CBHS students earned awards at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at MTSU’s Scholars Week Poster Session in March 2026.
Students from across the college presented original research, with six earning top honors and many others representing CBHS across Psychology, Public Health, Health and Human Performance, Human Sciences, Nutrition and Food Science, Social Work, and Interior Design.
Undergraduate awards
1st Place: Travis Ray, Psychology: “Exploring Undergraduate Biology Students’ Vaccine Knowledge, Experiences in Vaccine Education, and Vaccine Communication” | Faculty mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Barnes, Biology
2nd Place: Trenton McAlmond and Edgar Rodriguez, Psychology: “Administration of Intracerebral Oxytocin and its Effect on Social Motivation in C57BL/6J Mice” | Faculty mentor: Dr. Tiffany Rodgers, Psychology
3rd Place: Elizabeth Lawrence, Psychology: “Exploring Effects of Musical Rhythm and Speech Rhythm (Lexical Stress) Perception on Speech-in-Noise Outcomes in Older Adults” | Faculty mentor: Dr. Cyrille Magne, Psychology
Graduate awards
1st Place: Greylon Gawaluck: “Assessing Social Isolation, Barriers to Social Connectedness, and Needs Associated with Psycho-Social Well-Being in a Rare Disease Population” | Faculty mentor: Dr. Angie Bowman, Public Health
2nd Place: Ade Hennis: “The Four Pillars of Environmental Fitness” | Faculty mentor: Dr. Kahler Stone, Public Health
3rd Place: Huda Alhamad: “Understanding HPV Vaccine Hesitancy: Insights from a Survey-Based Study” | Faculty mentor: Dr. Angie Bowman, Public Health
CBHS poster presenters
The winners above represent only part of the story. CBHS students present posters on Friday across Psychology, Public Health, Health and Human Performance, Human Sciences, Nutrition and Food Science, Social Work, and Interior Design. Every one of them put real work into getting their research to the poster stage, and we are glad they represented the college.
Undergraduate presenters
- Christina Askew, Public Health
- Gulnur Ashyrnepesova, Psychology
- Raegan Bernard, Public Health
- Sophie Duffy, Psychology
- Kate Elam, Nutrition and Food Science
- Lena Eccles, Human Sciences
- Tracy Fryer, Nutrition and Food Science
- Cindy Garcia Gonzalez, Interior Design
- Blen Hagos, Public Health
- Sophia Hession, Psychology
- Joel Iheakolam, Health and Human Performance
- Trinity Johnson, Psychology
- Elizabeth Lawrence, Psychology
- Anakarina Lorenzana De Witt, Health and Human Performance
- Abbie McCullough, Health and Human Performance
- Travis Ray, Biology
- Edgar Rodriguez Castro, Psychology
- Niera Sayasack, Health and Human Performance
- Batoul Sawas, Psychology
- Aubrey von dem Bussche, Health and Human Performance
- Hannah Wallace, Health and Human Performance
- Mabel Adams, Textiles Merchandising and Design
- Gloria Chu, Textiles Merchandising and Design
- Cordelia Foxx, Textiles Merchandising and Design
- Vannessa Martinez, Textiles Merchandising and Design
- Madelyn Meek, Textiles Merchandising and Design
- Taylor Rose, Textiles Merchandising and Design
- Emma Shapard, Textiles Merchandising and Design
- Kennedy Stewart, Textiles Merchandising and Design
Graduate presenters
- Huda Al Hamad, Health and Human Performancel
- Courtney Allison, Social Work
- Greylon Gawaluck, Health and Human Performance
- Seyram Gle, Health and Human Performance
- Adé Hennis, Health and Human Performance
- Dilman Mahmoud, Health and Human Performance
- Mary McAuliffe, Health and Human Performance
- Katy Stone, Health and Human Performance
- Sylvia Vonderwell, Psychology
Thank You to Our Faculty Mentors
None of this happens without the faculty who invested their time and guidance in these students.
- Dr. Angie Bowman
- Dr. Kathryn Blankenship
- Dr. Cynthia Chafin
- Dr. Rudy Dunlap
- Dr. Margaret Fahey
- Dr. Jessica Gaby
- Dr. Ann Galizio
- Dr. Alexander Jackson
- Dr. Jasmin Kwon
- Dr. Cyrille Magne
- Dr. Andrew Owusu
- Dr. Tiffany Rodgers
- Dr. Lisa Shepherd
- Dr. Kahler Stone
- Dr. Elizabeth Whalen
- Dr. Megan Zeringue
A Special Thank You to Our Scholars Week Committee Members
A big thank you to the CBHS faculty who served on the Scholars Week Committee and helped make this event a success:
Dr. Kathryn Blankenship, Health and Human Performance
Dr. Angie Bowman, Health and Human Performance
