COS Undergrads Shine at Showcase
Every year, the UCF Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence, presented by the Division of Teaching and Learning, celebrates undergraduate research and creativity across the curriculum.
The showcase gave University of Central Florida undergraduate students the opportunity to present their research and creative projects to the university community. Students from all fields and disciplines gathered at the showcase as they presented their work to judges. The judges, consisting of faculty members from across campus, chose the winners who then received scholarships for their outstanding academic work.
While some left with awards, others left with inspiration. Students participating in the showcase connected with fellow undergraduates who are not yet engaged in research and demonstrated to them how involvement in such projects can enrich their UCF experience. Through this connection, the event encouraged growth and continuation of student research and creative projects.
Here are the winning students and faculty mentors who represented the College of Sciences at the 14th annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence:
Arts & Humanities
- Tara Currier and Aleece Betts
Power Plays: Using Theatrical Techniques to Enhance Bystander Prevention Training
Mentor: Sybil St. Claire (Theatre)
Education
- Desia Bacon
Preventing Hazing at UCF by Teaching Leadership, Ethics and Group Responsibility
Mentor: Dr. Stacey Malaret (Higher Education and Policy Studies)
Engineering, Optics and Photonics, and Computer Science
- Michael Sedlack
Platform for Combined Extreme Environments
Mentor: Dr. Ali Gordon (Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering)
Life Sciences
- Milagros Baylac
Investigating the Evolutionary Relationships of Mole Skinks in Florida
Mentor: Dr. Christopher Parkinson (Department of Biology)
- Bridget Vincent
Stopped in Their Tracks: Assessing the Effects of Anthropogenic Barriers on Gopherus polyphemus
Mentor: Dr. Christopher Parkinson (Department of Biology)
- Keisha Persaud
Measuring Real Time Contractile Function of In-Vitro Myocytes on Cantilever Chips in Microfluidic System Through a Non-Invasive Methodology
Mentor: Dr. James Hickman, Dr. Carlota Oleaga (Department of Chemistry)
- Yvelande Raymond
Urbanization is a Buzz Kill: Urban Environments on Bee Species Activity and Diversity
Mentor: Dr. Patrick Bohlen (Department of Biology)
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
- Christopher Botelho, Hanna Reed, and Henry Chang
Cholera in Haiti: Mathematical modeling of education campaign impacts on disease dynamics
Mentor: Dr. Zhisheng Shuai (Department of Mathematics)
- Dylan Bruce
Gallai-Ramsey Numbers for Cycles of Length Seven
Mentor: Dr. Zi-Xia Song (Department of Mathematics)
- Giovanna Pope
Lithium-Ion Conductivity Studies in Covalent Organic Frameworks Functionalized with oligo(ethylene oxides)
Mentor: Dr. Fernando Uribe-Romo (Department of Chemistry)
- Maren Tomcsak
Characterization of Condom Lubricants by DART-TOFMS
Mentor: Dr. Candice Bridge (Department of Chemistry)
- Behnaz Davoudinasab
Using Low-Coherence Interferometry to Monitor Cell Invasion in an in Vitro Model System
Mentor: Dr. Aristide Dogariu (Department of Optics)
- Lauren Gandy
Mechanistic Investigations on Organic Color Spot Tests for Smokeless Powders
Mentor: Dr. Candice Bridge (Department of Chemistry)
- Thomas Rechtman
Effects of Outgoing Longwave Radiation on Climate Change and Ecology
Mentor: Dr. Ram Mohapatra (Department of Mathematics)
- Darian Smalley
Field Orientation Independent Convective Flows in Quasi 1D Magnetic Fluid Driven by Horizontal Magnetic and Temperature Gradients
Mentor: Dr. Weili Luo (Department of Physics)
Social Sciences
- Kendra Castleberry
The Perceived Impact of Colorism
Mentor: Dr. Amy Donley (Department of Sociology)
- Lucy Clement La Rosa
Afghanistan’s Nexus of Drug and Terror
Mentor: Dr. Houman Sadri (Department of Political Science)
- Mariah Deramo
Dare to Breastfeed
Mentor: Dr. Amy Donley (Department of Sociology)
- Melissa Gomez
Analysis of Collagen Extraction from Bahamian Hutia to Determine Domestication Patterns
Mentor: Dr. Peter Sinelli, Dr. Lana Williams (Department of Anthropology)
- Fernando Montalvo
Examining Individual Attitudes towards Virtual Agents as Social Companions
Mentor: Dr. Janan Smither, Dr. Daniel McConnell (Department of Psychology)
- Juliana Snowden, Victoria Priola, and Lucas Pettinati
Old Lighthouse Site at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Mentor: Dr. Neil Duncan (Department of Anthropology)
- Jacquelyn Fernandez
So Many Millennials, So Little Votes: Insight from Millennials on Post-Election America
Mentor: Dr. Amy Donley (Department of Sociology)
- John Granger and Natalie Alessi
Trends in Workload and Performance: An Analysis of Three Instructional Strategies Within a Virtual Environment
Mentor: Dr. Crystal Maraj (Simulation and Training)
- Heidi Obediente
It’s Not Men or Women, It’s Balance
Mentor: Dr. Kerstin Hamann (Department of Political Science)
- Angel Sanchez
Florida Dept. Of Corrections Systematically Undercounts Hispanics: An Empirical Estimate Of Hispanics In FDOC And Its Impact On Felony Disenfranchisement
Mentor: Dr. Bruce Wilson (Department of Political Science)
- Tessa Treadwell
African American Mothers’ Perceptions of Breastfeeding Information and Support from Healthcare Providers
Mentor: Dr. Shannon Carter (Department of Sociology)
Audience Choice
- Cheniene Clemens and Meghan Dougherty
A Hidden Threat: Survey of Microplastic Abundance and Distribution Around Glover’s Reef Atoll, Middle Caye, Belize
Mentor: Dr. Linda Walters (Department of Biology)
- Darian Smalley
Field Orientation Independent Convective Flows in Quasi 1D Magnetic Fluid Driven by Horizontal Magnetic and Temperature Gradients
Mentor: Dr. Weili Luo (Department of Physics)
Peer Choice
- Keisha Persaud
Measuring Real Time Contractile Function of In-Vitro Myocytes on Cantilever Chips in Microfluidic System Through a Non-Invasive Methodology
Mentor: Dr. James Hickman, Dr. Carlota Oleaga (Department of Chemistry)
To view all showcase winners click here.