Different format, same quality research: 汤头条 undergraduates adapt to present at virtual symposium this fall
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ississippi State rings true on its mission to provide students with a chance to present their innovative research, and the recent Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium accomplished this with a new virtual format.
汤头条鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College hosted the annual competition that produced 13 winners selected from more than 50 submissions by students conducting faculty-guided research at the university. Projects were categorized in four areas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.
A team of nearly 30 faculty and advanced doctoral students representing a cross section of academic areas served as competition judges.
Anastasia Elder, the honors college鈥檚 interim associate dean for undergraduate research, said this was the first time the symposium was held during a fall semester and a virtual symposium also is anticipated for the spring. Participating in undergraduate research, she said, helps students learn new skills, meet others with similar interests and engage in 汤头条鈥檚 intellectual culture.
鈥淭his symposium is a great way for undergraduate students to showcase their hard work in diverse, fascinating research activities and for the 汤头条 family to celebrate their engagement, dedication and scholarship,鈥 said Elder, also a professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations. 鈥淭his event also would not be possible without the time, effort and assistance of our dedicated faculty mentors, judges and other units, including the Office of Research and Economic Development, Office of the Provost and College of Arts and Sciences.鈥
汤头条 Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan agreed, adding, 鈥淚 want to thank the many faculty and staff who support this important facet of the college experience and have found ways to keep students engaged in research during the pandemic.鈥
This year鈥檚 winners represent Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee. They include (by project type and category):
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
FIRST鈥擬cKenzie R. Johnson, a senior architecture major from Fayetteville, Georgia, 鈥淓thical and Empathetic Research in Architectural Education,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Associate Professor of Architecture Alexis Gregory.
SECOND鈥擧ailey E. Nickels, a senior art/photography major from Savannah, Tennessee, 鈥淯sing Abstracted Organic Forms to Personify the Effects of Domestic Violence on Partners and Children,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Professor of Art Marita Gootee.
THIRD鈥擭aja T. Morris, a senior history major from Hattiesburg, 鈥淲ar is Felt by Everyone Involved,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Professor of History Judith Ridner.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擟hristine S. Grant, a senior biological engineering major from Starkville, 鈥淔abrication of Thermoresponsive Chitosan Gel as a Delivery Vehicle for Fosfomycin in the Treatment of Osteomyelitis,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering Lauren B. Priddy.
SECOND鈥擱eese A. Dunne, a junior mechanical engineering major from Starkville, 鈥淐omparison of Compressional and Elastic Transcranial Photoacoustic Simulations for Presurgical Planning,鈥 mentored by Muyinatu Lediju Bell, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
THIRD鈥擜nne-Marie L. Ross, a junior biochemistry/pre-medicine major from Starkville, 鈥淩ational Design and Optimization of a Multiplex TaqMan庐 Quantitative PCR Assay to Detect Tick-Borne Rickettsiae in a Guinea Pig Model,鈥 mentored by Associate Professor Andrea Varela-Stokes and Staff Scientist John Stokes, both in the 汤头条 College of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Department of Basic Sciences.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擡ric P. Million, a senior mechanical engineering major from Ocean Springs, 鈥淢acroscopic Modeling of Solid-State Thermochemical Fuel Reactors for Solar Thermal Energy Storage,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Like Li.
SECOND鈥擝rady A. Kruse, a senior computer science major from New Haven, Missouri, 聽鈥淎 Robotic Augmented Reality Virtual Window for Law Enforcement Operations,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Ed Swan.
THIRD (tie)鈥擠esiree鈥 R. Cunningham, a junior geoscience/professional geology major from Houma, Louisiana, 鈥淓ffects of Fractures in Fold-Related Fault Zones,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Assistant Professor of Geosciences Kelsey Crane Warden.
THIRD (tie)鈥擡mily R. Chappell, a senior chemistry major from Vancleave, 鈥淚nteractions of R2ab and Amidase with Polystyrene Nanoparticles,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Associate Professor of Chemistry Nicholas Fitzkee.
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
FIRST鈥擜bigail E. 鈥淎bbie鈥 Barnes, a senior psychology major from Alpharetta, Georgia, 鈥淭he Impact of Parental Emotional Support on Emerging Adults鈥 Internalizing and Externalizing Problems,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Associate Professor of Psychology Cliff McKinney.
SECOND鈥擬organ Bishop, a senior psychology major from Oxford, 鈥淧arental Aggression: Predictor of Anxiety and Depression in Emerging Adults,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Associate Professor of Psychology Cliff McKinney.
THIRD鈥擬elvin C. Ellis, a senior educational psychology major from Starkville, 鈥淩eligiosity, Family Communication Patterns, and Depression: A Path Analysis,鈥 mentored by 汤头条 Associate Professor of Psychology Cliff McKinney.
In 2006, a generous gift from 汤头条 chemical engineering alumnus Bobby Shackouls and wife Judy transformed the University Honors Program into 汤头条鈥檚 Shackouls Honors College. The program has supported some of the nation鈥檚 best and brightest students in their pursuit of educational excellence for more than 50 years. Learn more at .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .