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Contact: Sasha Steinberg

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Faculty-guided research projects completed by 160 graduate students throughout the current school year recently were on display at Mississippi ßŮÁ¨´ŤĂ˝.

During the university’s Graduate Student Research Symposium, 27 of those students received top awards for their work during the fall 2016 and spring 2017 semesters.

The event was co-sponsored by the MSU Graduate School and Graduate Student Association.

Projects submitted for competition were assigned to one of four categories, including arts and humanities; life and biomedical sciences and engineering; physics, mathematics, computer science and engineering; and social and behavioral sciences.

A team of 50 campus faculty members representing a cross-section of academic areas served as judges. Thirty student coordinators from the Graduate Student Association and Graduate Ambassadors program also provided assistance for the symposium.

This year’s winners include (by project type and category):

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

ARTS AND HUMANITIES

FIRST—Caitlin A. Ruby of Long Beach, a geoscience/geospatial sciences master’s student.

SECOND—Tianyu Li of Starkville, a native of China simultaneously pursuing a doctoral degree in earth and atmospheric sciences and a master’s degree in statistics.

THIRD—Aynaz Lotfata of Starkville, a native of Iran pursuing a doctoral degree in earth and atmospheric sciences.

HONORABLE MENTION— Zhangjin Xu of Starkville, a native of China pursuing a doctoral degree in engineering/applied physics. She earlier earned a master’s degree in physics from MSU.

HONORABLE MENTION—Olanrewaju A. Raji of Starkville, a forest resources/sustainable bioproducts doctoral student from Nigeria who earlier earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and master’s degree in agricultural life sciences from MSU.

HONORABLE MENTION—Sarah M. Montgomery of Starkville, an Ohio native pursuing a master’s degree in plant and soil sciences/agronomy.

HONORABLE MENTION—Preeti J. Muire of Starkville, a native of India pursuing a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine science/infectious disease.

LIFE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING

FIRST—Keelee J. McCarty of Shady Spring, West Virginia, an agriculture/animal science master’s student who earlier graduated cum laude with bachelor’s degrees in animal and dairy science and biochemistry.

SECOND—Kathryn M. “Katie” Cooley-Lock of Birmingham, Alabama, a veterinary medicine doctoral and agricultural life sciences/animal physiology master’s graduate who also holds a bachelor’s degree in animal and dairy sciences from MSU.

THIRD—Gourav Sharma of Starkville, a native of India pursuing a master’s degree in plant and soil sciences/weed science.

PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

FIRST—Ashkan Khalili of Starkville, a native of Iran pursuing a doctoral degree in engineering/aerospace engineering.

SECOND—Sheida Riahi of Starkville, a mathematical sciences doctoral student who earlier earned a master’s degree in statistics from MSU.

THIRD—Maheshwar Ghimire of Starkville, a native of Nepal pursuing a doctoral degree in engineering/applied physics.

SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

FIRST— Jeffrey D. Simpson of Spring, Texas, a kinesiology/exercise science doctoral student.

SECOND—Jenny Bailey Jones of Kosciusko, an instructional systems and workforce development doctoral student who holds a bachelor’s degree in technology teacher education and a Master of Science in Technology. She also earned an Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in technology from MSU.

THIRD—Margaret L. Bernheim of Gulfport, an educational psychology/school psychology doctoral student and summa cum laude psychology bachelor’s graduate of MSU.

VISUAL DISPLAYS

ARTS AND HUMANITIES

FIRST—Irmarie Cruz Lopez of Starkville, a native of Puerto Rico pursuing a doctoral degree in educational psychology/school psychology.

SECOND—Madison A. Sully of Charlotte, North Carolina, who is pursuing an Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in school psychology. She earlier earned a master’s degree in educational psychology/psychometry from MSU.

LIFE AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING

FIRST—Mercedes Siegle-Gaither of Montello, Wisconsin, a forestry master’s student.

SECOND—Chathu Wijewardana of Starkville, a native of Sri Lanka pursuing a doctoral degree in plant and soil sciences/agronomy. She earlier earned a master’s degree in agriculture/agronomy from MSU.

THIRD—Saira Talwar of Waukesha, Wisconsin, pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology/exercise physiology.

PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

FIRST—Medagama Liyanage Achala Sandamali Liyanage of Starkville, a native of Sri Lanka pursuing a doctoral degree in chemistry.

SECOND—Sally C. D. Dillon of Starkville, a biological engineering master’s student.

THIRD—Zhuo Wang of Starkville, a native of China pursuing a doctoral degree in engineering/mechanical engineering.

SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

FIRST—Poram Choi of Starkville, a native of South Korea pursuing a doctoral degree in kinesiology/exercise science.

SECOND—Ethan D. Lantz of Starkville, an applied psychology/clinical psychology doctoral student simultaneously pursuing a master’s degree in psychology.

THIRD—Alice C. Long of Starkville, an Arkansas native pursuing a doctoral degree in human development and family science. She earlier earned a master’s degree in human development and family studies from MSU.

For more information about MSU’s Graduate School and Graduate Student Association, visit .

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