8:30 AM - 9:15 AM Registration
9:30 AM - 9:40 AM Opening Remarks
9:40 AM - 10:20 AM Student Lightning Presentations I (STEM & Social Sciences)
10:30 AM - 11:50 AM Student Poster Session I
12:00 PM - 12:50 PM Lunch & Learn Sessions
1:00 PM - 2:15 PM Student Lightening Presentation II (Business, Humanities & Performances)
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Bank of America Auditorium
Shirley A. Massey Executive Conference Center
Walter E. Massey Leadership Center Rooms
Shirley A. Massey Executive Conference Center
Alumni Panel Discussion Topic: AI in Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Bank of America Auditorium
5:15 PM - 5:45 PM Closing Remarks
The Morehouse Dream Makers Summit is a showcase of student excellence in scholarship, creativity, and innovation. It aims to honor Morehouse College students’ intellect while fostering connections between the College and external partners. The Dream Makers Summit is held annually during National Undergraduate Research Week. Now in its third year, the 2025 Dream Makers Summit will feature over 100 student presentations from across all disciplines of the College. Additionally, notable alumni will share their insights with the Men of Morehouse.
A 2004 Morehouse College graduate, Joe Carlos III serves as the Director of Alumni Engagement, Programming and Events at Morehouse College. A native of Dallas, Texas, he is a proud husband and father who values time with family above all else. Outside of his work at Morehouse, Joe is an accomplished photographer and the owner of Joe Carlos Photography, where he captures meaningful moments for clients across a variety of settings. He’s been published in National Geographic, People Magazine, EBONY Magazine, and Upper Westside Atlanta Magazine. His passion for photography began during his undergraduate years as an editor for The Maroon Tiger and the Torch Yearbook.
Joe earned his MBA from Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business where he earned the Ed Montãna Leadership Award. Known as a consummate Morehouse Man, Joe has dedicated his professional career to the institution. Prior to his current role, he served as Assistant Dean of Admissions and Recruitment and as Senior Director of Content Marketing Strategy, continuing a legacy of service and impact within the Morehouse community. He was named Alumnus of the Year in 2024.
Jay Edwards is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a graduate of De La Salle Institute. He attended Morehouse College on a football scholarship, helping the Maroon Tigers earn a share of the SIAC Championship in 1991. A two-sport student-athlete, he also helped lead the effort to reestablish the College’s baseball program after more than two decades. Jay earned his Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Morehouse in 1992.
Pursuing his entrepreneurial ambitions, Jay founded The JME Group, LLC, an Atlantabased company specializing in specialty retail and food and beverage concessions within the aviation industry. Now in its 20th year, the company operates in major airports nationwide, including New York’s JFK and Newark, Denver, Boise, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Kauai. A dedicated civic leader and loyal Morehouse alumnus, Jay currently serves as President of the Morehouse College National Alumni Association. He has supported the College through major sponsorships and philanthropic leadership, including serving as the presenting sponsor for the 2024 Candle in the Dark Gala. Jay is also a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and 100 Black Men of DeKalb County, and has officiated NCAA football for over 25 years.
Thomas A. Searles currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, hired under the University of Illinois System Distinguished Faculty Recruitment Program. This past year (20-21), he was a Martin Luther King Visiting Professor at MIT and served as the Director of the IBMHBCU Quantum Center. Thomas received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Rice University in 2011, where his thesis work primarily focused on the magneto-optical properties of carbon nanotubes.
Upon his appointment at Howard University in the Fall of 2015, Thomas has established a new research program in applied and materials physics, which now focuses on quantum materials, metamaterials and quantum information science and engineering at UIC. In recognition for his research in light-matter interactions and his capability to train and mentor Black students in Physics and Engineering, Thomas was recently awarded the inaugural AIP-NSBP Joseph A. Johnson Award for Excellence and an NSF CAREER Award. Thomas graduated from Morehouse College with a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics. He is a native of Albany, GA.
Julien Turner is an award-winning writer, director, and creative director working at the intersection of sports, music, and fashion. A graduate of Morehouse College and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Julien is the co-founder of Columbus, Ohiobased Dreadhead Films, where he and his brother Justen have directed work featuring LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Dawn Staley, Jimmy Butler, and Lil Baby. Their work has earned back-to-back Webby Awards for Best Video Campaign, New Director of the Year honors from the London International Awards and the Shots Awards, the Ebertfest Golden Thumb Award, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition in Hollywood and Entertainment. As an Art Director at Abercrombie and Fitch, he has contributed to the Hollister brand during the highest sales year in company history. His story has been featured in The New York Times, GQ, Hypebeast, Ebony, and more. Rooted in faith, community, and purpose, Julien continues to push the boundaries of what branded and narrative filmmaking can be, proving that the most compelling stories are the ones told with both craft and conviction.
