National Collegiate Honors Council Announces 2025 Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship Recipients

Six exceptional undergraduate research projects awarded in support of innovative, cross-disciplinary inquiry

Lincoln, NE — The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship, an annual award supporting undergraduate honors students in pursuing original research and creative projects that cross disciplinary boundaries.

The Fellowship committee reviewed a highly competitive pool of diverse applications from across the country, ultimately selecting six awardees: three recipients of the top-tier $5,000 fellowships and three recipients of $1,500 secondary awards. These projects represent a wide range of disciplines, from biomedical science to cultural geography, and demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary thinking to address complex societal questions.

Established in 2010 through a generous gift from honors education advocates John and Edythe Portz, the Fellowship program encourages both individual and collaborative research that transcends traditional academic silos.

2025 Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship Award Recipients

$5,000 Award Winners:

• Mary Helene Marmande, University of South Alabama
  Project: Assembling norcantharidin bioconjugates to explore the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect
  Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David C. Forbes
  
  Read about the project

• Hailey Patchett, Washington State University
  Project: A new human-dog co-evolutionary paradigm via social media positive feedback loops
  Faculty Sponsor: Joanna Schultz
  
  Read about the project
  

• Grace Tavi, Central Michigan University
  Project: Assessment of the efficacy of liraglutide on ameliorating the cognitive, biological, and biochemical deficits in the 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
  Faculty Sponsor: Gary Dunbar
  
  Read about the project

$1,500 Award Winners:

• Treasure Affia, Eastern Michigan University
  Project: Investigating Attachment Styles, Social Anxiety, and Emotion Regulation through The Sims 4
  Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ryan Wessell
  
  Read about the project
  

• Terri Hamilton, Lincoln Memorial University
  Project: Folklore as Geography: How Do Cultural Narratives Shape Place?
  Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Abigail Heiniger
  
  Read about the project

• Dev Mehta, University of South Alabama
  Project: Comparative Study of Microbial Populations and Biofilm Formation on Inpatient & Outpatient Orthoses: Implications for Infection Prevention
  Faculty Sponsor: Terrence Ravine
  
  Read about the project

These student-led projects reflect the innovative and interdisciplinary spirit of honors education. The NCHC congratulates this year’s recipients and looks forward to following the impact of their research.