2014-2015 Theory-to-Practice Grants

The following is a list of the Theory-to-Practice Grants awarded in the 2014-2015 academic year.

Avian Microbiology: An Interdisciplinary Study in Australia
Submitted by students Larynn Cutshaw and Nadya Sotnychuk. In June and July 2015, the OWU students will visit Australia to study the correlation between feather pigment and feather-degrading bacteria as well as compare the prevalence of feather-degrading bacteria in Australia and North America. Learn more.

Brussels: The De Facto Capital of the European Union
Submitted by student Erica Shah. In May 2015, Shah will travel to Belgium to study how the EU works and how it sustains its aims with such cultural, economic, and political diversity. Learn more.

Conservation and Monitoring of Green Sea Turtles and Neotropical Birds in Costa Rica
Submitted by students Lauren Kiebler and Emily Webb. In July and August, the students will volunteer at the Sea Turtle Conservancy.

Contemporary Cinemas of Africa
Submitted by assistant professor of English, Nancy Comorau, and assistant professor of modern foreign languages, Mary Anne Lewis. In May 2015, the faculty members and four OWU students will attend the New York African Film Festival.

An Exploration of the Structure, Dynamics, and Impact on Quality of Life of Selected Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) in Italy and the United States
Submitted by assistant professor of health and human kinetics, Christopher Fink and students Sara Scinto and Nathan Madonich. In March 2015, they will travel to Italy to explore the structure of selected SFSCs, including the impact on quality of life of food producers and consumers in these systems. Learn more.

Female Genital Mutilation: Every Voice Makes a Difference
Submitted by student Kaillie Winston. Between June and August 2015, Winston will travel to France to complete an internship with UnCut/Voices Press, a publisher dedicated to the fight against female genital mutilation.

Globalization of Accounting: U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) vs. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
Submitted by students Roger Skidmore, Steven Uhler, and Joshua Townsend; and assistant professor of accounting, Justin Breidenbach. In January 2015, the group will travel to the United Kingdom to explore the cultural, political, and social aspects that have led to the global evolution of IFRS while also debating its advantages and disadvantages. Learn more.

Globalization and Settlement in Rural Taiwan: The Linguistic and Religious Effects of the Political Exacerbation on the Kavalan Peoples in Xinshe Village
Submitted by student Nancy Ransom. In July and August 2015, Ransom will visit Taiwan to study how the interdependence among politics, language, and religion has affected a small linguistic group, known as the Kavalan.

Improving the EAE (Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis) Model for Multiple Sclerosis
Submitted by students Kara Dawson and Kaitlyn Kropf. Between January and May 2015, the OWU students will conduct research to create a model that more closely mimics human multiple sclerosis as a means to enhance future research into possible treatments.

Memory Formation in Prolonged Sleep Deprivation
Submitted by student Josh Brown. Between January and May 2015, Brown will study the effectiveness of memory formation during a prolonged period of sleep deprivation to determine whether aerobic exercise may play a role in decreasing the usual effects.

Race and Fictional Geography: the Utopian Montmartre of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie
Submitted by assistant professor of modern foreign languages, Ana Oancea and student Bridget McQuaide. In May and June 2015, they will visit France to apply sociological and film studies analyses to onsite observation of the Parisian quarter of Montmartre to explain the representation of its fictional Poulain.

The Right to Live: Impact of Water Privatization on Bolivian Inequality
Submitted by student Matthew Mehaffy. Between June and August 2015, Mehaffy will travel to Bolivia to research water inequality and study alternative development practices.

Saving an Endangered Species: How U.S. Facilities Manage Lemurs and Their Conservation
Submitted by student Shane Gorbett. In March 2015, Gorbett will travel to North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to compare how different facilities manage and care for lemurs and to study whether certain animal care methods are superior for captive lemurs. Learn more.

