Longwood University Office of Student Research

03/20/2024

Longwood's Office of Student Research supported travel expenses for over 50 students to present their research at regional, national, and international conferences this year!

Please consider supporting future researchers!

https://love.longwood.edu/organizations/research

08/09/2023

The opportunity is part of the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program

08/08/2023

Josh Mealy ’24 (center) spent eight weeks this summer working on identifying migrating birds’ nocturnal flight calls with Dr. Julian Dymacek, associate professor of computer science, through Longwood’s PRISM summer research program.

Hundreds of millions of birds migrate over the East Coast in the spring and fall, making a very short call at night to let each other know where they are. For the project, the computer science major worked with Dymacek as well as Koen Melendez, a recent graduate of Cumberland County High School, to create a computer algorithm for classifying seven species of birds. They were successful and their program correctly identified 92 percent of the seven species.

“I enjoyed learning more about natural nocturnal flight calls,” Mealy said. “Some species of birds have a very similar call that’s almost identical. So that makes it harder to determine which one is which.”

08/08/2023

For their PRISM research project this summer, Anna Fox ’24 (back center) and Dakota Smith ’24 (front center) used machine learning to analyze and predict occupancy behaviors in residential homes. This information could be used to help design and plan energy distribution for a residential area. The computer science majors worked with Dr. Sanish Rai, assistant professor of computer science, during the eight-week intensive summer research program.

“Machine learning has a lot of uses,” said Fox. “I like to tell people to think of machine learning kind of like a Roomba. Everyone knows how a Roomba works and a Roomba is a type of machine learning. It learns the layout of your house and it vacuums it for you. That’s what machine learning does. It learns something and then it comes to a decision.”

“Dr. Rai was doing a lot of work with us and alongside us and helping us understand what we were doing. That’s why PRISM prepares us more for the workforce because you have to understand what other people are doing,” Fox said. “You have to make sure they know what you’re doing. You learn that communication is really important. I feel like this experience has been very insightful and given me a good idea of what work I’ll be doing in the future.”

“It’s very different working with a professor one-on-one through PRISM rather than during our regular classes. Instead of being our teacher, he's more like our research partner,” Smith said. “A big part of the PRISM experience is feeling like I'm an important part of the team and that my contribution has a substantial impact on my partner and my professor. I also learned to improve my communication skills and learned how to better communicate with colleagues and partners through this experience.”

07/16/2023

Kassidy Owens ’25 worked with Dr. Jonathan White, assistant professor of chemistry, researching platinum drugs used to treat cancer during Longwood’s eight-week PRISM summer research program. Owens, a chemistry major with a concentration in biochemistry, plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in forensic toxicology.

“I started this research in the spring and, with classes, you’re super busy all the time. You only get a few hours a week to do research, and you focus on your homework and not the research as much. But with doing PRISM this summer, I’ve really gotten to know Dr. White and know him as a person, which has been great. I’ve gotten to solely do research and I got to see what a job would be like in this field.

PRISM is a great opportunity. The eight weeks goes by really fast. It’s a great research experience, plus you get paid. It’s like, why would you not do PRISM? Also, the intensive research you do during PRISM is really good to put on your résumé and makes you stand out from other applicants when you're applying for jobs or graduate schools. It’s one of the good things about going to a smaller university.”

05/19/2023

Tinsae Alem ’23 is majoring in chemistry with biology minor.

05/03/2023

05/01/2023

Congratulations to the recipients of the Best Student Paper and Faculty Mentor Awards for Incite, Longwood University’s Undergraduate Research Journal. You can read these and other student publications in the recent edition of Incite: Volume 14

https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/incite/6/

Best Student Paper Award Winners:

Ireland Seagle (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Heather Lettner-Rust)
* Hungry Like the Wolf: The Wolf as Metaphor in Paramount Network’s Yellowstone ​
**Winner of the Best Student Paper in the Humanities Incite Award


Dalton Whitby (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. JoEllen Pederson)
*“Floating Cities”: Illustrating the Commercial and Conservation Conflict of Alaskan Cruise Ship Tourism
**Winner of the Best Student Paper in the Social Sciences Incite Award

Cassandra Poole (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Wade Znosko)
* What Can You Do When Your Genes are the Enemy? Current Applications of Gene Manipulation and the Associated Ethical Considerations
**Winner of the Best Student Paper in the Natural Sciences Incite Award

Incite Faculty Mentor Award Winner:

Dr. Francisco Javier Fernández Urenda, faculty mentor for Rachel Cannon
* La doble cara: un tema romántico en las obras de Larra y Hawthorne

Please encourage your students to submit their best, publishable work to Incite, Longwood’s undergraduate research journal. The journal is now open to submissions from across the university community. Please share this call for submissions and the submission guidelines with your students.

Submissions should be refined, polished versions of work done in classes or as independent projects conducted with faculty, and must be approved by the faculty mentor before submission.

Students should submit their original research-based written work (including research projects or papers produced for a class or as a senior or junior thesis, or a capstone class) formatted in accordance with the Incite stylesheets, including any tables, diagrams, or photos in correct size and format.

