2021 Top Scholars and Finalists

Undergraduate Research Conference

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Top Scholar

Rachel Rucker
"County Level Changes Alone Predicted Biden Win in Both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin"
Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Phelps, Economics and Finance

Finalists

  • Johanna Bruhn
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Charlotte Allen, Management & Marketing
  • Johanna Bruhn, Parker Bailey, and Michael Armstrong
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Joe Ballenger, Management and Marketing
  • Veda Mize
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Robert McDermand, Management and Marketing
  • Chelsie Rodriguez and Autumn Romine
    "
    Faculty Sponsor: Joe Ballenger, Management and Marketing

James I. Perkins College of Education

Top Scholar

Emily Latta
"The Effects of Pre-Workout Caffeine Supplementation on Post-Exercise Hypotension"
Faculty Sponsor: Dustin Joubert, Kinesiology and Health Science

Finalists

  • Caleb Garcia
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Dustin Joubert, Kinesiology and Health Science
  • Haley Houston
    "Piaget vs. Vygotsky: Their Effectivity in Teaching"
    Faculty Sponsor: Yuan He, Education Studies
  • Amy Kitzman and Sarah Shingler
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Straub, Education Studies
  • Kenzi Payne
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Heather Samuelson, Kinesiology and Health Science
  • Erica Pinkham
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: William Davis, Education Studies
  • Kelly Tatum
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Straub, Education Studies
  • Brooke Ward, Michaela Gensler, and Shayla Gardner
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Sally Ann Swearingen, Human Sciences

College of Fine Arts

Top Scholar

Jay Teamer
"The Underrepresentation of Black and African-American Composers in the Standard Music History Curriculum"
Faculty Sponsor: Margaret Fay, School of Music

Finalists

  • Carson Cook
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: CC Conn, School of Theatre
  • Mason Cullen
    "Highway Hypnosis"
    Faculty Sponsor: Amanda Breitbach, School of Art
  • Nicolas Gagne
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Eden Collins, School of Art
  • Jasmin Limqueco and Jeremiah Armstrong
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: David Campo, School of Music
  • Alexis Nunes
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Abby Held, School of Music
  • Gracie Palmore
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Margaret Fay, School of Music
  • Gabriela Saldivar
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Maggie Leysath, School of Art

Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture

Top Scholar

Kasey Jobe
"Song Diversity in East Texas Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis)"
Faculty Sponsor: Christopher Schalk, Forestry

Finalists

  • Andrew R. Fenley
    "Accuracy Assessment of Pecan Tree Locations"
    Faculty Sponsors:  David Kulhavy, Yanli Zhang, I-Kuai Hung and Daniel Unger, Forestry
  • Madison Gartman
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Candis Carraway, Agriculture
  • Keenon Lindsey
    "Relational Database for SAF Certified Forest Management Bachelors Programs in the U.S."
    Faculty Sponsors: Yanli Zhang, David Kulhavy, Daniel Unger, and I-Kuai Hung, Forestry
  • Chance J. Robinson, Alexander Hanks, Cameron Lane, and Dane Hopson
    "Comparison of Particulate Matter Concentrations in the Miller Science and STEM Buildings"
    Faculty Sponsor: Sheryll Jerez, Environmental Science
  • Emmie Schubert, Paige Graham, Amy Rambo, Jacqui Murguia, and Breanna Duran
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor:  Sheryll Jerez, Environmental Science
  • Jordan Stanford
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Candis Carraway, Agriculture
  • Jordan Stanford, Sydney Matlock, Samantha Montes, and Courtney Sims
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor:  Sheryll Jerez, Environmental Science, and Carmen Montaña-Schalk, Biology

College of Liberal and Applied Arts

Top Scholar

Amelia Kleiber
"'It Raineth Every Day': Overcoming Challenges by using Performance Pedagogy to Teach Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night"
Faculty Sponsor: Elizabeth Tasker-Davis, English and Creative Writing

Finalists

  • Abigail Adams
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor:  Janice Cho, Mass Communication
  • Jordan Butts
    "Gun Regulations and Gun Homicides: More Statistics, Less Persuasion"
    Faculty Sponsor: Lee Payne, Government
  • Megan Bynum (Best Freshman Paper)
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Gretchen Patterson, History
  • Kelly Ford
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Leslie G. Cecil, Anthropology, Geography, and Sociology
  • Jade Gordon
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Randi Barnes-Cox, History
  • Nicole Hale
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Carrie Butler, Social Work
  • Madison Montague
    "The Perfect Serial Killer Storm"
    Faculty Sponsor: Gretchen Patterson, History
  • Reese Murphy
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Elizbeth Spradley, Languages, Culture and Communication

College of Sciences and Mathematics

Top Scholar

Lucas Kahn
"Microplastics: A New Reported Item in Stomach Contents of Fishes in Local Streams in East Texas"
Faculty Sponsor: Carmen G. Montaña-Schalk, Biology

Finalists

  • Joseph Amell and Andrew Henry
    "Geochemical Analyses Across the Upper and Lower Formation Boundaries of the Jurassic Louann Salt, Gulf of Mexico, USA"
    Faculty Sponsor: Julie Bloxson, Geology
  • Hannah E. Beckett
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Donald Burt, Biology
  • Sarah Glaesemann
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Alyx Frantzen, Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Matthew Murphy
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Matibur Zamadar, Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Khang Nguyen
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Bidisha Sengupta, Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Olivia Plaza
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Beatrice Clack, Biology
  • Hannah Trauger
    ""
    Faculty Sponsor: Michele Harris, Chemistry and Biochemistry

Regional Colleges

Top Scholar

Deshona Jernigan, Psychology
"Analyzing the Development of Artificial Organs for the Benefit of Patients on the Transplant Waitlist"
Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College

Finalists

  • Jordan Booth, Psychology
    "Academic Embeddedness: How Does the Number of Classes Taken Affect Engagement? A Comparative Study Between Honors and Non-honors Students"
    Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
  • Breanna Barr-Shearin, Psychology
    "Setting the Standard: Does the Accessibility of Human Health Care Affect the Frequency of Veterinary Visits?"
    Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
  • Annalee Cook, Psychology
    "Different Art Mediums and Their Stress Reduction"
    Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
  • Julissa Plancarte, Sociology
    "The Link Between Mental Illness and Deviant Behavior"
    Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
  • Sarai Salgado, Psychology
    "Helicopter Parenting"
    Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
  • Melanie Torres, Psychology
    "The Perception of Student on Alcohol"
    Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College
  • Sarah Wofford, Psychology
    "How Do the Factors That Inspire an Invention Affect Its Salability?"
    Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Button, Tyler Junior College