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2025 Undergraduate Research Competition Program, Coastal Carolina University

Undergraduate Research Symposium Programs

16th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 15-16, 2025.

The 2025 CCU Undergraduate Research Symposium included 168 oral and poster presentations (51 oral presentations and 117 poster presentations) and an additional 20 team pitch presentations composed of 57 students who participated in the inaugural year of the Wall College’s Chant’s Tank Pitch Competition.

Presentations at the Undergraduate Research Symposium were judged by over 80 faculty and staff, and prizes are awarded in three categories: Best Oral Presentation, Best Poster Presentation, and Best Chant’s Tank Pitch Presentation. Here are the following award winners in their respective categories:

Best Oral Presentation:

• 1st Place: …

Restoring Exotic Cool-Season Grass Dominated Landscapes With Clethodim And Glyphosate, Eleanor J. Muzzy, Joshua D. Wiese, Abraham J. Kanz

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

A major threat to grasslands around the world is the spread of exotic cool-season grasses (ECSG). ECSG dominate vegetative communities and degrade critical habitats. One of the most common methods to treat ECSG is herbicide. To compare how the widely-used, non-specific herbicide glyphosate compared to the grass-specific herbicide clethodim, we conducted a fall spray in November 2023 at two different sites located in the Central Platte River Valley of Nebraska. The following June, we used a modified Daubenmire frame sampling method to gather data on relative cover, species richness, and community composition. After analysis, glyphosate appeared to be more effective …

Artifact Investigation As An Access Point To Doing Social Studies, Jacquelyn R. Benchik-Osborne, Susan Mcdonough

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies methods coursework at two Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) emphasizes providing access to rigorous social science education for all. Teacher candidates (TCs) learn to design equitable opportunities for students in the elementary and middle level classrooms to engage in inquiry–to do social studies. One tool social scientists use to “do” their work is artifact investigation. Artifacts, such as historical photographs and primary sources, help students connect with cultural and historical contexts. Using digital artifacts from the Library of Congress (LOC), TCs create opportunities for students to explore social dynamics, identity formation, power structures, and community development through cultural realia. …

Investigating The Spatial Distribution Of Food Insecurity And Its Associated Factors Across Mississippi Counties, Elizabeth C. Swindell, Riley Morgan, Dylan Barker, Ruaa Al Juboori

Journal of Public Health in the Deep South

Background: Mississippi has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the United States, with many counties experiencing significant disparities in access to healthy food. Therefore, understanding the spatial distribution of these disparities is essential for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution of food insecurity and its associated social and health factors across Mississippi counties to identify areas in need of intervention.

Methods: Cross sectional study was conducted using publicly available datasets to examine food insecurity and its associated factors at the county level. Pearson correlations and bivariate Moran’s I were used to …

Patient To Nurse Ratios And Their Effects On Patient Care, Katalina White

2025 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations

While working on a medical surgical unit at hospital A, I noticed that many nurses received upwards to 7 patients per shift. This led to many patient care activities not being able to be accomplished, unsatisfactory patient outcomes, nursing dissatisfaction, and nurse turnover rates increasing. Patient care was brought into question as the nurses on the unit felt overworked and understaffed. So the objective of this project is to introduce a 4-1 ratio of patients to nurses to improve patient safety, patient outcomes, and overall patient care. QSEN thrives for patient safety and quality improvement, so implementation of this standard …

First Record Of Corella Japonica In California, Lauren M. Stefaniak, Marie L. Nydam, Susanna López-Legentil

Marine Science

Many ascidian (sea squirt) species are common members of fouling communities, particularly on floating substrates such as docks and pilings and through maritime transport, have been introduced worldwide. For the past 30 years, marinas in Southern California have been regularly monitored for introduced species due to their proximity to the international shipping terminals in Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors. Here, we report on the first record in the eastern Pacific of an ascidian in the family Corellidae (O. Phlebobranchia), Corella japonica, found at the Newmarks Yacht Centre in Los Angeles Harbor. This study further highlights the importance of continuously …

