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Editor: Maizie Plumley, Graduate AssistantURSCO NewsletterUNCG Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creativity Office ǀ Fall 2020Inside this Issue Important DatesURSCO Virtual WorkshopsSNCURCS 2020ABRCMSURSCO Faculty FellowsMcNair Scholars ProgramURCA Recipients: Spring2021Student Highlights15th Annual ThomasUndergraduateResearch and CreativityExpoVirtual Expo IIApril 19-23, 2021Abstracts will be acceptedJanuary 21 — February 24Save the Date!The expo is the campus-wide celebration of undergraduateresearch, scholarship, and creative activities. All undergradsengaged in faculty-mentored scholarly inquiry areencouraged to participate. Students are eligible to competefor program recognition, which includes monetary awards.Categories for these awards include: Humanities and Social Sciences Education and Behavioral Sciences Mathematics, Life and Physical Sciences Performance Emerging Scholars (UNCG Residential CollegeStudents )Participants in course-based undergraduate research projectsare also encouraged to present.1

Important dates Spring 2021 January 19: Classes beginJanuary 21—February 24:Abstracts accepted for the 14thAnnual Thomas UndergraduateResearch and Creativity ExpoMarch 3: Health and WellnessDay. Classes DismissedApril 19-23: 15th AnnualThomas UndergraduateResearch and Creativity Expo:Virtual Expo IIApril 28: Last day of classesApril 30-May 1 & May 3-6:Final exams2

URSCO Virtual WorkshopsThis semester, because of COVID-19, virtual presentations have becomemore prevalent for undergraduate students. The URSCO office has createda Virtual Presentation Guide workshop video to help undergraduatestudents navigate the world of virtual presentations. You can view this videoalong with our How to Create an Effective Poster Presentationslideshow on the URSCO website under For Students or follow the linksbelow.Virtual Presentation Tips: Workshop VideoVirtual Presentation TipsHow to Create an Effective Poster Presentation3

SNCURCS 2020 Five UNCG students presented their research at the 16th annual Stateof North Carolina Undergraduate Research and CreativitySymposium (SNCURCS). This year, the expo was hosted virtually byEast Carolina University with cohost Elizabeth City State University onSaturday, November 7, 2020. There were 562 presentations at thisyear’s SNCURCS.SNCURCS provides undergraduate scholars in all fields a forum toshare the results of their work through posters, oral presentations,performances, and works of art.4

SNCURCS PresentationsStudentPresentation TitleAlexis AwuahThe Protective Role of Social Skills between Negative Affectivityand Externalizing Behaviors in MiddleChildhoodMalanah HobgoodRosso’s Artistic Journey: Changing Locations and ChangingStylesAbigail KnightWar on the Homefront: Responses to the Influenza Pandemic of1918 at Three North Carolina CollegesAidan LytleTopological Data Analysis as a Novel Jet Detection Method inHeavy Ion CollisionsCaroline NelsonMetabolic Regulation in Breast Cancer Cells using the GrapefruitFlavonoid Naringenin5

MARC U-STARUNCG’s Maximizing Access to ResearchCareers Undergraduate Student Trainingin Academic Research (MARC U-STAR)Fellowship program offers talentedstudents underrepresented in thebiomedical sciences an opportunity toprepare for graduate school.UNCG’s MARC U-STAR Fellows work inresearch labs during their junior andsenior year and receive: A yearly stipend and tuition is paid at the in-state level Undergraduate Research Experiences Funding to engage in year-round research projects Paid summer research experiences In a UNCG faculty mentor’s lab With a research group at another institution Specialized courses and workshops Travel funds to attend scientific conferences Opportunities to publish and present their workThe UNCG MARC Fellows virtually attended the 2020 AnnualBiomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)from November 9-13, 2020. ABRCMS is one of the largest communitiesof underrepresented minorities in STEM. Students attend this conferenceto present their research, enhance professional development skills,explore graduate schools, and network. During the conference, attendeesfrom over 350 colleges and Universities participate in poster and oralpresentations in twelve STEM disciplines.This year, all 8 of the MARC Fellows presented their research at thevirtual ABRCMS conference.6

ABRCRMS PresentationsStudentFaculty MentorPresentation TopicSasha AdamsJoseph SantinSeasonal Variation in Tolerance to MetabolicStress in a Brainstem Circuit from Bullfrogs,Lithobates catesbeianusDanni BrowerChris WahlheimDimensional Characterization of Associations Between Schizotypy and Context ProcessingJade LyonsAyalew OsenaOverexpression of Arabidopsis PSY Gene in Cassava for Enhanced Carotenoid Biosynthesis*Caroline Nel- Yashomati PatelsonMetabolic Regulation in Type 2 Diabetes andBreast Cancer Using a Grapefruit FlavonoidJennifer Obike Nicholas OberliesMedia Optimization for Enhanced Production ofSelected Resorcylic Acid LactoneCindy OnokalahKimberly PetersonAsymmetric Synthesis of Lactams via BronstedAcid CyclizationChristopherRobertsNicholas OberliesVariation in Secondary Metabolite ProductionAmong Aspergillus spp.*KalaYoungbloodKimberly PetersonStereoselective Synthesis of Lactones from Dinitriles*Two MARC Fellows, Caroline Nelson and Kala Youngblood, won 175awards for their outstanding ePoster presentations.7

