Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

 
Belmont’s College of Sciences & Mathematics hosts the Science Undergraduate Research Symposium (SURS) each fall semester. The first annual event was held December 2, 2004, with 27 presenters and has grown to over 100 presenters in 2019. SURS is the culmination of many hours of undergraduate research work done during the summer and fall with faculty advisors and peers and offers these research students the opportunity to show the Belmont community the interesting research that is being done.

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Submissions from 2025

Transforming Client Care: A Study of Assessment Scores to Enhance Program Success, Brielle Croke, Mary E. Husmann, and Laura Spurlock

Submissions from 2024

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Preliminary Results of Pythagorean N-Tuples, Cara Admiraal

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Enhancing Chemotherapy: Synergistic Action of Cisplatin and Berberine Hydrochloride Against Osteosarcoma, Adam S. Al-Droubi and Andrea Florian

Comparing Hippocampal Structures To Investigate Probiotic-mediated Neuroprotection, Zainab Ilham Aliyu and Timothy Schoenfeld PhD

Scale Development: Social Anxiety in College Freshmen, Ainsley Ambrose, Jasper Belliveau, Sophie J. Guthrie, and Isabella Milton

Gendered Expectations Within Friendships, Ava M. Amen, Ava Chaffee, Emerson O. Schaefer, and Pacifique Niyomugabo

Synthesis and characterization of a terbium(III) homoleptic complex utilizing bidentate ligands., Cameron J. Bateman

PRIMED and READy: Resting State PFC May Predict Performance in Cross Modal Priming Task, Maria Angelina Bekhit, Zoe Niesen, Kerlous Aziz, and Cecilia Garcia

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The Wallet and The Gut: Forecasting the 2024 Presidential Election with a State-by-State Adaptation of the Time-for-Change Model, Simeon A. Betapudi and Hadassah Betapudi

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The complex protein analysis of purified extracellular vesicles in the study of colorectal cancer, Renee Boone and Cecilia Osthoff

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Effects of Endomycorrhizal Fungi on Lemon Balm Plant Growth, Makenzie Boylston, Katie L. Davis, Emily L. Garner, Jackson Whiteside, and Angela D. Panvini

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Decomposition Rates Between Monocotyledon and Dicotyledon Plant Species in a Green Roof Setting, Roma C. Brassell, Sa'maira Davis, Molly Kiwan, Grace Adams, and Darlene Panvini

Discovering Digital Asset Management, Elissa M. Brown

The Power of Positivity: Exploring the Impact of Optimism and Self-Efficacy on Quality of Life, Elissa M. Brown, Abby R. Hill, Timothy Oakley, and Drake Mitchell

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The Impact of Depression and Anxiety on Emotional Facial Recognition, Gracie J. Buck, McKensey P. Malin, Emma Chacon, and Abbey Fies

Risk and Protective Factors in the Relationship between Loneliness, Depression, and Eating Disorder Behavior in Emerging Adults, Gracie J. Buck and Emily K. Pyle

Resilience in College Students, Jen Bui, Jonathan Hausman, Mia Nobrega-Jason, and Cassy Ziegler

iPad Adults: Relationships Between Screen Time, Physical Activity, and Personality, Ella Bursky, Sadie Schiermeyer, Emma Crisp, and Kat Dixon

The Influence of Clothing Style on Social Perception, Gwendolyn Butler, Olivia Harris, Perrin Perdue, and Ailise Newton

The Effects of Bilingualism on Long-term Memory, cesia js cancio, Zeynab Fall, Kim Ning, and Will Feinberg

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How I Created Knit To Knit: Lessons in Creating a User-Friendly, Secure, and Optimized Website with Django and React, Mark E. Cassar II

BALANCING WORK AND DEBT: EXPLORING COLLEGE EMPLOYMENT AND CREDIT CARD USAG, Sophia Castillo, Ella Quincy, Averee Martinez, and Charlie Nelson

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The Effects of Personality Type on Decision Making, Meghan Cemke, Kya Cousino, Aubrey Kelly, and McKenna Prouty

