On Friday, April 21, 2023, the UMA community convened for the annual UMA Student Research Conference. The hybrid event was hosted on the UMA Augusta Campus, the UMA Bangor Campus, and online in real time.
This year’s sessions featured high-quality research by UMA students and consistent engagement in collegial discussion. Following a convening address by UMA Provost and Interim President Joseph Szakas, over 90 registered participants attended 12 sessions throughout the day, with over 30 presentations were made by students. Presentation topics ranged in scale from the micro-movements of planarians in the laboratory to macro-structural aspects of architectural, media, military, and transportation systems. A consistent theme that emerged across students’ research presentation was the concern for the circumstances and characterization of individuals within environments.
During the day, conference attendees were invited to nominate presentations they felt were especially effective or engaging, and at the end of the conference, the executive committee of organizers and moderators reviewed the work of all presenters to curate their own selection of awards. We congratulate this year’s winners for their ingenuity, their tenacity, and their contribution to knowledge.
Conference Executive Committee Selection: Top Disability Research Presentation
- Paola Wilson, Lack of Library Services for Disabled Users and Disabled Library Staff
Attendees’ Choice: Best Academic Theme Research
- Paola Wilson, Lack of Library Services for Disabled Users and Disabled Library Staff
Attendees’ Choice: Best Data Visualization
- Alicia Bell, Graph and data illustration of the number of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls in America compared to the number of murdered and missing non-native women and girls in America
Attendees’ Choice: Best Poster
- Alicia Bell, Graph and data illustration of the number of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls in America compared to the number of murdered and missing non-native women and girls in America
Attendees’ Choice: Best Potential for Impactful Application
- Alicia Bell, Graph and data illustration of the number of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls in America compared to the number of murdered and missing non-native women and girls in America
Attendees’ Choice: Most Ambitious Research
- Emily Fox, Amy Heiderscheidt, Kaylee McGowan, Teanna Woodman, & Katie York, Animal Assisted Therapy and Adolescent Mental Health
- Garvey Blackwell, Disinformation and Misinformation in News
Attendees’ Choice: Most Creative Research
- Jayne Whiteside, Using Fiction and Technology toward an Understanding of Race, Social, and Disability Justice Issues
- Logan Tourtillote, Truth in Photography
Attendees’ Choice: Most Enjoyable Presentation
- Fraser MacDonald, Self-Affirmation: Is It Effective in Improving Outlook?
Conference Executive Committee Selections: Top Poster
- Alicia Bell, Graph and data illustration of the number of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls in America compared to the number of murdered and missing non-native women and girls in America
- Emily Fox, Amy Heiderscheidt, Kaylee McGowan, Teanna Woodman, & Katie York, Animal Assisted Therapy and Adolescent Mental Health
Conference Executive Committee Selections: Top Presentation Award
- Fraser MacDonald, Self-Affirmation: Is It Effective in Improving Outlook?
- Shannon McNamara, The Female Nude and its Influence on Modern Rape Culture
Conference Executive Committee Selections: Top Qualitative Research
- Cathy Lake, Air Rage: Insights from the Traveling Public
- Shannon McNamara, The Female Nude and its Influence on Modern Rape Culture
Conference Executive Committee Selection: Top Quantitative Research
- Fraser MacDonald, Self-Affirmation: Is It Effective in Improving Outlook?
Conference Executive Committee Selections: Top Research Methods
- Cathy Lake, Air Rage: Insights from the Traveling Public
- Derek Libby, Transportation Issues in Mental Health