College Office of Undergraduate Research (COUR)
Overview
Welcome to the College Office of Undergraduate Research in the College of Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern University. The students and faculty of COSM are leaders in undergraduate-faculty research at Georgia Southern. Through COUR this successful collaboration will be supported and developed further via an annual Research Symposium. COUR will continue to seek ways for expanding undergraduate-faculty research in the College of Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern University.
A key objective for the University’s is discovery and dissemination of knowledge. Prompt and open dissemination of the results of research and creative activities to the public is essential to the University’s mission of instruction and research. Taken further, commercial development and distribution of such results to benefit the inventor, the public, and the economy can be considered part of the University’s mission of public service. The University’s intellectual property policy was crafted to facilitate the commercial development of intellectual property and to provide compensation to University inventors who participate in such development. Students have inventor rights under the policy and the College Office of Undergraduate Research encourages students to review the policy and become familiar with its provisions.
Mission
- To further the Undergraduate Research Experience in Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern University.
Objectives
- Support and enhance existing faculty-undergraduate research.
- Support student travel to present research.
- Facilitate the creation and support of new faculty-undergraduate research initiatives.
- Showcase faculty-undergraduate research.
COUR Structure
COUR is a division in the College of Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern University. The Directors of COUR have the responsibility of overseeing the mission objectives, facilitating specific responsibilities to achieve these objectives, and managing the COUR budget. The Directors report to the Associate Dean of Faculty and Research Programs.
COUR Directors
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Brent Feske | Director | 912-344-3210 | bfeske@georgiasouthern.edu |
COUR Committee
The COUR Committee is charged with furthering the mission of COUR. The responsibilities of the COUR Committee include assessing COUR grant applications, attending/organizing the spring research symposium, and serving as judges for poster and oral presentations as necessary. Through individual and group efforts, the COUR Committee will gather, organize, and disseminate information on undergraduate research experiences to the Georgia Southern community. Committee members will act as liaisons to their department/unit to further undergraduate research at Georgia Southern University.
| Name/Email | Position | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Yi Hu | Associate Professor | Mathematical Sciences |
| Dr. Mark Edwards | Professor | Physics |
| Dr. Jennifer Bailey | Professor | Biology |
| Dr. Amy Potter | Associate Professor | Geology & Geography |
2023 Symposium
Online Gallery
All COSM undergraduate researchers (including COUR recipients) and graduate students are invited to present at the University Wide Student Scholarship Symposium.
- Statesboro Campus-Henderson Library, April 18th
- Armstrong Campus-Student Union, April 20th
Funding
COUR 2023-2024 Research Grants
All undergraduate research students in COSM are invited to submit a proposal for the Annual College Office of Undergraduate Research (COUR) competition. The due date for applications is March 1, 2023 at 5 p.m. Funding will cover research being conducted from May 2023 through May 2024. Students will be expected to present the results of their research at the Annual Symposium in April, 2024.
Travel Grants from the Office of Research Services
The Office of Research is offering a limited number of travel grants for undergraduate students presenting original research at a regional or national conference. Award recipients are required to provide a summary of their experience together with the winning abstract no later than one month after attending the conference. This material may be made public in the new undergraduate research journal. This is a rolling deadline. Complete applications will be reviewed on the 15th of each month, for travel after the 1st of the following month.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Students must be an undergraduate and enrolled continuously before and during the time of award and travel; if the student is a senior, travel must be completed within three months of graduation.
- GPA of 3.0 or better
- The primary research mentor must be a Georgia Southern faculty member
To apply follow this link https://research.georgiasouthern.edu/home/undergraduate-research-creative-activity/ and click the “Money” tab.
Student Government Association Travel Grants
Student Government Association Travel Grants
The Student Government Association can fund travel for students attending a conference and presenting their research at a maximum of $300 or student attending a conference at a maximum of $150. The student must be a current undergraduate or a graduate student who is in good standing at Georgia Southern University and paid their student activity fees. To apply follow this link http://students.georgiasouthern.edu/sga/services/individual-funding/.
