Undergraduates showcase faculty-guided research at annual 桃花直播 symposium
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ore than 180 students at 桃花直播 State recently presented successful faculty-guided research efforts during the Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by the university鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College.
Projects submitted for the annual competition were assigned to one of four categories, including arts and humanities, biological sciences and engineering, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences. Certain categories had multiple award winners due to a large number of submissions.
In recognition of the university鈥檚 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a community engagement and service-learning track also was included for the fifth year.
A team of 54 campus faculty members representing a cross-section of academic areas served as competition judges. Two 桃花直播 students and two community members also assisted in critiquing this year鈥檚 entries.
Residents of 桃花直播, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Italy this year鈥檚 winners include (by project type and category):
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
FIRST鈥擬eredith A. Hilliard of Hernando, a senior English and foreign language/Spanish double-major, advised by Kelly Marsh, associate professor of English and the university鈥檚 newest John Grisham Master Teacher.
VISUAL DISPLAYS
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
FIRST鈥擣rancesca M. Wadlington of Italy, a senior foreign language/Spanish major advised by Wendy Herd, assistant professor of English.
SECOND鈥擹achary R. Henry of Knoxville, Tennessee, a senior architecture major advised by Emily McGlohn, assistant professor in the School of Architecture.
THIRD鈥擧unter R. Burton of Hernando, a senior forestry/forest management major advised by Courtney Siegert, assistant professor in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
THIRD鈥擜bbey K. Wallace of Madison, a senior landscape architecture major advised by Peter Summerlin, assistant professor of landscape architecture.
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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擬ary Ann Smith of Collierville, Tennessee, a senior microbiology and biological sciences/pre-medicine double-major who, as part of an NIH R25 Cancer Education Program, was advised by Joshua Hood, an assistant professor with the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Louisville.
SECOND鈥擜aron W. Albee of Starkville, a sophomore microbiology major advised by Donna M. Gordon, associate professor of biological sciences.
SECOND鈥擝ethany P. Haynes of Springfield, Virginia, a senior animal and dairy sciences major advised by Erdogan Memili, associate professor of animal and dairy sciences.
THIRD鈥擭ancy L. Davis of Kenton, Tennessee, a senior animal and dairy sciences major advised by Trent Smith, associate professor of animal and dairy sciences.
THIRD鈥擫ydia N. Nunes of Ellisville, a senior microbiology major advised by Donna M. Gordon, associate professor of biological sciences.
THIRD鈥擠ylan S. Tribolet of Columbus, a senior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major advised by Richard Baird, professor of plant pathology.
THIRD鈥擜uriana P. Tucker of Brookhaven, a sophomore biochemistry major advised by Carrie Vance, assistant research professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.
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PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擜nna M. Taconi of Diamondhead, a senior chemical engineering major advised by Neeraj Rai, assistant professor of chemical engineering.
SECOND鈥擟ody J. Price of Houston, Texas, a senior chemistry major advised by Nick Fitzkee, assistant professor of chemistry.
THIRD鈥擲pencer I. Callicott of Bryant, Arkansas, a junior computer engineering major advised by Stefano Iannucci, assistant research professor at 桃花直播鈥檚 Distributed Analytics and Security Institute.
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SOCIAL SCIENCES:
FIRST鈥擜li E. Evans of Brookhaven, a sophomore pre-accounting major advised by Danielle Nadorff, assistant professor of psychology.
SECOND鈥擲haquela M. Hargrove of Columbus, a senior psychology major advised by Kristina Hood, former 桃花直播 assistant professor of psychology now an assistant professor of health psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
THIRD鈥擜ndrew Z. 鈥淶ach鈥 Buchanan of Southaven, a senior psychology major advised by Deborah K. Eakin, associate professor of psychology.
THIRD鈥擜nna C. Smith of Laurel, a junior psychology major advised by Danielle Nadorff.
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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE LEARNING:
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
OVERALL鈥擳aylor R. Watson of Clinton, a senior human development and family science/child development major advised by Julie C. Parker, assistant professor in the School of Human Sciences.
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PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH COMPETITION
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擪atherine E. Wood of Starkville, a senior kinesiology/clinical exercise physiology major advised by Megan E. Holmes, assistant professor of kinesiology.
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SOCIAL SCIENCES:
SECOND鈥擱achel A. Booth of Lindale, Texas, a sophomore psychology major advised by Robert McMillen, an associate professor with a joint appointment with the Social Science Research Center and the Department of Psychology.
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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
THIRD鈥擬eghan L.M. Brino of Munford, Tennessee, a junior biological sciences major advised by Janice E. Chambers, William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine鈥檚 Center for Environmental Health Sciences.
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THETA TAU TOMORROW BUILDER AWARD
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
OVERALL鈥擱eed Bigham of Tupelo, a senior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major advised by Richard Baird, professor of plant pathology.
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THESIS RESEARCH COMPETITION
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擩ames N. Grafe of Kiln, a civil engineering/environmental engineering major advised by John J. Ramirez-Avila, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.
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ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
SECOND鈥擹achary R. Henry of Knoxville, Tennessee, a senior architecture major advised by Emily McGlohn, assistant professor in the School of Architecture.
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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
SECOND鈥擝ianca N. Quade of Biloxi, a senior biochemistry/pre-medicine major advised by Ashli Brown Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology and director of the 桃花直播 State Chemical Laboratory.
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SOCIAL SCIENCES:
THIRD鈥擪aitlyn E. May of Katy, Texas, a senior educational psychology major advised by Anastasia Elder, an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations.
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ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
THIRD鈥擣rancesca M. Wadlington of Italy, a senior foreign language/Spanish major advised by Wendy Herd, assistant professor of English.
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Featured speaker for the symposium was Marion Evans, professor and head of 桃花直播鈥檚 Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.
In addition to the honors college, the symposium is sponsored by the offices of the Provost and Executive Vice President, and Research and Economic Development, the Center for Community-Engaged Learning, 桃花直播 Extension Service, National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center, Phi Kappa Phi honor society, Graduate School, and Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.
Support also is provided by the 桃花直播 Public Health Association and the University of 桃花直播 Medical Center鈥檚 Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities.
Learn more about 桃花直播鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College at and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ShackoulsHonors.
桃花直播 is 桃花直播鈥檚 leading university, available online at .