On Saturday, December 7, the Office of Undergraduate Research hosted our Seventh Annual Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Mountainlair on the WVU Downtown Campus. A huge congratulations to our category winners and runners-up below, and an enormous thanks to all our presenters, mentors, judges, and attendees who made this symposium such a success!
ORAL PRESENTATIONS
Human Engagement
- Winner: Cheyenne Torres presented: Children’s Toys’ and The Idea of What It Means To Be A Woman. Mentor: Kasi Jackson. Cheyenne is a Psychology and Art Therapy major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
- Winner: Soffi Bee presented: Modeling fentanyl-associated, opioid use disorder-related behaviors in Swiss-Webster mice. Mentor: Vincent Setola. Soffi is a Psychology/Biology double major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Arts, Humanities and Design
- Winner: Melody Siracusa presented: Paint and Paste: a Study of Tarascan Pottery. Mentor: Amy Hirshman. Melody is a Multidisciplinary Studies major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
Biological & Biochemical Sciences
- Winner: Andrew Tiu presented: Modulating Neutrophil JAK/STAT Pathways: Impacts on Brain Anatomy in a 3xTg Alzheimer’s Disease Model. Mentor: Aminata Coulibaly. Andrew is a Biochemistry major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
- Runner-Up: John Schmitt and Leah Gingrich presented: Developing a Rapid DNA Test for Cases of Poisonings with Amanita Mushrooms. Mentor: Arati Iyengar. John is a Forensic Biology major at WVU.
Environmental & Agricultural Sciences
- Winner: Caleb Seol presented: Linking Tree Stem Growth to Climate Variability and Ecosystem Photosynthesis. Mentor: Steve Kannenberg. Caleb is a Biology major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
Health Sciences
- Winner: Ella Asbury presented: Comparing Palliative Home Care Needs of Patients with Heart Failure and Vascular Dementia and Family Caregivers. Mentor: Ubolrat Piamjariyakul. Ella is a Health and Well-Being major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
- Runner-Up: Charles Putnam presented: Ascorbate Oxidase Activity of Iminoquinone Triaryl Methyl Molecule: A Radical Mechanism. Mentor: Benoit Driesschaert. Charles is a Biochemistry major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
Physical Sciences & Engineering
- Winner: Kaden Adams presented: How Changes in Liquid Properties Affect the Characteristics of Electrohydrodynamic 3D Printing. Mentor: Kostas Sierros. Kaden is a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
- Runner-Up: Molly Krupa presented: Designing 3D Microfluidic Cell Culture Devices for Advanced MRI Diagnostics of Breast Cancer. Mentor: Trieu Nguyen. Molly is a Physics major at WVU and participates in the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP).
Social & Behavioral Sciences
- Winner-tie: Eden Williams presented: Addressing Early Onset Colorectal Cancer Disparities in Appalachia: Newly Screening Eligible Participant Knowledge Gaps. Mentor: Julie Patrick. Eden is a Biology major at WVU.
- Winner-tie: Maya Wetherbee presented: Linking Oral Health and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Analysis of Depression and Anxiety Factors. Mentor: Julie Hicks Patrick. Maya is a Biology major at WVU.
- Runner-Up: Lingjian Zheng presented: Place-based Health Disparities: Influences of Smoking, Alcohol, Rurality, and Gender on Cancer Pain. Mentor: Julie Hicks Patrick. Lingjian is a Biology major at WV
