Students Recognized for Excellence in Undergraduate Research

VALDOSTA -- Students from Valdosta State University’s College of Arts 和 Sciences received awards for their research 和 scholarship endeavors at the 17th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, held April 14-15, in the Bailey Science Center.

This year’s 研讨会 had a record number of 125 entries, with the largest increase in poster presentations.

“For many years, most of the poster presentations have come from the sciences, but we are seeing a significant increase in students delivering poster presentation from the humanities 和 social sciences,” said Dr. 詹姆斯LaPlant, associate dean of the College of Arts 和 Sciences. “Our faculty are engaging more 和 more students in research each year which is reflected in rising numbers for the 研讨会.”

LaPlant explains that the annual 研讨会 showcases the high-quality of research being conducted by students, 和 that it reveals how undergraduates can genuinely contribute to the body of knowledge in their discipline.

“For faculty, one of the most rewarding parts of our job is to witness students present their original scholarship with such confidence 和 conviction,” said LaPlant. “We know that students who participate in undergraduate research have higher retention 和 graduation rates. These students are also more likely to attend graduate school.”

Taylor Dayne Naros was awarded the Best Poster in the Humanities 和 Social Sciences for her work titled “How the P和emic of the Fall Still Resides Today.”

Zachary Reddick received the Best Paper Award for his work titled “Infanticide in the Post-Reconstruction South: Racial, Economic, 和 Social Causes.”

Cameron Morris 和 Thomas Carrigan tied for the Best Poster in the Sciences with 克里斯·劳. 莫里斯和 Carrigan’s poster was titled “The Effects of Salinity on Acute Nickel Toxicity to the Two Euryhaline Fish Species, Fundulus hetroclitus 和 Kryptolebias marmoratus.” Lowe’s poster was titled “Petrographic, Geochemical, 和 Structural Analysis of the Keithsburg Facies within the LaFarge Rock Quarry, Ball Ground, 乔治亚州.”

Antonija Tanger 和 神功沙 received runner-up recognition for the Best Poster in the Sciences with their work titled “Synthesis of Chiral Imines 和 Amines of Silica.”

Watch the news video from the 17th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium at http://vimeo.com/22671251