HAZLETON, Pa. — Three students earned top honors at Penn State Hazleton’s 2021 Undergraduate Research Symposium. This year’s winners were:
- First place: Caitlyn Ashelman, “Hate Jumps Like Fleas: Is there a Trump-Flea Effect to Hate Crimes?” (Adviser: Dan Gutierrez)
- Second place: Abigail Martinez, “Addressing Issues of Latinx Identity in Latinx Art in Social Media” (Adviser: Beatriz Garcia Glick)
- Third place: Rebecca Foose, “Love and How it Contributes to Identity in Polygamous Society” (Adviser: Eileen Morgan)
Held virtually from April 5-9, the symposium was open to any student conducting scholarly work or research with campus faculty.
Students created presentations for their projects and uploaded them to Canvas, where they were judged by staff and faculty volunteers. Projects were submitted in one of two categories: arts, humanities and social sciences or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
The symposium was held virtually for a second straight year due to COVID-19.
Ellen Raineri, assistant teaching professor of business and chair of the campus research committee, said it was important to provide students with an outlet to showcase their work.
“A virtual research symposium allowed us to ensure the safety of all participants while giving students the opportunity to be recognized for the hard work and dedication they put into their projects while working side-by-side with faculty,” she said.
Students could also elect to compete for the University Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy award. The winners in that category were:
- First place: Abigail Martinez, “Addressing Issues of Latinx Identity in Latinx Art in Social Media” (Adviser: Beatriz Garcia Glick)
- Second place: Colin Knoll and Christopher Digon, “Amanyara Villas Solar Array: Solar Array Design” (Adviser: Joseph Ranalli)
- Third place: Christian Smith, “Sports in Africa” (Adviser: Eileen Morgan)
Penn State Hazleton’s Undergraduate Research Program provides an opportunity for students to work closely with faculty members. For more information, visit https://hazleton.psu.edu/undergraduate-research.
