October 15, 2024
On April 11, 2024, the spacious ballroom of the Wilkinson Student Center was transformed into a vibrant center of academic discourse during the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference.
Hosted semiannually by the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, this event showcased innovative research conducted by 550 undergraduate and graduate students on 390 posters from the college’s various departments.
With the support of a mentor, each participating student prepared research that was evaluated by faculty judges. Every department provided from two to nine judges for the conference, creating a broad range of perspectives when it came to selecting the winners.
During the conference, guests were encouraged to ask student presenters about their research. Attendees received stickers for their “passport” after hearing more about a student's poster. Later on, passports were entered into a drawing for Cougar Cash awards.
Attendees were also invited to cast their votes for Students' Choice awards for the posters they found most captivating and informative.
All winners (judged and Students' Choice) were recognized at an Awards Luncheon for student presenters and their mentors, which the college held after the students finished showcasing their research.
Jeff Nokes, associate dean of the college, opened the luncheon with his remarks and introduced speeches by assistant professor Ashley LeBaron-Black and senior Anna Lindh. Following them, Associate Academic Vice President Larry Howell and BYU President Shane Reese shared some remarks.
Participating in the conference has many benefits for students. Simply going through the research process and organizing the information in a presentable format, and then talking to others about the research probably brings the biggest benefit. But, as noted, students can win cash prizes. They can also publish their research by submitting their poster to BYU's ScholarsArchive. Finally, all student presenters with a major in the become eligible for up to $250 to assist with graduate school application fees.
“This is just one more opportunity that is made possible by the generosity of the Fultons and our other donors,” Nokes said.
Talk to your professors about how to participate in future conferences or discover more about the process online. The next conference is Thursday, December 5, 2024.
Undergraduate Awards
| Place/Department | Winner(s) | Faculty Mentor(s) | Title |
| 1st Anthropology | Jenna Norris | Mike Searcy | Twisted Threads: Anomalous Z-Spun Threads at an Ancient Egyptian Cemetery |
| 2nd Anthropology | Rufus Pearce | Jacob Hickman | "Going to Hell Fast": Experiencing Apocalypse in Northern Ireland |
| 1st Economics | Ammon Larsen, Nicholas Connor | Lars Lefgren, Emily Leslie | Effect of Access to Representation in Traffic Court Outcomes |
| 1st Family Life | Sarah Denton | Alex Jensen | "You're the Lucky One": Parental Favoritism, Age, and Self-Determination |
| 2nd Family Life | Kate Binford, Summer Snow, Baylee Springer, Ashely Fonger | Sarah Coyne | Does Parenting Predict Social Media Addiction? |
| 3rd Family Life | Michelle Si, Bailey Bissegger, Emma Howlett | Jeremy Yorgason, Nathan Leonhardt | Thinking, Discussing, Deliberating: A National Portrait of Divorce Proneness in Newlyweds Over 6 Years |
| 4th Family Life | Emma Kearon | Adam Rogers | Pathways of Resilience: Exploring the Mediated Links Between Couple Conflict and Adolescent Emotional Health |
| Honorable Mention Family Life | Maria Jacobs | Mindy Brown | You Are What You Watch |
| 1st Geography | Kirsten Sanders | Ruth Kerry | Investigating the Potential Toxic Dust Pool Generated by the Shrinking of the Great Salt Lake |
| 2nd Geography | Kyle Bird | Ruth Kerry | Clearing the Air: Analyzing Forty Years of Utah's Air Quality Trends |
| 1st History | Zoe Ngan | Chris Hodson | "No Hen Should Herald the Dawn Lest Misfortune Follow:" Gender, History, and Power in the Northern Song Dynasty |
| 2nd History | Olivia Maloy, Seth Singleton, Cecilia Winegar | Aaron Skabelund | Eastern Echoes of Pearl Harbor: Contrasting Japanese Reactions to Pearl Harbor in Primary Sources |
| 3rd History | Paige Matthews | Jeff Nokes | Inclusive Colonialism: A Non-contentious Approach to Teaching Colonial Holidays in Secondary Education |
| 1st Political Science | Julia Chatterley | Jay Goodliffe | Civilian Violence and Support for Democracy |
| 2nd Political Science | Grace Burns, Anna Nakaya | Adam Dynes | A Leaky Pipeline? Expressed vs Behavioral Progressive Ambition Among Local Officials |
| 3rd Political Science | Mark Ahrens, Elijah Swolgaard | Quin Monson | Counsel or Commandment?: How the Church Influences Members' Voting Behavior In a Natural Experiment |
| 4th Political Science | Vanessa Tuttle | Doug Atkinson | When the Boys Leave: The Effects of Mass Conscription on Women's Political Participation |
