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April 24, 2023 | By Cole Hatcher

Jose Mancilla ’23 discusses artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT technology with co-presenter Aadarsha Gopala Reddy ’23 (right) during Ohio Wesleyan’s 2023 Spring Student Symposium. (Photo by Paul Vernon)

Smart Celebration

Ohio Wesleyan Students Present Academic Work at 2023 Spring Student Symposium

DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University held its 2023 Spring Student Symposium on April 20 with students sharing mentored research, performance, and class projects that highlighted the breadth, depth, and quality of work produced this academic year.

Ohio Wesleyan students presenting poster or oral presentations, their projects, and their faculty mentors included:

Poster Presentations

  • Brittani Stiltner ’23 of Tiffin, Ohio, presented “The Impact of the Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on Ecuador’s Domestic Policy,” mentored by James Franklin, Ph.D.
  • Ali Claus ’24 of Milford, Ohio; Bobby Frankfort ’24 of Westfield, New Jersey; Jordan Howlett ’23 of Berea, Ohio; and Allauna Lotts ’25 of Hilliard, Ohio, presented “Impressions of Witchcraft in Spain and the Ancient World,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Haley Pero-Favazzo ’23 of Delaware, Ohio, presented “Modern LGBTQ+ Representation in Transiciones and My Favorite Thing is Monsters,” mentored by Amy Butcher, M.F.A.
  • Emma Bradley ’23 of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; Evan Lucas ’26 of Loveland, Ohio; Jessa Nelson ’23 of Delaware, Ohio; and Owen Smith ’25 of Big Run, Pennsylvania, presented “How a Fungus Condemned the Salem ‘Witches,’” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Wesley Rancher ’23 of Columbus, Ohio, presented “Estimating Supraglacial Melt Lake Volume Changes in West Central Greenland Using Multiple Remote Sensing Methods, mentored by Nathan Rowley, Ph.D.
  • Ella Cressy ’23 of Canal Winchester, Ohio; Brooke Hall ’23 of Julian, Pennsylvania; and Luke Przybys ’26 of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, presented “Relationship Between Cognition, Physical Function, & Nutrition with Fall Risk of Individuals Within a Retirement Community,” mentored by Andrew Busch, Ed.D.
  • Abigail Markley ’24 of and Millie Rocco ’23 of Vancleave, Mississippi, presented “Testing Cognition with a Video Game,” mentored by Kira Bailey, Ph.D.
  • Iman Furbee ’25 of Delaware, Ohio; Mo Halasey ’26 of Collinsville, Illinois; Peyton Howell ’23 of Canton, Ohio; and Elizabeth Sumoza ’25 of Chicago, Illinois, presented “Gender Connotations in Love Magic,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Sophia Holupka ’24 of Hillsboro, Missouri, presented “Parasite Communities in Sunfish (Centrarchidae) from the Olentangy River, mentored by Ramon Carreno, Ph.D.
  • Ben Buroker ’24 of Saunderstown, Rhode Island; Cameron Daubenmire-Yates ’24 of Logan, Ohio; Brode Gibson ’23 of Hamilton, Ohio; and Katie Korenge ’24 of Lewis Center, Ohio, presented “Women as Witches: The Guide Called Fear, mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Ali Dix ’24 of Marion, Ohio; Grace Mahoney ’24 of Hillsborough, California; Kayla Rush ’23 of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; and Chloe Williams ’23 of Wilmington, Ohio, presented “Witches in the Theatre: How Ancient and Spanish Plays Utilize Women as Plot Devices,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Cera Linnell ’23 of Delaware, Ohio, presented “Women in Politics: The Soong Sisters and Chinese History in the 20th Century,” mentored by Xiaoming Chen, Ph.D.
  • Lauren Campbell ’24 of Portsmouth, Ohio; Katherine DiJulius ’24 of Strongsville, Ohio; Elizabeth Mushaben ’23 of Cincinnati, Ohio; and Elizabeth Rohrs ’23 of South Glastonbury, Connecticut, presented “Works of Written Witchcraft: from Medea to Now,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Ethan Benas ’24 of Carmel Valley, California; Gabby Gonzalez Duarte ’26 of Sarasota, Florida; Alayna Huddleson ’23 of Washington Court House, Ohio; and Hailey Wyse ’25 of Lancaster, Ohio, presented “Folk Medicine in Italy,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Emily Bode ’23 of Chillicothe, Ohio, presented “Genomic Impacts of Population Reduction and Biological Invasion on the Common Wall Lizard,” mentored by Eric Gangloff, Ph.D.
