Jax State Honors Award Winners from 30th Annual Student Symposium
03/12/2026
The 30th annual Jax State Student Symposium was held on March 6, when over a hundred students presented their work to share new knowledge and compete for prizes. The campus is invited to see the award-winning presentations and posters at the Awards Ceremony, held in the Howell Auditorium at Merrill Hall at 4:30 PM on Monday, March 16. It will feature presentations by the award winners and a reception. The following students will be recognized with certificates and cash prizes:
College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Best Undergraduate Presentation, Sciences & Math:
Anna Meadows, Does snail host size matter for infections by parasitic flatworms? Faculty Advisor: Lori Tolley-Jordan, Biology
College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Best Undergraduate Presentation, Arts & Humanities:
Alexius Randall, The Iliad and The Odyssey: A Cultural Memory of Enslavement. Faculty Advisor: Lindsay Holman, History & Foreign Languages
College of Arts, Humanities, and Sciences, Best Graduate Presentation, Sciences & Math:
Peyton Wilson, Intermediates or intermedius? An Examination of Lotic Sternotherus in Baldwin and Mobile Counties, AL. Faculty Advisor: Grover Brown, Biology
College of Education and Professional Studies, Best Undergraduate Presentation:
Jakob Williams, Teaching the Heart: An Impact Study Evaluating the Effects of Scaffolded Multimodal Instruction on Circulatory System Understanding and Scientific Communication. Faculty Advisor: Ashley Turner, Teacher Education
College of Education and Professional Studies, Best Poster:
Kalaya Williams, How does increased hands-on participation combined with using a Frayer Model and CER framework affect students’ engagement and ability to explain the relationship between an object’s speed and energy using science vocabulary? Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Troncale, Teacher Education
College of Health Professions and Wellness, Best Undergraduate Presentation:
Chloey Dale Williams, The Growth and Challenges of Women’s Professional Sports Leagues. Faculty Advisor: Allen Gilbert, Kinesiology
College of Health Professions and Wellness, Best Graduate Presentation:
Faith Bonness, Short-Term Rhodiola rosea Supplementation on Cognition and Exercise Performance: A Randomized, Crossover, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study. Faculty Advisors: Majid Koozehchian and Gina Mabrey, Kinesiology
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Best Undergraduate Presentation:
Madeline Alexander, Appreciation, More Than Gratitude: Associations Between Appreciation and Physical Health. Faculty Advisor: Heidi Dempsey, Psychology
Best of Symposium Awards
Best Poster
Hannah Chandler, Sound Body, Sound Performance: A Guide to Injury Prevention for Musicians. Co-Author: Elisabeth Rea. Faculty Advisor: Rachel Park.
Best Paper/Presentation (Undergraduate)
Samantha Trivette, The Ballistics of Reloaded Ammunition. Faculty Advisor: Sheryl Pelletier, Criminal Justice
Best Paper/Presentation (Graduate)
David Johnson. Effects of Prehabilitation on Outcomes Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Critically Appraised Topic. Faculty Advisors: Chris Clark, David Kean, and Jennifer Savage Burgett, Athletic Training
Best of Jax Mix
Itusha Kandangwa, How food (nutrition) affects students’ academic performance. Faculty Advisor: Marija Reiff, Jax MIX
Houston Cole Library Award for Research Excellence
Asel Richards, A Literature Review of Symbiotic Relationships between Spiders and Other Organisms. Faculty Advisor: Lori Tolley-Jordan, Biology
Best of Showcase
Devin Jones, Are Former Athletes with Histories of Multiple Concussions at Increased Risk of Stroke Compared to Former Athletes with No Concussion History? Faculty Advisors: Jennifer Savage Burgett, Chris Clark, David Dean, Athletic Training