West Virginia Wesleyan hosted the third annual Mid-Atlantic Undergraduate Research Conference in March with over 30 student presentations representing a variety of academic disciplines, including art, English, environmental science, history, marketing, philosophy, physics and physics-engineering, and religion. Three Wesleyan students won first place, Keith Hoover, Melissa Lambert, and Thomas Tyson, while Kim Leezer earned honorable mention accolades. Each of the winning presenters received a cash prize.

Hoover (picture left) presented a research paper on “Arrogance In Arms: The Lose of British Colonies to American Independence." Hoover is a senior political science major from Hurricane, WV.

Lambert (picture right) presented her research paper on “Phytoextraction of Treated Acid Mine Drainage by Eichhornia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes.” She is a junior environmental science major.
Tyson, a senior physics major from Pennsauken, NJ, presented a research paper on ““Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting.”

Leezer (picture left) presented her research paper on “More Than Words Could Say: An Analysis of Walt Disney’s Disneyland Dedication Speech.” She is a senior communication major from Barrackville, WV.

Other honorable mention winners were Sarah Heiss of Hiram College and Lee Skluzak from the University of Virginia.

The program, which began in 2004, has attracted interest from students throughout the region.