Twenty students from Black Hills State University will present their research at the 22nd National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) April 10 – 12 at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Md.
NCUR, an annual conference dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study, is the largest professional research symposium of its type. Each year approximately 2,000 undergraduate students from all fields and disciplines gather to share the knowledge they have gained through their research projects. Student presenters also have the opportunity to publish their work in the Conference Proceedings, which are distributed across the nation.
BHSU is one of two South Dakota Board of Regents institutions sending students to participate in this year’s conference.
BHSU students will present research across six general disciplines - biology, business, humanities, social sciences, and psychology.
Amanda Scott, senior music major from Custer, will present her fine arts and psychology research, which is focused on the effects of generational music on the agitation behaviors of Alzheimer’s disease patients.
Biology students Polly Hall, junior from Sheridan, Wyo., will present her research on aero allergenic fungi found in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming; and Laura Kramer, junior from Gillette, Wyo., is presenting her study on the demographic and evolutionary history of certain North American songbirds.
Business students Brittany Fanning, senior composite business administration major from Miller, and Megan Foster, senior composite business administration major from Rapid City, are presenting their group marketing research; Christopher Weiss, composite business administration major from Rapid City, and Snjezana Dojcinovic, senior composite business administration major from Zagreb, Croatia, will present their group cultural research; and Bryce Wick, business administration management major from Rapid City, is presenting his individual finance research project.
Humanities students Anne Coyle, senior composite English major from Gillette, Wyo., will present her research in film studies; Leonard Crosby, senior English major from Hot Springs, Theresa Law, senior English major from Hot Springs, Benjamin Reiter, sophomore political science major from Riverton, Wyo., and Li-Ting Sun, freshman English education major from Rapid City, will all present their individual literary research.
Social science students DeVina Red Horse, senior from Faith, will present her research in Native American studies; Joshua McDonald, junior sociology major from Spearfish, will present in political science; and Kelly Kirk, senior history major from Beulah, N.D., is presenting her research in history.
Psychology students Laura Nord, senior biology major from Spearfish, Samantha Sharpe, senior biology major from Ellsworth, Jeanie Stockland, junior psychology major from Wakonda, and Joanna Vandever, senior psychology major from Spearfish, are presenting their continuing research on dopamine and serotonin levels, and how they are related to behavior.
In addition to the twenty students, BHSU faculty members Dr. Sasha Pursley, assistant history and social science professor, and Dr. Len Austin, associate education professor, will also be attending the conference.
For more information, contact Dr. Holly Downing, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at BHSU, at 642-6056 or visit www.ncur.org.