Research Presentations & Conferences
Creation Care in the United States
Faith & Science 2024: A BioLogos Conference - April 2024
Scholar Activism
The 41st Annual Appalachian Studies Conference - April 2018
SAMS Oral History Project and Documentary
Appalachian State University Anthropology’s Brown Bag Colloquium - May 2017
SAMS Oral History Project
The 20th Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors - April 2017
The Scholar Activist Alliance
The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network Summit - October 2016
Wilderness Therapy’s Impact on Young Adults
The 30th Annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research - April 2016
Wilderness Therapy’s Impact on Young Adults
The State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research - November 2015
The Westernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine
The American Association of Chinese Studies 57th Annual Conference - October 2015
The Westernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine
The 18th Annual Celebration of Student Research and Creative Endeavors - April 2015
The Scholar Activist Alliance and SAMS Oral History Project
In the Fall of 2016, I became involved with the Scholar Activist Alliance (SAA). This organization is a model for linking academic institutions and frontline community organizations in order for scholars to engage in research that increases the capacity of activist organizations and affects positive social change.
Through the SAA, I began a project through Southern Appalachian Stewards (SAMS). They had indicated a need for students to conduct and transcribe interviews of current and former members of their organization because they simply did not have the capacity to take on the project. With five other students, I made multiple trips to SAMS in Appalachia, VA to conduct interviews.
To fund these trips, we relied solely on grants. Subsequently, we gained lots of experience on the grant writing process. I quickly developed a love for the organization and my role as an interviewer and transcriber evolved. Along with my group, I have analyzed the interviews for overarching themes and points of growth for the organization.
In the Spring of 2017, we adapted our oral history project to include a “soundscape”. These audio recordings help to tell the story of place and space in an Appalachian coal town. They also include powerful sound clips from the interviews we conducted. For myself, this evolved into a documentary project, which I completed in May of 2017.
My colleagues and I presented on both the SAA and our work with SAMS at a number of conferences. I also completed an article on SAMS for The Appalachian Voice which was published in the December 2017/January 2018 issue.
Research Highlights
The Westernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine
During my freshman year of college, I took a course on Chinese Studies. My professor stressed the importance of research and conference presentations throughout this class and I took that to heart.
My work on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was born out of a semester-long research paper completed during this course.
My favorite part of this research was getting to visit Chinatown in New York City and sit in on a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner as he treated a patient. Through this, I was able to observe firsthand the practice and learn about the nature of the questions asked. The photo you see on your left was taken by me during this experience!
In 2015, I presented my research on The Westernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine at two conferences. My first conference was based in my University. However, the latter was a national conference for Chinese Studies scholars. My fellow panelists and I were the only undergraduates accepted at the conference that year!
Wilderness Therapy’s Impact on Young Adults
In the fall of 2015, I took a course of Ecopsychology. I began my research on wilderness therapy as part of a final project.
My interest was not only in wilderness therapy itself, but how these therapy programs compare to the First Ascent programs offered by my University and others.
This led me to develop a survey for three different North Carolina Universities. I then analyzed and compared the responses I received back to my research on Wilderness Therapy.
I went on to take this to a national conference for undergraduate research, where I was approached by a Psychology professor who was so impressed by my work that he asked if I was looking to change my major!
Fieldwork
May 2016
In May of 2016, I had the incredible opportunity to complete fieldwork in the American Southwest. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, our small group traveled to The Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni Reservations to stay with Native artists. These artisans demonstrated the fusion of their cultural teachings in funding their livelihoods.
My favorite parts of this experience were backpacking through Spider Rock on the Navajo Nation, learning about the Hopi petroglyphs with an interpretive guide, and hearing about Zuni mythology and their relationship to animals.
Each member of our group had a specific role. I was assigned to gift giving for our hosts, as a token of our appreciation for their generosity.
This was such a special opportunity that I continue to treasure to this day!
