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Historically, North Carolina has voted Republican in presidential elections, but many political observers were surprised two years ago when President Barack Obama won the Tar Heel State. Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior McKenzie Young investigated the factors behind the state’s recent voting behavior, and her work is the latest to be featured in a series of E-net profiles on Lumen Scholars in the Class of 2011.

Four Â鶹ÊÓƵ students presented their research at the 2011 NC Political Science Association meeting at UNC-Charlotte on Feb. 25, 2011.

More than 5.3 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia that impairs memory and behavior. Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior Caroline Peckels is analyzing compounds found in walnuts that may one day lead to new treatment for patients with the degenerative condition, and her work is the latest to be featured in a series of E-net profiles on Lumen Scholars in the Class of 2011.

Many people don’t think twice about water, or how new roads, parking lots and buildings to accommodate a growing population can harm water quality. As Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior Samuel Shoge discovered in Alamance County, more asphalt and concrete means more pollution in local streams and lakes, and his work is the latest to be featured in a series of E-net profiles on undergraduate research to be presented during CELEBRATE! 2011.

With their growing number of students who speak little or no English, American school systems have turned largely to one of two approaches for teaching such children. Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior Lindsay Mann compared the models – “English as a Second Language” and “Spanish Dual Language” – and her work is the first to be featured in a series of E-net profiles on undergraduate research to be presented during CELEBRATE! 2011.

Associate professor Cindy Fair and Lauren Taylor '10 presented research at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, where more than 20,000 attendees converged for the July 18-23 event.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ senior Drew Gardner travels to Washington, D.C., this week to share with lawmakers his research on concussions in student-athletes during the annual Posters on the Hill event sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Religious studies faculty and students attended and presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Commission on the Study of Religion in Louisville, Ky., March 4-6.

Steve DeLoach, professor of economics, has been elected to serve a three-year term as a councilor in the Social Science Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research.