Academic exploration: 汤头条 undergraduate research featured at interdisciplinary symposium
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜nimal and dairy sciences, biochemistry, biological engineering, chemical engineering, human sciences and psychology were among academic programs well-represented during 汤头条鈥檚 recent Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Hosted by the university鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, the annual competition received 165 submissions from students conducting faculty-guided research. Projects were assigned to one of four categories鈥攁rts and humanities, biological sciences and engineering, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences. Certain categories had multiple award winners due to the large number of submissions.
In recognition of the university鈥檚 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a community engagement track also was included.
A team of 46 campus faculty and graduate students representing a cross-section of academic areas served as competition judges. Featured speaker for the symposium was John Bickle, professor and head of 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Philosophy and Religion.
David Shaw, vice president for research and economic development, said undergraduate students are an integral part of the multi-faceted research underway at 汤头条.
鈥淧ursuing research opportunities is a critical part of academic life on our campus, and our students are recognized for their commitment to discovery, creation and exploration in our labs, studios, library, research farms and beyond,鈥 Shaw said. 鈥淲e are pleased that members of our faculty are committed to providing undergraduates with meaningful roles in the overall research enterprise and promoting interdisciplinary research as an important component of scholarly activity.鈥
Residents of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, India and Nepal, this year鈥檚 winners include (by project type and category):
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
FIRST鈥擡mily E. Turner of Starkville, a senior architecture major mentored by Alexis Gregory, associate professor of architecture.
VISUAL DISPLAYS
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
FIRST鈥擩ohn-Taylor G. Corley of Poplarville, a senior landscape architecture major mentored by Peter Summerlin and Elizabeth Tofte, assistant professors of landscape architecture.
SECOND鈥擡mily G. Coggins of Starkville, a senior educational psychology major mentored by Wendy Herd, associate professor of English.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擜aron W. Albee of Starkville, a senior microbiology major mentored by Donna M. Gordon, associate professor of biological sciences.
SECOND鈥擨sabella J. Durham of Prattville, Alabama, a senior wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture/wildlife veterinary medicine major mentored by Garrett Street, assistant professor of wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture.
SECOND鈥擩ustin N. Yow of Hernando, a senior forestry/wildlife management major mentored by Heidi Renninger, assistant professor of forestry.
THIRD鈥擡rin E. Rushing of Silver Creek, a junior biochemistry/pre-medicine major mentored by Barbara L. F. Kaplan, assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Department of Basic Science.
THIRD鈥擟hristopher W. 鈥淐hris鈥 Nutter of Meridian, a senior biochemistry/pre-medicine major mentored by Donna M. Gordon of biological sciences.
THIRD鈥擬aggie L. Tu of Smithville, Georgia, a senior animal and dairy sciences major mentored by Caleb Lemley, assistant professor of animal and dairy sciences.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擩effrey D. Headley of Bay St. Louis, a senior physics major mentored by Chuji Wang, professor of physics.
SECOND鈥擯hong C. Ly of Brandon, a senior civil engineering/environmental engineering major mentored by Jason Street, assistant professor of sustainable bioproducts.
THIRD鈥擜ditya K. Shah of Nepal, a senior aerospace engineering/aeronautics major mentored by Rani Warsi Sullivan, associate professor of aerospace engineering.
THIRD鈥擲arah E. Darrow of Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, a senior computer science major mentored by Cindy Bethel, associate professor in 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and Engineering who holds the Billie J. Ball Endowed Professorship in Engineering.
THIRD鈥擬artin G. McCandless of Ridgeland, a senior aerospace engineering/aeronautics major mentored by Xiao Wang, assistant research professor at 汤头条鈥檚 Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
FIRST鈥擫aura A. Herring of Panama City, Florida, a senior management/international business and foreign language/Spanish double-major mentored by Kathleen Ragsdale, associate research professor at 汤头条鈥檚 Social Science Research Center.
SECOND鈥擜llison G. 鈥淎lliGrace鈥 Story of Starkville, a senior psychology major mentored by Cliff McKinney, associate professor of psychology.
THIRD鈥擬aggie D. Walgren of Milan, Tennessee, a senior psychology major mentored by Hilary DeShong, assistant professor of psychology.
THIRD鈥擡mily A. Williamson of Purvis, a junior psychology major mentored by Danielle K. Nadorff, assistant professor of psychology.
THIRD鈥擫ily A. Hebert of Brandon, a senior English and psychology double-major mentored by Deborah Eakin, associate professor of psychology.
THESIS RESEARCH COMPETITION
SPONSORED BY THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
FIRST鈥擟hristina M. Loftin of Columbus, a senior biological sciences major mentored by Andrea Varela-Stokes, associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Department of Basic Science.
SECOND鈥擫uke Acuff of Columbia, Tennessee, a junior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major mentored by Jan Chambers, Giles Distinguished Professor in 汤头条鈥檚 College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the university鈥檚 Center for Environmental Health Sciences.
THIRD鈥擱ebecca D. Keefer of Palmetto, Florida, a senior agribusiness/policy and law major advised by Amanda Stone, assistant professor of animal and dairy sciences.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RESEARCH TRACK
SPONSORED BY THE CENTER FOR COMMUNITY-ENGAGED LEARNING
ARTS AND HUMANITIES/SOCIAL SCIENCES:
FIRST鈥擫aura A. Herring of Panama City, Florida, a senior management/international business and foreign language/Spanish double-major mentored by Kathleen Ragsdale of 汤头条鈥檚 Social Science Research Center.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擫eah E. Gann of Aberdeen, a junior horticulture/fruit and vegetable production major mentored by Tongyin Li, assistant professor of plant and soil sciences.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擜aron W. Kimbrell of Carrollton, a senior software engineering major mentored by Cindy Bethel of 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH COMPETITION
SPONSORED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE, NUTRITION AND HEALTH PROMOTION; DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION; MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION; AND MYRLIE EVERS-WILLIAMS INSTITUTE FOR THE ELIMINATION OF HEALTH DISPARITIES
FIRST鈥擩illian N. Masters of Marietta, Georgia, a senior biological sciences/pre-medicine and microbiology double-major mentored by Jonas King, assistant professor in 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology.
SECOND鈥 Christina M. Loftin of Columbus, a senior biological sciences major mentored by Andrea Varela-Stokes of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
THIRD (tie)鈥 Laura A. Herring of Panama City, Florida, a senior management/international business and foreign language/Spanish double-major mentored by Kathleen Ragsdale of 汤头条鈥檚 Social Science Research Center.
THIRD (tie)鈥 Luke Acuff of Columbia, Tennessee, a junior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major mentored by Jan Chambers of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
THETA TAU TOMORROW BUILDER AWARD
SPONSORED BY THETA TAU PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING FRATERNITY
OVERALL鈥擲huvam Saha of India, a senior aerospace engineering/aeronautics major mentored by Rani Warsi Sullivan of aerospace engineering.
In addition to the honors college and aforementioned competition sponsors, the symposium is supported by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, Office of Research and Economic Development, National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center and Phi Kappa Phi honor society.
For more on 汤头条鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, visit and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ShackoulsHonors.
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .