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:
- Business, Education, Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Humanities
- Mathematics, Life and Physical Sciences
- Performing Arts
- Visual Arts Exhibition
- Emerging Scholars (UNCG Residential College Students)
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)
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)
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)
2nd Place
Sky Kihuwa-Mani (Biology, Junior); Mentor: Joseph Santin (Biology)
Use It or Lose It? Maybe Not: Enhanced excitability and fatigue resistance in breathing muscle after a month-long apnea in frogs
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
2nd Place
Caraline Malloy (Psychology, Senior); Mentor: Sara Littlejohn (Strong College)
She’s Not My Boss Unless She’s a Mother: The Potential Benefits of Being Both Agentic and Communal in Roles Traditionally Held by Men
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?