18TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2016 Undergraduate Symposium 2018 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 University of South Alabama Office of Undergraduate Research 20th Annual Undergraduate Symposium Friday, November 16, 2018 12:30-3:00 PM Student Center Ballroom Welcome: Dr. Christy Wheeler West, Director of Undergraduate Research Welcome: Dr. Harold Pardue, Dean of the Graduate School Introduction of Dr. G. David Johnson, Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Invited Student Presentations Lydia Turner Foreign Languages Matthew Johnson Mechanical Engineering Sarah McWilliams Speech and Hearing Sciences Jeffrey Demeis Biology Samantha Darring Earth Sciences Peyton Posey Civil Engineering Phi Kappa Phi Best Poster Award SURF Best Presentation Award Poster Session – Student Center 2nd floor lobby Sponsored by: Alabama Space Grant Consortium, University of South Alabama Academic Affairs, University of South Alabama Graduate School, College of Arts and Sciences, Mitchell College of Business, College of Medicine, School of Computing, College of Education, College of Engineering, and Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Oral Presentations Lydia Turner. Shipwrecked: Spanish Explorers and the Construction of North America. Department of Foreign Language, History. Mentor: Dr. Zoya Khan, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, College of Arts and Sciences. Matthew Johnson. Suture Techniques in ACL Reconstruction. Department of Mechanical Engineering. Mentor: Dr. David Nelson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. Sarah McWilliams. Relationship Between Eye Movements During Reading and Severity of Language Impairment in Persons with Aphasia. Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Mentor: Dr. Kimberly Smith, Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, College of Allied Health Professions. Jeffrey Demeis. Identifying Novel sdRNA Contributors to Lung Malignancy. Department of Biology. Mentor: Dr. Glen Borchert, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences. Samantha Darring. Preferred Location for Sea and Bay Breeze-Driven Thunderstorm Formation. Department of Meteorology. Mentor: Dr. Sytske Kimball, Department of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences. Peyton Posey. Site Characterizations of Locations in Texas, Florida, and Alabama impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Nate. Department of Civil Engineering. Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Smallegan, Department of Civil, Coastal, and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering. An extra special “Thank You!” to our panel of presentation judges! 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 Welcome! At this 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of South Alabama, we gather to celebrate the efforts and achievements of 80 budding scholars. Whether you join us as a proud mentor or parent, a curious student or faculty member, or a University administrator or other guest, I know you will be impressed with all that these outstanding student researchers have accomplished. The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) seeks to promote scholarly and creative activity at the undergraduate level, and to thereby enhance critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and communication. In doing so, we take pride in our foundational role in developing the scholars and scientists of tomorrow. Our work would be empty, though, without the tremendous commitment of the faculty mentors who not only foster the progress of the research projects but also nurture the undergraduate researchers in their scholarly development. We are grateful for the generous sponsorship of the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, the Academic Affairs Office, and individual colleges and departments. We also express our appreciation to the members of the University Committee on Undergraduate Research especially for their time and insight in support of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Dr. Christy Wheeler West Director, Office of Undergraduate Research 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 Dear Friends and Colleagues: Welcome to the Office of Undergraduate Research’s 20th Undergraduate Research Symposium. Undergraduate research has been identified as a “high impact practice” in American higher education. Research has shown that students who participate in research under the guidance of faculty benefit greatly from the experience. They are more likely to earn their undergraduate degree in a timely manner, they learn more advanced skills, and their career prospects are enhanced. We are very proud of the undergraduate research program at South Alabama and feel that it is one of key assets that make USA a great university. Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) students get the opportunity to work with talented faculty, using state-of-the-art research instrumentation, and contribute to the discovery of new knowledge. These students have excelled at their studies, have already accomplished much, and we expect great things from them in the future. Thank you for joining us today, and please enjoy the Symposium. Dr. G. David Johnson Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 Welcome to the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Research is, in part, about learning more and more about less and less. A willingness to do this is what sets all of you apart from the vast majority of people who are quite content to merely accept the benefits and influence of “magic” on their lives. When they use their smartphone for example, it is for them, magic. They accept there are mysterious forces beyond their understanding that daily conjures phenomena indispensable to their very existence. But this magic is only possible because someone like you was willing to learn a great deal about a very specific aspect of say, the physics of electromagnetic waves. It is with this knowledge and the sudden clarity of understanding that the real magic occurs, the magic of discovery. We recognize and applaud the long hours you spent to fully understand the sometimes incomprehensible minutia that, in the larger progression of humanity, enables the magic of science. Thank you for joining us today, and enjoy the Symposium! Dr. Harold Pardue Dean of the Graduate School 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 UNIVERSITY COMMITTEE ON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Program Director: Dr. Christy Wheeler West COLLEGE MEMBER DEPARTMENT Pat Capps Covey Julio Turrens Biomedical Sciences College of Allied Robin Mockett Biomedical Sciences Health College of Arts and Jason Coym Chemistry Sciences Glen Borchert Biology Zoya Khan Foreign Languages and Steven Schultze Literatures Rebecca Mindock Earth Sciences Jack Shelley-Tremblay Music Kara Burns Psychology Visual Arts Mitchell College of Kelly Woodford Management Business Al Chow Marketing School of Computing Tom Johnsten Computer Science College of Education Ryon McDermott Professional Studies and Professional Studies College of Engineering Saami Yazdani Mechanical Engineering Silas Leavesley Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Honors College Doug Marshall Sociology College of Medicine Thomas Rich Pharmacology College of Nursing Rebecca Graves Research, Development, and Evaluation 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 Office of Undergraduate Research The University of South Alabama’s Office of Undergraduate Research strives to foster a spirit of scholarship in the undergraduate culture at the University of South Alabama, to provide support for our undergraduate researchers, and to enhance scholarly research and creative activities across our campus through undergraduate research. Director Dr. Christy Wheeler West [email protected] Secretary Megan McCrory [email protected] (251) 341-3078 Located in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Shelby Hall, Room 4135 OUR Ambassadors The OUR Ambassadors represent the Office of Undergraduate Research at official University functions, as well as at community events. The Ambassadors speak on student panels, assist in the recruitment of outstanding new students, attend USA Day, Move-In Day, Welcome Week, and many other campus events. OUR Ambassadors also perform high school and community outreach. 20TH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM 2018 Monica Sai Pasala Ambassador and SOAR President, Monica Sai Pasala, is a senior pursing a major in biomedical science and a minor in computer science. She was born in India, and moved to America when she was 10 years old. Monica intends to go to medical school and pursue a career specializing in obstetrics and gynecology while conducting research in the field of metabolic oncology. She recently realized that her aspirations to become a physician come with a passion for research. For the past two years Monica has been working under Dr. Aishwarya Prakash at the Mitchell Cancer Institute working with proteins involved in the base excision repair pathway. Monica says she thoroughly enjoys researching on the molecular level, and sees herself working as a clinician and a researcher. Along with serving the people, she hopes to make contributions to scientific and technological advances through research. Austin Sanders Ambassador and SOAR Vice-President Austin Sanders is a first-generation college student at the University of South Alabama. Austin was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He is a senior working towards two degrees: Marketing and Quantitative Methods with a concentration