ATLANTA – The Graduate School at Georgia State University hosted its third annual Graduate Conference for Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Feb. 5. Centered around the theme "Scholarship for a Better World: Empowering Change, Inspiring Action," the conference saw a record number of graduate students across disciplines who showcased their scholarly and creative work, representing all of Georgia State’s schools and colleges.
Through oral and poster presentations, artist talks, films, and musical and dance performances, 230 graduate students shared their work with more than 486 attendees and judges. Their contributions highlighted the depth of talent and creativity within Georgia State’s graduate community.
"We are immensely proud of the extraordinary work presented at this year's Graduate Conference,” said Lisa Armistead, dean of The Graduate School. "Our students have demonstrated their academic and creative prowess and commitment to creating a positive impact in the world. Their innovative scholarship and artistic expressions epitomize the spirit of this year’s theme and are paving the way for future advancements.”
The conference also recognized outstanding contributions with a series of awards:
General Awards - Oral Presentations
- First Place ($500) — Deena Byfield (College of Arts & Sciences, Anthropology)
Public Archaeology in the Caribbean: An Ethnographic Study of Perceptions of Archaeology and Heritage in Jamaica - Second Place ($300) — Elizabeth Haseltine (College of Arts & Sciences, Psychology)
Spontaneous Cognitive Offloading in Children During a Memory Task - Third Place ($200) — Abbaas Alif Mohamed Nishar (College of Arts & Sciences, Computer Science)
Invisible Data Embedding for Reliable Screen-Camera Communication in Real-World Settings
General Awards - Poster Presentations
- First Place ($500) — Sivgech Heang; Co-Authors: Emma McDaniel, Dr. Chetan Tiwari (School of Public Health)
Mapping Flood Exposure Pathways: Applications of Downscaling for Giardiasis Surveillance - Second Place ($300) — Wisdom Akanmisikum; Co-Authors: Marcus Morris, Finn Gillette, Dr. Richard Milligan, Dr. Luke Pangle, Dr. Nadine Kabengi (College of Arts & Sciences)
Community Action for Environmental Justice: Addressing Contamination at the Tift Site in East Point, Georgia - Third Place ($200) — Nadezhda (Nadia) Varigina; Co-Author: Dr. Desiree Wanders (Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, Nutrition)
Dietary Approaches to Autoimmune Diseases: Prevention, Treatment, and Protocol Development
General Awards - Creative Expressions
- Musical Performance ($250) — TaeYoung Kwon (College of Education & Human Development, Music Education)
Baek, GoSan - Variations of Arirang for Solo Violin: Decolonizing Emotion - Artistic Talk and Film ($250) — Braeden Weyhrich (College of the Arts, School of Music/Band Department)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Othello Suite: Giving Voice to a Marginalized Composer - Artistic Performance ($250) — Angie Melissa González Chaverra (College of Arts & Sciences, Africana Studies)
Rhythms of Resistance: Afro-Colombian Dance for Social Justice
Global Engagements Awards - Oral Presentations
- First Place ($300) — Dorothy Honny (Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, Respiratory Therapy)
Respiratory Therapy in Ghana: Past, Present, and Future - Second Place ($200) — Jafar Jafarov; Co-Author: Tejendra Singh (Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Economics)
Harvesting Hunger: The Impact of Opium Ban on Food Security in Afghanistan
Global Engagements Awards - Poster Presentations
- First Place ($300) — Cayden Samuels; Co-Authors: Christina Kiessling, Nuria Ramirez, Dr. Kuk-Jeong Chin (College of Arts & Sciences, Biology)
Sustainable Solutions to Plastic and Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollution: Anaerobic Bacteria for the Biodegradation of PET Microplastics and Aromatic Hydrocarbons - Second Place ($200) — Prince Essu; Co-Authors: Brian Del Collo, Sherihan Odeh (J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Business Administration)
Leveraging Machine Learning in Public Health: Predictive Modeling for Cardiovascular Disease Risk
Sustainability Awards - Oral Presentations
- $100: Steven Stewart (J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Entrepreneurship)
Driving Change Through Geothermal Innovation: How Moria Energy Shapes the Future of Renewable Power - $100: Jehoshaphat Abaya; Co-Author: Pavithra Kannan (J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Institute for Insight)
Reducing Household Waste Through Digital Community Engagement: The Cartsmall Marketplace Study - $100: Isaac Gemedi; Co-Author: Dr. Nadine Kabengi (College of Arts & Sciences, Geosciences)
The Energetics of Ion Sorption Onto Biochars for Soil Remediation
Sustainability Awards - Poster Presentations
- $100: Cayden Samuels; Co-Authors: Christina Kiessling, Nuria Ramirez, Dr. Kuk-Jeong Chin (College of Arts & Sciences, Biology)
Sustainable Solutions to Plastic and Petroleum Hydrocarbon Pollution: Anaerobic Bacteria for the Biodegradation of PET Microplastics and Aromatic Hydrocarbons - $100: Cameron McCarthy; Co-Authors: Jessica Danh, Sheryl Varghese, Dr. Rafaela Feresin (Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing and Health Professions, Nutrition)
Impact of Blueberry Consumption on Adipocyte Apoptosis in Mice Fed a Western Diet - $100: Hamida Akter; Co-Authors: Megan Curry (School of Public Health, Environmental Health), Jessica Sterling (College of Arts & Sciences, Geography)
Systematic Approach to Investigating Industrial Stormwater Permits in the South River Watershed - $100: Segun Aderibigbe; Co-Author: Dr. Roberta Attanasio (College of Arts & Sciences, Biology)
Sex Differences in the Association of Perfluoroalkyl Acids Exposure With Cognitive Performance in Adults: Highlights From NHANES 2011-2014
For more details and photos, visit the Graduate Research Conference website.