Awards
Research Awards
2020 Research Scholarship Recipients
2019 Research Scholarship Recipients
2018 Research Scholarship Recipients
2017 Research Scholarship Recipients
2016 Research Scholarship Recipients
2015 Research Scholarship Recipients
2014 Research Scholarship Recipients
2011 Research Scholarship Recipients
2010 Research Scholarship Recipients
2009 Research Scholarship Recipients
Travel Awards
2014 Travel Award Recipients
2013 Travel Award Recipients
2008 Travel Award Recipients
2007 Travel Award Recipients
Undergrad News
Christopher A. Mays graduated from Georgia Southern with a B.S. Biology and minor in Chemistry. Currently, he is a post-baccalaureate with the National Institutes of Health (POSTBAC IRTA/CRTA program). He is working in the laboratory of David M. Wilson, PhD. Learn more about the research at: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/david-wilson.
Biology major Olajumoke Harrison graduated from Georgia Southern in the spring of 2017. For 2 years, she conducted research with Arpita Saha, PhD. Olajumoke won a COUR research award in 2016, as well as a Certificate of Appreciation by the division of Environmental Chemistry at the American Chemical Society (ACS) conference in San Francisco, spring 2017.
Chemistry major Caitlyn Stouder graduated from Georgia Southern in the spring of 2016. She conducted research with Arpita Saha, PhD. for nearly 3 years. Caitlyn is the first author of the leading journals, Inorganica Chim Acta. She won the Bill Ponder Chemistry Scholarship in 2016 and the Outstanding Undergraduate Senior Award in 2017. Caitlyn is currently enrolled in the Dental School at Georgia.
Hannah K. Wilson earned her B.S. in Nutrition and Food Science, with a double emphasis in Dietetics and Food Science/Food Systems Administration, and a minor in Chemistry from Georgia Southern. Hannah has been accepted into the combined PhD. in Foods and Nutrition and Dietetic Internship program at the University of Georgia where she is currently a graduate research assistant.
Richard Steele (double major in mathematics and physics, and COUR Scholar) presented his research (under the supervision of Jiehua Zhu, PhD.) entitled “An area based fan beam projection model” at the 2017 Southeaster Section Meeting of the Mathematics Association of America. He won the Walt and Susan Patterson prize for outstanding undergraduate presentations. Richard has also presented his work at the Southeastern Regional Honors Conference, the joint Mathematics Meeting, the COUR symposium, and the Honors Research symposium.
Michael O. Hurst, Jr., double major in chemistry and biology, was admitted to the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine August 2017.
Undergraduate Conference Presentations
Kyle Hinton, Grace Powers, Nicole Scheurmann, and Michael Saint-Jean (all Biology) presented a poster entitled “Cholinergic stimulation of the adult zebrafish brain induces phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta and extracellular signal-regulated kinase in the telencephalon of adult zebrafish” at the Symposium for Young Neuroscientists and Professors of the Southeast (SYNAPSE) in High Point, North Carolina.
Andrew Mixson (Biology) alongside other co-authors presented a poster entitled “Investigation of the toxicological effects of CNT-Ab in mice following microwave hyperthermia” at the 2018 Southeastern Society of Toxicology (SESOT) Annual Meeting at the University of Florida.
Andrew Mixson (Biology) also gave a platform presentation at the TriBeta Biological Honor Society held at East Carolina University in April of 2019. He was awarded Second Place in the Frank G. Brooks Award for Excellence in Student Research.
Kiana Moncur (Chemistry and Biochemistry) presented a poster titled ” Quest of synthesizing new polynuclear transition metal complexes with the use of 4,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-3-ol (PNH2)” at the American Chemical Society Conference in Orlando, Florida in April of 2019.
Daniella Ray (Biology) and Miranda Smith (Biochemistry) presented their research at the American Peanut Research and Education Society conference in Auburn, Alabama in summer of 2019. They were the only undergraduates attending. They are funded through the National Peanut Board via the Georgia Peanut Commission.
