Symposium Showcases Talent

More than a hundred posters, each representing weeks of research and creative work, lined the PUB for this year’s Research and Creative Works Symposium.

The two-day symposium is one of Eastern’s largest academic events, showcasing student work across disciplines. This year’s event began on Tuesday, May 7 with oral presentations and a fine arts celebration, and concluded on Wednesday, May 8 with the poster presentations.

On Wednesday, the PUB brimmed with students ready to showcase their work. “This is my first ever poster session,” said Zac Ziegler, a first-year student in the master’s of biology program. “It has been awesome presenting. I’ve realized that it’s more like a conversation than a presentation.”

Ziegler showcased two parts of his research, an investigation which explores aspects of the molecular-level workings of the human gut bacteria responsible for metabolizing sulfur into hydrogen sulfide. Part one, he says, involves “trying to get a better understanding of the genes involved in producing hydrogen sulfide.” Hydrogen sulfide, he explained, is known to contribute to inflammation and has been linked to Crohn’s and other inflammatory bowel diseases.

The second part of Ziegler’s research includes the search for a DNA mutant that does not make hydrogen sulfide. His findings will be sent off to collaborators at the University of Iowa, where researchers are testing the chemical’s impact on multiple sclerosis disease in mice; specifically, whether hydrogen sulfide may play a role in increasing the disease’s severity.

Ziegler’s research began in September and should conclude in two years. “It’s evolved over time. A big part of the process has been trial and error, learning how to fail and try new things,” he said.

Margot Mejia, a graduate student who is pursuing a master’s degree in social work, says her research stemmed from interacting with immigrant and refugee populations. “This research was definitely more of a qualitative approach, looking at how we reduce social isolation among older immigrant adults in the U.S.,” said Mejia.

Because immigrants and refugees have increased risk factors for social isolation  — among them a lack of language access, barriers in language access, and financial hardships — it is important to study possible reduction factors, Mejia said. Her research findings suggested that incorporating a “trauma-informed” approach, and implementing culturally responsive programs, can aid in reducing social isolation.

Undergraduate students also had the opportunity to present their research. Jeff Schell, a senior in the biology and psychology programs, studied the correlation between animals’ predator and prey movement with the moon phases. “I’m really interested in studying animal behavior. I wanted to see if the phase of the moon would affect the behavior and movement of species out on Turnbull,” said Schell.

To conduct his research, Schell placed 10 game-track cameras around the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. Over the course of eight weeks, the cameras took 49 independent captures of deer and coyotes. Schell then linked the animal activities depicted to the moon phase during which those image captures occurred. Schell’s research actually indicated the opposite of his initial hypothesis.

“My prediction, originally, was that coyotes would move more during the full moon because you can see more to hunt more, but it turns out it might actually be the opposite. That is the trend that I saw here,” said Schell.

While more research needs to be done to determine his findings’ significance, Schell said this research is important for clarifying the relationship between natural nighttime illumination and wildlife activity.

No matter the topic or discipline, this annual symposium gives students the opportunity to present their research and creative works in a professional setting. For a full list of Student Research and Creative Works Symposium projects, click here.

**A special thank you to Kristyne Wiegand and Julia Smith for collaborating to provide photos of the symposium for this story.