UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Thirty undergraduate students were awarded for their research posters, oral presentations, performances and engagement posters during the 2022 Undergraduate Exhibition for Research, Inquiry, and Creative Activity.
This year’s exhibition — which was both virtual and in-person — featured the undergraduate work of 282 Penn State students, who were judged by volunteer Penn State faculty, staff, graduate students and community members. Each year, Undergraduate Education and University Libraries recognize the top-scoring students in different categories. Some awards come with a cash prize.
2022 Undergraduate Exhibition for Research, Inquiry, and Creative Activity winners
Gerard A. Hauser Award
Abriana Cain, College of Health and Human Development, “The effect of physical activity and energy restriction on tumor hypoxia and blood vessel normalization in a triple negative breast cancer model”
University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award for Excellence in Information Literacy
The John Sr. and Kimlyn Patishnock Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy
Geneva Flarend, Eberly College of Science, “The Effect of Stress on Opioid Use Behaviors: A Review of Preclinical Literature”
First Place
Chyvonne Jessick, College of Agricultural Sciences, “Manganese and Soil Carbon Dynamics Under Saturated Soil Conditions”
Second Place
Melody Munitz, College of the Liberal Arts, “The Effects of Spatial Distance and Empathy on Emotional Responses to Theatrical Events”
Third Place
Rachel Blansfield, College of the Liberal Arts, “The Association Between Adult Attachment Style and the Therapeutic Alliance: A Meta-Analytic Study”
Honorable Mentions
Kathleen Cardone, College of Health and Human Development, “G-Quadruplex Formation Within SLC6A3, a Potentially Relevant Finding to Substance Use Disorder”
Nicole Lookfong, Penn State Harrisburg, “Cannabinoid Pharmacology in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)-Like Fear-Memory Behavior”
Natalie Babitzke, Eberly College of Science, “Investigating the role of a HECT-type E3 ubiquitin ligase, PiUPL1, in regulating the stability of SLF proteins involved in self-incompatibility in Petunia Inflata”
Emma Cohen, College of the Liberal Arts, “Seat Security and Tweet Extremity: An Analysis of Congress Members’ Tweets”
Glenn Hubbard, College of Information Sciences and Technology, “Using Citizen Science to Generate Meaningful Research Questions”
Sopida Pimcharoen, Eberly College of Science, “Developing Supramolecular Heparin-Peptide Materials as Injectable Anticoagulant Depots”
Arts and Humanities
First Place
Leah Mullen, College of Arts and Architecture “those closest to the earth will burn first”
Second Place
Emma Lutz, College of the Liberal Arts, “Migrating Along the Pipeline: How political instability shapes mass emigration out of the Northern Triangle”
Third Place
Sarah Esslinger, College of Arts and Architecture, “A Letter from Sullivan Ballou”
Business and Entrepreneurship
First Place
Vanshika Madaan, College of Agricultural Sciences, “Emergence & Challenges of Corporate Sustainability”
Engineering
First Place
Emma Uy, College of Engineering, “Biofilm Growth in Changing Conditions”
Second Place
Himani Vommi, Penn State Brandywine, “Exploring Effectiveness of HIDS for Machine-Learning Data Defense”
Third Place
Morgan Prichard, College of Engineering, “Mass Timber Buildings: Impact of Connections on Embodied Carbon”
Health and Life Sciences
First Place
Mia Peifer, Abigayle Nafus, Juan-Diego Hernandes Estupinan, Eberly College of Science, “C. Elegans as a Model for Purine Metabolism Disorders”
Second Place
Tiffany Hatfield, College of Agricultural Sciences, “An Analysis of the Parental Brain Hypothesis in Stickleback Fish”
Third Place
Sophia Mucciolo, Eberly College of Science, “Host selection: how milkweed species impacts population establishment of a specialist aphid”
Physical Sciences
First Place
Thomas Thomas, Eberly College of Science, “The effect of parasitic wasp (Aphidius colemani) odor cues on nymph production and host-plant selection of aphids (Myzus persicae).
Second Place
Chyvonne Jessick, College of Agricultural Sciences, “Assessing the Extent of Bird-window Collision Mortality on the Pennsylvania State University Park Campus”
Social and Behavioral Sciences
First Place
Jacquelyn Stochel, College of Health and Human Development, “Assessing Concreteness Rating Data in Older Adults”
Second Place
Kaylee Foor, College of the Liberal Arts, “Disparities by Race and Ethnicity in Anxiety and Depressive symptoms and the role of Stressors related to Education”
Third Place
Viviane Krug, College of the Liberal Arts, “Judicial Voting Behavior and the Deliberate Indifference Standard”
Oral Presentation and Performance
First Place
Matthew Masciulli, Eberly College of Science, “Lipoprotein Structure and TLR detection in Bifidobacterium”
Engagement
Grant Zemanek, Eberly College of Science, “Can Habitat Management Help Non-Target Species?”
Peter T. Luckie Awards for Outstanding Juniors
Arts and Humanities
Sarah Esslinger, College of Arts and Architecture, “A Letter from Sullivan Ballou”
STEM
Aayushi Patel, Penn State Harrisburg, “Exploring the Effect of Selenium on Cannabis sativa (industrial hemp) and cannabinoids derived from Cannabis sativa (industrial hemp)”
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Glen Hubbard, College of Information Sciences and Technology, “Using Citizen Science to Generate Meaningful Research Questions”
The Undergraduate Exhibition is coordinated by Penn State Undergraduate Education.