14 undergrads to present at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Fourteen undergraduates from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have been invited to present their research and creative projects at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) to be held April 10-13 at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.

The presentation topics include engineering, physics, history, political science, environmental science and sustainability, chemistry, music, business, and exercise science and nutrition.

"Having 14 students accepted to this national conference is a tremendous endorsement of the caliber of work that UAH students bring to the table," says Dave Cook, director of undergraduate research. "It’s equally impressive to see that our students are representing a wide range of disciplines, which further demonstrates the breadth and width of expertise at UAH and the ability for students in any major to get involved in research."

The NCUR is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. Unlike meetings of academic professional organizations, this gathering of student scholars welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning and from all disciplines.

Through this annual conference, NCUR creates a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate student achievement; provides models of exemplary research, scholarship and creative activity; and helps to improve the state of undergraduate education. Each conference hosts 3,500 to 4,000 students from across the globe, presenting their research through posters, oral presentations, visual arts, and performances.

The UAH students, their projects and categories are:

• Courtney Anderson, "Investigation of Iron Catalysts for Propylene Epoxidation," poster, engineering.
• Ryan Barishian, "Netting Space Jellies," poster, physics.
• Meagan Bojarski, "Dungeons and Distortions: Misconstructions of Druidism in Dungeons and Dragons," oral, history.
• Madison Bowersox (co-authors: Creighton McIntyre, Prathmesh Anantwar, Kyle Clark, Abhee Singh), "Design and Development of a Tactile Wind Tunnel for Educational Purposes," poster, engineering.
• Kathryn Carroll, "Representation of American Society iIn Congress," oral, political science.
• Christine Evans, "Utilizing Synthetic Aperture Radar and NASA Earth Observations to Identify Optimal Transportation Routes to Assist Emergency Responders After Flood Events in the Ohio River Valley," poster, environmental science and sustainability.
• Kristen Hubbert, "Multinomial Logit Analysis of Injury Severity in Crashes Involving Emotional Drivers," poster, engineering.
• Jonathan Kilroy, "Conversion of Glycerol to Butanol Using a Continuous Culture of Clostridium Pasteurianum," oral, chemistry.
• Tabitha Massengill, "Humanistic Effect on Music in the Renaissance," oral, music.
• Michael Mondoskin, "Louis Ballard And American Indian Representation in Music," oral, music.
• Tung Phung, "Predicting Accounting Misstatements Within the Banking Industry," poster, business.
• Noah Pring, "The Effect of Shin-Torso Alignment on Muscle Activity of the Lower Extremity in Hockey Players," oral, exercise science and nutrition.
• Maggi Welch, "Factors Associated With Mobility Apprehension in Amputees," oral, exercise science and nutrition.
• Sean Widmier (co-authors: Thomas Salverson, An Nguyen, Colin Oberthur, Sean Mitchell, Daniel Velasco, Kyle Daigle, Trystan May), "Design and Development of an Autonomous Payload Return Vehicle," poster, engineering.

Nine UAH students were also selected to win the NCUR Travel Award, co-sponsored by Academic Affairs and the Honors College. The NCUR Travel award covers the awardees’ registration and accommodations, and provides transportation to the three-day event.

"When CUR announced that the 2019 NCUR conference would be held at nearby Kennesaw State University, Drs. Curtis and Wilkerson and I decided to organize a travel award to encourage students to submit abstracts for the symposium," Cook says. "We’re very happy to be supporting nine of the 14 students representing UAH for this, the largest undergraduate research event in the United States. We’re very proud to have some of our best and brightest undergraduates representing UAH at NCUR."

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