PULLMAN, Wash. — Seventeen students in the Washington State University Honors College won 15 awards at the 2015 Showcase for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (SURCA), held March 30.
Competition was stiff at the fourth annual event. SURCA 2015 had a record number of participants as well as awards, number of winners, sponsoring donors, and attendance. Topics presented ranged from ocelot latrines to the role of vitamin A in spermatogonia, and from apparel websites to commuting rural nurses. In all, 189 students from four campuses plus WSU Extension displayed posters in eight categories on their research, scholarship, and creative activities.
“As WSU’s signature event for undergraduate researchers, SURCA’s future is exciting,” said Mary F. Wack, vice provost for undergraduate education. “We anticipate even larger events in the future, with more employer connections and recognition for students.”
SURCA is hosted by the Undergraduate Research Program, which is part of the WSU Office of Undergraduate Education. An abstract book describing every presenter’s project is on the website at http://surca.wsu.edu. Presenters earned points based on evaluations from at least three judges using a standard rubric; the highest award is the Crimson, followed by the Gray. Novice Researcher awards are for students who have worked one or two semesters on their project and were judged to show exceptional promise. Early Career awards are made to exceptional freshmen and sophomores.
In all, judges’ scores resulted in 44 awards being presented to 51 winners. It is the most in SURCA history. Five sponsors also provided a generous pool of award money: Alturas Analytics, Inc.; The Boeing Company; Decagon Devices, Inc.; the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship program; and the WSU Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President.
SURCA award winners by category from the Honors College are (including their major and research mentor’s name):
Humanities
Gray award: Joshua Johnson, majoring in history plus an organic agriculture certificate, mentor Robin Bond
Early Career award: Claire Thornton, history, Lydia Gerber
Engineering and Physical Sciences
Crimson awards: Zane Duke, bioengineering, Anita Vasavada
Gray awards (2): Muad Saleh, materials science, John McCloy; and Samuel Byrd, bioengineering, Howard Davis
Molecular, Cellular, and Chemical Biology
Crimson awards (2): Sophie Ascaso, zoology/vet med, Kwan Hee Kim; Brianna Berg, biochemistry, and co-presenter Jack Hyder, general studies-biological sciences, Jonel Saludes
Gray awards (4): Kayla Cribbin, zoology/pre-med, Joanna Kelley; Miles Linde, biochemistry and philosophy, and co-presenter Marina Martin, biochemistry/pre-med, Alan Goodman; Vikram Chandra, bioengineering, Murali Chandra; and Brandon Graham, bioengineering, Wenji Dong
Novice award (1): Megan Caruso, bioengineering, Monica Hinds
Organismal, Population, Ecological, and Evolutionary Biology
Gray awards (1): Travis King, zoology, Daniel Thornton
Social Sciences
Crimson awards (1): Lauren Rachel Young, history/pre-law, Lydia Gerber
Gray awards (2): Colleen Chalmers, psychology and human development, Brittany Rhoades Cooper; Geddie Lojas, nursing, Gail Oneal (WSU Spokane)
MEDIA: Peggy Perkins, Administrative Manager, WSU Honors College, 509-335-4507, perkins@wsu.edu