| 1st Psychology | James Tran-Khanh-Bichon, Emery Southam | Jared Nielsen | Memory Maps: Navigating a Lesion Network of Amnesia |
| 2nd Psychology | James Wicke | Juan Valladares | Sociocultural Interracial Contact Among University Students |
| 3rd Psychology | Elijah Davis, Scott MacLean, Ethan Coulter, Bethany Richmond, Ashley Catchpole | Lance Erickson, Shawn Gale, Dawson Hedges | CMV and Brain Volume |
| 4th Psychology | Valeria Valentini, Jackson Garr, Shari Ann Tuckett, Kelcee Richeson | Kara Duraccio | Morning Mindfulness and Procrastination in College Students |
| 1st Sociology | Jae Collett | Lance Erickson | Queering Prison Sent4encing Disparities: Unjust Sentencing for LGBTQ+ Women |
| 2nd Sociology | Hannah Justvig Vaughan | Melissa Alcaraz | The Role of Religion in Shaping Gendered Educational Goals and Decisions |
| 3rd Sociology | Clara Ohran | Hayley Pierce | Bleed Beyond Borders: Understanding Menstrual Product Usage in Southeast Asia |
| 4th Sociology | Sophia Hirschi | Jane Lopez | Age Is Just A Number: Immigration And Belonging In Utah |
Graduate Awards
| Place/Department | Winner(s) | Faculty Mentor(s) | Title |
| 1st Anthropology | Ashley Lundquist | Jackob Hickman | Communicative Capacity of Runa Face Paint Practices |
| 1st Family Life | Emily Takamasa | Jocelyn Wikle | Growing Pains: Earlier Age at First Period Related to Lower Body Image and Ethnic-Racial Identity Outcomes Among Teen Girls of Color |
| 2nd Family Life | Christina Bartholomew | Joseph Olson | Religion and Maladaptive Perfectionism among Latter-day Saint Youth and their Peers |
| 3rd Family Life | Ashley Forbush | Jeremy Yorgason, Dean Busby, Erin Holmes | Power and Passion: An Exploration of the Relationship between Marital Power and Sexual Passion Styles |
| 1st Psychology | Bethany Lundy | Daniel Kay, Brock Kirwan | Associations Among Adult Temperament Traits and Resting State Functional Networks Across Wake and Sleep Onset States |
| 1st Social Work | Christina Bartholomew | Jeremy Yorgason, Steven Hoffman | Which Couples are Choosing Children? |
| 2nd Social Work | Luna Sproul, Macy Edwards, Isabel Mora | Gordon Limb | Attachment Style and Sexual Risk Behaviors among American Indians Raised in Stepfamilies |
| 3rd Social Work | Lyndsay Murdock | David Wood | To Help or Be Helped? |
| 4th Social Work | Desarae Millet | Annie Carter | Does Stigma of Suicide Have An Effect On The Likelihood Of Giving Support? |
| 1st Sociology | Haylie June | Jocelyn Wikle, Michael Cope | Increasing Access to Education for Student Mothers at BYU |
Center Awards
| Place/ Department | Winner(s) | Faculty Mentor(s) | Title |
| 1st Belonging and Diversity | Jennie Jasperson, Emily Takamasa, Emily Dana, Olivia Harris | Andrea Busby | "White-ish": Identity and Self-Labeling Among Multiracial Young Adults |
| 2nd Belonging and Diversity | Vanessa Tuttle | Doug Atkinson | When the Boys Leave: The Effects of Mass Conscription on Women's Political Participation |
| 3rd Belonging and Diversity | Annie Ackerman, Kendra Pinegar | Celeste Beesley | Wealth, Public Goods, and Terror Damage |
| 4th Belonging and Diversity | Kathryn Blau | Aaron Skabelund | Leasing Land, Losing Sovereignty: Military Land Leasing in Okinawa |
| 1st Civic Engagement | John Franklin V. Hall, Adam Hubbs | Quin Monson | Utah Voters' Trust in Election Procedures |
| 2nd Civic Engagement | Grace Burns, Anna Nakaya | Adam Dynes | A Leaky Pipeline? |
| 3rd Civic Engagement | Paige Matthews | Jeff Nokes | Inclusive Colonialism: A Non-contentious Approach to Teaching Colonial Holidays in Secondary Education |
| 4th Civic Engagement | Madeline Sanders, Harriet Parkinson | Grayson Morgan | Transit and Walkability Access in Utah County |
| 1st Gerontology | Haylie June | Michael Cope | Aging in a Changing Community: An Investigation into Perceptions of Community in Heber Valley among Older Adults |
| 1st Redd Center | Kirsten Sanders | Ruth Kerry | Investigating the Potential Toxic Dust Pool Generated by the Shrinking of the Great Salt Lake |
| 2nd Redd Center | Neal Anderson | John Clark, Scott Ure | Ceramic Circulation Circa AD 1000-1200 |
| 3rd Redd Center | Maya Watkins | Mike Searcy | Fremont Anthropomorphic Head Adornment in Clear Creek Canyon Rock Art |
Students' Choice Awards
| Category | Winner(s) | Faculty Mentor(s) | Title |
| Best Presenter | Danny Zlotnick, Luke North | Grayson Morgan | Machine and Deep Learning for Urban Tree Canopy Extraction |
| Most Eye-Catching Poster | Emily Dowdle, Jacelin Clayton, Lauren Royster, Lindsey Middleton | Chelsea Romney | Running Toward Connection: The Effects of BYU Running Club on Mood and Belonging |
| Most Interesting Research | James Tran-Khanh-Bichon, Emery Southam | Jared Nielsen | Memory Maps: Navigating a Lesion Network of Amnesia |
| Timeliest Topic | Ella Marie Paligo, Samuel Bohn, Ben White | Jeff Hardy | Behind Bars, Beyond Means: Why Incarceration is the Ultimate Form of Poverty in the U.S. |