Growing as Scientists

Growing as Scientists

Ohio Wesleyan Students Present Results of Summer Research Projects at Sept. 26 Symposium

DELAWARE, Ohio - Ohio Wesleyan University students shared the results of their on- and off-campus summer research experiences at OWU's 32nd annual Patricia Belt Conrades Summer Science Research Symposium.

The Sept. 26 event, held inside the university's Schimmel/Conrades Science Center, included poster presentations with more than 50 students discussing their original research and answering questions at the two-hour symposium.

Laura Tuhela-Reuning, director of OWU's Summer Science Research Program (SSRP), shared her thoughts on the value of such mentored research experiences in the symposium's abstract book (PDF).

"Authentic research is quite different from classroom labs - more challenging, more creative, more frustrating, and, ultimately, more rewarding," she said. "One of the most rewarding parts of SSRP for me is watching the students grow as scientists, seeing them take command of a research project, and knowing that they are gaining the confidence to speak and act as scientists."

Ohio Wesleyan students Avery Panozzo (center) and Ava Swanson (center right) discuss their summer research into how predator size affects the nest defense behavior of house wrens.

Current Ohio Wesleyan students presenting research and their projects are:

• Raazia Aamir of Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, presented "Optimizing Traditional Silicon-Based Transistors." Aamir was mentored by Wolfgang Windl of the Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Research at The Ohio State University.
• Giorgi Bediashvili of Tbilisi, Georgia, presented "Determinants of Support for International Intervention: Evidence from a Relative Choice Survey of a Representative Sample of Americans." Bediashvili was mentored by Nick Dietrich, formerly of the Ohio Wesleyan Data Analytics Program.
• Cooper Christie of Mansfield, Ohio, presented "Computer Vision for Root Tip Analysis." Christie was mentored by Chris Wolverton of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Kelsea Cooper of Atwater, Ohio, presented "Fighting Gravity: Oral Nicotine Pouch Topography In Regular Users." Cooper was mentored by Brittney Keller-Hamilton of the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science at The Ohio State University.
• Allison Dietz of Newark, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Transformational Education: How Do We Know We are Delivering It?" Dietz was mentored by Cliff Hurst of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Economics and Business.
• Stepan Dobrianskyi of Novoaidarskyi Raion, Luhanska Oblast, Ukraine, presented "A Mutation in WOX5 Shows Reduced Gravitropism and Phototropism." Dobrianskyi was mentored by Chris Wolverton of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Savannah Domenech of Webster, New York, presented "Detecting Untreated Wastewater in Urban Streams Through the Presence of Laundry Detergent." Domenech was mentored by Rebecca Hale Smithsonian of the Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland.
• Chase Ellis of Hilliard, Ohio, presented "Comparison of Media for In Vitro Propagation of Freshwater Mussel Lampsilis Siliquoidea." Ellis was mentored by Ieva Roznere of the Watters Aquatic Conservation Center and The Ohio State University.
• Mack Fincham of Springfield, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Investigating Starspots on LO Pegasi Via Light-Curve Inversion." Fincham was mentored by Robert Harmon of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Physics and Astronomy.
• Emma Foster of Sylvania, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Which Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)?" Foster was mentored by Eric Gangloff, Shala Hankison, and Allie Litmer of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Carson Fox of Van Wert, Ohio, presented "Synchronization In Serial DC SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) Arrays." Fox was mentored by Brad Trees of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Physics and Astronomy.
• Aubrey Gerhardt of East Aurora, New York, presented "Proteomic Exploration Of The Eukaryotic Replisome." Gerhardt was mentored by Marcus Smolka and Mateusz Wagner of the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
• Devon Haley of Granville, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Capture-Mark-Recapture Study of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis) Between Forest and Wall Habitats Within the Urban City of Cincinnati, Ohio," "Surveying Ohio Reptile and Amphibian Species," "Which Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)?" and "Studying Urban Populations of the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis)" Haley was mentored by Eric Gangloff, Shala Hankison, and Allie Litmer of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Ashley Hayward of Richwood, Ohio, presented "Development of Analytical Framework for Determining Thick Target Charge-Changing Cross-Sections." Hayward was mentored by Jeffery Chancellor of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University.
• El Healey of Westlake, Ohio, presented "In-Person Recruitment for ABC Quit Smoking Cessation Study In Pediatric Clinics." Healey was mentored by Janeen Leon, David Kaelbur, and Tykie Theofilos of MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Malcolm Henderson of Columbus, Ohio, presented "Comparative Data Analysis of the Dropouts Between Radiation Belt Electrons and Ring Current Protons." Henderson was mentored by Weichao Tu of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University.
