Extraordinary Buckeyes are doing great things at all of The Ohio State University's campuses. This spring, undergraduates from Ohio State's regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion and Newark showed how access to research opportunities is helping them solve the world's problems.
Throughout March and April, 75 students from across the four campuses presented faculty-mentored research projects ranging from COVID-19 vaccine fears versus symptoms, to local water quality and biodiversity studies, to the impact of the spoken word on learning among children and adults. While each campus has hosted its own annual event for a decade or more, the long-held goal is shared and central to Ohio State's Academic Plan—to provide transformational academic experiences for all Ohio State students.
“The students participating in the various undergraduate research events were so impressive,” said Senior Vice Provost for Student Academic Excellence Charlene Gilbert. “Their projects were complex, innovative and well-designed, including intriguing research on DNA extraction, how nature relates to well-being in older adults, and differences in spatial and cognitive abilities. The quality of the work is a testament to their skills, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to rigor. I am particularly grateful for all the faculty mentors who have provided guidance, resources and opportunities for their students.”
Opportunity thrives at Ohio State's regional campuses
At Ohio State Lima, senior biology major Waseq Mohammed participated in undergraduate research to prepare for a medical career. His research focused on evaluating the speciation of parasitic wasps alongside their sawfly hosts.
"As someone interested in medicine, a career based heavily on research and development, I needed to familiarize myself with the research process," said Mohammed. "Through my experiences, I learned a lot more about the scientific method and could apply it in a real-world setting.”
Ohio State Lima senior psychology major Kirsten Flora gained something she found surprising from her research experience—confidence. Her research examined if personality traits could facilitate rigid and extreme beliefs.
"The most surprising thing that I discovered during the project was my own ability," said Flora. "It is one thing to learn about research, but to develop a research idea and carry out the project is quite different. I learned that I could do the things that I learned about in courses and allowed myself to feel more confident in my educational ability."
At Ohio State Newark, this year's Undergraduate Research Forum was the campus' 19th annual event. And while the COVID-19 pandemic had forced a temporary move to a virtual platform, there was no question of canceling for event organizer Nathaniel Swigger. The opportunities for students are too important.
"The research forum is a great opportunity for our students to showcase their work," said Swigger, an associate professor who has coordinated Ohio State Newark's Undergraduate Research Forum since 2012. "It is also a great chance for other students to see what research looks like and get exposed to the kinds of things they could be doing and give them a sense of what's possible in their own undergraduate experience."
Importantly, regional campus students also participate in the Columbus campus' Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum, like senior zoology major Marie Walton. This year, Walton earned top honors in the Denman's animal sciences category. Her research project, "Lepidopteran Diversity in a Restored Prairie," established baseline estimates of butterfly and moth species present on the Lima campus prairie, allowing future researchers to track developmental change in invertebrate succession as the prairie develops.
Her faculty mentor, Assistant Professor Robin Bagley, was selected as a winner of the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award.
To read more student stories and learn about undergraduate research at Ohio State's regional campuses, visit Ohio State Lima, Ohio State Mansfield, Ohio State Marion, and Ohio State Newark.