Cadet Research News

Name: Sofia Fleming Department: History Research Project/Topic: World War One Logistics Advisor(s): Maj. Alex Paul In a few sentences, describe your SURI project in lay terms. I studied how the British and American militaries, in the First World War, used logistics, medicine, machinery, and animals to push themselves to victory. What made you choose this topic? World War One has always fascinated me because it combined the old traditions of war with the new. I wanted to discover how leaders organized a complex war that depended heavily on supplies and ammunition. On the frontlines, horses, trucks, pigeons, radios, tanks and […]

Aurora Abramov ’27, an English major at Virginia Military Institute, observed that military college students are a unique group within the college population, and have received little attention in literature that addresses protein supplement use.

Eighteen Virginia Military Institute cadets joined approximately 5,000 participants at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) held at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond April 13-15.

Anna Grace Adams ’26, a history major minoring in Arabic at Virginia Military Institute, believes considering the points of view of peoples from different cultures is crucial when establishing policy or providing aid.

John Paul Adams ’27, an English major minoring in French, spent 10 weeks studying the background and significance of the Jerusalem Bible and Tolkien’s role in its publication for his Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project, “Scriptural Monster: A Study of Tolkien’s Jonah.”

Music is known to help lower anxiety and stress, slow the heart rate, and create a calming effect, but can certain music enhance an athlete’s performance? Colton Shirk ’27, a biology major, sought to answer the question for his Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project.

VMI cadet Hai-Hsin Huang ’25, an applied mathematics major with a minor in physics, is evaluating cost-efficient exercise programs for the elderly as part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) at the Virginia Military Institute.

With movements like Black Lives Matter and events of January 6, 2021, Michael “Bane” London ’25 had one question — what makes American’s gather like this to get their message across and how far back does it go?

Thanks to support from the VMI Center for Undergraduate Research, four VMI cadets recently traveled to Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina to present their SURI research projects amongst their Southern Conference (SoCon) peers.

Caitria Catania ’24 has been studying Spanish for eight years, but after taking a Spanish literature class with Col. John Cerkey this past spring, her love of analyzing Spanish poets grew.

Rockets have existed since the first century. In ancient China, they were first used to create explosions during religious festivals, then later used for warfare. In modern times, they are used for fireworks, space exploration, human spaceflight, and to launch satellites into orbit. Brian Tavenner ’25, an electrical and computer engineering major at Virginia Military Institute, is designing and building a fiberglass rocket to reach the exact height of 1,023 feet using a F-engine motor in his five-week Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) project titled, “Target Altitude Project.” A student doing summer research at VMI, a military college in Virginia […]

Caroline Lassalle ’25 has always had a strong desire to learn about exercise science and work in the medical field. The biology major spent five weeks last summer becoming a certified emergency medical technician (EMT) at Virginia Military Institute.

The Chessie Nature Trail, which runs along the Maury River from Lexington to Buena Vista consists of seven miles of level path including several pedestrian bridges. Lawrence Porter ’24 is examining the serviceability of one of those bridges in his 10-week SURI project.

Brijesh Regeti ’24, a major, and Talli Tarring ’24, a major, worked together on their five-week project titled, “Data Analysis of United Way Donors” to research ways the organization can attract new donors.

Leadership is one of the foundations of Virginia Military Institute. The concept is something Anthony Cruz Fernandez-Grimes ’25 is exploring for his summer research project.