2010-2011 Theory-to-Practice Grants

The following is a list of the Theory-to-Practice Grants awarded in the 2010-2011 academic year.

A Comparative Education Study Tour: A Glimpse into European Pedagogies
Education students Sarah Chizmar and Jennifer Federer developed a project to compare the educational structure and pedagogical philosophies among multiple European educational systems. The students traveled to Italy, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom to meet with school officials and observe educational practices in each country.  Through the grant, Sarah and Jennifer enhanced their capacity to better evaluate U.S. educational conditions and place our practices in a global context.

Exploration of the South African Public Health System and Health Care Delivery to the Under-Served Communities of Durban, South Africa
Chemistry and pre-med student Rejoice Ngongoni developed a project with the Child Family Health International nonprofit organization to deliver health care to underserved communities in Durban, South Africa. The project provided direct clinical experience with HIV/AIDS patients and established a critical understanding of the South African health care system in a dynamic, challenging environment. Learn more.

Plight of the Roma: Roma Life, Culture, and Socioeconomic Status in Romania
History and sociology-anthropology student Sydney Parms and psychology student Maria del Toro developed a project to volunteer with non-profit organization Global Aware and Romanian  partner organization FAST in Braşov (/brash-ōfe/), Romania. Sydney and Maria participated in multiple philanthropic initiatives, including construction of a social and educational center, a childhood hygiene education program, and an environmental awareness campaign in the local community.

Salzburg Summer Voice Program
Music student Jessica Spafford developed a project to participate in the summer study program for voice major students at the University of Miami Frost School of Music at Salzburg program in Austria. Salzburg is a leading cultural center for performing arts in Europe and the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, providing Jessica with a powerful practical experience in performance arts training.

Connecting to a Culture Through Conversation
Zoology student Britannia Wanstrath and sociology-anthropology student Margaret Naylor developed a project to volunteer at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in the Amazon rainforest region in Ecuador. Both Britannia and Margaret used this rewarding experience also to deepen their Spanish language proficiency.

From Hawaii to Ohio: Bringing the Knowledge of the Island to our Backyard
Assistant professor of chemistry Katherine (Katie) Hervert and chemistry student Jessica Wright developed a project to collaborate with University of Hawaii-Manoa associate professor of chemistry Dr. Thomas Hemscheidt to acquire new research techniques. Katie and Jessica conducted on-site research on scientific techniques that can isolate certain natural chemicals from plants and fungi. These skills are integral to contemporary chemistry practices in both academic and private-sector research.

OWU Theatre Students at the Stratford (Ontario) Shakespeare Festival
Associate professor of theatre and dance, Edward Kahn developed a project to lead 27 theater major/minor students to the famed Stratford, Ontario Shakespeare festival in 2010. The festival provided theater students the opportunity to critically observe multiple classical and contemporary performance styles, direction styles, and stage configurations for performing the works of Shakespeare. The students gained a host of new techniques and creative concepts that they brought back to OWU and onward in their careers.

Affecting the Uninfected: HIV/AIDS Orphans in East Africa
Associate professor of black world studies, Ali Skandor, academic secretary Paula Travis, sociology-anthropology and black world studies students Heather Werling and Ben Andrews, and botany-microbiology and pre-med student Ms. Ahlam Awad developed a video project in Kenya and Tanzania to document in English and Kiswahili the care and treatment of institutionalized HIV/AIDS orphans and individuals receiving family-based care. The project developed participants’ capacity to assess the complicated cultural and gender-specific challenges to successful HIV/AIDS intervention strategies.

Ohio Wesleyan Community Garden
Environmental studies and international studies student Matthew Jordan and five additional students developed an OWU community garden project. The OWU community garden is a student-led project to establish a permanent and sustainable campus based community garden to provide reliable access to fresh, nutritious foods for the OWU community, Chartwells Food Services, and low-income Delaware, Ohio populations. Since 2010, the community garden has flourished thanks to the initial students’ efforts and continuing volunteer efforts by the OWU students, faculty, and staff.

