Georgia Southwestern students showcase undergraduate research

AMERICUS, Ga. (April 29, 2025) — Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) hosted its 7th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium featuring student research on topics such as politics and history, computer science and IT, mathematics, psychology, biology, and nursing.

Students from a variety of majors and fields shared their research projects with oral presentations and poster presentations. The research projects provide an opportunity for students to actively collaborate with their professors and peers, investigating real-world challenges within their chosen fields of study.

“GSW’s Undergraduate Research Symposium is an impressive showcase of our students’ achievements as emerging scholars,” said Rachel Abbott, Ph.D., interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “Their presentations consistently reflect deep disciplinary knowledge, strong communication skills, and a remarkable level of professionalism. The quality of their work is a testament to their dedication to academic excellence and to the invaluable guidance of our faculty mentors. This annual event is one of the most meaningful on our academic calendar. It aligns perfectly with our current strategic plan by offering students a transformative experience—one that prepares them for future success.”

The 2025 project award winners are:

Best Talk (Room 2410)

• 1^st Place: Grace Layman of Ellaville, Ga. for her talk “A Mathematical Model of Purposeful Exercise: Enhancing Weight Loss, Health, and Well-Being”
• 2^nd Place: Alison Stubbs of Mauk, Ga., Noah Gibbs of Rochelle, Ga., and Kaylee Gotthardt of Leesburg, Ga. for their talk “Use of Copula Functions in Investment Portfolios”

Best Talk (Room 2413)

• 1^st Place: MaShayla Kendrick of Dawson, Ga., Sahil Patel of Leesburg, Ga., and Feifei Xie of Qingdao City, China for their talk “Verdure AI Plant Care Assistant”
• 2^nd Place: Jamesha Hollomon of Ellaville, Ga. for her talk “CRISPR-mediated activation of BAAT gene to study liver failure in biliary atresia”

Best Talk (Room 2417)

• 1^st Place: Nicholas Wood of Americus, Ga., Claudine Mae Rodriguez of Americus, Ga. and Conner James of Ellaville, Ga. for their talk “The Inhibitory Effect of Salt, Sugar, and Vinegar on Escherichia coli”
• 2^nd Place: Connor Mathis of Albany, Ga. for his talk “Political Polarization in the United States: How Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump Polarized the Present”

Poster Presentation

• 1^st Place: Maribel Brizendine of Albany, Ga. for her poster “Modeling Fatty Liver Disease in a Dish”
• 2^nd Place: Kaylee Hodges of Milton, Fla., Neely Austin of Valley, Ala., Paige Adams of Leesburg, Ga., and Rebekah Cooper of Leesburg, Ga. for their poster “Sepsis”

Nearly 70 students participated in the Symposium: 22 presented their group research in an oral presentation, 10 displayed their work on posters, and six served as moderators for the oral presentations.  

The Symposium was organized by a faculty committee and sponsored by generous donations to the Student Success Fund of the GSW Foundation.