The following opportunities may be counted toward a student’s experiential learning requirements in LO1 of the Connections Curriculum by registering for an eligible section and completing guided reflection work. Unless otherwise specified, students engaging in these experiences who are interested in counting a particular opportunity toward their LO1 experiential learning requirements must notify the contact listed below. Then they will be given permission to register for the appropriate section of EXPR-100 for the semester in which they are participating. All reflection assignments and other requirements indicated by the supervisor must be completed to earn a grade of S (satisfactory) for this experience. See each description for details about eligibility and process.
Mentored Research in Exercise Science
Contact: John Thistlethwaite, Professor of Health and Sports Studies, thistlethwaitej@wittenberg.edu
Research in Exercise Science provides an opportunity for students to be engaged in the research process in multiple areas of exercise science and physiology. Students will have the ability to derive their own research question, come up with the appropriate methodology to test the question, analyze the data, and interpret the findings. Students will also gain experience in the IRB process to test on human subjects.
Mentored Research in Biological and Environmental Sciences
Contact: Stephanie Enright, Lab Coordinator in the Department of Biology, senright@wittenberg.edu
Research students will perform 8-10 weeks of research at 28-40 hours per week for summer research. They will meet with their advisors at least weekly, but typically daily. Research students will prepare an end-of-summer research report, poster presentation, and reflection.
Bible Odyssey Student-Faculty Collaborative Research
Contact: Travis Proctor, Assistant Professor of Religion, proctort@wittenberg.edu
Students are invited to participate in a joint student-faculty research opportunity, engaging in directed academic research and writing on the Bible (either Hebrew Bible/Old Testament or New Testament). Students will research and write a short article (approximately 500 words) on a topic of interest related to the Bible, and their work will be published in Bible Odyssey, a leading online publication sponsored by the Society of Biblical Literature. Students will receive a small stipend. Prerequisite: Concurrent or Previous Enrollment in RELI 221, RELI 222, or other approved course; or approval by acting supervisor.
First-Year Research Awards (FYRA)
Contact: Richard Phillips, Associate Professor of Biology
rphillips@wittenberg.edu
The First Year Research Award offers incoming students a chance to work one-to-one with a faculty member on a research project. Students spend 6-8 hours per week working on the project, meeting frequently with the faculty member and occasionally with the cohort of FYRA recipients. The goal is for a public presentation of the research in the spring. FYRA students are automatically enrolled in EXPR-100R in the fall semester to have the experience counted toward their LO1 experiential learning requirements.
Hagen Research Institute
Contact: Kristen Collier, Director, Susan Hirt Hagen Center for Civic & Urban Engagement
kcollier@wittenberg.edu
High-impact student employment opportunity for students interested in social science research. Research institute student analysts to help community partners assess their programs. This is helpful to partners in seeking grants and making improvements. The employment is more like an internship because students apply skills learned in social science research methods courses. The program is currently supported by contributions from community partners and the Hagen Center endowment.
Mock Trial Competitive Team
Contact: Christopher Leapley, Mock Trial Team Coach, leapleyc@wittenberg.edu
Students will participate as a member of the University's mock trial team. This requires regular attendance at practices (generally a minimum of 5 hours/week) as well as attendance at regional tournaments and competitions (at least 1 per semester). Students will work closely with partners and with the instructor/coach to develop two complete cases-in-chief (plaintiff and defense) that will be presented in competition against other universities. Students will prepare significant written product in the form of legal analyses, court filings and litigation documents, and motions.
Mentored Research in Public Health or Nursing
Contact: Catherine Short, Director of Nursing, shortc@wittenberg.edu
This mentored research opportunity allows students interested in Public Health or Nursing to study one of the many social determinants of health that impact the well-being of the community under the guidance of a Public Health faculty member or a Nursing faculty member. To be eligible for this opportunity, a student must have either taken at least one of the Public Health classes offered at Wittenberg (PUBH-102 or PUBH-302) or any of the nursing major classes offered at Wittenberg. Responsibilities include meeting with the faculty research mentor; completing CITI training to ensure ethical research practices; collaborating with the faculty mentor in completing an IRB proposal; creating or using an existing survey to address the research question; reviewing literature for previous research that has been conducted on the chosen topic; implementing the research method after IRB approval; collating the data; meeting with the faculty mentor to review raw data; completing a written summary of the findings and recommendations based upon the findings; and submitting these to faculty mentor. Periodic guided reflections and final submitted reflection are required.
Physics Research Associate
Contact: Paul Voytas, Professor of Physics, pvoytas@wittenberg.edu
Research Associates receive research training over the summer, working under the guidance of a faculty member in the Physics Department. Experiences are typically ten weeks long with the student working daily for roughly 8 hours per day on different aspects of the project (reading, taking/analyzing data, etc.) and meeting regularly with their mentor. Students typically present their work at a professional conference.
Chemistry Summer Research Associate
Contact: Ray Dudek, Professor of Chemistry, dudekr@wittenberg.edu
Associates will perform 10, 40-hour weeks of summer research. They will meet with their advisors are least weekly, but typically daily. Associates will present a 10-15 minute summary of their research. They will also prepare an end-of-summer research report, poster presentation, and reflection.
Grant Opportunities for Mentored Research
Students engaged in mentored research experiences may be eligible for grants to support their work. The grants themselves do not carry experiential learning designation, but the funds may be used to support projects that are eligible for this designation.
- Fall, Spring, & Summer Research: Students may apply to the Faculty Research Fund Board for equipment, materials, and travel grants to support their projects. Contact: Jen Parsons, Student Development Board, Associate Professor of Health & Sport Studies, parsonsj@wittenberg.edu
- Biology Grants: Students working with Biology faculty members are eligible to apply for a summer research stipend. Click Here To Learn More Contact: Matt Collier, Professor of Biology and Chair of the Department, mcollier@wittenberg.edu
- Writing Center Grants: Students working as writing advisors in the Writing Center are eligible to apply for a research grant. Click Here To Learn More Contact: Marjory Wentworth, Director, Writing Center, wentworthm@wittenberg.edu