Students Display Fruits of Mentored Research in 300 Posters

On Thursday, Dec. 4 FHSS students showcased their innovation, discoveries, and insights at the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference.

“Research ... is not just understanding how something works but understanding how we play a role in it,” says Meri Lesovska, an anthropology graduate student who shared research at the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference on Thursday, Dec. 4.

Lesovska’s research was inspired by a class she is taking in her first semester of the anthropology master's program. Mentored by Becky Schulthies, associate professor of anthropology, Lesovska examined the communication and relationship between humans and other species, including animals and plants. Her research poster titled Talking Trees: Human Interpretations of Nonhuman Communication won first place in its category.

December 2025 Student Mentored Research Conference

Lesovska hopes to inspire people to “deepen their spiritual relationality with other beings around them and to expand their worldview.” She says that better understanding “will help us know ... how to be better stewards.” She believes those who pursue and apply research are able to “lift people up and be better human beings.”

The conference takes places every semester in the Wilkinson Student Center Ballroom at Brigham Young University. This semester, a crowd of students, faculty, staff, and donors attended to explore the 300 posters submitted by 483 students who were mentored by 82 faculty members.

Other students, Faye Payne and Lara Maximiano Almeida who both study family life and are mentored by Professor Sarah Coyne, presented How She’s Framed: Sexualization of Women in Music Videos: A Content Analysis. Their research highlights how women are sexualized in popular 2025 music videos.

“It’s really important to be aware of the actual effects of certain things,” Payne says. “We can build off of that and really apply it more to our lives as research develops.”

Payne shares that while she can’t change everything she wants to, sharing her research can still create a ripple of impact.

“The people I can inform can be aware of this, and they can inform people they know,” she says.

Prior to the awards ceremony, Melissa Alcaraz, assistant professor of sociology, and her research assistant Sophie Smith, a senior in sociology, spoke about their experience of working together on research. Academic Vice President Justin Collings shared remarks about the power of a mentor and the example of our perfect mentor, Jesus Christ.

Visit fultonconference.byu.edu to view the posters online and check out the winners below!

