National Research Showcase Highlights Communications Students

Sudan Smith & Shakira Miles (’20) Selected for Posters on the Hill

MEDIA CONTACT: Damita Chambers, dchambers@bowiestate.edu, 301-832-2628 mobile

(BOWIE, Md.) –A Bowie State University communications student and a recent graduate were among nearly 80 top undergraduate scholars selected to present their research at the exclusive 2021 Posters on the Hill, held virtually from April 27-28. The annual event, sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), brings together student researchers from around the nation to present their scholarship to members of Congress, congressional staffers and government officials, demonstrating the value of federal investment in undergraduate research.

Sudan Smith, a senior communications major, and Shakira Miles (’20), presented their research that analyzed college students’ Instagram pictures, photo captions, and comments from followers to understand how body image affects what they share on the social media platform. Their findings uncover how social media affects the self-image and body image of female college students. Guided by their faculty mentor, Dr. Uchenna Onuzulike from the Department of Communications, the students completed their study as part of Bowie State’s Semester-based Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI).

The students participating in Posters of the Hill are selected from several hundred applications received each year and judged by a national panel of experts in their fields.

“It is always exciting to see the superb work of undergraduate researchers at Posters on the Hill each year,” said Lindsay Currie, CUR’s executive officer. “The event showcases the talent, hard work, and invaluable research results of these students and their mentors as well as the caliber of the individuals being prepared for careers in a wide variety of fields, helping to meet the needs of academe, employers, the nation, and the world.”

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