Honors Students Present Research Projects for Fall 2025

The public is invited to attend the Honors Colloquium on Friday, Dec. 5.

Fourteen Wayne State College students will present their honors research projects for the Fall 2025 Honors Colloquium being held Friday, Dec. 5. The public is invited to attend.

In-person presentations will be held in the Kanter Student Center’s Niobrara Rooms (east and west) on campus. All in-person and online presentations will be made available to watch on the Honors Program YouTube channel in the middle of December. 

The Wayne State Honors Program allows students to be more involved within an academic discipline, to broaden and deepen an education beyond the usual required work, and to nurture and reward genuine intellectual curiosity. Research opportunities help develop the skills of independent thinking and scholarly inquiry.

The Wayne State Honors Program engages students through a combination of specialized general education courses and research projects completed in the academic major.

At Wayne State, belonging to the Honors Program means not only distinction, but special opportunities and challenges for students with high aspirations. In any academic program at Wayne State, honors students have the option of choosing one of three honors options: High Honors in the Major, Honors in the Major, and Scholar in the Major.

Learn more about the Wayne State Honors Program.

Winter 2025 Honors Colloquium schedule

In-Person Presentations

Lily Payson, Ashland, Neb. – 8-8:30 a.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara East)
“Don’t Look Back - A Stroll Through the Genres of Fantasy”
Advisor: Dr. Stephanie Marcellus

Brooklyn Epler, Auburn, Neb. – 8:30-9 a.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara West)
“Montessori Schools and Their Effects on Students and Teachers Compared to Traditional Educational Facilities”
Advisor: Dr. Sara Walsh

Justin Mohrmann, Columbus, Neb. – 9-9:30 a.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara East)
“Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on Accounting”
Advisor: Kelly Legler

CeCe Meister, Wilber, Neb. – 9:30-10 a.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara West)
“The Paradox of Power: Athena’s Gender Identity and the Autonomy of the Virgin Goddess”
Advisor: Dr. Ann Riley-Adams

Riley Lubeck, Cherokee, Iowa – 10-10:30 a.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara East)
“Restorative Practices and the Perspectives of School Counselors”
Advisor: Dr. Ben Vilkas

Kiersten Taylor, Arlington, Neb. – 10:30-11 a.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara West)
“How Color Theory Affects Consumer Purchasing”
Advisor: Dr. Michelle Laughlin

Rylee Frohberg, Norfolk, Neb. – 3:30-4 p.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara West)
“Perceptions of Sexual Violence in Rural College Town”
Advisor: Dr. Jeff Shelton

Hannah Henry, Oxford, Neb. – 4-4:30 p.m., Kanter Student Center (Niobrara East)
“The Development of Quilting: A Historical Exploration”
Advisor: Dr. Carol Erwin

Online Presentations

Jamie Dozler, Elgin, Neb.
“The Complexity of Mankind: Childhood Trauma and Serial Killers”
Advisor: Dr. Lisa Wanek

LaRena Gardea, Sac City, Iowa
“The United States Criminal Justice System: Legal Slavery in the 21st Century”
Advisor: Dr. Lisa Wanek

Kinley Pohlman, Stanton, Neb.
“The Effect of Interest Rates on Economic Indicators of the United States”
Advisor: Dr. Jeryl Nelson

Tiffany Rhodus, Wisner, Neb.
“Mass Media Effects on Policing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Advisor: Dr. Lisa Wanek

Zach Welch, Ainsworth, Neb.
“The Science of Addiction: Drugs and the Criminal Justice System”
Advisor: Dr. Lisa Wanek

Amanda Whitney, South Sioux City, Neb.
“Laws and Legal Issues Surrounding Law Enforcement and Tribal Lands”
Advisor: Dr. Lisa Wanek