College of the Arts Undergraduate Students Shine at the 2021Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

The 15th annual Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference (GSURC) showcased 150 student research and creative projects in 35 academic disciplines. Once again, this year’s edition highlighted exceptional College of the Arts students from the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design, School of Film, Media & Theatre and the School of Music. 

The virtual conference was held on April 14 and 15 and included both pre-recorded and live segments that featured scientific posters, oral presentations, artistic and film displays and musical performances.

GSURC award recipients from the College of the Arts included an impressive 15 student awards and a faculty award to Associate Professor Kevin Hsieh. The college also recognizes student-faculty sponsors and faculty coordinators Ruth Stanford, Francisco Javier Albo and Robbie Land.

First Place: “Crown”

Markiesha Thornton
Studio Arts
Faculty Sponsor: Jill Frank

Second Place: “Unearth”

Tyler Brantley
Photography
Faculty Sponsor: Jill Frank

Third Place: “Women’s PTSD Therapeutic Center”

Karhtat Wallace
Interior Design
Faculty Sponsor: Ryan Crooks

First Place: “Park Mobility Project”

James Ly & Carden Wycoff
Film & Media
Faculty Sponsor: Niklas Vollmer

Second Place (Tie): “Light, Life, and Death

Paul Bourlet & Edmond Souter
Film & Media
Faculty Sponsor: Robbie Land

“Breathe”

Jack Hettinger
Film & Media
Faculty Sponsor: Robbie Land

First Place (tie): “Gray Matter”

Anna Spiller
Music Composition
Faculty Sponsor: Sarah Ambrose

Virtual Oboe Lessons: “Musical Beginnings for Young Teachers and Students”

Brooke Owen
Music Education
Faculty Sponsor: Lara Dahl

Sponsored by the Honors College Committee for the Advancement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, this new award recognizes outstanding student projects from all disciplines. These students engage in research that advances our understanding of diversity, inclusion and equity practices; enhances our understanding of the experiences and outcomes of members of underrepresented groups; or attends to issues of inequity with a focus on raising awareness or intervening to reduce inequity.

“Get Your Head Out of the Clouds!: Exploring the Legitimacy of Utopia in Black Speculative Fiction”

Daria Dozier
Theater & Spanish
Faculty Sponsor: Héctor Fernández L’Hoeste

“Wardrobe”

Jay Haden
Textiles
Faculty Sponsor: Jess Jones

“Crown”

Markiesha Thornton
Studio Arts
Faculty Sponsor: Jill Frank

Sponsored by the Georgia State University Climate Project, this award recognizes an outstanding student project from any discipline that is related to the study of past, present or future climate-related phenomena of the natural world and all aspects of humanity’s relationship to climate at personal, local or global scales.

Honorable Mention: “Refuge”

Jaclynn Lollar
Art Education
Faculty Sponsor: Kevin Hsieh

Sponsored by Sustainability Initiatives, this award recognizes outstanding student projects from across all disciplines that incorporate environmental protection, sustainability, or conservation.

Art Education Associate Professor Kevin Hsieh received a Faculty Award for Fine Arts Education and Mentored Research. The recognition was awarded to three full-time Georgia State faculty members for their commitment to mentoring and supporting undergraduate students in their research and scholarship endeavors.

Hsieh has been instrumental in the inclusion of artistic displays in GSURC and preparing students for their displays through workshops and personal advice. More than 205 students from the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design have exhibited their creative research projects at GSURC over the past 11 years.