Human Engagement – Oral Presentations (3 orals)
Winner: Why the South Carolina Negro Code of 1740 Matters in 2019. Kayla Tokar* (Kayla is a Music major at WVU from Uniontown, PA. Kayla is a student ambassador for the WVU Office of Undergraduate Research and participated in both the pilot (2017-2018) Research Apprenticeship Program and the 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.)
Science & Technology – Oral Presentations (3 orals)
Winner: Antagonism of Naturally Occurring Bacterial Isolates Against Staphylococcus aureus: A Search for Novel Probiotics. Brittan McClain* and Matthew Williams (Brittan is a Biology major at WVU Institute of Technology from Dixie, WV. Brittan carried out research for WVU 497-level research course credit.)
Agricultural & Environmental Sciences – Poster Presentations (25 posters)
1st Place: Urban Legacies: Linking Glass Manufacturing to Soil Pollution in Morgantown, WV. Kailee Gokey,* Chase Mowery,* Erin Mates,* Randy Toth, and Ken Brown (Kailee is a Geology major at WVU from Sutton, WV. Kailee carried out research for her Environmental Geoscience Capstone course.)
2nd Place: Characterization of Yeast and Bacteria on Cider Apples in West Virginia. Logan Webb,* April Kessel,* Michael Gutensohn, and Ember Morrissey (Logan is an Exercise Physiology major at WVU from Morgantown, WV. Logan carried out research using a Research and Scholarship Award.)
3rd Place: Selection of Rams for Reduced Parasite Fecal Egg Count Reduces Parasite Burden in Progeny. Allison B. Farley,* A. R. Weaver, S.P. Greiner, and S.A. Bowdridge (Allison is an Animal and Nutritional Sciences major at WVU from Saint Albans, WV. Allison was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
Behavioral & Social Sciences – Poster Presentations (36 posters)
1st Place: The Cannabinoid Drug ZCZ011 Does not Alter Anxiety or Reward in Mice. Brian Kotson,* Kristen Trexler, and Steven Kinsey (Brian is a Psychology major at WVU from Glen Dale, WV. Brian was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
2nd Place: See - Do Correspondence in a Pigeon. Virginia Milleson* and Kennon Lattal (Virginia is a Neuroscience & Psychology double major at WVU from Summit Point, WV. Virginia career out research for WVU 497-level research course credit.)
3rd Place: Effect of Manner of Articulation on Different Types of Variance During Speech Motor Learning. Jacob Cahn* and Kimberly Meigh (Jacob is a Speech Pathology and Audiology major at WVU from Morgantown, WV. Jacob was a participant in the 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience.)
Biological & Biochemical Sciences – Poster Presentations (36 posters)
1st Place: NMNAT1, a Protein Associated with Blinding Disease, is Crucial for Retinal Development and Stability. David Sokolov,* Emily Sechrest, Joseph Murphy, Yekai Wang, Jianhai Du, Peter Mathers and Saravanan Kolandaivelu (David is a Biology and Mathematics double major at WVU from Morgantown, WV. David carried out research for Biology 486 Capstone credit.)
2nd Place: The Genetic Underpinnings of Symbiosis Between The Ambrosia Beetle Euwallacea Validus and Fusarium Oligoseptatum. Fady Wasef,* Elaina Spahr, and Teiya Kijimoto (Fady is a Biology major at WVU from Morgantown, WV. Fady carried out research for Biology 486 Capstone credit.)
3rd Place: Studying Development of the Hypothalamus in genomic screen homeobox 1 Mutant Zebrafish. R. Madison Riffe,* Samantha L. Phelix,* Sarah N. Peterson,* Rebecca A. Coltogirone, and Sadie A. Bergeron (Madison is a Biology major at WVU from Charleston, WV. Madison participated in the 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience and furthered her research with WVU Honors EXCEL Enrichment Funds.)
Health Sciences – Poster Presentations (32 posters)
1st Place: Identification of a Sulfonamide Analog that Reduces Cell Viability in B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Nolan R. Holley,* Debbie Piktel, Werner J. Geldenhuys, Karen H. Martin, Bin Su and Laura F. Gibson (Nolan is a Biochemistry major at WVU from Ripley, WV. Nolan was a participant in the 2018 WVU Cancer Research Fellowship program.)
2nd Place: Turning on a Split-Belt Treadmill Using Virtual Reality. Lindsay Reese,* Matthew Boots, Anton Sobinov, Trevor Moon and Sergiy Yakovenko (Lindsay is an Exercise Physiology major at WVU from New Stanton, PA. Lindsay was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
3rd Place: Optimizing Protocols for the Development of Polyclonal Antibody Treatments Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Aaron C. Malkowski,* Emel Sen-Kilic, Justin Bevere, Catherine Blackwood, and Mariette Barbier (Aaron is an Immunology & Medical Microbiology major at WVU from Mount Holly, NJ. Aaron is a student ambassador for the WVU Office of Undergraduate Research and participated in the pilot (2017-2018) Research Apprenticeship Program
Human Engagement – Poster Presentations (20 posters)
1st Place: Airline Dissolution. Cornell Brown,* Gulnara Zaynutdinova, and Olga Bruyaka Collignon (Cornell is a Marketing major at WVU from Nottingham, MD. Cornell was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
2nd Place: Let the Storm Rage On: Reevaluating Misconceptions Regarding the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Michael V. Amato* (Michael is a Political Science, History, and World Languages triple major at WVU from Rochester, MA. Michael’s research efforts were mainly voluntary.)
3rd Place: Peer Feedback on Revisions & Implementation. Joseph Ashton,* Morgan Goode, and Melissa Patchan (Joseph is an Electrical Engineering major at WVU from Inwood, WV. Joseph was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
Physical Sciences & Engineering – Poster Presentations (35 posters)
1st Place: Temperature Ramp and Reaction Time Variances Affect Size and Chemistry of Manganese Oxide Nanoparticles. Alexander Pueschel,* Celia Martinez De La Torre, Jasmine Grossman, and Margaret Bennewitz (Alexander is a Biomedical Engineering major at WVU from Rosedale, MD. Alexander was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
2nd Place: The Development and Integration of Air-Brake Systems on a Small-Scale Rocket. Abednego Abdi* and Patrick Browning (Abednego in a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering double major at WVU from Martinsburg, WV. Abednego was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
3rd Place: How Acid Mine Drainage Affects Water Quality. Kara Cunningham,* Karen Buzby, and Lian-Shin Lin (Kara is a Civil and Environmental Engineering major at WVU from Hamlin, WV. Kara was a participant in WVU’s Research Apprenticeship Program.)
The Third Annual Undergraduate Spring Symposium, which enhances scholarly opportunities for undergraduate students attending West Virginia University, has been enriched by the contributions, funding or otherwise, provided by the WVU programs below. We are deeply appreciative and want to thank all our sponsors for their time, effort and support of scholarly activities at WVU.Thanks to:
- Undergraduate Admissions (https://admissions.wvu.edu/)
- Office of Undergraduate Research (https://undergraduateresearch.wvu.edu/)
- Department of Biology (https://biology.wvu.edu/)
- Undergraduate Intercollegiate Biochemistry Program (https://biochemistry.wvu.edu/)
- Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP)
- Office of the Provost (https://provost.wvu.edu/)
- SpeakWrite (https://speakwrite.wvu.edu/)
- Honors College (https://www.honors.wvu.edu/)
- 38+ graduate students from across the WVU campus who served as volunteer judges for the event.
