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(left to right) Back Row: Baron Necaise, Felipe Olvera, Duncan Thomas, Blake Farrar, Assistant Professor Alexis Gregory, Will Jordan, Emily Turner, Bailey McDaniel; Front Row: Olivia Baker, Madison Holbrook, McKenzie Johnson (photos by Alexis Gregory)

Hosted by the university’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, the annual Mississippi State University Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium received 165 submissions from students conducting faculty-guided research. Projects were assigned to one of four categories—arts and humanities, biological sciences and engineering, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences. Certain categories had multiple award winners due to the large number of submissions.In recognition of the university’s Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, a community engagement track also was included.

A team of 46 campus faculty and graduate students representing a cross-section of academic areas served as competition judges. Featured speaker for the symposium was John Bickle, professor and head of MSU’s Department of Philosophy and Religion.

David Shaw, vice president for research and economic development, said undergraduate students are an integral part of the multi-faceted research underway at MSU.

“Pursuing research opportunities is a critical part of academic life on our campus, and our students are recognized for their commitment to discovery, creation and exploration in our labs, studios, library, research farms and beyond,” Shaw said. “We are pleased that members of our faculty are committed to providing undergraduates with meaningful roles in the overall research enterprise and promoting interdisciplinary research as an important component of scholarly activity.”

Taking first place in the oral presentation, arts and humanities category was Emily E. Turner of Starkville, a senior architecture major mentored by Alexis Gregory, associate professor of architecture.

Also selected for inclusion:

• William Jordan’s project, “Working in Hand,” was co-authored by Baron Necaise, Olivia Baker, and Felipe Olivera and was completed under the guidance of Associate Professor Alexis Gregory.
• Duncan Thomas’s poster, “Post-Occupancy Analysis – Learning From the Existing and Fixing for the Future,” was co-authored by McKenzie Johnson, Madison Holbrook, and Blake Farrar and was completed under the guidance of Associate Professor Alexis Gregory.

For more on MSU’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, visit  and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ShackoulsHonors.