The Double Hoo Research Program has been substantially restructured for the 2024-2025 application cycle. Please make sure to read the below information carefully.
Students should read the Policies for Grants to understand the expectations for applicants and awardees before applying.
Overview
The Double Hoo Research Program matches first-, second-, and third-year undergraduate students with a graduate student mentor’s project during the summer. The goal is to provide undergraduate students with enriching research experiences as well as to provide graduate students with the opportunity to develop and implement effective mentoring while driving their own research forward.
Funding
Graduate student mentors receive $1,000 in support of their mentorship.
Matched undergraduate students receive up to $5,000 in support of their living expenses (rent, utilities, food, etc.) for up to 10 weeks of work on the project during the summer. The Double Hoo does not fund other expenses such as travel, supplies, etc.
Graduate Student Information
Project proposals for the 24-25 cycle were due by 11:59pm on December 3, 2024. The portal is now closed
Graduate students interested in proposing a project are strongly encouraged to attend an information session during the fall. Sessions will include guidance on effective mentoring and expectations for the mentoring statement to be included in the proposal submission.
- Wednesday, October 9, 4-5pm, Clark Hall, Brown Library 133
- Thursday, October 24, 4-5pm, Hotel A Conference Room
- Friday, November 8, 1-2pm, Minor Hall, room 125
Eligible MFA or doctoral students must be currently enrolled, full-time, with the intention to continue to be enrolled full-time throughout the entire academic year following the summer research period and to support the undergraduate student to present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium the following spring. The Double Hoo will only support domestic research that takes place over the summer. Project proposal components include project information, 2-page resume or C.V., a mentoring statement, and a faculty mentor support form, which must also be submitted by the project proposal deadline – plan ahead!
Even if a project is selected and posted in solicitation of undergraduate student applications, there is no guarantee that an undergraduate student will be matched with the project. Graduate students will review application materials, interview students (optional), and submit ratings and rankings to the Office of Citizen Scholar Development. NB: Graduate students will not ultimately select the undergraduate student. They will be matched.
Graduate students who are matched with undergraduate researchers are invited to participate in monthly cohort meetups with other grad student mentors in the Double Hoo program. Graduate student mentors should also plan to meet regularly (at least every other day) with their undergraduate researcher throughout the summer research period.
Undergraduate Student Information
Positions posted and application accessible by January 8, 2025.
First-, second-, and third-year undergraduate students who are currently enrolled full-time at UVA during the 2024-2025 academic year, and plan to be enrolled full-time during the 2025-2026 academic year, may apply to be matched with a graduate student on their project. Ideal applicants have good time management skills, an ability to work independently as well as with supervision, and some background in and understanding of their area of interest. To participate students will:
- Review the project descriptions beginning January 8 and identify up to 3 projects of interest. Undergraduate students should not contact the graduate student project leads directly.
- Create or update resume (see Helpful Materials below) and obtain unofficial transcript.
- Prepare a statement of interest addressing what strengths and experiences they will bring to this project, what knowledge they already have that will help the project, and what they are hoping to learn.
- It is recommended that students check the “Desired skills/knowledge/experience” section of the project for specific information requested by the graduate student project lead.
- Note: if applying for multiple projects, students must separate qualifications statements into separate files. Students will be prompted to upload a new Individual Qualification Statement for each individual project to which they are applying.
2024-2025 Timeline
- Early fall – Solicit projects and information sessions (see above) for graduate students:
- December 3 – Deadline for graduate students to propose a project
- December 10 – Project selection notifications sent to graduate students
- January 8 – Projects posted to website; undergraduate student application opens
- March 18 – Undergraduate student application deadline
- March 24 – April 6 – Graduate students review applications (and might interview applicants)
- April 10 – Matching offers sent to undergraduate students
- April 22 & 23 – Orientation & networking events for graduate and undergraduate student matched pairs
- April 30 – IRB/IACUC documentation (if applicable) and mentor-mentee contract deadline
- Summer – Work begins on projects; monthly grad student mentor meet-ups
- October 1 – Outcomes and reflections form deadline
- April 2026 – Undergraduate students present at the Undergraduate Research Symposium
Summer 2025 Positions
See below for brief descriptions of the available positions for Summer 2025. Full details for each position can be found HERE. Interested students may apply by accessing the application portal HERE.
