Since its inception in 2017, Wittenberg鈥檚 First Year Research Awards (FYRA) program has allowed incoming students the unique opportunity to dive right into research on day one in partnership with the University鈥檚 award-winning faculty. To date, 136 students have experienced this competitive advantage thanks to the scholarships they received for the program. Forty-seven new Tigers participated last year.
Hailey Mulvihill, class of 2027 from Florence, Kentucky, is one of those students who has benefited from the program. In fact, the biochemistry and molecular biology and mathematics double major has taken her research and experience to another level.
鈥淗ailey joined my lab as a recipient of the First Year Research Award,鈥 said Kunal Chatterjee, assistant professor of biology at Wittenberg, who specializes in RNA (ribonucleic acid) with a particular interest in studying nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of tRNA (transfer RNA) molecules. RNA plays a crucial role in biological processes, including protein synthesis and gene regulation.
鈥淔YRA is a unique opportunity that allows students to engage in hands-on research and receive dedicated mentoring starting in their very first year,鈥 he explained. 鈥淭his level of early access to research is something few of our peer institutions offer and is one of the things that truly sets Wittenberg apart.鈥
Mulvihill, who also conducted summer research with Chatterjee, was awarded first place for her research presentation at the Beta Beta Beta (TriBeta) Biological Honor Society鈥檚 North East District Meeting that took place at Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, last semester. A competitive event bringing together students from multiple universities across Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky, the opportunity allowed Mulvihill to present the work she conducted during her summer research on tRNA in Chatterjee鈥檚 lab. As the first-place winner, she has been invited to present her research at the TriBeta National Conference at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, with all expenses fully covered in May 2026.
Adding to this achievement, Mulvihill was also selected to conduct research this summer at the RNA Institute at the State University of New York, in Albany. Out of more than 430 applicants, she was one of only 17 students accepted into this prestigious program.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be prouder of her work,鈥 Chatterjee added. 鈥淭hese accomplishments speak volumes about Hailey鈥檚 talent, dedication, and potential as a future scientist 鈥 and more broadly what students at Wittenberg can go on to achieve.鈥
Mulvihill first had the opportunity to present her work in October of 2024 at the Rustbelt RNA meeting, which took place in Newark, Ohio. She received a travel grant through the Student Development Board (SDB) to help defray the costs.
鈥淭his was a poster presentation amongst undergraduate peers, graduate students, post docs, and professors who all work in the RNA field,鈥 Mulvihill said. 鈥淭his presentation was of higher caliber because of the more specialized audience, and it prepared me well for my presentation at the TriBeta Biological Honor Society鈥檚 meeting. My TriBeta presentation was my first oral presentation delivered in front of judges, professors, and undergraduate peers. It was delivered in the Cell, Molecular and Microbiology section against stiff competition from Mount St. Joseph University, Shawnee State University, Thomas Moore University, Hillsdale College, and Texas A&M.鈥
She was awarded the Frank G. Brooks award for earning first place for her presentation, which guaranteed funding from TriBeta to attend and present at the National TriBeta Meeting in May.
In addition to the $2,000 grant money she received through Wittenberg鈥檚 FYRA program when she arrived at the University in 2023, Mulvihill also earned the Department of Chemistry鈥檚 Franta Chemistry Award, which provides $14,000 a year toward her tuition as she continues pursuing chemistry courses. In summer 2024, she further received a $5,000 grant through the Virginia Ellis Franta Fund to continue her research with Chatterjee.
Wittenberg has consistently offered a robust and dynamic summer research program that not only allows students to gain technical experience in the lab, but also the opportunity to design professional research posters, craft their CVs, and develop strong presentation skills, making them highly competitive in the job market.
鈥淚 was given the opportunity through FYRA to begin my project with Dr. Chatterjee and learn how to work with yeast and tRNA, as well as become proficient in important laboratory skills such as pipetting and using a centrifuge,鈥 Mulvihill said. 鈥淚 continued this work in my 2024 summer research project, which was investigating the effect of oxidative stress, produced through various hydrogen peroxide concentrations, on the quality of yeast tRNA. I used microbiology and molecular biology techniques, including growing my own yeast cultures, applying stress, isolating RNA, performing various enzymatic reactions such as reverse transcription, PCR, and gel electrophoresis. Further research is required to discover whether the lower levels of nonfunctional tRNAs are a result of such non-functional tRNA being destroyed or repaired, and I plan on continuing this work to complete my Honors Thesis in 2027.
