Forty-eight presentations were delivered by students from 15 majors across campus in the Fifth Annual CCU Undergraduate Research Competition, held April 17 and 18 in the Coastal Science Center.

Students made both individual and team presentations, and several students presented work on two different topics, sometimes in very dissimilar disciplines, according to Rob Young, director of undergraduate research at CCU and organizer of the competition.

"The depth and breadth of these student projects is truly remarkable," said Young. "Most of these presentations represent at least a full semester of hard work and research. It is wonderful that the research competition can shine the spotlight on our many talented students."

As an example of the students' breadth of interests, biology major Naeve Snyder presented research on biodiversity and land use in Carolina Bays and then presented again an hour later on works of the Italian poet Giosue Carducci.

Presentations were judged by more than 20 faculty judges representing 13 academic majors and Kimbel Library. The following awards were presented:

Oral Presentations

First Place: Lauren Albrittain, "Influence of Tidal Cycles on Movements of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in South Carolina Coastal Environments"

Faculty Mentor: Rob Young, Department of Marine Science

Second Place: Christine Po, "Dietary Knowledge and Habits of Collegiate Athletes"

Faculty Mentor: Sharon Thompson, Department of Health Promotion

Third Place: Zachary Parker, "Modeling Terrestrial Characteristics of Diamondback Terrapin Nest Sites Using LiDAR and GIS at Waties Island, S.C."

Faculty Mentor: Scott Parker, Department of Biology

Poster Presentations

First Place: Karla Stroud, "Site Fidelity, Home Range, and Population Demographics of Two Grass Shrimp Species in North Inlet, S.C."

Faculty Mentor: Juliana Harding, Department of Marine Science

Second Place: Benjamin Thepaut, "Community-based Groundwater and Lake Level Management in Briarcliffe Acres, S.C."

Faculty Mentor: Susan Libes, Department of Marine Science

Third Place: Kelly Gregorcyk, "Benthic Habitat Mapping in Port Jefferson Harbor in Long Island Sound, N.Y."

Faculty Mentor: Jenna Hill, Department of Marine Science