Psychology: Feedback Frenzy, Andrew Clapper, Chase Elliott, Gabrielle Olivastro, and Emalee Rowe

Exploring the Synergistic Effects of Etoposide and Vitamin D on Rhabdoid Tumor Cells, Kristen Clemons, Emma Dube, and Andrea Florian

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LOCUS OF CONTROL AND MENTAL HEALTH, Sisi F. Costa, Katherine Visner, Solaris Bell, and A'maya Tatum

Predicting Success: Key Determinants of Favorable Outcomes in U.S. Circuit Court Appeals, Christian Couch

Trait Anxiety and Indecisiveness in Everyday Decision-Making Among Young Adults, Brielle Croke, Lindsey Baun, Emma Dilworth, and Kiki LeBaron

For the Love of Attraction, Kacy L. Dabbs, Katie Krhan, Maddie L. Weatherall, and Emily C. Zimmerman

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Assessing Synergy with Curcumin & 5-FU in Breast Cancer, Sa'maira L. Davis, Zeen Ari, and Andrea Florian

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Decomposition Rates of Native (Indigo) vs Non-Native (Cosmos) Plants, Siobhan Day, Emily L. Garner, Carmyn Harrison, Corinne Parker, and Angela D. Panvini

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Growth of Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) on a Green Roof Using Commercial Fertilizer vs. Natural Compost, Siobhan Day, Corinne Parker, Carmyn Harrison, and Lauren York

How you rest may determine your best: PFC resting state activity as a predictor of problem solving ability, Siena DeAngelo, Baie Ensio, Cristina Posada, and Emily R. Stripling

Math Me if You Can: A Comparative Analysis of Undergraduate Students’ Mathematical Processing Speed, Valeria Draine, Rose Kores, Madi Taylor, and Oliver Espana

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Assessing the Role of KMT2B Knockdown in Rhabdoid Tumorigenesis Utilizing CRISPRi, Karah Edmonds and Andrea Florian PhD

Confidence and Self-Esteem in Recall, Zeynab Fall, Sydney DaSilva, Paige Hammarstrom, and Delvin Porter

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Refining Chlorosulfonation Methods for the Synthesis of a Perfluoroalkyl Arylsulfonimide (PFSI) Monomer, Ainsley P. Foster, Benjamin Varney, and Hua Mei

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Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi’s Effect on Lemon Balm Growth, Alissia D. Fulton, Oliver M. Banks, Tatum P. Fortney, and Darlene Panvini PhD

Battle for Attention: Who wins when you split focus?, Katja Gehr, Arwen Rolinitis, Sinead Mukolo-Villegas, and Jasmine Clark

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The Effects of Sunlight on the Decomposition Rate of Opuntia humifusa, Paul George, Elena Amonette, Celine W. Seder, and Katherine Massaro

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The Effects of Negative Feedback on Cognitive and Behavior Performance Related to Self-Efficacy, Elizabeth Ann Godfrey, Karly Kammann, Mattie Harvey, and Rayna Cruickshanks

Assessing the impacts of historic redlining on lichens, Carmyn Harrison and Matthew Heard

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Impact of Chytrid Fungal Infection on Muscle Structure in Amphibians, Esther Hassan and Chisom Ukachukwu

The Impact of Multimodal Presentation and Stress on Memory Recall, Jenna Jemtrud, Olivia Lannin, Emma Jay, and Ketty Illesca

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Russian Sage Decomposition Rates in Sunlit and Shade Environments​, Madison L. Keller, Cameron J. Bateman, Mikayla Collins, and Emma Pryor

Meet me in the Middle: Does Resting State Activity Correlate with Line Bisection, Hannah Kershner, Sinead C. Mukolo-Villegas, Karlie Soulder, and Jasmine Clark

Creating and Validating a Psychological Measure for Athletic Burnout: Belmont Athlete Burnout Scale, Alec Khatter, Summer Curtis, Suad Mohamed, and Amanda Waggoner

Psychology: Consumer Experience via the Presence of Music in Advertising, Alden Laborde, Gwen Butler, Ellis Stafford, and Colby Kugel

