Schedule

The Spring Student Symposium showcases the research and creative work of Ohio Wesleyan students across the academic spectrum. The Symposium provides an opportunity for students to share their work with the OWU community and enter a dialogue that can spur ideas for new projects.

Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative projects conducted and performed under the mentorship of expert faculty are central components of The OWU Connection. The annual Student Symposium shows the breadth, innovation, and quality of work produced by Ohio Wesleyan students.

Opening remarks will be from 4:10-4:15 p.m. in Merrick Hall 301.

• Student Symposium Program (PDF)

Poster Session 1

4:10-5 p.m.
Merrick Hall 301

• Board #1A: Parasite Communities in Sunfish (Centrarchidae) From the Olentangy River, Ohio, USA
  Presenter: Sophia Holupka '24
  Faculty Mentor: Ramon Carreno
• Board #1B: What Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis)?
  Presenter: Logan Fraire '24
  Faculty Mentor: Eric Gangloff
• Board #2A: Differences in Core Muscle Electromyographic Activity During Unilateral and Bilateral Carries
  Presenters: Sara Bias '24 and McKenna Tuttle '25
  Faculty Mentor: Andrew Busch
• Board #2B: Analysis and Forecast of the Household Sector
  Presenters: Natalie VanMeter '26, Gabriel Eberhard '27, Nathan Oke '24, and Wes Silver '25
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #3A: Cuban Migration, Food, and Identity in Louisville
  Presenters: Reagan Brake '26, Matthew Kelley '24, Amarilys Delayla Torres-Nunez '25, and Haydn Peterson '24
  Faculty Mentors: Christopher Fink and Elizabeth Nix
• Board #3B: Determining the Role of a Potential Antimicrobial Gene Cluster in Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Symbiont, Leisingera sp. ANG1
  Presenters: Andrew Inamdar '27
  Faculty Mentor: Andrea Suria
• Board #4A: Insight Into the Labor Sector
  Presenters: Olivia Danley '26, Frankie Nuss '27, Maisie Dugger '26, and Aryaka Tickoo '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #4B: The Effects of Feeding Frequency and Quantity on Digestion in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis)
  Presenters: Brittney Parks '27 and Ashley Mollett '27
  Faculty Mentor: Allison Litmer
• Board #5A: Projected Innovative and Sustainable Growth in Costa Rica
  Presenter: Elliot Spicer '24
  Faculty Mentor(s): Will Georgic
• Board #5B: Comparison of the Gut Microbiome of Canines From Residential Homes and Mill-Bred Dogs
  Presenter: Ireland Nowak '24
  Faculty Mentor: Kiley Lewin
• Board #6A: Effects of Lead on Performance Measures in the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis)
  Presenter: Maya Moore '24
  Faculty Mentor: Eric Gangloff
• Board #6B: Analysis and Forecast of the Household Sector
  Presenters: Phuong Dinh '24, Thy Tran '24, Salma Khettat '26, and Areli Hernandez '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #7A: External Parasites of Invasive Wall Lizards
  Presenter: Ashley Krumlaw '24
  Faculty Mentor: Ramon Carreno
• Board #7B: "Excellence Because of Us": The 2013 Strongsville Teachers Strike
  Presenter: Lilly Colbeck '27
  Faculty Mentor: Xiaoming Chen
• Board #8A: Economic Insights: Interpreting Financial Signals in the Market
  Presenters: Trip Pierce '26, Kevin Fratz '25, Bobby Frankfort '24, and Isaac Henry '25
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #8B: An Overview of Local Fish Species Infected With Parasitic Nematodes (Spinitectus spp.) From the Olentangy River, Delaware, Ohio
  Presenter: Aline Aguilar '24
  Faculty Mentor: Ramon Carreno
• Board #9A: Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Symbiont Interspecies Competition Is Mediated by a Diffusible Antimicrobial and the Type VI Secretion System
  Presenter: Ivan Vore '24
  Faculty Mentor: Andrea Suria
• Board #9B: Insights Into Variables Affecting Businesses
  Presenters: Zoran Vujaklija '26, Tim Root '26, and Colton Moone '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #10A: From There to Here: The Economics Ph.D. Program Rank Of Hires at Non-Ph.D.-Granting Schools
  Presenter: Dwaipayan "Malhar" Chakrabarti '24
  Faculty Mentor: Bob Gitter (and his son, Seth Gitter)

