National Conference on Undergraduate Research
Western Carolina University has established itself as a national leader in undergraduate research and has a long-standing tradition of acceptance and participation in the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.
Students accepted to NCUR have the opportunity to present their undergraduate research along with peers from across disciplines. Since 1987, NCUR has been a flagship conference for undergraduate researchers to share, celebrate, and promote their research achievements.
Eleven abstracts from WCU students were accepted to NCUR for the event scheduled April 8 – 10, 2024 conference. The conference will be held in Long Beach, California this year. Primary student presenters are acknowledged below by the College and Department they will represent. Congratulations to these students and their faculty mentors!
College of Arts & Sciences
Anthropology & Sociology
Contributing Factors to Natural Human Mummification
Presenter: Alex Vacca
Faculty Sponsor: Kaleigh Best
Biology
Investigating the effects of urban noise on communication in birds: an experimental approach
Presenter: Emily Francis
Faculty Sponsor: Barbara Ballentine
Chemistry and Physics
Microwave assisted synthesis of strontium fluoride nanoparticles.
Presenter: Elvis Perez Galarza
Faculty Sponsor: Channa De Silva
Computational studies of uranium terpyridine derivatives for potential nuclear waste applications
Presenter: Hayden Privette
Faculty Sponsor: Channa De Silva
The Diffusion of Limonene through Paraffin Wax Using Infrared Spectroscopy
Presenter: Taylor Gregory
Faculty Sponsor: Scott Huffman
English Studies
An Ethnographic Sociolinguistic Approach to Vowel Breaking in ‘Smalltown,’ NC
Presenter: Wyatt Wilson
Faculty Sponsor: Erin Callahan
A Lesson on Sexism: Saunder’s Unintentional Gender Discrimination in Liberation Day: Stories
Presenter: Taleigh Verrault
Faculty Sponsor: Brian Railsback
History
Only Murders in the Paper: How Publications Enthralled Chicago, Elevated America’s First Serial Killer, and Evaporated Public Interest
Presenter: Emma Roy
Faculty Sponsor: Alexander Macaulay
Philosophy & Religion
Definition Through Distance: Animals as the Sartrean Other
Presenter: Jared Ross
Faculty Sponsor: Katharine Mershon
College of Business
School of Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, and Business Law
The Association Between Bank Account and Routing Number Online Payments and Six Consumer Assessment Characteristics
Presenter: Steven Hudspeth
Faculty Sponsor: Gary Curnutt
School of Economics, Management, and Project Management
The Economic Effect of Food and Music Festivals on the Local Economy
Presenter: Emma Pope
Faculty Sponsor: Steve Ha