Shawn Wilkinson is a serial tech entrepreneur and Morehouse College graduate. He is the founder of Storj Labs, a decentralized cloud storage platform acquired by Inveniam Capital Partners in 2025, and Prodia Labs, an AI inference infrastructure company that raised $15M and powered over 100 million image and video generations across a fleet of 10,000+ GPUs. One of the first 300 users of GPT-3/ChatGPT in 2022, Shawn has been building at the frontier of AI and crypto for over a decade, with more than $50M raised across his ventures. He is currently running experiments with day-zero AI models and angel investing in the Atlanta startup ecosystem.
UNIMASHI AKANDE, Biology: Barriers and Strategies in Repurposing Vacant Land for Active Communities
AMAR’E ANDERSON, Biology: Molecular Characterization of Bacteria from Campus Tap Water and Natural Sources in Georgia
NATHAN BRYANT, Computer Science: The Influence of Age on the Effects of Cardiac Arrest
BRIGHTON CHIPLEY, Biology: Fountains
MATTHEW CROCKETT, Biology: A Microbial Assessment of Drinking Water Quality in Historic and Modern Buildings at Morehouse College (1889–2010)
WINSTON DOSS, Computer Science: Real-time Kinematics and 3D Visualization for the RIX Robot Operating System
JALEN FORTSON, Biology: Effects of Ultraviolet Light on Locomotor Activity in Bean Beetles (Callosobruchus Maculatus).
SEVAN GRIFFIN, Biology: PCR Analysis of Bacterial Colonies in Drinking Water and
TAJEH HARRIS, Biology: Assessment of Staphylococcus Contamination in the AUC
TIMOTHY HENDRICKSON, Physics: Ultra fast X-ray spectroscopy to diagnose temperature in electron collimation experiment performed using 20 fs short pulse laser at Apollon
THADDEUS HENDRICKSON, Chemistry: Fabrication and Evaluation of High-Density Wire Targets for Laser Driven Fusion
KAGEN HENRY, Biology: Library Water Fountain and Its Public Health Implications
JULIAN HUTCHINS, Mathematics: Radio Labelings of Graphs
JOSHUA MARSH, Biology: Pathogenic Bacteria in AUC Environmental and Tap Waters: A Comparative PCR Analysis
NII NAI ODAMTTEN SOWAH ODAMTTEN-SOWAH, Chemistry: Exploring Genetic Determinants of Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy Resilience: All of Us Research Program
CAMERON PONTON, Kinesiology: Sex-differences in Paraspinal Muscle Quality and Response to Pain Treatments for Chronic Low Back Pain
PETER SPANN II, Applied Physics/Dual-Degree Engineering: Geometry-Dependent Resonances in Printed SplitRing Resonator Metasurfaces for Sub-THz Applications
JAYSON VAUGHAN, Biology: Campus Water Systems
ELLIS WARE, Biology: Water Quality Old Vs New Buildings
ZACKARY HARRIS, Biology: Impact of Technology-Based Interventions on Patient Follow-Up After Emergency Department Discharge
ELLINGTON HUGHES, Software Engineering: Deep Learning for Detection of Dental Pathology in Radiographic Imaging
BILAL IBRAHIM, Biology: Exploring Education, Income, Ethnicity and Enterococci Levels within Metropolitan Atlanta, GA (USA) Watersheds
JADEN NATHAN, Psychology: Bridging Brain Health Awareness: A Feasibility Study of a Community-Engaged and Social Media-Based Initiative to Address Dementia Disparities
AHMED KIEL-KAMIL, Computer Science: Tech Trajectories
DILLAN BURNS, Biology Pre-Med: Denoting Differences Between the Microbiomes of Eggs and Adult Females in Callosobruchus Maculatus from Adzuki Beans
MARIO WELLS, Psychology: Springtime from my window: Analyzing how exposure to nature contributes to student mindfulness
JAMERREA ANDERSON, Psychology: Lyrical Validation: Examining the Relationship Between Emotionally Vulnerable Hip-Hop/R&B Lyrics and Emotional Openness in Black Male College Students
ASHTON BRANDON, Psychology: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
JAMES IVY, Kinesiology: Lowering the Obesity Risk of College-Aged Males Through Physical Activity Courses
KHAMAR CARLISLE, Political Science: Who are you?
