University Communications

From cancer cell identification and brain morphology to cryptology and Victorian fashion, Wittenberg students and faculty engage in innovative, collaborative research projects every year.

For some, the joint effort opens doors to worlds unknown. For others, it confirms the reason they came to Wittenberg. Join them, and journey into their world, a world full of imagination, exploration, creativity and results.

Shana Ryan ’01 questions everything. Take the time she fainted following a track meet in high school. “Why would my body do that?” she asked. Or when her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.

“What is happening to him?” she wondered. Or when one of her younger brothers became ill. “How did he get sick?” Questions have just been a way of life for this double major in biology and chemistry.

But now, after four years at Wittenberg, there’s a difference. Now she knows some of the answers.“The professors here have given me the confidence to answer my own questions,” Ryan says.

Here, Ryan found professors willing to provide direction and assistance. Here, she found professors willing to go beyond mere classroom instruction. Here, she found Dave Mason, professor of biology.

“I took Dr. Mason’s electron microscopy course, and I loved it,” she said. From that course, Ryan found a research partner in Mason.

Together, they analyzed tissue samples from hundreds of patients with lung cancer using one of Wittenberg’s prized electron microscopes.

They then determined the characteristics of the individual lung cancers, and together, they presented their findings to the Ohio Academy of Science last spring.“This is basically identifying cancer, and I learned that I can do it,” she said.

Thanks to her research with Mason, Ryan also secured an internship with the Ohio Department of Health at Ohio State and decided to volunteer at Children’s Hospital in Columbus where she works with cancer patients.

She hopes to become a pediatric oncologist some day, something she never dreamed she could do until Wittenberg.

“I’ve always wanted to help people, but I always thought that being a doctor was something only geniuses could do,” she said. “Wittenberg changed that.”

Ryan has already been accepted to five schools, including The Ohio State University School of Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University School of Medicine and Loyola University School of Medicine.

Ryan’s experience is just one of hundreds of student experiences involving student-faculty research collaboration.

In the natural sciences alone, one-third of science majors work directly on research projects during their on-campus studies or during internships with regional labs.

“Research is really the best way to learn how to do science,” said Tim Lewis, professor of biology and department chair.

“Not only do the students work one-on-one with a professor,” he said, “but they also must think critically and independently as they prepare a professional paper or presentation of their results.”

Lewis is currently supervising 12 student-research projects, including studies on spotted turtle search techniques, beach trash accumulation in The Bahamas and bat diversity in Michigan.

“The research we’re doing here, besides keeping faculty intellectually stimulated, is geared toward teaching students how to do the work, which is different from a large university,” Lewis said.

“At Wittenberg, students are able to do their own research and not somebody else’s.” That facet of Wittenberg’s science program is what attracted Scott Maurer ’00 to select Wittenberg over Notre Dame.

With his eyes on medical school, Maurer wanted research experience that would not only set him apart as a candidate but would benefit his future career as a physician. “I wanted to learn how to think like a scientist,” Maurer said.

His wish came true, thanks in part to Cathy Pederson, assistant professor of biology. In Pederson, Maurer found a mentor, friend and research partner.

Together, Maurer and Pederson initiated a research project examining memory deficits and brain alterations in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) stemming from child abuse.

As partners, Pederson and Maurer used magnetic resonance imaging to study the brains of women with a history of childhood abuse resulting in PTSD, women with a history of childhood abuse but no PTSD and women with no history of abuse.

“Scott was integral in the design of the entire project,” Pederson said, adding that Maurer conducted the initial screen of subjects and handled the literature review, among other aspects.

Maurer then presented a poster session of their initial findings to the Society of Neuroscience in November 2000.

He will also assist in the writing of the professional paper once the study is completed, which he and Pederson will then submit for publication.

Writing professional papers at this level is rare at a big school, according to Pederson, who also noted that such papers can make a difference in admission to medical or graduate school. Statistics tend to support Pederson’s assessment.

Since 1990, more than 45 medical schools, including Northwestern University and Dartmouth College, have accepted Wittenberg students, and 75 percent of Wittenberg students who apply to medical school are accepted.

During the last 10 years, more than 75 students have also presented their papers at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, and a recent review of Ohio Academy of Science papers written by student researchers found that Wittenberg placed second only to Ohio State in the production of publishable work from Ohio colleges.

“The opportunity was incredible,” Maurer said. “I was really fortunate to work with Dr. Pederson. She always asked for my opinion and ideas, and I could tell that she wanted me to succeed.”

Maurer is now in his first year at Oregon Health Sciences Medical School. Like Maurer, Toby Dogwiler ’96 and Megan Porter ’96 also found Wittenberg’s faculty to be exceptionally supportive in their research pursuits.

Both former members of Wittenberg’s 20-year-old Speleological Society, or Caving Club as it is commonly called, the two worked side-by-side with Horton Hobbs, professor of biology, while at Wittenberg.

The experience opened their eyes to the vastly different world, tucked away in the darkness beneath their feet.“When I started as an undergraduate at Wittenberg, I was convinced that I was going to become a marine biologist,” Porter recalled.

