On Tuesday, April 16 the Wells Conference Center transformed for the fourth annual Undergraduate Research and Academic Showcase. Students from every academic college within the University of Maine participated in the event, sharing the research they have been working on in their studies.
Ali Abedi, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research and associate professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, explained the benefits of showcasing undergraduate research.
According to Abedi, undergraduates are exposed to research, which makes those students stand out and allows them go the extra mile to add depth to their degree. Abedi said another advantage is exposing undergraduates to the research that takes place at the graduate level. Lastly, Abedi offered another benefit as one to the public.
Showcasing undergraduate research allows community members and other students to see what is being studied by students at the university.
“I was much more impressed,” Abedi said about the kind of research the undergraduates were presenting at this year’s event compared to previous years.
Diane Belanger, graduate assistant with the Center for Undergraduate Research, reported there was an increased number in student participants, with 117 vendors and nearly 70 judges.
According to Abedi, since the first year of the CUGR event in 2010, participation has more than doubled.
“It gets better and better, the collective wisdom goes up each year,” Abedi said.
Students who participated in the event submitted abstracts of their research projects in the early part of the semester. The Advisory Committee made up of 14 faculty members then determined which of those abstracts would be allowed to continue on to the event.
Award recipients were categorized by presentation style, which included exhibits, posters and oral presentations.
Exhibit award recipients:
First prize went to Coralie Dapice from the New Media Department for her project, “Study of Creative Storytelling.”
Honorable mention was given to Carolyn Pugliano from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for “A Lateral Field Excited Gas Sensor.”
Oral presentation or performance awards:
First place went to Jing “Jacky” Deng from the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences for his presentation, titled “Clinical Trial Comparing the Use of Intravenous Tranexamic Acid with Aquamantys Bipolar Sealer for Blood Loss Reduction in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty.”
Second place went to Emily Hinkle from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition for “Cooking and varietal effects on potato in vitro bile acid binding capability.”
Third place went to Valerie Smith from the Chemistry Department for “Detection of Aqueous Hg(II) with Infrared Spectroscopy.”
Honorable Mention was given to Alex Nash from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for “Green Composites: From Under Foot to Under Hood.”
Poster award recipients:
First place went to Conrad Rier from the Department of Physics and Astronomy department for “Habitability of Exomoons.”
Second place (tie) went to Joshua Jones from the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences for “Morphogenesis Mediates Candida albicans Dissemination.”
Second place (tie) went to Kendra Bird from the Anthropology Department for “Specialized Activities in the Middle Woodland Period: An Analysis of Feature 8, Holmes Point West.”
Third place (tie) went to Lydia Drown, Brett Radosti and Michelle Landry from the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders for “Effects of Mild-to-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury on Speech in Adolescents.”
Third place (tie) went to Paige Martin from the Psychology Department for “The Effect of Cataract Surgery on Depression and Vision-Related Quality of Life.”
Honorable Mention was given to Christopher Young from the Psychology Department for “The Relationship Between High Behavioral Inhibition and Cortisol Reactivity.”