The Senior Research Symposium is one of the proudest days of the year for the Wooster campus. Seniors who have spent a year or more completing their Independent Study (I.S.) projects with faculty mentors showcased their work to the world. The projects represented on stage, in poster form, as exhibits or digital presentations, and on the web are the manifestation of countless hours of research, collaboration, and creative expression. Online and in-person presentations occurred throughout the day on Friday, April 21. Check out our video below showcasing a snapshot of the Symposium experience!
Symposium Award Winners and RecapIn-Person Oral Presentations In-Person Poster Presentations Online Symposium Directory Senior Studio Art Portfolios
View more than 100 Independent Study projects as part of the Online Symposium below.
Online Symposium Directory
Name: Madison Elizabeth Carter Major: Biology Advisor: Rebecca Williams CYP1A gene expression responds to pollutants in the environment, specifically PAHs. CYP1A is a significant biomarker […]
Name: Matthew Engfer Majors: Environmental Geoscience, Environment & Society Advisors: Vibhor Agarwal, Carlo Moreno Patterns of hydrology within streams provide vital information about the […]
Name: Malik Moore Major: Neuroscience-Biology Advisor: Seth Kelly Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have become increasingly prevalent in aging societies, causing significant global […]
Name: Langston Hood Majors: English, Philosophy Advisors: Allison Cardon, Elizabeth Schiltz This Independent Study thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter, titled “Determinism”, […]
Name: Sobika Thapa Major: Computer Science Minor: Statistical & Data Sciences Advisors: Heather Guarnera, Daniel Palmer “Playing sounds by touching on the canvas”. This […]
Name: Victoria Silva Majors: Theatre, Political Science Minors: Latin American Studies, English What is the conflict of democracy? Is it reliable? Is it real? […]
Name: Tomoka Adams Majors: Biology, Spanish Advisors: Ferdinand Nanfack-Minkeu, Hernan Medina Mosquitoes are vectors for diseases that are often implicated in major outbreaks. The […]
Name: Sarah Snider Major: Cognitive Neuroscience Minor: Economics Advisor: Amy Jo Stavnezer Cognitive plasticity is the ability for cognitive outcomes to be flexible and fluid. […]
Name: Nosherwan Mughal Major: Biology Minor: Chemistry Advisor: Laura Sirot Aedes aegypti are notorious vectors that transmit deadly pathogens to humans. Odorant Binding Protein […]
Name: Natalie Nonno Majors: Biology, Elementary Education Advisor: Hilary Edgington Hybridization is reproduction between genetically different populations that often result in hybrid offspring. Different factors […]
Name: Gabriele Gajdos Major: Environmental Studies Minor: Music Advisor: Setsuko Matsuzawa; Matt Mariola (second reader) Within this project, I presented a contemporary topic connecting […]
Name: Wenshuo Zhao Major: Environmental Geoscience Advisors: Greg Wiles, Vibhor Agarwal, Shelley Judge Blue intensity, or BI, has been proposed as a new parameter […]
Name: Temuul Munkhtur Major: Environmental Studies Advisor: Carlo Moreno For my project, I decided to make Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) the focus of my study. […]
Name: Shiropa Shahreen Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisor: Paul Edmiston Bioadsorption of metal ions through proteins is selective […]
Name: Shane Louis Major: History Minor: Education Advisor: Jordan Biro Walters My IS looks at Blues songwriting in the 1960s and argues that themes in […]
Name: Seula Kim Major: Biology Advisors: Dean Fraga, Laura Sirot Phosphagen kinases (PK) catalyze the reversible phosphorylation of the guanidino substrate to buffer energy in […]
Name: Sena Houessou-Adin Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Advisor: Dean Fraga; Stephanie Strand (second reader) Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is an overgrowth disorder typically brought to […]
Name: Samantha Burke Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders Advisor: Joan E. Furey The purpose of this study was two-fold. First, I investigated speech-language pathologists’ […]
Name: Sam L. Belsky Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minors: Mathematics, Spanish Advisors: Mark Snider, Annastassia Gallo; Sara Martin (second reader) Stereo- and regioselective […]
Name: Riley Thorr Major: Biology Minor: Physical Education Advisor: Nicholas Brandley; Laura Sirot (second reader) It is no question that college students experience high […]
Name: Pookar Chand Major: English Minor: Economics Advisors: Lisa Perfetti, Claire Eager My English Independent Study project was to create a novella length experimental and […]
Name: Patrick Thomas Wood Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minor: Statistical & Data Sciences Advisors: Sara E.S. Martin, Annastassia Gallo Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the […]
Name: Omobolanle Oladeji Major: Computer Science Advisor: Kowshik Bhowmik The purpose of this study is to analyze the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for […]
Name: Olivia Green Major: Physics Advisors: Cody Leary, Susan Lehman We modeled the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect for a two-photon state modified by a nonlinear sample interaction […]
Name: Fiona Schieve Majors: Political Science, Religious Studies Advisors: Jeremy Rapport, Terry Reeder This project intends to analyze the overwhelming support Donald Trump garnered from […]
Name: Natalie Ibrahim Belle Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Advisors: Alfredo Zuniga, Nicholas Brandley Intrusive symptoms in post-traumatic stress disorder occur due to the generalization of contextual fear […]
Name: Morgan Ann Malone Major: Political Science Minor: Spanish Advisor: Michele Leiby, Erum Haider This independent study project examined the following research question: Does the robustness […]
Name: Morgan Stanley Major: Psychology Advisors: Amy Jo Stavnezer, Meredith Hope Little is known about the effects of oral contraceptives, or “the pill,” on cognition and […]
Name: Lucille Segal Major: Psychology Minor: Education Advisor: Bryan Karazsia; Meredith O. Hope (second reader) The mental well-being of collegiate student-athletes is often overlooked by the […]
Name: Lucy Agurkis Majors: Psychology, Studio Art Advisors: Meredith o. Hope, Daren Kendall For college-attending emerging adults, college can be simultaneously the most rewarding […]
Name: Lucy Wickham Major: Mathematics Advisors: Subhadip Chowdhury, Pamela Pierce In this Independent Study, we survey the mathematics of tiling 2-dimensional regions with polyomino […]
Name: Sydney Fitzcharles Major: Neuroscience (Cognitive/Behavioral Track) Advisors: Alfredo Zúńiga, Grit Herzmann Reward is a vastly complex process, integrating diverse brain regions and neurotransmitters […]
Name: Yeeun Koh Majors: Economics, Mathematics Advisors: Edward Teather-Posadas, Robert Kelvey Conflict is, by nature, cost inefficient and has naturally attracted economists’ devoted attentions. […]
Name: Kate Larson Majors: Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Psychology Advisors: Zareen Thomas, Amber Garcia, Katie Holt The goal of this research was to complete Critical […]
Name: Minjin Lee Major: Biology Advisor: Stephanie Strand Currently, antibiotics are losing their ability to treat pathogens, which is becoming a huge issue that […]
Name: Minh Duc Dao Major: Mathematics, Computer Science Advisors: Rob Kelvey, Max Taylor Video instance segmentation is a type of deep learning algorithm that enables […]
Name: Min kyung Kim Major: Psychology Advisor: Susan Clayton; Amy Jo Stavnezer (second reader) The demands that athletes experience during competition can indicate the rising […]
Name: Megan Conklin Major: History Minor: Education Advisor: Jordan Biro Walters This project explores the history of women’s music, the name given to the […]
Name: May Le Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Advisors: Stephanie Strand, James West As treatments for infection from drug resistant bacteria become more challenging nowadays, phage […]
Name: Matt Ulishney Major: Mathematics Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisors: Drew Pasteur, Qimin Huang The increasing use of analytics in sports has changed the way […]
Name: Mary Elise Blair Major: Biology Minor: Psychology Advisors: Rick Lehtinen, Hilary Edgington Color polymorphism is one type of variation in morphology that can be […]
Name: Maley S. Tinstman Major: Political Science (International Relations) Advisor: Kent Kille This study explores the interactions between United Nations (UN) food (in)security and climate […]
Name: Lucie Fiala Major: Environmental Geoscience Minor: Spanish Advisor: Mark Wilson The Carmel Formation spans across much of the western United States. It is […]
Name: Lily Anderson Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Minor: Mathematics Advisor: Jennifer Faust; Paul Edmiston (second reader) Pesticides are the only chemical contaminant that […]
Name: Lauren Kreeger Major: Geology Minor: German Studies Advisor: Dr. Shelley Judge, Dr. Mark Wilson The degassing of bubbly silicic melts controls the explosivity […]
Name: Lauren Ganson Major: Sociology Minor: Psychology Advisor: Tom Tierney, Heather Fitz Gibbon This study analyzes and compares the experiences and choices of parents […]
Name: Lark Pinney Major: Political Science (Comparative Politics concentration) Minor: Spanish, Religious Studies Advisor: Michele Leiby; Erum Haider (second reader) This study aims to […]
Name: Kylie Marie Schmitz Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Minor: Mathematics Advisor: Paul Edmiston; Sara Martin (second reader) Swellable organically modified silica (SOMS) is […]
Name: Kyle Rossi Major: Computer Science Minor: Mathematics Advisor: Daniel Palmer; Heather Guarnera (second reader) This thesis visualizes a complex constraint satisfaction problem (CSP), […]
