Students Present Research at Annual Undergraduate Symposium

More than fifty undergraduate students presented research in the Fall Undergraduate Research Symposium on Thursday, December 8 in Alumni Hall. Topics ranged from occupational hygiene sampling and calcium carbonate in eggshells to gender differences in social media usage.

The symposium began with a welcome from Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Bill Mirola, Ph.D. For the next hour and a half, students presented their research to judges, faculty, and fellow students. At the conclusion of judging, five research presentations were awarded prizes. Winning students and research were:

• Claire Thompson (with faculty advisor Mark Latta), Writing, for Bridging International Collaboration
•  Paula Angarita, Devan Gabbard, Kegan Main, and Katherine Timmermann (with faculty advisor Dr. Colleen L. Dol) for Quantitative Evaluation of Natural vs. Biosynthesized Vitamin C in Yeast Cells
• Adam Lesniak and Kevin Hammond (with faculty advisor Dr. Roderick M. Macrae), Analytical Chemistry, for Quantitative GC-MS analysis of the changes in coffee composition under heating
• Rebekah Dickerson (with faculty advisor Dr. Roderick M. Macrae) for Heritage Research Group: Occupational Hygiene Sampling 2016
• Kyle Stewart for The Study of the Terroelectric Properties of Polyvinylidene Fluoride

While this poster-style research event has been taking place at Marian University for a number of years, this year’s creation of the College of Arts and Sciences opened the event up to students studying liberal arts. (The symposium has traditionally been for students from the School of Math and Science.)

The symposium was a fantastic way to celebrate the outstanding work of the undergraduate students at Marian University. The university looks forward to the next Undergraduate Research Symposium, and continuing to provide a challenging and supportive learning environment for its students. Thank you to all who helped to make the symposium a success!