Students and faculty attending a research poster session

ABERDEEN, S.D. – A record 14 Northern State University Honors Program students have been accepted to present their Honors undergraduate research at the National Collegiate Honors Conference in fall 2021.

That’s a 100 percent acceptance rate for Northern this year; the typical NCHC acceptance rate for the student research poster competition is around 65 percent.

The students submitted their research abstracts under the guidance of NSU Honors Program Director Dr. Kristi Bockorny, as well as faculty advisors.

“I’m very proud of each of these students, and I’m also grateful to the amazing faculty who spent hours working with them to help prepare their abstracts,” Bockorny said.

The national conference will be held Oct. 27-31, in Orlando, Florida. NSU students presenting at the conference, along with their research projects, are listed below:

  • Allison Anderson, “Teachers’ Knowledge about Grade Retention in the Early Grades”
  • Olivia Becker, “MicroRNA Profiling in West Nile Virus Carrying Mosquito, Culex tarsalis”
  • Kristen Calderon, “Mutagenesis and Enzyme Inhibition Studies of West Nile virus NS2B/NS3 Serine Protease”
  • Sierra Daugaard, “Effect of Accelerated Reader on Intrinsic Reading Motivation of Students”
  • Mary Fullmer, “Destigmatizing Mental Health: Demystifying and Resolving Social Disparities in Health”
  • James Heisinger, “Correlations Between Past Academic Experiences and Present Levels of Self-Efficacy in University Honors Students”
  • Jakob Lund, “Social Disorganization in an Informational Society”
  • Mackenzie McClemans, “Effectiveness of STEM Outreach Programs in Changing Attitudes Towards Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics”
  • Emily Meier, “Middle Ground: Henry Wallace and the Vice Presidency’s Transition to Modernity”
  • Laurie Rogers, “Biofilm Study of Oral Bacteria Treatment”
  • Jessica Stockert, “Bacteriophages: An Alternative to Antibiotics?”
  • Drew Talberg, “Therapeutic Strategies for Chronic Wasting Disease”
  • Molly Walter, “Weather and Offensive Performance of the Minnesota Twins at Target Field”
  • Tawnie Williams, “The Degradation of Exposed Plastics under Landfill Conditions using Ideonella sakaiensis”

About Northern State University

Northern State University is a student-centered institution that provides an outstanding educational experience, preparing students through the liberal arts and professional education for their future endeavors. A regional university, Northern offers rigorous academics; diverse civic, social and cultural opportunities; and a commitment to building an inclusive environment for all points of view. Northern also offers a broad-based athletics program, sponsoring 15 NCAA Division II intercollegiate varsity sports that compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC). The university strives to enrich the community through partnerships such as its Educational Impact Campaign, which opened a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; new athletic and recreation fields; and, soon, an on-campus regional sports complex. With the $55 million campaign, NSU has been the recipient of more than $120 million in privately funded building projects and scholarships within a decade. To learn more, visit NSU Admissions.