2022 Student Research Forum Winners Announced
The Ohio State University at Newark Recognizes Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate students at The Ohio State University at Newark presented their school-funded research at the 18th Annual Student Research Forum on March 8. Their topics ranged from COVID-19 to shrews to identity wars between iPhone and Android users. Participants were judged in separate categories by a diverse panel of faculty; the six prevailing students are listed below.
The Ohio State Newark Student Research Forum seeks to promote student research activities and increase student-faculty research endeavors. For some students, it also serves as effective practice in a formal setting before they present at larger conferences like the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, the annual meeting of the Midwest Psychology Association and others. Other students, whose research is not yet complete, propose research topics to increase awareness of their subject matter and get feedback on their research designs.
ORAL PRESENTATIONS – COMPLETED RESEARCH
First place: Elijah Colvin
Biology major Elijah Colvin, of Cleveland, earned top marks for his research, “Seasonal Pattern of Activity and Mortality in Northern Short Tailed Shrews.” Under the direction of Paul Andreadis, senior lecturer, Colvin studied the seasonality of mortality in the shrew Blarina brevicauda in central Ohio.
Second place: Jamie Theis
Jamie Theis, of Thornville, presented “’You’re Not My People!’ Ostracizing Burdensome Social Groups” to earn second place in the oral presentations. Theis’ research concluded that ostracism (being excluded and ignored) processes within a group elevate to larger groups, suggesting that entire social groups can be potentially ostracized if they are labeled as burdensome. Associate Professor James Wirth served as her faculty sponsor.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS – COMPLETED RESEARCH
First place: Bernice Agyepong
Bernice Agyepong, of Columbus, presented “Evaluating the Five Facets of Mindfulness to Predict COVID-19 Stress.” The psychology major noted that one of the five facets of mindfulness, acting with awareness (attending to one’s activities of the moment), was the only significant predictor of lower stress and suggested that future research should explore interventions that enhance acting with awareness to foster resilience and reduce stress. Agyepong’s faculty sponsor was Assistant Professor Jennifer Kowalsky.
Second place: Mackenzie Elliott
“A Mixed-method Approach to Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in the U.S.” was one of two presentations by psychology major Mackenzie Elliot, of Johnstown. Elliot’s research concluded that themes of protecting the self and others and returning to normalcy emerged among vaccine adopters. Kowalsky also served as faculty sponsor.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS – PROPOSED RESEARCH
First place: Jarrett Rardon
Research forum veteran Jarrett Rardon, of Columbus, proposed new research “The Effect of Prosody and Referent Animacy on Novel Noun Learning” under the supervision of Associate Professor Julie Hupp. This study seeks to evaluate if different prosodies (how words are spoken) affect novel noun learning and if referent animacy changes this.
Second place: Piper Clark and Mirza Sheraz
Psychology majors Piper Clark, or Pickerington, and Mirza Sheraz, of Columbus, inquire “’y r u not txting me back?’ Social Exclusion in Mobile Phone Communication” in their proposed research that they hope demonstrates the existence of bias in a unique context that millions engage in daily. With Associate Professor Bradly Okdie as faculty sponsor, Clark and Sheraz want to know if ingroup bias exists in the context of text messaging conversations and if these biases motivate social exclusion.