Name: Katie Schumacher Major: Psychology Minor: Biology Advisor: Bryan Karazsia; Amber Garcia (second reader) Many studies indicate that medical professionals are biased toward patients based […]
Name: Kevin Poe Major: Religious Studies, Philosophy Minor: South Asian Studies Advisors: Mark Graham, Elizabeth Schiltz In December of 2022 I traveled to Bodh […]
Name: Keeton Purvis Major: Computer Science Advisor: Heather Guarnera Procedural generation is a popular way of algorithmically generating content such as worlds, textures, and […]
Name: Kayla Stevens Major: Anthropology Minor: Environmental Studies Pathway: Museum & Archival Studies Advisor: Beth Derderian; David McConnell (second reader) The Life-Changing Magic of […]
Name: Kay Wetmore Major: Communication Studies, Political Science Advisor: Dr. Denise Bostdorff and Dr. Meg Wrobel This study explored how the Democratic Party is […]
Name: Ian Leon Major: Economics Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisor: Moses Luri and Edward Teather-Posadas The music industry brings in billions of dollars […]
Name: Katie Fleig Major: Neuroscience Advisors: Erzsebet Regan, Hilary Edgington; William Morgan (second reader) Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s […]
Name: Katherine Shelmidine Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Minor: Statistical and Data Sciences Advisors: Seth Kelly, James West Gene expression is the process by […]
Name: Judith Topham Major: Geology Advisors: Meagen Pollock, Mark Wilson Bræðravirki is a hyaloclastic dominated tindar in the Western Volcanic Zone of Iceland. It is […]
Name: Joey Harris Major: Political Science Minor: Economics Advisor: Erum Haider Conflicts over how natural resources are governed have become an increasingly important factor in […]
Name: Jillian Murray Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Minor: Psychology Research about the neural connections between the gut and brain, called the gut-brain-axis, have emerged as […]
Name: Jennifer Mynard Majors: Art History, Environmental Studies Advisors: Susan Clayton, John Siewert Human existence is increasingly characterized by the built environments we inhabit. The […]
Name: Claira Schiffrik Major: Economics Advisor: Huiting Tian This study provides an analysis of the relationship between monetary policy and the housing market and […]
Name: Jane Wight Major: Art History Advisor: John Siewert Edward Hopper is known as one of the most influential American Artists of the early […]
Name: Zoë Semersky Majors: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology Advisors: Annastassia Gallo, Sara Martin Dopamine β-Hydroxylase (DBH) is a copper-containing monooxygenase responsible for the benzylic hydroxylation […]
Name: Jada Frost Majors: Political Science, Communication Studies Advisors: Denise Bostdorff, Erum Haider Social movements often employ protests in order to bring public attention to […]
Name: Zoe E. Seymore Major: Psychology Minors: Mathematics, Chinese Advisor: Amber Garcia Second Reader: Nathan Foster Previous research has shown how Asian Americans have […]
Name: Zak Nowatzke Major: Communication Studies Minor: Psychology Advisors: Joshua Smith; Denise Bostdorff (second reader), Michelle Johnson (academic advisor) The purpose of my project […]
Name: Hope Carmody Majors: Urban Studies, Psychology Advisors: Hamed Goharipour, Heather Fitz Gibbon Laying on rafters for days on end to avoid high flood […]
Name: Gracie Park Major: Biology Advisors: Rebecca Williams; Erzsebet Regan (second reader) Exposure to the environmental contaminant benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) increases health risks. This study […]
Name: Jacob Hassan Major: Environmental Geoscience Minor: Computer Science Advisors: Vibhor Agarwal, Gregory Wiles; Mark Wilson (second reader) With the rise of global climate change, there is […]
Name: Glenna Van Dyke Majors: History, Social Studies Education Advisor: Katie Holt My WordPress project, On This Land, offers a more inclusive view of […]
Name: Isabel Espinosa Majors: Communication Studies, Global Media & Digital Studies Advisor: Simon Rousset; Denise Bostdorff (second reader) As the corporate use of social movement […]
Name: Ethan Sieber Majors: Political Science, Russian Studies Advisors: Kent Kille, Zach Rewinski Since the early 2000s, restrictions against nongovernmental organizations in Russia have drastically […]
Name: Hannah Baker Majors: Political Science, Spanish Advisors: Michele Leiby, Cynthia Palmer The United States immigration system perpetuates epistemic violence against immigrants. Epistemic violence […]
Name: Emily Hasecke Majors: Psychology, Political Science Advisors: Susan Clayton, Matthew Krain This study explored how climate anxiety is related to political participation. Prior research suggested that […]
Name: Haley Huett Major: Political Science Minor: Religious Studies Advisors: Kent Kille, William Kujala Political leaders are sensitive to threat. Scholarship in the field […]
