Student research honored at Celebration of Student Scholarship

Morehead State University hosted the 17th Annual Celebration of Student Scholarship on Wednesday, April 19. The event spotlighted the academic research of students and the dedicated mentorship of faculty.  

More than 200 students participated in 90 poster presentations and 41 oral presentations. Over 70 faculty mentors have supported students in this work.  

Award winners:  

• A. Frank and Bethel C. Gallaher Memorial Music Performance Competition 2022-23 winner - Allyson Robinson – junior, Ashland 
• 2023 Molly McBride Tutoring Excellence Award - Emily McCreary - junior, Cattlettsburg 

Experiential Education Awards – presented by the Center for Career Development and Experiential Education  

• 2022 Student Intern of the Year – Jordan Hensley - senior, Morehead 
• 2022 Faculty Supervisor of the Year – Dr. Leeann Akers, assistant director for the Center for STEM+eXcellence, for work with students at Morehead State Public Radio (MSPR) 
• 2022 Employer of the Year – St. Claire HealthCare Foundation  
• 2022-23 Community and Civic Engagement Award: Faculty – Dr. Jeannie Justice, associate professor of education technology in the Department of Foundational Graduate Studies in Education 
• 2022-23 Community and Civic Engagement Award: Staff – Mr. Paul Hitchcock, general manager MSPR 
• 2022-23 Community and Civic Engagement Award: Students – Gabriel Barcus, Abigail Cooper, Alexa Deaton, Maddie Dodrill and Brittany Graziani  

Exceptional Merit Oral Presentations  

Caudill College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

• Illustrations For Language Learning - Abby Hall. Dr. Karen Taylor, and Mr. Willie Carver, mentors, School of English, Communication, Media and Languages, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  
• Translating Contemporary Latin American Poetry - Holly Hendrix. Dr. Philip Krummrich, mentor, School of English, Communication, Media and Languages, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  
• The Study of Diffusion of Responsibility in Classroom Groupwork – Corissa Riegler. Dr. Donell Murray, mentor, School of English, Communication, Media and Languages, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  

College of Science

• A Statistical Analysis on Whether or Not Kentucky Universities Have an Impact on The Crime Rates in Their Counties - Andrew Wright. Dr. Kathryn Lewis, mentor, Department of Mathematics, College of Science   
• Investigating The Impacts of Mathematical Modeling on Future Elementary Teachers' Perceptions and Communication of Mathematics- Ryleigh Napier. Dr. Will Tidwell, mentor, Department of Mathematics, College of Science  
• Modeling The Financial and Ecological Perspectives of Beavers Parachuting into the Wilderness - Christian Miller. Dr. William Tidwell, mentor, Department of Mathematics, College of Science  

Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology

• Innovative Method for Translation of American Sign Language into Spoken English Using Leap Motion Sensor and Machine Learning-- Jon Jenkins. Dr. Sherif Rashad, mentor, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Smith College of Business and Technology  
• Machine Learning Based Pedestrian Detection and Tracking for Autonomous Vehicles-- Tyler Ward. Dr. Sherif Rashad, Dr. Heba Elgazzar, mentors, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Smith College of Business and Technology  
• Classification Of Road Objects Using Convolutional Neural Networks-- Mann Patel. Dr. Heba Elgazzar, mentor, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Smith College of Business and Technology  

Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education

• Teaching Low Socioeconomic Rural Appalachian Kids: Are They Different Than Other Students? - Madison Woosley, Caroline Caudill, Regan Massie. Ms. Jeannie Justice, mentor, Department of Foundational and Graduate Studies in Education, Volgenau College of Education  

Merit Oral Presentations  

Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Vergangenheitsbewältigung: Germany and Memory - Quaydenn Fleming. Dr. Alana Scott, mentor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  
• Partnering With MSPR to Translation Local and Regional News for the Latin Community - Syria Hines. Dr. Itza Zavala-Garrett, mentor, School of Creative Arts, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  

College of Science

• Adverse Childhood Events, Safety, And Comfort: Associations with Adolescent Symptoms. - Cael Skaggs, Madison Howard, Trinity Pangallo. Dr. Shari Kidwell, mentor, Department of Psychology, College of Science  
• Genetically Engineering S. Cerevisiae with a Circular Chromosome Ii- Austin Lytle. Dr. Melissa Mefford, mentor, Department of Biology and Chemistry, College of Science  
• Circularization Of Chromosome Xv in the Eukaryote Saccharomyces Cerevisiae to Study Telomere Evolution. - Caleb Clark. Dr. Melissa Mefford, mentor, Department of Biology and Chemistry, College of Science  
• Rotate!: A Statistical Analysis of Volleyball - Bridget Bessler. Mr. Christopher Schroeder, mentor, Department of Mathematics, College of Science  
• All Sky Photography with Raspberry Pi HD Camera - Hannah Phirman. Dr. Kevin Adkins, mentor, Department of Physics, Earth Science and Space Systems Engineering, College of Science  
• Investigating Combat Encounter Difficulty in Dungeons and Dragons - Silas Thomas. Dr. William Tidwell, mentor, Department of Mathematics, College of Science  
• Statistics In the Sand - Anya Reinhard. Mr. Christopher Schroeder, mentor, Department of Mathematics, College of Science  
• Searching For Supernova Remnants in the Nearby Galaxies Ngc 247, Ngc 3184, And Ngc 6744 - Grant Switzer. Dr. Thomas Pannuti, Dr. Eric Schlegel, mentors, Department of Physics, Earth Science and Space Systems Engineering, College of Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas-San Antonio  
• Latest Results from the Eastern Ky Light at Night Program - Abigail Fagan. Dr. Jennifer Birriel, and Dr. Kevin Adkins, mentors, Department of Physics, Earth Science and Space Systems Engineering, College of -Science  

Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology

• Proof Of Concept Test for Multiple Floor Isolated Building Under Seismic Excitation – Ryan Justice. Dr. Tathagata Ray. School of Engineering and Computer Science, Smith College of Business and Technology  
• Continuous Authentication of Smartphones Using a Cnn Model-- John Reichenbach. Dr. Sherif Rashad, mentor, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Smith College of Business and Technology  
• The Development of the Rapid Programming Language and Its Pedagogical Merit in Teaching Middle School Students Computer Programming-- Dalton Hensley. Dr. Heba Elgazzar, mentor, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Smith College of Business and Technology  

Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education  

• Growing Up Gifted: What Makes an Honors Student - Kaitlyn Buttrey. Dr. Kimberely Nettleton, mentor, Department of Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education, Volgenau College of Education  

Merit Poster Presentations  

Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Gender Identity and Perception of Happiness - Victoria Miller. Dr. Lynn Geurin, mentor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  
• The Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson - Brady Lawson, Matthew Grace, Emma Collins, Michelle Lopez, Dawson Rousey. Dr. Douglas Mock, mentor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  
• Preservice English Teachers as Writing Mentors for High School Students: Anti Racist Literature in a Mirrors, Windows, Doors Reading/Writing Curriculum - Lily (Lee) McConnell, Christopher Logan. Dr. Alison Hruby, Dr. Andrea Olinger, Dr. James Chisholm, mentors, School of English, Communication, Media and Languages, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, English, University of Louisville, Education, University of Louisville  
• A Review of the Implications of the Love Canal Disaster and the Subsequent Actions of the State and Federal Government - Hannah Albright, Brooklyn Hurtt. Dr. Douglas Mock, mentor, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  

College of Science

• The Development of a Colorimetric Assay to Detect Uracil in Monomeric and Oligomeric DNA - Mara Stout, James Dials. Dr. Elizabeth Thomas, mentor, Department of Biology and Chemistry, College of Science  
• Parental Criticism and Coherence in Association with Adolescent Internalizing Symptoms. - Emma Ammerman, Hope Meyers, Andrew Russel, Makayla Adams. Dr. Shari Kidwell, mentor, Department of Psychology, College of Science  
• Relationships Among Maternal Characteristics in Hair Sheep - Rebekah Mills, Audrey Burton, Annika Weaver. Dr. Patricia Harrelson, and Dr. Flint Harrelson, mentors, Department of Agricultural Sciences, College of Science  
• Mental And Emotional Health Determinants for Nurses - Samantha Trimble, Haley Blankenship, Tess Wallace, Madalyn Wilburn, Ashley Jenkins. Dr. Mary White, mentor, Department of Nursing, College of Science  
• Parental Sensitivity in a Play Task: Associations with Preschooler Psychological Symptoms. - Abigail Chaney, Taylor Corbin, Brandi Stone, Sierra Workman. Dr. Shari Kidwell, mentor, Department of Psychology, College of Science  

Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology

• Building For the Exchange - Abigail Cooper, Gabriel Barcus, Alexa Deaton, Brittany Graziani, Maddie Dodrill. Dr. Janet Ratliff, mentor, School of Business Administration, Smith College of Business and Technology  

Craft Academy

• Associations Between Poverty and Mental Disorders - Sophia Day, Charlie Knapp, Mary Sherrard, Elizabeth Arnold. Dr. Gregory Corso, and Dr. Rachel Rogers, mentors, Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics  

Exceptional Merit Poster Presentations  

Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Childhood Trauma and the Elementary Music Class: Obstacles, Solutions, And Suggestions for Music Educators - Shianne Smith. Dr. Michele Paynter Paise, mentor, School of Creative Arts, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  
• Photography Practicum: Learning the Basics of Managing a Fine Art Photography Studio - Brooklin Routt, Ashley Routt. Dr. Robyn Moore, mentor, School of Creative Arts, Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences  

College of Science

• Enhancing Telomerase Activity in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Through a Genetic Screen for Gain of Function Mutations - Keenan Conley, MacKenzie Neal, Hailey Rietz. Dr. Melissa Mefford, mentor, Department of Biology and Chemistry, College of Science  
• A Novel Apparatus for Assessing Anxiety in Rats Olivia Blatt, Emma Brock, Timo Klausnitzer. Dr. Wesley White, mentor, Department of - Psychology, College of Science  
• Age And Growth of the Highland Shiner (Notropis Micropteryx) in the Rockcastle River, Kentucky - Caitlyn Senters, Zoe Baker, Jared Vise, Shelby Black. Dr. David Eisenhour, mentor, Department of Biology and Chemistry, College of Science  
• Impact Of Nurse Patient Interactions on Patient Outcomes: A Quality Improvement Project - Emma Wallace. Dr. Mary White, mentor, Department of Nursing, College of Science  
• Sex Differences in Parkinson's Disease: Brain Regions Affected, Symptoms, And Treatment - Sara Monfalcone. Dr. Ilsun White, mentor, Department of Psychology, College of Science  

Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology

• Research On Energy Harvesting and Wireless Charging Technology for the Internet of Things (Io T) Applications - Aidan Ray. Dr. Anindita Paul, mentor, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Smith College of Business and Technology  

Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education

• Classroom Management in Kentucky - Sarah Miller. Dr. Kimberely Nettleton, mentor, Department of Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education, Volgenau College of Education  

Craft Academy

• Impact Of Informal Stem Learning on Student Success - Kiera Fehr. Dr. Rachel Rogers, mentor, Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics  
• STEM Persistence in Kentucky: What Disparities Affect Students? - Riley Hicks. Dr. Wilson Gonzalez-Espada, mentor, Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, Department of Physics, Earth Science and Space Systems Engineering  

A photo gallery for the Celebration of Student Scholarship can be found here. 

Additional information about this event and MSU's undergraduate research opportunities is available by calling 606-783-2010 or visiting moreheadstate.edu/career.