Psychology: What’s Your Dopamine Menu? Self-Care and Satisfaction With Life, Rebecca Lappi, Sara Beam, Angel Carroll, and Jen Bui

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How Leaf Size Affects Rate of Leaf Litter Decomposition on a Greenroof, Douglass J. Lescher I, Makenzie T. Boylston, Faith A. Jackson, Leah Abraham, and Darlene Panvini

Retention in Action: Impact of Media Priming on Voter Behavior, Anna Kate Lockhart, Amilya Bryant, Lauren McGuire, and Anna J. Love

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Decomposition Rates of Introduced C. sulphureus vs. Native A. rhomboidei ​, Jonathan R. Loftis, Todd Hoskinson, Gabi Palumbo, Marven Roufail, and Darlene Panvini

Measuring reaction time based on your political affiliation, TaMya McHaney, Mia N. Sanchez-Guevara, Emma G. Sarin, and Emerson Olivia Schaefer

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How do different amounts of limestone affect plant growth of radishes on a green roof?, Lauren A. Merrill, Chloe E. Sebaugh, Tytionne C. Bellamy, and Madison L. Keller

Are local garden centers potential sources of plant invasions in Davidson County, TN?, Lauren Merrill, Lauren York, and Matthew Heard

Analysis of Antioxidant Levels in Canned, Frozen, and Fresh Green Beans, Erica M. Meyer

Quantifying Anthropogenic Microfiber Counts in the Little Harpeth River, Edi Mihalcea, Alex Scarbrough, and Matthew Heard

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The Effects of Audio and Visual Stimuli on Working Memory, Suad H. Mohamed, Gavin Khamphouvong, Bailey A. Zobel, and Kayley Erin Tiggs

Investigating the Role of KMT2A in Rhabdoid Tumorigenesis Utilizing CRISPRi-Mediated Knockdown, Adelaide L. Morrison

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Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine: Reciprocity and self-disclosure among extroverts and introverts, Heba Muhsin, Marina Gergies, Veen Briefki, and KaNiyah Newborn

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Propagation Party: Comparing Root Development Across Techniques, Sumiah Muhsin, Aunalise Terreri, Edi Mihalcea, and Indy Cockrill

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Protonation of Terbium Complexes as a Possible Chemical Sensor, Sean W. Murray

Sensory Space: Navigating Data Accessibility for Disabled Individuals through Yelp Web Scraping, Zoe Niesen

Modeling Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Spread Through a Population, Daniel Olopade

Exploring the Effects of Stress on Emotion Perception, Averie M. Owens, Pacifique Niyomugabo, Makenna Ashlyn Stratton, and Caitlyn McClain

Developing and Validating a Scale of Appearance Monitoring, Averie M. Owens, Caeley Sullivan, Kendra Stewart, and Sam Jackson

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Religious Pressure and Perceptions of Sexual Intimacy, Madison A. Price, Lenny Perry, Olivia Farias, and Emma Jay

Unconscious versus Assumed Perception: Social Perceptions of Facial Deformities, Benjamin Ramer, Emma Sarin, Drake Mitchell, and Emily Pyle

Synergistic and Individual Action of Berberine and Etoposide Against Osteosarcoma, Devin Rippeon and Molly Kiwan

Screen Time and Heightened Stress in College Students, Ashley Rivera, Sarah Jane Nelson, Emalee Lee Rowe, and Eric Kelnhofer

The Relationship between Sleep Quality, Physical Activity, and Nutrition in College Students, Abigail Roach, Cecilia Osthoff, Taylor Allen, and Mia Nobrega-Jason

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Lysosomal Storage Disorder: The Mechanism of Hurler Syndrome, Ashlyn Ryan and Maria Sebastian

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Effects of PugNac Treatment on Lysosomal and Mitochondrial Function in N27A Neurons, Mariam M. Salib and Emily A. Tadros

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STOP You’re Under ArREST! Harnessing Resting-State fNIRS to Predict Stop-Signal Performance, Jessica G. Samir

