2025 Graduate Student Research Competition

Two men share a laugh in a conference room during the 2025 Graduate Student Research Competition, while several others discuss their graduate research in the background.

STUDENT RESEARCH COMPETITION AWARD WINNERS

Fifth Annual Obesity Research Initiative Symposium February 11, 2025

Awards 

Oral Presentation: 1st place Monetary Award

Poster Presentation: 1st and 2nd place  (multiple categories) Monetary Awards

Topic Categories

All submissions must be obesity related. Abstracts are accepted in one of four categories:

  • Basic Science Research
  • Clinical Research
  • Social and Behavioral Research
  • Community and/or Policy Research

Student Presentation Winners

Oral Presentation Winner

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Tianli Wang  PhD Student, Department of Nutritional Sciences, First Place 

 Presentation: The Interactive Effect of Prenatal Vitamin D Status and Maternal Obesity on Birth Outcomes among US Black Women.

Tianli Wang is a PhD/DI student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, Child Diet and Health Disparities Research Lab under the direction of Dr. Sina Gallo. Her re- search focuses on the effect of vitamin D status in pregnant women on birth outcomes.

Basic Science Poster Winners

A young person, possibly named Austin Mills, smiling broadly in a collared shirt and patterned bow tie, posed in front of a plain background. The image is in black and white.

Austin Mills, PhD Student, Nutritional Sciences. First Place 

Presentation: Impact of Adolescent Semaglutide Injections on Body Weight and Composition

Austin, a young man with curly dark hair, smiles at the camera in a graphic T-shirt featuring a fairy illustration, standing against a dark blue studio background.

Rawad Basma, Master’s Student, Nutritional Sciences.  Second Place 

Presentation: Effect of an Adolescent Western Diet on the Brain and Impulsive Eating Behavior

Clinical, Behavior, or Community Poster Winners

A woman with long straight brown hair, a participant in the 2025 Graduate Student Research Competition, smiles at the camera in a black sleeveless top against a dark blue background.Alyssa Guadagni  PhD Candidate, Nutritional Sciences. First Place

Presentation: Impact of Pecan Consumption on Fasting Blood Lipids: A Dose-Response Analysis

 

A young woman with wavy brown hair, wearing a maroon top, smiles at the camera against a dark blue background—ready to represent Graduate Student Research at the 2025 Research Competition.Megan Appelbaum PhD Candidate, Nutritional Sciences. Second Place

Presentation: Methods Used in a Pre- implementation Analysis of Evidence- Based Family Healthy Weight Programs in Georgia Cooperative Extension

Two people wearing conference badges stand side by side in a hallway with marble floors and wooden paneling, discussing the 2025 Graduate Student Research competition.
Four people stand side by side in a hallway, smiling at the camera in business casual and semi-formal attire. They are participants in the 2025 Graduate Student Research Competition.
A woman stands by her Graduate Student Research poster, speaking to two other women—one holding a cup—in an indoor academic setting at the 2025 Research Competition.
A woman presents her 2025 Graduate Research on a poster to two colleagues in a conference room. All three wear name badges and business attire, highlighting their participation in the Graduate Student Research Competition.
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