Undergraduates showcase faculty-guided research at annual ݮƵsymposium
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.—More than 180 students at Mississippi State recently presented successful faculty-guided research efforts during the Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by the university’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College.
Projects submitted for the annual competition were assigned to one of four categories, including arts and humanities, biological sciences and engineering, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences. Certain categories had multiple award winners due to a large number of submissions.
In recognition of the university’s Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a community engagement and service-learning track also was included for the fifth year.
A team of 54 campus faculty members representing a cross-section of academic areas served as competition judges. Two ݮƵstudents and two community members also assisted in critiquing this year’s entries.
Residents of Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Italy this year’s winners include (by project type and category):
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
FIRST—Meredith A. Hilliard of Hernando, a senior English and foreign language/Spanish double-major, advised by Kelly Marsh, associate professor of English and the university’s newest John Grisham Master Teacher.
VISUAL DISPLAYS
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
FIRST—Francesca M. Wadlington of Italy, a senior foreign language/Spanish major advised by Wendy Herd, assistant professor of English.
SECOND—Zachary R. Henry of Knoxville, Tennessee, a senior architecture major advised by Emily McGlohn, assistant professor in the School of Architecture.
THIRD—Hunter R. Burton of Hernando, a senior forestry/forest management major advised by Courtney Siegert, assistant professor in the Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
THIRD—Abbey K. Wallace of Madison, a senior landscape architecture major advised by Peter Summerlin, assistant professor of landscape architecture.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST—Mary Ann Smith of Collierville, Tennessee, a senior microbiology and biological sciences/pre-medicine double-major who, as part of an NIH R25 Cancer Education Program, was advised by Joshua Hood, an assistant professor with the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Louisville.
SECOND—Aaron W. Albee of Starkville, a sophomore microbiology major advised by Donna M. Gordon, associate professor of biological sciences.
SECOND—Bethany P. Haynes of Springfield, Virginia, a senior animal and dairy sciences major advised by Erdogan Memili, associate professor of animal and dairy sciences.
THIRD—Nancy L. Davis of Kenton, Tennessee, a senior animal and dairy sciences major advised by Trent Smith, associate professor of animal and dairy sciences.
THIRD—Lydia N. Nunes of Ellisville, a senior microbiology major advised by Donna M. Gordon, associate professor of biological sciences.
THIRD—Dylan S. Tribolet of Columbus, a senior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major advised by Richard Baird, professor of plant pathology.
THIRD—Auriana P. Tucker of Brookhaven, a sophomore biochemistry major advised by Carrie Vance, assistant research professor of biochemistry and molecular biology.
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST—Anna M. Taconi of Diamondhead, a senior chemical engineering major advised by Neeraj Rai, assistant professor of chemical engineering.
SECOND—Cody J. Price of Houston, Texas, a senior chemistry major advised by Nick Fitzkee, assistant professor of chemistry.
THIRD—Spencer I. Callicott of Bryant, Arkansas, a junior computer engineering major advised by Stefano Iannucci, assistant research professor at MSU’s Distributed Analytics and Security Institute.
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
FIRST—Ali E. Evans of Brookhaven, a sophomore pre-accounting major advised by Danielle Nadorff, assistant professor of psychology.
SECOND—Shaquela M. Hargrove of Columbus, a senior psychology major advised by Kristina Hood, former ݮƵassistant professor of psychology now an assistant professor of health psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University.
THIRD—Andrew Z. “Zach” Buchanan of Southaven, a senior psychology major advised by Deborah K. Eakin, associate professor of psychology.
THIRD—Anna C. Smith of Laurel, a junior psychology major advised by Danielle Nadorff.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SERVICE LEARNING:
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
OVERALL—Taylor R. Watson of Clinton, a senior human development and family science/child development major advised by Julie C. Parker, assistant professor in the School of Human Sciences.
PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH COMPETITION
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST—Katherine E. Wood of Starkville, a senior kinesiology/clinical exercise physiology major advised by Megan E. Holmes, assistant professor of kinesiology.
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
SECOND—Rachel A. Booth of Lindale, Texas, a sophomore psychology major advised by Robert McMillen, an associate professor with a joint appointment with the Social Science Research Center and the Department of Psychology.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
THIRD—Meghan L.M. Brino of Munford, Tennessee, a junior biological sciences major advised by Janice E. Chambers, William L. Giles Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Environmental Health Sciences.
THETA TAU TOMORROW BUILDER AWARD
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
OVERALL—Reed Bigham of Tupelo, a senior biological engineering/biomedical engineering major advised by Richard Baird, professor of plant pathology.
THESIS RESEARCH COMPETITION
PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
FIRST—James N. Grafe of Kiln, a civil engineering/environmental engineering major advised by John J. Ramirez-Avila, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
SECOND—Zachary R. Henry of Knoxville, Tennessee, a senior architecture major advised by Emily McGlohn, assistant professor in the School of Architecture.
BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING:
SECOND—Bianca N. Quade of Biloxi, a senior biochemistry/pre-medicine major advised by Ashli Brown Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology and director of the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory.
SOCIAL SCIENCES:
THIRD—Kaitlyn E. May of Katy, Texas, a senior educational psychology major advised by Anastasia Elder, an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Foundations.
ARTS AND HUMANITIES:
THIRD—Francesca M. Wadlington of Italy, a senior foreign language/Spanish major advised by Wendy Herd, assistant professor of English.
Featured speaker for the symposium was Marion Evans, professor and head of MSU’s Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.
In addition to the honors college, the symposium is sponsored by the offices of the Provost and Executive Vice President, and Research and Economic Development, the Center for Community-Engaged Learning, ݮƵExtension Service, National Strategic Planning and Analysis Research Center, Phi Kappa Phi honor society, Graduate School, and Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion.
Support also is provided by the Mississippi Public Health Association and the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities.
Learn more about MSU’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College at and follow on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ShackoulsHonors.
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