CLASS students recognized at CURIO Symposium

May 3, 2017

Six students received awards for their presentations at the 2017 Center for Undergraduate Research and Intellectual Opportunities (CURIO) Symposium on April 11. CURIO highlights the best undergraduate research and creative endeavors of students from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS). Nearly 30 students presented on a range of topics including art, politics, history, athletic performance, human trafficking, and gender in advertising. “Our CURIO Symposium is always an exciting time of the year, and it's great to see the creative minds of our students, said CLASS Dean Curtis Ricker, Ph.D. “The research presented here touches a wide variety of topics and disciplines.” Psychology majors Abby Lucas, Kylan Van Gunst and Dene Wamsley received the Katherine Johnson CURIO Student Award for Best Poster for their presentation “Are Women More Likely Than Men to Reestablish Trust Following Sexual Harassment?” The Katherine Johnson CURIO Student Award for Best Presentation in the Fine Arts went to graphic design major Elise Rustine for her project “Connotation and Denotation: Meaning in Graphic Design.” Philosophy major Heather Correll received the Katherine Johnson CURIO Student Award for Best Presentation in the Humanities for “Why Chinese Rooms Are Stupid and Being Colorblind Is Sad: A Discussion of Functionalism and Its Opponents.” International studies major Charlotte McDonald received the Katherine Johnson CURIO Student Award for Best Presentation in the Social Sciences for “Policing the Traffick: The Capacity of Legal Change to Arrest Human Trafficking in the European Union.” In addition to the award titles, each student also received a monetary award thanks to a generous gift from Jim and Elaine Johnson. The student presenters each worked with a CLASS faculty member who assisted and advised them on their project. Brian K. Feltman, Ph.D., from the Department of History, also received the Faculty Mentor Award for his efforts with the student presenters. The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS) is the largest of the eight colleges that make up Georgia Southern University, and it plays a central role in every student’s core of knowledge. CLASS, also described as the University’s College of the Creative Mind, prepares students to achieve academic excellence, develop their analytical skills, enhance their creativity and embrace their responsibilities as citizens of their communities, their nations and the world. CLASS offers more than 20 undergraduate degrees and several interdisciplinary minors from its 11 departments and five academic centers. CLASS offers eight master’s degrees, two graduate certificates and one doctoral degree. For more information, visit class.georgiasouthern.edu. Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/Research University founded in 1906, offers 119 degree programs serving 20,673 students. Through eight colleges, the University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs built on more than a century of academic achievement. Georgia Southern is recognized for its student-centered and hands-on approach to education. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.