DEJAUN WRIGHT, Philosophy:Black Labor and the Memphis Sanitation Strike
JACKSON BRYANT, Marketing: Hustle Culture: The Impact of This Approach on Black Entrepreneurship
AMIRK AKRIDE, Biology: Investigating the Correlation Between Urbanization and Bacterial Contamination of Metro-Atlanta Streams
EVAN BOXLEY, Biology: Comparison of Bacteria in Campus Water
KAYLON CHARLES, Biology: Microbial Differentiation Across Natural and Engineered Aquatic Systems
JAVAR CHAVERS, Biology: Microbial Evaluation Of On-Campus Water
ALIMAMY CONTEH, Biology: Evaluation of Microbial Species Present in the Water of Water Bottle Fillers
JOSEPH DAVIS, Biology: Generation of Lentivirus to Inhibit LILRB4 Expression To Promote Anti-CD47 Mediated Antibody Dependent Cancer Cell Phagocytosis
JOSIAH DAVIS, Biology: Measuring the Protective Impact of Obese Leptin Against Bortezomib Cytotoxicity in Prostate Cancer Cells
JOSEPH FAWOLE, Physics: Rapid Fabrication and Characterization of Kapton-Based THz Wire-Grid Polarizers
ISAIAH FRAZIER, Biology: An Examination of Tap Water Quality Across Campus Facilities
JEREMY HALL, Biology/Finance: Environmental Water Samples
ZACKARY HARRIS, Biology: Impact of Technology-Based Interventions on Patient Follow-Up After Emergency Department Discharge
ELLINGTON HUGHES, Software Engineering: Deep Learning for Detection of Dental Pathology in Radiographic Imaging
BILAL IBRAHIM, Biology: Exploring Education, Income, Ethnicity and Enterococci Levels within Metropolitan Atlanta, GA (USA) Watersheds
JADEN NATHAN, Psychology: Bridging Brain Health Awareness: A Feasibility Study of a Community-Engaged and Social Media-Based Initiative to Address Dementia Disparities
MICHAEL OWUSU, Computer Science: Digital Habits and Mental Health: Exploring Screentime, Tik-Tok Use, and Sleep
LANDON SCOTT, Biology Pre-Med: From Treatment, Recovery to Relapse? Investigating The Role of Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) in Colorectal Cancer Survivorship
WILLIE SYKES, Biology: Evaluating Microbial Water Quality in Natural
AARON WALKER, Biology: Exploring The Links Between Water Quality and Social Equity In An Urban Stream Watershed
CRAIG WATKINS, Biology: Atlanta University Center
MARK LESTER, Biology: Tracking Coliform Bacteria and Escherichia Coli In Metro-Atlanta Water Systems
DALLAS COOK, Computer Science: AI Usage Students Life
STEPHEN OSAGUONA, Biology: Soil Lead Pollution Solution through Vertical Integration of Industry and Six Degrees of Separation in Atlanta Soil Deposits.
KEIRNAN CATLEY, Psychology: Birding and the cultivation of environmental Empathy through mindfulness practice.
KIP BANKS: The Impact of Global Trade on U.S. Wage Inequality
EDWARD CLARK: African Continental Free Trade Area in the World Economy
DANIEL FERNANDES, Economics: Outsourcing, In-Sourcing, and Stractural Transformation in Angola
MANUEL RODRIGUEZ, Economics: Wealth Gap and Foreign Influence: To What Extent Has Outsourced Labor Contributed to Widening Wealth Dispartity in America
GARRETT STIELL, Economics: Technology Transfer and Economic Outcomes: Evidence from East Asia and SubSaharan Africa
COLIN WOODLAND, Economics: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Trade with Developing Countries in South Africa
CAYDEN ALEXANDER, Economics: Global Trade Volatility and the Debt Crisis in Southeast Asia
KIBWE BASDEO, Economics: The Great Gree Wall on Regional Trade in the Sahel
WILLIAM CLARK, Economics: Buisness Process Outsourcing and Wage Dynamics: The Case of India
DYLEN RICHMOND, Economics: USD Pegged Stablecoins Role In International Markets
ELIJAH SMILEY, Economics: Economic Forces Shaping U.S. Health Care: Costs, Technology. And Equity in a Changing System
MYLES TUCKER, Economics, Mathematics & Chinese: Trade, Tariffs, and Currency Power: An Analysis of U.S.China Trade Policy, Deficits, and Exchange Rates
JALEN SILAS-BURCH, Marketing: L.I.V.E Consulting Challenge
OMAR CULBREATH JR., Africana Studies: Divine: Hoodoo, Conjure, and Gullah Communities of the Georgia Coast
KARIM DIOP, Business Administration: ELC Consulting Project
DOHNOVEN DIXON, Computer Science: ELC Consulting Project
RANYÉ HOLMES, Business Administration: ELC Consulting Project
