Celebration of Student Scholarship observed

Morehead State University hosted its 12th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship on Wednesday, April 26. Once again, the event spotlighted MSU as a premier destination for all who desire the world-class education that is catalyzed by the dedicated mentorship of a world-class faculty.

“I firmly believe that the faculty who mentor students in research and other creative activities provide the stimulus that challenges imaginative minds in new and innovative ways that would be impossible within the confines of the conventional classroom,” said MSU President Wayne D. Andrews.

The 2017 Celebration featured 162 presentations (67 oral and 95 posters) highlighting the exceptional efforts of 234 undergraduate and graduate student authors and their 79 faculty mentors.  Awards were made for presentations of Merit and Exceptional Merit, as recommended by a panel of 86 faculty, staff and guest judges.

Although most awards at the Celebration are decided by faculty/staff/guest judges in accordance with an official judging rubric, the Peoples’ Choice Awards for oral presentations and posters are chosen by the vote of all participants (students, faculty, staff and visitors) on the basis of perceived scholarly impact and overall quality of presentation.  Those two awards and those presentations receiving awards of Exceptional Merit for both oral presentation and poster in each college and for the Graduate School received a $150 cash award to be shared by the student presenters.

Awards for the12th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship were as follows:

Peoples’ Choice

Oral Presentations

• Virtual commissioning for Industrial Automation: Saihiranmitra Mudiki. Mentor - Dr. Jorge Alberto Ortega-Moody, School of Engineering and Information Systems.

Poster Presentations

• Interprofessional collaboration to prevent hospital-acquired pneumonia: Jessica Cooper, Megan Mustard, Amber Manning, Morgan Miller and Haleigh Pike. Mentor - Suzi White, Department of Nursing

 Graduate School

Oral Presentations

• Merit: Why can’t we retain principals and teachers in our schools?: Crystal A. Fultz and Brandon E. Richards. Mentor - Dr. Michael Kessinger, Department of Foundational and Graduate Studies
• Exceptional Merit: The design and implementation of a peer mentoring program for international students at Morehead State University: Donell C. Murray. Mentor - Dr. Jeannie Justice, Department of Foundational and Graduate Studies

Poster Presentations

• Merit: Performance analysis of stand-alone hybrid energy systems in Rowan County KY: Oluwafemi Oyeniran and Saihiranmitra Mudiki. Mentors – Dr. Hans Chapman and Dr. Nilesh Joshi, School of Engineering and Information Systems.
• Exceptional Merit: Pilot Study: Effects of Mandala Coloring on Long-Term Stress Reduction: Hunter R. Gatewood, Isabella R. Gearhart, Vanessa L. Tirabassi, Brittney A. Monn and Mary J. Blanton. Mentor - Dr. Todd Smith, Department of Psychology. 

Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

Oral Presentations

• Evaluating impact: Determining the best mechanism for serving our region’s legal needs: Katherine L. Griffitts and Gregory A. Bryan. Mentor - Professor Kelly Collinsworth, Department of History, Philosophy, Politics, International Studies and Legal Studies.
• Perspectives on guided improvisation: Gloria Yehilevsky. Mentor - Dr. Brian S. Mason, School of Music, Theatre and Dance.
• Factors of Europeanization and Westernization in Turkey in the Twentieth Century: Jonathan Dean. Mentor - Dr. Alana Scott, Department of History, Philosophy, Politics, International Studies and Legal Studies.

 Exceptional Merit:

• Encycloreedia: a beginning guide to oboe reed making: Timothy Blake Johnson. Mentor - Dr. Thomas Pappas, School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

Merit:

• A Lifetime of Healthy Living: Increasing Awareness of Healthy Lifestyles at the Haldeman Community Center: Kyle Smith. Mentor – Dr. Joy Gritton, Department of Art and Design.
• The effect of dog training on dog adoption: Natalie Young. Mentor – Dr. Philip Krummrich, Department of Communication, Media and Languages.
• The Olmsted Girl’s Art Project: Marilyn Holmes. Mentor – Dr. Joy Gritton, Department of Art and Design.