  • Abbie Kline ’24 of Fombell, Pennsylvania; Camila Morales ’25 of Chicago, Illinois; Katie Pentecost ’24 of Cleveland, Ohio; and Owen Rehak ’24 of Gates Mills, Ohio, presented “How is Traditional Medicine Associated with the Views on Witchcraft and Magic?” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Alena Arnold ’23 of Jeromesville, Ohio; Ellie Dodds ’25 of Denham Springs, Louisiana; Cristian Gomez ’23 of Columbus, Ohio; and Hailey MacGregor ’23 of North Ridgeville, Ohio, presented “Witches as a Social Scapegoat for Disease,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Payton Andisman ’23 of Akron, Ohio, and Carissa Silet ’23 of Buffalo Grove, New York, presented “Food Preferences in Adult Female Domestic Rats,” mentored by Shala Hankison, Ph.D.
  • Madz Deckop ’23 of Pataskala, Ohio; William Kennedy ’23 of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Destinee Levan ’23 of Circleville, Ohio; and Ciara Pettit ’23 of South Euclid, Ohio, presented “The Treatment of Accused Witches in Both Ancient Rome and 16th-17th Century Spain,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Abbie Kline ’24 of Fombell, Pennsylvania, presented “Monitoring Air Quality Post-Environmental Disasters Using Remote Sensing,” mentored by John Krygier, Ph.D.
  • Olivia Fietzer ’23 of Dexter, Michigan; Rory Housh ’25 of Wilmington, Ohio; Savannah Silva ’25 of South Lebanon, Ohio; and Chris Tyhurst ’23 of Frazeysburg, Ohio, presented “Witchcraft and Medicine in Ancient Rome and the Spanish Golden Age,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Kaitlyn Jurawitz ’24 of Powell, Ohio, and Zoie Pois ’24 of Louisville, Kentucky, presented “Meerkat Lookout Behaviors,” mentored by Shala Hankison, Ph.D.
  • Genevieve Paulick ’23 of Dayton, Ohio, and Mckenna Roush ’23 of Delaware, Ohio, presented “Seasonal Variation in Abundance, Co-Occurrence, and Physiological Status in Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus),” mentored by Eric Gangloff, Ph.D.
  • Jessa Nelson ’23 of Delaware, Ohio, presented “Elephant Social Behavior,” mentored by Shala Hankison, Ph.D.
  • Ali Amer ’23 of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, presented “The Role of Steroid Hormones in Regulating Song Production in a Common Backyard Bird,” mentored by Dustin Reichard, Ph.D.
  • Yohanna Gray ’26 of Canton, Ohio, and Coral Pierson ’26 of Powell, Ohio, presented “Independent Woman = Witch = Bad,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Alyssa Head ’24 of Houston, Texas, presented “Let’s Include the Ladies: Do Morphology-Performance Relationships Vary Between Sexes in Lizards?” mentored by Eric Gangloff, Ph.D.
  • John Catanzarite ’23 of Columbus, Ohio; Graci Semptimphelter ’26 of Franklin, Tennessee; Anthony Tressler-Hughes ’25 of Delaware, Ohio; and Wyatt Wells ’23 of Marion, Ohio, presented “The Influence of Economic Status on Witchcraft Accusations Made in the Zugarramurrdi Trials,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Kaitlyn Quinn ’24 of Dublin, Ohio, and Navami Shenoy ’23 of Delhi, India, presented “Determining the Effects of Adolescent Stress on Psychiatric-Related Behaviors of Male and Female Adult Mice,” mentored by Chelsea Vadnie, Ph.D.
  • Lan Do ’24 of Marysville, Ohio; Ashley Krumlaw ’24 of Mansfield, Ohio; and Jennifer Paul ’23 of Raleigh, North Carolina, presented “Molecular Characterization of Parasites from Sunfish in the Olentangy River, Delaware,” mentored by Ramon Carreno, Ph.D.
  • Samavi Sultana ’23 of Gujranwala, Pakistan, presented “Multiculturalism in a Religious Society: UAE as a Case Study,” mentored by Abeer Abdelaal, Ph.D.
  • Ethan Berkovitz ’23 of Solon, Ohio; Ethan Gilmour ’23 of San Diego, California; Rachel Madore ’24 of Galion, Ohio; and Mason Myers ’24 of Perrysville, Ohio, presented “How Does the Witches’ Sabbath in 16th & 17th Century Europe Relate/Not Relate to Ancient Greek, Roman, and Inquisition Catholics Ceremonies?” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.
  • Mayukha Dyta ’24 of Powell, Ohio, presented “Perceptions to Practice: A Study on Indian Medical Education and Its Translation to Treatment Standards,” mentored by Vanessa Hildebrand, Ph.D.
  • Eliza Richardson ’23 of Lakewood, Ohio, presented “How Global Urban Food Systems Can Combat Climate Change and Environmental Racism, Simultaneously: A Case Study,” mentored by Amy Downing, Ph.D.
  • Cera Linnell ’23 of Delaware, Ohio, and Anna Mussenden ’25 of Delaware, Ohio, presented “Magic and Women: A Threat to Patriarchal Societies,” mentored by Hank Blume, Ph.D., and Glenda Nieto Cuebas, Ph.D.