Project 1: A Novel Neuron Population That Selectively Controls Metabolism
Department: Biology
Description: The brain is crucial in regulating energy intake and expenditure, and disruptions in this process can lead to obesity. Brain cells (neurons) in the arcuate nucleus sense the hormone leptin, which increases energy expenditure and decreases body weight through brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. The lab has identified a novel population of neurons in the arcuate nucleus, arcuate Pirt neurons, which can sense leptin and control metabolism. The unpublished results show that activating arcuate Pirt neurons decreases BAT thermogenesis, so the graduate student hypothesizes that inhibiting these neurons will have the opposite effect, increase BAT thermogenesis and metabolism, and decrease body weight. To demonstrate whether arcuate Pirt neurons are necessary for regulating metabolism, an undergraduate student and the goal is to silence arcuate Pirt neurons using a genetically targeted tetanus neurotoxin, and assess the effects on metabolism – BAT temperature, core body temperature, and body weight.
Project 2: Exploring Acetyl-CoA Mediated Beta-Hydroxybutyrate Synthesis in Yeast: A Mechanistic Link to Ketogenesis and Longevity
Department: Biology
Description: Aging leads to a progressive decline at the cellular and physiological level of organisms. One of the interventions to delay aging includes Caloric Restriction (CR) which refers to reducing calories without starvation. CR results in longevity in organisms ranging from yeast to monkeys, one of the mechanisms being ketogenesis or the generation of ketone bodies like beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). Despite budding yeast being an excellent genetic and metabolic model for CR-mediated longevity, the process of ketogenesis has never been investigated in yeast. The proposed research will explore mechanisms of CR-mediated ketogenesis and longevity in yeast.
Project 3: How Glaucoma Impacts Light-mediated Mood Circuits in Mice
Department: Biology
Description: This project focuses on how glaucoma affects the light-mediated mood behaviors in mice. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness characterized by loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which transmit visual information from the retina to the brain. In addition to vision loss, glaucoma patients often experience mood and sleep disturbances, potentially linked to the dysfunction of one type of RGCs, the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). This research investigates how ipRGC loss impacts non-visual functions, such as anxiety-like behaviors in mice. The undergraduate on this project will (1) analyze ipRGC loss and (2) assess anxiety-related impairments in a mouse model of glaucoma.
Project 4: Unraveling the Role of Central Amygdala Glp1r Neurons in Feeding Regulation
Department: Biology
Description: This research aims to investigate how Glp1r-expressing neurons in the central amygdala (CeA) regulate feeding behavior, using techniques like fiber photometry and optogenetics. Specifically, the graduate student mentor and their mentee will examine how these neurons respond to obesity drugs, Glp1r agonists, and influence reward-driven eating. This project will provide insights into the mechanisms of Glp1r signaling in the CeA and its role in hedonic and homeostatic feeding. The undergraduate student’s work will involve hands-on experience with advanced experimental techniques, data analysis, and programming.
Project 5: Developing Selective Membranes for Non-Aqueous Electrochemical Flow Cells
Department: Chemical Engineering
Description: Incorporation of renewable energy technologies into the power grid is limited by the intermittency of available wind and solar energy sources. Grid-scale energy storage systems can be used to maintain power availability when the availability of renewable energy sources declines. Non-aqueous redox flow batteries provide high power output and high capacity, which fits the needs of a grid-scale energy storage system. However, membrane separators have not been developed to provide the selectivity required for efficient operation of these flow batteries. This work focuses on developing new materials with enhanced selectivity and stability in non-aqueous solvents.
Project 6: Engineering Helical Peptide Pairs for Biorecognition and Therapeutic Applications
Department: Chemical Engineering
Description: Helical peptide pairs bind one another strongly and specifically and this biorecognition capability is useful in sensing, drug delivery, and protein purification applications. Existing peptide pairs struggle with poor stability (they are readily degraded by enzymes) and my research looks to improve this stability without compromising recognition by making small changes in the peptide design. Helical peptide pairs offer an enormous design space to work with, including stereochemistry, end groups, length, and electrostatic interactions. This project will be an investigation on the effect of electrostatic interactions on recognition and stability.
Project 7: Evaluating an Electrolyzer for Selective and Resilient Lithium Hydroxide Production
Department: Chemical Engineering
Description: The recent transition toward an electrified energy economy has caused market demand for lithium to rapidly outpace current production, necessitating additional supply. Lithium can be found in geothermal 'brines', aqueous salt solutions from subterranean reservoirs used to generate steam to drive geothermal power plants. A collaborative team, led by UVA, designed a multi-stage process to selectively recover lithium from geothermal brine. Within this process, the Geise Research Group aims to separate lithium ions from iron and sodium ions and efficiently recover lithium hydroxide (LiOH) via a membrane-based electrolysis cell, or electrolzyer. This project aims to evaluate the performance of the electrolyzer during multiple process cycles to ensure the stability of the system over extended operation.
