Undergraduate Research Writing Conference 2023
The URWC is 
the highlight of the academic year
“The URWC is the highlight of the academic year: it showcases the skills, talents, and intellectual accomplishments of undergraduate students from every school on the Rutgers New Brunswick campus who distinguish themselves in one of the research writing courses offered by the Writing Program.”
– Lynda Dexheimer, Executive Director
Be Inspired for the future
Welcome to the URWC 2023 Online.
Below, you will find expanded formats of the exceptional research work presented at the live conference in April 2023. Browse the topics and drop down to select! You will find full papers, slide shows, and video introductions from the students who will tell you more about who they are and how they chose their topic.
Join us in our celebration and appreciation of their work; be inspired for the future.
Topics and Presenters for Spring 2023:
Main Panels
-
Last Name First Name Title Balaji Ananya Sentiment Analysis of Rutgers Subreddit as Prediction Mechanism for Cybersecurity Attacks Bartram Laurence Ensuring Consistent Computer Access for Low-Income Rutgers Students Rajkumar Pranetha Addressing the harmful effects of housing insecurity among Rutgers undergraduates Lee Joel I Was Jaywalking When It Hit Me: Preventing Unsafe Pedestrian Behavior (UPB) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick -
-
-
Last Name First Name Title Medl Victoria Diabulimia in Adolescents: A Deadly Consequence of Disordered Autonomy in Type 1 Diabetics Condon Jonathan Lose Weight Fast? Medical vs Healthcare Approaches to Obesity Mark Brandon The Benefits of Musical Flow on Well-Being and Happiness Fu Allyson Implementing Precision Medicine for Patients at CentraState’s Cancer Statesir Center Logan Alexandria The Blood Cost of SSRIs: The Emerging Link Between SSRI Use and Postpartum Hemorrhaging Barry Jaclyn An Analytic Comparison of Human Cadavers and Digital Cadavers Kuchuk Emily Food as Medicine: Treating Chronic Illness with Medically Tailored Meals -
Last Name First Name Title Ampadu-Nyarkoh Kwaku Mercaturphagia: Bitcoin vs. Third-party Banking Intermediaries DiGirolamo Nicholas J Automation Implies Commodification: A Study Into Machine Translation Elkins Kwabena An E-Voting Based Election Overhaul Proposal for Georgia Jaber Omar The Appeal of Post-Apocalyptic Open-World Video Games: The Freedom to Embody a Heroic Character and The Violent Consequences of Obsession with a Virtual Character Wartman Bryan The Rest of Us: Transhumanism and Its Implications for Social Inequality Kyrillos Michael The Maskless Persona: The Incongruence of Identities Between Character and Player Sargent Hannah Effects of Violent Media on Child Development -
Last Name First Name Title Novak Will Climate Change’s Disruption of American Democratic Principles Sutton Lauren The Ethical Responsibilities of GM Seed Companies in Developing Countries Mereke Rediet The Overton Window of American Leadership: The Fine Line Between “Father-like” and “Tyrannical” Woo Kayla Neighbors as Countries; Enemies by History Nallapally Ayush Realism vs Liberalism: An Evaluation of Worldviews in International Relations from the Cold War to Present-Day Paskhaver Alexandra The Power of the Pen: Creative Propaganda and the Battle for the American Mind -
Last Name First Name Title English Alison Access to Menstrual Products at Rutgers New Brunswick Shah Krisha The Men in Menstruation: Weaponizing Religion in India and Nepal Odeh Sadine The Flows of Convos: How Instagram Has Altered Dialogues Surrounding Menstruation Messink Sarah Women & Sex in a Man’s World Ananth Niranjana Supporting Women in STEM at Bunting Cobb LLC Burton Yakov Gender- Based Marginalization and Discrimination in American Orthodox Jewish Communities: Sexism and Transphobia Elizabeth Leoniuk Lessons Learned from Lesbian Mothers: Sexuality and Parenting Intertwined Alexia Fraser LGBTQ+ Parents: Burnout, Minority Stress and Their Impacts Krystal Lai The Perfect Mom: The Role of Maternal Perfectionism in Western (US) and Chinese Culture -
103 Round Tables:
-
Last Name First Name Title Cordero Mariano Perla The Need for Federal Immigration Reform Ericson Gwen Simplification as a Symptom of Capitalism: Midjourney and the Decline of the Public Sphere Rajapaksha Gavesh The Cost of Conspiracy: The Past and Present of Anti-Trafficking Miseducation Ramidi Abhinav Corporate Lobbying and Public Opinion on U.S. Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement Rota Angelina The Complexity of Gun Control in America: A Crisis With Seemingly No Clear Solution -
Last Name First Name Title Azmi Meahan Disease and Choice: Implications of Conflicting Models of Addiction Bershad Edward Alternative Medicine: A Unique Approach to Improving Health Firme Jackelinne Blame During Pandemics Kadekar Prakrati Cultural Design for Diabetes Applications Huang Kelly The Birds and the Bs: LGBT Inclusivity in Sex Education as a Social Agenda -
