Lee University recently held the sixth annual McNair-Ledford Undergraduate Research Symposium on its campus, featuring 59 presentations representing 17 colleges and universities with cash awards for the winners. The symposium was held at Lee’s School of Nursing (SON).    

“The symposium is a culminating event to gather student presenters to disseminate their undergraduate research findings,” said Dr. Kevin Ung, director of the McNair Scholars Program and director of the Office of Undergraduate Research & Scholarship (OURS). “Having witnessed the expansion of this annual event, the symposium committee expressed a collective sense of pride with the integration of more student researchers, additional fields of study, and the participation of graduate school recruiters. Lee University aspires to grow this event as the premier multidisciplinary undergraduate research symposium where graduate school recruiters can identify emerging scholars in this region.”    

Along with Lee students, the symposium hosted participants from several other schools, including East Tennessee State University, King University, James Madison University, University of Virginia, Lincoln Memorial University, Lindsey Wilson College, Carson-Newman University, Tusculum University, Union Commonwealth University, and University of Pikeville.  

Graduate program representatives traveled from The University of Alabama, North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee, and Texas Tech to recruit student researchers for their respective programs. The event showcased student research from various disciplines across campus, including biology, computer science, business, history, English, math, nursing, psychology, theology, and sociology. Topics ranging from chemistry and business finance to literature and discipleship ministry were covered in their presentations.    

“Presenting research as the culmination of a summer-long project was an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Hallie Wielfaert, an English and classics double major and first-place winner in the humanities category. “My favorite part about this symposium was that it was interdisciplinary, so I got to hear from peers in fields outside of my discipline, such as presentations from STEM and the Social Sciences.”    

Jonathan Ingraham, the executive director of Faith Co-op in Chattanooga, was the keynote speaker this year, and presented a lecture titled “Gospel-Centered Civic Imagination,” which challenged symposium attendees to read and study God’s word to better discover themselves within gospel-centric community. He encouraged listeners to discern their talents and leverage their imagination to serve their neighbors through a vibrant prayer life.  

Ingraham is the executive director of Faith Co-Op, a nonprofit looking to help awaken Christians to how their faith brings daily purpose. He has spent most of his career as an experiential educator in high schools, colleges, and the professional sphere. He has a passion for helping people see how the gospel impacts all aspects of life. Ingraham has a Master of Arts in Higher Education from Geneva College and a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical & Theological Studies from Covenant College.   

Before Ingraham’s address, students presented posters and gave oral presentations of their summer research, and 31 faculty and administrative staff members from five colleges and universities, including Lee, and representing various disciplines, served as judges. The symposium committee included Lee faculty Drs. Michaelia Black; Jonathan Cornett; Debra Gladden; and Ruthie Wienk; along with Jeni Turner, the McNair Scholars Program Coordinator, and Ung.   

This year’s awards were divided into three categories of topics: STEM, social sciences and pre-professional, and humanities. Out of 10 award winners, eight were Lee students.    

In the STEM category, biochemistry major William Ta and ecology major John Waters tied for second place. Ta’s presentation was titled “Papaya Leaf Extract: Its Role in Slowing Cancer Growth and Killing Cancer Cells,” and Waters’ was titled “Tennessean Ticks: A Study of Two Local Tick Populations.”   

In the social sciences and pre-professional category, finance major Sydney Cowart won first place for her presentation An Analysis of Bank Performance During and After the Financial Crisis: The Impact of Housing Prices on Financial Institutions,” psychology major Sarah Wessel won second place for her presentation “Balancing Act or Burnout? The Impact of Task Switching and Emotional Labor in Higher Education Classroom Teaching and Learning,” and business administration major Christian Callejas-Montealegre won third place for his presentation “‘Ring by Spring’: The Desire for Early Marriage in Christian Colleges.”  

In the Humanities category, Wielfaert won first place for her research project “Lord Byron’s Mortality Problem: The Search for Eternal Memory in The Prophecy of Dante,” history major Sydney Fant won second place for her presentation “Connecting the Views of Justice John Marshall Harlan the First Between Governmental Power and Personal Liberty,” and discipleship ministry major Yasmin Vasquez won third place for her presentation “A Discipleship Model for Victims of Human Trafficking.”  

“When I learned that I won my category I was so happy,” said Cowart. “My mentors told me that I had made the School of Business proud.”    

There was a total of 62 student presenters at the event, with 38 poster presentations and 21 oral presentations. Some students presented in teams, while others presented alone. For both poster and oral presentations, first place received $100, second place received $75, and third place received $50.  

The McNair-Ledford Undergraduate Research Symposium was held in collaboration with the Appalachian College Association and the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program.   

For more information about the McNair Program or to apply, visit leeuniversity.edu/mcnair/.