Poster, Oral, and Performance Presentations
Select digital presentations will be available by clicking on the presentation title and the student name on March 21, 2022.
All presentations for the 24th Undergraduate Exposition are listed below by college and department. Congratulations to these students and their faculty sponsors for their dedication and hard work in such wonderful academic achievements.
Colleges and Departments Featuring Student Presentations
College of Arts & Sciences
Anthropology and Sociology
Leadership at Cat Camp
Student Author: Estefany Gordillo-Rivas
Staff Sponsor: Marti Newbold
Assessing Patterns of Moisture Content in Decomposing, Desiccated, and Mummified Tissue in the Southeastern United States: Trial 1 Data
Student Author: Carter Unger
Faculty Sponsor: Rebecca George
A look at Critical Race Theory in America and the Backlash it has Received
Student Author: Lilianna Devlin
Faculty Sponsor: Munene Mwaniki
Comparative Geochemical Assay of Napier and Connestee Ceramic Sherds as a means to Evaluate Composition and Raw Materials Sourcing
Student Author: Wesley Parrish
Faculty Sponsors: Brett Riggs and Shane Schoepfer
Biology
Effects of Soil Moisture and Humidity on P. Teyahalee’s Foraging Duration, Start, and End Time
Student Author: Jalen Elwell
Faculty Sponsor: Joseph Pechmann
Methods To Extract DNA From Bones
Student Author: Ariana Brown
Faculty Sponsor: Frankie West
The effects of mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium TreY
Student Author: Diana Romero
Faculty Sponsor: Amanda Storm
An Alternative to Western Blotting: Using Dual-Reporter In-Gel Fluorescence to Assess Autophagy in Biomaterials Research
Student Author: Melissa Rogers
Faculty Sponsor: Heather Coan
Annotation and analysis of the ImpL2 gene in multiple Drosophila species
Student Author: Lorien Helm
Faculty Sponsor: Indi Bose
Molecular Scatology: A Look into a Noninvasive Method of Species Identification of Carnivores in Western North Carolina
Student Author: A. Priest
Faculty Sponsors: Maureen Hickman and Aimee Rockhill
Investigation of the Quaternary Structure of Olfactory Receptors Olfr691 and Olfr78 in Kidney Cells using Spatial Intensity Distribution Analysis (SpIDA)
Student Author: Rebekah Boone
Faculty Sponsor: Robert Youker
Development of Methods for Growing and Maintaining Attachment of Human Embryonic Kidney Cells on Glass Slides for Confocal Microscope Visualization
Student Author: Melissa Huamancondor
Faculty Sponsor: Heather Coan
Chemistry and Physics
Insight into the Use of High-Altitude Ballooning (HAB) for Cosmic Ray Muon Detection and Experimentation
Student Author: Aaron Speyer
Faculty Sponsor: Enrique Gomez
Structures of repressor:DNA complexes from different mycobacteriophage subclusters reveal the molecular details of heteroimmunity phenotypes
Student Authors: Regan McKinney
Faculty Sponsors: Jamie Wallen and Maria Gainey
Regeneration of Ground Peanut Hull Biosorbent after Methylene Blue Uptake
Student Author: Cassandra Knobeloch
Faculty Sponsor: Carmen Huffman
Grafting Cyclodextrin to Cotton Fiber via a Citric Acid Linker
Student Author: Devin Randolph
Faculty Sponsor: Carmen Huffman and Channa De Silva
The Structure of the Binary Mixtures of Hydrogen Bond Acceptors and Simple Alcohols with Vibrational Spectroscopy, Quantum Mechanical Modeling, and Viscosity Measurements
Student Author: Clarissa Mitchell
Faculty Sponsor: Scott Huffman
Classification of Natural and Synthetic Cannabinoids Using GC/MS data and Partial Least Squire Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA)
Student Author: Kristopher Evans-Newman
Faculty Sponsor: Nuwan Perera
Metal-Based Nanoparticles for Potential Biomedical Imaging
Student Author: Megan Rathbone
Faculty Sponsor: Channa De Silva
Practicing Cultural Responsiveness as an RA
Student Author: Auburn Collins
Staff Sponsor: Marti Newbold
