Virginia Wesleyan’s Undergraduate Research Program provides funds to support student-researchers' presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. In the 2012-13 academic year, the following students have received conference grants.

• Ms. Kyle Austin ‘14, “Introspective Art Poetry.” Original poetry presented at the Sigma Tau Delta conference at Shepherd University in West Virginia, October 2012. Faculty Mentor: Professor Vivian Teter, Department of English.
• Ms. M. Katie Bennett ’13 with V.R. Townsend, Jr. “Reproductive morphology of three species of Neotropical harvestmen (Opiliones, Laniatores, Gonyleptoidea.” Poster presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Mr. Matthew Boyce ’13 with P. Rock. “A metagenomic comparison of the microflora from vermicompost with the intestinal microflora from the composting worm Eisenia foetida.” Paper presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013.  Faculty Mentors: Dr. Philip Rock, Department of Biology.
  
• Ms. Alexis Brown ‘14, “Diversity and Workplace Conflict: Challenges and Solutions.” Paper presented at the International Business Research Conference, Las Vegas, October 2012. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ehsan Salek, Department of Management, Business and Economics.
• Mr. Anderson Brown, “Gender Differences and Attitudes towards the Military.”  Paper presented at the Conference of the Virginia Psychological Association, Richmond, VA, April  2013. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Taryn Myers, Department of Psychology.
• Ms. Carissa Chantiles '13, “Political Gender Quotas and Substantive Equality: Do Quotas Really Matter?” Paper presented at the Saint Louis University Gender and Politics Conference, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, April 2013. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Aubrey Westfall, Department of Political Science.
• Mr. Michael Corder ‘15, “Mathematics Computations of Gram Matrices in Super Lie Algebras.” Paper presented at the Mercer University Undergraduate Research in Mathematics Conference, Atlanta, GA, February 2013.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Audrey Malagon, Department of Mathematics.
• Ms. Jessica Edleman ‘13, “The Relationship Between Social Media and Entry-Level Public Relations Positions.” Paper presented at the Undergraduate Honors Conference in Communication, Depauw University, Greencastle, IN, April 2013.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lisa Payne, Department of Communication.
• Mr. John Evans ’13 with M.H. Schaus, J.J. Illinik & V.R. Townsend, Jr. “Observations of leg injuries and wound healing in a Neotropical cosmetid harvestman.” Paper presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013.  Faculty Mentors: Drs. Maynard H. Schaus and Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Mr. Jeffrey Illinik ’14 with P. Rock and V.R. Townsend, Jr. “Scanning electron microscopy study of Neurospora crassa mutants.” Poster presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013. Faculty Mentors: Drs. Philip Rock and Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Mr. Jeffrey Illinik ’14 with M.H. Schaus and V.R. Townsend, Jr. “Food choice of the Neotropical harvestman Erginulus clavotibialis (Opiliones: Laniatores: Cosmetidae).” Poster presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013. Faculty Mentors: Drs. Maynard Schaus and Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
  Mr. Jeffrey J. Illinik ‘12 with V.R. Townsend, Jr. & P. Rock. “SEM imaging of Neurospora crassa mutants.” Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Virginia Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, Norfolk, Virginia, 2012. Faculty Mentors: Drs. Victor Townsend, Phillip Rock, & Maynard Schaus, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Megan Johnson ’13 with T. White and V.R. Townsend, Jr. “Microanatomy of Neotropical cosmetid harvestmen.” Poster presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
  Ms. Jessica Landry '13, “Christian Perspective on Ecology and Susan Cooper’s Natural Theology.” Paper presented at Under Western Skies 2 in Calgary, Alberta, October 2012. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joshua Weinstein, Department of English.
  Ms. Dolores Roberts ‘13, “Diversity and Work Teams.” Paper presented at the Society for Advancement of Management International Business Conference, Arlington, VA. March 2013. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul Ewell, Department of Management, Business and Economics.
• Ms. Jill Reynolds ‘15, “How College Students Get Their News in the Digital Age.” Paper presented at the Journalism Interactive Conference, University of Florida, February 2013.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lisa Payne, Department of Communication.
• Ms. Andrea Slurff ’14 with V.R. Townsend, Jr. “Comparative study of the microanatomy of Neotropical sclerosomatid harvestmen (Opiliones, Eupnoi).” Poster presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Andrea Slurff ’14 with D. Gonsalves-Jackson. “Ercolania manglephila: A new species of limapontian ascoglossan (=sacoglossan) from the Florida Keys (Opisthobranchia: Ascoglossa: Limapontiidae.” Poster presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Charleston, West Virginia, April 2013.  Faculty Mentor: Dr. Deirdre Gonsalves-Jackson, Department of Biology.

In previous years, the following student presented papers at academic conferences.

