Summer student research involves game theory, stop motion animation, bystander training and more
Sixteen Goshen College students are participating in summer research projects through the college’s Maple Scholars Program.
Begun in 1998, Maple Scholars is an eight-week interdisciplinary program in which students collaborate with professors to study and complete hands-on research. Professors propose projects in early December and students apply to work on the projects. These students come from many academic disciplines, including art, physics, computer science, communication, women’s studies, English and more.
Students live together in Coffman Residence Hall, creating a small community of scholars with similar goals for the summer. Each Friday, they have the opportunity to share their progress with the other students in a colloquium.
The 2016 scholars include:
Matt Chen, a 2016 graduate from Taiwan who majored in physics and mathematics, is working with David Housman, professor of mathematics, on a project titled “Game Theory.” They are working to classify a certain class of games based on the amount of resources each player has been allocated and compare that to group outcomes when players work together in a coalition.
Jon Kaasa, a 2016 graduate from Norway who majored in physics and mathematics, is working with David Housman, professor of mathematics, to research voting power in the Norwegian government. Through the use of mathematical tools, they hope to explore if the current system is fair, and if or how often parties should coalesce to increase combined voting power.
Maddie Delp, a senior interdisciplinary studies major from Telford, Pennsylvania, and Jenae Longenecker, a junior double major in history and peace, justice and conflict studies from South Bend, Indiana, are working with Carolyn Schrock-Shenk, associate professor of peace, justice and conflict studies, on a project titled “Reentry in Elkhart County.” They are researching local resources for people coming out of prison and hope to take steps to make Goshen College a more accessible resource for returning citizens who wish to pursue higher education.
Sarah Hofkamp, a senior peace, justice and conflict studies and interdisciplinary double major from Peabody, Kansas, Laura Miller, a senior history major from Akron, Pennsylvania, and Zach Zimmerman, a senior molecular biology and biochemistry major from Archbold, Ohio, are working with Kendra Yoder, assistant professor of social work, and Beth Martin Birky, professor of English and women’s and gender studies director, to develop the Bystander Education program and combat sexualized violence in the Goshen community. They will develop curriculum for peer trainings, analyze and finalize program evaluations, attempt to secure funding and reach out to the community and other institutions.
Joe Kreider, a senior English and interdisciplinary studies double major from Elkhart, Indiana, is working with Ann Hostetler, professor of English, on a project titled “Digital Humanities.” They are working to use digital tools to put together a senior writing project on James Joyce and music, as well as developing websites for campus publications like Pinchpenny Press and Red Cents.
Riley Mills, a junior broadcasting major from Milltown, Indiana, is working with Kyle Hufford, FiveCore Media general manager, to research the history of the Goshen Theater and the historical preservation of other historic movie houses throughout the midwest. Their work will be presented in a documentary, focusing specifically on the Goshen Theater and its role in the community since the early 1900s.
Richard Raposa, a senior art major from Goshen, Indiana, is working with Randy Horst, professor of art, to find a way to implement stop motion animation into a two-dimensional studio art class. They are researching the viability of three techniques: cut-out, traditional and digital stop motion.
Hannah Sauder, a 2016 graduate from Lititz, Pennsylvania, who majored in communication with a concentration in multimedia, is working with Eric Bradley, head of research and instruction, and Duane Stoltzfus, professor of communication, on a digitization project. They are scanning archived issues of The Record, Goshen College’s student-run newspaper, and uploading them to the Good Library database, as well as collecting data on the gender of contributing writers for the opinion page.
Anna Shetler, a junior molecular biology major from Goshen, Indiana, is working with Erin Milanese, head of learning technologies, to compare data from other colleges’ and universities’ iPad programs to Goshen College’s iPad program, in order to determine the future of GC’s use of iPads.
Christian Stoltzfus, a sophomore computer science major from Harrisonburg, Virginia, is working with Jeanette Shown, associate professor of computer science and information technology, on a project titled “Peace Breaks Out.” They are conceptualizing, designing, drawing and coding a video game that is entirely nonviolent, with the goal of creating a fully functional game that could be marketed by the end of the summer.
Clinton Stroble, a sophomore peace, justice and conflict studies major from Newport News, Virginia, is working with Joe Liechty, professor and director of peace, justice and conflict studies, and Paul Keim, professor of Bible and religion, on a project titled “Vengeance and Forgiveness.” They are researching the cultural, religious and personal values that influenced the response of the families of the Charleston Church shooting victims to Dylann Roof, the accused shooter.
Bryan Yoder, a senior physics and mathematics double major from Manheim, Pennsylvania, is working with Paul Meyer Reimer, professor of physics, on a project titled “Gravity & Groundwater.” They will be examining satellite data that gives the total amount of water stored in every location on earth and comparing it with hydrological models, which will allow them to estimate how humans have affected water and groundwater storage across the world.
David Zehr, a 2016 graduate from Elkhart, Indiana who double majored in history and interdisciplinary studies, is working with Paul Keim, professor of Bible and religion, to research the Book of Job and how the text and its themes appear in culture, in preparation for a Bible commentary on Job that Keim will write.