鈥淚 would like to thank the Virginia Ellis Franta fund through the Wittenberg Chemistry Department, as well as the Student Development Board for funding my research and travel to conferences,鈥 she said. 鈥淎dditionally, I would like to thank Dr. Chatterjee for being an irreplaceable mentor, as I could not have accomplished these feats without him!鈥
While she loves working with Chatterjee, Mulvihill is also excited about conducting research in New York. The 10-week program began on May 24 and is allowing her to continue to work in a lab, while engaging in professional development training with her peers.
鈥淚 was extremely grateful to get to conduct summer research in 2024 at Wittenberg, but I decided that for 2025, I wanted to apply to other programs to broaden my perspective and experiences in biomedical research. In December, I finalized my applications and found out in March that I was accepted into four programs, one of which was an RNA Research Experience for Undergraduates at the RNA Institute at the State University of New York in Albany.鈥
Because of her specialization in tRNA research already, and the fact that she was one of 17 students accepted into the program, she decided that Albany was the place to go.
鈥淚 look forward to exploring Albany, networking with professionals and other undergraduates in the RNA field, and advancing my laboratory skillset,鈥 said Mulvihill, who is active at Wittenberg as vice president of operations for Alpha Delta Pi sorority, the fraternity/sorority senator for Student Senate, a chemistry and math tutor in the Math Workshop, and a biology 170/180 peer mentor.
鈥淚 am working in Dr. Hannah Shorrock's lab investigating inducible cell lines that mimic CAG expansion diseases, such as Huntington's disease, spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy, and spinocerebellar ataxias,鈥 Mulvihill added. 鈥淚 am also evaluating the efficacy of some small molecules as potential therapies for these diseases. This project uses many of the same skills as my lab at Wittenberg but also builds upon my repertoire of laboratory techniques.鈥
Already during her time in New York, Mulvihill received the Dean鈥檚 Award for the best undergraduate poster at the annual RNA Institute retreat that took place at Schroon Lake, New York, and encompassed two days of scientific talks, networking, poster presentations, and fun activities on the lakefront.
鈥淚 presented my research that I鈥檝e conducted with Dr. Chatterjee and received encouraging feedback from specialists in the RNA field,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 received $100 and some RNA Institute merch for my accomplishment, as well as some very meaningful congratulations.鈥
A legacy student at Wittenberg, Mulvihill followed in the footsteps of her father, Jon Mulvihill, class of 2003, who earned his physics degree from Wittenberg and was a member of the football team. He continued his post-graduation education, earning a master鈥檚 in computer science from the University of Louisville and is now a business intelligence consultant at CBRE. And while having a Witt alumnus in the family helped Hailey in the decision-making process, she chose Wittenberg for different reasons.
鈥淚 chose Wittenberg because I immediately fell in love with the campus on my first visit. The landscape and architecture are beautiful, and the small campus size drew me in because I knew I could have close relationships with peers and faculty alike,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 knew that at a liberal arts university like Wittenberg, I would also get to explore other fields outside of my major to gain a more well-rounded education. Ultimately, I am grateful every day that I decided to go to Witt!鈥
Mulvihill plans to pursue graduate school after Wittenberg with her sights set on a Ph.D. in molecular cancer biology or immunology.
鈥淎s a BMB major at Wittenberg, I have taken classes that have exposed me to the interplay between biology and chemistry, and I鈥檝e learned how these fields are connected to our understanding of complex cellular mechanisms in the human body,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 look forward to taking additional courses in biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology in the fall that I鈥檓 sure will excite me even more about my future path.
鈥淎dditionally, getting one-on-one laboratory experience my very first year at Witt was crucial in developing my passion for spending my future conducting biomedical research. Through my research experiences, both during FYRA and the summer of 2024, I have not only developed a valuable lab skillset, but I鈥檝e also learned how to overcome challenges and adversity, schedule time-consuming experiments efficiently, and present my work confidently. All of these strengths will be directly transferrable to my future in a graduate program just three years down the road.鈥