Literacy Internship and Counselor with ‘Getting Ready for Kindergarten Camp’
Early Childhood Center Head Teacher Charity Romero-Rose developed a project to formalize the OWU education department connection with the Maynard Avenue United Methodist Church Getting Ready for Kindergarten Camp in Columbus, Ohio. The grant allowed education student Kim Turner (Worthington, OH) to work with the Camp as a literacy internship counselor.  Recently renamed A Good Start, the camp since 2008 has provided intensive literacy-rich experiences to 120 children from low-income families in central Ohio with the active participation of OWU early childhood education students.

Entrepreneurial Product Development and Research in Japan
Economics and politics-government student Yavor Danailov and accounting student Henri Nika developed a project with OWU alumnus Maxim Razmakhin to participate in multiple health food trade shows, tour tea plantations, and examine marketing practices in Japan. The project was part of the students’ Woltemade Center-supported entrepreneurial efforts establish Brain Shake, an organic, natural-ingredients energy drink.

Native Bacteria of Birds and Soil and Their World-Wide Distribution
Professor of botany-microbiology, Jerry Goldstein and part-time professor of botany/microbiology and zoology, Laura Tuhela-Reuning developed a project centered on a microbiology annual convention, a semester course, and student-centered comparative microbiological research of soil-dwelling bacteria in both Delaware, Ohio and from other national and global soil sample locations. Students enjoyed professional development and practical application of theoretical concepts first learned within the academic classroom setting.

Does the MHC Complex Influence Female Mating Preferences in Live-Bearing Fish, Poecilia latipinna (Sail-Fin Mollies)?
Assistant professors of zoology, Shala Hankison and Tami Panhuis developed a project to conduct research with zoology student Cailee Smith on the role of MHC compounds in influencing animal species’ mate attraction. MHC chemical compounds have been implicated in the development of strong immune systems in multiple species, including humans. The current project explores how different MHC complex combinations may drive mate choice as potential mates are instinctively attracted to potential mates with compatible MHC compounds that are most likely to produce offspring with strong immune systems.

Brazil Consumer Credit: The Consorcio System and Commodities Markets
Mathematics and economics-management student Dias Ayubayev and four additional economics-management and accounting students developed a project that explored the Brazilian Consorcio system, an innovative microfinance credit regime being pioneered in Brazil. The students engaged the Sao Paolo University international affairs office, the Bank of Brazil, several commercial banks, and credit recipients in Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro to learn Brazilian consumer credit practices. Students included Mr. Pratyush Agarwal, Muhammud Murtaza Hussain, and Mr. Bibhav Chapagain.

Adulthood and Aging Collaborative Exchange: Connections Between OWU and Delaware Senior Citizens, Inc.
Part-Time assistant professor of psychology Melinda Baker and Delaware Senior Citizens, Inc. Arts and Education Director Joan Hatcher developed a collaborative project between the OWU Psychology 348: Maturity and Age course and Delaware Senior Center members. The project directors connected 6 psychology course students with older adults to share perspectives on life issues, adulthood, and the aging process. Learn more.

Exploration of Subtropical Invertebrate Diversity: Genetics and Parasitology in the Laboratory and the Field
Professor of zoology, Danielle Hamill, associate professor of zoology, Ramon Carreno, and zoology students David Ordosch, Josephine Koltek, Lauren Leister, and Alan Massouh developed a biological sample collection field trip to the Florida Keys. The participants collected insect and parasitic nematode samples for further taxonomic identification, DNA sequencing, phenotypic analysis, and molecular characterization. The experience gave students field collection and lab experience in microscopy, DNA manipulation, and computerized bioinformatics management.

HaitiOWU Impact Initiative
International and Off-Campus Programs Assistant Director Dorota Kendrick, and OWU-VISTA alumna Mery Kanashiro developed a mission trip program with 10 students to volunteer at the Espwa children’s orphanage in Les Cayes, Haiti. The relationship between OWU and Espwa has continued to develop in subsequent years with annual mission trips to assist the orphanage and its children.

