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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: …

Adapting To Climate Change In Semiarid Regions Via Conservation Measures: Climate-Smart Crop Rotations Of Food Legumes In Cool Seasons, Velibor Spalevic, Mohsen Janmohammadi, Naser Sabaghnia, Shuraik Kader

Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry

The high potential of evapotranspiration, unsuitable soil conditions, irregular distribution of rainfall, and ineffective techniques of soil moisture conservation are among the limitations of semiarid regions of Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA), and they have intensified during recent decades with climate change. CWANA’s agroecosystems are fragile and highly vulnerable to the consequences of global warming and aggravation of water scarcity, and need to redefine agroclimatic zoning. Winter cereals are the predominant crops in the region of CWANA. The highest amount of cultivation is allocated to societies with dominant rainfed agriculture, which is often not economically profitable. The …

Adaptation Studies Of Kilis Goats To High Mountain Areas And Terrestrial Climate: Effects Of Environmental Factors On Milk Production And Physico-Chemical Properties Of Milk, Hakan Erduran, Sai̇m Boztepe

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This is the first research to investigate the adaptation of lactation milk production and physico-chemical milk properties of dairy goats adapted to warm climates and low altitudes to terrestrial climates and high mountain areas (altitudes of 1500–2000 m) in a grazing-based production system. Kilis goat is a local dairy goat breed of Türkiye, adapted to warm climates and low-altitudes (altitudes of 600–800 m). Animal material was obtained from the National Animal Genetic Resources Breeding Project carried out in Kilis province. Our aim was to compare the milk production and physico-chemical properties of milk from Kilis goats at high altitude with …

University Bands

Bailey School of Music Concert Programs

Brandon Meeks & Rachel Sorenson, Conductors

Recruitment And Retention Challenges In Southeastern Us Academic Libraries, Christopher Stewart, J.B. Hill, Louise L. Lowe, Jenna Eastwood Hill

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to identify challenges to recruitment and retention in academic libraries in the southeastern United States and to identify possible solutions that can be shared with other academic library recruiters.

Design/methodology/approach – This study reports on a survey of academic library administrators that investigated the challenges to recruitment and retention in academic libraries in the southeastern United Statesafter the pandemic.

Findings – The study demonstrates that elements of the workplace, such as compensation, diversity efforts, work arrangement accommodations and external factors, impact recruitment and retention. Originality/value – This study broadens the current research …

Impacts Of Extreme Weather Conditions On Coastal Fisheries Near Bayou Teche, Louisiana From 2019–2023, Georgia C. Davis

LSU Master's Theses

The region of Southcentral Louisiana, particularly around Bayou Teche, thrives on its commercial and recreational fisheries. These fisheries are occasionally subject to events like extreme weather that cause sudden and unexpected losses (NOAA Fisheries, 2024a). Between 2019 and 2023, a series of extreme weather events impacted southcentral Louisiana near Bayou Teche. This series of extreme events includes Hurricane Barry (2019), Hurricane Laura (2020), Hurricane Delta (2020), Hurricane Zeta (2020), Hurricane Ida (2021), and a United States Drought Monitor (USDM) D4 drought (2023). This study analyzes the impacts of the extreme weather series on coastal fish observed species richness (SR) in …

Community-Level Analysis Of Anti-Asian Hate Crime, Jisoo Cho, Jinuk Jeong, Christopher Han-Fai Seto

Publications and Research

Motivated by the surge in anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines the community characteristics associated with the likelihood of their occurrence from 2020 to 2023 through interracial conflict and social disorganization perspectives. Analyzing data from the New York City Police Department and the American Community Survey across 2,198 census tracts, we find that communities with higher levels of Asian population, racial heterogeneity, and residential instability have higher odds of experiencing anti-Asian hate crime. However, concentrated disadvantage and defended neighborhoods (White, Black, and Hispanic) are not significant across all estimated models. These findings have important implications for …

Tel Tanninim, Azriel Sieglman, Shalom Yanklevitz

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

A ‘Provincial’ Roman-Period Samaritan Burialground In Pardes Ha-Gedud, Netanya, Edwin C.M. Van Denbrink

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

After The Catastrophe: Rwanda's Transformation, Zhijun He

International Studies Honors Projects

Standard development theory holds that recovery requires institutions first: courts, fiscal systems, the rule of law. Rwanda in 1994 had none—and rebuilt a state. The state must extract to build capacity, deliver to build legitimacy; when both collapse simultaneously, no entry point remains. Somalia's three-decade failure confirms the trap. Rwanda broke it.

