Meet the Fellows

Taoheed Adeoye is a biological sciences major who began his research journey through the Research Rookies program, where he explored projects aligned with his academic and career interests. Inspired by his brother’s late start in research at UIUC, Taoheed was motivated to get involved early in his college career. The McKearn Fellowship offers him the opportunity to deepen his research experience while building meaningful connections with students and faculty. He sees the program as a key step toward achieving his professional goals.

Ally Coker is a mechanical engineering major and current Research Rookie developing a self-balancing triangle robot using an ESP32 microcontroller. Her project, which she will present at the upcoming CURE conference, explores feedback control and the use of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). Through Research Rookies, Ally gained hands-on experience that reinforced her belief in learning by doing and deepened her engagement in challenging coursework. The McKearn Fellowship will build on this foundation by providing opportunities for continued research, professional development and technical growth in areas such as microcontroller programming and applied technology.

Han Ju is a mechanical engineering major and current Research Rookie researching the feasibility of robotic guide dogs as alternatives to traditional guide dogs for visually impaired users. Inspired by a mentor while exploring grant opportunities, she learned about the McKearn Fellowship and was drawn to its support for research, professional development, and career connections. Through her work, Han has engaged Professor Kapperman from the NIU Vision Program, broadening her understanding of accessibility technology. She hopes to gain technical skills, collaborate with professionals and organizations and continue advancing her research alongside her team.

Jayla Scott is a biomedical engineering major with a strong interest in using science to address real-world health challenges. She became involved in research through the Research Rookies program, working on a project studying the effectiveness of Kinesio taping for pain perception in patients with knee osteoarthritis. This experience introduced her to the research process, including IRB submissions and clinical trials, and sparked her passion for continued research. Drawn to the McKearn Fellowship for its mentorship, funding and early research opportunities, Jayla hopes to deepen her knowledge, grow as a leader and explore impactful subfields within biomedical engineering.

Anna Wiginton is a biological sciences major and current Research Rookie conducting research in the Devergne Laboratory. She is preparing to present her work at the upcoming CURE conference at NIU. Her research experience has helped her identify her interests, develop relevant skills and gain hands-on learning in the lab. Anna hopes to continue advancing her research, present at future conferences, and grow further within her field.

Emma Bell is an anthropology major with a focus in archaeology. She wanted to become a McKearn Fellow because doing research is something engaging that brings her a lot of joy. In her senior year of high school, she presented research with her school's science club and in college she is a Research Rookie and part of OSEEL's Undergraduate Research Funding. Research brings her a lot of joy because she knows she is contributing to something larger that can lead to good for society. She hopes through being a McKearn Fellow she will be able to continue growing as a researcher and will be able to connect with other students that have the same passions.

Hannah Havel is a double major in OM&IS and computer science. She has a previous academic background in computer science with business applications and has been recognized by the National Center for Women & Information Technology for her academic efforts. Thus far, she has engaged in undergraduate research within the Mathematical Sciences department in new advances towards predicting the motions of particles under mutual gravitational attraction. She has further research interests in machine learning/AI and computational software. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school for computer science and continue research in computer science and discrete mathematics. Her other passions include music production as an alto saxophonist, volunteering such as in STEM Fest and foreign language as a Spanish minor.

Elizabeth Nowak is an anthropology and theatre studies double major. They want to be a McKearn Fellow because they want to learn how to be a better researcher and expand upon the research they have conducted. Elizabeth has conducted an interdisciplinary research project through Research Rookies. The project looked at the impact exhibits have on the audience of a theatrical production. They loved combining museums and theatre and they are planning on conducting similar research projects soon. Their research is applicable to their future career. They have conducted historical research as the Dramaturg of NIU School of Theatre and Dance's production of Witch by Jen Silverman. Elizabeth researched gender roles, class and witchcraft accusations of Early Modern England. Their research benefited the production, their Research Rookies project, as well as their understanding and perception of gender roles. They decided to start researching their freshman year because they love research and it will be a big part of their post-college career in museum curation. Elizabeth hopes to gain confidence in their research skills, get support for their research and further their research project.

Zoey Proper is a health science pre-physical therapy major. She wanted to become a McKearn Fellow to continue her research journey while improving her professional skills and participating in new experiences. She participated in the Research Rookies program and explored speech and bimanual coordination in autistic and non-autistic children using the video analysis software, DeepLabCut. This experience allowed her to work on an interdisciplinary team, learn new skills and step outside her comfort zone. Zoey is excited to continue working on this project. She wanted to start early to gain professional and research skills. She also wanted to make meaningful connections with professors and other student researchers. She hopes to continue to improve her critical thinking, communication and research writing skills for her future career. Zoey also looks forward to learning new information and making a positive impact on our community.