Maple and Hickory Scholars spend summer researching
In Goshen College’s Maple and Hickory Scholars Program, awarded students spend eight weeks focusing on a particular area of research, alongside a professor who serves as both a supervisor and colleague. While participating in the Maple Scholars program, students live together on campus and take turns sharing updates on their research. The Maple and Hickory Scholars program is a unique undergraduate opportunity for our students to do hands-on research alongside their professors in interesting and diverse subject areas across various disciplines.
This year, 18 students participated in the program, and presented their research alongside the professors during a final colloquium on Friday, July 19.
Maple Scholars Projects
Research topic: exploration of honey bee propolis
Hadel Alammari, a senior molecular biology/biochemistry major from Topeka, Indiana and Andy Ammons, professor of biology, assisted in the harvesting, refining and testing of antimicrobial properties (against bacteria, molds and fungi) of propolis in the honey bee colonies of Goshen College. In addition, Alammari learned how to quantify propolis and test for antimicrobial properties using various microbiological techniques (such as Kirby-Bauer antibiotic testing in agar plates).
Research topic: social determinants of health (SDOH)
Gabe Martinez, a 2024 graduate and public health major from LaGrange, Georgia and Peace Muhagachi, a senior sociology major from Goshen worked with Emily Hahn, program director for sexual assault prevention education & advocacy, to investigate existing literature on the impact of social determinants on the health and well-being of college students, focusing on identifying factors that may influence academic performance, mental health and overall quality of life. Using sociological theories and concepts and public health models, Martinez and Muhagachi explored how Goshen College can leverage the SDOH as a framework for systems of student support.
Research topic: game theoretic models of power, cooperation and resource allocation
Zeynep (Sude) Aytekin, a junior computer science major from Turkey, worked with David Housman, professor of mathematics, to develop a mathematical model of a scenario, define fairness properties or rules of engagement, suggest solution concepts, determine solutions for their specific situation and provide appropriate interpretations.
Research topic: Goshen spotlight documentaries
Silas Immanuel, a senior film production major from India and Isabel Massud, a senior film production major from Brazil, are working with Kyle Hufford, associate professor of communication, to create a short-form documentary covering the local story of Cora Dale, a successful teacher and musician who spent most of her adult life in a mental institution.
Research topic: GC’s Eli Hochstedler and PAX service
Emily Strzelecki, a senior history major from South Bend, Indiana, and Sarah Mast, cashier and accounting assistant, processed the original source documentation of former GC student and activist Eli Hochstedler, taking inventory of all materials in his collection, digitizing copies and discovering best practices to preserve the collections for future use.
Research topic: a natural experiment on groundwater withdrawals
Kevin Liddell, a senior physics major from South Bend, Indiana, Drew Hackman, a 2024 graduate and physics major from Bethesda, Maryland and Paul Reimer, professor of physics, observed water storage and conducted a clustering study of regions grouped by greater and lesser changes in water storage during a window of COVID-19 economic impact, identifying the common features of the ensuing clusters.
Research topic: the use of minirhizotrons to estimate root turnover
Maija Short, a senior environmental and marine science major from Goshen, and John Mischler, associate professor of sustainability, installed minirhizotrons in prairies to observe root growth in response to treatment effects from fires and grazing, collecting the soil from these minirhizotron installations, along with optical scans from the roots of these minirhizotrons.
Research topic: outcomes and evaluation of the mentoring program for teaching faculty
Fernando Daza, a business and peace, justice and conflict studies (PJCS) double major from Olathe, Kansas, and Jody Saylor, director of faculty development, researched how the mentoring program for new faculty influenced retention, satisfaction and sense of belonging. Daza analyzed 5 years of survey data and followed up with individual participant interviews. The research resulted in recommendations to continue and expand the mentoring program and to change some aspects to fill identified gaps.
Research topic: the cosmologies and land relations of the Apache-Stronghold
Arleth Martinez, a senior social work major from Goshen, and Kendra Yoder, professor of sociology, developed research questions about Apache cosmologies and land relations through the current advocacy efforts and life experiences of Apache-Stronghold members. The Apache-Stronghold is a nonprofit, community based organization with the purpose of challenging the on-going colonization of Apache Holy sites, defending indigenous freedom of religion and building community through civic engagement.
Research topic: pursuing GC’s STARS sustainability ranking
Joyce Daliya, a junior nursing major from India, and Dan Barwick, sustainability coordinator, worked with STARS, a rating system designed to evaluate higher education institutions on their sustainability efforts and to assign point values to various aspects of the college in order to quantify the same efforts.
Hickory Scholars Summer 2024
Research topic: nature-based educational resources for elementary teachers
Luisa Dutchersmith, a senior elementary education major, mentored by Carla Gull, associate professor of sustainability and environmental education, created a set of resources to help elementary school teachers engage their students in creative ways, either on their school grounds or at nearby nature centers. These resources will include a curriculum and planning guide for teachers. She has also been leading a series of play workshops for interested families, with a different theme each week.
Research topic: tracking and studying Blanding’s turtles
Mia Yoder, a senior environmental and marine science major from Milwaukie, Oregon is working with Jason Martin, executive director of Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, building off a multi-year project that has researched the population of the Blanding’s turtle, a state-endangered turtle. This work involves trapping turtles temporarily, collecting data about their health and using radio transmitters to track the movement of some turtles across the landscape, aiding and expanding the understanding of these rare turtles’ land use habits along with potential vulnerabilities.
Research topic: monitoring bird populations at Merry Lea
Jill Yoder, an environmental and marine science major from Harrisonburg, Virginia has worked with Carol Good-Elliott, environmental science educator, and Jonathon Schramm, professor of sustainability and environmental education, on two related projects, both centered on monitoring bird populations at Merry Lea. Once a week, Good-Elliot worked with a small team to mist-net songbirds to monitor their health and nesting success. In addition, she reviewed other possible ways to monitor birds efficiently across a broader range of Merry Lea habitats and is pilot-testing several of these methods for possible adoption in the future.
Research topic: investigating prairie ecosystems
Aaron Yeakey, a senior nursing major, and Maija Short, an environmental and marine science major, both from Goshen, worked with John Mischler and Jonathon Schramm as a part of the prairie grazing project that studies the effects of controlled burning and managed grazing on grassland plant communities and soil dynamics. Their work involved a combination of soil work (field collection and analysis in the lab), plant community monitoring and daily management of grazing cattle on one of the restored prairies at Merry Lea.