Research Spans from Frogs and eCigarettes to Shoulder Range of Motion and Warriors vs. Bulls
The presence of 70 students displaying their research via posters and other presentation media Thursday (April 28) transformed the normally athletics-oriented Fred Raizk Arena in Hermann Court into a strictly academic setting at the Seventh Annual Student Research Forum.
(PICTURED) From the left, the research team of D.J. Iles, Nathan Scott and Dane Blumenstock explain their research to senior Ethan Zimpfer at Thursday's Student Research Forum that highlighted work done by 70 students.
The 56 research projects spanned across academic disciplines as faculty, staff and students took time out from the study day prior to the start of final exams to peruse the presentations and learn first-hand from student researchers.
The venue of Fred Raizk Arena was an especially familiar setting to three WC student-athletes, D.J. Iles, Nathan Scott and Dane Blumenstock, but their attire of dress shirts and ties deviated from their normal green and white uniforms and basketball shoes seen all winter on the gymnasium floor. The trio’s research reflected their interest in the sport as they presented a project titled “Warriors vs. Bulls by the Numbers.”
Winner of the People’s Choice Award and Best in Class for Business Administration, their research compared the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors’ record-breaking season in 2015-16 in which they won 73 regular season games with the longtime record-holder, Michael Jordan’s 72-win, 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.
Scott said people might be surprised that the Bulls averaged only six successful three-point shots a game that year while the Warriors’ prolific shooter, Stephen Curry, averaged nearly that many himself. Once all the numbers for shooting, assists, steals, free throws — all things offense and defense — were compiled, they came to the conclusion from their statistical data the Warriors are the superior team.
Yet, Golden State will have much to prove in the coming weeks as the playoffs continue as many consider the 1995-96 Bulls among the greatest teams ever. Chicago won six NBA championships during the 1990s while Golden State’s only modern-day title was last year. Throw Curry’s recent injury into the mix and the Warriors have their work cut out for them.
Bottom line: statistics offer valuable insight into past accomplishments and maybe even predicting future success, but statistics don’t play a sport high in emotion like basketball, players do.
The President’s Awards went to Ashley Fox for her research titled “Physical and Spiritual Deaths in William Golding's Pincher Martin: The Two Deaths and the Two Opportunities of Christopher Martin” and Abigail Jude for her research involving electronic cigarettes and frogs titled “Effect of e-liquid from an electronic cigarette on the immune response of Rana pipiens.” Judged as the Best Student-Faculty Collaboration was the research by Aubrey Malott and Douglas Burks, professor of biology, on "Investigation of NUMTS in C01 sequences of Canis familiaris."
Best in Class winners were research projects by: Chemistry/Math/Physics — Christina Veite; Fine Arts — Jamal McClendon and Jessica Sheldon; Agriculture — Samantha Shuler; Biology — Andrew Esselstein; Sport Sciences — Rachel Drake; Humanities — Loryn Bryson; and Social Sciences — Theresa Knopf, Taylor Scott, Kayla Love, Morgan Combs, Lydia Wolcott, Katelyn Straley, Blake Carter, Dylan Sander, Lauren Brickley, Hayley Zornes, Carter Semenchuk, Kelsey Stone, Blair King and Jamika Fraser (directed by Audrey Wagstaff).
The 18 volunteer judges included members of the faculty, staff, Board of Trustees and President’s Advisory Council.
