Brain Blast
Ohio Wesleyan Students Present Academic, Creative Work at 2024 Spring Student Symposium
DELAWARE, Ohio – ³Ô¹ÏÍø held its 2024 Spring Student Symposium on April 18 with 83 students sharing research and creative work that highlighted the breadth, depth, and quality of the work they produced this academic year.
The following OWU students presented poster or oral presentations at the symposium.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
- Sophia Holupka '24 presented Parasite Communities in Sunfish (Centrarchidae) From the Olentangy River, Ohio, USA, mentored by Ramon Carreno.
- Logan Fraire '24 presented What Factors Affect Thermoregulatory Decisions in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis)?, mentored by Eric Gangloff.
- Sara Bias '24 and McKenna Tuttle '25 presented Differences in Core Muscle Electromyographic Activity During Unilateral and Bilateral Carries, mentored by Andrew Busch.
- Natalie VanMeter '26, Gabriel Eberhard '27, Nathan Oke '24, and Wes Silver '25 presented Analysis and Forecast of the Household Sector, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Reagan Brake '26, Matthew Kelley '24, Amarilys Torres-Nunez '25, and Haydn Peterson '24 presented Cuban Migration, Food, and Identity in Louisville, mentored by Christopher Fink and Elizabeth Nix.
- Andrew Inamdar '27 presented Determining the Role of a Potential Antimicrobial Gene Cluster in Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Symbiont, Leisingera sp. ANG1, mentored by Andrea Suria.
- Olivia Danley '26, Frankie Nuss '27, Maisie Dugger '26, and Aryaka Tickoo '26 presented Insight Into the Labor Sector, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Brittney Parks '27 and Ashley Mollett '27 presented The Effects of Feeding Frequency and Quantity on Digestion in Common Wall Lizards (Podarcis muralis), mentored by Allison Litmer.
- Elliot Spicer '24 presented Projected Innovative and Sustainable Growth in Costa Rica, mentored by Will Georgic.
- Ireland Nowak '24 presented Comparison of the Gut Microbiome of Canines From Residential Homes and Mill-Bred Dogs, mentored by Kiley Lewin.
- Maya Moore '24 presented Effects of Lead on Performance Measures in the Common Wall Lizard (Podarcis muralis), mentored by Eric Gangloff.
- Phuong Dinh '24, Thy Tran '24, Salma Khettat '26, and Areli Hernandez '26 presented by Analysis and Forecast of the Household Sector, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Ashley Krumlaw '24 presented by External Parasites of Invasive Wall Lizards, mentored by Ramon Carreno.
- Lilly Colbeck '27 presented Excellence Because of Us": The 2013 Strongsville Teachers Strike, mentored by Xiaoming Chen.
- Trip Pierce '26, Kevin Fratz '25, Bobby Frankfort '24, and Isaac Henry '25 presented Economic Insights: Interpreting Financial Signals in the Market, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Aline Aguilar '24 presented An Overview of Local Fish Species Infected With Parasitic Nematodes (Spinitectus spp.) From the Olentangy River, Delaware, Ohio, mentored by Ramon Carreno.
- Ivan Vore '24 presented Hawaiian Bobtail Squid Symbiont Interspecies Competition Is Mediated by a Diffusible Antimicrobial and the Type VI Secretion System, mentored by Andrea Suria.
- Zoran Vujaklija '26, Tim Root '26, and Colton Moone '26 presented Insights Into Variables Affecting Businesses, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Dwaipayan "Malhar" Chakrabarti '24 presented From There to Here: The Economics Ph.D. Program Rank Of Hires at Non-Ph.D.-Granting Schools, mentored by Bob Gitter (and his son, Seth Gitter).
- Brandon Edwards '24, Brooklyn Upp '27, and Ariana Brown '26 presented Central Ohio Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) Don't Follow the Rules, mentored by Eric Gangloff.
- Han Mil Kim '25, Tasfia Rahman '26, Zahra Yazdani '26, and Kainaat Aslam '26 presented Analysis and Forecast of Leading Indicators in International Sector, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Jack Zimmerman '24 presented Real Estate Price Forecasting With the Hybrid SVM-PSO Model: A Comparative Study With Traditional Forecasting Models, mentored by Will Georgic.
- Natalia Molotievskiy '25 presented Feather-Degrading Bacteria: Screening and Characterization of Isolates From Microbial Collections, mentored by Laura Tuhela-Reuning and Andrea Suria.
- Elizabeth Pollner '26, Samuel Roberts '25, and Gabi Hennigan '26 presented Economics of Energy Resources and the Fed, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Ashley Bahrey '26 presented Effect of Warming Regional Temperatures on Sugar Concentrations in Acer saccharum Sap, mentored by Laurie Anderson.
- Lily Bechina '26 presented Omega Blocking on the Greenland Ice Sheet, mentored by Nathan Rowley.
- Shae Kline '25 presented Monitoring the Phenology of Trees and Spotted Salamanders in a Vernal Pool, mentored by Laurie Anderson.
- Henry Hinkle '25, Ryan Smudz '25, Landon Kuhn '25, and Pranay Muniyappa '26 presented Macroeconomic Indicators for the Business Sector, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Ethan Nickles '25 presented Importance of Natural History Museum Collections: Unveiling Novel Nematode Parasites in Seychelles Caecilians, mentored by Ramon Carreno.
- Araceli Allo '27, Carlos Coello '24, and Giovanna Lacarrubba '26 presented Demystifying Inflation Measures: A Comparative Study, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Jasmyn Zimmerman '25 and Nuri Craig '25 presented The Erasure of Black Women and Black People in South African Wildlife Conservation, Observation of Food Relations and Sources in Lesotho/South Africa, mentored by Dawn Chisebe.
- Mindi Klaus '24 presented Antibiotic Resistance in Bacterial Isolates From Playgrounds in a Dry vs. Humid Climate, mentored by Laura Tuhela-Reuning.
- Meredith Frymyer '24 presented War and Fish: A Legal History of the Fish Wars, mentored by Xiaoming Chen.
- Payton Andisman '24 presented Effects of Post-harvest Preparation Processes on Antimicrobial Properties of Medicinal Plant Tissues, mentored by Laurie Anderson.
- Anubhav Raghav '25 presented Fueling the Future: A Macroeconomic Analysis of Us Gasoline Prices and Vehicle Sales Trends, mentored by Goran Skosples.
Oral Presentations
Each presentation lasted 10 minutes, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer session.
- Joel Zachary '25 presented The Struggle of Being a Jewish Author, mentored by Amy Butcher.
- Sophie Gipson '24 presented An Analysis of the Impact of Tourism on Housing in Savannah, GA, mentored by Paul Dean.
- Faith Deschamps '24 presented Decolonizing Monopoly, mentored by Veda Hyunjin Kim.
- Chandler Carr '24 presented The Causes and Consequences of Nest Variation in a Free-Living Songbird, mentored by Dustin Reichard.
- Zoë Swanson '24 presented Personality and Plasticity in Nest Defense of Female House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon), mentored by Dustin Reichard.
- Anna Nacci '24 presented Abortion Issue Knowledge, Prioritization, and Action: A Cross-National Analysis Of How Political Behavior Is Motivated in the United States and Ireland, mentored by Franchesca Nestor.
- Gabrielle Deacon '24 presented The Trauma of Digitalization, mentored by Kristina Bogdanov.
- Carly Sanders '24 presented Ethnobotany and Enslavement: Erasure of Black Herbal Medicine Use in the Diaspora, mentored by Dawn Chisebe and Laurie Anderson.
- Sara Bias '24 and McKenna Tuttle '25 presented Differences in Core Muscle Electromyographic Activity During Unilateral and Bilateral Carries, mentored by Andrew Busch.
- Zoie Pois '24 presented The Loss of Earth, mentored by Laurie Anderson.
- Shlok Mundhra '26, Dhruv Sekhawat '26, and Muhammad Arshad '26 presented Comprehensive Analysis of Economic Indicators: Insights Into Consumer Behavior, Energy Dynamics, and Market Trends, mentored by Goran Skosples.
- Allison Dietz '27 and Brianna Montgomery '27 presented Transformational Learning: Is Your Education Transforming You? , mentored by Cliff Hurst.
- Jenna Nahhas '24 presented Andalusian Poetry: A Historical Exploration and Creative Response, mentored by Patricia DeMarco.
- Helena von Sadovszky '24 presented Exclusions of Chivalry: An Exploration of How the Enemy Is Demonized or Heroized in Depictions of the Third Crusade, mentored by Patricia DeMarco.
Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan's annual Student Symposium at and more about the OWU Connection signature program at .
Founded in 1842, ³Ô¹ÏÍø is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 and competes in 24 NCAA Division III . Through its signature experience, the , 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 or learn more at .