Contribution To The Knowledge Of Cave-Dwelling Fauna From The Prokletije Mountains, Joanna Kocot-Zalewska, Iwona Słowińska, Paweł Domagała, Jakub Bienias, Dominik Szymański, Dawid Szymański, Hubert Szymański, Paweł Sienkiewicz, Andrzej Józef Woźnica

International Journal of Speleology

The article presents the results of the study on invertebrate fauna inhabiting caves in the Prokletije Mountains. This mountain range is located on the border of Montenegro, Albania, and Kosovo. During the expeditions to Albania in 2021 and to Montenegro in 2022–2023, 17 caves and one bauxite mine were visited altogether. All the studied caves are located very high, above 1,700 m a.s.l., where the temperature inside is low, and several are filled with ice or snow. During the Albanian expedition 102 arthropods have been collected altogether. Among these were 19 beetles (Coleoptera), 44 flies (Diptera), three crickets (Orthoptera), five …

Longitudinal Assessment Of Moral Distress And Burnout During Pediatric Residency In A Canadian Site: Low Prevalence But Notable Risk Of Attrition, Kenneth S. Lee, Dianna C. Louie, Elaine O. Cheung, Peter Dodek, Dylan King, Kimee Chong

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Although more than half of pediatric residents report burnout, the incidence of moral distress, the course of moral distress and burnout during residency, and associations between this course and personal characteristics of residents are unknown. The purpose of this work was to examine the incidence, temporal course, and associations of moral distress and burnout in pediatric residents.

Methods: In the pediatric training program of British Columbia Children’s Hospital, all residents were invited to complete the Moral Distress Scale-Revised thrice yearly, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory annually, between July 2016 and October 2018. In addition, residents reported a measure of …

Development Of Isoscapes For Hong Kong Freshwater Streams As A Basis For Ecological Studies, Hon Tim Yip

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Applications of isoscapes in terrestrial and marine ecosystems have grown notably as a tool for studying animal movement. However, isoscapes are rarely used in freshwater ecosystem because current iterations of isoscapes commonly model baseline distributions of bulk stable isotope analysis (SIA) data, which may be inadequate for providing the necessary resolution for fine spatial scale stream environments. This issue could potentially be addressed using compound specific stable isotope analysis, a new method that measures the isotopic composition of individual compounds to provide more comprehensive information than bulk SIA. My study focuses on δ¹³C of essential amino acids (EAA-δ …

Pluredecadal Patterns Of The Harmful Algal Blooms In The Highly Dynamic Marine Ecosystem Of Alexandria (Egypt): A Review, Samia K. Mikhail, Wagdy Labib

Blue Economy

The long-term study of phytoplankton variability in the coastal waters of Alexandria encounters significant challenges due to several factors such as inconsistency in sampling efforts conducted across various spatial and temporal scales, limitations of short-term monitoring methods, rapid urbanization and economic expansion, and their diverse eco-environmental impacts. The article analyzes a quantitative and qualitative dataset on algal bloom variabilities in Alexandria marine ecosystem from 1992 to 2023, highlighting changes in bloom patterns and trends such as annual cycles, short-term trends, rapid turnover rates of bloom structures, recurrent blooms of various classes, escalation in the frequency and magnitude, unusual episodic events, …

Diet, Bioaccumulation Of Heavy Metals, And Population Genomics Of Narrow-Barred Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus Commerson) From The Arabian Gulf, Shaima Malik

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Marine organisms are integral part of marine ecosystems, forming complex feeding interactions. Large predatory fish are especially important because they often govern food web structures through top-down influences. The narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) is an ecologically and economically important fish species that feeds on small forage fish. The current study focuses on three aspects of the narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (diet, bioaccumulation of heavy metals and population genomics). This species is considered near-threatened, as its population has been declining due to anthropogenic stressors. The Arabian Gulf experiences continuous natural stressors, which are further exacerbated by human activities, impacting the marine …

Experimental Rearing Of Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Homarus (Palinuridae) In Land-Based Tanks At Mirbat Station (Sultanate Of Oman) In 2009-2010, Mohammed Balkhair, Ali Al-Mashiki, Mikhail Chesalin

