The 19th annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) was hosted by two campuses this year – Wingate University and South Piedmont Community College. Despite rainy weather, spirits were high, and hundreds of students from 34 college and university campuses across the state poured in to present their work. Ten presenters and more than 20 students from UNC Pembroke were among them, most of whom were scholars in the UNCP COMPASS Scholarship Program.
The day-long event, which was held on November 11th, featured talks and poster presentations. Student presenters from UNCP were Elizabeth Chavis (Sociology and Criminal Justice), Ava Cox (Biology), Thalia Crespo (Biology), Bailey Hrobak (Biology), Vanessa Hughes (Biology), Paisley Locklear (Biology), Shannon Lowry (Biology), Lillian Matthews (Geography), Hozaifa Owaisi (Public Health), and Kayla Wingfield (English). Elizabeth and Hozaifa gave talks, and the other students gave poster presentations.
For many of the students, this was their first time to present their work at a state conference. Vanessa Hughes, Ava Cox, and Shannon Lowry shared their reflections about this unique opportunity:
Vanessa Hughes (Poster: “Fin Photo identification in Cape Fear River, NC”)
“My poster reported the results of a group research project completed during the HON-191 course with my academic mentor, Dr. Kimberly Jones of Brunswick Community College (BCC). This semester-long project focused on surveying bottlenose dolphins via fin photo-identification in the Cape Fear River region. Beyond identifying individual dolphins, data was gathered on bottlenose dolphin stocks, distribution, abundance, and movements in this underrepresented geographical region. This project was a collaboration between BCC and the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Honors College through the Community College Undergraduate Research Experience (CCURE) program.
While at the conference, I had the opportunity to listen to and view my fellow UNCP classmates' poster presentations and hear presentations of students from other schools, from varying disciplines.
The best part of this conference was that, with the help of Dr. [Brandon] Sanderson of the Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity (PURC) Center, I could present my research at the state level. This conference provided me with invaluable research presentation experience that will enhance my graduate school applications. Additionally, as a community college transfer student in my first semester at UNCP, this conference was a terrific way to engage UNCP faculty and students.”
Ava Cox (Poster: “The Characterization of Two Candidate Genes for Interstitial Lung Disease from Whole Exomes: A Pathway Analysis Approach”)
“This year, I have presented at PURC, RISE, and the Maynor Honors College Symposium. However, my first presentation at a state research symposium was at SNCURCS. It was such a great experience talking to students and professors from across the state of North Carolina and presenting my research. My research was about idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which is an interstitial lung disease of unknown causes. I focused on the clinical presentation of IPF and two candidate genes, BBS2 and TP53. My project and future research are important for gaining more knowledge about the genes implicated in IPF and developing better patient treatments. Soon my project, including the three chapters, will be published as my honors thesis on the UNCP Library repository website.
In early October prior to presenting at SNCURCS, I received the George T. Barthalmus Research Award from the SNCURCS committee to start research on a new project, dyspnea in dysautonomia, with my research mentor and advisor, Dr. Silvia Smith. At the 2024 SNCURCS, I will present my research on dyspnea in dysautonomia.
As I reflect on this year, I am thankful that I have Dr. Silvia Smith as my research mentor, academic advisor, and NSF-COMPASS mentor. I have learned a lot from her through Anatomy and Physiology II (during the spring semester) and through research since March (which is when she invited me to her research team). She has helped me so much this year, and I cannot wait to do more projects with Dr. Smith, including the one next year on dyspnea in dysautonomia.”
Shannon Lowry (Poster: “The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Herbarium Digitization”)
"I presented my research at the SNCURCS conference on the UNCP Herbarium digitization process. This was my first conference, and it was a fantastic learning experience; the most enjoyable part of the conference was getting insights into other students' research projects. I hope to come back next year with my new research project about the phylogenetic tree of the Hypericum spp.”
Congratulations to UNCP students for their excellence in scholarship and for representing the University well. Congratulations to Ava Cox for being awarded a Barthalmus Research Grant. Best wishes to all students in your future work and career goals. Many thanks go to the UNCP PURC Program for supporting student participation at SNCURCS. Thanks also go to Drs. Maria Santisteban, Rachel Smith, and Rita Hagevik for their leadership of the COMPASS program. The program guide for the 2023 SNCURCS conference can be downloaded below.
