Southeast Missouri State University showcased student research as the Annual Student Research Conference (SRC) returned to the University Center Ballroom April 14 and 15 with two days of presentations, posters and conversation. The SRC serves as the University’s largest research event, bringing together undergraduate and graduate students from every college.
Taylor Myers, a sophomore agricultural education and agribusiness: animal science major, presented research on “Retention & Fulfillment: Analysis of Agricultural Educators in Missouri.”
“I studied factors that influence individuals in the high school agriculture education career,” said Myers. “It means a lot to have an opportunity to present this research. This is my future career, so I’m excited to have a place to share this research and advocate for agriculture educators.”
Samantha Coffee, Makayla Sessums and Madison Sniegowski are second year graduate students in the Department of Communication Disorders. Their research, “Hearing Screenings for Individuals with Aphasia: Current Practices Used by Speech-Language Pathologist,” investigates if and how individuals with aphasia can receive hearing screenings.
“This research is significant because hearing status can impact language treatment and assessment,” said Sniegowski. “We used a survey to reach out to speech-language pathologists to better understand their current practices in various settings.”
Aside from sharing research, students gain hands-on experience in a professional setting by refining public speaking skills, responding to judges and engaging in conversation. First place winners were selected for the following categories:
- Undergraduate oral presentation: Sam Girard
- Undergraduate poster: Dylan Aufdenberg
- Graduate oral presentation: Kayla Overbeck, Chase Raymer and Daphne Devall
- Graduate poster: Sagar Kandel, Erin Jenkins, Malsha Nerthasinghege and Sugam Bhattarai
- Senior symposium: Kya Pope
“The Student Research Conference is a very exciting opportunity for SEMO students and faculty,” said Seth Gleason, SRC committee chairman. “This conference brings the SEMO community together for two full days to celebrate the research achievements that students and faculty on our campus have been working on the entire school year. This conference provides students the platform to showcase their work, grow professionally and engage with students and faculty across all disciplines.”
SEMO faculty and staff also presented at this year’s SRC.
- Dr. Jamila Baig: keynote address on “Research as a Journey: Why Your Research Matters Today and Tomorrow”
- Dr. Sarah Dietrich: roundtable discussion on “What is Research?”
- Dr. Pamala Mills: roundtable discussion on “Researching Late Cretaceous Dinosaur Fossils in the Field”
- Dr. Abu Sheha: workshop discussion on “Correlation vs Causation: How People Lie with Data”
The SRC highlights the innovation and determination that defines SEMO’s fearlessly forward student experience.
Do you want to conduct research that can change the world? Visit semo.edu/student-research-conference today.