The annual Salem Undergraduate Research Conference showcased students’ research projects in a variety of topic areas and allowed them to share what they learned through discussions with the academic staff.
The annual conference is open to all undergraduates in any discipline and in any for-credit course on any campus. Faculty judges evaluate the presentations based on originality; significance; evidence of learning about the research and information gathering process; and overall quality.
The keynote speaker was Julie Cremeans-Smith, Ph.D., a professor of psychological sciences at Stark. Her doctorate degree is in experimental psychology with concentrations in biopsychology and health psychology. Her research interests include mind and body interactions, with an emphasis on stress, coping and health behaviors.
Cremeans-Smith studies psychophysiological aspects of chronic pain, including mental health consequences of painful experiences, such as depression and PTSD. She teaches a variety of courses, including psychology of motivation; health psychology; biopsychology quantitative methods; and research methods.
New to the conference this year was a discussion panel that included graduate students Olivia Haid, Thomas Kornbau and Kasey Jamison, all from the Salem Campus, who met with undergraduate students and encouraged them to consider graduate school. They shared their experiences, offered practical advice and answered questions.
The URC committee includes Rachael Blasiman, Ph.D., chair; Omid Bagheri, Ph.D.; Cyndi Peterson, Tsunghui Tu, Ph.D.; Steve Toepfer, Ph.D.; Kristenne Robison; and Krista Hawkins.
The winners of the 2024 Salem Undergraduate Research Conference are:
First Place Poster Presentation: Jessical Palo for “Developing a Method to Grow Huitlacoche for Commercial Sale.”
Second Place Poster Presentation: Olivia Rice for “Undergraduate Student Benefits: Research Within Community Outreach.”
Third Place Poster Presentation: Elisabeth Dolly for “Raising Awareness of Pneumorrachis: A Medical Imaging Perspective.”
First Place Oral Presentations: Olivia Liggett for “Meet Me in the Garden;” Kristie Perkins for “Mending Religious Divisions by Creating Shared Cultural Experiences;” and Olivia Rice for “Central Auditory Processing Disorder.”
Second Place Oral Presentations: Lindsay Ashby for “Recidivism in the Community;" Jennifer Tedrow for “The Importance of Self-Breast Awareness in the Young Female Population;” and Haley Hazelbaker for “Enhancing Lives: Innovative Strategies for Managing Parkinson’s Disease.”
Third Place Oral Presentations: Brooke Dustman for “Using Conditioning Principles to Reduce Cellphone Over-Usage;” Jessica Marinelli for “Ohio, The Heart of it All: A Human Trafficking Hot Spot;” and Samantha Campbell for “Aquagenic Urticaria.”
Photo A: Winners from the 2024 Undergraduate Research Conference on the Salem Campus were (front, from left): Olivia Liggett, Lindsey Ashby, Jessica Marinelli, Elisabeth Dolly, Haley Hazelbaker and (back, from left): Olivia Rice, Brooke Dustman, Jennifer Tedrow, Samantha Campbell and Jessica Palo. Not pictured: Kirstie Perkins
Photo B: URC Chair Rachael Blasiman with keynote speaker Julie Cremeans-Smith.
Photo C: Olivia Rice explains her research to committee member Steve Toepfer, Ph.D.
Photo D: Jennifer Tedrow presenting her research findings.
Photo E: The 2024 Undergraduate Research Conference poster presentations at Salem.