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Enhanced Priority Risk Index Comparison with the Priority Risk Index in Emergency and Disaster Management
Student Author: Sydney Miller
Faculty Sponsor: Joseph Harris
Correctional System Resistance to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Recommendations for Increasing and Improving Implementation
Student Author: Matthew Lehman
Faculty Sponsor: Alexa Singer and Albert Kopak
Tornado Resistant Construction Methods for Buildings
Student Author: Danielle Kuykendall
Faculty Sponsor: Julia Crowley
Legal and extralegal predictors of outcomes at first appearance hearings
Student Author: Grace Popp
Faculty Sponsor: Jamie Vaske
Emergency Management Service (s) Endorsement for First Generational Students: Understanding, Validating, and Promoting Vulnerable Population Inclusivity on University Campuses
Student Authors: Sarah Tisinger and Jonah Ward
Faculty Sponsor: Joseph Harris
English
What It Means to Be a Parent in Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing
Student Author: Cameron Perry
Faculty Sponsor: Brian Railsback
Geosciences and Natural Resources
Effects of Urban Development on Tardigrade Diversity
Student Author: Joshua Lyon
Faculty Sponsors: Diane Styers and Jane Dell
Generating A Database for Southeastern United States Mammalian Hair
Student Author: Hunter Lail
Faculty Sponsors: Aimee Rockhill
Effect of Forest Cover Change in the Upper Little Tennessee River Basin on Fish Index of Biotic Integrity
Student Authors: Victoria Annas and Adam Mottershead
Faculty Sponsor: Keith Gibbs
Characterizing and correlating land use and soil erodibility across the Upper Little Tennessee River Basin
Student Authors: Andrew Bryant and Michelle Smyth
Faculty Sponsors: Keith Gibbs, Diane Styers, and Thomas Martin
Professionalism in Student Employment
Student Author: Mason Shaw
Staff Sponsor: Marti Newbold
History
A Disease of Their Own: The Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Founders, Chronic Allergic Asthma, & Their Franco-American Descendants 1780-1890
Student Author: Alexis Peters
Faculty Sponsor: Gael Graham
Mathematics & Computer Science
Student Author: Brooke Cogburn
Faculty Sponsor: Andrew Scott
Philosophy and Religion
Redemption and Penance: Physical Humiliation, Bodily Harm, and Death Not Included
Student Author: Nathan Travis
Faculty Sponsor: Katharine Mershon and David Henderson
Political Science
Mental Health Public Policy Change
Student Author: Jacy Romero
Faculty Sponsor: JoBeth Shafran
Multinational Review of the Long-Term Effects on Education After Pandemics
Student Author: Aran Brunette
Faculty Sponsors: Ingrid Bego and Niall Michelsen
UN Women in Kenya
Student Author: Morgan Schull
Faculty Sponsor: Ingrid Bego
College of Business
School of Accounting, Finance, Information Systems and Business Law
Domestic and Foreign University Financial Planning with Masters of International/Global Political Economy from a Domestic Perspective
Student Author: Remus Turner
Faculty Sponsor: Patrick Payne
School of Economics, Management, and Project Management
Drivers of Continuous Improvement Effectiveness During Covid-19: Evidence from the Nigerian Healthcare System
Student Author: Fuad Hassan
Faculty Sponsors: Bukola Bakare and Marco Lam
Budgeting North Carolina Water through Watershed Trading Quotas
Student Author: Adam Mottershead
Faculty Sponsor: Sean Mulholland
College of Education and Allied Professions
Elementary Education
Psychology
Religiosity, Attitudes Towards Women, and the Advent of Fifth-Wave Feminism: An Exploratory Study
Student Author: Gabi Latimer
Faculty Sponsor: David Scales
College student social media addiction, social anxiety, and self-esteem
Student Author: Rachael Cunio
Faculty Sponsors: Ellen Sigler and David Scales
Relationship Between Parental Internet Moderation and Online Sexual Grooming
Student Authors: Brikena Smakiqi and Jasper Shupe
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Sigler
