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Undergraduate research prepares students for future careers

Posted on Friday, May 06, 2022

Undergraduate Research presentations

Since both of her parents are teachers, Political Science Major Madison Demkowski’s ’22 passion for education was instilled in her at a young age.

When she was in the process of selecting the topic of her Undergraduate Research project, she decided to focus on finding solutions to help improve education gaps within the state’s school systems.

“I hope to see a change in the education system one day and see schools properly funded and properly run to set students up for academic success,” Demkowski said.

She said she developed her topic entitled “What Really Failed Students: The COVID-19 Policies or School Funding?” by researching the funds and test scores of certain Georgia school systems.

“I compared the test scores of these counties, and I found that if a county was mostly funded by the local government, then they tended to do worse after the pandemic for test scores unlike the mostly state-funded schools,” Demkowski said. “This occurred because locally funded counties did not have as many resources to teach virtually during the pandemic unlike the state schools.”

Demkowski, who hopes to work in local and state politics, said she wants to continue her research after graduation, expanding her research to all 159 counties in Georgia.

“I would like to bring my research to local and state representatives to show them how important it is to fix the education gaps within the school systems and to show that there must be solutions to policies set forth that have not necessarily worked.”

Demkowski was one of 22 students who presented at the Undergraduate Research Poster Session that was held April 28 at the Hudson Lab Sciences Building. This year’s event included projects covering Political Science, History, Art and Design, Psychological Science, Biology, Sociology, Theatre, Business and Music.

Undergraduate research plays a significant role in helping students grow in their individual fields, according to Dr. Greg McClanahan, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs.

“It provides opportunities for students to think critically and learn to communicate as a member of their academic discipline,” McClanahan said.

Dr. Christi Hu, Associate Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Undergraduate Research, said there are two groups of students who benefit from this event.

Undergraduate Research students review a project“The students who did the projects benefit by getting the practice of talking about their work, summarizing their findings or final product, and answering questions,” Hu said. “The students viewing the projects get to have a sneak peek at what they will be capable of during their last year.”

Dr. John Tures, Professor of Political Science and research mentor had seven students presenting at the research session.

“My role is merely to share their stories, to inspire the current generation and to let them know that conference presentation or research publication is possible because others like them have done it in prior years,” Tures said. “I believe that's true of other programs at LaGrange College.”

Every year, four student researchers are selected to receive the Hines Undergraduate Research award at Honors Day. The award is given to winners in four categories: Basic Research; Applied Research; Religious, Historical and Literary Analysis; and Performance and Creative Projects.

This year’s winners included Alexis Simmons ’22, Basic Research; Madison Demkowski, Applied Research; Chase Davis ’22, Religious, Historical and Literary Analysis; and DJ Kelly ’22, Creative/Performance.

Kelly, who was one of 13 student researchers to also present at the National Collegiate Undergraduate Research Conference in April, said he enjoyed being able to showcase all the Theatre props he has made in the four years he has been involved with the department.

“It was rewarding to stand in front of a group of people and explain my process and how I have come to be the props person that I am today,” Kelly said.

LaGrange College sent more presenters to this year’s virtual NCUR conference than larger schools that include University of Georgia, Valdosta State University, and Emory University.

 

Campus Notes

  • The annual Honors Day recognitions were presented April 28. Academic and service awards were presented to faculty and students for their outstanding achievements. Senior Jasmine Middleton was named the winner of the Waights G. Henry Jr. Leadership Award, the highest honor given to a student.
  • The Senior Art and Design Exhibition will open Friday, May 6, with a reception at 6 p.m. at Lamar Dodd Art Center. Students will present an exhibit of their best work as a culmination of their LaGrange experience.
  • LaGrange College Music will present “We Sing”— a celebration of song featuring singers from the studios of Dr. Andrea Jarmon, Voice Instructor, and Dr. Toni Anderson, Professor of Music, on Tuesday, May 10, at 7 p.m. in Callaway Auditorium. Several guest artists will participate in the free concert. Ken Passmore will be the collaborative artist.
  • Dr. John Cook, Professor of Religion, recently published "Titus 1:12: Epimenides, Ancient Christian Scholars, The Death of Zeus, and the Cretan Paradox," in Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum/Journal of Ancient Christianity.
  • Congratulations to this semester’s graduating seniors who have registered to ring the Chapel Bell to celebrate their accomplishments. The list includes Audrey Harkness, offered a full-time job as a Junior Graphic Designer with MGroup; and Emily O'Neil, accepted into the Digital Media Arts and Engineering graduate program at Louisiana State University. Participants are invited to take photos and post them to social media with the hashtag #LCSoundofSuccess.

 

Cultural Enrichment Events

Check LC Connect for Virtual CE events and instructions.

Through Friday, May 6

Young Alumni Lecture: Anna Britt Crawford ’19 (Virtual)

  • Learn from Anna Britt Crawford as she discusses her time as an undergraduate student and what advice and insight she has for current undergraduates. Crawford is a wedding/event coordinator as well as a veterinarian practice manager in Thomaston, Georgia.

Young Alumni Lecture: Matt Montgomery ’07, M’09; and Casey Montgomery ’12, M’14 (Virtual)

  • Learn from Matt and Casey Montgomery as they discuss their time as undergraduate students and what advice and insight they have for current undergraduates. They are international educators currently residing in Tirana, Albania.

Young Alumni Lecture: Grace Margaret Neal ’20 (Virtual)

  • Learn from Grace Margaret Neal as she discusses her time as an undergraduate student and what advice and insight she has for current undergraduates. She is the individual giving manager at Atlanta Community Food Bank. 

Young Alumni Lecture: Larry Thompson Jr. ’85 (Virtual)

  • Learn from Larry Thompson Jr. as he discusses his time as an undergraduate student and what advice and insight he has for current undergraduates. He is the owner and operator of Grand Slam Tournaments in Panama City Beach, Florida. At LC, he served as a softball and volleyball coach.

Young Alumni Lecture: Savannah Thomley ’18 (Virtual)

  • Learn from Savannah Thomley as she discusses her time as an undergraduate student and what advice and insight she has for current undergraduates. She is a travel registered nurse.

Tuesday, May 10

My Life with the Braves
11:15 a.m., Corn Auditorium

  • Katie Hearn ’12 will speak to students about her role as Senior Coordinator of Digital and Accessible Services for the Atlanta Braves.

 

Video of the Week

The Inauguration of Dr. Susanna Baxter

Campus and community leaders gathered April 22 to celebrate Dr. Susanna Baxter’s official installation as the college’s 26th president.

 

Sports

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Baseball
The fourth-ranked Panthers opened the USA South Tournament Bracket #2 with a 27-1 win over William Peace on Thursday at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium. David Smigelski was 4-for-4 with a home run and seven RBIs. LC had seven players named to the USA South All-Conference teams, including Joe Ruth, who was named the USA South Player of the Year. David Kelton was named the USA South Coach of the Year for the second time.The Panthers will face Covenant at 5:00 p.m. today.

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Lacrosse
Junior goalie Isaac Bohrer and junior midfielder Ben Bryan were second team USA South All-Conference selections.

 

In the Headlines

 

Category: Academics

Keywords: research, awards, baseball

Last updated: 05/06/2022