Undergraduate Awards

Award	Presenter(s)	Mentor(s)	Title
Anthropology
1st	Jeremy Bennett	Zach Chase, Scott Ure	Building Backgrounds by Bottles
Economics
1st	Sami Adamson, Josh Nicholls	Joe Price, Sven Wilson	The Duration of Widowhood in the United States
School of Family Life
1st	Ellee Mitchell	Chelom Leavitt, Ashley LeBaron Black, Nathan Leonhardt	Timing is everything, or is it? Parent-child Sex Communication and Child Sexual Anxiety with Self-Regulation as a Moderator.
2nd	Lara Maximiano Almeida, Faye Payne	Sarah Coyne	How She’s Framed: Sexualization of Women in Music Videos: A Content Analysis
3rd	Michelle Si	Ashley LeBaron Black, Nathan Leonhardt	The Roots of Giving: Parental Influence on Children's Financial Behavior
4th	Taylor Etherington, Spring Jeppson, Sophie Knecht, Alene Makrush, Kendyll Starr	Ashley LeBaron Black	Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Does Teamwork Moderate the Relationship Between Money Scripts and Financial Communication?
Geography
1st	Julia Laverty, Fer Lopez Paredes	Samuel Otterstrom	Midway: Little Switzerland’s Geography and Identity
2nd	Megan Welch	Matt Bekker	How a Dendrochronological Analysis of Historic Log Cabins in Fillmore, Utah Challenged its Traditional History
3rd	Morgan Baird	Chelsea Ackroyd	Watching the Snow Shift: Landsat Tracking of Snow and Glacier Melt for Water Management in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca
History
1st	Coleman Gagon	Paul Kerry	Global Iconoclasm: Exploring the Continuity of Statue Removal Throughout History
2nd	Emma Marx	Rebecca DeSchweinitz	The Outdoor Girls: How Girls’ Camp shaped girl’s orientation towards nature
3rd	Natalie Gibby, Kaitlin Tyler	Suzanne Adams	Nauvoo the Beautiful: Mapping the Deeds of Hancock County
Political Science
1st	Savannah Leavitt	Celeste Beesley	"When No One is Home": The Transition to Transnational Terrorism
2nd	Owen McKay, Jonah Messinger	Chris Krewson	Policy Loss Over Partisanship: How Policy Loss and Partisanship Impact Support for Ignoring Court Decisions
3rd	Katelyn Boyer	Michael Barber, Quinn Mecham	Beyond Ideology: How Identity Appeals Move Voters Across Europe
4th	Esme' Bolander, Mary Moody, Emma Thomas	Ethan Busby	"Judge Not the Stranger": Partisanship, Social Media, and Support for Immigration Tactics
Psychology
1st	Lily McGee	Elizabeth Wood	Disrupted Beginnings: How Early Attachment Shapes Emotional Development
2nd	Dallan Nelson	Adriane Cavallini, David Erekson	An Archival Evaluation of the Effect of Eating and Body Image on Distress and Outcomes at a University Counseling Center (Replication)
3rd	Emma Crowe, Evelyn Thrasher	Jenae Nelson	Thriving in Motion: Meaning, Motivation, and Identity in a Dance Camp Intervention
4th	Justine Lyons	Blake Jones	Measuring Relaxation Guilt in BYU Students
Sociology
1st	Chloe Stoker	Mikaela Dufur	Social Capital, Risky Sex, and Gender: Community Based Protections for Adolescents
2nd	Sophie Smith	Melissa Alcaraz, Jane Lopez, Hayley Pierce	Tell Their Stories: Suicidality Amongst Unaccompanied Minors in ORR Care
3rd	Kiley Johnson, Emily Pulsipher	Jonathan Jarvis	Stress on steroids: the impact of academic pressure on student well-being in Korea’s top universities
4th	Cambria Hayes, Alexa Morrow, Cami Rotar, Julia Widenmann-Hernandez	Jane Lopez	Structured Mentoring for Life Science Majors

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1st Place Anthropology Department: "Building Backgrounds by Bottles" Jeremy Bennett and Scott Ure pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Zach Chase

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1st Place Economics Department: "The Duration of Widowhood in the United States" Sami Adamson, Josh Nicholls and Jose Price pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Sven Wilson.

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First Place School of Family Life: "Timing is everything, or is it? Parent-child Sex Communication and Child Sexual Anxiety with Self-Regulation as a Moderator." Ellee Mitchell and Ashley LeBaron Black pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Nathan Leonhardt and Chelom Leavitt

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2nd Place School of Family Life: "How She’s Framed: Sexualization of Women in Music Videos: A Content Analysis" Lara Maximiano Almeida, Faye Payne, and Sarah Coyne pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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3rd Place School of Family Life: "The Roots of Giving: Parental Influence on Children's Financial Behavior" Michelle Si and Ashley LeBaron Black pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Nathan Leonhardt.

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4th Place School of Family Life: "Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Does Teamwork Moderate the Relationship Between Money Scripts and Financial Communication?" Taylor Etherington, Spring Jeppson, and Ashley LeBaron Black pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Sophie Knecht, Alene Makrush, Kendyll Star.

