News Archive (2016-2017)


UNCG Leading the Way!

 

Read more on how UNCG excels in closing educational achievement gaps as it relates to ethnicity here. This year, UNCG established its new strategic plan, laying the groundwork for “giant steps” in transforming education by more strongly addressing the needs of a diverse student body.

 

This fall, the MARC U-STAR (Maximizing Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research) Fellowship program kicked off with its first four fellows. MARC U-STAR works to position its students for careers in science by providing fellows with financial support, undergraduate research experiences, and meaningful partnerships with mentors who can help them transition to graduate school or take the next step as a developing scientist. Read more about MARC U-STAR here or visit the MARC home page here.

 


SNCURCS Fun!

Five UNCG students presented their research at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) on Saturday November 4, 2017. This 13th SNCURCS was hosted by Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC. This symposium provides an opportunity for undergraduate scholars across our state to showcase their skills, talents, and academic achievements. This year’s symposium showcased more than 128 oral presentations, 259 poster presentations, 3 art exhibits, and 7 NC Space Grant Submissions.

The UNCG students that participated include: Saman Baral, Lucas Beasley, Alexander Hahn, Amari Hobgood, and Elaine Pritchard. There were four poster presentations and one oral presentation. The Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity Office (URSCO) would like to encourage all undergraduates engaged in research and/or creative inquiry to present their findings at local, regional, and national conferences.  Here’s a link to our Student Travel Funds page.  If there are any questions, please feel free to get in touch with our office.

Student Faculty Mentor Presentation Title
Saman Baral Olav Rueppell Examining the Effects of Food Scarcity and Total Solar Eclipse on Apis mellifera Foraging Activity
Lucas Beasley Prashanti Manda Comparitive Analysis of Natural Language Processing Tools for Automated Curation of Scientific Literature
Alexander Hahn Prashanti Manda What’s hot and what’s not? – Exploring trends in bioinformatics literature using topic modeling and keyword analysis
Amari Hobgood Aneliese Dar Learning While Black: Understanding the Lived Realities of the Black Experience at Predominantly White Public Universities
Taylor Pritchard

Co-Authors/Presenters:
Shilpi Bhatia, Saman Baral, and Carlos Vega-Melendez

Olav Rueppell Determination of Virus Resistance in Different Stocks of Honey Bees

UNCG Students go SURFing!

Six students represented UNCG at the second annual Southern Conference Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) on October 27-29, 2017. SURF was hosted on the campus of Wofford University in Spartanburg, SC and featured students from all 10 Southern Conference institutions who presented on their research, scholarship and/or creative inquiry representing a multitude of disciplines. The UNCG students attended presentations and graduate school information sessions, networked with fellow undergraduates from other institutions, and honed their oral communication skills through exemplary presentations.

The UNCG SURFers are Amanda Barclift, Michael Bell, Manead Khin, Omar Obregon-Cuebas, Martha Reyes, and Ashley Sanchez. The Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity Office (URSCO) would like to encourage all undergraduates engaged in research and/or creative inquiry to present their findings at local, regional, and national conferences.  Here’s a link to our Student Travel Funds page.  If there are any questions, please feel free to get in touch with our office.

Here is a summary article on the 2017 SURF!

Student Faculty Mentor Presentation Title
Amanda Barclift

Co-Authors: Yamada, Masahiro; Kuznetsov, Nikita; Raisbeck, Louisa

Louisa Raisbeck The Effects of Attentional Focus in a Fine Motor Skill and Task Difficulty Interaction
Michael Bell Joanne Murphy Elite Control of Prestige Goods Production on Kea, Cyclades
Manead Khin Nadja Cech Isolation of antimicrobial compounds from Macleaya cordata
Omar Obregon-Cuebas Adam Rosenfeld Gramscian Analysis of the Social Contract
Martha Reyes

Co-Author: Schissel, Jamie

Jamie Schissel Lessening the hegemony of monoglossic language ideologies in lessons: Using translanguaging pedagogies in teacher education
Ashley Sanchez

Co-Authors: LoJacono, Chanel; Rhea, Christopher

Christopher Rhea Virtual Reality Obstacle Crossing Training for Potential Rehabilitative Advancements

UNCG Wetlands Project

The Wetlands Project has completed development on the planned wetlands areas at UNCG. The video above will be part of a promotional video from Duke Energy Water Resources Group highlighting UNCG’s contribution to wetland development in Guilford County.