• Ms. Tiffany Brown ‘10, "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are: Gender Identity and College." Paper presented at the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, October, 2009. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Ashley Buck ‘10, Mallori King, and Kathy S. Stolley, “Shelter-Behind the Scenes: Unveiling the Stereotypes on a College Campus.” Paper presented at the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, October 2009. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Jessica Burns ‘06 with R.K. Hunter, D.N. Proud, J.A. Tibbetts, J.A. Burns & V.R. Townsend, Jr., "Field observations of the natural history of the harvestmen of Trinidad.” Poster presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 2006. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Dana R. Cook ‘11 with C. Wilson, D.N. Proud & V.R. Townsend, Jr., "Comparative study of genital morphology in Neotropical cosmetid harvestmen from Central America and the Caribbean." Poster presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Asheville, North Carolina, 2010. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Danielle R. Dardis ‘08 with S.R. Lazarowitz & V.R. Townsend, Jr., "Mark-recapture study of harvestmen occupying tree trunks in a rainforest in Trinidad, W.I." Poster presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Columbia, South Carolina, 2007. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Jessica Gonzalez ‘11 and Richard Robertson, "First Year Student HIV/AIDS Awareness." Paper presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Ithaca, NY, March, 2011. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Lauren P. Heltsley ‘07 with D.N. Proud & V.R. Townsend, Jr., "Behavioral interactions between Neotropical harvestmen and potential predators." Poster presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Columbia, South Carolina, 2007. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Rebecca K. Hunter ‘06 with D.N. Proud, J.A. Tibbetts, J.A. Burns & V.R. Townsend, Jr., "Field observations of the natural history of the harvestmen of Trinidad". Poster presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 2006. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Felecia Kiser, Kathy S. Stolley, Diane E. Hotaling, and Nuni Rae, “An On-Campus Homeless Shelter: Applied Sociology and Community Service in Action.” Paper presented at the American Sociological Association, New York, August 2007. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Amanda C. Ford and Elizabeth G. Malcolm, “A Laboratory Assessment of Reactive Gaseous Mercury Scavenging by Sea-salt Aerosols.”  Poster presented at the International Mercury Expo 2010, William and Mary College, Virginia, April 2010. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth G. Malcolm, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
• Ms. Kathleen Kern ‘10, "Pan-Hellenic Women and Release Figures: How Sorority Women Think a New Method of Recruitment Will Impact Their Organizations." San Antonio, Texas, October, 2009. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Kathleen Kern ‘10, Diane E. Hotaling, and Kathy Stolley, “Student Outreach Coordinators: Showcasing the Potential for Change when Classroom and Community Intersect.” Paper presented at the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, October, 2009. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Mallori King ‘10, Ashley Buck,  and Kathy S. Stolley, “Shelter-Behind the Scenes: Unveiling the Stereotypes on a College Campus.” Paper presented at the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, October 2009. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Suzie R. Lazarowitz ‘09 with D.R. Dardis & V.R. Townsend, Jr. "Field study of leaf litter activity by sclerosomatid and cosmetid harvestmen along the Northern Coast of Trinidad, W.I." Poster presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Columbia, South Carolina, 2007. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Heaven L. Meinnert with Ms. Lan M. Tran, Elizabeth G. Malcolm, Maynard H. Schaus, and Margaret L. Reese, “Mercury and Nutrients in Runoff from Vegetated Green Roofs.” Poster presented at the International Mercury Expo 2010, William and Mary College, Virginia, April 2010. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth G. Malcolm, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
• Mr. Daniel Proud ‘07 with V.R. Townsend, Jr., "Additions to the harvestmen fauna (Arachnida, Opiliones) of Trinidad, W.I." Poster presented at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Columbia, South Carolina, 2007. Faculty Mentor: Drs. Philip Rock & Victor Townsend, Department of Biology
• Ms. Nuni Rae, Felecia Kiser, Kathy S. Stolley, and Diane E. Hotaling, “An On-Campus Homeless Shelter,” Applied Sociology and Community Service in Action.”  Paper presented at the American Sociological Association, New York, August 2007. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Mr. Nourman J. Rana ‘08 with D.N. Proud, P. Rock & V.R. Townsend, Jr., “Post-embryonic development in neotropical harvestmen from Trinidad, W. I. (Opiliones, Laniatores, Cranaidae).” Poster presented at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Sciences, Hampton University, Virginia, 2008. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Hannah K. Ring ‘09 with V.R. Townsend, Jr., "The relationship between leg morphology and arboreal behavior in Neotropical harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones)." Poster presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Birmingham, Alabama, 2009. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Mr. Richard Robertson ‘11 and Jessica Gonzalez, "First Year Student HIV/AIDS Awareness." Paper presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Ithaca, NY: March, 2011. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathy Stolley, Department of Sociology.
• Ms. Jessica A. Tibbetts ‘06 with J.A. Burns, V.R. Townsend, Jr., D.N. Proud, R.K. Hunter & M.K. Moore. "Observations of parental care in the Neotropical harvestman Phareicranaus calcariferus (Opiliones, Laniatores, Cranaidae) from Trinidad, W.I." Poster presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 2006. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Victor Townsend, Department of Biology.
• Ms. Lan M. Tran with Heaven L. Meinnert, Elizabeth. G. Malcolm, Maynard H. Schaus, and Margaret L. Reese, “Mercury and Nutrients in Runoff from Vegetated Green Roofs.” Poster presented at the International Mercury Expo 2010, William and Mary College, Virginia, April 2010. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth G. Malcolm, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.