Research Spotlight: Inaugural Diversity Scholars Forum
The Diversity Scholars Forum held on Friday, March 24 showcased research that centers on diversity, equity and inclusion issues related to the community － both on campus and in the greater Charlotte community. To showcase their work, amplify their voices and celebrate the value of diversity, student presenters gave short lightning-round style poster presentations about their research projects.
Diversity Scholars Forum presenters represented three different colleges at UNC Charlotte: the Cato College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Belk College of Business.
- Cassie Bryson-Evans who is studying Educational Leadership in the Ed.D. program presented on the topic of “Learning from Testimonials About Equity in Educational Leadership: Experiences of Latinx public school administrators in North Carolina.”
- Aaron Nance who is studying Curriculum & Instruction in the Ph.D. program spoke about “Overrepresentation of Black Students in Special Education classes in Elementary School in North Carolina.”
- Joshua Pope, who is studying Curriculum & Instruction in the Ph.D. program, discussed STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and the “Effects of Early Access and Awareness.”
- Emily Shaw who studies Educational Leadership in the Ed.D. program presented on the topic of “An Exploratory Study of Barriers and Supports Faced by Women Superintendents.”
- Liane She studies Educational Leadership in the Ed.D. program and spoke about “Faculty Experiences in Teaching Students with Vision Impairments in Higher Education Online Language Courses.”
- Lauren Slane who is currently studying Educational Leadership in the Ed.D. program discussed “Women of Color in STEM: Navigating the Transfer Experience.”
- Cynthia Stone who is in the Ed.D. program and studies Educational Leadership presented on the topic of “Where Are The Black Women? The Underrepresentation and Experiences of Black Women in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership.”
- Yi Wang who is in the Ph.D. Program and studies Educational Research Measurement & Evaluation spoke on the topic of “How do Community College Students Have Different Engagement Patterns?”
- Johnine Williamson who is studying Educational Leadership, in the Ed.D. program discussed “The Voices of African American Men with Learning Disabilities in a four-year Predominantly White Institution.”
- Haley Cooper, Clysha Whitlow and Shaina Glass who all study Health Psychology in the Ph.D. program presented as a trio on the topic of “Collecting Intersectional Data For LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health Research: An Environmental Scan Review.”
- Jay Gulick who is studying Sociology in the M.A. program presented on the topic of “Marginalized & Missing Life: Pandemic Related Grief of LGBTQ+ College Students in the South.”
- Maverick Huneycutt is in the MA program studying History and his topic was “So Rude and So Crude”: Charlotte’s History with Urban Renewal and the Annihilation of the African American Community and Culture of Brooklyn: 1960-1970.”
- Rachel Siegal studies Health Psychology in the Ph.D. program and presented on the topic of “Until the neighborhood become majority white, they’re not going to do anything”: Understanding community violence within the context of structural racism, rapid gentrification, and community advocacy.”
- Caroline West who is in the M.S. program and studies Chemistry spoke about “Drugs, DNA, and Depression.”
- Miguel Wilson who studies Sociology in the M.A./Organizational Science Ph.D. program presented on the topic of “I had to make a sacrifice”: The Gender-Diverse Emotional Labor Framework (GeDEL).”
- Helen Gardner who is in the Ph.D. program and studies Business Administration spoke about “Monetary Policy and Rate Inequalities.”
The Diversity Scholars Forum was funded through an Inclusive Excellence Grant from the Office of Diversity and was planned by the Graduate School’s Diversity Committee. Also in addition to great feedback from peers and professionals, scholars who presented also received a modest stipend for sharing their research. The Diversity Scholars Forum was sponsored by the Graduate School and was held in conjunction with the Graduate Research Symposium. The annual Graduate Research Symposium (GRS) is an interdisciplinary graduate student-run conference by the Graduate & Professional Student Government that showcases astounding research of graduate and professional students. At the GRS, there are presentations from various areas of study within graduate certificate, master’s and doctoral programs.
Students who participate in the Annual Graduate Research Symposium compete for monetary awards in their respective categories. Faculty and expert judges grade presentations in the following areas:
- Oral Presentation
- Knowledge of Topic
- Organization and Approach
- Vocal and Physical Delivery
- Clarity of Lay Person
- Originality and Applications of the Work
- Poster Presentation
- Research Content
- Presentation
- Poster Appearance
First place poster in this year’s competition:
- Amy Bianca from the Cato College of Education
- Seyedehhamideh Hosseiniirani from the College of Arts + Architecture
- Saquib Sarwar from the College of Computing & Informatics
- Sherry Thomas from the College of Health & Human Services
- Shaina Glass from the College of Liberal Arts
- Mehnaz Tarannum from the College of Science
- Hardik Gajera from The William States Lee College of Engineering
First place in the oral portion of this year’s competition:
- Thai Ray Williams from the Cato College of Education
- Sanaz Sadat Hosseini from the College of Arts + Architecture
- Alfred Hubbard from the College of Computing & Informatics
- Christene D. Mergenthaler from the College of Health & Human Services
- Woheeb Muhammad Saeed from the College of Liberal Arts
- Sophie Sipprell from the College of Science
- Micheal A. Uduebor from The William States Lee College of Engineering
Second place poster in this year’s competition:
- Kiauhna A. Haynes from the Cato College of Education
- Akash R. Bhatia from the College of Computing & Informatics
- Cheri Granillo from the College of Health & Human Services
- Sophie Hirsch from the College of Liberal Arts
- Caitlin BrabbleRose and Kiran Lalwani from the College of Science
- Micheal A. Uduebor from The William States Lee College of Engineering
Second place in the oral portion of this year’s competition:
- Isaac I. Olufadewa from the College of Health & Human Services
- Ana J. Urrutia from the College of Liberal Arts
- Yupeng Yang from the College of Computing & Informatics
- Andrea L. Kirk from the College of Science
- Jincheng Zhang from The William States Lee College of Engineering
Third place poster in this year’s competition:
- Marah C. Lambert from the Cato College of Education
- Reyhaneh Nouri from the College of Computing & Informatics
- Laura Plantenberg from the College of Health & Human Services
- Ahmed Adel Abdelazeez from the College of Liberal Arts
- Md Ariful Islam Juel from The William States Lee College of Engineering.
Third place in the oral portion of this year’s competition:
- James K. Benson from the College of Health & Human Services
- Robert J. Irby from the College of Liberal Arts
- Saquib Sarwar from the College of Computing & Informatics
- Kaitlin E. Klotz from the College of Science
- Md Ariful Islam Juel from The William States Lee College of Engineering