Top student scholars present at SFA Undergraduate Research Conference

NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– From generating life in animated characters to tracking fungal species in Nacogdoches County, the research of seven students from Stephen F. Austin State University and Tyler Junior College earned top scholar awards at SFA’s Undergraduate Research Conference April 15.

“We celebrate the best of student research and their mentors,” said Dr. Leslie Cecil, director of the SFA Center for Student Research and Creative Discovery, which hosts the conference. “For many faculty members, undergraduate research is what drives our enthusiasm to keep involving students in research.”

Since 2009, representatives from each of SFA’s six colleges have selected outstanding undergraduate student research from the previous calendar year. The best individual or group research project within each college and one from a non-SFA institution is awarded the top scholar title; SFA top scholars receive $500, while the non-SFA top scholar receives a scholarship to SFA. Additional outstanding student research projects are selected per college, and these finalists present during the conference’s poster session.

In 2012, the conference expanded to include regional colleges. Students from Lone Star College-North Harris, Tyler Junior College and The University of Texas at Tyler have participated in the conference.

The 2025 top scholar award recipients and their faculty mentors are:

• Kaytie-Jane Ballard, College of Liberal and Applied Arts, “Crossing Conversations: Using Social Media to Advocate for Immigrants at the Texas/Mexico Border,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Ghanem Elhersh, assistant professor of media and communication at SFA
• Lauren Duckworth, Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, “In the Blink of an Animated Eye,” faculty sponsor: Benjamin Anderson, assistant professor of animation at SFA, and Rick Shepardson, associate professor of filmmaking at SFA
• Jules Fields, James I. Perkins College of Education, “Pathways and Burnout: Investigating Rates of Burnout between Alternatively Prepared Teachers and Traditionally Prepared Teachers,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Amanda M. Rudolph, professor of education studies at SFA
• Kaitlyn Martin, Tyler Junior College, “Traditional vs. Artistic Athletes: Comparison of Injury Rehabilitations in Dancers and Standard Athletes,” faculty sponsor: Dr. Andrea Hathcote, professor of learning framework at TJC
• Cari Mitchell, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, “A Survey of Fruiting Parasitic and Saprotrophic Fungi Species during the Fall Season in Nacogdoches County, Texas,” faculty sponsor: Dr. David Kulhavy, professor of environmental science at SFA
• Hadley Watts, College of Sciences and Mathematics, “Redox Cooperativity Analysis with Computational Chemistry: Interplay Between Energy Matching and Geometric Arrangement in Redox Non-Innocent Systems,” faculty sponsor: Dr. John Brannon Gary, assistant professor of chemistry at SFA
• Zola Westmoreland, Nelson Rusche College of Business, “What Are The Main Drivers of State Solar Generation?” faculty sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Davis, assistant professor of economics at SFA

A Faculty Mentor of the Year also is honored at the conference. This year, Kulhavy received the award and $500 for demonstrating a commitment to undergraduate research by sponsoring students who have been selected as top scholars and finalists.

Following the top scholar presentations, a poster session featuring more than 50 finalists was held in the student center’s Twilight Ballroom.

The Undergraduate Research Conference gives students the opportunity to gain poster and oral presentation skills as well as connect with experts who may help them with their future educational and professional goals, Cecil said.

“They present their research to a general audience that includes many people both inside and outside SFA,” she said. “This helps them with entrance to graduate schools or job-related critical thinking and research skills.”

The Center for Student Research and Creative Discovery was established in SFA’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies to promote, support and showcase the research, discovery and creative efforts of SFA’s undergraduate students. It does this by connecting students with faculty mentors and research opportunities and by offering resources, such as funding to present projects at conferences.

To learn more about how research can impact your SFA experience, visit sfasu.edu/csrcd. View a list of finalists at sfasu.edu/urc.