With support from the Student Research Travel Awards administered by the Office of Undergraduate Research, six University of West Georgia students presented mentored research at the 2024 National Conference of Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Long Beach, California, on April 8-10. 

The students’ participation in this event is the result of engagement in a mentored project lasting a semester or more that is helping to launch their careers before graduation. Acceptance to the conference confirms the relevance of their research, and presenting at the event elevates their competitiveness as they prepare for graduation, in addition to further enhancing UWG's reputation on the national stage. 

The presenters were:

• Marissa Keeler, “Binding Studies of Methylene Blue, Pyronin Y, and Acridine Orange with Cucurbit[7]uril and Cucurbit[8]uril using Constant Constraint Analysis.” Mentored by Drs. Farooq Khan and John Hansen.

• Leetavious Maines, “Democratic Erosion in Uzbekistan: An In-depth Analysis of Historical Dynamics, Precursors, and Future Prospects.” Mentored by Dr. J. Salvador Peralta.

• Kayleigh Metcalf, Kyli Cauthen, and Tian Green, “The Use of Analytical Methods to Enhance the Marketing of Chick-fil-A.” Mentored by Dr. Beheruz Sethna.

• CJ Okpala, “Biochemical characterization of a new Microbacterium species isolated from a contaminated Chlamydomonas culture plate that is a vitamin B auxotroph.” Mentored by Dr. Mautusi Mitra.