Last Name First Name Title Gandhi Ishan The Road to Masculine Cars: Discourses on Automobile Masculinity and its Implications on Males Gibbons Cara Age of the Instagram Body: Exploring how Body-related Content on Instagram Impacts Women’s Perceptions of their Bodies Monsalve Valeria The Criminal Archetype: How Racial Biases Perform Within Courtrooms Sandoval Silva Yanelli “I Don’t See Color”: Why Latina Students Use Multicultural Sororities to Combat Inequalities in Predominantly White Institutions Schein Heather Fashion as a Cultural Transformer: The Second Wave Feminist Movement
Poster Fair
ATTEND THE CONFERENCE
Undergraduate Research Writing Conference 2023
URWC 2023 Co-chairs: Arete Bouhlas and Debra Keates
This conference would not be possible without the work of the URWC 2023 Interns:
Bianca Battaglia, Kelly Chung, Chiara Espinal, Julia Keller, Stephen Kratchman, Lauren Liu, Anna O’Connell, Hallel Redner, Shamar Robinson, Michaela Schultz, Ryan Shum, Kristina Tecson, Isabella Tyszka, Natalia Watroba, and Yongqi Yang
Writing Program Fellows: Kathryn Blakely, Kirsten Martin, Tim Morris
We were honored to have Writing Program Faculty as readers:
Anthony Alms, Jonathan Bass, Alanna Beroiza, Alex Buzick, Carla Caponegro, Lynda Dexheimer, Donald Dow, Mike Duffy, Elizabeth Decker, Julie Flynn, Jordanco Jovanoski, Snow Lee-Jones, Dawn Lilley, Nancy Martin, Michael Massielo, Joann Messina, Peter Molin, Michael Monescalchi, Peter Morrone, Raluca Musat, Francesco Pascuzzi, Lena Sandberg-Golden, Ben Tam, John Warren, Kathleen Wilford, RAsheda Young
Additional thanks to: Grace Kincaid, Ali Sperling, Janice Park, Dennise Delafuente, MaryEllen Maguire, Ryan Gillen, Leslin Charles and Lily Todorinova
The URWC is supported by: the Rutgers Writing Program. Rutgers University Libraries, Rutgers Department of English, the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers Business School, and the School of Engineering
Undergraduate Research Writing Conference 2022
Welcome to the URWC 2022! Our conference showcases a selection of the extraordinary undergraduate projects prepared for the Writing Program’s research writing classes during calendar year 2021. We think you will enjoy the projects chosen by the selection committee. We applaud how relevant the student topics were to the struggles and joys of this year in which we all tried to reestablish a sense of the normal – we look forward to the future leadership of these extraordinary undergraduates.
URWC 2022 Co-chairs
Arete Bouhlas and Debra Keates
This conference would not have happened without the work of the URWC 2022 Interns – Tarika Chandran, Russ Conroy, Alison English, Evan Leong, Arpita Mukherjee, Ryan Rodriguez, Andrew Sargent, Bochun Tang, Itixa Vaghani, and Shini Wang – and the Writing Program Fellows: Emily Banta, Sean Hughes, and Rebecca Lipperini.
The conference would not have been remarkable without the work of Writing Program faculty and staff who served as readers, mentors, prep session directors, and interlocutors: Stacey Abate, Anthony Alms, Brie Ashley, Jonathan Bass, Alanna Beroiza, Alex Buzick, Carla Caponegro, Claire Celi, Elizabeth Decker, Donald Dow, Mike Duffy, Julie Flynn, Tim Hedges, Jordanco Jovanoski, Erin Kelly, Demetri Lallas, Snow Lee-Jones, Dawn Lilley, Jackie Loeb, Mary Ellen Maguire, Nancy Martin, Michael Mendonez, Joann Messina, Michael Monescalchi, Peter Molin, Raluca Musat, Sara Perryman, Lena Sandberg-Golden, Jennie Snow, Ali Sperling, Howie Swerdloff, John Warren, Kathy Wilford, and RAsheda Young.
Grace Kincaid provides our administrative backbone at every stage, and has done so for many, many years. Our online URWC is possible thanks to Lily Todorinova, Leslin Charles, and their staff at the Rutgers Libraries.
Undergraduate Research Writing Conference 2021
Join us as Professor Lynda Dexheimer, Executive Director of the Writing Program, welcomes you to the URWC of 2021.
We are proud to present an expansion of panels that tackle current issues ranging from “Political & Ideological Struggles in the U.S.” to “Studies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America,” as well as a Poster Fair.
2021 Topics
The Arts: Narration & Identity
Feminism Today
Political & Ideological Struggles in the U.S.
Studies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America
Improving Education
Urban Planning & Environmental Justice
Advances in Science & Their Uses
Issues in Mental Health & Psychology
Focus on Healthcare & Justice
103 Roundtable on Politics
103 Roundtable on the Arts & Media
103 Roundtable on Science & Medicine
103 Roundtable on Justice & Culture
Undergraduate Research Writing Conference 2020
Introducing the first virtual version of the conference, including a special message from Professor Kurt Spellmeyer, the Director of the Rutgers Writing Program!
2020 Topics
Contributions to Life in New Jersey
Communicating Memory & Identity in the Arts
Changing Social Structures
Environmental Stewardship
Evolving Technologies
Improving Health and Medicine
Rights and Law
103 Roundtables on Science and Technology
103 Roundtables on Contemporary Social Challenges
103 Roundtables on Consumer Culture: Opportunities and Choices
