Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Five upperclassmen from Mississippi, Alabama and Kansas in Mississippi State's Shackouls Honors College are receiving awards to support their summer research projects.
Now in its second year, the university's Honors Undergraduate Research Program was created to promote and develop greater interaction between honors students and members of the research faculty.
The awards provide $2,000 to each student. Funding is provided from the $3.3 million Shackouls Endowment set aside specifically for the program. (For more information, visit www.honors.msstate.edu/urp/.)
After the students submitted their proposals in April, a committee assembled by program director Kevin Knudson, also associate director of the honors college, selected this year's group of honorees.
The 2009 winners include (by hometown):
D'IBERVILLE--Senior Beau A. Hall, a double-major in biochemistry/pre-medicine and chemistry, and the son of David and Patricia Hall. His project is titled "Optimal reduced-size basis sets for high-accuracy quantum chemistry"; his faculty adviser, Steven Gwaltney, an associate professor of chemistry.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--Senior psychology major Jacklyn E. Nagle, the daughter of John and Cheryl Nagle [35803]. Her project is titled "Juror perceptions of victim gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation and defendant ethnicity and sexual orientation in a rape trial"; her faculty adviser, associate professor Kristine Jacquin.
LAKE CORMORNAT--Senior computer engineering major Bradley G. Reaves, the son of Patricia Reaves of Lake Cormorant and David Reaves of Dyersburg, Tenn. His project is titled "Scanning and eavesdropping in wirelessly connected SCADA systems"; his faculty adviser, Tommy Morris, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering.
McFARLAND, Kan.--Senior biological sciences major Anastasia M. Woodard, the daughter of Catherine Woodard. Her project is titled "Leprosy in the nine-banded armadillo"; her faculty adviser, assistant professor Christopher Brooks.
PEARL--Junior psychology major Melanie R. Walsh, the daughter of Pamela Walsh of Pearl and Wayne Walsh of Raymond. Her project is titled "The impact of aging on memory and metamemory for face-name association"; her faculty adviser, assistant professor Deborah Eakin.
The students, along with their advisers, will be honored in the fall semester. Summaries of their work will be available online in September.
They also will present details of the projects next April at MSU's annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Dr. Knudson at 662-325-2522 or knudson@math.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.