Eight students present research conducted through the Institute of Government
The University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s unique undergraduate research experiences were on display at UGA Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities’ 26th annual CURO Symposium.
Eight undergraduate students, including two Vinson Fellows, presented their research on local and state government topics conducted with guidance from UGA Institute of Government faculty and staff. The symposium was held April 7-8 at the Classic Center in Athens, with more than 700 students participating.
Aarov Malhotra, a Vinson Fellow and second-year political science and economics student, was awarded Best Paper in the Public Service and Outreach category at the symposium for research he conducted during the Fall 2024 semester.
Malhotra’s paper detailed his research on Georgia’s opioid epidemic. He presented his findings at the CURO symposium in a poster session. The institute’s James Byars served as Malhotra’s mentor for the project.
“Aarov combined a strong public service motivation with a drive for learning to significantly contribute to our understanding of public health issues facing Georgians today,” Byars said. “I was honored to have such a wonderful Vinson Fellow and proud of the research and analysis that he provided.”
Nissa Dotson presents her research as a Vinson Fellow at the UGA Institute of Government, December 2024. (Photo by Sara Ingram)
Vinson Fellow Nissa Dotson, a fourth-year political science and international affairs student, delivered an oral presentation at the symposium on her research on civil law, under the mentorship of Gretchen King and Jamil Sewell from the Institute of Government.
“Working with Gretchen and Jamil was very beneficial, because it helped guide my research and helped me understand how to use data to tell a story and to better communicate the findings of my research,” Dotson said.
The Vinson Fellows program is an experiential learning opportunity for UGA undergraduate students who are interested in state and local government. Students selected for the program engage with the Institute of Government’s experts on research projects using proven research methods and the latest available data to address complex local and state government challenges.
In addition, six undergraduate students presented research on cybersecurity issues at the CURO Symposium, mentored by the institute’s Mark Lupo.
- Agni Athreya, a second-year computer science student, gave an oral presentation on analyzing cloud security for embedded systems.
- Farah Charaniya, a third-year management information systems/business analytics student, presented a poster on gamification of cybersecurity training.
- Eric Kho, a third-year management information systems student and UGA CyberArch intern, presented a poster on gamification of cybersecurity training.
- Ashera Ly, a fourth-year interdisciplinary art and graphic design student, presented a poster on gamification of cybersecurity training.
- Savannah Names, a fourth-year economics student, presented a poster on an economic case study of cyber insurance for small firms.
- Shelby Osteen, a fourth-year computer science student, presented a poster on the ethics of language artificial intelligence.
The symposium is sponsored by the Morehead Honors College, the Office of the President, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Office of Instruction, the Office of Research, the Parents Leadership Council, the Graduate School and the UGA Libraries.