NCUR 2019 at Kennesaw State – Day 2

KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 12, 2019

Get caught up on conference action

Kennesaw State University is hosting the 2019 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). This live blog takes a look inside the conference that brings more than 4,600 participants to the KSU campus. For more, take a look at the NCUR Day 1 Live Blog and the NCUR Day 3 Live Blog.


4/12/19, 5:11 p.m.

A busy second day of NCUR 2019 wraps up. Take a look at some highlights from Friday in a photo gallery:


4/12/19, 5:04 p.m.

Nicholas Croft and Elisha McCready, along with another student researcher and their faculty mentor, from Kutztown University drove 12 hours to attend NCUR 2019. "I'm so glad that our faculty mentor came with us. He's been a great support," said McCready, who was a bit nervous before presenting at the end of the day Friday.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 4:55 p.m.

Jennifer Feutz of Valparaiso University and Margo Skornia of Michigan State University ran into each other at NCUR. These high school friends and classmates hadn't seen each other in five years, and neither were aware that both were engaged in undergraduate research in their respective fields and schools.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 4:25 p.m.

Kennesaw State President Pamela Whitten thanks the Council on Undergraduate Research for the opportunity to host "this big ol' research party!" She said, "It's elevated our research focus as well."

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4/12/19, 4:02 p.m.

University of Georgia student Johanna Mercurio gets some support from her brother Chris (a KSU computer science major). Johanna says that her favorite thing about NCUR is the interaction she has had with other student researchers. "I've talked with people from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California," she said. What she has found especially exciting is the engagement with the other students who are working on similar areas of research.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 3:58 p.m.

Rain McCoy, a student from Westmoreland County Community College, presented on the social and creative benefits of tabletop role-playing games. She shared pieces of her own artwork inspired by games.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 3:52 p.m.

Auburn University senior Liam Wood says that NCUR has given him the opportunity to hear about different subjects. "I'm in engineering and sometimes you get confined to seeing the world through your own window. NCUR has given me the opportunity to see beyond that." He said that he enjoyed some of the oral presentations in the social sciences the most. After graduation this May, Liam is headed to grad school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 3:38 p.m.

Nick Doyle from Bridgewater State University captivated the crowd with an oral presentation about his research on the hero's journey in Game of Thrones.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 3:32 p.m.

As a first-year student, Jung Eun Byun of the University of Michigan studies the relationship between faculty and first-year students. It's her first time presenting NCUR, and she is looking forward to continuing her research and attending more conferences in the future. 

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 3:27 p.m.

Kate Kolodziej of Eastern Connecticut State University found support from her fellow ECSU classmates during the poster presentation. She said, "The NCUR experience has been great. I love the weather and the southern hospitality. I like that people are willing to talk with you about your research."

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 3:22 p.m.

A team of student researchers from Georgia College and State University after a successful day of presentations. From left, Samuel, Anyauna, Nick, Matthew, and their professor Dr. Mahabaduge. They all agreed that presenting at NCUR was different than conferences where they've presented in the past. Nick said, "The interdisciplinary nature of this conference made it more engaging, so many more people asked me about my research and I felt that I was able to do the same."

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4/12/19, 3:19 p.m.

Daniel Zalla, a Xavier University student, shared his process for creating artwork of his role models.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 3:05 p.m.

Angelique Greenberg, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University, did research on how television viewing affects college students. She found that those who watch PBS tend to have higher grades.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 2:45 p.m.

The fun on Day 2 of NCUR included a Silent Disco, where students could wear headphones and dance to the beat of their own drums.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 2:25 p.m.

Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine, was the plenary session speaker during Day 2 of NCUR. In sharing lessons learned as a girl born in Macon, Ga., she spoke of the promise of science and the opportunity that science allows. She said she is working to overcome disparities in healthcare.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 1:35 p.m.

What better way of keeping calm than visiting a petting zoo between sessions at NCUR?

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 1:15 p.m.

When plenary session speaker Valerie Montgomery Rice had a slight delay arriving at NCUR, Kennesaw State's mascot Scrappy the Owl saved the day with some entertainment for the crowd.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 12:55 p.m.

Posters and oral presentations aren't the only thing on the minds of NCUR participants. Here are two students finding out more about graduate school options at the NCUR Graduate Fair.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 12:11 p.m.

Kennesaw State Vice President for Research Phaedra Corso takes a quick selfie with Sofia Huster, a student presenting at NCUR from Elon University.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 12:02 p.m.

Megan Rose is a senior double majoring in computer engineering and physics. The University of Wisconsin (OshKosh) student is at NCUR presenting her research on astronomy – oh yes, she also has a double minor in astronomy and math.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 11:56 a.m.

"Being a part of this conference and sharing our research really validates our love for what we do and that other people care about it too," said Tessa Walker, a music education major at KSU. Their group of four, which include performance arts and music education majors, are excited that the creative arts are represented at NCUR. "The creative arts is not usually considered with STEM research, but we are excited about how many creative works have been featured at the conference and are honored to be picked," said Jeremiah Robinson.

