2026 Graduate Student Research Competition Results

STUDENT RESEARCH COMPETITION

Sixth Annual Obesity Research Initiative Symposium

Awards

Monetary awards were given to selected participants in Oral Presentation and Poster Presentation categories

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

Oral Presentation 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, Department of Nutritional Sciences

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

Alyssa Guadagni is a PhD Candidate and Dietetic Intern in the Department of Nutritional Sciences. Her research in Dr. Jamie Cooper’s Human Nutrition Lab focuses on how nutrients, diet, and/or exercise influence metabolism, appetite,and long-term disease risk.

Will Jennings, dressed in a blue plaid suit jacket and white shirt, smiles outdoors with trees and a building in the background.

William Earle Jennings is a PhD student in the Department of Kinesiology.

Presentation: Seasonal variations in resting heart rate and heart rate variability are attenuated with
aging and obesity

Will Jennings is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Kinesiology. He is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Integrative Cardiovascular Physiology Lab, where his research examines how seasonal environmental changes influence cardiovascular function in older adults and individuals with obesity.

Student Poster Competition Winners

Christopher Petty, a man with short brown hair and a beard, wears a dark blue collared shirt and looks at the camera, with a blue-gray background behind him.

Christopher Petty is a PhD Neuroscience student

Presentation: Brain regulation of obesity via primary cilia

Christopher Petty is a PhD Neuroscience student under the direction of Dr. Emily Noble, Department of Nutritional Sciences. His research interests include how early-life weight-loss interventions shape neural architecture and alters behavior in adulthood.

A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a green knit sweater, smiles at the camera outdoors with trees in the background, celebrating her results in the 2024 Graduate Student Research Competition.

Mary Lazzaro is a PhD/DI student in the department of Nutritional Sciences.

Presentation: Time-restricted feeding and tumor growth in a mouse model of triple negative breast cancer

Mary Lazzaro is a PhD /DI Student and graduate researcher in Dr. Emily Noble’s Nutritional Neuroscience Lab. Her current research is investigating the health outcomes of intermittent fasting in adolescent females and on breast cancer prognosis using a basic science model.

Hannah Rigdon, with long blonde hair and a white sleeveless top, smiles outdoors, surrounded by green trees and sunlight.

Hannah Rigdon is a PhD student in the Human Nutrition Lab in the Department of Kinesiology

Presentation: Dose Response Effects of Cottonseed Oil on Markers of Inflammation and Coagulation Potential in Adults at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Hannah Rigdon is a PhD student in the Human Nutrition Lab under the direction of Dr. Jamie Cooper. The lab’s research focus is on the impact of different nutrients, diets, and/or exercise on energy metabolism and appetite regulation as it relates to weight management and chronic disease risk.

ridgdon

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing a black puff-sleeve dress, stands outdoors in front of green trees, smiling at the camera after the 2024 Research Competition.

Julia Bailey is a MS student and dietetic intern in the Department of Nutritional Sciences.

Presentation: Mixed Methods Exploration of UGA Extension Agent and Leadership Attitudes Toward Family Healthy Weight Programs

Julia Bailey is a MS student under the mentorship of Dr. MIchele Parisi, Associate Professor and Extension Chronic Disease Specialist in the Department of Nutritional Sciences.