Click here for more information about the Wetlands Project.

 

 

 

 


UNCG chosen for NSF-supported undergraduate research project

The UNCG Biology and Chemistry & Biochemistry departments were chosen to participate in the Council for Undergraduate Research Transformations Project. Both departments will develop curriculum that provides opportunities for authentic undergraduate research across course levels. The curriculum will include opportunities to use the UNCG Wetlands as a living laboratory. Read more


Former UNCG undergraduate wins Best Paper Award

Clint Alfaro (class of 2014) received the 2016 Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry Best Paper Award from Springer International Publishing.  Clint was a Chemistry and Biochemistry major while at UNCG and worked in Dr. Nadja Cech’s Research Group.  He is currently working towards the Ph.D. at Purdue University.  Click here for more information about this prestigious recognition.


The National Science Foundation has awarded One Million Dollars to support STAMPS: Science, Technology and Math Preparation Scholarships

The National Science Foundation will support a collaborative effort proposed by faculty and staff within UNCG’s College of Arts and Science, School of Education and University Teaching and Learning Commons.

STAMPS will enroll at least 47 students who are academically talented and financially challenged minority, women and first generation college students, in their efforts to complete their college degrees in the STEM disciplines in four years. This diverse group of first year STEM students will participate in a yearlong integrated science course, designed to create a cohort which will be supported by faculty mentors, student support services and peer mentors. The STAMPS students will have amazing opportunities including access to undergraduate research, STEM speakers, travel experiences, and facilitated shadowing at the Joint School for Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. Our goals are to matriculate and then graduate all STAMPS scholars into STEM careers or graduate school; identify and support a diverse community of STEM learners; create and sustain a supportive environment for STAMPS scholars that becomes self-sustaining; and discover what works, and why, and share this knowledge to a broad audience.

Project Personnel:
PI: Stanley Faeth – Dept of Biology and CAS Associate Dean
CoPIs: Ayesha Boyce – Educational Research Methodology, SOE
Jeffry Patton – Dept of Geography, CAS
Lee Phillips – Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity Office, UTLC
Lynn Sametz, Research and Instruction in STEM Education, CAS


Dr. Joanne Murphy highlighted in Campus Weekly

Classics professor, Joanne Murphy, was highlighted in Campus Weekly for her efforts to integrate research-skills-development into her Mythology of Ancient Greece course.  Dr Murphy works with the URSCO and Residential Colleges to promote the integration of research into the curriculum.  Click here for the complete article.


GE URCA Recipient will present at 2017 Global Communication Association Annual Conference

Undergraduate CST Honors student Karen Boger and faculty mentor Dr. Roy Schwartzman (Professor, Communication Studies Department) paper, “Invigorating Language Learning and Cultural Awareness of International Students: The Role of Communication Centers and Locus of Control,” has been accepted for presentation at the 2017 Global Communication Association Annual Conference. The 2017 conference will be held April 6-8th in Greensboro, N.C. , the first time this conference has been held in the United States. The paper will also be published in the conference proceedings. Karen’s research was funded by a Globally Engaged Undergraduate Research and Creativity Award sponsored by URSCO. Congratulations!


UNCG Undergraduate Researcher wins 2nd Place at SERMACS

Senior Biochemistry major, Jennifer Simpson, represented UNCG at the 68th Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society held on October 23-26, 2016 at Columbia, South Carolina. Simpson won 2nd place for her research presentation titled, “Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry of Ribonucleosides,” which focused on the development of ultra-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) to achieve accurate detection and quantification of ribonucleosides. Simpson completed her research under the mentorship of Dr. Norman Chiu, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Her research project involved one of the long-term research collaborations between the UNCG team and Dr. Tannous at the Harvard Medical School. During her time as an undergraduate researcher, Simpson is a recipient of the Undergraduate Research and Creativity Award through the URSCO and the Dorothy Monroe Fund from the College of Arts and Sciences. Congrats Jennifer!!


