Graduate and Undergraduate Award Winners
We are proud to announce the outstanding achievements of our students and mentors for the Symposium of Student Scholar awards. These awards recognize excellence in research at Kennesaw State and presentation at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as the exceptional mentorship provided by our esteemed faculty members. Highlighted below are the top presentations and the dedicated individuals behind them.
Join us in celebrating their accomplishments and contributions to their respective fields of study!
Spring 2026
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Top Presentation, Undergraduate ($250 prize)
Title: 3D Visualization of a Local Freshwater Reservoir Using Terrestrial LiDAR (Laser
Scanner)Student Names and Majors: Edward Whitehurst (Environmental Science), Sean Clark (Geospatial Sciences), James Greer (Geospatial Sciences), & Caillou Guzman (Aerospace Engineering)
Mentor Name and Department: Ranbir Kang, Department of Geography and Anthropology
Type of Presentation: In-Person Poster Presentation
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First Runner-Up, Undergraduate Collaboration ($200 prize)
Title: Design and Preliminary Evaluation of a Compliant Rolling-Contact Bipedal Robot Guided by Human Motion Data
Undergraduate Student Regina Martinez Moctezuma (Mechatronics Engineering) & Britt Walker (Mechatronics Engineering)
Graduate Student Name(s) and Major(s): Rob Montgomery (Mechanical Engineering)
Mentor Name and Department: Ayse Tekes, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Type of Presentation: Virtual Presentation
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Second Runner-Up, Undergraduate ($150)
Title: Adaptive Deployment and Reliability Optimization of an Autonomous Mobile Courier for Clinical Environments
Student Name and Major: Azam Shahbaz (Electrical Engineering)
Mentor Names and Departments: Razvan Voicu & Muhammad Hassan Tanveer, Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering
Type of Presentation: Virtual Presentation
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Top Presentation, Graduate ($250 prize)
Title: The Conserved SYLS Motif Is Essential for Akirin Function in Early Myogenesis
Graduate Student Names and Majors: Shaila Akter (Integrative Biology)
Mentor Name and Department: Anton Bryantsev, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biolog
Type of Presentation: In-Person Poster Presentation
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First Runner-Up, Graduate ($200 prize)
Title: Morphological Variation in the Lingual Glands of Wild American Alligator Populations
Graduate Student Name(s) and Major(s): Benjamin Angalet (Integrative Biology)
Undergraduate Student Names and Majors: Chelsea Holmes (Biology), Chloe Segars (Environmental Science), Kamryn Moss (Biology), & Chase Cheeks (Biology)
Mentor Name and Department: Nicholas Green, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Type of Presentation: In-Person Poster Presentation
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Second Runner-Up, Graduate
Title: Tuning Polycyclic 1,2 BN Heteroarene Photophysics via Electron Deficient Heterocycle Substitutions
Graduate Student Name and Major: Blaise Williams (Chemical Sciences)
Mentor Name and Department: Carl Saint-Louis, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Type of Presentation: In-Person Poster Presentation
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Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award ($2,000 prize)
Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award: Carl Saint-Louis, Assistant Professor
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
