Each spring, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS) hosts an Undergraduate Research Symposium to showcase the scholarly work of our undergraduate students. This year, 47 students presented at the event, which was held on April 20, 2023. Students, faculty, staff, and guests attended the symposium to learn more about students’ research, which was reviewed by faculty judges. All CHSS undergraduates were eligible to participate, provided their research was supervised by a Mason faculty member.
“The quality, creativity and social impact of CHSS undergraduate student research is stronger each year,” said Lisa C. Breglia, CHSS senior associate dean for Undergraduate Affairs, associate professor of Global Affairs, and lead organizer of the symposium. “The symposium is an opportunity not only to showcase an individual student’s research efforts, but also to show how, as a college community, the humanities and social sciences are making a difference in how we understand and ultimately, perhaps, seek to change the world the around us.”
Faculty judges met personally with the presenting students and scored the projects, selecting winners at the conclusion of the symposium.
"The CHSS Undergraduate Research Symposium is always an exciting event,” said faculty judge Blake Silver, Department of Sociology and Anthropology. “The students were pursuing important questions and finding creative and insightful answers to those questions. It's a great opportunity for students to celebrate their work, have productive conversations to move their scholarship forward, and inspire other emerging researchers who will develop projects and present their findings in future semesters."
The following students won awards for their work:
Innovation in Ideas and Methods in Research
-
Rita Saidi (Global Affairs) - Film as Statecraft: An Analysis of the Saudi Arabian Funding of Egyptian Cinema. Faculty mentors: Nathaniel Greenberg and Jennifer Ashley
-
Amberly Silva-Arriaga (Communication) - Empathy and Teen Pop Music. Faculty mentor: Xiaoquan Zhao
Social Impact Through Research
-
Kimberly Sue Stevens (Bachelor of Individualized Study) - Racial and Cultural Socialization for Identity Reclamation. Faculty mentor: Kurt Lazaroff
-
Kylee Kennerly (Psychology) - Attitudes on Loneliness and Artificial Agents in University Students. Faculty mentor: Elizabeth Phillips
Excellence in Research: Poster
-
Matthew Nye (Psychology) - Student Identities Shape Approaches to Justice-Oriented Learning. Faculty mentors: Lauren Cattaneo and Jennifer Brielmaier
-
Raoul Scott (Criminology, Law and Society) - Does the Fundamental Attribution Error Moderate the Effect Race on Pretrial Release Decisions? Faculty mentor: Evan Marie Lowder
Excellence in Research: Video
-
Sofia Caffo (Global Affairs) - How Successful is Success? An Intersectional Approach on International Aid and Rwanda's Family Planning. Faculty mentor: Jennifer Ashley
-
Ankita Bhurtel (Communication) - Dating Apps and Social Anxiety among Asian Undergraduate Students Post-COVID-19. Faculty mentor: Xiaoquan Zhao
Symposium faculty judge and student research sponsor Evan Marie Lowder, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, was impressed with the quality of the students’ work as well as their enthusiasm. “I was highly impressed by the scholarship presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium,” she said. “Students presented on a diverse array of topics and were excited to showcase their work.”
CHSS congratulates all of the symposium presenters on their hard work!
April 26, 2023