Spanish Classical Theater and its Relevance to Contemporary Society
Submitted by assistant professor of modern foreign languages, Glenda Nieto-Cuebas, and students Lissette Gonzalez and Chris MacDonald. In June and July 2015, the group will travel to Spain to study how plays are adapted and produced for contemporary audiences; how theater festivals maintain their historic tradition and significance; how the Almagro Festival has become so prominent; and how the festival benefits the town, visitors, and Spain, in general. Learn more.

A War on Drugs or a War on the Poor? Drug Policy, Inequality, and Recovery
Submitted by assistant professor of sociology-anthropology, Paul Dean, and assistant professor of music, Jennifer Jolley; and student Caitlen Sellers. In December 2014 and January 2015, the group will travel to Portugal to research policy alternatives to the “war on drugs.” They will travel to Portugal, which has decriminalized drugs and now treats drug addiction as a public health issue rather than a criminal problem.

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Community Outreach in Zimbabwe
Submitted by student Amanda Marshall. Between May and July 2015, Marshall will travel to Zimbabwe to volunteer at Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage, one of the largest and most successful rehabilitation and release centers in Africa.

Olives and Sustainability
Submitted by student Michael Durfee. During the summer, Durfee will travel to Morocco to investigate sustainable aspects of the olive as well as the production and sale of food and trades material in a traditional society.

Uncovering the Culture and Health Care Complexities of the Maasai People
Submitted by students Jadé Giordani and Jocelyne Munoz. In May, they will travel to Tanzania with part-time associate professor of black world studies, Ali Skandor to examine the culture of the Maasai to understand how they continue to survive living a semi-nomadic life. Learn more.

National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference
Submitted by student Whitney Weadock and assistant professor of education, Katherine Glenn-Applegate. In November, they will travel to Florida to attend the national conference with Kathi Warnock, head teacher of OWU’s Early Childhood Center, and six additional OWU students: Natalie Geer, Mollie Herchenbach, Zoe Morris, Alison Phillips, Alanna Spalsbury, and Emma Sparks.

Developing Equine Therapy Skills to Benefit Persons with Disabilities
Submitted by student Sarah Hanes. During the summer, Hanes will participate in a therapeutic riding workshop and certification program. Learn more.

Staying Abreast with Breast and Cervical Cancer in Tanzania
Submitted by students Carly LoVullo and Adelaide Dyrek. In May and June, they will travel to Tanzania to continue previous research on effective promotion strategies for reproductive cancer awareness.

Culture, History, and Spanish Language Examination of Puerto Rico
Submitted by students Macie Maisel and Meghan Guthrie. In May, they will travel to Puerto Rico to complete service at the nonprofit Museum of the Americas, while also bettering their understanding of the Spanish language, culture, and history of Puerto Rico.

Financing Without Fear: Economic Development in Arequipa, Peru
Submitted by student Reilly Reynolds and program officer for OWU’s Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship Patricio Plazolles. In May, they will travel to Peru with student Sarah Richmond and staff member Rosalind Scott to explore the pros and cons of financing small businesses in less-developed countries using donations, rather than traditional microcredit.

Prevalence of Rbm3, Tau, and Amyloidβ After Traumatic Brain Injury, Hypothermia, and Rbm3 Injections
Submitted by student Emily Scott. Between August and December, she will work at Ohio Wesleyan to addresses the question of how a cold shock protein activated by hypothermia changes indicators of cellular damage common to Alzheimer’s disease in TBI in rats.

Understanding the Trifecta of Alcohol-Induced Aggression: Sports, Alcohol, and Violence
Submitted by student Karson Stevenson. In May, Stevenson will travel to the Netherlands, France, and England to explore the relationship between alcohol-induced aggression and sports-related violence. Learn more.

Opposing Human Trafficking in India
Submitted by student Kelsey Thornton. In June and July, Thornton will travel to India to gain a better understanding of human trafficking by shadowing and volunteering with the organization International Justice Mission.