Symposium showcases work of more than 150 graduate students
Graduate research symposium A student discusses her poster with Biology Professor Dan Cristol during the College of Arts & Sciences Graduate Research Symposium. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
Graduate research symposium William & Mary’s 14th annual Graduate Research Symposium brought graduate students in Arts and Sciences together with their counterparts from 16 other colleges and universities. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
Graduate research symposium Students discuss their posters during the symposium, held March 20-21. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
Graduate research symposium Gandalf Nicolas, a graduate student in psychology at W&M, gives a presentation during the symposium. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
William & Mary’s 14th annual Graduate Research Symposium brought graduate students in Arts & Sciences together with their counterparts from 16 other colleges and universities.
Virginia Torczon is the Chancellor Professor of Computer Science as well as the dean of graduate studies and research in William & Mary’s College of Arts & Sciences. She said the symposium offers a venue for the students enrolled in the Arts & Sciences graduate programs to get together to share progress on their work.
“These graduate students never cease to amaze me with the passion they bring to their scholarship, the quality of their research and the strength of their accomplishments,” Torczon said. “They enrich the intellectual life of the university on a daily basis and are key participants in what makes William & Mary such a special place.”
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The theme of the March 20-21 symposium was “Preparing Scholars, Presenting Excellence.” Two graduate students, Brittany St. Jacques Dowd, an M.S. student in the Department of Biology, and Jenna Carlson, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology, served as chairs for the event.
In a message in the symposium program, Dowd and Carlson noted that for this year, the organizers of the event worked on “emphasizing the ‘&’ in Arts & Sciences” by organizing presenting researchers into groups thematically. They note that it’s a departure from the traditional disciplinary grouping and a move that has resulted in presentations such as Mediated Horizons, which includes talks on both science fact and science fiction.
A total of 158 graduate students participated in the oral presentations and poster sessions held at the Sadler Center. The symposium keeps with tradition in announcing a number of awards to William & Mary’s scholars and researchers as well as graduate students from visiting institutions.
List of awards
Market Access International, Inc. Award for Excellence in Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences
A Widow's Purview: A Microhistory of Gender and Family Relations in the 18th-Century Virginia Backcountry.
Eve Bourbeau-Allard, William & Mary, History
Advisor: Karin Wulf
Northrop Grumman Corporation Award for Excellence in Scholarship in the Natural and Computational Sciences
Wood Thrush Microhabitat Associations: Implications for Species Persistence in Human-Modified Landscapes
Vitek Jirinec, William and Mary, Biology
Advisor: Matthias Leu
William & Mary Award for Excellence in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Janine Boldt, American Studies
Advisor: Alan Braddock
William & Mary Honorable Mentions
Jenna Carlson, Anthropology
Advisor: Neil Norman
Ed Hunt, American Studies
Advisor: Charles McGovern
Visiting Scholar Award for Excellence in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Jeehee Han, Quantitative Methods, Columbia University
Advisor: Monica Prasad
Visiting Scholar Honorable Mention
Bre’auna Beasley, Public Policy, Virginia Commonwealth University
Advisor: Veronica Womack
William & Mary Award for Excellence in the Natural & Computational Sciences
Elizabeth Radue, Physics
Advisor: Irina Novikova
William & Mary Honorable Mentions
Ed Novak, Computer Science
Advisor: Qun Li
Melissa Beebe, Physics
Advisor: R. Ale Lukaszew
Carl J. Strikwerda Award for Excellence in the Humanities and Social Sciences (William & Mary)
Emily Willroth, Psychology
Advisor: Matthew Hilimire
Jeremy Abramowitz, Public Policy
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Stafford
Carl J. Strikwerda Award for Excellence in the Natural and Computational Sciences (William & Mary)
Stephanie Chin, Biology Department
Advisor: Dr. Dan Cristol
S. Laurie Sanderson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring in the Humanities and Social Sciences (William & Mary)
Kristina Pozan, History
S. Laurie Sanderson Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring in the Natural and Computational Sciences (William & Mary)
Caitlin Cyrus, Biology
Kristen Frano, Chemistry
Visiting Scholar Award for Excellence in the Natural & Computational Sciences
Miranda Klees, Biology, Clemson University
Advisor: Min Cao
Visiting Scholar Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Falwell, Biology, Clemson University
Advisor: Andrew Mount