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2nd Place Geography Department: "How a Dendrochronological Analysis of Historic Log Cabins in Fillmore, Utah Challenged its Traditional History" Megan Welch and Matt Bekker pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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1st Place History Department: "Global Iconoclasm: Exploring the Continuity of Statue Removal Throughout History" Coleman Gagon poses with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Paul Kerry

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2nd Place History Department: "The Outdoor Girls: How Girls’ Camp shaped girl’s orientation towards nature" Emma Marx and Rebecca DeSchweinitz pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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3rd Place History Department: "Nauvoo the Beautiful: Mapping the Deeds of Hancock County" Natalie Gibby, Kaitlin Tyler, and Suzanne Adams pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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1st Place Political Science Department: "'When No One is Home': The Transition to Transnational Terrorism" Savannah Leavitt and Celeste Beesley pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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2nd Place Political Science Department: "Policy Loss Over Partisanship: How Policy Loss and Partisanship Impact Support for Ignoring Court Decisions" Owen McKay, Jonah Messinger, and Chris Krewson pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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Fourth Place Political Science Department: "'Judge Not the Stranger': Partisanship, Social Media, and Support for Immigration Tactics" Esme' Bolander, Mary Moody, Emma Thomas and Ethan Busby pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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1st Place Psychology Department: "Disrupted Beginnings: How Early Attachment Shapes Emotional Development" Lily McGee poses with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Elizabeth Wood.

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2nd Place Sociology Department: "Tell Their Stories: Suicidality Amongst Unaccompanied Minors in ORR Care" Sophie Smith, Melissa Alcaraz, Jane Lopez and Hayley Pierce pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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Third place Sociology Department: "Stress on steroids: the impact of academic pressure on student well-being in Korea’s top universities" Kiley Johnson and Jonathan Jarvis pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Emily Pulsipher

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4th Place Sociology Department: "Structured Mentoring for Life Science Majors" Cambria Hayes, Alexa Morrow, and Jane Lopez pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Cami Rotar, Julia Wildenmann-Hernandez

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Graduate Awards

Award	Presenter(s)	Mentor(s)	Title
Anthropology
1st	Meri Lesovska	Becky Schulthies	Talking Trees: Human Interpretations of Nonhuman Communication
School of Family Life
1st	Jennah Sheffield	Ashley LeBaron Black, Nathan Leonhardt, Adam Rogers	It's Not All Doomscrolling: Uncovering the Positive Impact of Social Media on Adolescents
2nd	Briella Smith	Ashley LeBaron Black, Nathan Leonhardt, Larry Nelson	Engaged with the Idea: Marital Horizons and Emerging Adult Well-being
Psychology
1st	Bridger Lisonbee	Sam Hardy	Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Purpose: A Latent Transition Analysis of Adolescent Religious Experiences and Parental Influences
Sociology
1st	Lexy Comish, Lauryn Wilde	Jacob Rugh, Michael Wood	“I Have Struggled to Feel a Sense of Belonging”: Black Latter-day Saint Perceptions of Belonging Inside and Outside Utah

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1st Place Anthropology Department: "Talking Trees: Human Interpretations of Nonhuman Communication" Meri Lesovska poses with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Becky Schulthies.

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1st Place School of Family Life: "It's Not All Doomscrolling: Uncovering the Positive Impact of Social Media on Adolescents" Jennah Sheffield and Ashley LeBaron Black pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Nathan Leonhardt, Adam Rogers.

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2nd Place School of Family Life: "Engaged with the Idea: Marital Horizons and Emerging Adult Well-being" Briella Smith and Ashley LeBaron Black pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Larry Nelson, Nathan Leonhardt.

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1st Place Psychology Department: "Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Purpose: A Latent Transition Analysis of Adolescent Religious Experiences and Parental Influences" Bridger Lisonbee poses with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Sam Hardy

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1st Place Sociology Department: "'I Have Struggled to Feel a Sense of Belonging': Black Latter-day Saint Perceptions of Belonging Inside and Outside Utah" Lauryn Wilde and Michael Wood pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Lauryn Wilde, Jacob Rugh.

