Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擡leven students have earned top honors from Mississippi State鈥檚 recent Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Hosted by 小黄书鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, this year鈥檚 competition included 113 project submissions by students conducting faculty-guided research at the state鈥檚 leading research 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 yielded multiple award winners due to the large number of submissions.
Forty-four faculty and advanced doctoral students representing a cross section of academic areas served as competition judges.
Anastasia Elder, the honors college鈥檚 director of undergraduate research and associate dean, said undergraduate research and creative endeavors for all students is part of 小黄书鈥檚 core mission as an institution of higher learning. The symposium, she said, is a way for undergraduate students to share their research and creative discovery activities to complement their academic studies and preparation.
鈥淲e were happy to be able to return to an in-person event and excited to have our largest summer turnout,鈥 Elder said. 鈥淚 want to express much gratitude to our faculty mentors. This symposium cannot occur without their encouragement and support of undergraduate efforts.鈥
This year鈥檚 winners represent Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Tennessee. They include (by project type and category):
ARTS AND HUMANITIES AWARD:
Joseph Newell, a senior English major from Cary, 鈥淪hakespeare鈥檚 Expansion of Heteropatriarchy through Dreams: A Mockery of Women鈥檚 Triumph in 鈥楢 Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream,鈥欌 mentored by 小黄书 Assistant Professor of English Dhanashree Thorat.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擟ara Stewart, a senior wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture major from Abbeville, 鈥淎ssessing Climatic Extremes to Priority Bird Species in the Southeastern Coastal Plain,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Assistant Professor of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Kristine Evans. She is participating in the 小黄书 Office of Research and Economic Development鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Program.
SECOND鈥擬adalyn Jennings, a senior poultry science major from Folsom, Louisiana, 鈥淓valuation of antibiotic resistance pattern of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from broiler breeders with colibacillosis from Mississippi,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Assistant Research Professor of Poultry Science Reshma Ramachandran.
THIRD (tie)鈥擲amuel Cothron, a senior agronomy major from Nashville, Tennessee, 鈥淢etabolites in Sucrose/starch synthesis pathway affect QQS transcript in Arabidopsis,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Ling Li.
THIRD (tie)鈥擨braheem Abbood, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock chemistry major from Bryant, Arkansas, 鈥淯sing Mutagenesis to Understand How a Protein Binds to a Polystyrene Surface.鈥 He is participating in a Research Experience for Undergraduates at 小黄书 and being mentored by 小黄书 Professor of Chemistry Nick Fitzkee.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST鈥擨an Johnson of Hattiesburg, a Research Experience for Undergraduates participant from the University of Southern Mississippi, 鈥淓lectrospinning Optically Active Polymer Fibers Containing Perovskite for Use in Fibrous LED Devices,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Santanu Kundu.
SECOND鈥擱udane Griffiths, a senior chemical engineering major from Starkville, 鈥淓fficient propane dehydroaromatization over ultralow loading Pt/HZSM-5 promoted with Cu,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Yizhi Xiang.
THIRD (tie)鈥擝ailey Bullard, a University of North Georgia chemistry major from Sharpsburg, Georgia, 鈥淭esting of Engineered Biochar for the Removal of Phosphorus in Stormwater Runoff.鈥 She is participating in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates at 小黄书 and being mentored by 小黄书 Professor of Chemistry Todd Mlsna and 小黄书 Professor of Landscape Architecture Tim Schauwecker.
THIRD (tie)鈥擪atelyn Woodard, a senior chemical engineering major from Paducah, Kentucky, 鈥淎 Radical Library: Cataloging Radiation Yield of Acrylates Undergoing Electron-beam Polymerization,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Professor of Chemical Engineering Julie Jessop.
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
FIRST鈥擲arah Dulaney, a senior microbiology major from Vicksburg, 鈥淭hematic聽Analysis of Vaccine Misinformation in Social Media,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Assistant Professor of Communication Holli Seitz.聽聽
SECOND鈥擫auren Adams, a senior chemistry major from Columbus, 鈥淓ye Tracking Studies on Organic Molecule Representational Competence,鈥 mentored by 小黄书 Associate Professor of Chemistry Deb Mlsna.
In 2006, a generous gift from 小黄书 chemical engineering alumnus Bobby Shackouls and wife Judy transformed the University Honors Program into 小黄书鈥檚 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 .
小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .