Posters filled the Bryant Conference Center on Tuesday as students across campus presented their research at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference.
More than 700 students participated in the eighth annual conference. Oral and poster presentations were held throughout the day. Judges reviewed the posters and awards were given to the top presentations in each department.
“I think it’s a valuable opportunity for students to present research to others and learn how to present to those not in their field,” said M.K. Shreves, director of Emerging Scholars and representative for the College of Communication and Information Sciences. “It is important for them to see how much they have accomplished, even if they haven’t completed it yet.”
Matthew Barrett is a freshman majoring in history and international studies. He’s part of the emerging scholars program and said he wants to go into intelligence or diplomacy. His poster, “Efficacy of UN peace keeping operations: A pilot study,” dealt with studies of the efficiency of the UN’s efforts.
“It really gave me a better perspective as to what I could be doing,” Barrett said. “Anything we find could actually have an impact.”
Research topics ranged from medical studies in the Peruvian Andes to correlations between socio-economic standing and people’s memories of healthcare. Throughout the day, students had the chance to explain and defend their research while showcasing the work they’ve been doing.
Arts and Sciences Oral Presentation Winners
Social Sciences
1st Place (Dr. Laura Busenlehner Award)
Daniel Klein, Computer Science
Faculty Mentor: Joseph Smith, Political Science
A Web-‐Based Tool For Exploring Supreme Court Opinions
2nd Place
Leigh Terry, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Douglas Gibler, Political Science
Intradispute Bargaining in Militarized Interstate Disputes
3rd Place
Gwen Gardiner, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Alexa Tullett, Psychology
Individual Differences in Perception and Systems of Belief: A Cross-‐Cultural Comparison Between Indian and American College Students
4th Place
Taylor Lawhon, Anthropology
Faculty Mentor: Ian Brown, Anthropology
An Investigation of Caddo Salt Production at Drake’s Salt Works
International Focus Winner
Leigh Terry, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Douglas Gibler, Political Science
Intradispute Bargaining in Militarized Interstate Disputes
Honorable Mention
Alexis Williams, Computer Science
Faculty Mentor: Laura Myers, Computer Science
Improving Weather Warning Communication for the Public
Fine Arts and Humanities
1st Place (Dr. Laura Busenlehner Award)
Emily Vork, Religious Studies
Faculty Mentor: Merinda Simmons, Religious Studies
Authenticity and Nostalgia in Historical Scholarship
2nd Place
Brianna Adams, English
Faculty Mentor: Yolanda Manora, English
Mapping Oppression: A Geocritical Reading of Naylor’s The Women of Brewster
3rd Place
Kaylee MacKnight, Theatre and Dance
Faculty Mentor: Stacy Alley, Theatre and Dance
Island Song: From Page to Stage
4th Place
Amanda Bennett, English
Faculty Mentor: Trudier Harris, English
Through the Eyes of Another: Representations of African American Women in Native Son and Invisible Man
International Focus Winner
Jamie Bowman, English
Faculty Mentor: Albert Pionke, English
The Sacred Oxford University: Incorporating the Totemic with Bildungsroman in the Oxford Novel
Honorable Mentions
Mark Ortiz, New College
Faculty Mentor: David Meek, Anthropology
Toward a Political Ecology “from the hold”
Mallory Herring, Theatre and Dance
Faculty Mentor: Rebecca Salzer, Theatre and Dance
Drift: An Underwater Screendance
Megan Cole, English
Faculty Mentor: Karen Spector, Curriculum and Instruction
Secondary Teacher Preparation and Reported Self-‐Efficacy
Science and Mathematics
1st Place (Dr. Laura Busenlehner Award)
Genevieve Miller, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Ryan Earley, Biological Sciences
Emersion in Response to Predator Cues in Wild Mangrove Rivulus
2nd Place
Shuwen Yue, Chemical and Biological Engineering
Faculty Mentor: David Dixon, Chemistry
Theoretical Study of Ligand Steric Effects in Homogeneous Catalysis
3rd Place
Samantha Durfey, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Carol Duffy, Biological Sciences
Doxycycline-‐Induced Reactivation of HSV-‐1
4th Place
Ryan Hacherl, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Carolyn Cassady, Chemistry
Mass Spectrometry of Biological Peptides
Honorable Mentions
Sean Miller, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: David Dixon, Chemistry
