2021 Undergraduate Expo Winners

Posted on April 27, 2021

Featured Image for 2021 Undergraduate Expo Winners

The Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo took place online again 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 six categories:

Congratulations to the winning undergraduate scholars listed below!

Business, Education, Social and Behavioral Sciences


1st Place

Laci Gray (Psychology, Senior)

Mentors: Rosemary Nelson-Gray and Petery Delaney(Psychology)

Memory and Emotions

2nd Place

Krista Westervelt (Peace and Conflict Studies, Junior); Mentor: Rebecca Adams (Gerontology/Social Work)
Effect of Racial Disparities in Transportation Access on Older Adults in Chatham County

3rd Place

Joy Woods (International Business and Political Science, Senior); Mentor: Gregory McAvoy (Political Science)
Japan in the Age of Immigration

Honorable Mention

Myranda Cook (Psychology, Senior); Mentors: Blair Wisco (Psychology) and Cameron Pugach (Graduate Student)
Coping Style as a Mediator between Social Support and PTSD Severity

Tatyana Farrow (Psychology, Senior); Mentor: Shaylene Nancekivell (Psychology)
Blue Collar versus White Collar: How do Children View Intellectual and Physical Labor

Mia Hoskins (Anthropology, Senior); Mentor: Susan Andreatta (Anthropology)
COVID-19 and the Local Food System in the Piedmont

Humanities


1st Place

Joshua Malloy (Anthropology and Religious Studies, Senior)

Mentors: Donna Nash and Charles Egeland (Anthropology)

The Ritual Use of Animals in the Wari Empire

2nd Place

Alyssa Cavalieri (English, Senior) and Lady Carlin-Rojas (English, Junior); Mentors: Heather Adams (English) and Tracy Nichols (Public Health Education)
Interactive Activism: Game Design as Advocacy Writing

3rd Place

Emily Moser (Classical Studies, Art History, and Painting, Senior); Mentor: Michiel Van Veldhuizen (Classical Studies)
An Enduring Image of the Pythia: Embedded in Art History

Honorable Mention

Fabiola Minerali (Interior Architecture, Senior); Mentor: Asha Kutty (Interior Architecture)
A Brewery Design Restoration in a Former Tobacco Warehouse

Eleni Econopouly (International & Global Studies, Senior); Mentors: Kathleen Macfie and Will Zang (International & Global Studies)
Perceptions and Misconceptions of German Nationalism in the 21st Century

Mathematics, Life and Physical Sciences


1st Place

Shena Hutcherson (Biochemistry, Senior)

Mentor: Derek Monroe (Kinesiology)

Fitness, Cognition, and Brain Functional Connectivity in Identical Twins from the Human Connectome Project

3rd Place

Robert Shepherd (Chemistry, Junior); Mentor: Nicholas Oberlies (Chemistry)
Mycology vs. Malaria: The Use of Fungal Natural Products to Battle Malaria-Causing Plasmodium falciparum

Honorable Mentions

Jade Lyons (Biology, Senior); Mentor: Ayalew Osena (Biology)
Overexpression of Arabidopsis thaliana PSY gene in cassava for enhanced carotenoid biosynthesis

Jennifer Obike (Biochemistry, Junior); Mentor: Nicholas Oberlies (Chemistry)
Media and Strain Study for Enhanced Production of Cis-enone Resorcylic Acid Lactone

Performing Arts


1st Place

Gabriel Figuracion (Music Education, Junior), Triston Broadway (Music, Senior), Maguette Seye (Biology, Junior), and Damien Miles (Music Education, Sophomore)

Mentor: Rebecca MacLeod (Music Education)

Creating a Diverse Online Music Learning Community for Young Musicians

2nd Place

Kesia Cedeno-Ballard (Dance, Junior) and Azaria Gadson (Dance, Junior); Mentor: Duane Cyrus (Dance)
The Resistance Project

3rd Place

Abigail Marshall (Dance, Sophomore); Mentor: Clarice Young (Dance)
My Brother’s Keeper

Visual Arts Exhibition


1st Place

Sarah Chen (Photography)

Mentor: Leah Sobsey (Photography)

Seeing through isolation

2nd Place

Lee St. Clair (New Media and Design); Mentor: Kelley O’Brien (New Media and Design)
The Art of an Art Auction

3rd Place

Mia Jones (New Media and Design); Mentor: Kelley O’Brien (New Media and Design)
OTG (On the Grid)

Honorable Mentions

Christian Ellison (Printmaking and Drawing); Mentor: Christopher Thomas (Printmaking and Drawing)
Handmade love of culture

Canyi Ma (Studio Art); Mentor: Kelley O’Brien (New Media and Design)
BitterSweet

Abigail Dyer (Painting); Mentor: Barbara Thomas (Painting)
Rest

Emerging Scholars (UNCG Residential College Students)


1st Place

Beth Hall (Media Studies, Sophomore)

Mentor: Sara Littlejohn (Ashby College)

An Argument for More and Better Female Representation in Comics

3rd Place

Caroline Beers (Biology, Sophomore); Mentor: Sara Littlejohn (Strong College)
Origin of Dragons & How They Came to Be

Honorable Mentions

Ashton Reid (Family & Community Health, Sophomore); Mentor: John Sopper (Grogan College)
What Are the Benefits of Music Therapy on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Andrea Tyson (Pre-Nursing, Sophomore); Mentor: John Sopper (Grogan College)
How Does Implicit Racial Bias Affect Healthcare for African-Americans?

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