Northwestern College to celebrate student research

See Celebration of Research abstracts

The scholarly work of 67 Northwestern College students will be on display during the college’s first Celebration of Research on Thursday, April 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Rowenhorst Student Center. The public is invited to attend.

“This new event provides students with an opportunity to showcase their academic and creative work,” says Dr. Mark Husbands, vice president for academic affairs, “and gives them an opportunity to synthesize and produce a public display of their research under the direction of a faculty mentor. The goal of this event is to provide a setting in which faculty, staff, students, members of our community and the Board of Trustees can meet, speak with and learn from some of our very best students.”

Seven research posters will be exhibited from the arts and humanities. Junior art major Ya-Wen Liu of Taiwan will present “Studies in Painting and Printmaking.” Junior art/graphic design major Camille Visser of Archer, Iowa, will present “The Process of Sculpting.” Senior theatre majors Abi Stoscher of Modesto, Calif., and Caroline Trewet of Atlantic, Iowa, will present “Creating a Fantasy World” and “Projection Design as a Servant Art,” respectively.

Also to be displayed are “Ingham: A Creative Writing Project Exploring the Relationship of Nature, Spirituality and Place,” by senior writing and rhetoric major Amie Adams of Clear Lake, Iowa; “Ancient Olympics: The Use of Enhancements in Olympic Athletes,” by Kirsten Dunia, a junior athletic training major from Clovis, Calif.; and “Medicine in Ancient Greece: Asclepius and the Healing Cult at Epidaurus,” by Jeff Jeltema, a junior chemistry and biology-health professions major from Orange City.

Ten research posters will be exhibited from the social sciences, including “Integrated Marketing and Communication: ‘The Pitch’ Project, by Olivia Lanier, a senior business administration/marketing major from Sumner, Wash. Riley Harder, a senior biology-health professions and chemistry major from Sloan, Iowa, will present “Coping With Cancer.”

Chris Sietstra, a senior accounting and psychology major from Boyden, Iowa, will present “Personality and Leadership: Implications for Emotional Well-Being.” He and Riley Harder will also present “Mentalizing, Personal Prayer, the Presence of God, and Evil,” along with Hope De Ruyter, a junior psychology major from Rock Valley; Corey Kundert, a senior psychology major from Orange City; Molly Townsend, a senior psychology major from Tea, S.D., Virginia Kjer, a senior Spanish major from Ottumwa, Iowa; and Rebekah Muilenburg, a sophomore psychology major from Orange City.

Other psychology majors exhibiting their research include Kundert, “The Efficacy of Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT): A Randomized-Control Trial With a Non-Clinical Sample of College Students”; Townsend, “Theory of Mind, Mentalizing and Personal Prayer: A Cross-Cultural Study”; Chelsea Weidner, a senior from Elk Point, S.D., “Emotional Intelligence and Physical and Mental Well-Being”; Jillian Estes, a Sioux Center senior, “Academic Performance of College Students: Impact of Study Habits, Test Anxiety, Perfectionism and Locus of Control” and Kristen Kienholz, a senior from Luverne, Minn., “The Impact of Parenting Styles on Academic Achievement, Self-Concept, Anxiety and Internal Locus of Control.” 

Weidner, Estes and Keinholz have contributed to “Instigation and Execution Study Habits in Relation to College Students and Academic Success,” along with Myles Anderson, a senior biology-health professions major from Urbandale, Iowa; Jordyn Oostra, a junior psychology major from Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Rachel Krommendyk, a senior psychology major from North Palm Beach, Fla.

Eight research posters will be on display from the natural and applied sciences, including “Efficacy of Progressive Muscle Relaxation at Reducing Negative Stress and Anxiety in College Athletes,” presented by three senior athletic training majors: Dylan Hengst of Grafton, Wis.; Justin Baird of Omaha; and Samantha Wielenga of Orange City. Abigail Thompson, a senior mathematics major from Middleton, Idaho, will present “Mathematics and Counterterrorism.”