Linnea Ryan (Geography) presented a paper entitled “Sojourn in Savannah: Examining the City’s Historical Markers Through A Content and Spatial Analysis” at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. in April of 2019.
Nicholas Shummate (Chemistry and Biochemistry) presented a poster titled “Syntheses, single-crystal x-ray analysis, spectroscopic and magnetic characterizations of polynuclear transition metal complexes incorporating the anion of 4,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-3-ol” at the American Chemical Society Conference in Orlando, Florida in April of 2019.
Katherine Barrs, (Biology and Mathematics) gave multiple oral and poster presentations at local and regional biology and mathematics conferences, and won the Franks G. Brooks Award for Excellence in Student Research at the TriBeta Regional Research Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.
Student Co-Authored Publications (Student Name Underlined)
Michael Reagan, Eric T. Drew, Z. John. Zhang, Clifford W. Padgett, Jeffery Orvis, Arpita Saha. 2018. Synthesis and characterization of two new mixed-valent Mn6 complexes derived from a well-explored 2- hydroxymethyl pyridine along with the use of newly employed carboxylate ions. Inorganic Chemistry Communication, 97, 139.
Simpo Rose Ogwang Akech, Olajumoke Harrison, Arpita Saha. 2018. Removal of a Potentially Hazardous Chemical, Tetrakis (Hydroxymethyl) Phosphonium Chloride from Water Using Biochar as a Medium of Adsorption. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 12, 196.
Ji Wu, Congrui Jin, Nathan Johnson, Moses Kusi, and Jianlin Li, ‘Micron-size Silicon Monoxide Asymmetric Membranes for Highly Stable Lithium Ion Battery Anode’, ChemistrySelect, 2018, 3, 8662-8668.
Hargis, Hailey, Gotsch, Sybil G., Porada, Philipp, Moore, Georgianne W., Ferguson, Briana, and Van Stan, John T. 2019. Arboreal Epiphytes in the Soil-Atmosphere Interface: How Often Are the Biggest “Buckets” in the Canopy Empty? Geosciences 9, 342; doi: www.mdpi.com/journal/geosciences
Finney, Jeffery R. and Potter, Amy E. 2018. “You’re out of your place:” Black mobility on Tybee Island, Georgia from Civil Rights to Orange Crush. The Southeastern Geographer 58 (1): 104-124.
This publication was recognized as the best paper published in the Southeastern Geographer in 2018 at the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers in Johnson City, TN.
Craven, K. S., Sheppard, S., Stallard, L. B., Richardson, M. and C. N. Belcher. (2019) Investigating a link between head malformations and lack of pigmentation in loggerhead sea turtle embryos (Caretta caretta, Linnaeus, 1758) in the southeastern United States. Herpetology Notes, 12: 819-825.
Scheuermann, N., and DeChenne-Peters, S.E. (2019). Faculty Experiences during the Implementation of a Developed CURE Curriculum at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions and a Community College. Talk presented at the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research, Minneapolis, MN.
Ji Wu, Ian Byrd, Congrui Jin, Jianlin Li, Hao Chen, Anju Sharma, Tyler Camp, and Ryan Bujol. 2017. ‘Reinvigorating Reverse Osmosis Membrane Technology for Stabilizing V2O5 Lithium Ion Battery Cathode’, ChemElectroChem, 4, 1181-1189.
Marina E. Eremeeva, Shamta S. Warang, Matthew L. Anderson, Danielle Capps, Sarah Zohdy, and Lance A. Durden. 2019. Molecular Survey for Pathogens and Markers of Permethrin Resistance in Human Head Lice (Phtiraptera:Pediculidae) From Madagascar. Journal of Parasitology 105(3) 349-468.
Matthew L. Anderson, R. Chris Rustin and Marina E. Eremeeva. 2019. Pilot survey of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from southeastern Georgia, USA for Wolbachia and Rickettsia felis (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae). J. Vector Borne Dis 56, June 2019, 92-97.
