More than 840 undergraduate, graduate and medical students gave more than 780 presentations at the 2016 Student Research and Creative Activity Expo.
Ohio University’s Convocation Center was busy Thursday, not with a sports game, but rather students presenting topics ranging from the effects of growth hormone on melanoma cells to a film about a fictional “puddle person.”
More than 840 undergraduate, graduate and medical students gave more than 780 presentations at the 2016 Student Research and Creative Activity Expo, Roxanne Malé-Brune, director of the student expo, said.
Malé-Brune, the director of grant development and projects at OU’s Graduate College, said she has directed the student expo since it began 13 years ago, and this year had the most participants ever.
“I was really struck by the diversity (in projects),” she said. “That’s what I like about the expo, it’s not just one discipline.”
Luke Szabados, a senior studying film, presented about his thesis film “Splat” with an interactive version of the film.
“It’s a film about a puddle person coming into the human form,” Szabados said. “After a series of interactions, the puddle boils in rage and hardens to a complete filled pot hole. The audience is able to engage and enter into the world of the film by jumping on this puddle person’s face in order to change his emotional development.”
People attending the student expo were able to jump on a trampoline and see themselves on a computer screen jumping on the puddle person’s face with the help of a green screen and camera.
“People seem to really love jumping on this puddle and just making him cry,” he said. “A few hours ago, a four-year-old sat here for like a half an hour. She was just hanging out and poking this puddle guy’s face.”
Students throughout the university were able to present projects, no matter their area of study. The work was judged throughout the day, and some participants were awarded monetary prizes.
Reeto Basu, a Ph.D. student studying molecular cellular biology, picked up three first place prizes and the people’s choice award at the event Thursday. Basu said this year was his fifth time participating in the student expo.
Basu said his project was part of his dissertation, which deals with looking at the effects of growth hormone on melanoma cells. He said he discovered that if a melanoma patient takes a drug that has the opposite effects of a growth hormone, along with the chemotherapy treatment, there is a lower cost of treatment and fewer side effects.
“The people’s choice award was definitely something I was most thrilled about because it reflects public opinion,” he said.
Anne Sternberger, a Ph.D. student studying plant biology, was presenting on the reproductive system of a specific species of violet. She said doing research at OU is a “wonderful experience.”
“More people should become involved in events like this, especially undergraduates,” Sternberger said.
Gabrielle Atwell, a senior studying psychology, ran a study looking at the associations between eating disorders and cannabis and alcohol use.
“I found a significant relationship between alcohol use and with both binge and restrictive, though it’s more significant with binge eating,” Atwell said.
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Estella Ferrell, a graduate student studying social work, won a red second place ribbon for her project on parenting skills training in a substance abuse treatment setting with a focus on gender.
“I just wanted a red ribbon. I didn’t care what place it was,” Ferrell said. “My mother passed away, and it was real important that I finished my education. ... (Red) was her favorite color.”
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