2013 Undergraduate Research Conference
The 2013 Undergraduate Research Conference was held on Friday, April 19th at Atkins Library. In total, 104 students presented their research projects to judges; 43 participated in oral presentations and 61 presented posters. Conference organizers and judges commended all participants for the high quality research represented in the conference.
Twenty-two Departmental Awards were presented for 1st, and in many cases 2nd and third place as well as honorable mention. In the Atkins Library Undergraduate Research Awards, five students were each awarded $1,000 prizes, and numerous students were presented certificates for honorable mention. Dr. Stephen Mosier, retired Vice Chancellor for Research and Federal Relations at UNC Charlotte, presented the Atkins Award named for him, the Stephen Mosier Award for Physical Sciences & Engineering.
“Presenting at a research conference is a great resume item for students,” said Dr. Missy Eppes, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences and chair of the conference committee. “It provides wonderful experience in communicating all of the hard work that students have completed. Our winners, and all of the participating students, should be very proud of the projects they presented.”
Congratulations to all the winners, and to everyone who presented their research work! Our thanks as well to the judges, faculty liaisons, and our keynote speakers – Malin Pereira, Executive Director of the UNC Charlotte Honors College, and Dr. Matt Theado, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at Gardner-Webb University.
Special thanks goes to the event sponsors: Duke Energy, UNC Charlotte’s Charlotte Research Institute, Piedmont-Carolina Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the J. Murrey Atkins Library.
2013 Undergraduate Research Conference Departmental Winners
Department | Name(s) | Project Title |
---|---|---|
1st year Writing Program | Lea Arapovic | Translations: Same Spirit or New Works? |
Anthropology | Sarah Welch | Investigating the Influence of Academic Community on Students’ Music Preferences |
Art & Art History (tie) | Allison Scott | Uncovering Creativity within Nature: An Arts-Based Educational Inquiry |
Rachel Dressel | Orlan, Chris Burden, and Gendered Performance Art | |
Biology | Jeffrey Zackeru | Comparative Wood Decay Characteristics and Molecular Phylogeny of the Ganoderma lucidum Complex in North Carolina |
Chemistry | Dylan Brokaw | High Throughput Microwave Synthesis and Characterization of NiO Nanoplatelets for Supercapacitor Devices |
Civil and Environmental Engineering | Maria Trejo | Precast Geopolymer Cement Concrete Wall Panels for an Off‐The‐Grid Solar House |
Communication Studies | Melissa Medaugh | Management Sensegiving Strategies: Effect on Organizational Identity |
Computer Science | Jeffrey Delawder | Information Visualization in the Classroom |
Criminal Justice | Charlene Richa | Reintegrating Older Inmates Back into Society |
Geography & Earth Sciences | Daniel Cunningham | Extending the Time Series of Satellite-Based Lightning Observations |
Global International and Area Studies | Andrew Morimoto | The Legacy of Loyalty |
History | Kate Moore | “Heart Whole and Fancy Free”: Single Women of Mecklenburg County North Carolina 1780-1840 |
Honors College – Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences | Kate Moore | “Heart Whole and Fancy Free”: Single Women of Mecklenburg County North Carolina 1780-1840 |
Honors College – STEM | Nicholas Giglio | Infrared Laser Thermal Fusion and Cutting of Blood Vessels |
Kinesiology (tie) | Ana Gross | Ajuga Turkestanica increases Active Notch and LEF1 in Aged Skeletal Muscle |
Tina Harper | Neonatal Protocols for Respiratory Therapists in Community Hospitals | |
Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Science | Paul Anderson, Bryan Bridges, Luke Savage | Precision Optical Control Apparatus |
Music | Lanson Wells | From Prelude to Charivary: The French Baroque Suite of Marin Marais |
Physics | Nicholas Giglio | Infrared Laser Thermal Fusion and Cutting of Blood Vessels |
Political Science | Taishi Muraoka | Racial, Gender Diversities and these Effects on the Organizational Performance of the US House of Representatives |
Psychology | Jennifer Kandzer | Effects of Gender, Contact Quality, & Aging Anxiety on Young Adults’ Attitudes & Perceptions of Older Adults |
Sociology | Jessica Deen | Neighborhood Poverty Rates: A Micro Level Examination of Individual’s Access to Preventative Healthcare |
Special Education and Child Development | Danielle Martin | Student Self-Efficacy within Response to Intervention |
2013 Atkins Library Undergraduate Research Award Winners
Atkins Award Category | Project Title |
---|---|
Arts/Architecture/Humanities | |
WINNER: Elias Still | So Help Us God: The Role of Religion in the American Revolution in North Carolina |
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Houston Burnette Rachel Dressel | Encapsulating Time and Space Orlan, Chris Burden, and Gendered Performance Art |
Biological Sciences/Health Sciences | |
WINNER: Joshua Wheaton | Role of RIG-I and RNA Polymerase III in Detection of Neisseria Meningitidis by Glial Cells |
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Matthew Lowder Tina Harper | Indicators of Oyster Health for Development of Sustainable Oyster Reefs Neonatal Protocols for Respiratory Therapists in Community Hospitals |
Math/Computer Sciences | |
WINNER: Lance Rice | Full Body Gait analysis with Inexpensive Depth Cameras |
Social Sciences/Education | |
WINNER: Danielle Martin | Student Self-Efficacy within Response to Intervention |
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Taishi Muraoka Sarah Welch Joshua Rivera | Racial, Gender Diversities and these Effects on the Organizational Performance of the US House of Representatives Investigating the Influence of Academic Community on Students’ Music Preferences I Could Have, So I Should Have: A Study on Control and Regret |
Stephen Mosier Award in Physical Sciences | |
WINNER: Christina Martinez | Synthesis and Enzymatic Characterization of Novel Photoactive Substrate Analogues of Undecaprenyl Pyrophosphate Synthase |
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Joseph Hazel Dylan Brokaw | Investigation of the Capsule Polysaccharide Expression Pathway of Vibrio Vulnificus High Throughput Microwave Synthesis and Characterization of NiO Nanoplatelets for Supercapacitor Devices |