Six Coastal Carolina University students received awards for 10-week summer research internships funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation. They are conducting research in laboratories and research centers in California, Florida, Michigan, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Madison Bruno, from Westminster, Md., was awarded the Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship. Bruno, who graduated in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in marine science, has been accepted into CCU’s Master of Science in coastal marine and wetland studies program.

Bruno’s research at the Savannah River National Laboratory in Aiken, S.C., with the Atmospheric Technologies Group, focuses on dispersion modeling to characterize the atmospheric processes that disperse pollutants emitted into waterways.

Sunnidae Gallien, from Williamsburg, Va., was awarded the William and Mary Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates. Gallien is a senior majoring in marine science and minoring in art studio.

At VIMS in Gloucester Point, Va., Gallien is examining the cephalopod paralarvae (and fish) collected from the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series for taxonomic identification, seasonal abundance, and composition.

Shawn McDonald, from Myrtle Beach, S.C., was awarded the Old Dominion University National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates. McDonald is a rising sophomore majoring in computer science.

McDonald is participating in research on applied machine learning and cybersecurity, working in the ODU Vision Lab in Norfolk, Va. He is working on a project titled, “Adaptive Critic Network for Joint Estimation Under Adversarial Attacks.”

Grace McLewee, from Fort Mill, S.C., was awarded the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates. McLewee is a rising senior majoring in computer science with an applied mathematics minor.

McLewee is researching drone swarms in Daytona Beach, Fla., and participating on a project titled, “Swarms of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Age of AI/Machine Learning.”

Paige Sullivan, from Aurora, Ill., was awarded the Michigan State University National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates. Sullivan is a rising sophomore double majoring in communication and sustainability and coastal resilience and minoring in photography.

At the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, Mich., Sullivan is researching individual variation in painted turtles in response to environmental changes to determine the most effective way to conserve turtle populations.

Alexis Vaughan, from Virginia Beach, Va., was placed in the Department of Defense Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program. Vaughan graduated in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in marine science and was accepted into the Master of Science in coastal marine and wetland studies program at CCU.

At the Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey, Calif., in the Marine Meteorology Division, Vaughan is evaluating how varying sea states affect radar propagation in coastal environments.

For more information, contact CCU’s Office of National Scholarships.