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2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium Program, Coastal Carolina University

Undergraduate Research Symposium Programs

17th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 21-22, 2026.

The 2026 CCU Undergraduate Research Symposium included 72 oral presentations, 127 poster presentations, and 22 team pitch presentations comprising 50 students who participated in the Wall College’s Chant’s Tank Pitch Competition.

Presentations at the Undergraduate Research Symposium were judged by almost 90 faculty and staff, and prizes were awarded in three categories: Best Oral Presentation, Best Poster Presentation, and Best Chant’s Tank Pitch Presentation. Here are the following award winners and their mentors in their respective categories:

Best Oral Presentation:

• 1st Place: Ryan Ryan Avallone, Applied Mathematics. Faculty Mentor: Bong Jeong (Management …

Sowing Imbalance From The Start: Power, Role Socialization, And Graduate Assistants In Ncaa Division I Power Four Athletic Departments, Kaitlin Pericak, Daniel Springer, Brittany Washington, Rachel Silva

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Graduate assistantships represent early entry points into intercollegiate athletics and serve as critical sites of professional socialization. Guided by Mead’s (1934) role theory and Foucault’s (1975/1977) concept of power, this study examined how graduate assistants (GAs) negotiated their dual roles as students and employees within Division I Power Four athletic departments. Semi-structured interviews with 10 current GAs revealed how organizational expectations normalized overwork, positioned the master’s degree as a compulsory credential, and sowed imbalance that shaped participants’ identities and well-being. Findings demonstrate how GAs internalized structured constraints and reproduced organizational norms, framing overwork as a necessary rite of passage. These …

“Be Early, Be Loud, Wear Red”: An Ethnographic Study Of The Performance Of Liberty University Football Fan Identity And Boundaries, Cathryn Thomas

Liberty University Research Week

Social identity theory explains how college sports fandom can shape both social and personal identities, particularly through the formation of in-groups and out-groups based on identification with a team and opposition to rivals. Sports fans often communicate and behave in ways that signal their membership in the in-group while simultaneously distinguishing or excluding out-group members. This study examines how Liberty University football fans perform these in-group behaviors and how they mark boundaries with out-group members. Through observations made during a Liberty University Homecoming football game, the study deepens understanding of how sports fans construct belonging and unbelonging, and how these …

The Contested Terrain Of Sport For Development And ‘Peace’ Amidst Persistent Global Aid Cuts And Geopolitical Tensions, Derrick Charway, Umair Asif, Zohreh Khani, Mazen Alkhatib

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) has emerged as a global concept for advancing humanitarian, peacebuilding and social benefits, particularly in disadvantaged communities and conflict-affected regions of the world. Yet, its promise is often entangled with the broader contradictions of international aid, which in the Global South often shifts from solidarity to systems shaped by power asymmetries, geopolitics and self-interests. Drawing on critical aid theory and decolonial thought, foregrounded in the Palestine context, we argue that SDP offers potential benefits but remains constrained by the very systemic issues it purports to redress. Further, we critique the International Olympic Committee’s stance …

Teaching With S2scc-Ai: A Practical Framework For Sport Management Classrooms, Kimberly D. Bynum, Wendy T. Gillis

The COSMA Journal

ABSTRACT

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, are radically changing how higher ed students approach their college learning experience. These shifts are especially impactful in undergraduate sport management programs, where employers expect graduates to demonstrate teamwork, critical thinking and digital literacy skills. As AI becomes embedded across sport industry functions such as event operations, marketing, analytics, and fan engagement, higher ed pedagogy must evolve to reflect the professional contexts students are preparing to enter. In this paper, Student-to-Student Co-Creation enhanced by AI (S2SCC-AI) is advanced as a practical, COSMA-aligned pedagogical framework for leveraging …

Law School News: Rwu Names Richard "Dick" Sullivan '79 And Judge Lara E. Montecalvo As 2026 Honorary Degree Recipients 4-16-2026, Kelly Brinza

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

The Current - Volume 36 Issue 9, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

April 15, 2026 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Association Between Superstition Levels On Sports-Specific Success Motivation In Active Athletes: A Study In Ankara Province ​, Canan Sayin Temur

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: When athletes perceive themselves as strong, they may seek to maintain their motivation through the control of random external factors. The present study examines the effect of superstitions on sports-specific success motivation among active athletes.

Materials and methods: The research population consisted of licensed athletes in the athletics branch, while the sample comprised licensed and active athletes based in Ankara. A total of 408 athletes participated in the research, including 201 women, and 207 men. The participants completed a three-part questionnaire consisting of a Personal Information Form, the Motivation in Sports Scale, and the Superstitious Beliefs and Behaviors in …

Health Insurance Literacy Among College Students At The University Of South Carolina, Emma J. Smith, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Robin Dawson

Caroliniana Undergraduate Research Journal

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the health insurance literacy skills of graduate college students and undergraduate college students.