NCUR 2019
NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 11:50 a.m.

Camilla Stegall, a sophomore history major at Kennesaw State University, is presenting and volunteering at NCUR. “This is the biggest thing to happen at KSU since I’ve been here so I wanted to make the most of it and be a part of it. It’s been great!”

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 11:33 a.m.

Kennesaw State Provost and Senior VP of Academic Affairs Kathy Schwaig had the honor of facilitating an oral presentation that featured one of KSU's own Demetrius Franklin, right, a management major, who shared his research on the silo effect in the engineering industry. 

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 11:26 a.m.

Joseph Holden, a junior with the University of Alabama is sharing his research on how to make drugs easier to discover. "This has been a great experience. I've enjoyed being here with my friends, meeting other students, and talking with them about their research."

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 11:19 a.m.

David Perryman with the University of Tennessee fields questions about his research, "Optimization and Characterization of Particle Energy and Arrival Time Using GPUs for the Nab Experiment."

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 11:00 a.m.

Megan McClure, an education major from Liberty University, says that she has been blown away by the other students and volunteers. "Everyone has been so helpful." Megan, who was being interviewed by the CUR team, said that she plans to use the skills she gained presenting at NCUR when she becomes a teacher.

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4/12/19, 10:55 a.m.

Ever wanted to sketch ancient bronze statues? Join the Bentley Rare Book museum at Kennesaw State for this one-of-a-kind exhibit and sketch your own piece of history.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 10:48 a.m.

For Bo Kim of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, doing research in geography has opened doors he never expected. After graduation, Kim will return to South Korea to work in the GIS field, joining a drone company, which hired him because of the research he has done.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 10:42 a.m.

KSU senior Dylan Carter is a two-time presenter at this year's NCUR. His performance yesterday, "Once Upon a Place; Fairytales as a mechanism for spreading environmentalism," prompted a KSU education faculty member to ask him if he would perform his work for elementary school children. "That was exciting because it gives me the opportunity to share this story with its intended target audience." Next up for Dylan, a presentation using costume design to tell the story about the environmental crisis.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 10:30 a.m.

Williamson Brothers Bar-B-Q fires up the grill for a genuine Southern lunch for NCUR attendees.

NCUR 2019


4/12/19, 10:21 a.m.

Charles Layne, a student from Trevecca Nazarene University, presented on the connection between current student cynicism levels and civic engagement. He spent over a year on this research topic and looks forward to continuing his research.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 10:13 a.m.

Shireen Rezaei, a criminal justice major at Weber State University, presents on her research about how levels of communication between a birth mother and her child impact levels of satisfaction with adoption.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 10:08 a.m.

More cow bell? "That would be more 'Owl' bell!" said volunteer Judy Barnes.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 9:59 a.m.

Bruce Van Duser, an exercise science and physiology professor from Gustavus Adolphus College, has been attending NCUR since 1994. “This is a beautiful campus with fantastic facilities,” Duser said. “My students are nervous about presenting because they don’t know what to expect, but the most fun part of research is sharing it.”

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 9:28 a.m.

There's one spot on campus during the conference for some quiet, as visiting faculty members are hard at work in the faculty lounge.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 9:07 a.m.

Amy Greene from Albright College said her husband was meant to babysit, but this youngest researcher is ready to present.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 8:50 a.m.

Madelyn Brinkman, one of 18 students from Indiana State University, went meta with her poster presentation. Looking at how undergraduate research affects students, she’s thrilled to be around other researchers at her first NCUR.

NCUR 2019 Day 2


4/12/19, 8:46 a.m.

Mohammad Deme of Kennesaw State makes sure traffic is moving smoothly around the Campus Green.

NCUR 2019 Day 2


4/12/19, 8:31 a.m.

University of West Georgia senior Emily Meinert is attending her first NCUR and says that she wishes she had participated in NCUR earlier in her education. A student research assistant, Emily plans to pursue a Ph.D. in criminology. Here she is with her faculty mentors Vanessa Woodward Griffin and Ericka Wentz.

NCUR 2019 Day 2


4/12/19, 8:29 a.m.

The University of Pittsburgh’s 23 attendees are a mix of first-timers and returning conference-goers from a variety of disciplines, but learning about others’ research has been a highlight, they say. “We sat in a presentation about window films that can be used in spacecraft for NASA,” said Chloe Minahan, a nursing major and first-time attendee. “Physics is out of my element, but it was so interesting.”


4/12/19, 7:55 a.m.

NCUR attendees fuel up at breakfast before the start of Day 2.

NCUR 2019 Friday


4/12/19, 7:45 a.m.

The social media team is hard at work getting things ready for Day 2. Don't forget to post your photos and messages using #NCUR2019.

NCUR Day 2


4/12/19, 7:40 a.m.

Good morning NCUR – Day 2 and the coffee is hot!

NCUR 2019 Friday


Click here to take a look at Day 1 of NCUR 2019.

Click here to take a look at Day 3 of NCUR 2019.

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 45,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.