Students Present Research, Earn Recognition at Undergraduate Research Symposium

Thu, 06/12/2025 - 10:51am | By: Dr. David Tisdale

University of Southern Mississippi students engaged in research activities across multiple disciplines presented their work and earned recognition in various topical categories during the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium (UGS) on Research and Creative Activity, held April 26 on the Hattiesburg campus.

The annual event showcases the outstanding work done by undergraduate students at the university and is co-hosted by the Drapeau Center for Undergraduate Research (DCUR) and the Honors College. UGS Presentation and Arts Showcase awards are sponsored with generous support by Southern Miss alumnus Donald Drapeau and the Southern Miss Partners for the Arts, respectively.

Students recognized at UGS by category for their research activity include the following:

Drapeau Presentation Awards

Art History and Culture

1^st place - Jasmine Barner

Artist Practice as Research

1^st place - Kayla Beeles

1^st place - Hasan Bukhari

Business or Consumer Behavior

1^st place - Gracie Lewis

2^nd place - Marcus Kirkland

Chemistry from Synthesis to Application

1^st place - Jessica Shrestha

2^nd place - Addison Boyette

3^rd place - Aliya Puryear

Computational Approaches

Tied for 1^st place - Pappu Jha and Hanzla Hamid; Suvi Lama

Education and Parenting

1^st place - Rebecca Rowan

Environmental Devices and Analyses

1^st place - Matt Anderson

2^nd place - Charles Heatherly

Environmental Topics

1^st place - Natalie Santiago

2^nd place - Amellia Ollis

Gender, Sexuality and Identity

1^st place - Mary Carol Dassau

Historical Topics

1^st place - Tyler Sperry

Human Anatomy and Physiology

1^st place - Rhett Schimpf

Human Behavior and Wellbeing

1^st place - Leah Tucker

Tied for 2^nd place - Aidan Brown and Heather Thornhill

Law and Crime                                                                        

1^st place - Zoee Robinson

Literature and Language

1^st place - Emily Rutland

2^nd place - Olivia Pierce                 

Mathematical Approaches

1^st place - Courtney Francois

2^nd place - Rupak Raut and Nishan Poudel

Memory and Learning

1^st place - Makayla Stewart, Suzanna Haddox, and Scarlett Scott

Molecular Approaches in Biology

Mammals and Insects

1^st place - Yeseul Bae

Tied for 2^nd place - Maddie Moresi and Ethan Smith; Tabassum Siddique

Microbes and Viruses

1^st place - Abigail Brooks, Isabelle Kronenberg, and Kacey Nguyen

2^nd place - Garrett Manns

Physics and Astronomy

1^st place – MK Rayan and Warren Cummings

2^nd place - Nishant Chaudhari

Policies and Politics

1^st place - Mattie Spears

Evelyn Gandy Center for Women and Leadership Prize for Best Presentation on Women’s and Gender Studies

B. Twilbeck

Dale Center for the Study of War & Society Virginia Culpepper Award

Grace Chandler

Center for Community Engagement Prize for Best Community Engaged Research or Creative Activity

Cali Reinhart

Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Prizes for Best Presentation on a Biomedical Topic

1^st place - Astrid Gomez

2^nd place - Bipul Adhikari

Partners for the Arts – Arts Showcase Awards

Visual Arts - Madalin Costella, Alexis Ducksworth, Jackson McKnight, Lorin Musgrove, Adamari Posadas

Choreography and Dance - Grace Dugas, Seana Rains

Creative Writing - Hasan Bukhari, Claire Cadle, Laura Renfroe, Emily Rutland

Media and Entertainment Arts - Savannah Humber and Makagan Massingill, Amanda Myrick, Shrijal Thapa

Learn more about Southern Miss research here.