“Not too long after classes began, however, I went on the Caving Club’s first trip of the year and was introduced to both caving and to Dr. Horton Hobbs.

Most of the research projects that I became involved in following that experience were a result of my newfound interest in cave biology.”

As research colleagues, Porter and Hobbs explored such areas as bioinventory, surveying and mapping, drift studies, drainage basin delineation, atmospheric studies and mapping of regional karst geology.

Porter traveled to the 12th International Conference of Speleology in Switzerland in 1997 and went on to receive the James Mitchell Award in 1998 for best student paper presented at a conference.

Wittenberg graduates have received this prestigious award four times in the last five years.“More than any other factor, it was my interactions with Dr. Hobbs, and the example he set as a scientist, mentor and friend, that have influenced my current path.

I found his vast knowledge and boundless enthusiasm for cave biology infectious, and I went on to earn my M.S. in cave biology.” Porter is now pursuing a cave-related Ph.D. in molecular evolution at Brigham Young University.

Dogwiler credits Hobbs for his success, too. “I learned many things from my caving experiences with Hobbs, which have been crucial to my development as a geoscientist,” he said.

“I also learned a tremendous amount from him on how to be a good scientist — everything from dealing with landowners to note-taking to sampling methods.” Dogwiler still visits with Hobbs and John Ritter, associate professor of geology, who also influenced him, when he travels through Springfield.

“My relationship with them didn’t end when I was handed a degree,” he said. “It is not overstating the point to say that I would not have gone to graduate school, or probably have pursued science, if it wasn’t for these two individuals.”

Dogwiler received his M.S. in geology from Mississippi State University in 1998 and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in geology at the University of Missouri at Columbia.

Nick Jeremiah ’94, now a Navy SEAL, also found Wittenberg’s collaborative research opportunities exciting.

Jeremiah came to Wittenberg because of its marine biology program, including a semester-long course at Duke University marine lab in Beaufort, N.C., and the summer semester in San Salvador, The Bahamas with Wittenberg biology professors Tim Lewis and Ron deLanglade.

The program offers students and faculty the opportunity to study coral reefs and the sea life surrounding the Bahamian island. Jeremiah spent his time studying sharks and stingrays and then prepared a paper.

“The best way for students to learn is by engaging in such collaborations,” Lewis said. The same can be said for the professors.
Lewis, for example, considers himself fortunate to know Jeremiah and to have had him in his classes.

“I have known Nick since I first came to Wittenberg in 1990, took scuba with him in Wittenberg’s pool and experienced two of my most memorable dives with him,” Lewis said.

“In 1992, Nick took the Comparative Communities course developed by deLanglade, which I helped teach.

On one dive in French Bay on San Salvador, Nick, Ron and I were swimming in turbid water in a groove between two coral reefs when out of the mirk swam two six-foot long tarpons just an arm’s reach away.

We all thought ‘sharks’ but unlike Nick, my desire was to move away not toward them. I had the pleasure of diving with Nick again in 1997. Here, the student turned teacher. Nick was instructing me as I worked on my advanced diving certification.

Nick took me down to a wreck in 100 feet of water off Key Largo, showing me fish, coral and sponges that I did not know.

He even gave me a copy of his species list of all the fish he has seen in Florida for my own studies. ... It pleases me to see him complete the extremely difficult training for the Navy, and it gives me another answer to the often-asked question, ‘What can I do with a biology major?’”

Mark Ellison, assistant professor of chemistry, can relate to Lewis’ experience. “I have found that I learn a great deal from my students,” he said. “Their minds are wide open to many possibilities, some that I had not considered.”

Ellison is conducting spectroscopic studies with Matthew ’02 and Michael Stewart ’02. As partners, they are investigating the formation of organic layers on silicon surfaces.

“The students have surprised me with their initiative and ability to catch on quickly and even learn to solve some fairly complicated instrument issues themselves. I think this speaks to the high quality of students at Wittenberg, as well as the importance of student research,” Ellison said.

Like Lewis and Ellison, Jo Wilson, professor of psychology, has also found the opportunity to work with students rewarding.” I rarely conduct research without student co-collaborators,” she said, “and the majority of my publications and conference paper presentations have undergraduate student co-authors.”

Wilson is currently working with six student researchers, including Rafael Russo ’02. Together, they are exploring the psychophysiological responses to Web page design.

“It is an enjoyable experience to discuss experimental design with someone who is as excited about the research endeavor as I am,” Wilson said.

Russo agreed. “The experience of working with such a respected faculty member has been incredible,” Russo said. “Dr. Wilson is extremely open and patient, and we combine the best of ourselves to produce the greatest results in the research.

I have learned not only the results of the study, but also a lot of the methods normally used and the common practices for publishing in academia,” he said. “This project has also helped me define my post-graduate study objectives.”

Russo plans to pursue work in consumer research and marketing upon graduation.

“Beyond the educational benefit that students derive from the research experience, undergraduate students who have participated in research have an extra edge over other students when applying for graduate school, medical school, and, I’ve found, even law school,” Wilson said.

Such collaborations also fuel students’ desire for further exploration. Consider physics major Jason Hill ’01, for example.