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Center Awards

Award	Presenter(s)	Mentor(s)	Title
Belonging and Diversity
1st	Jessica Paz	Juan Valladares Flores	When Parents Talk (or Don’t): The Role of Color-Blind Attitudes and Racial Socialization in Children’s Racial Bias
2nd	Krista Wright	Rebecca DeSchweinitz	Defining American Girlhood in Death: The Construction of Girlhood in The New York Times Obituaries at the End of the Twentieth Century
3rd	Sydnee Beck, Emma Hicken	Alejandra Aldridge, Adam Dynes	Your Local Government is a Bunch of Old People
4th	Delaney Shaw	Haley Pierce	The Pregnancy-Related Experiences of Unaccompanied Minor Immigrants
BYU 150 \| Becoming BYU
1st	Hannah Criser, Andrew Vanderwood	Ethan Busby, Quin Monson, Kelly Patterson	In Fraud We Trust: Utahns and the Myth of the Stolen Election
2nd	Hanna Wilkins	Jacob Rugh	The Black Latter-day Saint Experience: Exploring Gendered Perspectives
3rd	Parker Peterson	Ruth Kerry	Improving Food Security: Determining Risk Zones for Toxic Crop Contamination
4th	Emily Anderson	Jocelyn Wikie	Fatherhood Matters: The Impact of Intact Families on Child Well-Being in Utah
Civic Engagement
1st	Sydnee Beck, Sydney Hendershot, Amelia Tarbet	Ethan Busby	Do Americans Hate Their Senators? It Depends.
2nd	Dallin Bundy, Jonah Messinger	Michael Barber	Redistricting Arms-Race: Which Institutions Draw Fairer Congressional Maps?
3rd	Bryson Mumford	Joe Price	Does it Pay Well to Serve God? Pay Differentials for Clergy in the 1940 U.S. Census
Gerontology
1st	Fernando Bello Vargas	Ashley LeBaron Black, Nathan Leonhardt, Jeremy Yorgason	Differential Burden in Dementia and Cancer Caregiving: A Cross-Sectional Study
2nd	Robert Betten, Eliza Dunn, Hannah Hatch, Ellee Mitchell, Trinity Smith, David Watkins	Chelom Leavitt, Jermy Yorgason	Seasons of Sexuality: Sexual Response Cycle Through Life Stages
Redd Center
1st	Lexy Comish, Lauryn Wilde	Jacob Rugh, Michael Wood	“I Have Struggled to Feel a Sense of Belonging”: Black Latter-day Saint Perceptions of Belonging Inside and Outside Utah
2nd	Jeremy Bennett	Zach Chase, Scott Ure	Building Backgrounds by Bottles
3rd	Taryn Frerichs	Michael Cope, Scott Sanders	Health in Rural Utah: Care Satisfaction and the Influence of Social Networks
4th	Aletta Day, Jessi Olsen	Paul Stavast	The Past and Future of Burials on BYU Campus

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Second Place Belonging and Diversity: "Defining American Girlhood in Death: The Construction of Girlhood in The New York Times Obituaries at the End of the Twentieth Century." Krista Wright and Rebecca Deschweinitz pose with Academic Vice President Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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3rd Place Belonging and Diversity: "Your Local Government is a Bunch of Old People" Sydnee Beck, Emma Hicken, Alejandra Aldridge, and Adam Dynes pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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4th Place Belonging and Diversity: "The Pregnancy-Related Experiences of Unaccompanied Minor Immigrants" Delaney Shaw and Hayley Pierce pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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1st BYU 150 | Becoming BYU: "In Fraud We Trust: Utahns and the Myth of the Stolen Election" Hannah Criser, Andrew Vanderwood, and Ethan Busby pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Quin Monson, Kelly Patterson.

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2nd Place Belonging and Diversity: "The Black Latter-day Saint Experience: Exploring Gendered Perspectives" Hanna Wilkins and Michael Wood pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Jacob Rugh

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Fourth Place BYU 150 | Becoming BYU: "Fatherhood Matters: The Impact of Intact Families on Child Well-Being in Utah" Emily Anderson poses with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Jocelyn Wikle

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1st Place Civic Engagement: "Do Americans Hate Their Senators? It Depends." Sydnee Beck, Sydney Hendershot, and Ethan Busby pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Amelia Tarbet.

