Adrian College awards summer research grants to six students
Posted Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Author: Mickey Alvarado
Six Adrian College students are conducting research projects during summer break after receiving Adrian College’s 2025 Undergraduate Student Summer Research Grants.
Each of the students received $1,500 as well as room and board if needed.
The grant supports collaborative quantitative, qualitative or mixed-method research between an undergraduate student and a full-time faculty member. The participating students selected topics ranging from chemical contamination in Michigan’s bedrock aquifer system to exploring artificial intelligence.
Ty Perin, a senior from Hudson, Mich., is looking to expand on research conducted by his faculty sponsor, professor Sarah Hanson, Ph.D. His project is titled “Correlation Between the Tectonic Origin of Pegmatites: A Tool for Evaluating Rare-Earth-Element Deposits.”
Perin is majoring in geology and environmental studies.
Hanson was trying to determine if she could separate the two types of pegmatites based on their formation processes — whether they originated at spreading centers or compressional boundaries — and her research was successful.
“But there’s this weird overlap field in here, a transitional environment,” she said, pointing at her data. “I wanted to see if I can tell these apart.”
Hanson explained that the main reason from the economic geology perspective is some consist of heavy rare-earth elements.
“Some of these have a whole lot of heavy earth elements in them and some do not,” she said. “If you’ve been paying any attention to the news, rare-earth elements are a big thing.”
Perin said the project is not only a good résumé builder but also a great avenue to get into the field he’s interested in.
“It’s a really neat opportunity, because I’m also able to work with Dr. Hanson,” Perin said. “To be a part of this project is amazing.”
Jonah Watson, a senior from Tecumseh, Mich., has titled his project “Investigating the Connection Between the Alcohol Consumption Habits and Overall Health of College Students.”
Watson is majoring in data analytics and business management.
“His project addresses a very important issue,” said Watson’s faculty sponsor, Professor Yasser Alginahi, Ph.D. “Jonah’s approach goes far beyond basic analysis. He will be using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to analyze datasets related to student health outcomes and alcohol use. This will enable him to identify patterns and statistically significant relationships that might not be apparent through traditional methods.”
“This project challenges me as the researcher and everyone else in the campus community to engage critically with a real-world issue that, in my experience, often seems to not be given very much thought by the average person,” Watson said.
Dakota Schneider is a senior from Niles, Mich., researching “Article Research and Archiving for the Documentary Film: SOV.ER.EIGN.TY.”
Schneider is majoring in film studies and graphic design.
His research will consist of collecting written articles on the topic of sovereign citizens from the past 20 years and examining the 2010 West Memphis shooting.
“The results will give a clearer image on the categories, levels Sovereign Citizens are separated into by providing a larger image of similarities of Sovereign Citizen Communities in the country, the level and extent of what they are willing to say and do for their cause, and how they view the movement overall,” Schneider said. “The research will also allow for a concise, chronological telling of the 2010 West Memphis shooting.”
His faculty sponsor is Assistant Professor Michael Neal.
Lauren Jasinski is a senior from Temperance, Mich., researching “Nitrate and Phosphate Contamination in the Bedrock Aquifer System of Southeastern Michigan as Related to Agricultural Runoff.”
Jasinski is majoring in environmental studies and psychology.
“Water quality data will be plotted over time to assess agricultural runoff — nitrate and phosphate — concentration trends within both the shallow and deep aquifer systems,” Jasinski said. “These data trends will be used to interpret whether early summer fertilization of agricultural fields results in increased nitrate and phosphate concentrations in groundwater. Additionally, when compared to the dates of large precipitation events, the data trends will help determine if there are pulses of increased nitrate and phosphate concentrations due to agricultural runoff entering the watershed and, subsequently, the aquifer system.”
Her faculty sponsor is Thomas Muntean, Ph.D.
Themba Mazibuko is a junior from Johannesburg, Gauteng (South Africa) researching “AI-Driven Financial Modeling: Can Machine Learning Outperform Traditional Valuation Techniques?”
Mazibuko is majoring in computer science and finance.
“The project will assess the comparative accuracy of machine learning versus traditional valuation methods,” Mazibuko wrote in his grant application. “Results will help identify which techniques are more reliable for real-world investment decisions, especially under changing macroeconomic conditions. The findings may be applicable for hedge funds, retail investors and fintech platforms.”
His faculty sponsor is Assistant Professor Drew Blazsik.
Nongbzanga Ariane Fabiola Ouedraogo is a senior from Kamboinsin, Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso (Africa) researching “Exploring AI-Driven Solutions for Adaptive Hearing Devices to Empower People with Auditory Disabilities.”
Ouedraogo’s major is computer science.
“I will analyze how different AI tools perform in different environments by comparing transcription accuracy, latency and response to background noise,” Ouedraogo said. “Results will be visualized and interpreted to determine how well each tool adapts to real-life conditions. The software will then be connected to a hardware prototype to test whether it improves communication and accessibility for users with auditory challenges.”
Alginahi is her faculty sponsor.
Final results from the projects will be displayed next year in April during Adrian College’s Ribbon’s of Excellence program conference.