He took his interest in Earth-threat asteroids and, along with Dan Fleisch, assistant professor of physics, developed a computer simulation of a radar powerful enough to detect them before they come within range of optical telescopes.

With a portion of a $10,000 grant from Aeroflex Lintek Corp., Hill and Fleisch are now expanding the project to include a concept demonstration.

“We’re thinking of something along these lines: several thousand ham-radio operators all turn their antennas to a pre-defined direction in the sky and transmit a continuous wave at an agreed-upon frequency,” Fleisch explained.

“We then use one of the big Earth-bound radio telescopes to hunt for reflections from asteroids that are within the transmitted beam.” Leo Liu ’01 also wanted to conduct more research.

A computer science major, he teamed up with Jim Noyes, professor of computer science, to study cryptology, the science of encryption. Together, they initially researched a range of ciphers and the mathematical theories involved.

From there, however, Liu constructed a computer simulator of the famous German Enigma machine used in WWII and wrote a computer program that does encryption using an algorithm called RSA.

“Two of the best things about working one-on-one with a professor are that, first, there is a great amount of flexibility, both in terms of the schedule and exactly what you do, and, second, Dr. Noyes was great in giving me pointers and in making sure that I adhered to a rigorous standard in research and writing,” Liu said.

“I think perhaps many people don’t realize how amazingly supportive the faculty members are when you want to do research or pursue something academic. I’m excited by what I’ve been able to accomplish,” he added.

Years earlier, however, insufficient funds limited some student-faculty research opportunities.

Although the university could fund a small number of collaborative student-faculty research projects annually, dozens, at times, had to be denied, which in turn discouraged students from submitting proposals.

In addition, some projects had to be narrowed because of the limited financial resources. Wittenberg set out to change this situation, and in 1998, submitted its own proposal to the McGregor Fund to increase the number of student-faculty research projects it supports.

The private foundation, established in 1925 by gifts from Katherine and Tracy McGregor, listened and awarded the university a $100,000 grant.

“The grant from the McGregor Fund is an extension of the philosophy of a small liberal arts college,” Lewis explained.

“We already pride ourselves on the fact that we have a small student-to-faculty ratio, and this grant allows us to go one step further.”

Prior to the McGregor award, Wittenberg could fund only about 12 faculty-student research projects a summer, six through the Faculty Research Fund Board and the rest through departmental endowments.

Thanks to the McGregor grant, 10 additional summer research stipends can now be awarded each year, increasing the number from 12 to 22. The McGregor Fund awards up to $2,500 for summer research and $250 for academic year research.

“The grant has helped us to expand our notion of what research is,” said Robin Inboden, associate professor of English and department chair.

“It’s different in different disciplines, and having a little more money to go around should allow us to be more creative in recognizing the different ways that money can stimulate imaginative projects.”

Daniel F. Boomhower ’98 certainly proved this true while on campus.

Thanks to a McGregor grant, he could study in-depth the socio-historical commentary of music in Thomas Mann’s Doctor Faustus with David Barry, associate professor of languages.

Much like the research in the natural sciences, “it’s a fabulous stepping stone for graduate-level research,” Boomhower said, and it also aided Barry in teaching the novel.

“My work with Dr. Barry has had an inestimable impact on my intellectual pursuits,” Boomhower added.

“I have continued over the past three years to expand my knowledge of musical aesthetics and politics of the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich in Germany in an effort to further appreciate the context for Mann’s conclusions about music.”

Boomhower has since received his master’s in library science from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and is currently pursuing a master’s in musicology there.

McGregor fund recipient Alicia Daugherty ’01 also benefited from the grant. An English major, Daugherty and Lori Askeland, assistant professor of English, wanted to explore the meaning of fashion in Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence.

“The social revolutions and changes in clothing redefined the role of women from the 1870s to the 1920s, and Wharton uses these revolutions in her novel to question and redefine the meanings of innocence and experience associated with dress,” Daugherty explained.

With the funding, Daugherty traveled to the Costume Institute at The Museum of the City of New York, where she obtained books, fashion plates and fashion cards to support her research.

“She has been a great student, and I have learned just from seeing the pictures she has dug up,” Askeland said. “Alicia’s research is not only fun but provocative and interesting.”

The McGregor Fund also recently afforded Erin Shockey ’01 the chance to expand her interest in turtle search techniques, initially discussed in Lewis’ upper-level ecology class, into a full-blown research project with Lewis at Springfield’s Prairie Road Fen.

“I initially wanted to analyze the various pre-existing search techniques to determine what would be the optimum size of a search group and what kind of searches would be most efficient in finding turtles,” Shockey said.

From there, she persuaded Lewis to equip some of the biology lab’s turtles with radio transmitters and then place those turtles in the Fen. Students could then search for those turtles, which in turn would provide Shockey and Lewis with valuable data for their research.

“Lewis has encouraged me every step of the way,” Shockey said. “He kept telling me that this is publishable. It’s been a maturing experience for me. At first, I felt like a student, but now I’m the scientist.

After doing the research, I do feel like I have an edge now because I’ve gone beyond the textbook science to do the actual science.”

“In today’s world, you need a competitive edge,” Lewis said, “and quality research can give students just that.”