Computational Studies of Phosphorylated Amino Acids and Corresponding Amides
Richard Seeber, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Ryan Earley, Biological Sciences
Metabolic Response to Maternal Fasting in Embryonic Mangrove Rivulus
Anna Moyer, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Janis O’Donnell, Biological Sciences
Molecular Mechanisms of Neuroinflammatory Response in a Drosophila Parkinson’s Model
Danny Laderberg, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Stephen Secor, Biological Sciences
Glucose Tolerance and Ecological Determinants of Blood Glucose in the Diamondback Water Snake
Poster Presentation Winners
Social Sciences
1st Place (Dr. Laura Busenlehner Award)
Margaret Holland, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Joan Barth, Institute for Social Science Research
The Influence of Peer Support on Self-‐Efficacy in Math and Science
2nd Place
Kaitlin Burchett, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: John Lochman, Psychology
Gender Differences in Social Information-‐Processing as related to Different Functions of Aggression in Pre-‐Adolescent Youth
3rd Place
Cole Cecchini, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Debra McCallum, Institute for Social Science Research
Investigating the use of energy drinks at the University of Alabama
4th Place
Nicole McFarland, Political Science
Bethany Turner, Political Science
Olympia Karageorgiou, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Dana Patton, Political Science
Sex Education and Attitudes About Sex
International Focus Winner
Elizabeth Rogers, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Nicholas Kerr, Political Science
Gender Equality in Africa: An Analysis of the Gender Equality in African Social and Political Structures
Honorable Mentions
Ann Durand, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Dana Patton, Political Science
An In Depth Look Into the Gender Pay Gap and Proposed Solutions
Spencer Yeamans, Political Science
Alexandra Bushelli, Political Science
Sarah Sheahan, Political Science
Faculty Mentor: Dana Patton, Political Science
Gender Gap in Opinions on Same-‐Sex Relationship Rights
Young Kim, Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Theodore Tomeny, Psychology
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Adult Siblings of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Aid and Sibling Relationship Attitudes
Amy Hase, Human Development and Family Studies
Faculty Mentor: Nicole Powell, Psychology
Reducing the Positive Illusory Bias: An Analysis of the Value Affirmation Task
Fine Arts and Humanities
1st Place (Dr. Laura Busenlehner Award)
Mary Fair, Music
Faculty Mentor: Andrea Trotter, Music
The Effects of Melodies Sung in Higher versus Lower Keys on Infants’ Heart Rate, Oxygen Saturation, Respiration Rate, and Behavior States: A Preliminary Analysis
2nd Place
Rachel Burton, Theatre and Dance
Faculty Mentor: Lawrence Jackson, Theatre and Dance
The Influence of Rudolf von Laban on Dance Movement Therapy
3rd Place
Haley Davenport, Communicative Disorders
Faculty Mentor: Angela Barber, Communicative Disorders
Parent Vs. Self-‐Report of Social Difficulty in College Students with an ASD Diagnosis
4th Place
Randy Arnold, New College
Faculty Mentor: William Doty, Religious Studies
Willoughby Disk Amplification
Science and Mathematics
1st Place (Dr. Laura Busenlehner Award)
Hunter Dean, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Janis O’Donnell, Biological Sciences
The Effects of Positively Charged Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on Survival and Fertility in Drosophila melanogaster
2nd Place
Andrew Davis, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Laura Reed, Biological Sciences
The effects of a high fat diet on glucose concentration in Drosophila melanogaster
3rd Place
Kindle Williams, Chemical and Biological Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Stephen Woski, Chemistry
Synthesis of Molecular Electronic Components for Self-‐Assembly onto Metal Electrodes
4th Place
Sam Stanley, Biological Sciences
Bryan Martinez, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Kim Caldwell, Biological Sciences
Investigation of dopamine neuron degeneration as a consequence of microbiome-‐ derived bacteria
Honorable Mentions
Lynda Truong, Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Stephen Woski, Chemistry
Investigation of Cyanocarbazole Derivatives as Universal Base Candidates
Brian McWilliams, Biological Sciences
Faculty Mentor: Matthew Jenny, Biological Sciences
Age and Sex Effects on Learning and Memory in Zebrafish