BELTON, Texas — University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (ÎÞÂëÁ÷³ö) students unveiled their undergraduate and graduate research projects on April 11 during the 2023 Watson Scholars’ Day.
Sponsored by the ÎÞÂëÁ÷³ö Office of Research, Watson Scholars’ Day requires students to complete all the steps necessary to present at a conference, including identifying a topic, conducting research, and ultimately explaining their findings publicly.
“Scholars’ Day showcased the research conducted across all disciplines at ÎÞÂëÁ÷³ö and highlighted the skills our students gain when they research and present meaningful projects in their field,â€� said ÎÞÂëÁ÷³ö’s Director of Undergraduate Research, Dr. Jodi Pilgrim.
Participants included 112 students and 20 faculty sponsors. Award recipients are as follows:
Quantitative Category, Graduate Students
1st place
Scholar: Christine Flores
Sponsor: Dr. Lem Taylor
Title: Agreement Between Body Mass Index and Percent Body Fat in Resistance-Trained Men and Women
2nd place
Scholars: Santos Sarabia, Summer Megli, Eric Pfister
Sponsor: Dr. Wendi Stewart
Title: Associations Between Hallucinogen Use and Depression-Related Outcomes Among US Adults
3rd place
Scholar: Erica Hummel
Sponsor: Dr. Kevin Barlow
Title: Factor Analysis: Manual Extraction vs. SPSS Extraction
Quantitative Category, Undergraduate Students
1st place
Scholars: Catherine Porfirio, Emily Kinney, Jason Samuel, Alexis Stokes, and Angela Valdez
Sponsor: Dr. Jodi Pilgrim
Title: Readability: A Study of STAAR Reading Levels for 2019, 2021, and 2022
2nd place
Scholars: Jadon Sitton
Sponsor: Dr. Andrew Woodward
Title: Investigating Dry-Heat Sensitivity in Seeds using Arabidopsis thaliana
3rd place
Scholars: Rebecca Reeves, Christine Willett, and Julia DeWitt
Sponsor: Dr. Jodi Pilgrim and Dr. Amy Millsap
Title: Analysis of Public Water Lead Contamination and its Effects on Public Health and Juvenile Delinquency
Qualitative Category
1st place
Scholars: Kayla Abshire
Sponsor: Dr. Jodi Pilgrim
Title: A Study of Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions of Technology Support at Private Texas Schools During the Onset of the Global Pandemic
2nd place
Scholars: Emerald Houston, Ashley Claypool, Ashlyn Gordon, Russell Vadala, and
Alex Palczewski
Sponsor: Dr. Nicole Poritsanos
Title: The Urgent Need for Preventative Measures Against Tuberculosis in Bangladesh
3rd place
Scholars: Katy Melton
Sponsor: Dr. Karla Gonzalez
Title: Bell County Bilingual Resources for Medical and Social Services
Literature Review Category
1st Place Tie
Scholars: Amber Dickey
Sponsor: Dr. Ruth Ann Murphy
Title: The Shelf Life of Besremi. A Polycythemia Treatment: A Literature Analysis
1st Place Tie
Scholars: Kristine Meyer, Madison Miranda, Sierra Romero, and Hayden Lourcey
Sponsor: Dr. Nicole Poritsanos
Title: Causes and Risk Factors of Infant Mortality: Diarrheal Diseases and Neonatal Disorders in Angola
2nd place
Scholars: Justin Johnson
Sponsor: Dr. Amy Millsap
Title: Testing the In Vitro Antimicrobial Properties of Various Crude Mycelia Extracts