Japanese Language as a Tool to Connect to the Real World
Instructor of Japenese, Jun Kawabe developed a project with sociology-anthropology student Beth Robb, international studies and politics-government student Kevin Crabb-Nishimoto and psychology student Ms. Yan Dong to explore Western and Eastern cultural traditions in Japan. Jun and her students interviewed psychology professors at Japanese universities and local families to study the mental and social differences between U.S. and Japanese culture while developing social science research methods.

Assessment of China as a Model for Addressing Impending Global Water Crisis
Neuroscience student Sharif Kronemer, mathematics and economics student Yang Guanyi, and international studies and politics-government student Kyle Herman developed a project to examine the severe water shortages in northern China during the past few years. The students traveled to northern China for three weeks in June 2011 to observe the economic, political, and physical effects of the water shortage as a potential indicator of future water shortage conditions elsewhere in the world.

Horizontal Gene Transfer in Vibro Cholerae
Botany-microbiology student Ms. Maisha Rashid developed a project to conduct research for one month at the School of Life Sciences at North-South University in Bangladesh. Maisha conducted research on the role of bacteriophages (viruses that infect and reproduce within bacteria) in horizontal gene transfer processes responsible for the onset and termination of V. cholerae (cholera) outbreaks, as well as the evolution of new pathogenic strains. The project advanced both molecular biology research techniques and knowledge on cholera epidemiology.

Asha: Microfinance in Urban India
Economics and international studies student Rebekah Smith developed a summer internship project in Bangalore, India with Sanghamithra Rural Financial Services (SRFS) to study women’s microfinance development. Rebekah worked with SFRS offices in a poor Bangalore district to analyze microcredit lending practices and interviewed loan recipients in rural villages. The experience provided a visceral introduction to the poverty, microfinance practices, and grassroots development challenges in India.

Experience China
Assistant professor of modern foreign languages, Wu Ching-Hsuan developed a project that concluded a series of Chinese language courses and a semester-long course on Chinese culture with a trip to China for seven students. During the travels, Dr. Wu and the students explored local Chinese history while completing assigned tasks including mailing a certified letter, asking for directions, bargaining with street vendors, ordering food for the group, and conducting a five-minute conversation with a local resident. Students completed post-trip video portfolios of their experiences.

Ghana Cultural Immersion and Internship
Assistant professor of black world studies, Randolph Quaye, French and humanities-classics student Ayana Colvin, economics-management and international business student Meghan Finneran, and sociology-anthropology and black world studies student Artiase Brown developed a  project to spend six weeks in Accra, Ghana to volunteer at the HOPE orphanage and further support the Ghana Student Education Fund founded by OWU alumni Nick Oteng and Stan Osei-Bonsu while exploring the legacy of the European encounter with western Africa. Randolph and the students explored cultural sites and helped provide uniforms, supplies, and funds for orphanage students.

Examination and Analysis of the Holocaust
English student Danielle Kanclerz, psychology student Matthew Wasserman, and undeclared students Ben Veaner and Madeline Miguel developed a project to visit Nazi concentration camps and trace Holocaust victim Anne Frank’s footsteps through Amsterdam, Netherlands. The students traveled via youth hostel as they peregrinated through Europe to explore the landscapes of violence, death, and hope that characterized the Holocaust and its tragic consequences.

Dance Practicum Outside OWU
Dance student Kathleen Dalton designed a project to attend the 2011 Inlet Dance Theater Summer Intensive in Cleveland, Ohio. Kathleen spent two weeks at the Inlet Dance Theater studying with the region’s leading choreographers and dancers to expand her own choreographic and dance techniques. Returning to OWU, Kathleen choreographed and performed her dance piece on human trafficking at the 2012 American College Dance Festival regional conference after being selected to represent OWU by the dance faculty.

A Neuroscience Model of Music Learning
Assistant professor of music, Rich Edwards and zoology student Megan McConnell developed a project that presented research results at the Neuroscience and Music IV: Learning and Memory conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. Rich and Megan have been researching the neuroscience of how people acquire musical ability as part of a larger set of studies on music and the human brain.

Burrow Mapping: Using GIS to Predict the Location of Pocket Gopher Burrows and Associated Insects
Professors of geology-geography, Keith Mann and John Krygier developed a project with geography and geology student Ethan Perry to conduct fieldwork on pocket gopher ecology and insect food collection behaviors in Iowa. The project employed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to predict pocket gopher habitat and to guide the researchers in their field efforts to locate burrow-dwelling insect species. The research has additional relevance for agricultural crop management and soil science.

Exploring Christian Monasticism Today
Assistant professor of history, Ellen Arnold and former Associate Chaplain Kelly Adamson developed a project that included four students on a two-week summer trip to explore Christian monastic history through stays at several U.S. monasteries. Students participated in monastic life while investigating separate discipline-specific issues during their experience. Faculty, staff, and students shared the results of the monastic experience at the OWU-hosted Radical Gospel Living: Monasticism Today conference on November 4-5, 2011. Students included Katrina Hansen, Andrew Hennessy, Colleen Waickman, and Meghan Finneran.

Central Ohio LeaderShape Institution
Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry and Assistant Director of Student Involvement for Leadership Nancy Rutkowski developed a project to place 25 students in the Central Ohio LeaderShape Institute, part of a nationwide organization to cultivate transformative leadership skills in young adults. This core set of students participated in a six-day intensive leadership development program that emphasized the connections between leadership, community, global citizenship and personal integrity – leadership skills that will serve the entire campus.

Summer Project in the Boston University Cultural-Emotional Intelligence Laboratory
Psychology, economics-management, and accounting student Ms. Wang Lijun developed a project to participate in the Boston University Cultural-Emotional Intelligence Laboratory for two months in the summer of 2011. Lijun worked with social psychology scholars to integrate emotional, socio-cultural, and development perspectives as explanatory frameworks for understanding the development of self-regulatory abilities and emotional understanding among children. The research supports broader efforts to develop behavioral disorder treatments.

New York City Winter Jazzfest 2012
Professor of music, Nancy Gamso and assistant professor of humanities-classics, Anne Sokolsky developed a project to enhance the spring semester ‘History of Jazz’ course by accompanying 16 students on a four-day jazz tour of New York, NY. Students explored the musical, cultural, and socio-political history and geography of the jazz art form with travel-learning experiences through Harlem, Tin Pan Alley, and other iconic musical landscapes. The trip concluded with attendance at the famed New York City Winter Jazzfest 2012.

Mapping Carbon Credit Eligibility
Economics student Mr. Sriharsha Masabathula, professor of geology-geography, Jon Krygier, assistant professor of economics, Andrew Meyer, and OWU alumna Amy Work developed a project in India to develop an innovative GIS-based method for assessing carbon-credit eligibility among low-income Indian farmers. Harsha blended his extensive private-sector and recent academic experiences to introduce the new land-use assessment methods to rural farmers and to build a coalition of Indian government officials, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, and rural Indian farmers working together to reduce carbon emissions in India.

Summer Research in Crete
Ancient studies and religion student Evelin Avila developed a project to conduct archaeological fieldwork in Rethymnon, Crete (Greece). The project involved field excavation and archaeological methods training alongside a combined U.S. and Greek team of scholars. Evelin learned multiple hands-on techniques for digging, measuring, and cataloging artifacts associated with the Roman ruins and human remains discovered at the site. Evelin also attended village cultural festivals and intensively engaged the local population to broader her Greek cultural knowledge.

The Effect of Lacosamide, an Anti-Epileptic Drug, on Memory and Brain Structure in Rats
Psychology, neuroscience, and pre-med student Adeline Hemmen developed a project to conduct research on the neurological effects of the anti-epileptic drug Lacosamide. The project studied the effects of administration of Lacosamide on memory formation in rats, questioning whether the drug caused structural changes in the pattern of neural networks formed in the brain. The research is part of a broader research program to understand how the brain organizes knowledge and functions.

A Deeper Connection and Expression of the Women of Rural Panama Through Camera
Associate professor of fine arts, Jeff Nilan, academic secretary Paula Travis, and four students developed a project with the non-governmental organization Sustainable Harvest International to produce a photo documentary titled ‘In Sight and Mind: A Photographic Collaboration with Women of Rural Panama.’ Participants interviewed rural Panamanian women, collected the women’s self-selected portrait photos, and produced their own portraits of the women. The resulting photo documentary and Ross Art Museum show highlighted the challenge of representation and bias when depicting the human experience in photographic art. Students included Mary Heidamos, Gisselle Miller, Nyssa Berman, and Tyler Travis. Learn more.