This thesis argues that Rwanda's trajectory is not an exception to the good governance consensus but a refutation of it. Through analytical synthesis of the existing scholarship on four post-genocide institutional mechanisms— gacaca community courts, umuganda collective labor, imihigo performance contracts, and ingando political education camps—the thesis develops …

Promoting Student Success Through Outdoor Orientation Programs, Jessica Stehouwer

Masters Projects

This project explores the significance of Outdoor Orientation Programs (OOPs) in aiding the successful transition of first-year students into higher education. Despite the recognized challenges faced by students during this transition, including academic, social, and personal adjustments, many institutions lack adequate support systems. Drawing on Schlossberg’s Transition Theory and existing literature, this study advocates for the adoption and implementation of OOPs as transformative interventions with providing a model OOP that institutions can utilize. OOPs offer immersive experiences in natural settings, fostering community, personal growth, and resilience. Through the design of an implementable OOP model, this project aims to address the …

“En Clave” Tania León And Roberto Sierra: Autochthonous Music Of Cuba And Puerto Rico, Contemporary Music Composition And The ‘Puente’ In Between, Omar A. Ramirez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This document is in two parts. The first examines selected works of Latin-American composers Tania León and Roberto Sierra. Both composers cite their cultural background as a force that shapes their artistic expression. Many of their works are titled in Spanish, with compositions referencing their homelands in subject and narrative, and incorporate the autochthonous music(s) of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Elements of these afrodiasporic musical traditions can be found in their works: Alegre, Batá, Stride, (León), Loiza, and Concerto for Viola (Sierra), each examined here.

Autochthonous musical elements are highlighted in score excerpts and described using …

Cover And Forewords, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Index: The Geographical Bulletin: Volumes 1-10, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Index: The Geographical Bulletin: Volumes 1-10

Volume 11 Complete Issue, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 11 Complete Issue

Perception Of Climate In North Carolina, Jeffrey T. Lutz

The Geographical Bulletin

Geographers strive for a better understanding of how man perceives the world in which he lives. Environmental perception is a strategic concern within geography; and climate is an integral factor influencing man's responses to the complex environment. This study focuses on climatic perception, which constitutes an integral aspect of environmental awareness. Much work has been done in the field of environmental perception. Studies have dealt with the environmental in general, the perception of weather terminology and forecasting effectiveness, and specific climatic extremes or hazards such as flood and drought. However, research concerning the perception of general climatic conditions is lacking. …

Satellite Photos, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Satellite Photos

Factors Affecting Distribution Of Cattle In India, E. Dayal

The Geographical Bulletin

The problem of surplus cattle population in India has been widely discussed. The low yield of milk and the roaming cattle everywhere, even in the cities, give an idea of surplus cattle population, and have led to the general izations made about the irrational wastefulness of the large cattle numbers. However, the usefulness of cattle in India should not be judged only in terms of milk yield, because cattle contribute to the prosperity of the farmer in more important ways than by providing milk. The basic question of why the large cattle population is felt to be necessary must be …

Editor's Comments, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

This issue's "Comments" should probably be entitled "Odds and Ends". Many things come to mind, and a few are recorded here. In a recent issue we invited your attention to the Congress review of some NSF Teacher Education and curriculum development activities. Congress won. No money has been budgeted for Teacher Centered Programs. After having worked in these types of activities most every year since 1960, I view the decisions with mixed emotions. It was the conclusion of our staff that we did some good in these progr~ms. I visited many exparticipants in their schools, talked with their colleagues and …

Smer, Anti-Western Populism, And Political Violence In Post-Communist Slovakia, Augustus Giller

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

Europe today is characterized by an abundance of new, right-wing populist parties which have established themselves as signifi cant and formidable players in European parliaments. A fl ashpoint of this rise has been in the former Eastern Bloc, where right-wing populist parties can both push conservative social policies and use rhetoric surrounding the ongoing war in Ukraine to command attention. This approach can be seen in the Smer-Social Democracy party, which has risen to be a mainstay in Slovakia. Like many other former Eastern Bloc states, Slovakia underwent a substantial post-communist transition process that had lasting impacts on the nation, …

One Step Back, Two Steps Forward: How Ballistic Missile Defenses Put Us On The Path To War, Karan Kuppa-Apte

Bates College Journal of Political Studies

This article argues that the use of credible homeland ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems counterintuitively encourages offense dominance by undermining the deterrence by punishment behind mutually assured destruction (MAD). It contends that while BMD is a defensive technology, under conditions of MAD that defensive capability, if credible, is perceived by adversaries to signal an intention to circumvent deterrence. Fearing an attack with impunity, adversaries increase their supply of offensive weapons, pressuring defenders to improve their BMD capabilities, and an arms race thus emerges. Using detailed case studies of Israel’s missile defense against the Axis of Resistance and Chinese reactions to …

Cross Section Curve Data Autoregression, Peter C.B. Phillips, Liang Jiang

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper develops and applies new asymptotic theory for estimation and inference in parametric autoregression with function valued cross section curve time series. The study provides a new approach to dynamic panel regression with high dimensional dependent cross section data. Here we deal with the stationary case and provide a full set of results extending those of standard Euclidean space autoregression, showing how function space curve cross section data raises efficiency and reduces bias in estimation and shortens confidence intervals in inference. Methods are developed for high-dimensional covariance kernel estimation that are useful for inference. The findings reveal that function …

Teacher Training: An Investment In The Future Of Literacy Education, Kellie J. Hooper-Bressler

Wellspring: A Practitioner-Oriented Journal of Literacy and Language Education

One teacher's reflection on the professional development afforded by Reading Recovery coursework received thirty years ago in comparison to current explicit training in Science of Reading leads to conclusions about teacher training practices. The paper suggests not only is explicit foundational reading instruction essential for all new teachers, but continued investment at the school level improves the capacity of the district to meet the needs of students, including struggling readers, while also retaining future educators.

