by Alyssa Speicher, Public Relations Writer
On March 30 and 31, Cedarville University sent four students to present at the 25th Annual Student Research Symposium hosted by the Ohio Space Grant Consortium (OSGC). The students are among OSGC’s senior, junior or education scholarship recipients and have been working with a faculty adviser on their research all year.
“Research with undergraduate students is often challenging because they can only commit to one semester,” said assistant professor of biology Dr. Kaleb Pauley. “Students receiving the OSGC scholarship are given the opportunity to work with a faculty member for one-two years, which is plenty of time to acquire meaningful data.”
Scholarship recipients include senior molecular and cellular biology major Ryan Marquardt, senior mechanical engineering major Joseph Morin, junior geology major Sarah Rouse and junior math education major Elizabeth Herting.
“The symposium is a great professional experience,” said Robert Chasnov , dean of the school of engineering and computer science and OSGC campus representative for Cedarville. “Students are given the opportunity to get in front of their peers and give a professional-level presentation.”
The students are grateful for this valuable opportunity to gain experience in conducting, presenting and applying personal research. This year, they have pursued the following:
“This experience has certainly had its challenges and stressful moments of figuring out how to proceed with research, but it's been very rewarding and an excellent learning experience,” Morin said.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.
“Research with undergraduate students is often challenging because they can only commit to one semester,” said assistant professor of biology Dr. Kaleb Pauley. “Students receiving the OSGC scholarship are given the opportunity to work with a faculty member for one-two years, which is plenty of time to acquire meaningful data.”
Scholarship recipients include senior molecular and cellular biology major Ryan Marquardt, senior mechanical engineering major Joseph Morin, junior geology major Sarah Rouse and junior math education major Elizabeth Herting.
“The symposium is a great professional experience,” said Robert Chasnov , dean of the school of engineering and computer science and OSGC campus representative for Cedarville. “Students are given the opportunity to get in front of their peers and give a professional-level presentation.”
The students are grateful for this valuable opportunity to gain experience in conducting, presenting and applying personal research. This year, they have pursued the following:
- Marquardt worked with Pauley to investigate the effect of microRNA-146a in Sjögren’s Syndrome, a systemic autoimmune disorder.
- Morin worked with Dr. Timothy Norman, professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering, exploring the effect of various impaction loads on fretting corrosion in metal-on-metal hip implants.
- Rouse studied the Coconino Sandstone under professor of geology Dr. John Whitmore. She explored what distinguishes lamination, fine parallel layers in sedimentary rocks.
- Herting received the OSGC’s education scholarship. She used NASA resources to create a lesson plan on fuel packing methods of solid rocket boosters which she hopes will spark an interest in rocketry and space travel.
“This experience has certainly had its challenges and stressful moments of figuring out how to proceed with research, but it's been very rewarding and an excellent learning experience,” Morin said.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,760 undergraduate, graduate, and online students in more than 100 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.