Center for Undergraduate Research Names New Eagle SPUR Scholars
Fri, 09/05/2014 - 03:44pm | By: David Tisdale
Annalise Hays is getting support for her study of the effects of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) on preschool students through the University of Southern Mississippi's Eagle Scholars Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR).
Hays, a senior psychology major/pre-med minor from Jackson, was one of 16 students recently named a Eagle SPUR scholar by the university's Center for Undergraduate Research. The program provides funding for independent research by an undergraduate student in collaboration with a faculty member. It includes up to $20,000 in research grants for project proposals submitted by qualified students in the fall and spring semesters.
Eagle SPUR Funding can help defray research costs associated with acquiring equipment and other materials, as well as travel to academic conferences to present their work. Hays' project is titled “Affect Recognition and ADHD Symptoms in Preschoolers: A Serial Mediation Model of Social Cognition.”
“I'm very fortunate to have the opportunity to further my research with the SPUR grant,” Hays said. Her project has been selected for presentation at a national clinical psychology conference held by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
Hays' faculty mentor, Dr. Tammy Barry, said the Eagle SPUR program plays a critical role in supporting one of the university's most important missions – research. “This is the time to get them (undergraduates) involved in research, which is at the core of our university,” Barry said. “The Eagle SPUR program prepares them to be the better graduate students of tomorrow.”
Other Eagle SPUR Scholars, their major/minor, hometown and mentors include:
*Anthony Abshire (ACS chemistry/mathematics) Biloxi, Miss. (Matthew Donahue)
*Jessica Bounds (elementary education) Hattiesburg (John Bishop)
*Taylor Button, marine biology/Spanish Hunstville, Ala. (David Echevarria)
*Richard Chambliss, sports coaching/political science, Hattiesburg (Brian Gearity)
*Brittney Eakins, political science/biochemistry, Kiln, Miss. (Marek Steedman)
*Tori Gans, biological sciences/chemistry, Southaven, Miss. (Mac Alford)
*Elyse Garon, mathematics/biological sciences, Gramercy, La. (James Lambers)
* Jennifer Jefcoat, microbiology/Spanish/chemistry, Hattiesburg (J. Paige Buchanan)
*Nischal Karki, biochemistry, Basundhara, Kathmandu (Philip Bates)
*Dawne Kennedy, history/foreign languages, Sandy Hook, Miss. (Miles Doleac)
*Steven Austin Lowery, geology, Petal, Miss. (Omar Harvey/Bandana Kar)
*Hunter Newman, geology, Jackson, Miss. (Frank Heitmuller)
*Randi Reed, biochemistry, Gulfport, Miss. (Vijay Rangachari)
*Christopher Brian Speagle, geography/history, Ellisville, Miss. (Grant Harley)
The Center for Undergraduate Research was established in 2011. Its mission is the enhancement of the undergraduate experience through the promotion and support of student-faculty collaborations in research, creative projects and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.usm.edu/research/center-undergraduate-research.