Columbia State Community College students earned several awards for research, art and history-related projects at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Arts Symposium held at Middle Tennessee State University.

It was a first-of-its-kind event cohosted by the Tennessee Board of Regents and MTSU that allowed students from several community colleges in Tennessee to join their faculty sponsors and mentors to show off their hard work and research achievements through poster presentation contests that were judged by MTSU research faculty.

Nine current students and three faculty members represented Columbia State at the event.

Students of Dr. Elvira Eivazova, Columbia State associate professor of biology, were awarded first place for their biology research poster presentation on bacteriophage discovery. Those students included Malaika Ellahi of Maury County, Chloe Navy Dobson of Williamson County, Cherestina Ferrari of Williamson County and David Moffo of Marshall County. Second place was awarded to Rutherford County resident Michael Flanagan, a Columbia State student of Dr. Kristin Jernigan, associate professor of biology, for his poster presentation on Wolbachia bacteria in arthropods.

In the arts competition, Columbia State students Daryl Rembinski of Williamson County, Leo Rojas Aguilar of Williamson County and Chloe Dobson received first, second and third place, respectively. Students of Dr. Jessica Evans, associate professor of English, presented a poster on Columbia State's legacy as Tennessee's first community college, including the impact of the college's dedication day featuring Lady Bird Johnson. Those students included Malaika Ellahi, Isadora “Izzy” Swingle of Hickman County and Olivia Ferrara of Maury County.

Two of Eivazova’s former anatomy and physiology students, Patricia Aguilar and Mariana Ferrucci, also attended the symposium.

“I am so thankful to TBR for creating this opportunity for community college students to present their work and to really let their talents shine,” Eivazova said. “I am also thankful to our amazingly talented students for letting us be a part of their academic journey. This event is one example of how High Impact Practice experiences can foster inquisitiveness, creativity and engagement.”

After the project poster showcase and awards ceremony, students were then invited to participate in tours of the MTSU research labs and to network with university research professors. The tours showed a range of lab spaces focused on areas including cancer research, biomedical optics, neuromarketing and artificial intelligence, digital history and cognitive neuroscience.

Open to all TBR students and faculty, the event highlighted the importance of academic curiosity and mentorship beyond the traditional classroom environment.