To Speak or Not to Speak: Employee Voice and Silence
Student Author: Katelyn Hallman
Faculty Sponsors: Ellen Sigler and Annie Wilson
The Relationship Between Blended Family Relationships and Well-being in Undergraduates
Student Author: Alexandra Jarman
Faculty Sponsor: Ellen Sigler
College of Engineering and Technology
School of Engineering and Technology
An Algorithm to Calculate the Individual Optimal Cost Configuration of Hybrid Clean Energy
Student Authors: John Kiger, Lyle Pressley, Lindsey McGregor, and Faisal Alrumman
Faculty Sponsor: Bora Karayaka
A Design Methodology For a Rack and Pinion Type Wave Energy Converter
Student Authors: Brayden Beaver
Faculty Awardee: Bora Karayaka
Thermal Optimization of a Glassblowing Furnace
Student Author: Jake Toney
Faculty Sponsors: Martin Tanaka
Designing Portable Hydroelectric Power Generators for Recreational Use
Student Authors: Keanu Ammons, Mitch Goldfarb, Nicholas Hutchens, and Cray McCall
Faculty Sponsor: Bora Karayaka
TGA, DSC, and FTIR Analysis of Gypsum Plasterboard under Varying Heating Rates
Student Author: Rylan Paye
Faculty Sponsors: Hayri Sezer, Shijin Kozhumal (EKU), and Gregory Gorbett (EKU)
Volunteering with UP
Student Author: Jackson Kline
Staff Sponsor: Marti Newbold
David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts
School of Art and Design
Student Author: Christina Perry
Faculty Sponsor: Mary Anna LaFratta
School of Stage and Screen
Student Authors: Abigail Brazier, Lily Gaddis, Max Morter, Dabney Doepner, and Greyson Huneycutt
Faculty Sponsor: Ashlee Wasmund
College of Health and Human Sciences
School of Health Sciences
Building Student Vaccine Confidence – Clinical and Public Health Perspectives
Student Author: Victoria Powell
Faculty Sponsors: Chad Hallyburton
The Impact if Covid-19 on Health Departments in North Carolina
Student Author: Naly Yang
Faculty Sponsor: Chad Hallyburton
Assessing Athletic Training Students’ Knowledge and Awareness of the Impact of Staphylococcus aureus in Professional Settings
Student Author: Daisy Henry
Faculty Sponsor: Chad Hallyburton
Assessing Undergraduate Students’ Influenza Disease and Vaccination Knowledge, Beliefs, and Intentions
Student Authors: Jordan Chambers and Michael Chapman
Faculty Sponsor: Chad Hallyburton
Evaluating Mobile Workstation Disinfection Protocols in a Western Carolina University Nursing Simulation Lab
Student Author: Alexandria Plemmons
Faculty Sponsor: Chad Hallyburton
Influenza Disease and Vaccination Knowledge, Beliefs, and Intentions Among Undergraduate Nursing Students
Student Authors: Cameron Mullinax and Dezirae Rodriguez
Faculty Sponsors: Chad Hallyburton and Mariana DeCosta
Effects of Phytochemicals on COVID Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Charlotte Scott and Emma Kay Massey
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
Impacts of Hunger on COVID-19 Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Landon Green and Victoria Rodriquez
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
Effects of Phytochemicals on COVID Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Emma Kay Massey and Charlotte Scott
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
Effects of Water-Soluble Vitamins (C and Bs) on COVID Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Kaleigh Roberson and Amanda Lambert
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
The Impact of Fruit and Vegetable Intake on COVID-19 Outcomes
Student Authors: Madison Ogle and Krystin West
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
The Connection Between Nutrition, COVID Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Serenity Dylan and Kate Mattison
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
Effects of Trace Minerals on COVID Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Brittany Jones and Breanna Wooten
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