“Phinding Phages with Phatal Properties Phor Mycobacterium smegmatis” will be presented by Myles Anderson; Perkins Aiyegbeni, a sophomore biology-health professions major from Janesville, Wis.; Madison Beaver and Chris Borchers, Sioux Center sophomores majoring in biology-health professions; Emily Geraets, a sophomore biology-health professions major from Sioux Falls, S.D.; Hailey Gestrich, a sophomore biology-health professions major from Beloit, Wis.; Katie Inge, a sophomore biology-health professions and psychology major from Fontana, Calif.; Courtney Mithelman, a sophomore from Johnston, Iowa, majoring in genetics/molecular biology/cellular biology; Peace Preston, a junior chemistry and biology-health professions major from Spencer, Iowa; Renju Pun, a junior biochemistry major from Nepal; Kristina Sevcik, a junior biology-health professions and chemistry major from Searsboro, Iowa; Sabrina Tarchione, a sophomore biology-health professions major from Twin Falls, Idaho; Brenden Van Der Werff, a sophomore biology-health professions major from Armour, S.D.; Michaela Van Riesen, a sophomore chemistry and biology-health professions major from Omaha; and Patrick Wagner, a senior exercise science major from Lincoln, Neb.

“Phascinating Phages: Genome Annotation of Mycobacteriophage ILeeKay” will be presented by Jeff Jeltema; Peace Preston; Michaela Van Riesen; Samantha Bruinsma, a senior biology-health professions major from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Jose Muro, a senior majoring in genetics/molecular biology/cellular biology from Sioux Center; Alison Schutt, a junior chemistry and biology-health professions major from Alton; and Alexandria Yoerger, a junior chemistry and biology-health professions major from Sioux City.

“Antriproliferative Effects on Common Plant Extracts on Tumor Cells in Vitro” will be presented by Morgan Olhausen, a senior biology-health professions major from Sac City, Iowa; Joseph Tolsma, a senior genetics/molecular biology/cellular biology major from Orange City; Samantha Bruinsma; Jose Muro; Alexandria Yoerger; Sarah Beaton, a senior biochemistry major from Burnsville, Minn.; Jeanna Becker, a senior athletic training and biology-health professions major from Council Bluffs, Iowa; Austin Blankespoor, a junior biology-health professions major from Rock Valley; Trenton Buyert, a Sioux Center senior majoring in biology-health professions; Jessica Carver, a sophomore biology major from Urbandale, Iowa; Rebecca Gritters, a junior biology-health professions major from Pella, Iowa; Matt Hillman, a junior biology-health professions major from Post Falls, Idaho; Jacob Jenness, a junior biology-health professions major from Spirit Lake, Iowa; Austin Krier, a senior exercise science major from Vermillion, S.D.; Lucas Lorfeld, a senior biology-health professions major from Sheboygan, Wis.; Sarah Lunn, a senior biology-health professions major from Jewell, Iowa; Bethany Muyskens, a junior biology-health professions major from Sheldon; Haley Sitzmann, a sophomore biology-health professions major from Sioux Center; Tyler Spaans, a junior chemistry and biology-health professions major from Larchwood, Iowa; Justin Van Kalsbeek, a senior biology-health professions major from Sheldon; and Calvin Van Surksum, a junior biology major from Rock Valley.

Alison Schutt and Joseph Tolsma have contributed to “Analysis of Alternative Storage Conditions for DNA Recovery From Field Samples” along with 2016 graduates Emily Stricklin of Sioux Falls and Britta Ten Haken of Urbandale.

Schutt, Tolsma, Calvin Van Surksum, Austin Blankespoor and Skyler Hill-Norby, a senior Spanish major from Alton, Iowa, will present “The Effect of Eyeless and Wingless Mutations on the Reproductive Fitness of Fruit Flies.”

Six December 2016 graduates of Northwestern’s Master of Education program will present research posters. They are Asha Epp of Kalamazoo, Mich., “Teaching Science Vocabulary With Children’s Literature: The World of Words Program”; Blake Wieking of Orange City, “Technology Integration and Student Learning Motivation”; Sara Deitering of Spirit Lake, Iowa, “Is Project-Based Learning a More Effective Way of Teaching Than Traditional Teaching?”; Heather Crichton of Sioux City, “Early Intervention Family Resource Portal”; Sara Burmakow of Orange City, “Building Background to Improve Academic Achievement Among English Language Learners”; and Rachael Foutch of Creston, Iowa, “Peer Partnerships and Collaboration in the Classroom Setting and Their Effects on Academic Achievement.”