Stetson University proudly congratulates the recipients of the 2024 Maris Awards, recognizing exceptional undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative achievement presented during Stetson Showcase.
The Maris Awards honor students whose work exemplifies originality, academic excellence, and effective communication across diverse fields of study. This year’s recipients explored topics ranging from ecology and infectious disease to history, psychology, agriculture, and the arts, demonstrating the depth and impact of undergraduate scholarship at Stetson.
Poster Presentations
- Justine Horne – Infection Experiments with the Invasive Pentastome (Raillietiella orientalis) in Invasive Cane Toads (Rhinella marina)
- Jordan Calderara – Documenting the Spread of an Invasive Pentastome (Raillietiella orientalis) Throughout Southwest, Central, and Northern Florida
- Ryan Mossell – A Tale of Two Habitats: Why Are Copepods Larger in Mosquito Lagoon Than in Halifax River?
Creative Arts
- Jodi-Ann Taylor – Exploring the Interconnectivity Between Nature, Technology, and the Arts
Junior Music Recitals
- Nicholas Dieux – Baritone Voice
Oral Presentations
- Coral Kehm – Infection of Curly-Tailed Lizards (Leiocephalus carinatus) with the Pentastome Parasite, Raillietiella orientalis
- Tristyn Rampersad – Analyzing Racial Disorientation Through Predictive Processing
- Abria Doe – Efficiency Enhancement Initiative
- Christian Berberich – Rodent Species in a Midwestern Prairie Ecosystem Serve as Potential Reservoirs of Ehrlichiosis-Causing Bacteria
- Christa Assi – Understanding State Fragility Through Media: Why Hezbollah Thrives in Lebanon and Not Jordan
- Ryan Mason – Factors Affecting Improved Agricultural Output Under Khrushchev Versus Stalin in the Soviet Union
- Rosemary McHugh – The Emotional Labor and Identity Sensemaking in Recruitment: It’s Not for Everyone
Leonard Nance Prize for Research in Social Justice
- August DuPuis – Stolen Language, Stolen Spirit: An Exploration of Indigenous Two-Spirit Language Loss and Its Impacts on Gender Expression
- Devin Hernandez – Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The History of Methadone, 1947 to 1974
Stetson University congratulates all of the 2024 Maris Award recipients on their remarkable accomplishments. Their research, scholarship, and creative work reflect the university’s commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary learning, and the pursuit of knowledge that makes a meaningful impact within and beyond the Stetson community.