Research Report: A VCUR Blog

The VMI Center for Undergraduate Research (VCUR) promotes undergraduate research occurring in all departments across post. We believe that some of the most enduring, meaningful academic experiences of college students come through opportunities to be mentored one-on-one by faculty outside the classroom, while also believing in the merit of research and other inquiry-based experiences within a more traditional classroom setting. Students who participate in research at VMI develop strong critical thinking skills, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual independence helping prepare them for life after graduation.

The VCUR Research Report Blog will provide bi-weekly highlights on research being done on post. Throughout the 2024-25 academic year, we will highlight projects from many departments, describing the cadet(s) working on the project and the scope of their research.

We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the amazing work being done this year!


Eastern small-footed bat roosting in a rock crevice.

White-Nose Syndrome: Bat Biology

Whitney Tracy ’25 and Alyssa Cacace ’26 worked together to study the bat fungal disease White-nose Syndrome, which is believed to have been introduced to North America in 2006/2007 and quickly became a severe threat to our bat populations.

Col. Paul R. Moosman, Jr. '98, Ph.D.
Professor, Biology

Compacted sample in compressive strength test device

Soil Treatment: Finances of Engineering

Woongchan Oh ’25 conducted a financial analysis on treating soils with hydraulic lime for a theoretical construction project in Mebane, North Carolina to determine the optimum lime quantity required to stabilize the soil and evaluate the most cost-effective construction method. 

Mr. Stephen L. Neas II '77
Adjunct Instructor, Civil & Environmental Engineering

Suzanne Leaptrot '25, a senior at VMI, works on her resesarch examining the intersection of comedy and politics.

Comedy as a Catalyst for Democratic Change

My research was inspired by my class during my semester at Oxford, where I studied the effects of political correctness on comedy. We are at a particularly polarizing moment in American history that is a potential breeding ground for demagoguery, especially considering it is an election year.

Suzanne Leaptrot '25
1st Class Cadet, English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies