2020 Top Scholars and Finalists

Undergraduate Research Conference

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ

Top Scholar

Karina Weathers
""
Faculty sponsor: Rebecca Davis, Economics and Finance

Finalists

  • Aryauna Barnes, Miguel Esquivel and Juan Garcia
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Marlene Kahla, Management and Marketing
     
  • Johanna Bruhn and Lillian N Yarbrough
    "What Comes To Mind When You Hear 'Great Value'"
    Faculty sponsor: Wenjing Li, Management and Marketing
     
  • Helena Collmorgen
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Emiliano Giudici, Economics and Finance
     
  • Krystal Kilway
    "'Got Vaccinations?'"
    Faculty sponsor: Joe Ballenger, Management and Marketing
     
  • Grant Knight, Monica Martinez and Taylor Perry
    "Male Gender Roles in the Eyes of Female Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Students"
    Faculty sponsor: Joe Ballenger, Management and Marketing
     
  • Rachel Lederer
    "The Opinion of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Housing According to Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Students, Fall 2019"
    Faculty sponsor: Joe Ballenger, Management and Marketing
     
  • Hannah Percell
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Ryan Phelps, Economics and Finance
     

James I. Perkins College of Education

Top Scholar

Lauren Pate
""
Faculty sponsor: James Rowe, Kinesiology and Health Science

Finalists

  • Emma L. Baker
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Sarah Drake, Human Sciences
     
  • Maya Carter
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Gina Fe G. Causin, Human Sciences
     
  • Megan Hall
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Mitzi R. Perritt, Human Sciences
     
  • Amy Kitzman, Kendall Moore and Alexa Velasquez Ochoa
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Sarah M. Straub, Education Studies
     
  • Sydney Pimentel
    "Improving Teaching Practices Through the Use of Data Collection"
    Faculty sponsor: Adam Akerson, Elementary Education
     
  • Sarah Shingler
    "The Children You Don’t See: Action Research for Title-1 After School Programming"
    Faculty sponsor: Sarah M. Straub, Education Studies
     
  • Karisa Stokley
    "Adhering to the Special Education Strategic Plan: We Can’t Do What We Don’t Know"
    Faculty sponsor: Sarah M. Straub, Education Studies
     

College of Fine Arts

Top Scholar

Samantha Altamirano
"'Fractured'"
Faculty sponsor: Eden Collins, School of Art

Finalists

  • Rachel Blakelock
    "The Infusion of Art and Science"
    Faculty sponsor: Margaret Leysath, School of Art
     
  • Jacob Cantu, Valentin Ceballos, Cristian Gutierrez and Cody Mussett
    "The Use of Low Brass in Cinema Scores"
    Faculty sponsor: J.D. Salas, School of Music
     
  • Kaitlyn Etie and Rhett Gregory
    "Commercial Composition"
    Faculty sponsor: James Adams, School of Music
     
  • Veronica Guerra
    "The Pursuit of Historical Accuracy in Vivaldi's 'La Folia'"
    Faculty sponsor: Jamie Weaver, School of Music
     
  • Audrey Owens
    "Female Empowerment in Pop Art"
    Faculty sponsor: William Nieberding, School of Art
     
  • Caleb Perkins
    "Building a 3D Printed Camera"
    Faculty sponsor: Amanda Breitbach, School of Art
     
  • Annemarie Price
    "Naranjo Museum"
    Faculty sponsor: Peter Andrew, School of Art
     

Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture

Top Scholar

Kasey Jobe, Nick Schiwitz and Krista Ward
""
Faculty sponsor: Christopher Schalk, Forestry

Finalists

  • Connor Adams and Dylan W. Thompson
    "Increased Management Frequency Decreases Lizard Abundance in Forest Ecosystems"
    Faculty sponsor: Christopher Schalk, Forestry
     
  • John Michael Arnett
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Christopher Schalk, Forestry
     
  • Hannah Bays and Sarah Hall
    "Toxicological Effects of Household Chemicals on 'Artemia Salina' Development and Survival"
    Faculty sponsor: Kenneth Farrish, Environmental Science
     
  • Karlen Cantu, Melanie Dehnisch, Faith Dolan, Sophie Fielder, Julia Thomas and Liliana Zapata
    "Mission Tejas State Park: A Preliminary Study on the Effects of Recreational Activity Upon Abiotic Factors"
    Faculty sponsor: Sheryll Jerez, Environmental Science
     
  • Joseph Gerland and Reid Viegut
    "3D Preservation of Koo-Hoot Kiwat, Caddo Mound State Historic Site"
    Faculty sponsors: Dr. David Kulhavy and Dr. Yanli Zhang, Forestry
     
  • Kasey Jobe, Nick Schiwitz and Krista Ward
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Christopher Schalk, Forestry
     
  • Eamonn Alasdair Thurmond
    "Avian Communities Respond to Restoration Treatments in East Texas Pine Forests"
    Faculty sponsor: Kathryn R. Kidd, Forestry
     

College of Liberal and Applied Arts

Top Scholar

Charlie Davis
"The Jan Zhuo Language"
Faculty sponsor: Jessie Sams, Languages, Cultures, and Communication

Finalists

  • Jack Bryant
    "Barriers to Childhood Bullying"
    Faculty sponsor: Steven Estrada, Psychology
     
  • Cullen Edwards
    "Earthly Inspiration for Dune’s Ecology"
    Faculty sponsor: Michael Given, English and Creative Writing
     
  • Haley Garrelts
    "Drugs as a Means for Social Control in Twentieth-Century Dystopias"
    Faculty sponsor: Michael Given, English and Creative Writing
     
  • Daniel Greco
    "Foreign Policy and Executive Approval: Presidential Use of Executive Agreements and the Effect of Public Opinion"
    Faculty sponsor: Steven E. Galatas, Government
     
  • Shannon R. Groce
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Jessie Sams, Languages, Cultures, and Communication
     
  • Jocelyn Moore
    "Best Practices in the Administration of Environmental Education: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Sustaining University-Based EE Programs"
    Faculty sponsor: Joyce Johnston, Multidisciplinary Studies
     
  • Cynthia Palomino
    "LGBTQ Discrimination and Policy Analysis"
    Faculty sponsor: Kristin Bailey-Wallace, Social Work
     

College of Sciences and Mathematics

Top Scholar

Xander Haynes
"Resilience of the Beetle Families Scarabaeidae and Cerambycidae to a Rare Flooding Event in Southeastern Texas"
Faculty sponsor: Daniel Bennett, Biology

Finalists

  • Juan Barron (Best Freshman Paper)
    "Three Dimensional Molecule Visualization"
    Faculty sponsor: Christopher Ivancic, Computer Science
     
  • Naidelyn Chicas
    "Synthesis and Characterization of Biodiesel Fuels via Base-Catalyzed Transesterification of Hickory Kernel Oil"
    Faculty sponsor: Russell J. Franks, Chemistry and Biochemistry
     
  • Melanie Ertons
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Mindy Faulkner, Geology
     
  • Valerie Flores and Lacey Lee
    "A New Pollinator of the Grass Pink Orchid, Calopogon tuberosus, Discovered from the Watson Rare Native Plant Preserve, Texas"
    Faculty sponsors: Dan Bennett and Josephine Taylor, Biology
     
  • Lee Henslee
    "Mathematical Methods for Approximating the Van der Pol Equation"
    Faculty sponsor: Jonathan Mitchell, Mathematics and Statistics
     
  • Marlinda Ariel Inman
    "FindOurMissing Mobile Application"
    Faculty sponsor: Dae Glendowne, Computer Science
     
  • Bailey Jameson
    "Designing a Simple Catalytic System for C-H Bond Oxidation"
    Faculty sponsor: J. Brannon Gary, Chemistry and Biochemistry
     
  • Matthew Trikosko
    "Square and Triangular"
    Faculty sponsor: Jane Long, Mathematics and Statistics
     

Regional Colleges

Top Scholar

Morgan Gray (general studies)
"Makeup and its Effects on the Perception of Economic Status in the Work Place"
Faculty sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College

Finalists

  • Regan Doss (biology)
    "The Correlation Between Perceptions of Nuclear Energy and the Education of Nuclear Programs"
    Faculty sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
     
  • Chloe Duvak (biology)
    "Exploratory Study of the Demographics of Supplemental Vitamin Users"
    Faculty sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
     
  • John Wofford (chemistry)
    "The Psychological Effects of Helicopter Parenting on Non-student Emerging Adults"
    Faculty sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
     
  • Tommy Crow (psychology)
    "The Effects of Childhood Trauma that Determine Negative or Positive Outcomes in Adulthood"
    Faculty sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
     
  • Jessica Mothershed (social behavioral sciences)
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Benetha Jackson, Angelina College
     
  • Michelle Reyes (business administration)
    ""
    Faculty sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
     
  • Elizabeth Mitchell (general studies)
    "Death in Popular Music from 2009 to 2019"
    Faculty sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College