Students Recognized for Excellence in Undergraduate Research

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

This year’s symposium 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 and social sciences,” said Dr. James LaPlant, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Our faculty are engaging more and more students in research each year which is reflected in rising numbers for the symposium.”

LaPlant explains that the annual symposium showcases the high-quality of research being conducted by students, and 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 and conviction,” said LaPlant. “We know that students who participate in undergraduate research have higher retention and graduation rates. These students are also more likely to attend graduate school.”

Taylor Dayne Naros was awarded the Best Poster in the Humanities and Social Sciences for her work titled “How the Pandemic 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, and Social Causes.”

Cameron Morris and Thomas Carrigan tied for the Best Poster in the Sciences with Chris Lowe. Morris and Carrigan’s poster was titled “The Effects of Salinity on Acute Nickel Toxicity to the Two Euryhaline Fish Species, Fundulus hetroclitus and Kryptolebias marmoratus.” Lowe’s poster was titled “Petrographic, Geochemical, and Structural Analysis of the Keithsburg Facies within the LaFarge Rock Quarry, Ball Ground, Georgia.”

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

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