As we move into the summer months, we look back on the travel and projects funded through the Graduate School’s Student Research, Presentation, and Professional Development Grants! 27 students were funded a combined total of $7,942.56! Here’s a look at the students and projects funded through the grants program during the Spring 2019 semester:
Luz Agudelo – M.S. Environmental Studies
Luz attended the American Association of Geographers (AAG) 2019 Conference in Washington, D.C. to present her project “An analysis of community resilience to flood/hurricane hazards in Charleston, SC”. Her project seeks to focus on Hispanic communities in Charleston, where there is considerable gap in the knowledge related to the increasing threats to basic livelihood.
Sylvie Baele – M.PA.
Sylvie attended the 2019 National Bike Summit: A Commitment to Increasing Diversity on Campus through Cultivation and Integration of Bicycle Transportation. The Bike Summit provides workshops, resources, and connections that will allow Sylvie to be better prepared to develop and execute plans to facilitate the use of bikes for transportation. The savings realized from this mode switch can help make the College of Charleston be a more financially realistic option for black students who may not be as economically privileged as their white peers.
Mindy Buchanan-King – M.A. English
Mindy traveled to the Beinecke rare Book & Manuscript Library in New Haven, CT to study the works of author Edith Wharton. Wharton is best known for her realistic portrayals of early-20th century women, and whose work has been most commonly viewed through a lens of literary realism. Mindy hopes to study Wharton’s later work through a lens of Romanticism in an effort to bring these works to light.
Maura Burns, Chelsie Lang, Katherine Lowe, & Hailey-Marie Ragan – M.S. Child Life
Maura, Chelsie, Katherine, and Hailey-Marie presented their research project involving a Teddy Bear Clinic at the 2019 Southeastern School Behavioral Health Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. Teddy Bear Clinics educate children about medical settings, procedures, and medical personnel. The students presented their research at the 13th Annual Graduate Research Poster Session back in March, where they took home the People’s Choice Award.
John Byrne – M.F.A Creative Writing
John attended the Association of Writing and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Portland, Oregon. At the conference, John was able to present himself to other writers and educators while making connections for his future career in writing. With graduation rapidly approaching, John was excited to continue to hone his craft as a poet at the many panels offered by the conference.
M.S. Child Life Cohort
The Child Life first-year cohort received attended the Association of Child Life Professionals National Conference in Chicago, IL. There they attended workshops and networking events to learn more about the field of Child Life. The Child Life cohort was able to interface with industry experts, and expand upon the program curriculum through learning new and different techniques, expertise, and tools used in the field of Child Life.
Rucha Kamath – M.S. Historic Preservation
Rucha attended the Colonial Williamsburg 2019 Antiques Forum in Williamsburg, VA. The forum serves as a platform for professionals working with the preservation of historic interiors to showcase their work. At the forum, Rucha was able to network with stalwarts in the field, as well as gain insight into global perspectives of historic preservation through workshops and events.
Edwina Mathis – M.S. Marine Biology
Edwina presented her project “Imposex induction in the Eastern mud snail: Investigation of ogranotins and other RXR endocrine disrupting chemicals” at the 20th International Symposium on Pollutant Responses in Marine Organisms (PRIMO) in Charleston, SC. PRIMO aims to provide an interdisciplinary scientific forum for presenting and discussing research on the environmental effects of anthropogenic activities on the health of our oceans and the organisms within. Edwina presented her thesis research poster during the symposium’s poster session.
Elizabeth McQuain & Brittney Parker – M.S. Environmental Studies
Elizabeth and Brittney attended the Carolinas Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry Meeting in Charleston, SC. The meeting was a chance for students and professionals to share research and developments within the fields of environmental statistics, toxicology, and chemistry. At the meeting, Elizabeth and Brittney had the opportunity to network with field professionals. Elizabeth was able to interface with professionals who worked within the area of her research thesis involving the South Carolina Estuarine Coastal Assessment Program (SCECAP). Brittney was able to confer with professionals in the field to expand and refine her thesis work on microplastic research, an emergent field of study.
Tessa Pfeifer – M.S. Marine Biology
Tessa was given funding to purchase supplies for her research project “Microplastic in stranded bottlenose dolphins (Tusiops truncates) and harbor porpoises (phocoena phocoena) in the United States”. The study will utilize gastrointestinal tracts from bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises that have stranded along various locations of the U.S. coastlines to establish baseline data on the presence and characterization of microplastics.
Teresa Popp & Juliana Ventresca – M.S. Marine Biology
Teresa and Juliana each presented their research at the 2019 Benthic Ecology Meeting in St. Johns, Newfoundland, CA. There, Tessa spoke on her research involving the non-native porcelain crab and her project “Associations between temperature and larval recruitment of a non-native crab near its range limit”. Juliana presented her project “Behavior of the Invasive Green Porcelain Crab, Petrolisthes armatus, in Response to Low Water Temperatures in its Non-Native Range” Presenting at this conference increased Teresa’s professional presentation skills, allowed for ample networking opportunities in her field, and helped prepare for future work on the project. Juliana was also able to receive feedback on her own research methods, gather insight into relevant research occurring locally, and take in the academic culture of the Newfoundland region.
Kyra Reisenfeld – M.S. Marine Biology
Kyra traveled for her research to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. There, she took measurements and data from approximately 180 diamondback terrapins for her research project “Functional Ecomorphology in the Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin); the effect of head-starting on head morphology and bite force”. She will also be travelling to Poplar Island, MD this summer to conduct similar research on wild-caught terrapins.
Emma Stough – M.F.A. Creative Writing
Emma traveled to Portland, OR to attend the 2019 Association of Writers & Writing Program Conference. There, she was able to network with writing professionals, attend panels and workshops pertaining to her thesis, and participate in a book fair. The book fair included literary journals and magazines that offer submission opportunities for Emma’s literary works.
Emily Welling – M.S. Marine Biology
Emily traveled to the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual 2019 Conference in Tampa. FL., where she presented her research project “Aerobic scope of cultured juvenile red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, at high summer water temperatures”. At the conference, Emily also networked with other scientists in the field, got feedback on her research methods, and improved upon her presentation skills.
