Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s annual Student Engagement Programs (STEPS) Symposium announced the winners of the eighth annual undergraduate research symposium.
This year’s symposium included seven social science and humanities oral presentations, seven STEM oral presentations, six strategic planning and business research oral presentations, and 24 poster presentations.
“Undergraduate research experiences help students foster transferable skills like public speaking, teamwork, and adhering to ethical standards,” said Dr. Janet Koposko, associate professor of psychology in ABAC’s School of Arts and Sciences and one of the symposium’s organizers. “The STEPS Symposium gives students an opportunity to showcase their work in a supportive yet professional environment. We hope that STEPS Symposium presenters and attendees get a similar experience as what they would at a professional conference.”
The overall oral presentation winner, and first place in the STEM Oral Presentation category, went to Daniel Bohler, a biology major on the biological sciences track from Sparks, for his presentation “How Gene Expression in Shigella flexneri May Be Linked to Leaky Gut Syndrome and Brain-Gut Interactions.” ABAC alumnus William Garcia was a part of the project before graduating. Their faculty mentor was biology professor Dr. Kingsley Dunkley.
Tifton’s Tyler Mercer and Mitchell’s Riley Downs, both natural resource management majors on the wildlife track, placed second in that category, for their presentation “Lead Ingestion by Mourning Doves in South Georgia” while third place went to Michael Stewart, a natural resource management major on the wildlife track from Adairsville, for his presentation “To Feed or Not to Feed: A Comparison of Northern Bobwhite Food Habits Between Supplementally Fed and Non-Supplementally Fed Sites.” The faculty mentor for all three students was Dr. Jason Scott, an associate professor of wildlife ecology and management.
Cameron Sumner, a history and government major from Tifton, took first place in the Social Sciences and Humanities Oral Presentation Category with “Gatekeepers and Game Changers: The Rise of Low Quality Candidates in Senate Races.” Sumner was mentored by Dr. Ryan Voris, an associate professor of political science.
Second place went to Emily McDonald, a history and government major from Comer, for “The Dangers of Fire Suppression: Fire Management Policies in the United States,” with Voris and history professor Dr. Dave Nelson serving as the faculty advisors, and third place went to Abbie O’Steen, a writing and communication major from Ambrose, for “Wonder Woman: The Male Gaze Theory,” with Dr. Charlotte Klesman, an associate professor of communication as the faculty mentor.
First place in the Strategic Planning and Business Research Category went to Theodore Brewer, an agriculture major on the crop production track from Marietta; Carter Greene, an agribusiness major from McRae-Helena; Caleb Griner, an agribusiness major from Camilla; Kelsea Steinmetz, an agriculture major on the livestock production track from Tallahassee, Fla; Theo Williams, an agribusiness major from Edgefield, SC; and Jordan Wright, an agribusiness major from Ambrose, for their presentation “Marketing Plan for the Strategic Launch of EZspin.”
Second place went to Andrew Speir, a general agriculture major from Brookhaven; Aidan Cobb, an agribusiness major from Hahira; Harlan Mobley, an agriculture major on the crop production track from Headland, Ala.; Landon Norman, an agribusiness major from Norman Park; Austin Shivers, an agriculture major on the livestock production track from Fort Gaines; and Collin Souter, an agricultural communication major from Poulan, for “Marketing Plan for the Strategic Launch of Mallard Reserves,” and third place went to Macie Bruinsma, an agribusiness major from Orlanda, Fla.; Jane Kraeling, an agriculture major on the livestock production track from Midway; Olivia Mitchell, an agribusiness major from Meansville; Stormie Rackley, an agriculture major on the crop and soil science track from Sylvania; Emma Shiver, an agribusiness major from Baconton; and Faith Shiver, an agribusiness major from Baconton, for “Marketing Plan for the Strategic Launch of CamScout.” All three winning groups were mentored by Dr. Gertrude Nakakeeto, an assistant professor of agribusiness.
The overall poster presentation winner was Brooklyn Cersey, a biology major on the health science track from Nashville, who presented “Modeling Recovery After Total Knee Replacement: How Adherence Predicts Success.” Her faculty mentor was mathematics lecturer Dr. Isaac Ofori.
Second place went to Jayna Burch, an agriculture major on the crop and soil science track from Chester, for her presentation “Evaluating a ‘Forgotten’ Resistance Trait to Cowpea Curculio in Southern Peas, with Dr. Michael Maw, an associate professor of agronomy as her faculty advisor, and third place went to Jesse Jerls, an agribusiness major from Lizella, for “ColorTalk: Development and Validation of an Open-Source Remote Sensing Tool for Agricultural Production and Business,” with Maw, Dr. Alex McLemore, an associate professor of agricultural engineering, and Dr. Renata Elad, a professor of agricultural economics as faculty advisors.