Director of Strategic Communications for JSU, Buffy Lockette, shared that undergraduate and graduate students from across campus presented their research to a panel of faculty and staff judges as part of the 2022 JSU Student Symposium on Feb. 15-16 at Houston Cole Library.
Nearly 50 students submitted their work in a variety of fields, with the following winning awards:
- Best of College of Science and Mathematics, Undergraduate: Kritika Maharjan, author of “The Utilization of the Xenopus Embryos for the Determination of the Teratogenic Potential of Methylene Blue.” Mentor: Dr. James Rayburn.
- Best of College of Science and Mathematics, Graduate: Ryan Long, author of “Molecular Evidence of Cryptic Hybridization in the Japanese Nezasa Bamboos (Pleioblastus section Nezasa).” Mentor: Dr. Jimmy Triplett.
- Best of College of Arts and Humanities, Undergraduate: Sarah Kate Norris, author of “Ceramics and Economics in Early China.” Mentor: Dr. Tray Ridlen.
- Best of College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Undergraduate: Dakota Heathcock, author of “Mapping a New Way: A New Approach to Electoral Polling in America.” Mentor: Dr. Ben Gross.
- Best of College of Health Professions and Wellness, Graduate: Luke Cody, author of “Virtual Reality as an Effective Therapeutic Intervention for Sport Injury.” Mentored by Dr. Chris Clark and Dr. Jennifer Savage.
- Best Paper, Undergraduate: Kayla Way, author of “The Utility in Using Xenopus Frog Embryos to Determine Teratogenic Versus Nonteratogenic Potential of Chemicals.” Mentored by Dr. James Rayburn.
- Best Poster, Undergraduate: Trinity Elston, author of “Diving into the Unknown: A Genetic Investigation of Type-2 Diabetes-Associated INSR Variants of Uncertain Significance.” Mentored by Dr. Ashley Turner.
- Best Paper, Graduate: Morgan Brown, author of “Cryptic Hybridization in the Temperate Bamboos: Is Pleioblastus Simonii a Species of Hybrid Origin?” Mentored by Dr. Jimmy Triplett.
- Best Poster, Graduate: Elizabeth Rains for “Mental Health Collaborative,” mentored by Dr. Kimber Wickersham.
- Best Cover Design: Conner Gayda, for design of the symposium program, mentored by Chad Anderson and Christian Dunn.
- Houston Cole Library Award for Research Excellence: Deandrea Stowe, “Recommendations and Considerations for Return to Play Protocols for Athletes at Various Levels Who Test Positive for COVID-19.” Mentored by Dr. Chris Clark and Dr. Jennifer Savage.
- Best of Showcase: Mausam Parajuli, author of “Using Z3 Constraint Solver to Solve Systems of Equations and Puzzles,” mentored by Dr. Arup Kumar Ghosh.
The symposium was directed by Dr. David Thornton, computer science professor. Since 1995, the symposium has highlighted the creative activities of JSU students. Originally limited to students in the arts and sciences, it was expanded in 2017 to include the entire university. It provides a forum to publicly display and acknowledge the best work of JSU students.
Presentations can be viewed on the symposium’s YouTube channel.
