Presenting on research was a new endeavor for George Mason senior Dakota Stewart, a criminology, law and society major.
Luckily, she was able to practice ahead of her group’s presentation at the 16th annual College of Humanities Social Sciences Undergraduate Research Symposium at Horizon Hall on April 23. Stewart, along with fellow CLS majors Gavin Buckowski, Vetle Rusten, Harrison Stevenson, and Majesty Wilson, examined how college students trust artificial intelligence in campus crime prevention and response through the implementation of flock cameras.
Stewart said assistant professor Jin Lee, who teaches a CLS honors seminar course, brought in graduate students a couple days before the symposium to listen to the group’s mock presentation.
“That kind of prepared us,” Stewart said. “I think once you get one or two people (stopping by) that you start going on a roll. Somebody could come up and ask you a completely random question. You have to find a way to go back to the first part and go through the methods. But it was fun.”
CHSS students represented 10 different departments and programs with more than 35 posters and five video presentations. In addition, two students from Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) also presented on their research.
“Conducting and completing a significant research project is a major achievement and is something that should go at the top of the resume of every symposium participant,” CHSS Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs Lisa Breglia said. “Not only does research build skills in critical thinking and analysis, but your ability to develop and complete a research project––often working in collaboration with subjects and team members–– shows you have organizational, managerial and leadership and communication skills as well. These are highly valued and desired no matter what career path you pursue.”
Cadie Junker, a communication major, evaluated how the White House’s official Instagram account affects voter opinions, which was awarded an Excellence in Research award.
Junker, who credited professors Chris Clarke and Kevin Wright for their assistance, said it was a new experience to conduct a “full-blown research project.” She said it was her first time delving into statistics in research, sending out a survey, and going through the institutional review board (IRB) process.
“Being able to see the culmination of the work I’ve done over the past year present itself in this symposium, it has been such a rewarding experience,” Junker said. “To be able to come here and talk to people about it today has been an experience like no other.”
Economics senior Jaewon Park presented on the relationship between political instability and economic growth on a global scale. His project, “Political Instability and Growth: Evidence of Institutional Complementarity” received an Excellence in Research award.
Park said the research, which he also presented at the Virginia Association of Economists’ annual meeting at James Madison University just two weeks prior, will be helpful for his postgraduate plans.
“I want to pursue a PhD economics after graduation. Between then, I would like to do hands-on experience in research field especially in academia,” Park said. “Presenting here will be helpful to me in my career moving forward, especially after completing my PhD in economics.”
One interested attendee who stopped by was City of Fairfax mayor and George Mason alumna Catherine Read, BA Government and Politics ’84. Read, who was invited by CHSS Dean Ann Ardis, said she was impressed by the variety of topics and the passion of the student researchers.
“It runs the gamut,” Read said. “I can’t believe all the subjects, all the academic disciplines these students have chosen to pursue. I just found the conversations with them illuminating. All this research is so relevant. The bottom line is these students are interested in making an impact.”
Read was especially interested in the group presentation on flock cameras and trust in AI systems to prevent and address crimes on campus. The City of Fairfax already implements multiple cameras at several intersections and in school zones and road construction zones.
“She had some great, insightful things to say,” Stewart said. “I think we’re pigeonholed into thinking about more of the policing and criminology aspect. She was coming more from a policy and privacy aspect, which is really enlightening, especially when we’re talking about implications, future research, and how that looks from a government standpoint. So that was really interesting.”
2026 Award Recipients
Excellence in Research (Video)
Dayeong Choi (Global Affairs) Optimizing Post-Epidemic Market Resilience: A Data-Driven Analysis of African Swine Fever 's Impact on Economic Inequality among Vietnamese Swine Producers
Innovation in Ideas and Methods (Video)
Jasper Lancaster (English/Creative Writing) Untopia - The Genre of Utopian Horror
Presley Hinkle (Creative Writing) Material Entanglement: Merging Human Stories with the Inanimate
Excellence in Research (Poster)
Cadie Junker (Communication) How the White House's Instagram affects voter opinions
Jaewon Park (Economics) Political Instability and Growth: Evidence of Institutional Complementarity
Social Impact (Poster)
Su Benli (Global Affairs) Big Brother is Watching: The Impacts of Digital Authoritarianism on Maintaining Long-Term Political Power, Case Studies of Turkey and Iran
Sara Khattak (Global Affairs) Selective Humanitarianism in U.S. Foreign Policy: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Responses to Uyghur and Palestinian Genocides
Kira Sherwood (Psychology) Discrepancies Between Parent and Adolescent Reporting of Mental Health Symptoms: The Role of Adolescent Sex and Race/Ethnicity
Margaret Sevco (Psychology Autistic Traits Mediate the Relationship Between Body Listening and Punishment Sensitivity in a General Population Sample
Vlera Baftija (Psychology) Does Immigrant Advantage for Academic Outcomes Persist in High School Similarly for Black and Hispanic Students?