Class of ‘25

Major(s): Microbiology, Biochemistry

Faculty Mentor(s): Daniel Bretl, Microbiology; John May, Chemistry & Biochemistry

Grants Awarded:

  • UWL Undergraduate Research & Creativity Grants
    • “Characterizing Oligomerization of Variants of an NtrC-like Response Regulator from Myxococcus xanthus,” awarded Fall 2023
    • The Impact of Amino Acid Substitutions on the Oligomerization of NmpR, an NtrC-like Response Regulator from Myxococcus xanthus,” awarded Fall 2024
  • UWL CSH Dean's Distinguished Fellowships
    • “Determining the Molecular Structure of NmpR, an NtrC-like Response Regulator Protein,” awarded for Summer 2023

Presentations:

Publications:

  • Giallombardo, Vanessa & May, John & Bretl, Dan. (2025). Abstract 1605 The impact of amino acid substitutions on the oligomerization of NmpR, an NtrC-like response regulator from Myxococcus xanthus. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 301. 110099. 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110099.

Other:

Psychology

Samantha Ankeny

Eagle Apprentice '23-'24, Class of '25

Major(s): Psychology, Spanish

Faculty Mentor(s): Ryan McKelley, Psychology

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Other:

Recreation Management & Recreational Therapy

Bennett Wray-Raabolle

Eagle Apprentice '25-'26, Class of '28

Major(s): Radiologic Science

Mentor(s): Jennifer Taylor, Recreation Management & Recreational Therapy

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

  • "A Feasibility Study to Develop a Protocol for Socially Assistive Robots in Radiation Therapy Clinical Rotations in Patient Waiting Rooms"
Sociology & Criminology

Mikaela Robarge

Eagle Apprentice ‘21-‘22, Class of ‘24

Major(s): Sociology, Spanish

Faculty Mentor(s): Carol Miller, Sociology & Criminology; Kimberly Morris, Global Cultures & Languages

Grants Awarded:

Presentations:

Other:

Upcoming events:

Wed, Sept. 9 - Abstract submission opens for NCUR

Fri, Dec. 4 - Abstract submission closes for NCUR and quick pitches due to srcel@uwlax.edu

Mon, Dec. 7 - Last day to request consideration to present at Research in the Rotunda via Qualtrics