Create, explore, discover: Undergraduate research experiences spotlighted at 汤头条 summer symposium
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擲ome of the best and brightest students at Mississippi State showcased their innovative efforts during the university鈥檚 recent Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Hosted by 汤头条鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, the annual competition received 84 submissions from undergraduate 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 addition to the honors college, 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.
A team of 30 campus faculty and graduate students representing a cross-section of academic areas served as competition judges. Featured speaker for the symposium was C. Lashan Simpson, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
汤头条 Professor of Mathematics Seth F. Oppenheimer, who serves as the honors college鈥檚 director of undergraduate research, said 汤头条 views the encouragement and support of undergraduate research for all students as an important part of its core mission.
鈥淛ust as a good liberal arts education broadens the mind, provides students with a common core of knowledge and familiarizes them with the basic methodologies of the various academic disciplines,鈥 Oppenheimer said, 鈥渦ndergraduate research allows students to dive deeply into important ideas and topics in a rigorous and creative way, paving the way for future intellectual work and exploration in academy, business and other life arenas.鈥
汤头条 Vice President for Research and Economic Development David R. Shaw said pursuit of research opportunities is a critical part of academic life. 汤头条 students are recognized for their contributions in labs, studios, libraries, research farms and beyond, he added.
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 Shaw said.
鈥淯ndergraduate research gives our students opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to new areas of interest and helps them develop skills, collaborate with faculty and peers, and gain confidence. It is exciting to see the results of their efforts on display at this annual symposium,鈥 Shaw added.
Residents of Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, China and Sri Lanka, this year鈥檚 winners include (by category and placement):
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擯aulino Jarquin, a senior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major from Nashville, Tennessee, advised by Steve Elder, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.
SECOND鈥擩ordan A. Coggins, a senior biochemistry/pre-medicine major from Saucier, advised by Justin Thornton, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
THIRD鈥擜nna E. Crawford, a junior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major from Hoover, Alabama, advised by Hubert M. Tse, associate professor of microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.
THIRD鈥擳homas Nunn, a biological sciences major at Centre College, advised by Mark Lawrence, associate dean and professor in the 汤头条 College of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Department of Basic Sciences. Nunn is participating in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering鈥檚 summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program on computational biology.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擩acob A. Rogers, a senior aerospace engineering/astronautics major from Poultney, Vermont, advised by Donghoon Kim, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
SECOND鈥擬aleen W. Kidiwela, a senior geoscience/professional geology major from Sri Lanka, advised by Varun Paul, an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences.
THIRD鈥擳ianci Huang, a senior aerospace engineering/aeronautics major from China, advised by Yu Lv, an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering.
THIRD鈥擪ice Brown, a chemistry major at Mississippi College, advised by Keith Hollis, an associate professor in 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Chemistry. Brown is participating in the department鈥檚 summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program on food, energy and water security.
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
FIRST鈥擱achel A. Booth, a senior psychology major from Lindale, Texas, advised by Andrew F. Jarosz, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology.
SECOND鈥擜lexis L. Murrell, a senior civil engineering major from Vicksburg, advised by Cliff McKinney, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology.
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 .