McNair Scholars ProgramNEW FALL 2020 INDUCTEESThe UNCG-McNair ScholarsProgram is a federal TRiO programfunded by the US Department ofEducation designed to prepareundergraduates for pursuit of a PhD.UNCG-McNair providesundergraduate students withopportunities to complete researchwith faculty mentors, attend theUNCG-McNair Summer ResearchInstitute, explore graduate schooloptions, and prepare for graduatelevel studies.A new cohort of scholars wasinducted on Wednesday, November18, 2021 . Welcome andcongratulations to the Fall 2020inductees of the McNair ScholarsProgramSUMMER RESEARCH INSTITUTECentral to the mission of the UNCG-McNair Scholars Program is the opportunity toprovide each McNair Scholar with undergraduate research activities under theguidance of a Faculty Mentor in the Scholar’s academic field. During the eight-weekSummer Research Institute (SRI), McNair scholars conducted independent research,prepared for the Graduate Record Examination, participated in a writing lab andcompleted an academic professionalization course to prepare for the graduate schoolapplication process. Please visit the following website to learn more about the SRI2020 scholar and their research projects: go.uncg.edu/mcnair-scholars-sri208

McNair ScholarsSummer Research Institute ProgramNameMajorResearch ProjectMarcus BattsKinesiologyInvestigating Bidirectional Associations betweenStress, Activity-Related Behaviors, and Sleep amongAfrican American College FreshmenJade-Johanna BooneSociologyWhite to The Bone: Implantation of Eurocentric Beauty Standards Amongst African American WomenLeighann BrooksMiddle Grades EducationThe Importance of Cultural Camaraderie and Eliminating Dis-equilibrium within the ClassroomTatyana FarrowPsychologyBlue Collar Versus White Collar: Who Do childrenView as Physical and Intellectual LaborersJessica GoldenWomen’s, Gender, and SexualStudies & International andGlobal StudiesResearchRepresentation of Queer Women and Queer Consciousness in ContemporaryYoung Adult LiteratureLaci GrayPsychologyJust Forget It: Directed Forgetting of Disorder Relevant and Negative Stimuli in Borderline PersonalityDisorderZhariah HairePsychologyThe Marley HypothesisMalanah HobgoodArt HistoryRosso Fiorentino’s Artistic Journey: Changing Locations and Changing StylesJasmine KesslerPsychologyMillennial Money: First Generation College StudentStatus, Employment, and Academic AchievementRejani KingWomen's, Gender, and Sexuali- Bridging Speculative Fiction and Voice: Black Womenty StudiesWriters Take on Identity, Surrogacy, and Black Feminist TheoryKorrey MonroePublic HealthDiscrimination and Challenges: Black Communitiesand the United States Healthcare SystemSarah RagabKinesiologyImplementation and Outcomes of a Restorative Practices Physical Education ProgramNahdira RollinsPsychologyAesthetic Chills and CreativityJacqueline SandovalPublic Health EducationMulti-Level Disparities Associated with Pre-DiabetesAmong LatinX PopulationsCody ScercyReligious StudiesMessianic Judaism: A Survey of Nationalism, Race,and ReligionDemi SmallsSpecial EducationThe Effects of Transgenerational Trauma on the Education and Outcomes of Black Youth: Where We AreNow and Where We Must GoManuel Valdez PerezHistoryLatino Underrepresentation: Bridging the Equity Gapfor Mexican Students within the U.S. Public Education SystemJoy WoodsInternational Business andPolitical ScienceJapan in the Age of Immigration9

URSCO Faculty Fellows2020-2021The goal of the URSCO Fellows program is to identify, support, and disseminatenew ideas and pedagogical practices that increase the accessibility ofUndergraduate Research on our campus.This year, two UNCG Arts and Humanities faculty members will serve as URSCOFaculty FellowsIn addition to these two, Dr. Joanne Murphy, Classical Studies, is serving asSenior Fellow and will work alongside URSCO Director, Dr. Lee Phillips, todevelop and refine additional strategies for discussing research in the curriculum.FellowJennida ChaseErinLawrimoreDepartmentCourse RevisionsMedia StudiesChase plans to incorporate a Course Based UndergraduateResearch Experience (CURE) on the theme of masks wherestudents will build a video exploring the topic in MST 375Editing 1.Library/ArchivesLawrimore will integrate a Course based UndergraduateResearch Experience (CURE) around archival research anddigital storytelling in HHS 102: Interrogating UniversityHistory, Uncovering Stories, and Communicating the Past.10

URCA Recipients Fall/Spring 2020/2021 StudentFacultyMentorDepartmentProject TitleJordan Anderson Gabriela SteinPsychologyEffects of the Current Immigration Climate on LatinxAdolescent Academic MotivationGeorgeBlackburnTraci ParryKinesiologyThe Role of Biological Sex in Cancer Cachexia MuscleWastingTristonBroadwayRebecca MacleodSchool of MusicCreating a Diverse Online Music Learning Community for Young MusiciansMyranda CookBlair WiscoPsychologyCoping Style as a Mediator between Social Supportand PTSDGabe FiguracionRebecca MacleodSchool of MusicCreating a Diverse Online Music Learning Community for Young MusiciansJeremi FilmoreSpoma JovanovicCommunicationStudiesDemocracy TablesLaci GrayRosemery GrayPsychologyBorderline personality disorder and memory: DoesBPD affect inhibition control in forgetting emotionalstimuliKiara HickmanTyreasa WashingtonSocial WorkA. Family's Impact on the Development of AfricanAmerican Children in Kinship CareLeo IveyBryan McLeanBiologyPredicting Species Range Expansions Using New Integrative Datasets and Species Distribution ModelingTangela JohnsonTerence NileChemistry andBiochemistryEnhancement of the efficiency of asymmetric catalystsby the use of novel aminooxazolines.Kaliyah Landrum Emily EdwardsMedia StudiesStoryboarding TheoryAidan LytleMathematics andStatisticsModeling complex interactions in structured populations: how various population dynamics affect theevolution of cooperation on multiplayer networksIgor Erovenko11