Project 8: Biomechanical Investigation of Prosthetic Knee Joint Centers
Department: Mechanical Engineering
Description: Literature comparing above knee (AK) and through knee (TK) amputation techniques has shown that TK amputation has the potential to allow for improved surgical, rehabilitative, and functional potential outcomes. However, prosthetic intervention for patients with TK amputations results in distally displaced prosthetic components to accommodate for a longer residual femur. In result, the prosthetic knee axis of rotation is displaced distally relative to the contralateral knee. This results in asymmetry which impacts functional and cosmetic usage of the prosthetics, however, there is no statistical understanding of the magnitude of these effects in relation to gait mechanics. This study will quantify the biomechanical and functional effects of knee axis asymmetry in ambulatory AK prosthesis users to isolate changes in functional and biomechanical efficiency related to knee center asymmetry.
Project 9: Effect of Membrane Protein Clustering on Membrane Lipid Packing and T-cell Signaling
Department: Pharmacology
Description: T cells are critical in adaptive immunity's defense against infections and cancer. The transmembrane protein Linker for Activation of T cells (LAT), which is essential for T cell activation, nucleates membrane-proximal protein condensates in vitro and in cells upon T cell activation. However, the interplay between LAT condensates, membrane lipid packing, and their impact on downstream T cell signaling following T cell receptor engagement remains poorly understood. This proposal presents two projects, allowing the undergraduate student to choose the one that aligns with their interests. Project 1 will explore how LAT clustering/condensation influence membrane lipid packing in both live T cells and in vitro model membranes. Project 2 will investigate how membrane lipid remodeling impacts LAT condensation and subsequent T cell signaling. A better understanding of the interplay between membrane lipids and protein condensation will reveal novel regulatory mechanisms that modulate T cell responses and potentially transform our understanding of how signal transduction is organized in space and time.
Project 10: Behavioral and Environmental Associations of Early Social Brain Development
Department: Psychology
Description: The University of Virginia Babylab is conducting a new study to investigate the functional development of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region known to selectively respond to faces and play a role in early social cognition. This study will use a neuroimaging method, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), as well as parent surveys to understand when and how the mPFC responds to faces in 2-12-month-old infants, and whether these brain responses are linked to environmental factors and social behaviors. This project aims to understand the brain (mPFC) and behavior associations or environmental associations (e.g. demographics, siblings, screen time, etc.) of early social development. The undergraduate student will investigate whether young infants' mPFC function is linked to their early social behaviors or environmental factors.
Project 11: Investigating Expression of Oxtr Alternate Transcripts in Prairie Vole Brains
Department: Psychology
Description: The Oxtr gene codes for the oxytocin receptor and is important for social behaviors, parenting behaviors, and parturition. Recently, our lab identified seven alternate transcripts for Oxtr in the prairie vole (Michrotus ochrogaster) brain. To better understand the molecular underpinnings of oxytocin-related behaviors, we need to understand where in the brain these alternate transcripts are being expressed. This project will use RNAscope to compare Oxtr expression across age, sex, genotype, and Oxtr transcript type. Understanding the distribution of these Oxtr transcripts will lead to a better understanding of how the expression of each transcript contributes to differences in behaviors such as pair-bonding or parenting styles.
Project 12: The Role of Serotonin in Prematurity-associated Vocalization Deficit
Department: Psychology
Description: Vocal communication is necessary for offspring to communicate information to caregivers regarding affective state. The day following birth, mouse pups produce a series of clicks and ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) to communicate in a variety of contexts, which follow stereotyped changes across the first two weeks of life. Using a mouse model of premature birth, my preliminary data shows that shifting birth one day early significantly impairs vocalization production, as well as typical vocalization dynamics in mouse pups. It is well established that premature infants display altered vocalization dynamics in the months to years following birth, as well as decreased levels of circulating serotonin. Therefore, this project will focus on identifying the relationship between serotonin signaling and vocalization deficits, using serotonin-modulating drugs to rescue vocal communication following premature birth in mice.
Project 13: Measuring the Unmeasurable: Evaluating Measurement Invariance in Psychological Scales Across Time and Individuals
Department: Psychology and Data Science
Description: This project explores measurement invariance in psychological scales, focusing on how assessments perform across individuals and over time. The undergraduate mentee will evaluate measurement invariance (or differential item functioning) using cross-sectional, longitudinal, or ecological momentary assessment data, with the flexibility to select the psychological scale(s) of interest. By investigating personal and temporal invariance, the project aims to understand whether and how psychological measures remain stable or change in diverse contexts. This work contributes to improving the fairness and validity of psychological assessments, with practical applications in both research and clinical settings.
Helpful Materials
- Brief overview of the resume writing process that includes examples of different kinds of resumes (including resumes for students who don’t yet have work experience):
- Advice and tips on interviewing effectively
- Visit the University Career Services for more helpful resources!
Questions?
Email citizenscholars@virginia.edu.