Nena Evans, Daniel Valencia and Amanda Paz took home top honors during the University of the Ozarks' fourth annual ARCH (Advanced Research and Creative Highlights) Symposium, held this week on campus.
The annual competition is an opportunity for Ozarks students to showcase their research and art projects from throughout the academic year. This year’s event drew a record 71 student participants and 52 projects, up from last year’s numbers of 63 and 44, respectively.
Students Adam Winter and Katelin Van Wagner visit with judge Dr. Mark Scully (right) about their poster presentation during the fourth annual ARCH Symposium.
Evans, a senior environmental science major from Bergman, Ark., won the top honor in the oral presentations category for her senior thesis, "The Fruits & Vegetables of Knowledge." In her study, Evans examined the results of increased exposure to nutrition education among students involved in the Pyron Elementary School Weekend Backpack Program. She won the $200 first-place prize for her presentation.
Valencia, a junior marketing and strategic communication major from El Salvador, won the first-place distinguished award in the visual arts category for a wedding dress he designed for the Recycle Fashion Arts Show. The dress was made out of more than 1,000 handcrafted circles cut from a recycled banner, cleaning wipes, dryer sheets, food sacks and soda cans. The first-place title came with a $150 prize.
Paz, a junior chemistry and biology major from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, won first place in the poster presentation category. Paz’s poster summarized her month-long research assistantship in Honduras for Operation Wallacea (Opwall), an organization that runs a series of biological and conservation management research programs in remote locations across the world. Paz won the $150 top prize in the poster category.
The top finishers in each category:
Visual Arts:
- People’s Choice: Matt Wellborn
- Merit: David Estrada
- Achievement: Ana Sofía Camargo
- Distinguished: Daniel A. Valencia
Poster Presentations:
- People’s Choice: Alpha & Omega
- Merit: Clayton Rodgers
- Achievement: Nena Evans, Eustacia Templeton, and Nick Conard (Group Submission)
- Distinguished: Mandy Paz
Oral Presentations:
- People’s Choice: Samuel Binns
- Merit: Carmen Castorena and Matt Wellborn
- Achievement: Carly Watts, Lyndsey Acton and Travis Leach
- Distinguished: Hailey Hardgrave, Obed Gonzalez, Senior Art major and David Estrada.
- Outstanding: Nena Evans
Topics: Student Events