Wanting students to have a competitive advantage, Wittenberg will once again be a conduit for summer research endeavors, continuing a decades-long tradition. Funding through the Wittenberg Development Board (DB) has occurred for more than 20 years, adding up to more than $500,000 for research, projects, travel, presentations, and other miscellaneous experiential learning opportunities designed to support student success.

“Our budget each year has been $40,000,” said Jen Parsons, associate professor of health & sport studies at Wittenberg and member of the DB. “We try very hard to make sure we exhaust that budget on quality student research or travel to present research projects. All of this research is guided by faculty mentors, and much of it often leads to publications or presentations at national conferences.”

DB duties include reviewing proposals and making recommendations for the disbursement of institutional resources for student research and other scholarship opportunities. The DB also works with faculty liaisons for national scholarships to conduct interviews and identify student applicants for Fulbright, Goldwater, Marshall, and Rhodes (and other national fellowships) on campus, as well as to advise and advocate for student scholarship and development opportunities.

“Research projects are possible within every discipline on campus, and the DB encourages all students to consider this valuable opportunity,” Parsons said. “These grants support ambitious summer research projects, and the DB expects the research to result in written work, exhibition, public presentation, or performance.”

In summer 2025, Wittenberg awarded more than $30,000 to students through the DB and an additional $78,300 through the Powelson Endowment Fund through the Biological and Environmental Sciences Department and the Nave Endowment Fund for research purposes.

This program is competitive, so only a limited number of summer grants can be awarded, and the grants are given competitively. Research experiences do not carry academic credit and are the equivalent of a full-time summer academic load.

Students who conducted research this past summer include the following:

• John Charlie Bell (Gambier, Ohio), sophomore and exercise science major, who worked with John Thistlethwaite, associate professor of health and sport studies;
• Emma Gearhart (Ashland, Ohio), a junior sociology major with a criminology concentration pursuing minors in business and justice, law, and public policy, who worked with Nona Moskowitz, associate professor of sociology;
• Anna Roller (New Albany, Ohio), a junior biology major, and Alexandra Couch (Howard, Ohio), a junior biology major, both worked with Margaret Goodman, professor of biology;
• Karlee Henderson (Michigantown, Indiana), a junior environmental science major pursuing a minor in marine science, worked with Kathy Reinsel, professor and George C. Greenawalt Endowed Chair in Biology, and Jim Welch, professor of biology;
• Grace Pantalone (North Lawrence, Ohio), a junior biology major, Christopher White (Springfield, Ohio), a junior biology major, Carmella Haueter (Wadsworth, Ohio), a junior biology major, and Collin LaVeck (Carroll, Ohio), a junior biology major, all worked with Kunal Chatterjee, assistant professor of biology;
• Douglas McClure (Springfield, Ohio), a senior environmental science major, and Dylan Williams (Uniontown, Ohio), a sophomore biology major, worked with Richard Phillips, associate professor of biology;
• Raymond Bennett (Euclid, Ohio), junior environmental science major, worked with John Ritter, now retired professor of geology;
• Katie Lowry (Maumee, Ohio), a junior biology major, and Griffin Howell (Whitestown, Indiana), a junior biology major, worked with Michelle McWhorter, associate professor of biology; and
• Kilen Limes (New Albany, Ohio), a senior environmental science major, worked with Timothy Swartz, former assistant professor of biology.

Any student interested in summer research should apply soon as the DB is now accepting proposals for Summer 2026 Student Research.

Limited grants are available up to $3,000 with an additional $250 in supplies. Proposals need to include a detailed budget that specifically outlines the total amount students are requesting and how items will be used to facilitate research. Awards will be determined based on merit, but in the interest of funding the greatest number of the highest quality proposals, the DB may take into consideration such factors as the total number of applicants, distribution of departments, other potential funding sources, etc.

Please feel free to consult with any faculty member currently serving on the Board for further details, or email Development Board Co-Chairs Manuel Soque at soquem@wittenberg.edu and Sunny Jeong at jeongs@wittenberg.edu, or Elizabeth Howe at ehowe@wittenberg.edu.  

Proposals must include a research plan for Summer 2026 with a clear timeline and budget, as well as a substantive recommendation from a sponsoring faculty member. Research projects are possible within every discipline on campus. The DB encourages all students to consider this valuable opportunity. The deadline to apply for this upcoming summer is Wednesday, March 18, 2026.

Read what some of our students had to say about their summer research:

Karlee Henderson’s research focused on how weather patterns influenced Fiddler Crab presence.

“During the summer, I worked on data collection, which involved picking through plankton samples taken in 2007 and 2008,” she said. “One of the chosen weeks is a week following a storm event, and the other is a week with normal weather conditions. This allows for a comparison to see if weather impacts how many fiddler crabs are present. I went through each sample and identified and collected any fiddler crab larvae that may be present. All crabs collected were stored in ethanol, and the number of them was recorded.

“This research has been important as it gave me an opportunity to set up further research needed to complete my minor requirements for marine science. I have been continuing with research on the fiddler crabs I collected over the summer. I will be identifying the different species of fiddler crabs using a PCR, which will allow me to see if the different species show different behaviors. This project has also given me something I will be able to present at the Connections Symposium in the spring.”

Henderson particularly enjoyed working independently in a lab setting.

“I think it was a good opportunity for growth and allowed me to become more comfortable working in a lab setting alone,” she said. “While I did have two advisors, they were not physically here with me. Becoming fully comfortable within a lab setting is very important to me and could possibly benefit my future, so I find that to be one of my favorite things from this summer.”

Emma Gearhart, who is busy on campus being involved with Kappa Delta, Mock Trial, Moot Court, the Lesotho Nutrition Initiative, the Honors Program, and the Tiger Team, researched the topic of how the increase in remote work impacts coworker relationships.

“I read several background articles and books, completed the IRB, and completed and sent out two surveys for workers to respond to. I also finalized my interview questions and strategies so I could begin conducting interviews first thing this fall,” she said. “This has shaped my Witt experience by allowing me to lay the groundwork for my senior thesis, which is what I'm spending the bulk of my senior year on. It gave me something to talk about in my job as a tour guide and allowed me to further connect with faculty and staff at Witt through my surveys and interviews.

“I liked being able to read different books on my thesis topic and learn more about a topic I am incredibly interested in, as well as having the freedom to create my own schedule to conduct research,” Gearhart added.