A Cross-Cultural Study on Social Conformity
Psychology and English student Frank Lin and business-management and accounting student Wai Ho “Casey” Chan developed a project to update and replicate an iconic psychology experiment on social conformity in a controlled classroom setting. Frank and Casey worked with universities in Dubai (UAE), Singapore, and Turkey to conduct interviews and covert observation of conformity behaviors among university students. The research confirmed prior research that found behavioral distinctions among people in individualist vs. conformist societies.

The Effects of Microfinance on Slum Poverty
Economics and politics-government student Yavor Danailov developed a summer internship project in Bangalore, India with Sanghamithra Rural Financial Services (SRFS) to study women’s microfinance development. Yavor worked with SFRS offices in a poor Bangalore district to analyze microcredit lending practices and interviewed loan recipients in rural villages. The experience provided a visceral introduction to the poverty, microfinance practices, and grassroots development challenges in India.

Rehabilitation and Release of South Africa’s Endemic Species: Conservation Education
Zoology and pre-law student Blair Connelly developed a project to provide veterinary services and general care for orphaned/abandoned animals at the Khulula animal rehabilitation facility in South Africa for two weeks. The project included a broad mix of professional lectures, practical training, and direct experience in nutrition, veterinary care, infant animal handling, and other techniques necessary to prepare animals for release back into the Kruger National Park nature reserve.

Language, Education, and Community in Guatemala
Modern foreign languages and Latin American studies student Ellen Platt developed a project to spend five weeks in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala as a full-time volunteer at the El Nahual Community Center. Ellen participated in the Manos de Colores (Hands of Colors) educational program to help teach Spanish language and grammar to Guatemalan children.

Exploring Primate Behavior: How Does a Java Macaque Say ‘Theory-to-Practice’?
Zoology student Sarah Johnston developed a project to volunteer with the Oregon Primate Research Coastal Primate Center in Washington to study housing conditions and aid the rehabilitation of rescued Macaques, chimpanzees, and assorted monkey species. Sarah independently developed a remarkable research study to evaluate the potential health benefits from the possible introduction of a gradual lighting system within the rehabilitation enclosures to more adequately simulate natural primate habitat. Sarah’s research with OPC staff is undergoing peer-review for academic journal publication.

Literature, Tourism, and National Identity in Contemporary Great Britain
Assistant professor of English, Nancy Comorau and Beeghly Library Coordinator of User Services Dee Peterson developed a project to examine the cultural tourism industries in London, Liverpool, and Manchester, United Kingdom.  The project explored how British communities represented their heritage to visitors and tourists.  The research experience helped Nancy and Dee focus their plans for a 2012 Sagan Travel-Learning Course to study the connections between literature, museum theory, tourism, and daily life.

Promoting Education Globally: Establishing an Educational Facility in Mombasa, Kenya
Associate professor of black world studies, Ali Skandor, politics-government student Megan Bachelder, and international studies student Ms. DeLaine Mayer developed a project to construct a library facility in Mombasa, Kenya to serve the children of the Changmwe Orphanage. Ali, the students and their families raised an additional $4,000 to supplement the project, which brought books, study supplies, furniture, and food to the needy children. The students also conducted independent research on the socio-cultural, economic, historical and geographic conditions of the community as part of a subsequent independent study course. Learn more.

Servant Leader Intern Position Training for a Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School (Pre-Kindergarten-Second Grade)
Education student Kimberley Turner developed a project to support her training as a Servant Leader Intern at a university-district Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School. The Freedom Schools Program provides summer and after-school literacy programs to at-risk children through an integrated curriculum that combines learning, family involvement, civic involvement, and personal health. Kimberley traveled to Knoxville, TN for a week of intensive pedagogical and curriculum training to support her Freedom School work in Columbus, OH.