Nine Hollins University students were among nearly 200 undergraduates from across the country who delivered poster presentations at the 12th annual Summer Research Conference at Virginia Tech, held July 27.
“Over the course of the past 10 weeks, these students have been engaged in a wide variety of projects tackling real-world problems in many disciplines,” said Keri Swaby, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research at VT. “As always, I am humbled by the quality of work and wealth of research that took place this summer.”
Jill C. Sible, associate vice provost for undergraduate education at VT, added, “Summer affords undergraduates the opportunity to dedicate significant time and effort to the planning, execution, and analysis of a research project. They have also had the chance to become authentic members of research teams by working with faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff. Many thanks to all who have mentored undergraduates this summer.”
Students representing Hollins at this year’s Summer Research Conference included:
Assi Abe ’24
Majors: Public Health, Environmental Science
Research Project: “Does Place Matter? An Analysis of Environmental Perspectives of Ivorians from Abidjan: Port Bouet vs.Cocody”
Mentors: Paula Pimlott Brownlee Professor of Biology Renee Godard; Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Kaila Thorn
Sylvia Adongo ’26
Major: Political Science
Research Project: “Pragmatic Iranian Foreign Policy in Central Asia”
Mentor: John P. Wheeler Professor of Political Science Edward Lynch
Charvi Gangwani ’24
Major: Biology
Research Project: “Comparing Outcomes of Community-Based and ICT-Based Mental Health Interventions for Adolescents with Parents Affected by Alcoholism and Addiction in India”
Mentor: Assistant Professor of Psychology Caroline Mann
Susanna Helms ’24
Major: International Studies
Research Project: “Shifting Geopolitics: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization”
Mentor: John P. Wheeler Professor of Political Science Edward Lynch
Alaya Lewis ’25
Major: Theatre
Faolan Timm ’25
Major: Theatre
Research Project: “Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Exploring New Writing and Spoken Word Productions”
Mentor: Assistant Professor of Theatre Wendy-Marie Martin
Caroline Russell ’25
Major: Chemistry
Lillian Burns ’25
Major: Chemistry
Research Project: “Stereoselective Glycosylation via Dynamic Kinetic Resolution”
Mentor: Assistant Professor of Chemistry Son Nguyen
Willow Seymour ’24
Majors: Psychology, Creative Writing
Research Project: “The Influence of Deadline and Distraction on Children’s Task Performance”
Mentor: Assistant Professor of Psychology Seung-Hee Han
Photo: Hollins participants in the 12th annual Summer Research Conference at Virginia Tech with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Son Nguyen (far left, second row). Photo: Brenda Hale
