This past weekend, College of Charleston Honors College Associate Dean Elizabeth L. Meyer-Bernstein and Dean Trisha Folds-Bennett escorted 10 CofC students to present undergraduate research at Elon University as part of the Colonial Academic Alliance.
The travel was supported by Provost Brian McGee and the Office of Academic Affairs. McGee also traveled to the conference to see the students present and meet with other provosts in the alliance, which was initially founded to link the universities in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The student presenters were nominated by faculty and selected by the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities office to represent the college’s academic diversity and scholarly excellence.
“Publicly presenting research is an essential component of scholarly work,” says Meyer-Bernstein. “It allows students to communicate findings, receive feedback, advocate for the discipline, and network with other scholars. These benefits are heightened when the presentation is to an audience who can contribute diverse perspectives to the conversation.”
She adds, “Unfortunately, for undergraduates students, off-campus public presentations of this nature are not always possible because of a lack of funds or opportunities within their own discipline. This was the case for most of the students who were selected to represent the College of Charleston at the Colonial Academic Alliance. For the seniors, it provided the opportunity for them to engage in this critical scholarly activity before graduation. The experience of presenting at the CAA conference not only afforded the benefits listed above, but also the chance for the students to improve presentation skills, get to know other CofC students, meet peers from other CAA institutions, and practice being a scholar. The selected students were nominated by their faculty mentors, further validating their research dedication and effort.”
Below is a list of the presenters and their research titles.
Bethany Blamphin, Spanish major: “Intercultural Competence in the Language Classroom: Practices and Beliefs of Foreign Language Teachers in the U.S.”
Theodore Carrigan-Broda, biochemistry major: “Synthesis and In Silico Conformational Analysis of 1,1-Difluorosilepane (1,1-Difluoro-1-silacycloheptane)”
Christian Conley, psychology major: “Should Normality Be Judged by Eye or by Algorithm?”
Kathleen Crotty, anthropology and international studies: “Conceptions of the Transition to Adulthood”
Lauren Johnson, political science and music major: “#NeverTrump: Why Republican Lawmakers Refused to Support Their Party’s Nominee”
Carson Keeter, exercise science major: “The Effects of 905nm Laser Light on Muscle Fatigue”
Morgan Larimer, biology and international studies major: “Are Fungal and Bacterial Pathogens Responsible for High Sea Turtle Embryo Mortality in Ostional, Costa Rica?”
Monica Mullis, physics major: “Time Series Analysis of Co-Located Micrometeorological Variables”
Erin Stotts, anthropology major: “Comparing Megalithic Structures in the Boyne Valley, Ireland”
Grace Valiulis, biology: “Pharmacological Enhancement of Rehabilitation after Ischemic Stroke in Rats”