An Empirical Analysis Of Environmental And Climate Inequalities Across Italian Census Tracts, Alessandra Drigo

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

This study offers the first analysis of environmental and climate inequalities at the census tract level in Italy, providing valuable insights into spatial patterns of environmental and social vulnerability. The results highlight significant environmental inequality related to exposure to air pollution (PM2.5), as well as climate inequality linked to thermal discomfort (measured by the Discomfort Index). Among all regions, the Padana Valley stands out as the most severely affected by both stressors, marking its population as particularly vulnerable—regardless of their socioeconomic status.At the national level, the analysis identifies a negative correlation between exposure to environmental stressors and income proxies, and …

Rhetorical Nation-Building: A Close Textual Analysis Of Macarthur, Heuss, And Karzai As Agents Of Renewal, Josiah J. Mork

Masters Theses

Warfare has largely shifted from means of domination into a method of peacemaking. Nations increasingly utilize war to dismantle hostile nations and rebuild them with compatible political identities, which potentially creates more lasting peace than treaties or annexation. However, U.S. attempts at nation-building have varied success and, at times, prolong hostility. This study frames the nation-building process as an act of crisis communication and examines the role of rhetoric in this nation-building process. A close textual analysis was performed to examine discourse of renewal in two successful examples in Japan and West Germany, and in an example of failure in …

Human Passion In The City And The Jungle: Translating Horacio Quiroga’S “Dieta De Amor,” “El Simún,” And “Polea Loca”, Washington C. Pearce

Theses and Dissertations

Horacio Quiroga, Uruguayan-Argentine writer who is often considered analogous to Edgar Allan Poe, is notable for his contributions to the development of South American Modernismo and his status as a precursor to the Latin American "Boom" period. My project presents a translation of three previously untranslated short stories: "Dieta de Amor," "El Simún," and "Polea Loca." As a preface to these translations I articulate my translation theory and give examples of that theory in practice. I draw upon Jorge Luis Borges, Lawrence Venuti, and Friedrich Schleiermacher as translation scholars who have influenced my work.

Reading "Particularized Worlds": Apocalypse, The Postsecular, And Postcritique In Toni Morrison's A Mercy, Eli Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Toni Morrison’s 2008 novel A Mercy uses the concepts of world and apocalypse to explore a tension between individual perception (what Morrison calls “particularized worlds”) and larger social systems. In so doing, A Mercy reveals the nuanced networks of relationships that define worlds of belief and culture. By exploring its treatment of worlds and apocalypse and its attitudes toward the characters who experience them, this paper argues that Morisson’s work demonstrates a novel and timely readerly disposition, one that provides a more ethical approach to reading literature within the postcritical and postsecular landscape.

The Dark Lord And The Mafia Boss: A Comparison And Contrast Of Toxic Leadership In Darth Vader And Vito Corleone, Mya A. Garcia, Mikheil Makhviladze

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This project employs a qualitative media analysis to explore toxic leadership through a comparative study of two characters: Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, from the Star Wars Franchise, and Vito Corleone, from the movie The Godfather. Both rule very strongly, but in a destructive manner to those who serve underneath them. From using the book Haslam et al.’s (2020) "The New Psychology of Leadership”, we can analyze how they rule toxically through manipulation, fear, control, and how the followers are affected by their rule. Darth Vader rules under the idea that centralized power brings order. Never taking …

Designing A Human-Centered Public Relations System For Layoffs At Organizations Across Financial And Professional Services, Kateryna Kzhemanovska

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Public relations professionals support businesses across financial and professional services sectors with several initiatives, including reduction of workforce. Given the current macroeconomic situation, as of April 2025, many companies are laying off employees, and doing so in a non-user-centric way. This study will examine existing literature on the topics of corporate communications, reduction of the workforce, reputation management, human-centered interaction design, and project management, and explore the opportunity and relevance of applying human-centered methods to the reduction of workforce processes.

How Discriminatory Housing Policies Segregated Kalamazoo, Jacob Walsh

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the historical and contemporary legacy of racially discriminatory housing policies in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Using primary documents, census data, and secondary literature, it examines how government-sanctioned practices like redlining, racially restrictive covenants, urban renewal projects, and exclusionary zoning contributed to the segregation of Kalamazoo’s Black residents. Contrary to the narrative that residential segregation in northern cities was merely “de facto”, the thesis emphasizes the deliberate nature of these policies, carried out by federal, state, and local institutions in collaboration with real estate and banking industries.

The research focuses on the lasting economic impacts of redlining, especially in neighborhoods …