Article by Ananya Huria
The 8th annual Carolyn and Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo exemplified the UNCG commitment to doing something bigger altogether. This March, 158 undergraduate student researchers, representing 39 academic departments, presented their work to faculty and staff judges. Topics ranged from sustainable neighborhoods to better schizophrenia diagnosis to Chilean hip-hop.
The undergraduate expo is a campus-wide celebration of research, scholarship, and creativity. The event features individual student work, group projects, and community-based studies. Students share their efforts through poster presentations, exhibits, performances, and oral presentations.
Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity Office (URSCO) Director Lee Phillips, describes research as “an empowering experience” and emphasizes that the office “recognizes scholarship across all academic disciplines.” Expo presentation categories include humanities, economics, mathematics, and the social, behavioral, life, and physical sciences.
Dipti Paudel: Lilian Nile Undergraduate Research Assistantship winner2014 was special for URSCO, as it recognized its first Lilian Nile Undergraduate Research Assistantship awardee. The assistantship honors the mother of Dr. Terry Nile, who joined UNCG in 1998 and served as Head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. With his love for scholarship and teaching, Nile has positively impacted the lives of numerous students, introducing them to the world of research and jump-starting their careers in industry.
Dipti Paudel is the first recipient of the Lilian Nile Undergraduate Research Assistantship. She used the award to participate in a Summer International Undergraduate Research program at the University of Bristol. Paudel graduated from UNCG in December 2013 and is currently working with Procter & Gamble. She plans to pursue her doctorate at North Carolina State University this fall.
The expo judging process takes approximately 10 to 15 days. URSCO will announce the results shortly, and expo winners will be recognized at the Lloyd International Honors College Honors Convocation.
Check back soon to read an in-depth profiles on the winners.
03-31-14 UPDATE
The winners of the expo are as follows:
*Business, Behavioral, Economic, Educational and Social Sciences*
1st Place – Brent Nara, David Frank and Michaela Zavagnin
“The Influences of Mood and Mindfulness on Age-Related Differences in Mind Wandering in a Reading Task”
Dayna Touron and Michael Kane, Faculty Mentors
2nd Place – Jonathan Latta and Julie Campbell
“The Development of Hand Preference in Infants Between 8 to 14 Months”
George Michel (Psychology), Faculty Mentor
3rd Place – Meg Smith
“How Children Think About Math”
Nicole Dobbins and Vicki Jacobs (Education), Faculty Mentors
Honorable Mention – Joylyn Troyer and Catherine French
“Sustainable Glenwood”
Travis Hicks (Interior Architecture), Faculty Mentor
*Life, Mathematical and Physical Sciences (M. Russell Harter Award)*
1st Place – Daniel Nasrallah
“Investigation into the Syntheses and Applications of Cyanocarbenes”
Mitchell Croatt (Chemistry & Biochemistry), Faculty Mentor
2nd Place – Jonathan Nelson and Shan Yu
“Epigenetic Modulation of WNT5A Expression in the Human Colorectal Cell Line HCT-116”
Karen Katula (Biology), Faculty Mentor
3rd Place – Harry Rybacki
“OSF SciNet: Crowd-Sourcing the Scientific Citation Network”
Andrew Jensen (Computer Science), Faculty Mentor
Honorable Mention – Jason Howard
“Exploring the Charge Independence of the Strong Force by Modeling Neutron-Proton Scattering”
Deepshikha Shukla (Physics & Astronomy), Faculty Mentor
*Humanities*
1st Place – Emily Gering
“Development in Latin’s Basic Color Terms”
David Wharton (Classical Studies), Faculty Mentor
2nd Place – Eliana Mundula
“Learned, Mannered, and Titled: Baccio Bandinelli’s Self-Referential Work in the Context of the Changing Status of the Artist”
Heather Holian (Art History), Faculty Mentor
3rd Place – Rachel Chaney
“There Are Worse Crimes Than Burning Books: How the Graphic Novel Enhances the Rhetorical Aim of Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451′”
Hephzibah Roskelly (English), Faculty Mentor
*Visual Arts*
1st Place – Gabrielle Ocampo
“What it’s Like to Sleep”
Sheryl Oring (Art), Faculty Mentor
2nd Place – Michael Bannerman
“The Complete Astrologer and His Time Capsules”
Barbara Campbell Thomas (Art), Faculty Mentor
3rd Place – Elizabeth Traub
“Don’t Listen”
Nikki Blair (Art), Faculty Mentor
Honorable Mention – Billy Hawkins
“Ako no. 1”
Barbara Campbell Thomas (Art), Faculty Mentor
Article author Ananya Huria is a Media and Communication Intern with the UNCG Office of Research and Economic Development, where she helps promote UNCG research stories and impact to campus and external audiences. Ananya is a senior at UNCG, studying international business and entrepreneurship. Her background in PR and Marketing lead her to her current position.