Poster Session 2

5:10-6 p.m.
Merrick Hall 301

• Board #1A: Central Ohio Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) Don't Follow the Rules
  Presenters: Brandon Edwards '24, Brooklyn Upp '27, and Ariana Brown '26
  Faculty Mentor: Eric Gangloff
• Board #1B: Analysis and Forecast of Leading Indicators in International Sector
  Presenters: Han Mil Kim '25, Tasfia Rahman '26, Zahra Yazdani '26, and Kainaat Aslam '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #2A: Real Estate Price Forecasting With the Hybrid SVM-PSO Model: A Comparative Study With Traditional Forecasting Models
  Presenter: Jack Zimmerman '24
  Faculty Mentor: Will Georgic
• Board #2B: Feather-Degrading Bacteria: Screening and Characterization of Isolates From Microbial Collections
  Presenter: Natalia Molotievskiy '25
  Faculty Mentors: Laura Tuhela-Reuning and Andrea Suria
• Board #3A: Economics of Energy Resources and the Fed
  Presenters: Elizabeth Pollner '26, Samuel Roberts '25, and Gabi Hennigan '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #3B: Effect of Warming Regional Temperatures on Sugar Concentrations in Acer saccharum Sap
  Presenter: Ashley Bahrey '26
  Faculty Mentor: Laurie Anderson
• Board #4A: Omega Blocking on the Greenland Ice Sheet
  Presenter: Lily Bechina '26
  Faculty Mentor: Nathan Rowley
• Board #4B: Monitoring the Phenology of Trees and Spotted Salamanders in a Vernal Pool
  Presenter: Shae Kline '25
  Faculty Mentor: Laurie Anderson
• Board #5A: Macroeconomic Indicators for the Business Sector
  Presenters: Henry Hinkle '25, Ryan Smudz '25, Landon Kuhn '25, and Pranay Muniyappa '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #5B: Importance of Natural History Museum Collections: Unveiling Novel Nematode Parasites in Seychelles Caecilians
  Presenter: Ethan Nickles '25
  Faculty Mentor: Ramon Carreno
• Board #6A: Demystifying Inflation Measures: A Comparative Study
  Presenters: Araceli Allo '27, Carlos Coello '24, and Giovanna Lacarrubba '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Board #6B: The Erasure of Black Women and Black People in South African Wildlife Conservation, Observation of Food Relations and Sources in Lesotho/South Africa
  Presenters: Jasmyn Zimmerman '25 and Nuri Craig '25
  Faculty Mentor: Dawn Chisebe
• Board #7A: Antibiotic Resistance in Bacterial Isolates From Playgrounds in a Dry vs. Humid Climate
  Presenter: Mindi Klaus '24
  Faculty Mentor: Laura Tuhela-Reuning
• Board #7B: War and Fish: A Legal History of the Fish Wars
  Presenter: Meredith Frymyer '24
  Faculty Mentor: Xiaoming Chen
• Board #8A: Effects of Post-harvest Preparation Processes on Antimicrobial Properties of Medicinal Plant Tissues
  Presenter: Payton Andisman '24
  Faculty Mentor: Laurie Anderson
• Board #8B: Fueling the Future: A Macroeconomic Analysis of US Gasoline Prices and Vehicle Sales Trends
  Presenter: Anubhav Raghav '25
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples

Oral Presentations

Each presentation lasts ten minutes, followed by a five-minute Q&A session.

Merrick Hall 202

• Presentation Title #1: The Struggle of Being a Jewish Author
  Presentation Time: 4:20-4:40 p.m.
  Presenter: Joel Zachary '25
  Faculty Mentor: Amy Butcher
• Presentation Title #2: An Analysis of the Impact of Tourism on Housing in Savannah, GA
  Presentation Time: 4:40-5 p.m.
  Presenter: Sophia Gipson '24
  Faculty Mentor: Paul Dean
• Presentation Title #3: Decolonizing Monopoly
  Presentation Time: 5-5:20 p.m.
  Presenter: Faith Deschamps '24
  Faculty Mentor: Veda Hyunjin Kim
• Presentation Title #4: The Causes and Consequences of Nest Variation in a Free-Living Songbird
  Presentation Time: 5:20-5:40 p.m.
  Presenter: Chandler Carr '24
  Faculty Mentor: Dustin Reichard
• Presentation Title #5: Personality and Plasticity in Nest Defense of Female House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon)
  Presentation Time: 5:40-6 p.m.
  Presenter: Zoë Swanson '24
  Faculty Mentor: Dustin Reichard

Merrick Hall 203

• Presentation Title #1: Abortion Issue Knowledge, Prioritization, and Action: A Cross-National Analysis Of How Political Behavior Is Motivated in the United States and Ireland
  Presentation Time: 4:20-4:40 p.m.
  Presenter: Anna Nacci '24
  Faculty Mentor: Franchesca Nestor
• Presentation Title #2: The Trauma of Digitalization
  Presentation Time: 4:40-5 p.m.
  Presenter: Gabrielle Deacon '24
  Faculty Mentor: Kristina Bogdanov
• Presentation Title #3: Ethnobotany and Enslavement: Erasure of Black Herbal Medicine Use in the Diaspora
  Presentation Time: 5-5:20 p.m.
  Presenter: Carly Sanders '24
  Faculty Mentors: Dawn Chisebe and Laurie Anderson
• Presentation Title #4: Differences in Core Muscle Electromyographic Activity During Unilateral and Bilateral Carries
  Presentation Time: 5:20-5:40 p.m.
  Presenters: Sara Bias '24 and McKenna Tuttle '25
  Faculty Mentor: Andrew Busch

Merrick Hall 204

• Presentation Title #1: The Loss of Earth
  Presentation Time: 4:20-4:40 p.m.
  Presenter: Zoie Pois '24
  Faculty Mentor: Laurie Anderson
• Presentation Title #2: Comprehensive Analysis of Economic Indicators: Insights Into Consumer Behavior, Energy Dynamics, and Market Trends
  Presentation Time: 4:40-5 p.m.
  Presenters: Shlok Mundhra '26, Dhruv Sekhawat '26, and Muhammad Arshad '26
  Faculty Mentor: Goran Skosples
• Presentation Title #3: Transformational Learning: Is Your Education Transforming You?
  Presentation Time: 5-5:20 p.m.
  Presenters: Allison Dietz '27 and Brianna Montgomery '27
  Faculty Mentor: Cliff Hurst
• Presentation Title #4: Andalusian Poetry: A Historical Exploration and Creative Response
  Presentation Time: 5:20-5:40 p.m.
  Presenter: Jenna Nahhas '24
  Faculty Mentor: Patricia DeMarco
• Presentation Title #5: Exclusions of Chivalry: An Exploration of How the Enemy Is Demonized or Heroized in Depictions of the Third Crusade
  Presentation Time: 5:40-6 p.m.
  Presenter: Helena von Sadovszky '24
  Faculty Mentor: Patricia DeMarco