2013 Undergraduate Research Conference

The 2013 Undergraduate Research Conference was held on Friday, April 19th at Atkins Library. In total, 104 students presented their research projects to judges; 43 participated in oral presentations and 61 presented posters. Conference organizers and judges commended all participants for the high quality research represented in the conference.

Twenty-two Departmental Awards were presented for 1st, and in many cases 2nd and third place as well as honorable mention. In the Atkins Library Undergraduate Research Awards, five students were each awarded $1,000 prizes, and numerous students were presented certificates for honorable mention. Dr. Stephen Mosier, retired Vice Chancellor for Research and Federal Relations at UNC Charlotte, presented the Atkins Award named for him, the Stephen Mosier Award for Physical Sciences & Engineering.

“Presenting at a research conference is a great resume item for students,” said Dr. Missy Eppes, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences and chair of the conference committee. “It provides wonderful experience in communicating all of the hard work that students have completed. Our winners, and all of the participating students, should be very proud of the projects they presented.”

Congratulations to all the winners, and to everyone who presented their research work! Our thanks as well to the judges, faculty liaisons, and our keynote speakers – Malin Pereira, Executive Director of the UNC Charlotte Honors College, and Dr. Matt Theado, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at Gardner-Webb University.

Special thanks goes to the event sponsors: Duke Energy, UNC Charlotte’s Charlotte Research Institute, Piedmont-Carolina Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the J. Murrey Atkins Library.

2013 Undergraduate Research Conference Departmental Winners

DepartmentName(s)Project Title
1st year Writing ProgramLea ArapovicTranslations: Same Spirit or New Works?
AnthropologySarah WelchInvestigating the Influence of Academic Community on Students’ Music Preferences
Art & Art History (tie)Allison ScottUncovering Creativity within Nature: An Arts-Based Educational Inquiry
Rachel DresselOrlan, Chris Burden, and Gendered Performance Art
BiologyJeffrey ZackeruComparative Wood Decay Characteristics and Molecular Phylogeny of the Ganoderma lucidum Complex in North Carolina
ChemistryDylan BrokawHigh Throughput Microwave Synthesis and Characterization of NiO Nanoplatelets for Supercapacitor Devices
Civil and Environmental EngineeringMaria TrejoPrecast Geopolymer Cement Concrete Wall Panels for an Off‐The‐Grid Solar House
Communication StudiesMelissa MedaughManagement Sensegiving Strategies: Effect on Organizational Identity
Computer ScienceJeffrey DelawderInformation Visualization in the Classroom
Criminal JusticeCharlene RichaReintegrating Older Inmates Back into Society
Geography & Earth SciencesDaniel CunninghamExtending the Time Series of Satellite-Based Lightning Observations
Global International and Area StudiesAndrew MorimotoThe Legacy of Loyalty
HistoryKate Moore“Heart Whole and Fancy Free”: Single Women of Mecklenburg County North Carolina 1780-1840
Honors College – Arts, Humanities and Social SciencesKate Moore“Heart Whole and Fancy Free”: Single Women of Mecklenburg County North Carolina 1780-1840
Honors College – STEMNicholas GiglioInfrared Laser Thermal Fusion and Cutting of Blood Vessels
Kinesiology (tie)Ana GrossAjuga Turkestanica increases Active Notch and LEF1 in Aged Skeletal Muscle
Tina HarperNeonatal Protocols for Respiratory Therapists in Community Hospitals
Mechanical Engineering & Engineering SciencePaul Anderson, Bryan Bridges, Luke SavagePrecision Optical Control Apparatus
MusicLanson WellsFrom Prelude to Charivary: The French Baroque Suite of Marin Marais
PhysicsNicholas GiglioInfrared Laser Thermal Fusion and Cutting of Blood Vessels
Political ScienceTaishi MuraokaRacial, Gender Diversities and these Effects on the Organizational Performance of the US House of Representatives
PsychologyJennifer KandzerEffects of Gender, Contact Quality, & Aging Anxiety on Young Adults’ Attitudes & Perceptions of Older Adults
SociologyJessica DeenNeighborhood Poverty Rates: A Micro Level Examination of Individual’s Access to Preventative Healthcare
Special Education and Child DevelopmentDanielle MartinStudent Self-Efficacy within Response to Intervention

2013 Atkins Library Undergraduate Research Award Winners

Atkins Award CategoryProject Title
Arts/Architecture/Humanities
WINNER: Elias StillSo Help Us God: The Role of Religion in the American Revolution in North Carolina
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Houston Burnette
Rachel Dressel
Encapsulating Time and Space
Orlan, Chris Burden, and Gendered Performance Art
Biological Sciences/Health Sciences
WINNER: Joshua WheatonRole of RIG-I and RNA Polymerase III in Detection of Neisseria Meningitidis by Glial Cells
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Matthew Lowder
Tina Harper
Indicators of Oyster Health for Development of Sustainable Oyster Reefs
Neonatal Protocols for Respiratory Therapists in Community Hospitals
Math/Computer Sciences
WINNER: Lance RiceFull Body Gait analysis with Inexpensive Depth Cameras
Social Sciences/Education
WINNER: Danielle MartinStudent Self-Efficacy within Response to Intervention
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Taishi Muraoka
Sarah Welch
Joshua Rivera
Racial, Gender Diversities and these Effects on the Organizational Performance of the US House of Representatives
Investigating the Influence of Academic Community on Students’ Music Preferences
I Could Have, So I Should Have: A Study on Control and Regret
Stephen Mosier Award in Physical Sciences
WINNER: Christina MartinezSynthesis and Enzymatic Characterization of Novel Photoactive Substrate Analogues of Undecaprenyl Pyrophosphate Synthase
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Joseph Hazel
Dylan Brokaw
Investigation of the Capsule Polysaccharide Expression Pathway of Vibrio Vulnificus
High Throughput Microwave Synthesis and Characterization of NiO Nanoplatelets for Supercapacitor Devices