Contact: Leah Barbour
Photo by: Keats Haupt
Undergraduate university students from Colombia and Rwanda, along with peers from Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, explained their research at Mississippi State's 2014 Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium.
During a Monday [June 30] ceremony at McCool Hall, nine junior and senior participants presented posters and talked with judges about their recently completed research projects.
Each summer, the MSU Graduate School sponsors the student projects as part of its Summer Research Program for Undergraduate Students.
After their proposals were selected, the students began working in mid-May with MSU faculty mentors. Participants spent 20 hours each week over a seven-week period to design, conduct and conclude their respective projects.
"If you have access to research knowledge that's happening right now, you are going to be better prepared to know about the cutting edge opportunities in your field," Jerry Gilbert told the students and others at the awards ceremony.
Gilbert, MSU's provost and executive vice president, reminded the students that participating in cutting-edge research "is just one of the advantages you have at a research university, and we're encouraging all undergraduates to come and participate in the research process."
Architecture fifth-year senior Jacqueline B. Dorman of Biloxi, the daughter of Richard Dorman of Biloxi and Kitda Dorman of Anchorage, Alaska, was honored for having the best presentation, "Exposing Gaps in Student Literature for Building Construction Technology."
Junior biological sciences major Madison L. "Maddy" Buras of Slidell, Louisiana, the daughter of Dennis and Cheryl Buras, was runner up for "Evaluation of Multiple Paternity in Cyclura ricordii, Ricord's Rock Iguana."
Other 2014 participants included, by hometown:
CARROLLTON--Senior biological sciences major Tineka R. Burkhead, the daughter of Frank and Ruby Bulkhead.
FLOWOOD--Senior forestry major Andrew Z. Shaman, the son of Christopher and Felicia Shaman.
SEMMES, Alabama--Junior agricultural information sciences major Kenneth T. "Ken" Hearn, the son of Michael and Terri Perkins.
STARKVILLE--Chemical engineering major Andres F. Chaparral Sosa, a native of Columbia and the son of Mauro Chaparral and Maria Sosa, and aerospace engineering major Christian Kabana Michigan, a native of Rwanda and the son of Yvonne Kabanyana. Both are seniors.
TUSCUMBIA, Alabama--Junior industrial and systems engineering major Mary Katherine B. Beall, the daughter of Howard and Sarah Beall.
WINONA--Senior counseling and educational psychology major Brittany L. Bane, the daughter of Darren and Lisa Bane.
For more about MSU's undergraduate research opportunities, visit http://www.honors.msstate.edu/research/opportunities/.
See www.msstate.edu to discover more about MSU.