Methods: A cross-sectional research design incorporated a 20-item questionnaire to examine college students’ knowledge of common health insurance terms and definitions, as well as their perceived understanding of health insurance. Descriptive analyses were conducted of participant demographics, health insurance literacy scores were summarized, and common health insurance policies were tested through a readability checker.

Results: The majority of students were between the ages of 18-25 and undergraduate students. More than half of the participants were female, and more …

Representing The Game: Comparing Agent Regulations In American And European Sports, Oliver Canning

Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Vol 31, No. 1: Full Issue, University Of Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal

Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Resistance Training Knowledge Among Secondary School Educators And Coaches: Development And Impact Of A Professional Development Program, Josh Redden

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Resistance training is a critical component of health-related fitness in secondary education, yet research has consistently demonstrated that physical education teachers and coaches lack sufficient content knowledge to effectively instruct and supervise these programs. This action research study evaluated resistance training content knowledge among physical education (PE) teachers, adapted physical education (APE) teachers, and sport coaches within a Louisiana school district and assessed the impact of a one-hour asynchronous professional development course delivered via school district email. Twenty-six participants completed pre- and post-assessments using a 20-item instrument developed through a modified Delphi process with an expert panel. Data were analyzed …

The Indiana Statesman, April 9, 2026, Indiana State University

Student Newspaper

Give to Blue; U.S.-Iran ceasefire announced, some fighting continues

April 2026 Graduate Council Minutes, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Graduate Council

Graduate Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

April 9, 2026, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Does A Satisfied Customer Care About Price? A Study Of The Moderating Effects Of Switching Barriers On The Relationship Between Customer Satisfaction And Price Sensitivity In The Health And Fitness Club Industry, Lei Ouyang

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Evolving Impact Of The National Anthem Protest And Covid On High School Interest In Nfl Football: An Exploratory Investigation Of High School Student Interest In The 2021-2022 Super Bowl., George W. Stone

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Not All Emotions Are Created Equal In Social Media Marketing, A Case Of Savannah Bananas, Jen Jones, Ania Izabela Rynarzewska

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Is Customer Always Right? A Common Service-Related Issue In The Sport Arenas, Steve Chen, Christy L. Trent, William Wellman, Jose P. Garcia

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Bg News April 08, 2026, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. April 08, 2026. Volume 105-Issue 24.

English Language Programs As Facilitators Of Soft Diplomacy, Cheryl Ernst, Tong Li

EnglishUSA Journal

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Possibility Of A Salary Floor In Major League Baseball (Mlb), Tyler Michael Jones

Masters Theses

This non-experimental quantitative study examined the relationship between team payroll disparities, fan engagement, and perceptions of fairness in Major League Baseball (MLB). Guided by Competitive Balance Theory, the study sought to determine if perceived fairness influenced fan support for the implementation of a salary floor, and whether those attitudes differed across demographic and team context. Data were collected from 200 adult MLB fans residing in the United States and Canada using an online survey distributed via social media platforms. The instrument included demographic items and Likert-scale measures assessing fairness perceptions, fan engagement, and policy support. Data were analyzed using hierarchical …

April 2026 Faculty Senate Packet, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Packets

No abstract provided.

Formula 1 In The United States: A Model For Growing International Sports In U.S.?, Kate Meg Eagan, Matthew Lastner, Brian Kinard

Atlantic Marketing Association Student Proceedings

Formula 1 (F1) has grown exponentially in popularity with American audiences in the past several years, in large part by deploying modern marketing practices that are reshaping the perspective of motorsport in the U.S. Marketing experts have credited this growth to marketing practices such as the launch of a Netflix docuseries, “Drive to Survive,” which offers a dramatized retelling of the season and grants viewers a behind the scenes glimpse of the sport. As a next step, F1 is funding a major motion picture named for the sport starring Brad Pitt. Despite evidence that these practices have benefitted F1, other …

New Marker Unveiled To Honor Una, Jeff Mcintyre

Documents

A new marker was unveiled to honor the University of North Alabama as being the only college football team in history to win three consecutive national championships- The TimesDaily 

There's 'No Place Like Home' For Una Lions, Jeff Hodges

Documents

News article in The Florence Times-Tri-Cities Daily on the impact Flowers Hall has for the UNA Lions and their at home win ratio.

Hall Of Fame- Hal Self (Induction Class Of 1990), University Of North Alabama

Documents

Hal Self-- Hall of Fame Class induction of 1990. The Flowers Hall Annex, now known as the UNA Athletics Offices, was renamed in honor of Self (Self Field House)

Director Of Physical Education, Diorama 1949

Documents

Hubert A. Flowers was Director of Physical Education. Flowers Hall was named after him.

Flowers Hall To Undergo Updates For Division I Move, Jacob Cole

Documents

Updates to Flowers Hall to compete in Division I athletics--The Flor-Ala