Students Earn Top Honors at Capstone Festival

At the closing celebration and reception May 10, select Capstone Festival student presenters earned top honors in each presentation section, recognizing their extraordinary achievement. Judges panels evaluated the creativity, challenge, and execution of the projects in addition to the presenters’ communications acumen. Top honors awards were accompanied by a cash prize provided through the generous sponsorship and support of the MBU Advisory Board of Visitors.

Top Honors Awards

Session 1, Creative Works (performance and visual arts)

Sponsored and presented by Chuck Henck, Advisory Board of Visitors.  

Giselle Olivera, The Complexity of Human Form. Project Advisor: Jim Sconyers.

Session 2, Analyzing Professional Practice (multimedia)  

Sponsored by Miller Coors and presented by Glenda Western, Brewery Controller.

Split award:

Kimberly Fennell, Hormone Replacement Therapy and Depression:  A Review of Treatment During Postpartum and Postmenopausal Periods. Project Advisor:  Jennifer Hancock.  

Valerie Baires, Into the Fox’s Den: An External Organizational Communications Audit of Fox News Using Systems Theory.  Project Advisor: Bruce Dorries.

Session 3, Disruptive Models and Their Impacts (multimedia)

Sponsored by McKee Foods Corporation and presented by Fonda Hamric, Human Resources Manager.  

Niranjana Menon, Determinants of Monetary Demand and Velocity After Demonetization in India. Project Advisor: Amy Diduch.

Session 4: Scientific Boundaries (posters)

Sponsored by Hershey Chocolate of Virginia and presented by Mike Adams, Operations Excellence Manager.

Susan Blackburn:  The Effects of CRISPR-Cas9 Mediated Knockout of NOX4 in GL-261 Cells. Project Advisor: Paul Deeble.

Session 5:  Equity and Context (delivered papers/multimedia)

Sponsored by ITA International and presented by Kathryn Graveley Melo, Co-Owner and Chief Governance Officer.    

Haley Shows: Uncanny Houses of Patriarchy in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Project Advisor: Katherine Turner.

Advisory Board of Visitors (ABV) Capstone Fellowships

The ABV/Capstone Senior Project Fellowships provide support for the growth and development of two juniors’ work during the 2018–19 academic year that will lead to their senior project at MBU.  

Chloe Sage Wyatt

Caroline Fresch