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2nd Place Civic Engagement: "Redistricting Arms-Race: Which Institutions Draw Fairer Congressional Maps?" Dallin Bundy, Jonah Messinger, and Michael Barber poses with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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3rd Place Civic Engagement: "Does it Pay Well to Serve God? Pay Differentials for Clergy in the 1940 U.S. Census" Bryson Mumford and Joe Price pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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1st Place Gerontology: "Differential Burden in Dementia and Cancer Caregiving: A Cross-Sectional Study" Fernando Bello Vargas, Ashley Lebaron Black and Jeremy Yorgason pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Nathan Leonhardt

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2nd Place Gerontology: "Seasons of Sexuality: Sexual Response Cycle Through Life Stages" Robert Betten, Eliza Dunn, Hannah Hatch, Ellee Mitchell, David Watkins, and Jermy Yorgason pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Trinity Smith, Chelom Leavitt.

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1st Place Redd Center: "“I Have Struggled to Feel a Sense of Belonging”: Black Latter-day Saint Perceptions of Belonging Inside and Outside Utah" Lauryn Wilde and Michael Wood pose with Academic Vice President Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Lexy Comish, Jacob Rugh

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4th Place Redd Center: "The Past and Future of Burials on BYU Campus" Aletta Day, Jessi Olsen and Paul Stavast pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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Students' Choice Awards:

Award	Presenter(s)	Mentor(s)	Title
Timeliest Topic	Emma Law, Josh Carlin, Aderyn Dettman, Isabelle Aglaure	Blake Jones	Unexpected Side Effects: The Emerging Stigma Surrounding Ozempic, Zepbound, and other GLP-1 Agonist Medications
Best Presenter	Cambria Hayes	Lance Erickson	Money, Money, Money! Gambling in a Rich Man's World
Most Eye-Catching	Eliza Beazer	Hayley Pierce	Trends in Timing of Women's Sexual Debut by Time, Region, and Sociodemographic Characteristics in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Most Interesting Research	Faye Payne, Madison Juett, Kyle Auten, Kealohilani Grace, Caroline Montgomery	Sarah Coyne	YouTube's Influence Reconsidered: Content Quality Appears Unrelated to Children's Mental Health

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Students' Choice - Timeliest Topic: "Unexpected Side Effects: The Emerging Stigma Surrounding Ozempic, Zepbound, and other GLP-1 Agonist Medications" Josh Carlin and Blake Jones pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Emma Law, Aderyn Dettman, Isabelle Aglaure.

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Students' Choice Award - Best Presenter: "Money, Money, Money! Gambling in a Rich Man's World" Cambria Hayes and Lance Erickson pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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Students' Choice Award - Most Eye Catching Poster: "Trends in Timing of Women's Sexual Debut by Time, Region, and Sociodemographic Characteristics in Low- and Middle-Income Countries" Eliza Beazer and Hayley Pierce pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker.

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Students' Choice Award - Most Interesting Research: "YouTube's Influence Reconsidered: Content Quality Appears Unrelated to Children's Mental Health" Faye Payne, Madison Juett, Kealohilani Grace, Caroline Montgomery, and Sarah Coyne pose with AVP Justin Collings and Dean Laura Padilla-Walker. Not photographed: Kyle Auten.

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Students Display Fruits of Mentored Research in 300 Posters

On Thursday, Dec. 4 FHSS students showcased their innovation, discoveries, and insights at the Mary Lou Fulton Mentored Student Research Conference.

Undergraduate Awards

Anthropology

Economics

School of Family Life

Geography

History

Political Science

Psychology

Sociology

Graduate Awards

Anthropology

School of Family Life

Psychology

Sociology

Center Awards

Belonging and Diversity

BYU 150 | Becoming BYU

Civic Engagement

Gerontology

Redd Center

Students' Choice Awards:

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