FERRUM, VA, April 20, 2026 — Ferrum College hosted the 32nd Annual Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference on April 3, welcoming undergraduate scholars from across the Southern Appalachian region for a day of academic exploration and collaboration. The keynote speakers were Ferrum College alumni Caitlin Blaukovitch and Jacob Blaukovitch.
Seventy-five students representing fourteen colleges and universities presented their research through oral presentations and a poster session held in Franklin Hall and Stanley Library. While many of the participating institutions are members of the Appalachian College Association, a consortium of thirty-three private liberal arts colleges in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, researchers from all institutions were invited to participate. Some participants traveled from larger universities such as Radford University and East Tennessee State University.
Presentation sessions were organized by academic discipline, allowing students to share their work among peers with related academic interests as well as faculty judges. The one-day event also included a lunch and plenary sessions for all the students and faculty mentors. The annual conference gives students opportunities to develop their professional communication skills, gain feedback, and engage with faculty and students from across the region. The award winners in each category are listed below.
In their keynote address, “Undergraduate Research as an Opportunity, not a Destination,” Caitlin Blaukovitch ’20, who graduated from Ferrum with three science majors, and Jacob Blaukovitch ’21, who completed two undergraduate science majors, discussed their journeys as researchers and a married couple. They are currently expecting their second child while Jacob continues his doctoral studies in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health at Virginia Tech and Caitlin works as an emergency medicine resident at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, Virginia.
The Blaukovitches explained how early research experiences, whether aligned with long-term interests or not, can take unexpected turns while providing essential skills, conceptual frameworks, and professional habits that will help lead to success. They asked the audience to think of projects that seemed to go nowhere as well as fulfilling ones, and tasks they may or may not enjoy, and then consider how the skill development and mentorship experiences that result can contribute to their versatile research toolbox and long-term success.
Dr. Abigail Jamison, assistant professor of psychology, and Dr. Jason Powell, associate vice president for institutional effectiveness and strategic planning, welcomed attendees. “It was an honor to host this year’s conference and to welcome such an impressive group of student scholars,” said Jamison. “It was inspiring to see these researchers in the making, and we look forward to seeing how their ideas and contributions continue to grow and what they do in the future.”
Danielle Wilburn, a junior social work major from Ferrum, Virginia, won an award for the best social science poster. Her psychology project, “Examining the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Academic Performance Among College Students,” studied the links between hunger and students’ grade point average.
Other participating Ferrum College students included Caroline Kelley with a poster on “The Impact of Living Arrangements on Anxiety Levels Among College Students” and Mario Ruiz, with a poster on “The Role of Symbolic and Monetary Rewards in Sustaining Employee Motivation: The Mediating Effects of Competition and Social Comparison.”
In the closing session, Deniz Aytun from King University gave a final undergraduate research presentation on her study of pay inequity and the gender earnings gap in particular industries of the Tri-Cities Area in Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Dr. Dane Fausnacht, assistant professor of biology at Ferrum College, closed the conference with his remarks about finding mentors and how to pursue the kinds of research projects that suit one’s interests and goals.
Biology: Sidney Booher, East Tennessee State University
Humanities and Social Sciences: Allison Monroe, East Tennessee State University
Humanities and Social Sciences: Dezara Seward, Virginia Commonwealth University
Physical Sciences: Aleya Ann Ebner, King University
Biology: Natalie Tollison and Anna Starman, Hollins University
Biomedical Science: Addison Varney, Milligan University
Molecular Biology: Leo Lin, Georgia Institute of Technology
Physical Sciences: Su Gursoy and Emily Bryant, Hollins University
Social Sciences: Danielle Wilburn, Ferrum College
Click here for more photos from the Blue Ridge Undergraduate Research Conference.