ETHAN JACKSON, Sociology: ELC Consulting Project
THEOPHILUS MINJA, Business Administration: ELC Consulting Project
ADEYEMI MITCHELL, Business Administration: RAKASTAA KOLLEKTIV
JONATHAN NEAL, Business Administration: ELC Consulting Project
JERREMY NJUGUNA, Business Administration: ELC Consulting Project
JAKYLAN REED, Computer Science: ELC Consulting Project
JALEN SILAS BURCH, Business Administration: ELC Consulting Project
SHAWNDEL TURNER, Business Administration: ELC Consulting Project
JAY’SHUN MATTHEWS, Business Administration: Black Youth Empowerment Network
NORELL MAYS, Business Administration: 6Constitutions
KEVYN MOULTON, Business Administration: Last of a Dying Breed (LODB)
IAN PAYNE, Computer Science: Personal Audience
JA’RORY PURNELL, Business Administration: SOUL NOT FOR SALE
JEREMY SAMUEL, Computer Science: PresentIQ
ELIAS SANDERSON, Business Administration: Luxex
KALED SEARLES, Business Administration: BLAnC Kanvas
NEHEMIAH STOWERS, Business Administration: Uncharted Hoops League
JAMES WALLACE IV, Business Administration: The Golden Fruit Garden LLC
MICHAEL JEREMIAH WATERS, Applied Physics: Financial Fitness for Kids
ROBERT BRIGGS, JR., SOFTWARE ENGINEERING: Proxie: Agentic AI for Cognitive Accessibility in STEM Student Success at Morehouse
Jeremy Warden, Psychology: The Moderating Role of Physical Activity in the Relationship Between Beta-Amyloid and Memory Performance in Black Older Adults
MARTI SMITH, Sociology & Psychology/CLAYTON THOMAS, Philosophy: The Divine Project
MILTON ROGERS, Africana Studies: Sunni to Milton, Makeup to Morehouse
CHASE CLEVELAND, Business Administration: MediScribe
CLARENCE SANDERS, Philosophy & Communication Studies: Umoja Renewables - Project Bio NEXUS
AARON TAYLOR, Business Administration: AtraFlips
RJ ROBINSON, Business Administration: New Age Data/ELC Consulting Project
Chavous Langhorn, Sociology/Devon Lewis, Business Administration: Brother-to-Brother
Isaac Dia, Political Science/Jeremiah White, Political Science: Credo Project
Elijah Qualls, Political Science: Trade War Revisited: U.S. Tariffs and Global Trade Networks
BRAXTON BROADY, History: 2025 Morehouse Pan African Global Experience (MPAGE) - Peru
KHALIL HARPER-ARIAS, Business Administration: Women of Atlanta: Entrepreneurial Business History
FROM THE CLASSROOM AND LAB TO MARKET: LEARN ABOUT CBE’S SPARK FACULTY INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM
This session will provide information on two AUC-wide funding opportunities as part of the Center for Black Entrepreneurship’s SPARK (Scholarship, Pedagogy, Applied Research and Knowledge) initiative.
Facilitators:
GRANT M. WARNER, PH.D., Executive Director
LAQUITA BLOCKSON, PH.D., Associate Director
ABDUS MUWWAKKIL, Program Manager, I-Corps
This session will explore how things like communication, time management, and teamwork shift outside of school, and share practical tips to help you feel more confident stepping into a professional environment.
Facilitators:
VINCENZINA MEGNA, Executive Director, Global Equity Operations
CHELSEY WILLIS, Sr. Financial Services Professional JOURDAN WEBSTER, Trading Operations Associate
Attendees will learn how to craft a concise and impactful introduction that highlight their strengths and aspirations, as well as discover techniques for building genuine connections and practice delivering their pitch with confidence Facilitators:
ANTONIO GODFREY, Recruiting Consultant II
This session will provide an overview of careers in the pharmaceutical industry, with a special focus on Abbvie’s pharmaceutical sales program.
Facilitators:
KELLY JAMES, Sr. Clinical Research Associate
The Leadership Alliance is a professional family and a career builder that brings together the best minds and the best ideas to promote innovation and the future of work.
Vanderlande is a global leader in automation solutions for baggage handling, warehouses, and parcel sorting. As part of Toyota Industries Corporation, the company provides integrated systems and services to major airports and leading e-commerce and parcel businesses worldwide.
Facilitators:
GABRYA BRACKINS, Campus & DEI Recruiter
MELANIE BANKS, Human Resources Partner
