Academics

Africana Research Center announces winners of Undergraduate Research Exhibition

Penn State student Pavani Samala won first place in the Africana Research Center's 2018 Undergraduate Research Exhibition for her research on West African mosque architecture.  Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Six undergraduate students competed for prizes, including research travel grants, as part of the Africana Research Center’s 2018 Undergraduate Research Exhibition.

The annual event, held on Saturday, Oct. 20, in Alumni Lounge at the Nittany Lion Inn, was convened by ARC Director Crystal Sanders, who welcomed attendees and stressed the importance of undergraduates having the opportunity to make original contributions to a discipline.

The Undergraduate Research Exhibition recognizes and celebrates the scholarly development of Penn State’s undergraduate students who have written research papers on issues pertaining to some aspect of Africa or the African diaspora. Faculty members nominate student papers, and with student permission, these papers are evaluated by a group of judges using a refereed process.

The winning entries were:

First place:

Pavani Samala

Nominated by Professor AnneMarie Mingo

"West African Mosque Architecture"

Second place:

Ryan Insley

Nominated by Professor Jack Selzer

"Guarding the Heart of the Civil Rights Act: A Rhetorical Analysis of Heart of Atlanta Motel, Inc., v. United States"

Third place:

Chris Rothermel

Nominated by Professor Bronwen Powell

"Fire Policy in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz Region State"

Other presenters included John Gaus, Shannon Hahn, and Diana Sam Liang.

The poster presentations were judged by ARC postdoctoral fellows Sam Tenorio, J. Marlena Edwards, and Dara Walker. A keynote presentation was provided by Ebony Coletu, assistant professor of English and African American studies.

Last Updated October 29, 2018