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

Two experiments on the rearing of the spiny lobster Panulirus homarus were conducted in land-based tanks at Mirbat Aquaculture Unit from June to December 2009 and January-December 2010. In the first experiment 14 lobsters with an average size of 64.9±7.4 mm CL and weight of 297.8±98.0 g were reared to an average of 71.7±7.2 mm CL and weight of 384.0±114.8 g over 187 days. In the second experiment 45 lobsters were reared from an initial length of 45.4±4.6 mm CL and weight of 118.9 g to a length 66.0±7.1 mm CL and a weight of 304.1 g over 335 days. …

Fish Kill Incidents And Harmful Algal Blooms In Omani Waters, Hamed Mohammed Al-Gheilani, Kazumi Matsuoka, Abdulaziz Yahya Alkindi, Shehla Amer, Colin Waring

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

Red tide, one of the harmful algal blooms (HABs) is a natural ecological phenomenon and often this event is accompanied by severe impacts on coastal resources, local economies, and public health. The occurrence of red tides has become more frequent in Omani waters in recent years. Some of them caused fish kill, damaged fishery resources and mariculture, threatened the marine environment and the osmosis membranes of desalination plants. However, a number of them have been harmless. The most common dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans is associated with the red tide events in Omani waters. Toxic species like Karenia selliformis, Prorocentrum arabianum, and …

Abalone, Haliotis Mariae (Wood, 1828), Hatchery And Seed Production Trials In Oman, Khalfan M. Al-Rashdi, Tsueno Iwao

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

Hatchery and seed production trials for the Omani endemic abalone Haliotis mariae were carried out at the land-based Mirbat Abalone Seed Production Station in Oman between 1999 and 2000. The methods developed for broodstock conditioning, induction of spawning and fertilization, larval settlement, and the handling of small juveniles are shown. Abalone collected in the post-monsoon period and held for 2 months matured faster than those collected before the monsoon and held for 6 months. Spawning induction of males and females had 63% and 11% success rates respectively, and the morphology of early larval stages is shown. Survival rates of veliger …

Habitat Variation And Its Effect On The Morphological Characters Of Three Wild Plant Species In El-Riyadh City, W.K. Taia, H.A. El-Olyan

Journal of Agricultural and Marine Sciences

Fourteen taxonomic characters have been studied in three wild plant species in El-Riyadh city; Francoeuria crispa, Zilla spinosa and Rumex vesicarius; collected from three different habitats. The results of this study revealed that the habitats have insignificant effect on the leaf characters in spite of the slight effect on the general status, fruiting stage and color of the plants. Cross correspondence analysis between the habitats revealed that the variations were within the confidence limits. It is concluded that leaf characters can be used as an effective selection criterion for classification.

Prenatal Exposure To Pm2.5 Concentration And Risk Of Preterm Birth In New Mexico; A Seasonal Pattern And Spatio-Temporal Modeling., Onyedikachi J. Okeke

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

This study investigates the association between prenatal PM2.5 exposure and preterm birth risk in New Mexico (2014–2021). Using descriptive statistics, time series models, and spatial analyses, findings show an average preterm birth rate of 14.87 per 1,000 live births, with moderate correlation (r = 0.727) between PM2.5 levels and very preterm births. While traditional models revealed no significant global effect, spatial methods such as Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) and Multiscale GWR uncovered strong spatial heterogeneity. PM2.5 effects varied by county (coefficients: -0.00154 to 0.00150), with clustering evident in 2018–2019 (Moran’s I = 0.155–0.174). Results highlight the limitations of global models …

Predicting Capture And Survival Probabilities Of The Arizona Tiger Salamander: A Comparison Of Capture-Recapture Models, Brittney Nelson

Scholars Week

Capture-recapture models are essential tools for estimating population dynamics in ecological studies. A fundamental component of these models is the capture history matrix, which records individual detection over time and serves as the basis for estimating survival and capture probabilities. This presentation explores three statistical approaches to these estimations: the Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) model, the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) for CJS, and the Bayesian CJS model. The CJS model provides a likelihood-based framework for estimation, and the HMM CJS incorporates latent states into the model to account for uncertainty in detection. The Bayesian CJS extends this same analysis by integrating prior …

