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For two summers in a row, University of North Georgia (Â鶹ÊÓƵ) student Bailey Bullard was accepted into a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates. For her most recent one at Mississippi State University, she gained recognition.

Bullard, a senior pursuing a degree in chemistry, tied for third place in the physical sciences and engineering category at Mississippi State's recent Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium. She was one of 11 students to receive top honors out of 113 submissions, which were faculty-guided research projects at Mississippi's leading research university.

"A lot of great projects at the symposium were about the material I had been studying for the summer, so I was surprised to have stood out at all," Bullard said. "I was extremely shocked that I tied for third. It felt amazing to be recognized for the work that I had put into the project this summer."

A resident of Sharpsburg, Georgia, Bullard worked on the production and testing of engineered biochar for the removal of phosphorus from stormwater runoff. Biochar is carbon-rich char left behind from burning elements under high temperatures and low oxygen levels. For Bullard's project, Douglas fir woodchips were burned and treated to absorb and retain phosphates.

"I thoroughly loved the project that I got to work on," she said. "During the program, I was exposed to what applied research looks like. It taught me how to ask better questions, how to better analyze data, and how to improve my lab skills."