From UWG to the National Stage: Students Showcase Research at 2025 National Conference of Undergraduate Research

by MaKiah Jordan

May 20, 2025
Reading time: 2 minutes, 30 seconds

University of West Georgia students recently took their research to the national stage, traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to present at the 2025 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). 

UWG faculty and students at an undergraduate research conference

Selected for their outstanding faculty-mentored projects, 10 students joined a competitive cohort of more than 4,000 peers from across the country, sharing months of hard work and innovative inquiry. Backed by support from UWG’s Office of Undergraduate Research, their presentations reflected the university’s growing commitment to academic excellence and experiential learning. 

Two of UWG’s presenters, psychology major Maggie McNeilly and anthropology major Raleigh Pritchard, shared their biggest takeaways from the experience and offered words of wisdom to any undergraduate who is considering presenting research of their own.  

“Having the unique opportunity to travel and meet with other like-minded students who appreciate research and who push the boundaries to add new knowledge to various academic realms is really my biggest takeaway,” explained McNeal. “I strongly encourage others to take the opportunity if they can. You’ll have your advisor and mentors to guide you, you might make new friends, make valuable connections or even come across future job opportunities – you never know who you’ll meet.” 

“My biggest takeaway is learning the value of simply talking to people and realizing I don’t need to know everything – just participating and having conversations is the best way to learn and grow,” concluded Pritchard. “The key is to just do it. Experiential learning is about figuring things out as you go, and it’s okay to make mistakes. Don’t overthink it, just dive in and learn.” 

The UWG presenters were:  

  • Maggie McNeilly, “Exploring Ecological Consciousness and Extrasensory Perception.” Mentored by Dr. Christine Simmonds-Moore. 
  • Carter Reed, “Unified Study of the Classical Hall Effect.” Mentored by Dr. Javier Hasbun. 
  • Jacob Riveria, “One Piece: Commentary on Society and Politics, and the Human Condition.” Mentored by Dr. Patrick Erben. 
  • Raleigh Pritchard, “Digging Deeper into Public Archaeology: Redefining Best Practices to Education Programming in Archaeological Practice.” Mentored by Dr. Nathan Lawres. 
  • Kennedy Ragin, “Off the Cliff: Case Study of Drug Overdose Deaths in Georgia.” Mentored by Dr. Sal Peralta. 
  • Jewell Burson, “Off the Cliff: Case Study of Drug Overdose Deaths in Georgia.” Mentored by Dr. Robert Lane. 
  • Famatta Barjobo, “Democratic Erosion in Haiti.” Mentored by Dr. Sal Peralta. 
  • Madison Blackerby, “Priced Out of Life: Alabama’s Insulin Crisis.” Mentored by Dr. Sal Peralta. 
  • Jay Fasone, “Mortuary Voyeurism, Repatriation, and the Conception of Medical Remains: An Analysis and History of the Human Body in Museums.” Mentored by Dr. Isabel Maggiano and Dr. Marjorie Snipes. 
  • Delight Okere, “Development of a Cost-Effective Minimal Growth Medium for Screening Bacterial Vitamin B Auxotrophs Capable of Xenobiotic Degradation.” Mentored by Dr. Mautusi Mitra. 

To learn more about UWG’s commitment to undergraduate research, visit this website.