• Claire Heumasse of Scarborough, Maine, participated in a group presentation of "Creating Double Mutants Using RNA-SEQ to Study Gravity Perception in Plants." Heumasse was mentored by Chris Wolverton of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Andrew Inamdar of Lewis Center, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Characterizing Competition Between Symbiotic Squid Bacteria." Inamdar was mentored by Andrea Suria of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Callie Kampe of Mansfield, Ohio, presented "Developing Pharmacological Treatments for Jet Lag." Kampe was mentored by Chelsea Vadnie of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Psychology.
• Doyi Kim of Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, participated in a group presentation of "Characterizing Competition Between Symbiotic Squid Bacteria." Kim was mentored by Andrea Suria of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• August Lemert of Granville, Ohio, presented "Evaluation of the Effects on Cysteine Endopeptidases in the Arabidopsis Thaliana Growth Rate with Simulated Gravitropic Conditions." Lemert was mentored by Chris Wolverton of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Evan Lucas of Loveland, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Interactions Between a Phosphatidylcholine Model Membrane and Poly-Arginine." Lucas was mentored by Bethany Rudd and Kayce Tomcho of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Chemistry.
• Nick Mankowski of Massillon, Ohio, presented "Understanding Traffic Jams and Lane Changing." Mankowski was mentored by Han Guo of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
• Grace Martin of Westerville, Ohio, presented "Exploring Self-Grading in Mathematics: A Pedagogical Approach to Foster Metacognition in a College Mathematics Class." Martin was mentored by Matt McCurdy, formerly of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
• Logan McFarland of Granville, Ohio, presented "Utilizing UAVs (Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles) for Hydrologic and Ecological Mapping." McFarland was mentored by Nathan Rowley of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Environment and Sustainability.
• Ashley Mollett of Westerville, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Capture-Mark-Recapture Study of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis) Between Forest and Wall Habitats Within the Urban City of Cincinnati, Ohio." Mollett was mentored by Eric Gangloff of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Brianna Montgomery of Gibsonburg, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Transformational Education: How Do We Know We are Delivering It?" Montgomery was mentored by Cliff Hurst of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Economics and Business.
• Ebuka Okpalume of Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria, participated in a group presentation of "Creating Double Mutants Using RNA-SEQ to Study Gravity Perception in Plants." Okpalume was mentored by Chris Wolverton of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Avery Panozzo of Lakewood, Colorado, participated in a group presentation of "How Predator Size Affects the Strength of Nest Defense Behavior in House Wrens." Panozzo was mentored by Dustin Reichard of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Brittney Parks of Syracuse, New York, participated in a group presentation of "Capture-Mark-Recapture Study of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis) Between Forest and Wall Habitats Within the Urban City of Cincinnati, Ohio," "Surveying Ohio Reptile and Amphibian Species," "Which Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)?" and "Studying Urban Populations of the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis)"Capture-Mark-Recapture Study of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis) Between Forest and Wall Habitats Within the Urban City of Cincinnati, Ohio," "Surveying Ohio Reptile and Amphibian Species," "Which Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)?" and "Studying Urban Populations of the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis)." Parks was mentored by Eric Gangloff, Shala Hankison, and Allie Litmer of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Gabby Plunkett of Cincinnati, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Capture-Mark-Recapture Study of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis) Between Forest and Wall Habitats Within the Urban City of Cincinnati, Ohio," "Surveying Ohio Reptile and Amphibian Species," "Which Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)?" and "Studying Urban Populations of the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis)." Plunkett was mentored by Eric Gangloff, Shala Hankison, and Allie Litmer of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Luke Przybys of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, presented "Glucocorticoids Do Not Increase Fat Mass in Very Low Birth Weight Infants at Discharge." Przybys was mentored by Prabhu Parimi of the Division of Neonatology at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Musa Rehmatullah of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, presented "Characterization of a Cell-Adapted Oncolytic Virus." Rehmatullah was mentored by Hana Dobrovolny of the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Texas Christian University.
• Lily Rekow of Columbus, Ohio, presented "Artificial Intelligence for Modern Board Games." Rekow was mentored by Sean McCulloch of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
• Melayna Rios of Rossford, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Are You Game? Examining the Effects of Video Games on Cognition" and "Behind the Mask: How Personality Shapes Role Choices in League of Legends." Rios was mentored by Kira Bailey of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program.
• Emmet Ritchie of Galena, Ohio, presented "Using SQL Server and Powershell Scripting to Synchronize a Local Code Repository with Azure DevOps." Ritchie was mentored by Steve Tuhela-Reuning of OTC Industrial Technologies in Columbus, Ohio.
• Isabela Rodriguez Ortiz of Columbus, Ohio, presented "Decoding Historical Astronomical Records Using a Convolutional Neural Network." Rodriguez Ortiz was mentored by Jason E. Ybarra of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University.
• Willow Bryn Rosser of Lakewood, Ohio, presented "Impact of Legislative Context on LGBTQ+ Family Formation Decision-Making by Sexual and Gender Identity." Rosser was mentored by Krystal Cashen of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Psychology.
• Ian Sander of Pemberville, Ohio, presented "From Design to Nicotine Delivery: A Comprehensive Characterization of Popularly Used E-Cigarettes." Sander was mentored by Ahmad El Hellani, Marielle C. Brinkman, and Theodore Wagener of the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science at The Ohio State University.
• Anushka Sharad of Pune, Maharashtra, India, participated in a group presentation of "Investigating Starspots on LO Pegasi Via Light-Curve Inversion." Sharad was mentored by Robert Harmon of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Physics and Astronomy.
• Mannat Sikand of Gurgaon, Haryana, India, participated in a group presentation of "Are You Game? Examining the Effects of Video Games on Cognition" and "Behind the Mask: How Personality Shapes Role Choices in League of Legends." Sikand was mentored by Kira Bailey of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program.
• Josephine Stark of Castalia, Ohio, presented "Characterization of Trypanosoma brucei MCP1." Stark was mentored by Arundhati Kavoor, Rylan R. Watkins, and Karin Musier-Forsyth of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Center for RNA Biology at The Ohio State University.
• Haleigh Stover of Marion, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Interactions Between a Phosphatidylcholine Model Membrane and Poly-Arginine." Stover was mentored by Bethany Rudd and Kayce Tomcho of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Chemistry.
• Chloe Sullivan of Plain City, Ohio, presented "Genetic Mechanisms Regulating Stem Cell Niche Maintenance." Sullivan was mentored by Travis D. Carney of MDI Biological Laboratory and Halyna R. Shcherbata of MDI Biological Laboratory and Hannover Medical School.
• Ava Swanson of Mansfield, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "How Predator Size Affects the Strength of Nest Defense Behavior in House Wrens." Swanson was mentored by Dustin Reichard of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Inesh Tickoo of Delhi, India, presented "Enhancing Business Intelligence with Real-Time Data Analytics: An Internship Experience at Allegis Group." Tickoo was mentored by the Allegis Group.
• Parthey Vasani of Rajkot, Gujarat, India, presented "Testing Lorentz and CPT (Charge Conjugation, Parity Inversion, and Time Reversal) Symmetries with Neutrons." Vasani was mentored by Yunhua Ding of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Physics and Astronomy.
• Julia Walsh of Bethesda, Maryland, participated in a group presentation of "Investigating Starspots on LO Pegasi Via Light-Curve Inversion." Walsh was mentored by Robert Harmon of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Physics and Astronomy.
• Andy Weisgerber of Harmony, Pennsylvania, presented "Growth Response Assays on Locus AT2G41810 in Arabidopsis Thaliana." Weisgerber was mentored by Chris Wolverton of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Tyler Williard of Ravenna, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Capture-Mark-Recapture Study of Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis) Between Forest and Wall Habitats Within the Urban City of Cincinnati, Ohio," "Surveying Ohio Reptile and Amphibian Species," "Which Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)?" and "Studying Urban Populations of the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis)." Williard was mentored by Eric Gangloff, Shala Hankison, and Allie Litmer of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.
• Spencer Yates of New Carlisle, Ohio, presented "A Preliminary Characterization of the ORF5 Protein Found Within Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus." Yates was mentored by Stanley Perlman, Noah Schuster, and Lu Tan of the University of Iowa.
• Jasmyn Zimmerman of Vermilion, Ohio, participated in a group presentation of "Surveying Ohio Reptile and Amphibian Species," "Which Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis Muralis)?" and "Studying Urban Populations of the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis Muralis)." Zimmerman was mentored by Eric Gangloff, Shala Hankison, and Allie Litmer of the Ohio Wesleyan Department of Biological Sciences.

The Summer Science Research Symposium was held as part of Ohio Wesleyan's third annual OWU Connection Conference. The conference enabled students to share how their participation in the university's signature experience - the OWU Connection - is helping them to create the personal and professional futures they seek.

The OWU Connection, part of the university's general education curriculum, is designed to help students think big (understand complex issues from multiple academic disciplines), do good (volunteer to help others), go global (gain international perspective), and get real (translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning).

Learn more about the OWU Connection and the Connection Conference at owu.edu/connection and more about the Summer Science Research Program and annual symposium at owu.edu/ssrp.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.

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