Please visit the Incite website for more information or contact Dr. Amorette Barber [email protected] for more information.

http://www.longwood.edu/office-of-student-research/incite/

Table of Contents: Introduction: Dr. Amorette Barber From the Editor: Dr. Larissa "Kat" Tracy From the Designers: Rachel English, Rachel Hanson Hungry Like the Wolf: The Wolf as Metaphor in Paramount Network’s Yellowstone: Ireland Seagle “Floating Cities”: Illustrating the Commercial and Conse...

04/26/2023

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Awards!

In recognition of the critically important role that mentors play in supporting undergraduate and graduate student research and creative activity, the Office of Student Research offers two annual Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Awards for outstanding mentorship. The Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence in mentoring and supporting student researchers. Strong nominations demonstrate excellence in mentoring by supporting and influencing students’ educational and career paths. Examples may include peer-reviewed publications involving Longwood students; student presentations or awards; and evidence of continued success of mentored students.

This year, the OSR awarded two Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Awards: one award is for assistant professors, lecturers, or clinical educators who have 6 or fewer years of service at Longwood and one award is for associate or full professors, senior lecturers, or senior clinical educators who have more than 6 years of service at Longwood. A committee of faculty members involved with Office of Student Research Initiatives selected the award recipients.

This year, the Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award for assistant professors, lecturers, or clinical educators who have 6 or fewer years of service at Longwood was awarded to Dr. Steven Hoehner, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.

In the nomination form, his student said:

“There are many different qualities Dr. Hoehner possesses that make him an excellent mentor. For example, he was always able to explain complex mathematical concepts in ways that were perfectly understandable to me. This allowed the discussions about our research to be a very collaborative process where I was able to participate in a meaningful way. He has always been available for me to visit his office and discuss both the continuation of our research project and my graduate school applications. He also helped me improve my skills as a student, and further confirmed my interest in pursuing a graduate degree. Working with Dr. Hoehner has made me much more comfortable in the field of academic research and this is one of the reasons I am much more confident going into graduate school to study Computation Operations Research. Finally, he supported me through the graduate school application process and provided great advice when I was unsure of the best ways to proceed. I was excited to share with him when I was accepted to The College of William and Mary’s graduate program. Dr. Hoehner is a true mentor to me. I do not believe my experience at Longwood would have been the same without him and my future academic and career paths will certainly be more successful because of him.”

This year, the Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award for associate or full professors, senior lecturers, or senior clinical educators who have more than 6 years of service at Longwood goes to Dr. Sarai Blincoe, Department of Psychology.

In the nomination form, her student said:

“Not only does Dr. Blincoe continuously demonstrate her expertise in psychology and research, but she holds qualities that have made her the best mentor a student could ask for. I have had the privilege to form a fantastic one-on-one relationship with Dr. Blincoe and she hasn’t only provided me with fantastic teaching and guidance in our field’s research, but has guided my personal growth. Whenever I meet with her, her first questions are never how my assignments or progress on research is going, it’s always how I’m doing as a person. This has meant the world to me over the last year and she exemplifies what it means to be a professor who makes life impacts on her students. She remains optimistic, supportive, and encouraging through whatever research endeavors my mind has wandered to. Her knowledge and guidance served as the biggest support system for the growth of my love for research. Working with Dr. Blincoe has been invaluable and I’m thankful for the opportunity to continue to do so.

Congratulations to Dr. Hoehner and Dr. Blincoe!

The Office of Student Research would also like to recognize the following 7 faculty who were nominated by their students for the Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award this year:

Dr. Brian Bates, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice

Dr. Alison King, Department of Social Work and Communications Sciences and Disorders

Dr. Mark Kostro, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice

Dr. Melissa Kravetz, Department of History, Political Science, and Philosophy

Dr. Denis Trubitsyn, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences

Dr. Ben Topham, Department of Chemistry and Physics

Dr. Maureen Walls-McKay, Dean of Well Being

Congratulations to these inspiring mentors!

If you would like to learn more about getting involved in research at Longwood University, please visit Longwood’s Office of Student Research website http://www.longwood.edu/office-of-student-research/

or contact Amorette Barber, Director of the Office of Student Research ([email protected] or [email protected]).

The Office of Student Research facilitates participation in student research and provides professional development for students. 

04/25/2023

04/24/2023

Five Longwood University undergraduate students presented their work in undergraduate research and creative scholarship at the 37th annual National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR).

Established in 1987 by the Council on Undergraduate Research, NCUR exists to highlight and support excellence in undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative endeavors across all disciplines and varieties of institutions of higher education.

Participating in NCUR allows students the opportunity to share their research, hone their communication skills, and receive feedback from and engage in discussions with students and faculty from myriad fields of study.

The Longwood students who presented at NCUR 2023 are:

Jammie McMurtry (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Sarah Porter)

* Petroleum Pollution along the Virginia Shoreline

Cassandra Poole (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Amorette Barber)

* The Effect of Bisphenol A (BPA) Substitutes on CD4+ T Cell Immunity

Kendyl Titus (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Shayla Walker)

* Mental Health in Undergraduate Social Work Education: Identifying the Gaps

Brandon Walters (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Steven Hoehner)

* Surface Areas of Equifacetal Polytopes Inscribed in the Unit Sphere

Kristen Wilkins (Faculty Sponsor, Dr. Amorette Barber)

* ChPD1 T cells as a treatment for pediatric osteosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma

04/13/2023