CCU students win Undergraduate Research Competition

Thirty-five undergraduate students presented their research topics, methodology and results to faculty judges on April 2 at the Third Undergraduate Research Competition where top awards were presented to Theresa King for first place, Keith Richard for second place and Laura Walters for third place.

King is a senior marine science student from Damascus, Md., whose research title was “Evaluation of down welling long-term radiation from Model Reanalysis Data using long-term Observation from Israel.”

Richard is a senior psychology major from Ellicott City, Md., whose research presentation was entitled, “Country Music Research: socioeconomic status and characteristics of popular music.”

Third place winner Walters is a senior biology major from Georgetown, whose presentation title was “The Effect of Xylitol on normal oral bacteria.” All three students earned cash prizes with their awards.

The Undergraduate Research Competition began as a part of the Celebration of Inquiry Conference to enable undergraduate students from all disciplines and majors the opportunity to present their University research at a venue outside their regular classroom. Presentations are judged by CCU faculty on such factors as originality, methodology, evidence of research, clarity and organization. Studies have shown that students who present their research gain a deeper understanding of the topic and gain confidence in public speaking. The University's Office for Undergraduate Research assists students in these efforts.

For more information, contact Charmaine Tomczyk, director for undergraduate research at charmain@coastal.edu.