Atlanta, GA—Perimeter College students took the stage at Georgia State University’s Student Center Ballroom this summer to present their findings at the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium (SURS). Their presentations highlighted months of research, laboratory tests, literary reviews and study.
Second-year film and media pathway student Ashlynn Savannah immersed herself in a historical comparison of African American lives in the northern and southern United States over the past 100 years. Savannah's hard work earned her the symposium's blue ribbon award for the best presentation within her discipline.
"I was very shocked," Savannah said about her win. "It was a great opportunity."
She added that researching another side of ancestry that chronicled history beyond slavery was especially fulfilling. Her ancestry studies also have a family connection because her parents have researched their lineage over the years.
"My mom is naturally into history. The personal connection made it a bonus."
To prepare her presentation, Savannah was paired with Perimeter's Professor of English, Humanities and Africana Studies Shawn Williams who mentored her throughout the research project.
"He was helping me learn and teaching me things that I would not have tapped into anytime soon."
Savannah's appearance on stage at SURS is related to the Center for Outreach, Research and Engagement, or CORE, which supports and educates students at Perimeter and local high schools who are underrepresented in higher education and, particularly, in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. The program also identifies underrepresented students with academic potential at several local high schools in DeKalb and Atlanta Public Schools.
Promoting research skills is one of CORE’s main goals and what propelled Savannah and the other Perimeter students to present posters and discuss their results at the SURS conference.
Other research topics from Perimeter scholars ranged from nanotechnology to wildlife conservation to social media precursors. Sarah Nurpeisov, who made a poster presentation, investigated the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Students Faith Powell and Meico Gresham presented an oral comparison on social media in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Kennedy Holliday, who also worked with professor Williams, shared a genealogy report about the life and legacy of the Freeman family.
Professor Williams said that coordinating research for the students also enabled him to tap into his passion for genealogy.
"I found it fulfilling, because...I could actually see and feel the students enjoying what I taught them," he said.
Three other Perimeter students, Phoenix Rosso, Santiago Balbin and Marijahma Aset El-Holloway, also presented at SURS. Their research focused on a conservation education program about endemic primate species for elementary school students that they developed in Sulawesi, Indonesia, which was fully funded by CORE and a National Science Foundation grant
Amanda Ellwanger, who had been a lecturer at Perimeter for the past six years, accompanied the students to Indonesia, a journey that led to their designing the conservation program. Ellwanger is now an assistant professor of anthropology on Georgia State's Atlanta Campus.
Georgia State professors spanning academic disciplines mentored the CORE students in small groups and as individuals through the summer, helping them navigate academia’s intricacies and processes.
"Participating in research experiences makes a huge impact on students," Ellwanger said. "They are more likely to graduate, to enter graduate school, to go into STEM fields."
Kyle Frantz, a Georgia State professor of neuroscience, also recognizes the value of providing opportunities for students to present the results of their research to receptive audiences. Frantz has been involved with iterations of the SURS event since 2003 and is now a conference co-lead.
She said that SURS previously was available only to recipients of particular grants. This year that changed. The conference nearly doubled in size, from 77 students in 2023 to 138 in 2024, giving more Georgia State and Perimeter students a stage to present their research.
"The opportunity for undergrads to conduct and present research is life-changing," Frantz said. "It's immensely important for universities to support this kind of scholarly activity."
Anyee’ Payne is CORE’s program director. She said the program started with a $1.1 million federal grant in 2022 targeted at exposing students to research and providing guidance and helping them develop academically vital research skills and experience.
The program "is for the student who is not typically into research, who doesn't know what [academic] research is," she said.
As for Savannah, her research experience was so impactful that she would like to participate in the symposium again. When tracing certain ancestry, “the first thing you think of is slavery," she said.
"I do have family members on my maternal side that were enslaved. I was able to trace back to my family members on a slave ship – but I’m more than just from ancestors who were enslaved."
She also discovered that her ancestors had fought in wars and achieved financial stability.
“It was nice to show a different side of ancestry and that we matter.”
Story by Ben Austin
Photo Courtesy of CORE