Skip to content

Student work at Diversity Research Showcase spans disciplines across MSU

DRS award winners pictured with Honors College Interim Dean Glenn Chambers.

By Sloane Barlow

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Honors College hosted the 8th Annual Diversity Research Showcase on Friday, January 24 at the MSU Union. The Diversity Research Showcase (DRS) features an expansive range of university-wide student research focused on issues of diversity that advance inclusion.  

This year included work from over 60 students across 12 of MSU’s degree-granting colleges. The event featured Honors College members and non-members across the university with topics such as analyzing barriers faced by Spanish speakers, impacts of technology on human rights, and effects of enculturation through music, among others.

Thanks to generous donations from program sponsors, monetary prizes from $150-$750 were awarded to the top presenters in the oral and poster categories.   

“This multidisciplinary collaboration reflects the power of diverse perspectives to drive meaningful change and celebrates the innovative research happening across the university,” Honors College Director of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Erika Crews said in a previous release. 

Students were recognized for their research at an awards ceremony and reception following the presentations.  

Poster Presentations 

Poster presenters shared their work online, and they also had the option to informally present their work at the MSU Union to attendees and judges.  

“It really gives me very active feedback on my project,” said fifth place awardee, Lowell Monis. Monis presented on diversity and its effect on government policy, a continuing research project he started his first year at MSU.  

Monis also won the 2024 DRS Preliminary Research Award for the same project, featured in a previous release 

“To know that I won a second time means that I am on the right path,” he continued.   

Monis will be submitting both his projects to the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum, and plans to use the feedback from DRS judges to see how he can improve.  

First Prize ($750) 

Manasi Kulkarni

  • Assessing the Feasibility of Allied Professionals Delivering CBT for Pediatric Plan
  • Fourth-year student
  • Neuroscience
  • Lyman Briggs College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natoshia Cunningham

Ivana Khreizat

  • Assessing the Feasibility of Allied Professionals Delivering CBT for Pediatric Plan
  • Third-year student
  • Human Medicine
  • Lyman Briggs College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natoshia Cunningham

Second Prize ($600) 

Haley Price

  • Early Intervention in Language and Service Access for English and Spanish-Speaking Caregivers of Children with Social Communication Delays 
  • Second year student
  • Psychology
  • College of Social Science 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Brooke Ingersoll

Third Prize ($450) 

Aaron Mallamad

  • Occurrence of Heart Conditions and Diabetes Across States with and without a History of Jim Crow Racial Segregation in Population Aged 50+ 
  • First-year student
  • Data Science
  • College of Natural Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Jim Anthony

Fourth Prize ($300) 

Abigail Rodriguez

  • RCAH Sister Circle as a Third Space 
  • Fourth-year student
  • Arts and Humanities, Political Science Pre-law
  • Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, College of Social Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentors: Dr. Tama Hamilton-Wray and Dr. Sitara Thobani

Alana Mapp

  • RCAH Sister Circle as a Third Space 
  • Second-year student
  • Sociology and Interdisciplinary Studies
  • College of Social Science 
  • Research Mentors: Dr. Tama Hamilton-Wray and Dr. Sitara Thobani

Kellsey Hall

  • RCAH Sister Circle as a Third Space
  • Second-year student
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Residential College in the Arts and Humanities 
  • Research Mentors: Dr. Tama Hamilton-Wray and Dr. Sitara Thobani

Fifth Prize ($150) – Tie 

Destiny Kanning

Lowell Monis

  • Intersectionality in the Halls of Power: A Study of Diversity and its impact on Policy in the United States Congress and State Legislatures
  • Second-year student
  • Data Science, World Politics
  • College of Natural Science, College of Social Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Matt Grossmann

Oral Presentations 

Students gave five-minute oral presentations of their research, with two minutes for questions.  

“I felt like it was a recognition of all the effort and thought and time I spent into this research presentation,” said first place awardee Riley Starr. Starr presented her research on sex bias in the juvenile delinquency assessment system.  

“Especially in this day and age, diversity, equity, and inclusion are more important than ever, and I think it shows the importance of the diversity research showcase,” she continued.  

