Goshen College undergraduates present research work at 11^th annual research symposium

GOSHEN, Ind. – Every year Goshen College students devote hours to research and experimentation in laboratories or in the field, as well as labor over research papers. Too often, only their professors can appreciate the efforts.

But at the 11^th annual Goshen College Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 14, students from a wide variety of disciplines had the opportunity to present papers they have written for class or research and professional projects they have worked on.

"The symposium also provides an opportunity for the Goshen College community to get a picture of the breadth and depth of research done on this campus by students," said Jo-Ann Brant, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy and symposium coordinator. "The symposium also provides students with valuable experience in presenting in a venue comparable to the formal meetings or academic societies É It is a satisfying experience for both presenters and audience."

Presenters and their topics included:

Jason Yoder, a 2008 graduate from Scottdale, Pa., presented "Automated Intelligent Play of Coalition Games"

Ben Jacobs, a senior from Goshen, presented "Romancing the War: Nostalgia as Grounds for Imperialism in Bronson Howard's Shenandoah: a Military Comedy"

Nathan Burmester, a senior from Burnsville, Minn., presented "Facing Economic Issues with Natural Resource Management on Ometepe"

Alex Caskey, a senior from Goshen, presented "Rural Development Projects in Nicaragua: Candelaria – A Case Study"

Emmy Lu Gibson, a senior from Elkhart, presented "The Effects of Music on Speed, Heart Rate and Rate of Perceived Exertion During a One Mile Run/Walk"

Rebecca Friesen, a senior from Newton, Kan., and Kathy Steiner, a senior from Geneva, Ind., presented "Calculating the Chemical Potential and Predicting Sterol Diffusion Rates of a Cholesterol Infused Bilayer"

Dara Joy Jaworowicz, a senior from Kentwood, Mich., presented "Musical Theology: Mychael Danna's Intentional Scoring of 'The Nativity Story'"

Rachel Halder, a junior from Parnell, Iowa, presented "Prostitution, Violence, & Poverty: Linking Chimbote Women to a Broader World Issue"

Caitlin Helmuth, a senior from Harrisonburg, Va., presented "Wilderness Therapy: Challenges and Obstacles"

Kathryn Schlabach, a senior from Turner, Ore., presented "Ultrastructural Analysis of Radiation Effects from Liver Cancer Therapy"

Daniel Moya, a junior from Quito, Ecuador, presented "Deuteronomic Justice in the book of Job"

Elizabeth Speigle, a junior from Telford, Pa., presented "Understanding Satan: The Origins and Implications of the Devil in Christian Theology"

Haly Williamson, a senior from New Hamburg, Ontario, presented "Trends Between Male and Female Mathematical Self-efficacy and Mathematical Achievement"

Arienne Johnson, a junior from Herndon, Va., presented "Holy Blasphemy: Interpreting the Unforgivable Sin"

Amy Showalter, a senior from Harrisonburg, Va., presented "Called to Meeting Grounds: Aspiring beyond Cultural Sensitivity"

Meaghan Bylsma, a senior from Goshen, and Tina Histand, also a senior from Goshen, presented "Social, Religious and Political Attitudes of College Students"

Carolyn Stigge, a senior from Newton, Kan., presented "Reducing the Risk for Unintended Pregnancy in Adolescent Females of Low Socioeconomic Status"

Jenna Buller, a senior from Bluffton, Ohio, presented "Physical & Mental Health Care Needs of Children and Adolescents in Elkhart County who are Socioeconomically Disadvantaged"

Janna Reiff, a senior from Lansdale, Pa., presented "Adolescent Pregnancy: Aggregate Needs Analysis"

Lindsay Yoder, a senior from Perkasie, Pa., presented "Obesity in Children in Goshen Schools"

Chase Snyder, a senior from Denver, Alana Kenagy, a junior from Albany, Ore., and Rachel Halder, a junior from Parnell, Iowa, presented "Black Representations in American Video Media"

Lydette Assefa, a senior from Indianapolis, presented "Identity in the Midst of Instability: An Analysis of the Relationship between the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Meserete Kristos Church in the 1960s-1970s"

Matthew Harms, a senior from Ephrata, Pa., presented "Atonement Theology and Criminal Justice: The Dangers of Conflating Satisfaction Atonement with Retributive Justice"

Matthew Plummer, a senior from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, presented "Reinterpreting Original Sin through the Word"

David Stoltzfus Jost, a first-year from Harrisonburg, Va., presented "Policing in the Soviet State: 1917-1945"

The mission of the Goshen College Research Symposium is to acknowledge original undergraduate research, which already plays an essential role in the college's academic program, and to encourage students and faculty to contribute to the larger conversation about knowing and knowledge that sustains the academy. The symposium brings together students and faculty members involved in original research and scholarly activity from all disciplines.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

### 

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.