Undergraduate Student Awards
Katherine Barrs (Biology and Mathematics) was awarded a Barry Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent undergraduate award for students pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. She is one of only 496 college students from across the United States to earn the scholarship, which she will apply to her remaining four semesters of coursework.
COSM Transcript Notation for Dean’s Recognition as a Research Scholar
Undergraduate students may receive the COSM notation on their transcript by fulfilling a set of requirements listed below prior to the awarding of their degree. The notation would appear as:
Dean’s Recognition as a Research Scholar
The transcript notation provides evidence that the student has demonstrated excellence in scientific research and will certify that the student has achieved proficiency in a set of research and scholarly benchmarks as outlined by the College. The Dean will award students with this designation at the Dean’s Recognition as a Research Scholar reception.
Research in the College of Science and Mathematics
Research experiences are a high impact practice in the COSM. Research is defined as: “An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline” (Council on Undergraduate Research, 2019). In order to recognize the outstanding work of our students, the College of Science and Mathematics has an established set of requirements that must be fulfilled to qualify for the transcript notation.
The requirements are as follows:
Course Work
A student must conduct a project over a minimum of two semesters and earn a minimum of three research scholar credits conducting research with a faculty advisor. One research scholar credit is equivalent to either one independent research credit hour or at least 95 hours of paid student work on a project. Acceptable research projects must conform to the following four criteria:
- Project has the potential to produce a contribution to the discipline.
- Project involves faculty and student collaboration.
- Project has the potential to be published.
- Project involves the scientific process.
Summer Research
Summer research experiences may be counted for credit towards the Dean’s Recognition as a Research Scholar program. Typically, students will enroll in independent study, capstone, research, thesis, or similar course credits. Undergraduate students can receive one research scholar credit for every 95 hours of summer research. Students can request up to three research scholar credits. (Research scholar credits are for the transcript notation only, not course credit. Similarly, research scholar credits can be granted for participation in federally supported programs including NSF REU programs and full-time programs by NASA and NIH.) Students intending to make these substitutions should consult with COSM’s College Office of Undergraduate Research (COUR) director for their home campus, and/or COSM’s associate dean of research to determine how to verify participation in these programs before they apply for this designation.
Written Product (Research Thesis)
A student must prepare a substantial written product from their research in manuscript form, which should be comparable to an honors thesis in length and format and must be approved by the advisor. Completion of an Honors thesis will qualify for this requirement. If the student is awarded this transcript notation their written product will be archived on the COUR website, and/or at Digital Commons via the Georgia Southern Libraries. (Note: The document will NOT be posted online until the research mentor decides the timing is appropriate). By submitting this application you give COSM permission to archive your paper on the website.
Presentation on Campus
Presentation at a Professional Meeting
A student must present their research at an external professional meeting related to their
major discipline or research, at the state, regional, national, or international level. If the discipline does not encourage undergraduate participation at discipline-specific conferences, a student could also present at other student-oriented conferences such as the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Sigma Xi, Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference, etc. Attendance will be verified by the student’s faculty mentor, registration receipts, or similar evidence. An oral presentation or a poster presentation given by the applicant will fulfill this requirement.
Transcript Notation Application
A student must submit a Transcript Notation Application via Google form to COUR Director for their home campus (contact information below). The application should be prepared with the student’s faculty-mentor and must be submitted four weeks before graduation in order to be recognized at commencement. Students are encouraged to submit this application as soon as it is complete. (You do not have to wait until the the semester of graduation.) Doing so will allow for your transcript notation to occur earlier, which can be beneficial for graduate/professional school and job applications. Students have up to six months after graduation to apply.
A printable version of this information is available here.
If you are interested in finding out more about COUR or have additional questions, you can contact Dr. Brent Feske.
If you have questions please contact:
Associate Dean & COUR Director– Dr. Brent Feske, bfeske@georgiasouthern.edu
Last updated: 3/2/2022
