The Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo took place online this year, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants uploaded video presentations to the URSCO Virtual Expo site for perusal by visitors and judges, as part of a week-long event.
First, second, and third place winners and honorable mentions were selected in five categories:
- Business, Education, Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Humanities
- Mathematics, Life and Physical Sciences
- Performing Arts
- Emerging Scholars (UNCG Residential College Students)
Congratulations to the winning undergraduate scholars listed below!
Business, Education, Behavioral and Social Sciences
1st Place
Keichelle Joyce (Elementary Education, Special Education, Senior), Olivia Cook (Human Development and Family Studies, Post-Bac)
Mentor: Jennifer Coffman (Human Development and Family Studies)
Relating Strategic Memory Skills to Math Calculation Performance in Kindergarten
2nd Place
Katherine Tardif and Margarito Martinez (Interior Architecture, Seniors); Mentor: Asha Kutty
Utilizing Technologies to Examine the Designed Environment and Perception of Crime
3rd Place
Robert Tate (Geography, Senior); Mentor: Selima Sultana (Geography)
African American Perspectives on United States National Parks and Visitation
Honorable Mention
Gabriel Parks (Communication Studies, Senior); Mentor: Jenni Simon (Communication Studies)
An Alternative Sense-making Collective: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Intellectual Dark Web
Humanities
1st Place
Abigail Knight (Nursing, Junior)
Mentor: Erin Lawrimore (University Libraries)
War on the Homefront: Responses to the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 at Three North Carolina Colleges
2nd Place
Eliza Rosebrock (English and Art History, Senior); Mentor: Ben Clarke (English)
The Damning Word: The People’s Side of Irish History in Frank Delaney’s Fiction
3rd Place
Irvin Maldonado (Art, Senior), Victoria Landers (Art, Senior), Filberto Hernandez (Business Administration, Senior); Mentors: Leah Sobsey and Adam Carlin (Art)
The Lawn Sign Project
Honorable Mention
London Nance (Classical Studies, Senior); Mentor: Joanne Murphy (Classical Studies)
The Archaic Temple of Apollo in Karthaia: A Case Study of the Interaction Between the Cultures of Mainland and Cycladic Greece
Mathematics, Life and Physical Sciences
1st Place
Deborah Killian (Biology, Senior)
Mentors: Ramji Bhandari and Xuegeng Wang (Biology)
2nd Place
Christopher Cotter (Biology, Post-Bac); Mentors: Ayalew Osena and Zhenquan Jia (Biology)
Evaluating the Antioxidant Properties of Phytochemical Extracts from the Ancient Grain Teff (Eragrostis tef)
3rd Place
Melika Osareh (Biology, Sophomore); Mentors: John Z. Kiss and Tatsiana Shymanovich
Analysis of Gravitational Stress-Resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana Plants
Honorable Mentions
William Crandall (Chemistry, Senior); Mentor: Nadja Cech (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Fungal Compounds from the Underground Railroad Tree Inhibit Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Joseph Mangun (Chemistry, Post-Bac); Mentor: Nadja Cech (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Applications of Artemisia annua for anti-malarial drugs
Performing Arts
1st Place
Alex Stewart (Music, Junior)
Mentor: Mary Ashley Barret
The Bombarde Reed: Understanding the Design and Construction
2nd Place
Jacquelyn Whiteside (Theatre, Senior); Mentor: Deborah Bell (Theatre)
Designing Costumes for Pippin, One of the School of Theatre’s Mainstage Productions
3rd Place
Taylor Barlow (Music, Junior); Mentor: Andrew Hudson (Music)
Artificial Emotional Intelligence: Perfectly Imperfect Performance in Pierce Gradone Automaton
Emerging Scholars (UNCG Residential College Students)
1st Place
Ethan McKellar (Art, Junior)
Mentors: John Sopper (Grogan College) and Patricia Wasserboehr (Art)
2nd Place
Bailey Thompson (Chemistry, Sophomore); Mentor: Sara Littlejohn (Ashby College)
The “Mental Health Crisis”: The Adolescent Need for Accessible Treatment Plans
3rd Place
Diana Angeles (Pre-Health Studies, Sophomore); Mentor: John Sopper (Grogan College)
Factors Driving Hispanics in the USA to Avoid Professional Medical Care
Honorable Mentions
Eric Yan (Computer Science, Sophomore); Mentor: Sara Littlejohn (Ashby College)
The Effect of Historical Bias on the Portrayal of World War II Era Ground Vehicles in Pop Culture and Fiction
Asha Moore (Psychology, Sophomore); Mentor: Sara Littlejohn (Ashby College)
Dependency, Dehumanization, and Insecurity: Analyzing Why Women Stay in Toxic Relationships
