Wayne State Students to Present Spring 2024 Honors Projects

Honors students present their end-of-the-semester research projects April 25-26.

Twenty-two Wayne State College students will present their honors research projects in the Student Center’s Niobrara Rooms (east and west) on Thursday and Friday, April 25-26. The public is invited to attend.

The two-day event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, April 25, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 26.

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 WSC Honors Program.

Event details

The schedule for Thursday, April 25, is:

  • Jake Ridder of Fremont, Neb. – "Sneaker Resale Dynamics and Athlete Performance"
    1-1:30 p.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Jeryl Nelson
     
  • Gabriel Peitz of Wakefield, Neb. – "A Study of AZO-Dyes Containing Highly Fluorescent Components"
    1:30-2 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. David Peitz
     
  • Olivia Wright of Fremont, Neb. – "Phobophobia: an anthology of short horror fiction"
    2-2:30 p.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Prof. Chad Christensen
     
  • Emma Miller of Elkhorn, Neb. – "Sign Language as a form of Communication in Education"
    2:30-3 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. Allyn Lueders
     
  • Mollie Kimbrough of Lincoln, Neb. – "How Parents and Educators Can Guide Young Children through the Journey of Self-Discovery"
    4:30-5 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. Pam Langlie-Willers

The schedule for Friday, April 26 is:

  • Madelyn Hopwood of Shelby, Neb. – "An Examination of Flex Time and the Effect on Workplace Equity and Motivation"
    8-8:30 a.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Trisha Kolterman
     
  • Hailey Howell of Blair, Neb. – "The Differences and Similarities Between Atrial Fibrillation and Supraventricular Tachycardia"
    9-9:30 a.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Shawn Pearcy
     
  • Sara Lundeen of Axtell, Neb. – "Musical Movements: Songs of Nineteenth-Century Nationalism and Abolitionism"
    9:30-10 a.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. Phillip Fox
     
  • John Guenther of Omaha, Neb. – "Ingracious, Foolish Opinions: The Popular Voice and Monasteries in the Tudor Reformation"
    10-10:30 a.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Eric Colvard
     
  • Claire Jensen of Aurora, Neb. – "Pulling back the Curtain: A Look into Costuming and the Creative Process"
    10:30-11 a.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Prof. Brian Begley
     
  • Kirsten Fike of York, Neb. – "School Shootings: How an Individualistic American Society has failed its Children"
    11-11:30 a.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Randy Bertolas
     
  • Jason Franklin of York, Neb. – "Developing c-BERST to identify RNF2 complexes regulating GATA6 expression in PDAC"
    11:30 a.m.-Noon in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. Douglas Christensen
     
  • Mary Helms of Arlington, Neb. – "Investigating the Role of HCMV US18 in Viral Infection"
    Noon-12:30 p.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Douglas Christensen
     
  • Aidyn Baloun of Sioux Falls, S.D. – "Painting Myths: Understanding and Honoring Ancient Narratives through Visual Art"
    12:30-1 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Prof. Francine Fox
     
  • Jillian Grantham of Giltner, Neb. – "Purposeful Packaging: Investigating and Applying Visual Identity to Product Design"
    1-1:30 p.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Prof. Joshua Piersanti
     
  • Joyce McGuire of Wakefield, Neb. – "Cordial Pen: Creating a Font that Lies Between Handwriting and Type"
    1:30-2 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Prof. Joshua Piersanti
     
  • David Clark of Seward, Neb. – "Touch and Loneliness: How Touch Interacts with Loneliness Perceptions Among College Students"
    2-2:30 p.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Dan Miller
     
  • Haley Price of Beatrice, Neb. – "Completing Nebraska Geography Standards with GIS"
    2:30-3 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. Lesli Rawlings
     
  • Gracie Beddow of Atkinson, Neb. – "Crafting Subterranean Paranoia through Propaganda"
    3-3:30 p.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisors: Prof. Sarah Lemmon and Dr. Lesli Rawlings
     
  • Alexis Holt of Gretna, Neb. – "Policing in America: A Necessary Source of Crime Control"
    3:30-4 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. Rachel Kunz
     
  • Naudia Larsen of Milford, Neb. – "An Evaluation of Eczema's Implication in Skin Diseases and the Ideals of Perfection"
    4-4:30 p.m. in Niobrara East
    Advisor: Dr. Michael Mutehart
     
  • Matthew Henry (Oxford, Neb.) – "Enhancing Web Development through Accessibility: A Comprehensive Guide"
    4:30-5 p.m. in Niobrara West
    Advisor: Dr. Molly Curnyn