Psychology Students Receive Recognition at the 4th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium

Categories: News

Alexis Friesz, Psychology Minor, received Best Poster Award in the Social Sciences, Humanities, Education, Business and Arts Category for her project entitled “Hunger and Food Insecurity among College Students: Understanding the Problem and Identifying Solutions.” Her mentor was Dr. Kim Buch in Psychology. Kiersten McDonald, Psychology Major, was awarded an Honorable Mention for her project entitled “Meeting the Needs of Youth Entering Protective Custody: Examining Utilization of Strengths Within Assessment.” Her mentor was Dr. Ryan Kilmer in Psychology.

The Charlotte Research Scholars (CRS) program is a summer program begun in 2012 for high-achieving undergraduate students to gain experience in research and professional development in their field of interest. These opportunities are not typically available in the undergraduate classroom. This learn-by-doing model places an emphasis on graduate education and allows the Scholars to put their experiential learning into practice, preparing them to excel in their future studies and research.

In addition to mentored research activities, scholars participate in weekly professional development training to build skills critical to professional success. Topics include: responsible conduct of research, developing a competitive research fellowship application, preparing an academic resume, professional communication tools, and a session on preparing for graduate school.


The CRS program is supported by UNC Charlotte’s Office of Academic Affairs, the Charlotte Research Institute, the Duke Endowment Special Initiatives Fund, and the Graduate School.


Congratulations to all presenters at the 2015 Summer Research Symposium.

2015 Charlotte Research Scholars poster competition winners.
Best poster recipients: Left to right, Alexis Friesz, Eli Bostian, and Kenneth Panora. Photo courtesy of Lynn Roberson, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

The poster judging results are below.

BEST POSTERS

Category: Social Sciences, Humanities, Education, Business and Arts
Title: Hunger and Food Insecurity among College Students: Understanding the Problem and Identifying Solutions
Presenter: Alexis Friesz
Mentor: Kim Buch

Category: Natural Sciences and Public Health
Title: Effective treatment of Malignant Ovarian Cancer Cells by Means of Nanoparticle Coated Aptamers
Presenter: Kenneth Panora
Mentor: Christine Richardson

Category: Engineering, Nanomaterials and Computing
Title: Electrical Properties of Simple Devices Glued with D-Sorbitol Doped PEDOT:PSS
Presenter: M. Eli Bostian
Mentor: Michael Walter

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Benjamin S. Kantner, Engineering, Nanomaterials & Computing
Katelyn L. DeZego, Natural Sciences & Public Health
Latavia K. Hill, Natural Sciences & Public Health
Kiersten S. McDonald, Social Sciences, Humanities, Education, Business & Arts