Scholars Shine at 2025 SoCon Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- The Southern Conference hosted its annual SoCon Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) this past weekend, bringing together students and cadets from across the league’s member institutions to showcase their academic excellence. Held each fall on the campus of Wofford College, SURF is a cornerstone of the SoCon’s broader academic and leadership programming. 

Facilitated by Wofford’s Dr. Ramón Galiñanes Jr., participants presented original research across STEM, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences disciplines. 

“[SURF] means a lot to many of our cadets and students from across the conference as they develop as scholars and leaders,” said Galiñanes Jr. 

Founded in 2016, this year’s SURF marked the inaugural year in which presenters competed in both poster and oral presentation categories. 

The Southern Conference is proud to recognize the following presenters for their outstanding research contributions at this year’s SURF conference: 

Best Poster Presentation in STEM  

First Place - Furman University 

Students: Laura Pallás Pérez, Mindy Isaman, and CJ Petty  

Title: Sex Differences in Hedonic Feeding Influenced by the Gut Microbiome  

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Linnea Freeman  

Second Place (tied) - ETSU 

Student: Sidney Booher  

Title: Effects of Pest-Induced Hemlock Mortality on Growth in Neighboring Trees  

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ben Lee   

Second Place (tied)- Western Carolina 

Student: Vega Faust  

Title: Investigating the Role of DILP8 in Drosophila Melanogaster Oogenesis  

 Faculty Mentor: Dr. Subhshri Sahu  

Best Poster Presentation in Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences 

First Place- Furman University 

Students: Hannah McCoy and Molly Manwarren  

Title: Cross-language Interactions in L2 Spanish Pronunciation  

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Juan Garrido Pozú  

Second Place – Furman University 

Student: Jason Levitt  

Title: Through Our Lenses: A Photovoice Study on the Lived Experience of Community Members Experiencing Homelessness  

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Anna Cass  

Best Oral Presentation in STEM  

First Place – Samford University 

Students: Caden Smith and Reeves Mileski 

Title: The Impact of Legalized Sports Betting on College Athletes’ Mental Health and Fan Engagement  

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Joseph Pederson  

Second Place – Samford University  

Students: Davis Garrett and Finn Pearson  

Title: Investment Portfolio Rebalancing  

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Pan   

Best Oral Presentation in Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences  

First Place  

Student: Wilton Grice – Wofford College 

Title: The Influence of Ground and Canopy Cover on Surface and Air Temperatures Along Urban Trails in Spartanburg, South Carolina.  

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Bradham  

 Wofford College  

Second Place   

Student: Hannah Dozier  - Wofford College 

Title: Quantifying and Assessing Microplastic Accumulation in Coastal SC Stormwater Pond  

Faculty Mentors: Dr. Kaye Savage and Dr. Stefanie Whitmire (Clemson University)