Creatine Supplementation Is Safe, Beneficial Throughout The Lifespan, And Should Not Be Restricted, Richard Kreider, Andrew Jagim, Jose Antonio, Douglas Kalman, Chad Kerksick, Jeffrey R. Stout, Robert Wildman, Rick Collins, Diego A. Bonilla

Faculty Scholarship

As researchers investigating creatine supplementation, we have become increasingly concerned about reports that government agencies are attempting to restrict the sale of dietary supplements, including dietary supplements containing creatine, to children and adolescents. Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in every cell in the human body that plays a critical role in cellular metabolism. The daily turnover of creatine is about 2–4 grams/day, depending on muscle mass and physical activity levels (1, 2). About half of the daily need for creatine is synthesized in the body from amino acids (arginine, glycine, methionine) and stored as free creatine or phosphocreatine …

Comparative Analyses Of Neurorehabilitation Regulations And Health Equity In The U.S., Switzerland, And China: Implications For Universal Health Coverage, Linyue Lu

Switzerland: Global Health and Development Policy

Introduction: As populations age and the burden of neurological conditions rises, equitable access to neurorehabilitation has emerged as a critical yet under-addressed component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This comparative study examines how healthcare structures in the United States, Switzerland, and China shape neurorehabilitation equity. Methods: This analysis combines semi-structured interviews with seven healthcare experts (neurorehabilitation clinicians, health economists, and scholars) and a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and demographic data. Results: In the U.S., fragmented insurance models and high out-of-pocket costs disproportionately limit access for low-income and rural populations. Switzerland’s universal coverage masks the inequities driven by …

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, Sarah R. Hoy, John A. Vucetich, Rolf O. Peterson

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2024-2025

Adolescent Sleep Health, Mental Health, And Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Adulthood, Prince Nii Ossah Addo

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality are major public health issues among adolescents in the United States (U.S.). Mental health and substance use challenges are also common among adolescents, particularly those with sleep problems. Although exposures in adolescence have been evidenced to significantly impact future health, little is known about how adolescent sleep health, mental health, and substance use influence future cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We, therefore, examined the association between sleep health in adolescence and CVD risk in adulthood and assessed whether the association is mediated by depressive symptoms and substance use in adolescents. Further, we explored the …

Bird Richness As A Mediator Between Greenspace And Mental Health Relationships, Sihao Chena, Huaqing Wang, Wenyan Xu

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning Faculty Publications

Neighborhood greenspaces are widely known to benefit bird diversity and human mental health. However, whether bird richness mediates the relationship between greenspace and mental health is unknown. We ascertain such mediation effects in 294 census tracts in Los Angeles City. We obtained greenspace data from one-meter resolution satellite imagery, bird species data from eBird citizen science datasets, and prevalence of poor mental health from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mediation analysis combined with spatial error models was used to assess the mediating effects while controlling for geographic, demographic, and socio-economic factors. We found that the higher greenspace …

The Relationship Between Climate And Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Incidence Rate In Malang Regency In 2022-2024, Aticobhita C. Pramono, Suprijandani Suprijandani, Marlik Marlik, Pratiwi Hermiyanti

Jurnal Epidemiologi Kesehatan Indonesia

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is an infectious disease that poses a public health problem in tropical regions and is influenced by climatic factors such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind speed. In 2023, Malang Regency recorded 1,018 cases with an incidence rate (IR) of 38.2 per 100,000 population. This study aims to analyze the relationship between climatic factors and the DF IR for the 2022–2024 period using an ecological design and Spearman’s correlation analysis. Climate data were obtained from the BMKG, while DF data were obtained from the Health Office. The results showed that only air temperature was significantly associated …

Social Determinants Of Covid-19 Morbidity In Indonesia: Observational District Level Analysis, Ade Heryana, Wiku Adisasmito, Dumilah Ayuningtyas

Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia

Since the COVID-19 pandemic globally struggled in late 2019, the global community has become aware that outbreaks of infectious diseases are associated with conditions beyond health factors, such as social, economic, demographic, geographic, and lifestyle. This paper aims to identify the influence of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) on COVID-19 morbidity rates in Indonesia. The study analyzed morbidity cases during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the Delta variant wave. Multivariate analysis with linear regression was used to determine the predictors that affect COVID-19 morbidity in 128 districts/cities of the Java and Bali isles, which were controlled by …

