蘑菇短视频

The 2026 Research and Scholarship Conference at 蘑菇短视频 had the largest participation in the conference鈥檚 history.

The conference spanned two days where students, faculty, and the community came together to celebrate research, creative inquiry, and scholarly achievement.

The first morning of RASC began at the AK Hinds University Center, where the undergraduate, graduate, and faculty oral presentations were held. Broken into nine separate rooms based on discipline, attendees heard speakers deliver 15-minute presentations before a faculty member moderated a question-and-answer session.  There were fifty-nine oral presentations in total with 29 undergraduates, 24 graduates, and five faculty participating.  In addition to the Oral Presentations, students gave musical performances in the Coulter Recital Hall to showcase academic excellence within the School of Music.

The day continued in the Ramsey Arena.  Black curtains enclosed a few sections of the stands where, on the stage on the arena floor, Sarah Jackson, Andy Hansen, Katie Schneider, Diane Styers, and Chase Harless took part in a Keynote Panel titled 鈥淗elene鈥檚 Lessons: Interdisciplinary Research by 蘑菇短视频Faculty.鈥�  Each professor responded to questions by the panel moderator, Carmen Huffman, regarding their Helene-specific research.

Schneider and Styers from WCU鈥檚 Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources presented their work on high鈥憌ater鈥憀ine marking and mapping stormwater and floodplains to improve rebuilding and future preparedness. Harless from Social Work shared research on how various Asheville neighborhoods mobilized to provide water, food, and support in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane.  This information will give first responders a clearer image of which communities might already have support networks in place, and which may need more assistance.

Jackson, from WCU鈥檚 Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, examined how geographic location shaped community impacts, while Hansen, also in Criminology and Criminal Justice, gathered first鈥慼and accounts from NC Highway Patrol and police departments in Asheville and Waynesville on lessons learned in the hurricane鈥檚 aftermath.

Hurricane Helene related research was highlighted in this year鈥檚 RASC event, with students conducting two oral presentations and four poster presentations showcasing their Helene related research.  In addition to the Keynote Address, Jackson participated in a faculty oral presentation on her research.  The recordings of the keynote address and featured Helene presentations can be viewed on the RASC .

Following the keynote panel, attendees strolled through the Ramsey Center concourse, engaging with posters presented by faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students highlighting their research and fine arts work.  With 141 posters from all colleges and two fine arts exhibits from the 蘑菇短视频School of Art and Design, attendees had the ability to engage directly with student and faculty work, asking questions, conversing, and scanning QR codes to vote for their favorites. Many students presented their work in a conference setting for the first time at this event, while others built on prior experience from discipline-specific events at the local, regional, and national levels.

Every year, RASC hosts Graduate Oral Presentation and Poster Competitions with cash prizes for the winners. This year marked the second-ever undergraduate poster competition, made possible by a $5,000 Undergraduate Research Support Award (URSA) from the UNC System Office, secured by Suzanne Melton, RASC Director and Research Programs Coordinator at WCU.

The second day of RASC featured the Faculty Scholarship Celebration, which included the faculty 3MR Competition. Eleven faculty members, each representing a different department, took the stage in the UC Grand Room to deliver three-minute elevator pitches on their research before a panel of judges and the audience. 

Emily Wager from Political Science and Public Affairs took first place with a presentation on the political consequences of medical debt in the United States.  Melissa Mecadon-Mann from WCU鈥檚 Psychology Department came in second place with a presentation on how counselors work with selective mutism, an anxiety disorder characterized by the inability to speak in certain social situations. Chad Hallyburton won the People鈥檚 Choice Award with his presentation on increasing engagement in undergraduate research.  Cash prizes accompanied each award with the first-place winner taking home $1,000 and the second place and people鈥檚 choice awardees taking home $500.

The Faculty Scholarship Celebration continued with the presenting of research awards following a luncheon.  Heidi Buchanan, dean of Hunter Library, awarded the Hunter Scholar Award to Amber Vermeesch. Karena Cooper-Duffy, Martin Tanaka, Sara Snyder Hopkins, Kristin Daiber, and Wesley Satterwhite added their names to the list of WCU faculty who have received the Million Dollar Circle Award, given in recognition of faculty who have been awarded over a million dollars in grant funding towards research and grant-funded programming. 

Recipients of the Provost Scholarship Development Award were also recognized.  The PSDA is seed funding that provides funds intended to further research and scholarly development among 蘑菇短视频faculty.

For the largest RASC that has seen the widest participation since its inception, the scholarship on display from everyone involved was the real achievement.