MONTEVALLO—Almost 40 students participated in the University of Montevallo’s 16th annual Undergraduate Research Day, held recently in Harman Hall on the UM campus. Students from all four colleges at UM were invited to engage in research, scholarship and creative activity with faculty mentors, demonstrating their research via posters, oral and PowerPoint presentations.
The goal of Undergraduate Research is to involve students in their own learning; to develop teamwork and pride; to enhance interdisciplinary learning; and to share in the exhilaration of discovery.
This showcase of research projects featured topics ranging from “Bullying: The Experiences of College Students” to “Protein Kinase G Expression in Human Breast Cancer;” from “The Effects of Dividends and Free Cash Flow on Market Returns” to “Visibility of a Rectangle: Analyzing Card Design in Deck-Building Games;” and more.
Faculty mentors assisted students as needed. At Montevallo, where more than 95 percent of the faculty hold the Ph.D. or other terminal degree in their field, almost all the advisers on these research projects have doctoral degrees.
Students participating in UM’s Undergraduate Research Day from Jefferson County included Birmingham residents Devin Collar, whose topic was “The Relationship Between Dream Content/Frequency and Personality Dimensions of College Students”; and William McKinney, who presented “Synthesis of a Novel Porphyrin.”
Hoover residents represented at Undergraduate Research Day included Hannah Rae Joseph, who presented “So, You Think You’re a Super Hero?: An Examination of Vicarious Self-Inflation Through Mass-Media Heroes,” and “The Colors of Life”; and Gerda Tshibangu, whose project was titled “Current Financial Crisis.”
Whitney Mitchell of Trussville presented “PDE5 Expression in Human Breast Cancer”; and Breona Jackson of Hueytown presented “No Apologies: An Examination of the Influence of Race on the College Classroom.”