Aerial Phytomass And Carbon Sequestrated By The Kitshanga Forest Massif In The Wamba Valley In Dr-Congo, Mayanu Pemba, Ntalakwa Makolo, Kidikwadi Tango, Lubini Ayingweu

Journal of Bioresource Management

Aerial phytomass and carbon sequestrated by the Kitshanga forest massif in the Wamba valley in DR-Congo. The general objective was to evaluate the aerial phytomass and the carbon contained in the ligneous tissues of the trees. Specifically, the research aims to: (i) inventory all individuals in the Kitshanga gallery forest; (ii) identify the species in the study area; (iii) determine the floristic composition and density of the stand studied and (iv) evaluate the phytomass and the carbon sequestered by this vegetation. Inventory devices full on 1 hectare subdivided by 400 m² to obtain 25 plots which constitute the size of …

Kenyon College - March 27, 2015

The Kenyon Collegian

No abstract provided.

Aerosolized Transmissible Diseases Guidance Document, J. David Miller, John P. (Jack) Springston Jr., Cheryl L. Marcham, J. David Krause, Ling-Ling Hung, Wane A. Baker

Publications

Prior to COVID-19, pandemic influenza viruses have emerged four times in the previous one hundred years. This includes “Spanish” influenza (H1N1) in 1918, “Asian” influenza (H2N2) in 1957, “Hong Kong” influenza (H3N2) in 1968, and H1N1 “swine” influenza in 2009 (Saunders-Hastings & Krewski, 2016; Taubenberger, 2005). In early May 2024, the first reported human case of avian flu (H5N1) that had also infected cows in the US appeared in the literature (Uyeki et al., 2024). In late August 2024, OSHA released a hazard alert providing information for dairy workers on avian influenza in dairy cattle, together with personal protective equipment …

Critical Appraisal Of Multidrug Therapy In The Ambulatory Management Of Patients With Covid-19 And Hypoxemia. Part Ii: Causal Inference Using The Bradford Hill Criteria, Eleftherios Gkioulekas, Peter A. Mccullough, Colleen Aldous

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We continue the critical appraisal of three published case series of 119 COVID-19 patients with hypoxemia, treated in the United States, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria with similar ivermectin-based multidrug treatments, to assess the available evidence supporting a causal relationship between treatment and reduction in hospitalizations and mortality. A narrative review was conducted to assess the Bradford Hill criteria for a causal association. We used a previously proposed refinement of the Bradford Hill criteria that reorganized them into three categories of direct, mechanistic, and parallel evidence. The efficacy of the two most aggressive ivermectin-based multidrug protocols is supported by the Bradford Hill …

Plymfit Study: A Study To Investigate The Feasibility Of Wrist-Worn Smartwatch Use In Perioperative Care [Version 1; Peer Review: Awaiting Peer Review], Alex Hunter, Jeremy Fabes

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundWrist-worn activity monitors may provide a novel cost-effective method to risk stratify patients before surgery as well as instigate and monitor both prehabilitation and rehabilitation to improve patient fitness and therefore perioperative outcomes. This may address a number of key issues facing the health of the expanding perioperative population. However, a baseline dataset using smartwatches is urgently required before interventional strategies can be robustly developed.AimsTo pilot the use of wrist-worn consumer smartwatches in participants undergoing major surgery. To assess feasibility of their use and direct methodology for a future large cohort study. This will be used to assess the clinical …

Climate Change And Galamsey In Northern Ghana: Security Implications For The Sahel, Deborah Mawusi Ameh

Helms School of Government Spring Public Policy Conference

The impact of both climate change and galamsey (illegal small-scale mining) on the Ghanaian economy is manifold ranging from personal to state insecurity. Sharing a border with the Sahel and its associated problems regarding state capacity and instability, this paper sought to understand how the twin internal issues (climate change and galamsey) within the northern part of Ghana would impact the already unstable Sahelian region. Using the Human Needs Theory (HNT), and a qualitative approach of rigorous content analysis, this paper was able to understand the push factors accounting for the overindulgence in galamsey such as economic distress and lack …