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undergraduate and graduate students as they presented their research posters at the 2023 HCNHS Student Research Conference.
Students, faculty and staff from across college and university supported undergraduate and graduate students as they presented their research posters at the 2023 HCNHS Student Research Conference.

Harris College is proud to congratulate its students and research mentors who participated in the first-ever Harris College of Nursing & Health Sciences (HCNHS) Student Research Conference this April.

The HCNHS Boller Competition is an event where Harris College students in the John V. Roach Honors College present research conducted with a faculty mentor and student poster presentations highlight undergraduate and graduate student research within Harris College. In past years, these were held as two separate events. This is the first year the two were combined in one day-long conference.

“All of the work was impressive and represents a huge accomplishment for everyone involved,” said HCNHS Associate Dean of Research Emily Lund, Ph.D.

The HCNHS Boller Competition first place winner was movement science major Diego Rivera for his research on “The Effects of Differential Training on Learning in a Standing Broad Jump.”

Movement science major Diego Rivera presenting his research
Movement science major Diego Rivera presenting his research on “The Effects of Differential Training on Learning in a Standing Broad Jump” at the 2023 HCNHS Student Research Conference Boller Competition.

“It has been such a joy working with Diego in the motor behavior lab,” said Rivera’s faculty mentor Adam King, Ph.D. “He started as a first-year student and has grown into a confident, independent researcher who has made substantial contributions to the work in our lab. He has a bright future and I look forward to seeing his next steps.”

Rivera will go on to represent Harris College at the university-level Boller Competition on April 25.

Students, faculty and staff from HCNHS and the university supported students as they presented their research posters throughout the day. Following the conference, they were invited to support Harris College graduate students Rayna Webb, Michael Lambert and Caleb Voskuil as they competed in the university-level Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition.

The Three-Minute Thesis Competition gives Harris College graduate students the opportunity to explain their thesis or dissertation topic in three minutes or less, and they must do it in language that’s not for a scientific audience, but for everyone.

Doctoral student Caleb Voskuil won second place and the People’s Choice Award for his presentation, “The Secret Side of Strength.”

“Caleb’s ability to articulate the science and significance of his dissertation topic was commendable, impressing both the judges and the audience,” said Voskuil’s faculty mentor, Josh Carr, Ph.D. “As faculty, we are consistently amazed by the talent and expertise displayed by TCU’s student body in this annual event. On a personal level, I am thrilled to see Caleb’s achievements acknowledged in this year’s 3MT competition.”

Doctoral student Caleb Voskuil presenting his research poster to another TCU student.
Doctoral student Caleb Voskuil (right) presenting his research poster to another TCU student. Voskuil won second place and the People’s Choice Award for his presentation, “The Secret Side of Strength” at the university-level 3MT competition later that evening.

A complete list of the research conference award winners is listed below.

HCNHS Boller Competition Awards 

First place:

Diego Rivera, The Effects of Differential Training on Learning in a Standing Broad Jump; Kinesiology, mentor: Dr. Adam King

Runner up: 

Corinne Marascio, An Examination of the Effectiveness of Ballet on Gross Motor Function in Children with Intellectual Developmental Disabilities; Kinesiology, mentor: Dr. Phil Esposito

Research Posters

Undergraduate

Category: Data-Driven Original Research Design

First place: 

Autumn Rae Henry, Second Opportunity for Success; Social Work, mentor: Dr. Aesha John

Second place: 

Katie Capozzi, Phonological Processing in Children that are Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Communication Sciences and Disorders, mentor: Dr. Emily Lund

Category: Evidence-based Practice and Synthesis

First place: 

Katie Quillin, Girls and Women with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring the Female Presentation of Autism and Potential Diagnostic Barriers; Nursing, mentor: Dr. Pam Frable

Second place: 

Camille Chicoine, Exploring the correlation between the development of malignant hyperthermia from anesthesia with a history of exercise-induced hyperthermia: A scoping review; Nursing, mentor: Dr. Vaughna Galvin

Graduate

Category: Master’s Level Studies

First place: 

Ashley Ray, The Effects of Music on Female Exercisers During a Rowing Task; Kinesiologymentor: Dr. Robyn Trocchio

Second place: 

Stephanie Kerno, The Professional Experiences of the Autistic Speech-Language Pathologist: A Phenomenological Approach; Communication Sciences and Disorders, mentor: Dr. Anthony DiLollo

Category: Doctoral Level Studies

First place: 

Caleb Voskuil, Influence of Scanning Plane and Echo Intensity Correction on Relationships Between Muscle Size and Fitness; Kinesiology, mentor: Dr. Joshua Carr

Second place: 

Courtney Trevino, Determining an Effective Language Sample Elicitation Strategy for Early Language Learners Who Speak Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC); Communication Sciences and Disorders, mentor: Dr. Emily Lund