Exceptional Merit:

• Encycloreedia: a beginning guide to oboe reed making: Timothy Blake Johnson. Mentor – Dr. Thomas Pappas, School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

College of Business and Technology

Oral Presentations

Merit:

• An Automated Machine Vision Based Sorting System for Inspection of Industrial Fasteners: Cody Garcia. Mentor - Dr. Nilesh Joshi, School of Engineering and Information Systems.

Exceptional Merit:

• An inductive study of perceived susceptibility to unethical behavior: Sydney Gebka. Mentor - Dr. Johnathan K. Nelson, School of Business Administration.

Poster Presentations

Merit:

• Mechanical to electrical hydro-energy converter: Robert Rowlett and Lindsay Childs. Mentor – Dr. Hans Chapman, School of Engineering and Information Systems.
• Financial literacy project of eastern Kentucky: Kisha Burchett. Mentor – Dr. Michael Harford, School of Business Administration.

Exceptional Merit:

• Photovoltaics in Eastern Kentucky: The feasibility study of abundant renewable energy resources: Adam Stanley. Mentor – Dr. Sanghyun Lee, School of Engineering and Information Systems.

 
College of Education

Oral Presentations

Exceptional Merit: 

• The differences in memory between experts and novices: Jeremiah Halter. Mentor - Dr. David Long, Department of Middle Grades and Secondary Education.

Poster Presentations

Merit:

• Seeing in Color: Does Colored Ink Increase Retention of the Names of Colors? Colby Creech, Sarah Eades, Lindsey Fugate, and Casey Hogg. Mentor - Dr. Daniel Grace, Department of Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education.
• Accelerated education – Is it worth it? Nicholas Kessinger, Hunter Matthews, and Kaitlyn Wheeler. Mentor – Dr. Michael Kessinger, Department of Foundational and Graduate Studies in Education.

Exceptional Merit:

• Coloring the Lights Blue: Megan Messer. Mentor – Dr. Kimberly Nettleton, Department of Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education.
• Preparing Practitioner/Scholars: A stakeholder-based evaluation of MSU’s Doctorate in Educational Leadership: Lauren Myre. Mentor – Dr. John Curry, Department of Foundational and Graduate Studies in Education. 

College of Science

Oral Presentations

Merit:

• A preliminary macrolichen species inventory of the Eagle Lake watershed, Rowan County, Kentucky: Kendall B. McDonald. Mentor - Dr. Allen C. Risk, Department of Biology and Chemistry. 
• Fourier analysis applied to driving behavior: Zoe M. Becerra. Mentors - Dr. Michael Dobranski, Dr. Gregory M. Corso, and Dr. Douglas Chatham, Department of Mathematics and Physics and Department of Psychology.
• Swift Observations of RX J0134.2-4258: Sierra Hauck. Mentor - Dr. Dirk Grupe, Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
• Investigating the relationship between KPREP math scores in 7th and 8th grade and math ACT scores in 11th grade: Lillian Shear. Mentor - Dr. Robert Boram, Department of Mathematics and Physics.

Exceptional Merit:

• A comparison of absorbed doses for incorrectly collimated repeat abdominal radiographs: Joshua Allen. Mentors - Dr. Ignacio Birriel and Anthony Dotson, Department of Mathematics and Physics.

Poster Presentations

Merit:

• Enhancing nurse to nurse communication: Kati Schuh, Celena Wagner, Nick Thompson, Hannah Chitkara, and Kiristan Dials. Mentor - Suzi White, Department of Nursing.
• How maternal childhood trauma is related to parenting sensitivity to infant emotional cues: Ashley Hamm and Madison Raymer. Mentor - Dr. Shari Kidwell, Department of Psychology.
• Preventing practice drift through appropriate patient identifiers: Shelby Doran, Justin Gasser, Sarah Hinson, Whitney Lewis, and Courtney Wiley. Mentor - Suzi White, Department of Nursing.
• A comparison of internet vs. textbook based learning in physics: Darren Brammel. Mentor – Dr. Robert Boram, Department of Mathematics and Physics.
• The use of eDNA to detect bacterial molecular markers in the Triplett Creek Watershed: Hannah Conley and Rachel Brown. Mentor – Dr. Geoff Gearner, Department of Biology and Chemistry.

Exceptional Merit:

• Braille Band: A refreshable Braille wristwatch for the blind and visually impaired: Rachel Crum. Mentor – Dr. Duane Skaggs, Department of Mathematics and Physics.