2015-2016 Theory-to-Practice Grants

The following is a list of the Theory-to-Practice Grants awarded in the 2015-2016 academic year.

Environmental Conservation in Aysén, Chile

Submitted by student Olivia Lease, associate chaplain and director of wilderness ministries, William Hayes, and associate professor, Paul Dean. They will join three other students, Ellen Sizer, Jackson Hotaling, and Michael Durfee for two weeks in January in Parque Patagonia - a branch of the Tompkins Conservation family of national parks, in the Aysén region of Chile. Learn more.

Ethnic Integration and Material Culture in Roman Gaul
Submitted by associate professor of history, Ellen Arnold with students Amanda Sisler and Summer Tompkins. In June, they will travel to Germany and France to visit key sites in the history and archaeology of Roman Gaul, including museums and historical reconstructions.

The New Irish Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (Irish GAAP) and the Irish Tax System – Opportunities and Challenges Abound
Submitted by assistant professor of accounting, Justin Breidenbach with students Lydia Hall, Jaclyn Knoble, and Haley Walls. In May, they will visit Ireland to conduct interviews and research at the headquarters of the country’s Financial Reporting Council as well as other government offices, public accounting firms, and professional organizations.

Personal Narratives in Conflict Resolution: Northern Ireland
Submitted by assistant professor of English, Amy Butcher with Associate Chaplain Lisa Ho and students Anna Davies, Jase Jacobson, Emily Burns, Courtney Dunne, Dominic Mejia, and Chase Smith. The group will spend two weeks in Northern Ireland in May studying the role of personal narratives in conflict resolution involving Catholic-Protestant issues. Learn more.

A Devil of a Disease: Conservation of the Endangered Tasmanian Devil through Disease and Population Management in Tasmania, Australia
Submitted by student Larynn Cutshaw. During the summer, Cutshaw will complete an eight-week volunteer residency with the nonprofit Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, where she will learn population management techniques related to her interest in conservation management. Learn more.

Ohio Wesleyan Community Apiary
Submitted by student Megan Deeter. Deeter will explore the development of a pesticide-free urban apiary at Ohio Wesleyan as part of international efforts to combat diminishing honey bee populations caused by pesticide usage, habitat loss, and disease.

The Impact of Technology Advancements on Electronic Music Composition and Production
Submitted by student Phil Foisie. Between May and August, Foisie will participate in a Recording Workshop experience in Chillicothe, Ohio, gaining practical experience in music composition and recording.

Courtship Behavior and Paternity in the Sailfin Molly fish
Submitted by associate professor of zoology, Shala Hankison with student Madison Snider. This project seeks to understand how differences in male courtship behaviors impact the paternity of the resulting young.

Effects of Marginalization and Xenophobia in Europe: Cultural and Volunteer Experience in ‘El Gallinero’ and ‘La Monachina’
Submitted by students Michael Mora-Brenes and Rosa Escobar. In May, they will perform volunteer work in Spain and Italy for two nonprofit organizations that help to educate children. The OWU students will study the social, cultural, political, and economic factors that have placed the young people in harsh environments. Learn more.

500 Years Later: Christianity in Post-Christian Wittenberg
Submitted by student Kiersten Payne. In May and June, Payne will travel to Lutherstadt Wittenberg, Germany, where Martin Luther released his “95 Theses” in 1517. Payne will to study how Christian faith is lived in a “Post-Christian” society. Learn more.

Bringing Education Full Circle through Attendance at an International Conference
Submitted by students Alison Phillips and Whitney Weadock. In March and April, the early childhood education majors will attend the Association of Childhood Education International Global Summit on Childhood in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Research Trips to Museums
Submitted by associate professor of English, Karen Poremski. She will travel to Portland, St. Paul, and Washington, D.C., to meet with native artists working in museums. Her research will contribute to a book-length project exploring the relationships between native people and museums, between native people and museum objects, and the role of literature in expressing these relationships.

6-Chloro-tryptophan and QUIN Accumulation
Submitted by student Yasmin Radzi. From January to May, Radzi will study the effects of 6-Chloro-tryptophan on the neurotoxin quinolinic acid (QUIN), which can cause secondary pathology with injuries.

Hospital Medicine in Argentina
Submitted by student Maria Salazar-Rodriguez. In May and June, she will join a program created by the NGO Child Family Health International to compare differences between the Argentinean and the U.S. health care systems, as well as explore the geographically endemic diseases of that region and the most common diseases in Córdoba.

The Berimbau and Capoeira Angola: Examining the Globalization of Angolan Cultural Heritage in Salvador, Brazil
Submitted by student Quenton Stokes-Brown. For six weeks in June and July, Stokes-Brown will travel to Brazil to study the musical complexities of the Berimbau (an Afro-Brazilian percussion instrument) and examine its centrality to the performance of Capoeira Angola (an Afro-Brazilian martial art). Learn more.

United We Stand: An Internship with the United Nations Human Rights Council
Submitted by student Kaillie Winston. Issues handled by this U.N. Council include violence against women, human trafficking, children’s rights, and racial discrimination. During the summer, Winston will travel to Switzerland to work with the council.

Speaking Up and Standing Out: Publicizing the Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation
Submitted by student Kaillie Winston. BBC Woman’s Hour Radio has invited Winston to England this month to speak about work she completed in summer and fall, and her involvement with the international Clitoris Restoration Fund. The fund was created to help victims of female genital mutilation recover physically and mentally.