Dillard Celebrates Scholarship during Undergraduate Research Week
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Dillard University celebrated scholarship during the recent Undergraduate Research and Creative Work Competition, a week of activities designed to promote excellence in student scholarly research and creative activity by recognizing outstanding student accomplishments.
Students engaged in research projects in 2006-2007 displayed and defended posters describing the results of their work, and competed for monetary awards in three categories: Creative Work, Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Forty seven participants, aided by 14 faculty mentors, presented 43 projects.
Each project was reviewed by a panel of judges. Poster presentations included a concise oral presentation describing the background, aims, main findings, and implications for further study. Winning projects submitted by two or more undergraduate researchers received a single monetary award.
“Research is central to the mission of the Academy. It enables us to answer questions that far exceed our capacity of wonder and investigation. Research is intertwined in the Dillard University’s curriculum and significant to each student’s academic life’s journey,” said Dr. Emily Moore, Provost.
"This year's entries were strong. In light of pressing personal and societal issues, the students, across disciplines, are recasting their world by raising questions about theory and research, and responding with remarkable investigation and experimentation,” said Lynn Strong, director of undergraduate research.
The 2007 winners of the Dillard Undergraduate Research and Creative Work Competition are:
Creative Work
1st Place
Farah Akbar, Junior, Political Science
Project Title: “Declaration of Independence: 2007”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gayle Duskin, English
Qualitative Research
1st Place
Miquell Miller, Junior, Biology
Shermette Corbette, Junior, Biology
Gabrielle High, Sophomore, Biology
Kristen Guilford, Sophomore, Biology
Project Title: “A Study of the Effects of Water Contaminants on the Ecological Environment in the Greater new Orleans Area After Hurricane Katrina”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. J. Bernard Singleton, Biology
2nd Place
Sequoria Shelton, Senior, African World Studies
Project Title: “Blacks Get the Boot: Exploring the Significance and Ramifications of Hurricane Katrina’s Diaspora”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Marshall Stephenson, History
3rd Place
Ejenenorb Okorn, Senior, Political Science
Project Title: “Oil in the International Market”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nchor B. Okorn, Political Science
Quantitative Research
1st Place
Brandon Carter, Sophomore, Chemistry, Pre-Engineering
Lawrance D. Mullen, Junior, Biology, Pre-Medicine
Project Title: “A Study of the Concentration of Airborne microbes in Selected Communities Affected by Hurricane Katrina”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. J. Bernard Singleton, Biology
2nd Place
Nicole Grace-Franklin, Senior, Psychology
Project Title: “Parents’ Perceptions of the Effects of Parent-Child Relationships After a Natural Disaster, and the Behavior Changes Among Elementary School Are Children”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Edwina Frank, Psychology
3rd Place
Deneyelle Wilson, Junior, Chemistry
Project Title: “Chemical Chelation and Phytoextraction as Potential Remediation Techniques”
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lovell Agwaramgbo, Chemistry and Dr. Jose Ramirez-Domenech, Biology
The Competition was produced with support from The U.S. Department of Education, Title III and the DU GAELA/LAMP.
The winners of the 2006-2007 DU-Mini-Science Fair are:
Sophomores:
Brandon Carter - 1st Place Mentor- Dr. Bernard Singleton
Deniro Chase- 2nd Place Mentor- Dr. Abdalla Darwish
Juniors:
Alesha Harris - 1st Place Mentor- Dr. Allan Burkett
Miquelle Miller - 2nd Place Mentor- Dr. Bernard Singleton
Giana Iqwike/ Courtney Bradford - 3rd Place Mentor- Dr. Jose Ramirez
Seniors:
Byran Conyers - 1st Place Mentor- Dr. Abdalla Darwish
Byron Knowles - 2nd Place Mentor- Dr. Eric Buckles
Shawane Fletcher/ Willie Glaze - 3rd Place Mentor- Dr. Reginald Stanton
This is the ninth Mini-Science conference and the fourth Science STEM conference supported by both LAMP and GAELA programs. The Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-LAMP) is one of 27 National Science Foundation (NSF) alliance programs nationwide. The Louisiana Alliance include eleven (11) participating LAMP institutions, including Dillard University. Lamp receives input and advice from collaborating public and private sector entities including the LAMP Governing Board, chaired by the Commissioner of Higher Education.
The Graduate Alliance for Education in Louisiana (GAELA) is one of the NSF AGAEP centers, which include six institutions, and with Dillard, helps to increase the number of minority students getting their Ph.D. from the State of Louisiana.
The week also featured an Algebra Relay Contest that served as a highlight during the week. Students from all disciplines entered this event hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Department of Mathematics. The winners included:
Math Fellows
(top five scoring individuals in their problem)
Britannini Glinsey
Rodney Graham
Artra McNeil
Courtney McDowell
Deniro Chase
Math Associates
(second top five scoring individuals in their problem)
Jewel McZeal
Crystal Thomas
Santinaria Williams
Timothy Ramnarine
Miquell Miller
1st Place Team
Coach: Dr. Steve Buddington (Social Sciences)
Britanini Glinsey
Rodney Graham
Artra McNeil
Timothy Ramnarine
Miquell Miller
2nd Place Team
Coach: Dr. Svetlana Aroutounian (Natural Sciences & Public Health)
Tiffany Best
Crystal Thomas
Tiffany Griffin
Courtney McDowell
Katrina Sams
3rd Place Team
Coach: Ms. Sherrika Wilson (Campus Life)
Gabrielle Fontenot
Brittany Jefferry
Christina Lopez
Tiffany Roque
Dinero Chase
Honorable Mention
Coach: William Meeks (Student Math Major)
Jewel McZeal
JoLyque Turner
Vernella Verdell
Santiania Williams
Wayman Wood
Another highlight of the Undergraduate Research and Creative Work Week was the Write StepsSM to Producing Outstanding Research Papers. This seminar, presented by Dr. Chanta Haywood, Dean, Graduate School and Research at FAMU was also part of the DUROP Series this year.
The Dillard Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Series (DUROP Series) emphasizes and features programs and activities that offer research and creative opportunities for undergraduate students. The Series is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research in collaboration with academic and administrative divisions and units throughout the university and is conducted through a variety of programs and activities. The Series offers students an opportunity to participate in projects outside of the classroom, while developing a community of peers with similar research and creative interests. The focus of these activities is interdisciplinary in nature and, in many cases, offer students an opportunity to present their research and creative work in a public forum. Series programs and activities are facilitated by faculty members who have a strong interest in undergraduate research and who enrich the program by sharing their experiences with the students.
Additionally, another new initiative this year was the Dillard Undergraduate Research Opportunity Workshops. These workshops featured co-curricular programs and activities offering resources for students engaged in research and creative activity. They were hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research in collaboration with University units.
Three workshops presented this year included:
* Proposal Writing Workshop for Students - Dr. Walter Strong (Executive Vice President) and Dr. Pat Giangrosso (Institutional Advancement)
* Use of Human Subjects in Research - Dr. Keith Wismar (Co-Dean, Educational and Psychological Studies)
* Research Analysis Techniques Using SPSS - Dr. Hong Dai (Co-Chair, Department of Mathematics) and Dr. Willie Kirkland (Institutional Research and Department of Political Science)
Congratulations to everyone who participated.
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