Implications of Media on College Students Self-Esteem and Life Satisfaction, Sadie K. Schiermeyer, Sarah Jane Nelson, Angel Carroll, and Yulissa Cordero

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Measuring Resistivity with Low-cost 3-D Printed Four-point Probe, Benjamin Siens and Davon Ferrara

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Examining the Synergy of Curcumin and Cisplatin in Osteosarcoma Cells, Ellis Stafford

Choose Your Own Attention: Does PFC Resting State Determine Selective Attention Ability?, A'maya Tatum, Chase Elliott, Kayla Challacombe, and Madison Gaugler

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Emotional Cues Pertaining to Social Media Usage Impact on College Students, A'maya Tatum, April Rico, Elizabeth Ann Godfrey, and Scovs Majors

Examining the presence and abundance of mosquito species in Nashville, TN’s metro parks, Aunalise Terreri, Oliver Banks, and Matthew J. Heard

Physical Activity and Health-Related Quality of Life, Kelsi B. Towle, Natalie K. Fountain, Emily Zimmerman, and Robert Kukfa

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SREBP versus NRF1 Behavior Based on Cholesterol Sensing in Niemann-Pick Type C Using a COS-7 Model, Christine Tran, Jacob McIntyre, and Felicity Sterling PhD

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MYC and EGR1 expression in colorectal cancer cells with an oncogenic mutation in CTNNB1 and normal p53, Sophia Vickers and Erick Spears, PhD

Using lichens as bioindicators to assess the impacts of nutrient deposition and urbanization in Nashville, TN, Zoe Williams, Kaitlyn Weatherspoon, and Matthew Heard

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Investigating the Role of Peat Moss in Sage Plant Growth, Lilianna Wrenne, Lindsey Powell, Victoria Rylan Wolkonowski, Fatema Al-Hemoud, and Darlene Panvini

Perceptions of Social Media Behaviors and Their Effects on Relationship Satisfaction, Bailey A. Zobel, McKenna Prouty, Shae South, and Olivia Walker

Submissions from 2023

Unifying Data In Publishing, Katherine E. Aebi, Christina Davis PhD, and Sara Wigal

Research in Data Science: Data Ethics, Kayla Marylena Ahrndt and Dr. Christina Davis

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Development Of a Checklist to Assess University Campuses for Bird-Friendliness Qualities, Fatema Al-Hemoud, Chaze Espleta, and Darlene Panvini

BlueBot: A Case Study In Conversational AI Using Scripted Chatbots, Zain Alsaad

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Carbon Dot Nanoparticle Synthesis and Gemcitabine Attachment for Cancer Theranostics, Webster G. Andrews, Chaze Espeleta, and Hua Mei

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Assessment of Green Spaces in Metro Nashville Public High Schools, Webster G. Andrews, Anna Lennon, and Darlene Panvini

MYC and EGR1 Expression and Proliferation of Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines, Akanee Angel, Libby Wallace, and Erick Spears

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Emerging Adult Resilience, Caroline Avery, Natalie Fountain, Hannah Jones, and Sarah Margaret Burns

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Masculine and Feminine Facial Muscle Reactivity in Response to Observation, Caroline Avery, Micah D. Wilson, Waldron Collins, and Sara Beam

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Living Alone: Cognitive Aging In Tennessee, Monica Bennett, Gavin Mitchell, Angel Carroll, and Sydney Willis

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Detecting LINC Complex Mps3 and Nuclear Pore Complex Ndj1 Protein Interactions on Yeast Nuclear Membrane s through Fluorescence Microscopy, Dean Boecher and Rebecca Adams

How Personality, Mental Health, and Social Factors Relate to Self-Efficacy, Veen Briefki, Romani Bertoli, Serena Jeffers, and Keeley Trainer

Depression, Loneliness, and Life Satisfaction in Emerging Adults, Gracie J. Buck, Lillian G. Davidson, Anna N. Lee, and Kate D. Grady

Polystyrene Microsphere Self-Assembly on Hydrophilic Glass via Dip-Drawing, Curtis Burrell and Dr. Davon Ferrara