On April 29, Hardin-Simmons University’s Research Society celebrated its sixth annual student research symposium.
The student research symposium is an annual event hosted by the Holland School of Science and Mathematics at HSU, where high school, undergraduate and graduate students in the Abilene area are given the opportunity to present their research. All kinds of submissions from the arts and humanities, the social sciences, or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), are welcome.
Entry into the event is free, contestants just have to follow the eligibility requirements of being in highschool, undergraduate or graduate school and submitting original work conducted within 12 months of the symposium. Submitting an abstract before being allowed to enter the contest is mandatory.
Multiple folders containing information on research topics were available and some of the individuals were present to discuss their research. At the end, select judges voted, and four studies were awarded as the best. Jessica Moody, Josh Henderson, Kylie Mayfield, Tristan Laughlin and Wendi K. Wolfram submitted research on “Texas Hill Country Biodiversity,” came in fourth position.
“The correlations between balance, agility and anaerobic capacity in adolescent dances,” by Sylva Uwimana, Luna Marina, O’Connell D. and Jumper J., came in third position. Second place went to Chris Williams and Jemima Ingle, Ph.D., for the “Determination of Ascorbic Acid Content within store-bought kombucha using UV spectrophotometry and multivariate regression modeling.” Savanna Stevens and Jemima Ingle, Ph.D., came in first place with their presentation of “Optimization of a method to determine caffeine content in kombucha samples via multivariate regression modeling of UV visible spectral data.”
A representative from each group of researchers spoke about the research, why they chose their topic, the test sample and methods and the conclusions of their research. Refreshments were provided by the department, and everyone who attended was entered for prizes at the end of the event.
