Undergraduate Research Symposium Programs

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  2026 Undergraduate Research Symposium Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  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 and Decision Sciences). “Data-Driven Consumer Loan Evaluation: A Machine Learning Approach”
  • 2nd Place: Marcos Carvajal, Computer Science. Faculty Mentor: Brian Atkinson (Los Alamos National Laboratory) and William Jones (Computer Science). "From Static to Scripted: Enabling Flexible IOR Workflows in Parallel File System Benchmarking”
  • 3rd Place: Emma Terry, Biology. Faculty Mentor: Michelle Barthet (Biology) and Anna Carnaggio (Biology). “Rooted in Symbiosis: Native Venus’ Flytrap Root Fungal Association Identification”

  Best Poster Presentation:

  • 1st Place: Christine Bowman, Biology. Co-presenters: Jakob Cyranowski, Biology and Tina Campbell, Biology. Faculty Mentor: Megan Cevasco (Biology). “Bioinformatic Comparison of the Novel Phage Bowman to Phage ZygoTaiga within the C1 Subcluster”
  • 2nd Place: Triston Rice, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Eric Rosch (Marine Science). “Brachial macroparasite loads in estuarine young-of-year striped mullet (Mugil Cephalus)”
  • 3rd Place: Cameron Colella, Exercise and Sport Science. Faculty Mentor: Jason Smith (Kinesiology). “Acute Effects of Foam Rolling Speed on Range of Motion, Jump Performance and Leg Stiffness”

  Best Chant’s Tank Pitch Presentation:

  • 1st Place: Pat Murphy, Jake Moss, Carson London, and Conner Miranda. Pitch: Product/Service: SafeRep
  • 2nd Place: Ben Doleshal. Pitch: RaceHaul
  • 3rd Place: Michaela Nemerow and Devin McGowan. Pitch: Devin McGowan

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  2025 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  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: Mike Szklarzewski, Computer Science. Faculty Mentor: William Jones, Computing Sciences, and Nathan DeBardeleben (Los Alamos National Laboratory). “Scaling Machine Learning Models Across GPUs and Nodes: A Performance Analysis Using Megatron on a Weather Prediction Surrogate Model”
  • 2nd Place: Samantha Oliver, Psychology. Faculty Mentor: Melissa Baker, Psychology. “The Effects of Perpetrator Emotional State and Treatment History on Mock Jurors’ Punishment Decisions in Gun Violence Cases”
  • 3rd Place: Cassidy Knill, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Angelos Hannides, Marine Science. “Impacts of Point and Non-Point Sources on Two Urbanized Tidal Creek Systems”

  Best Poster Presentation:

  • 1st Place: Savannah Piziak, Exercise and Sport Science. Faculty Mentor: Justin Guilkey, Kinesiology. “Exploring the Role of Muscle Oxygenation in Determining Optimal Inter-set Rest Duration and Its Impact on Performance”
  • 2nd Place: Juliana Calderone, Marine Science. Faculty Mentor: Angelos Hannides, Marine Science. “Diel patterns of biogeochemical indicators in coastal tidally-dominated creeks”
  • 3rd Place: Cassidy Cullen, Biology, Shanari Buckner, Biology, Gabriella Pepin, Biology, and Amy Starchville, Biology. Faculty Mentor: Megan Cevasco, Biology. “Investigation of Vibrio from Huntington Beach State Park and Pawleys Island waters”

  Best Chant’s Tank Pitch Presentation:

  • 1st Place: Jackson Shapiro, Recreation and Sport Management, Joe Montesanto, Accounting, and Thomas Gavin, Marketing. Pitch: JJT SmartWash
  • 2nd Place: Ben Doleshal, Business Management & Commercial and Investment Real Estate, and Hans Seibold, Finance. Pitch: CyberGuard Solutions
  • 3rd Place: Ashley Wood, Marketing, Casey Mangan, Accounting, and Olivia Tenaglia, Finance and Marketing. Pitch: Dorm Dash

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  2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  15th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 10-11, 2024.

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  2023 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  14th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 11, 12, and 13, 2023. Document includes schedule and abstracts.

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  2022 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  13th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 12-13, 2022. Document includes schedule and abstracts.

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  2021 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  12th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 21-22, 2021.

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  2019 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  11th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 16-17, 2019.

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  2018 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  10th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 11-12, 2018. Document includes abstracts.

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  2017 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  9th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 11-12, 2017. Document includes schedule and abstracts.

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  2016 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  8th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 12-13, 2016. Document includes schedule and abstracts. Schedule was also included in the 12th Celebration of Inquiry from 2016. Theme: Beyond Borders: Living in a Global Society.

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  2015 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  7th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 14-15, 2015. Document includes schedule and abstracts.

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  2014 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  6th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 1-2, 2014. Competition schedule and abstracts were included in the 11th Celebration of Inquiry from 2014. Theme: The Human Spirit: Overcoming Adversity to Accomplish Greatness.

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  2013 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  5th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 17-18, 2013. Document includes schedule and abstracts.

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  2012 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  4th Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, March 30-31, 2012. Competition schedule was included in the 10th Celebration of Inquiry program from 2012. Theme: From Curiosity to Exploration: Linking Knowing and Doing. No abstracts available.

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  2011 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  3rd Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, April 2, 2011. Competition schedule is unavailable, but 2011 abstracts document was joined with collected citations from the 2010-2011 Bibliography of Student Research.

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  2010 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  2nd Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, February 18, 2010. Competition schedule was included in the 9th Celebration of Inquiry program from 2010. Theme: Meeting the Challenges of our Times: Risks, Responsibilities and Rewards. No abstracts available.

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  2009 Undergraduate Research Competition Program

  Coastal Carolina University

  1st Annual Undergraduate Research Competition, February 12, 2009. Competition schedule was included in the 8th Celebration of Inquiry program from 2009. Abstracts were added to the schedule. Theme: Sharing Stories: Learning Through Discovery to Build a Better World.