Name: Haley Bloom Major: Computer Science Minor: Data Science Advisor: Thomas Montelione; Heather Guarnera (second reader) Humanity is in an age of technology where […]
Name: Drake Stolman Major: Computer Science Advisors: Daniel Palmer, Heather Guarnera Virtual reality has become increasingly popular over the past decade, especially in the area of gaming. […]
Name: Doak Schultz Major: Political Science Minor: Art Advisors: Megan Wrobel, Brittany Brake This study explores the impact of the #MeToo movement on Twitter on proposed bills […]
Name: David Lee Dotson Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Minor: Music Advisor: Nicholas Brandley; Seth Kelly (second reader) Many studies have reported connections between certain factors and meningioma […]
Name: David Dunn Majors: Philosophy, Psychology Advisors: John Rudisill, Ronald Hustwit In this thesis, I examine a conception of authenticity as a virtue. Then, after […]
Name: Cory Edward Horgan Major: Political Science (International Relations concentration) Minor: Religious Studies Advisor: Jeffrey Lantis; Kent Kille This study explores how levels of nuclear weapons security […]
Name: Cloud Chang Major: Psychology Advisors: Susan Clayton, Amber Garcia The current study examines the effects of parenting style and parental conflict on child development with regard […]
Name: Clare Leithauser Major: Political Science Minor: Economics Advisors: Erik Davis; Jeffrey Lantis (second reader) Foreign direct investment (FDI) is one of the most important factors in […]
Name: Claire Lynn Campbell Major: Neuroscience (Biology) Advisors: Nicholas Brandley, Jennifer Ison The Carolina grasshopper, Dissosteira carolina, has coarse vision due to its compound […]
Name: Chloe Clear Major: Biology Advisor: Laura Sirot Sexual assault has been a rising issue throughout the past few decades. Due to this, efforts […]
Name: Chase D. Fickes Majors: Mathematics, Computer Science Advisors: Drew Pasteur, Max Taylor Cryptojacking is a type of malware that has been increasing popular […]
Name: Carter Schmidt Major: Political Science Advisors: Megan Wrobel, Erik Davis This research examines the question of whether a nonpartisan redistricting commission is capable of […]
Name: Caitlyn Denes Major: Environmental Geoscience Minor: German Studies Advisors: Greg Wiles, Meagen Pollock Second Reader: Shelley Judge In a day and age where […]
Name: Ben Read Majors: Philosophy and Art History Minor: Music Advisors: John Rudisill and John Siewert This book examines and critiques various elements surrounding the existence of […]
Name: Ayaka Iwasaki Major: Psychology Minor: Education Advisor: Amber Garcia; Amy Jo Stavnezer (second reader) One’s identification with social groups influences attitudes toward different groups. Identity as […]
Name: Caitlin Strassburg Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Mathematics Advisors: Erzsebet Regan, Robert Kelvey Dynamic Modularity is a proposed characteristic of biologically defined Boolean […]
Name: Anna Truong Major: Mathematics Advisor: Drew Pasteur; Rob Kelvey (second reader) This study investigates the factors that affect retention and graduation rates for […]
Name: Alice Markey Major: Environmental Studies Minor: Sociology Advisor: Matt Mariola; Heather Fitz Gibbon (Second Reader) Cohousing is an intentional living community that prioritizes […]
Name: Alex Padfield Major: Religious Studies Advisor: Advisor: Dr. Mirza Second Reader: Dr. Graham Hijras, located in present-day Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, are most […]
Name: Anna Russell Major: Archeology Advisor: Olivia Navarro-Farr This project explores the ways in which ancient Maya women drew power from the moon, utilizing its prognostic […]
Name: Alyssa Henss Major: Archeology Advisor: Olivia Navarro-Farr Second Reader: Siavash Samei A major feature of colonization of the Americas is the myth of complete pacification. […]
Name: Alysha Matson Majors: Religious Studies and English Advisor: Jeremy Rapport; Terry Reeder (second reader) This project examines six individual interviews of women for have […]
Name: Allison Ringold Majors: Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience and German Studies Advisors: Grit Herzmann, Mareike Herrmann Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Autism has a variety of definitions and […]
Name: Alegnta Dawit Mezmur Major: Global and International Studies, Economics Concentration Minor: Data Science Advisors: Edward Teather-Posadas, Philip Mellizo This thesis examines the impact […]
Name: Abigail Rice Major: Computer Science Minors: Mathematics, Geology Advisors: Daniel Palmer, Drew Guarnera Geologic cross-sections show us a history of the Earth and are an important […]
Name: Abigail Beard Major: Sociology Advisor: Setsuko Mastuzawa; Heather Fitz Gibbon (second reader) For the past decade, there has been a focus placed on research […]