Oral Presentations

  • Ethan Livingston ’24 of Toledo, Ohio, presented “Swimming Beneath the Sahara: The Thermal Biology of Scincus Scincus, the Sand-Swimming Skink,” mentored by Eric Gangloff, Ph.D.
  • Allyson Amstutz ’23 of Orrville, Ohio, presented “From Dublin to Dublin: Comparing Special Education & Perceptions of Disability from Ohio to Ireland,” mentored by Michele Nobel, Ph.D.
  • Cole Peterson ’23 of Marysville, Ohio, presented “The Perennial March: Britain’s Road to Afghanistan,” mentored by Mark Gingerich, Ph.D.
  • Joel Zachary ’25 of Los Angeles, California, presented “The Loneliness of Water,” mentored by Amy Butcher, M.F.A.
  • Amarilys Torres-Nunez ’25 of Lake Elsinore, California, presented “The First-Gen Student Experience: Why Building Solidarity is Vital,” mentored by Paul Dean, Ph.D.
  • Teresa Martin ’23 of Rochester, New York, presented “The Modern Relationship Between Music and Political Preferences,” mentored by Brianna Mack, Ph.D.
  • Sam Miller ’23 of Oakwood, Ohio, presented “The Safavid Merger: Sufism, Popular Islam, and the Rise of the Safavids,” mentored by Susan Gunasti, Ph.D.
  • Aadarsha Gopala Reddy ’23 of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India; Darren Lo ’23 of Columbus, Ohio; Ethan Love ’23 of Galloway, Ohio; Jose Mancilla ’23 of San Luis Potosi, Mexico; and Santo Sumo ’23 of Monrovia, Montserrado, Liberia, presented “Artificial Intelligence Opinion Survey,” mentored by Nicholas Dietrich, Ph.D.
  • Drake Ogden ’23 of Columbus, Ohio, presented “Peasants and the Powerful: Peasant Socio-Economic Organization in Early Medieval Iberia 400-1000 CE,” mentored by Jesse Hysell, Ph.D.
  • Asher Rose ’23 of Westerville, Ohio, and Kasey Schipfer ’24 of Mechanicsburg, Ohio, presented “Kinematic Analysis of Knee Valgus During Functional Test and Layups in Collegiate Basketball Players,” mentored by Andrew Busch, Ed.D.
  • Faith Deschamps ’24 of East Orange, New Jersey, presented “Unveiling the Stories of Black British People: Their History and Cultural Impact on British Society – An Examination of How Black Immigrants Cultivate their Own British Identity,” mentored by Franchesca Nestor, Ph.D.
  • Maizy Pratt ’25 of Columbus, Ohio, presented “Horizontal Gene Exchange Between Biofilm-Forming and Waterborne Bacteria,” mentored by Laura Tuhela-Reuning, Ph.D.
  • Blake Johnson ’24 of Centerburg, Ohio, presented “Death of a People: Media Analysis of the Uyghur Genocide,” mentored by Ashley Kennard, Ph.D.
  • Nandini Arora ’24 of Buckeye, Arizona; Emily Bode ’23 of Chillicothe, Ohio; Morgan Chmielenski ’24 of Honey Brook, Pennsylvania; Rebecca Coppenbarger ’24 of Taylors, South Carolina; Ginny Faeth ’24 of Clyde, Ohio; Carianne Hutchison ’23 of Delaware, Ohio; Mindi Klaus ’24 of Marion, Ohio; Jonna Mendenhall ’26 of Newport, Ohio; Natalia Molotievskiy ’25 of Columbus, Ohio; Jess Nichols ’23 of Colden, New York; Jennifer Paul ’23 of Raleigh, North Carolina; Maddy Russell ’23 of Baltimore, Ohio; Brynn Schlesinger ’25 of Arnold, Maryland; Olivia Smith ’23 of Oregon, Ohio; Myles Steed ’23 of Marion, Ohio; Abby Thierauf ’24 of Milford, Ohio; and Ivan Vore ’24 of Lewis Center, Ohio, presented “Ohio Wesleyan Bacillus Collection Student Research,” mentored by Laura Tuhela-Reuning, Ph.D.

Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s annual Student Symposium at owu.edu/StudentSymposium at owu.edu/Connection.

Photos from the Event

2023 Spring Student Symposium

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “Best Colleges” lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.