First Prize ($750) 

Riley Starr

  • An In-depth Exploration on Sex Bias in Juvenile Delinquency Risk Assessment 
  • Fourth-year student
  • Criminal Justice
  • College of Social Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentors: Dr. Caitlin Cavanaugh and Natasha Chlebuch

Second Prize ($600) 

Ryan Longo

  • Redlined Lunch Rooms
  • Fourth-year student
  • Social Relations and Policy, Economics
  • James Madison College, College of Social Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Florencia Rojo

Third Prize ($450) – Tie 

Josie Danielkiewicz

  • Sexual Violence as a Method of Genocide in 1994 Rwanda and Its Aftermath
  • Fourth-year student
  • Political Science Pre-law
  • College of Social Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Michelle Moyd

Benjamin Nketsiah

  • Genetic Susceptibility to Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Among Women of West African Ancestry 
  • Second-year student
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
  • College of Natural Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Evelyn Jiagge

Fourth Prize ($300) – Tie 

Arden Henderson

  • Get to Know My Community: Community Driven Guidance for Future Transgender and Nonbinary Focused Research
  • Fifth-year student
  • Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science
  • College of Social Science 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Jae Puckett

Sumaiya Imad

  • Survivors to Leaders: Co-produced Models for Combating Human Trafficking
  • Second-year student
  • Economics
  • College of Social Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. John Waller

Anel Robinson

  • Women in Command: Exploring Female Political Representation in Zambia 
  • Fourth-year student
  • Political Science, African American and African Studies
  • College of Social Science, College of Arts and Letters, Honors College 
  • Research Mentors: Dr. Michael Wahman and Dr. John Waller

Sophia Zuber

  • Psychological Distress Profiles of Persons Living With HIV/AIDS, Male-Female Variations Stratified By Ethnic Self-Identification Subgroups 
  • Second-year student
  • Human Biology
  • Lyman Briggs College, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Jim Anthony

Fifth Prize ($150) – Tie 

Natalie Liliensiek

  • The Harlem Renaissance and the Madwoman in the Attic
  • Third-year student
  • English and Arabic
  • College of Arts and Letters, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Joshua Lam

Yigit Akan

  • Examining the Effects of Enculturation on Narratives and Interpretation of Music Excerpts 
  • Second-year student
  • English Literature
  • College of Arts and Letters, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natalie Phillips

Allison Doneth

  • Examining the Effects of Enculturation on Narratives and Interpretation of Music Excerpts 
  • Third-year student
  • Neuroscience
  • Lyman Briggs College, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natalie Phillips

Natalie Seitz

  • Examining the Effects of Enculturation on Narratives and Interpretation of Music Excerpts 
  • Third-year student
  • Neuroscience
  • Lyman Briggs College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natalie Phillips

Honorable Mentions 

Abigail Brooks

  • Redefining Accessibility in Museum Spaces: Methodologies and Practices for a More Inclusive Future 
  • Second-year student
  • English and Humanities Pre-law
  • College of Arts and Letters 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natalie Phillips

Brayden Chrisman

  • Redefining Accessibility in Museum Spaces: Methodologies and Practices for a More Inclusive Future 
  • Second-year student
  • English Secondary Education
  • College of Arts and Letters, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natalie Phillips

Lorraine Inman

  • Redefining Accessibility in Museum Spaces: Methodologies and Practices for a More Inclusive Future 
  • Second-year student
  • Games and Interactive Media, English
  • Communication Arts and Sciences, College of Arts and Letters, Honors College 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Natalie Phillips

Jaida Gouldbourne

  • An Analysis of the Enslaved Population of Amity Hall Plantation, Jamaica in 1820
  • Third-year student
  • Criminal Justice
  • College of Social Science, Honors College 
  • Research Mentors: Dr. Walter Hawthorne and Dr. John Waller

Sereyroath (Ventong) Ya

  • Workplace Gaslighting and Employee Reactions 
  • Third-year student
  • Psychology
  • College of Social Science 
  • Research Mentor: Dr. Quinetta Roberson

A full album from the event is available here. Those who wish to support next year’s Diversity Research Showcase are invited to contact Erika Crews at ecrews@msu.edu.

Back To Top