By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
More than 150 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater undergraduate students showed off the results of their research studies or creative projects during the 21st Annual Undergraduate Research Day March 16.
The results were presented in a variety of formats, including poster sessions displaying a summary of the several steps involved in designing, implementing and determining the findings of a study, musical and theatrical performances, round table discussions and oral presentations.
The students were also present to answer questions about their studies.
Among the students presenting the results of their projects were Austin Chriske from Wind Lake; and Aislinn Poe, Alexis Seitz and Paige Thompson – all 2012 graduates of Burlington High School.
Chriske’s biological sciences study is entitled “Studying Nutritional Supplements in Caenorhabditis elegans using Lifespan Assays.” Caenorhabditis elegans is a small, free-living, round worm found in nutrient- and microorganism-rich habitats such as in compost and an “assay” is an investigative procedure for assessing or measuring the effects of a substance on a living organism.
According to Chriske’s abstract for the study, “We are using this organism to test the effects of nutritional supplements on lifespan (how many days the organism lives) and health span (how many days the organism is active).”
Poe, who is majoring in marketing and minoring in dance, was selected as the Poster Presentation Winner for the Visual Arts and Performing Arts Category. Her study, “The Choreographic Process of a Solo: When the Choreographer and Performer are the Same Person,” focused on a work she developed entitled “Corporeal Analysis” about “the discovery of one’s body and its abilities.” She performed the piece earlier in March as part of “DanceScapes” at UWW and at the American College Dance Association Conference.
In the abstract for the poster Poe wrote, “There are many challenges one must face when creating a solo as both the choreographer and the performer. One is that I could not simply watch myself run through it live and make critiques while the soloist is dancing. I used technology as a substitute for that experience, recording videos, watching the videos while taking notes in order to solve problems for the next run through.”
Seitz is pursuing a major in psychology and a minor in criminal justice-forensic science. She presented the results of two studies.
Seitz described “Learning the Water Cycle: Kinesthetic vs. Traditional,” as a response to the push for more “hands-on” (or “kinesthetic”) learning. The study involved comparing the comprehension in fourth grade students on a lesson about the water cycle given kinesthetically or a traditional textbook lesson.
As reported in the abstract for her second study, “The Five Facets of Reactance and Oppositionality and Their Relationship to Negative Attitudes Towards the Police,” “a high score in oppositionality correlated with a high score in negative feelings towards the police.”
“Reactance” occurs when a person feels that someone or something is taking away his or her choices or limiting the range of alternatives and the refusal to conform to the ordinary requirements of authority and a willful contrariness is called “oppositionality.”
Thompson is studying early childhood education and special education and her research study is entitled, “Trauma Informed Care in a Preschool Setting.”
Trauma informed care is an applied use of neuroscience regarding how the brain develops, functions and recovers from trauma in order to help children overcome adverse experiences and thrive. Trauma refers to extreme stress that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. It can be a single event, a series of events, or a chronic condition such as childhood neglect or domestic violence.
As stated in the study’s abstract, “This research study used qualitative data in the form of observations and interviews to focus on one child’s experiences in a preschool classroom and the teachers’ understanding of how to support him with trauma-informed care.”
Thompson said that the Undergraduate Research Program has given her the opportunity to learn about and research one aspect of education she is interested in and “a great opportunity for professional development and growth.”
For more information about UWW’s Undergraduate Research Program, visit www.uww.edu/urp.
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