April 19, 2023

Annual Celebration of Scholars recognizes students for academic work

Northwest Missouri State University students representing an array of academic areas presented their work April 14 as the Society of President’s Scholars sponsored its annual Celebration of Quality.

Posters and displays drew an audience to the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom while students provided oral presentations in Student Union meeting rooms. Featuring 30 poster and oral presentations, symposium topics related to disciplines including computer science and information systems, biology, history and psychology.

A panel of judges awarded a total of $900 to presenters based on the quality of their work and ability to present the material.

Sponsored by the Society of President’s Scholars, the Honors Program, the Office of the Provost and Career Services, the symposium is open to all Northwest students. The interdisciplinary event gives the Northwest community a chance to view student work and places it in front of an audience beyond the classroom.

“We all collaborated to show off the projects that Northwest students have been working on over the past year, and I think that it’s wonderful that we could bring so many talented scholars into one place,” said Ethan Shutts, president of the Society of President’s Scholars and a sophomore computer science major from Kansas City, Missouri.

The 2023 Celebration of Scholars award winners are listed below.

Poster sessions

First place: “EZpark: Efficient Electronic Parking Service using Internet of Things,” presented by Martina Pascuzzo, Ayush Kanaujia, Reason Adhikari, Deep Shikha; sponsored by Dr. Ratan Lal, assistant professor of computer science and information systems

Second place: “Isolation of Acidovorax, Sphingomonas and Sedminibacterium From Terrestrial Water In The Nevada Deserts,” presented by Annie Postlewait; sponsored by Dr. James Campbell, associate professor of biology

Third place: “Color Recognition in Octopus bocki,” presented by Kristen Reed; sponsored by Dr. Peter Adam, assistant professor of biology

Oral presentations

First place: “Optimal Path Planning for Food and Medicine Delivery in Hospital Environment,” presented by Aravind Kumar Koyyala; sponsored by Dr. Ratan Lal, assistant professor of computer science and information systems