Held annually at the Student Success Center, the spring research symposium provides undergraduate researchers with the opportunity to share their research with other students and faculty from all over campus and to gain valuable skills and experience in presenting original work. Prizes are awarded to the top poster and oral presentation from each college. The symposium is sponsored by GT’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). 

At this year’s symposium, oral presentations were given by students Shaudie Fassih on “U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing” (Mentor:  Nunn School Assistant Professor Margaret E. Kosal); Sarah Grace Parr on “Nuclear Proliferation and Interstate Conflict” (Mentor: Kosal); D. Adam Thigpen on “Digital Gaming and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Adherence to International Laws and Treaties”(Mentor:  Kosal); Justin Bunch (w/co-authors Trevor Lindsay/ECON & J. Dorrier Coleman/EE) on “Do Small Businesses Create Jobs: A Cross-Sectional Analysis” (Mentor: Econ Assistant Professor Shatakshee Dhongde); and Ben Goldberg (with co-authors Andrew Townsend/ECON & Ryan Birmingham/ECON& CS) on “Who Will Strike Next? An Economic Regression of Terrorism and Poverty” (Mentor: Dhongde)

Posters were presented by students Nicholas Barker (w/co-presenter Soheil Shayegh/ISyE) on “The Future of the Iran-Hezbollah Alliance” (Mentor: Nunn School Assistant Professor Lawrence Rubin); and Amanda Figeredo (w/co-presenters Jess Shimko/MATH & Lauren Foley/ECON) on “Investigating the causes of the rising rate of unintended pregnancies in the U.S.” (Mentor: Dhongde).

Among Ivan Allen College undergraduates participating in the Undergraduate Research Symposium this year, two Nunn School undergraduates students were recognized for their research: D. Adam Thigpen was recognized as for his oral presentation and Nicholas Barker received the award for best poster presentation across the IAC.

Nunn School student researchers include Presidential Undergraduate Research Award (PURA) winners, SAIC Undergraduate scholarship recipients, and students pursuing special topics research under faculty mentorship. More information on doing undergraduate research within the Nunn School can be found at http://inta.gatech.edu/current-students/undergraduate/research-opportunities.