The Effect of Major Minerals on COVID Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Kendra Perry and Andrea Ruiz
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
The Effects of Probiotics and Prebiotics on Covid Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Sarah Buie and Jon Strum
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
Effects of lipid nutrition on COVID infections and outcomes
Student Authors: Angela Henningfeld and Brian Johnson
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
An Analysis of Protein Intake and Their Association with In-Hospital Critically Ill Covid-19 Patients
Student Authors: Omar Patterson and Kathryn Darsillo
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
COVID disease processes and possible roles that nutrition plays in them
Student Authors: Kyle Bieksha and Patrick Martin
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
Effects of Fat-Soluble Vitamins (A, D, E, K) have on COVID Infections and Outcomes
Student Authors: Rachel Bauer and Alyssa Yanez
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
Establishing an Air Quality Monitoring Network Across Campus
Student Author: Graham Siegel
Faculty Sponsor: Sara Duncan
Seasonal abundance of Aedes triseriatus and other La Crosse virus vectors in endemic areas of Western NC: A comparative approach using ovitraps
Student Author: Kaylin Lewandowski
Faculty Sponsor: Brian Byrd
Comparing Vaccine Knowledge, Attitudes, and Intentions Among Health-Professions Students in a Southeastern United States Regional Comprehensive University
Student Author: Daygan Shouse
Faculty Sponsor: Chad Hallyburton
Obesity and COVID infections and outcomes
Student Authors: Jordan Brigman and Jacob Chapman
Faculty Sponsor: Chunyang Wang
School of Nursing
The School of Nursing would like to highlight their students’ 2022 research projects by student names and titles, only to respect the privacy and nature of the research participants.
Improving Health Outcomes of the Homeless Population Through Engagement and Education
Student Authors: Whitney Good, Christian Edwards, Virginia Abigail Baxter, and Kayla Paige Brubacher
Faculty Sponsor: Elizabeth Sexton
Improving the Health and Well-Being of the Veteran Population
Student Authors: Deanna Wood, Evan Coia, Allison Fortenberry, and Carleigh Ballard
Faculty Sponsor: Elizabeth Sexton
Educating Families and the Adolescent Population on Physical and Mental Wellness
Student Authors: Taylor Jenkins, Liz Tolley, Malcolm Skinner, and Alyssa Ricci
Faculty Sponsor: Cheryl Clark
Improving the Awareness and Competency of Diabetic Foot Care and Work Ergonomics in the Population of Local Migrant Farmworkers
Student Authors: Jacquelyn Stewart and Rebekah Moose
Faculty Sponsor: Cheryl Clark
Improving Health Management Through Education and Accessibility to Women in Transitional Housing
Student Authors: Noelle Handy, Kinzi Flippin, Kendall Myers, and Jordan Cooper
Faculty Sponsor: Elizabeth Sexton
Healthy, Happy, Head Start: Promoting Overall Wellness in the Head Start Community
Student Authors: Jordan Taylor, Maggie Shook, and Virginia Sanchez
Faculty Sponsors: Elizabeth Sexton and Cheryl Clark
Enhancing the health literacy of the Cherokee senior center population
Student Authors: Landon Grahl, Megan Grahl, Taylor Elgin, and Emily Corrado
Faculty Sponsor: Cheryl Clark
Identifying Emotions and Understanding the Stress Response: A Nursing – Recreation Therapy Interdisciplinary Approach
Student Authors: Mary Keller, Camden Bryson, and Sarah Kimmons
Faculty Sponsor: Cheryl Clark
Social Work
Bridging the Gap Between Law Enforcement and Social Work: A Pilot Internship with Sylva Police
Student Author: Christopher Martinez
Faculty Sponsors: Katy Allen and Cyndy Caravelis
The Hunter Library
Research and Instruction
Student Author: Devon Shaw
Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Steiner