GE URCA Recipient Published in Explorations

Andrew Byrum, Spring 2016 UNCG graduate, was published in Explorations: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities for the Sate of North Carolina.  His article on the “Perceptions of Social Mobility in the Country of the Years: an examination of globalization and consumerism in Uruguay” is an archive of research he conducted while studying abroad as part of his undergraduate educational experience.  Andrew was a member of the Lloyd International Honors College and a recipient of a 2015 Globally Engaged Undergraduate Research and Creativity Award.  Andrew is currently working on the Master of Arts in sociology at Columbia University. His undergraduate research mentor, Dr. Sarah Daynes, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology.


UNCG Students present at SNCURCS

Fourteen UNCG students presented their research at the annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) on Saturday November 5, 2016.  This 12th SNCURCS was hosted by North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC, and included over 400 presentations by more than 500 students.  SNCURCS celebrates the diversity of disciplinary scholarship by including presentations from the visual and performing arts, humanities, education, social sciences, and STEM areas.

 

The UNCG students that participated include: Mario Augustinovic, Nadjali Chung, Sean Cochran, Jordan Crowell, Cory Henderson, Morgan Luther, Melisa Mayfield, Eni Minerali, David Perex-Suarez, Ena Prskalo, Melissa Roberts, Phillip Sheldon, Anastasia Shymanovich, and Natalie Suchy.


Students Represent UNCG at the SURF

Nine students represented UNCG during the first ever Southern Conference Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) on October 28-29, 2016. SURF was hosted on the campus of Wofford University in Spartanburg, SC and featured students from all 10 Southern Conference institutions who presented on their research, scholarship and/or creative inquiry representing a multitude of disciplines within the Arts, Humanities, and STEM. The UNCG students presented their exemplary work, attended presentations and information sessions, networked with fellow undergraduate researchers from other institutions, and participated in a graduate school panel.

The UNCG students that participated include: Mario Augustinovic, Amanda Baeten, Amber Campos, Nadjali Chung, Jordan Crowell, Cory Henderson, Ena Prskalo, Marissa Sarver, and Phillip Sheldon. The Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity Office (URSCO) would like to encourage all undergraduates engaged in researcher and/or creative inquiry to present their findings at local, regional, and national conferences. If there are any questions/inquiries, please feel free to message our office email.


2016 ICUR Participants

The International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) is a wonderful opportunity for UNCG students to present their work from their home university to an international and interdisciplinary audience via video-conferencing. On Sept 27th and 28th, the following students are representing UNCG in ICUR:

Student(s) Mentor(s) Title
Gregory Bernstein Jan Rychtar Racial Bias in Individual Officers in Greensboro Police Department
Nadjali Chung Nadja Cech Identification of New Quorom Sensing Peptide from Staphylococcus Caprae
Itane O. Coleman Sarah Cervenak My Afro Doesn’t Speak for Me: Issues with Associating Dress/Style with Black Women’s Radical Activism
Chasity Dorsett Jan Rychtar and Hyunju Oh (Bennett College) Yellow Fever Vaccination and the Theory of Games
Natalia Husby George Michel Examining the Effects of Infant Rearing Experiences on Delay of Gratification Tasks by Rhesus Macaques
Brandon Joyce, Ashley Jones, and Christopher Pritchard Jan Rychtar Analysis of Individual Greensboro Police Officers’ Stopping Patterns Using Propensity Score Weighting
Sydney Meeks Jan Rychtar and Hyunju Oh (Bennett College) Using a Game Theoretic Approach to Analyze the Rift Valley Fever Virus Vaccine
Tiera Moore Omar Ali The Ceremonial Otu Odu (The Ivory Society): The Significant Role of Igbo Women’s Title-Taking in Southeastern Nigeria
David Perez-Suarez Sat Gupta Variations of the Unrelated Question RRT Model
Ena Prskalo Joanne Murphy Deviant Burials in Classical Athens
Marissa Sarver Jonathan Zarecki The Res Gestae: Christianity through the Eyes of a Passive Aggressive Pagan
Katherine Skinner Sudha Shreeniwas Managing Dementia Symptoms through ARTmail
Julia Thompson and Alicia Feryn Xiaoli Gao Detecting DNC Copy Number Variation
Uyeong Yang Kenneth Snowden Korean Monetary Union, is it Feasible and How?