Twenty Susquehanna University students recently presented faculty-mentored research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Richmond, Virginia.
Students presented research in chemistry, physics, political science, history, environmental science, ecology and computer science alongside peers from colleges and universities across the country.
Ahmed Lachhab, associate professor and co-department head of earth & environmental sciences, led the Susquehanna students contingent at NCUR.
“This conference gives students far more than a platform to present their research,” Lachhab said. “It immerses them in a vibrant academic community where they can exchange ideas, connect with undergraduates from colleges and universities across the country, and broaden their perspectives. Beyond gaining insight from presentations in their field, students also develop professionally through the experience of participating in a scholarly conference.”
NCUR is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity by sponsoring an annual conference for students. This conference provides students with a unique opportunity to celebrate and promote undergraduate work and develop career readiness. Each year, NCUR hosts 3,500 to 4,000 students from across the globe who present their research through posters, oral presentations, visual arts and performances. Susquehanna has participated in NCUR for more than 15 years.
Jack Thon, a history-secondary education major from Owings, Maryland, presented his research titled, “Sick and Tired: Farlulu’s Story in the Gambia,” a project about Liberated Africans, a subsection of enslaved individuals in Africa.
Only one other person has ever presented on this topic at NCUR, Thon said.
“I know hundreds, and probably thousands, of students will be presenting, but for even just one person to come away from my presentation feeling some emotion is a success for me,” Thon said.
Other student presenters were:
Lucy Anders ’26, biomedical sciences, The effects of chronic exposure to agrochemical residues on spiderling mortality in the wolf spider Rabidosa rabida
Eric Belfanti ’26, physics, Even Nature Likes to Flash: Predicting Stream Flashiness to Mitigate Flood Events
Ethan Bell ’26, history, Technology that Shaped the Second World War Mechanization in the U.S. Cavalry 1919-1945
Melanie Ceylan ’26, biochemistry, Determining the function of gene YPR013C in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Rebecca Cree ’26, physics and mathematics, Analyzing a Simple Mechanical Representation of ACL Injuries
Emma Dickinson ’26, earth & environmental sciences, Ixodes scapularis Larval Tick Attachment to Different Fabric Types
Emma Eberle ’26, biomedical sciences, Agrochemicals as infodisruptors on courtship and mating behavior of the wolf spider Tigrosa helluo
Ryan Flood ’26, history, Insert Coin: How the Console Wars prompted video game companies to “level up” from the ’70s to the ’90s
Cole Goodwin ’26, earth & environmental sciences, Impact of Dam Intake Depth on the Outflow water Conditions: A Case Study of Walker Lake, Snyder County, PA
Jamison Greiner ’26, political science, Aid or Ailment: The Effect of Foreign Aid on Sub-Sahara African Democracies
Paige Hepfer ’26, ecology and advertising & public relations, A Slimy Situation: Landscape effects on Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) morphology within West Branch Susquehanna River watersheds
Chad Lovenguth ’26, computer science, Comparing Machine Learning and Game-Theoretic Strategies in No Limit Texas Hold ’Em
Emmit Miller ’26, earth & environmental sciences, Evaluating Fog Liquid Water Content Through Capacitive Sensing to Assess Fog Harvesting Potential
Sara Motz ’26, ecology, Silk following behavior and mate competition in male Northern crab spiders Mecaphesa asperata
Isabella Parra ’26, physics, Measuring Lunar Crater Depths Using Photometric Shadow Analysis
Jordan Rosenberg ’26, history-secondary education, Sisterhood Across Seas: Pan-Africanism and International Women’s Anti-Apartheid Networks during the 1970s-1980s
Jacob Thomas ’26, ecology, The Effects of Fishing Spider Dolomedes triton Silk Cues on Defensive Behaviors and Predation of Aquatic Beetles (Peltodytes sp.)
Gabriel Torres ’26, ecology, How do Invasive Plant Density and Herbicide Application Rates Influence the Success of Riparian Buffer Restoration Over a Two-year Period?
Sami Zain ’26, physics, Revitalizing Observational Astronomy: Mastering Flat Fields
