The 21st Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors hosted by the Office of Student Research at Appalachian State University was held last week with over 176 abstracts submitted for the celebration event.
The College of Arts and Sciences had 119 of the 176 posters presented. Students have the opportunity to submit their poster to a competition that is reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel of faculty members. Over 110 abstracts were submitted for the poster competition where the top 10 undergraduate and graduate posters are then selected to be presented in front of a panel of judges. Of those submissions the top 10 graduate and 10 undergraduate posters were selected as semi-finalists and then the top three finalists in each group received awards. The College of Arts and Sciences had 13 of the 20 posters presented in the final competition. The students from the college ranged in majors from the Departments of Biology, Geological and Environmental Sciences, and Geography and Planning.
Top three undergraduate student winners
Carmen Montero, senior, Alpharetta, G.A.
Faculty mentor: Dr. Darren Seals
Department of Biology
Poster: A small scale screen of nutraceutical compounds that affect the invasive properties of cancer cells
Morgan Baker, senior, Palmyra, V.A.
Faculty mentor: Dr. Gabriele Casale
Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Poster: Determining the annealing curve of radiation halos in quartz grains through heating experiments
Jacob Dorsett, senior, Monroe, N.C.
Faculty mentor: Dr. Scott Marshall
Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Poster: Where is the southern end of the San Andreas Fault? A Physics-based modeling study
Top three graduate student winners
Adam Willits, Apex, N.C.
Faculty mentor: Dr. Andrew Bellemer
Department of Biology
Poster: The Roles of Cellular Signaling Pathways in Regulating Nociceptive Behavior in Drosophila
Heather Guy, United Kingdom
Faculty mentor: Dr. Baker Perry
Department of Geography and Planning
Poster: Subseasonal variations of stable water isotopes in tropical Andean Precipitation
Lauren Anderson, Lowell, N.C.
Faculty mentor: Dr. Maggie Sugg
Department of Geography and Planning
Poster: An Assessment of Wildfire Vulnerability in Western North Carolina, USA following the 2016 Wildfires
Seventeen faculty were nominated for the second annual Undergraduate Student Faculty Mentorship Excellence Award and for the second year in a row, the winner was a faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Ellen Cowan, Professor, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences. She was presented her award by nominating departmental students: Jacob Pratt, junior and Kayla Mitchell, senior.
Diana Feria Mejia, senior, Communication Studies Wilson, N.C. and Enrique Barrera, freshman, Physics and Astronomy, Monroe, N.C. were the inaugural winners of the Student Research Competition on Latin American or Latino/Hispanic Subjects sponsored by Appalachian@s, the new ASU Hispanic/Latinx Faculty/Staff Organization. Dr. Rene' Harder Horst, Professor, Department of History, announced the awards.
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About the Office of Research
Appalachian State University’s Office of Research provides support for the research, creative, and scholarly endeavors of Appalachian faculty, staff and students. The office consists of five units: Grants Resources and Services, Sponsored Programs, Research Data Analysis, Research Protections and the Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics. The Office of Research also collaborates with the university’s Special Funds Accounting on the fiscal management of awarded projects.
About the Department of Biology
The Department of Biology is a community of teacher-scholars, with faculty representing the full breadth of biological specializations — from molecular genetics to landscape/ecosystem ecology. The department seeks to produce graduates with sound scientific knowledge, the skills to create new knowledge, and the excitement and appreciation of scientific discovery. Learn more at https://biology.appstate.edu.
About the Department of Geography and Planning
The Department of Geography and Planning promotes the understanding of the spatial dimensions of human behavior within the physical and cultural systems of the earth, and the role of planning in achieving improvement in those systems. The department offers degrees in geography and in community and regional planning. Learn more at https://geo.appstate.edu.
About the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Located in Western North Carolina, Appalachian State University provides the perfect setting to study geological and environmental sciences. The Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences provides students with a solid foundation on which to prepare for graduate school or build successful careers as scientists, consultants and secondary education teachers. The department offers six degree options in geology and two degree options in environmental science. Learn more at https://earth.appstate.edu.
By Ellen Gwin Burnette
April 27, 2018
BOONE, N.C.
The top three in undergraduate and graduate categories: (l to r) undergraduate Jacob Dorsett, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences; undergraduate Carmen Montero, Department of Biology; undergraduate Morgan Baker, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences; graduate students Adam Willits, Department of Biology; graduate student Lauren Anderson, Department of Geography and Planning and graduate student Heather Guy, Department of Geography and Planning — all from the College of Arts and
The top three in undergraduate and graduate categories: (l to r) undergraduate Jacob Dorsett, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences; undergraduate Carmen Montero, Department of Biology; undergraduate Morgan Baker, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences; graduate students Adam Willits, Department of Biology; graduate student Lauren Anderson, Department of Geography and Planning and graduate student Heather Guy, Department of Geography and Planning — all from the College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University. Photo by Ellen Gwin Burnette, College of Arts and Sciences