Undergraduate students explored a variety of research topics during the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience presentations on July 24.
While nearly 60 students presented their undergraduate research in the Snow Atrium of Schar Hall on July 24, their research took place beyond Elon, in the local community and around the world, including Owen Hayes’ project, focusing on the relationship between Indigenous Australians and the settlers of Australia.
“I’ve always been interested in Australia, mainly due to Steve Irwin,” said Hayes, a history major from Holly Springs, North Carolina. “I’ve always been interested in religion and connecting how religion can combine new cultures, and how it can be negative and positive. I try to understand the middle group in how religion can be taught, learned and shared.”
Global growth
A large portion of Hayes’ research was completed during a study abroad experience at Curtain University in Perth, Australia, while also looking at archives in Canberra and Sydney.
“It was a great experience to understand myself and other cultures, learning about new people and how their lives are lived,” said Hayes, who is a Multifaith Scholar. “It definitely helped being in the country that I was researching rather than sitting at a computer and looking at the online archives.”
Jo Bogart ’26, a classical studies and creative writing double major, took her research to Rome, Italy this summer to work on a feminist translation and revision of Virgil’s “Aeneid,” the Latin epic poem that tells the story of Aeneas, a Trojan who fled the fall of Troy and went to Italy.
“The work I’m doing this summer is rooted in my being in Rome,” said Bogart, who is also minoring in women, gender and sexualities studies. “I’m looking at writing in place and the aspect of writing in the place in which the original author of an ancient text, like the ‘Aeneid,’ was written as I tell it in my own way.”
Hard work paying off
Both Bogart and Hayes presented at the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) presentations on July 24, which provides an opportunity for students to gain meaningful research experience over the summer, without the pressure of other courses during a typical semester.
Part of the undergraduate research process is mentorship with faculty members, a unique experience for students at Elon. Hayes was mentored by Brian Pennington, director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society and professor of religious studies.
“I had two classes with him before I started this project,” said Hayes. “He’s a great guy in terms of, one, letting you do the research yourself, letting you lead your own path; but at the same time, leading you on how to do academic research correctly.”
Students apply for SURE, which usually takes place during the summer before the junior or senior year. Undergraduate research is one of the five Elon Experiences, and students are expected to complete at least two of the experiences before they graduate.
“It’s fun to present the hard work you’ve done over the year,” said Hayes, who was presenting for the first time at SURE. “It’s nerve-racking to start, and I’m working out the kinks in my presentation, but I’m looking forward to how my research is going to evolve over the next year and how I’m going to present at other undergraduate research conferences.”
Research across disciplines
SURE research topics span across disciplines, including Asia Green’s project, investigating whether expecting cognitive benefits from exercise would impact cognitive function or if it’s just exercise alone.
“I’m a public health minor and exercise science major, so we talk a lot about the placebo effect, and I wanted to know if expected benefits from specific exercise would increase mood and cognitive function or if just exercise alone would do it,” said Green. “Everyone is told ‘Just exercise,’ but is it the exercise or what we’re being told about exercise?”
Green says it appears that expecting cognitive benefits does have a positive impact, but there needs to be a larger sample size to get more results, something she plans to do in the upcoming academic year, along with her mentor Madison Chandler, assistant professor of exercise science.
Merrie Byers ’26, a cinema and television arts major, didn’t do what some may consider a traditional research project for SURE, she created a documentary exploring the friendship of two religious leaders whose communities share a complicated past.
The documentary focuses on the reverends of two churches in Burlington, North Carolina, with a deep, complicated and connected history. During U.S. slavery, according to Byers, members of Union Ridge Church owned members of Union Chapel United Church of Christ. Now, the reverends of each church, which sit across the street from one another, have developed a close relationship.
“They are using their friendship to combat this prejudice and hosted a committee where 10 members of the church from each side got together and talked about these differences,” said Byers, who is from Wake Forest, North Carolina. “It really made a difference in how these churches have blossomed into a bonded community.”
As students continue to develop their research, they also have the opportunity to present during the spring semester, at the annual Spring Undergraduate Research Forum or SURF.
“Our students knocked it out of the park once again,” said Justin Clar, director of undergraduate research and associate professor of chemistry. “The growth of SURE participants over just 8 weeks is truly amazing. I can’t wait to see how these projects progress over the next academic year.”