USF 2025 Schedule

Opening Session

Coulter Science Center, 203 Lecture Hall  

Livestream

Welcome

Dr. Ingrid Ilinca
Provost and Chief Academic Officer 

Opening Remarks

Don Lofe
President of the College and Chief Transformation Officer

Introduction of  Keynote Speaker

Dr. Mark Boulton
Professor of History

Keynote Speaker
John York, Class of 2016

Development Officer for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation

“Bridging the Humanities: Building a Career in Public History”

The work and opportunity of museums and the broader public history field cannot be understated. Museums are community anchors that can provide a valuable quality of life for attracting residents and  businesses. They are economic engines that contribute more than $50 billion a year to the U.S. economy along with rewarding, highly educated jobs. They are also trusted institutions in communities of all sizes, consistently ranked in survey data by the American public as an important part of our civil society — including a national 2024 survey where 92% of U.S. adults think museums are non-partisan providers of educational content

So how do the skills and power of research resonant in this field? And how can people find themselves journeying from the halls of Coulter Science Center at Westminster College to engaging with the work happening at a critical historic site such as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello?

In this speech, John York, ’16 ΦΔΘ, will describe his experiences as a public educator and museum professional. Beginning with his own memorable adventure crafting a thesis on the lives of pioneer women in post-Civil War Kansas, John will look to illustrate how important historical research is for telling a bigger and better story in the world. With meaningful anecdotes on the various ways different forms of research shaped his teaching in an AP Psychology classroom, as a living historian, and in several community-based projects for different sizes of museums, he will highlight how the lessons learned from his earliest days of research at Westminster continue to influence his career and sketch out the ways research can help us all to “read” the world in a more holistic way

Introduction of Student Speaker

Dr. Kali Wright-Smith
Co-Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning

Student Speaker
Emelia Hilse, Class of 2026

“Reimagining the Westminster Community”
This research examines the opinions of Westminster students and faculty regarding third spaces and feelings of community on campus. Through interview and survey results, proposals were created to improve campus spaces, in turn improving the sense of community on campus.

Academic Awards

Dr. Abby Coats
Professor of Psychology

Presentations

GENDER DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH PRESENTATION

Moderator: Amanda Gowin
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Payton Heevner

“Through Different Lenses: Gender Differences in Eating Disorders”

Madelynn Kordik

“Beyond a Tremor: How Biological Sex Influences Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis and Progression”

Kamaro Tennant

“Strokes in Men and Women and the Differences”

Sophia Reed

“Cracking the Rheumatoid Arthritis Code: Why Does it Occur and Present Differently in Men Versus Women?”

Students in the Women’s Health class have completed a literature review to better understand gender differences in some health conditions. This session highlights their findings and shares additional insight into disparities in data and programming.

LANGUAGES AND LEARNING PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Enrique Salas-Durazo
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Niles Johnson

“The Foreign Language Effect: Why We Use the Words We Use - A Look into Decision-Making in Native and Foreign Languages”
This study investigates the Foreign Language Effect (FLE) on emotional and cognitive responses during simulated critical scenarios, examining the impact of Spanish proficiency on decision-making.

Hugo Jover and Paul Campoverde

“From Words to Work: The Importance of Language in Intercultural Communication and Career Placement”
This presentation will explore how learning languages improves intercultural communication and job placement and opportunities. By sharing experiences with language, it will show students how they can improve their careers.

Kenny Angeles

“Technology in the Classroom”
This presentation will look at whether students that learn and use technology in the classroom at early ages will be more likely to have better opportunities later on in life compared to students that go to schools that don’t use or teach technology.

ENGINEERING PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Maryssa Loehr
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Lindrielle Burden

“The Magic of Color Change: From Grocery Store to Science Lab”

Brayden Ewers

“Truss Issues: From A to B”

Keegan Miller

“Filtering Out the World’s Problems”

Jack Page

“Bridging the Gap”

Colyn Wright

“Rising From Disaster”

Daronne Wright

“The Dirt-y Factor: Composters and Mass Loss”

Design Projects for the Introduction to Engineering & Design Course (EGR 101)

HISTORICAL EXPLORATION PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Heather McRae
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Colton Goodwin

“Food for Thought: Evolution of the National School Lunch Program”
This paper, “Food for Thought: Evolution of the National School Lunch Program,” delves into the history of the oldest active welfare program in U.S. history, and discusses how we got to the school lunches of today.

Noah Herbst

“Genocide Unknown: The History of the Holodomor and its Importance in Genocide Studies”
This paper focuses on the history of the Holodomor, a famine Stalin forced on Ukraine, and both the lessons it illustrates and the role it plays within the greater field of Genocide Studies.

Keely Garman

“We All Come From the Myth of the Goddess: Applying a Theoretical Analysis of the Myth of the Goddess to Key Themes in Modern Paganism”
This paper analyzes a foundational Gardnerian myth, correlating mythic themes with beliefs and practices in Modern Paganism. This paper combines primary source review and theoretical myth analysis, concluding in a broad application of the Goddess Myth as grounding narrative.

Presentations

PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Ryan Brunner
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Ashlyn Sponer, Reagan Chigas, Joseph Rembecki, Allyssa Brawley, and Payton Heevner

“Predicting Cannabis and Alcohol Use in Anxiety Provoking Situations”
The present study was conducted to identify if anxiety-provoking scenarios are related to cannabis and alcohol use to reduce anxiety levels in certain college groups. Participants filled out specific demographics and answered questions related to substance use in each scenario.

Anja Browner

“How Adults Cope With Stress as They Age”
As adults age there are many stressors that they encounter, and some coping mechanisms may be more beneficial than others. This presentation analyzes how coping mechanisms such as hobbies help decrease stress levels within older adults.

Payton Heevner

“A Short-Term Proactive Management Strategy’s Effect on Student Behavior and Motivation”
The study was conducted to determine whether the Good Behavior Game affected student motivation and behaviors in post-COVID-19 elementary students. Overall, the strategy was effective in decreasing disruptive behaviors, but it was not effective in improving student motivation.

POLITICS, LAW, AND PHILOSOPHY PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: James McRae
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Victor Guevara

“Just War Theory and Russia”
A historical overview of Russia’s treatment of religious and ethnic minorities in both peace and war times.

Joseph Martin*

“Functional Fascism in China”
China is a fascist state with the trappings of a socialist state. The conventional wisdom is what the Chinese government calls its governing philosophy, Socialism with Chinese Characteristics. This may have been applicable in the past but no longer describes how the Chinese government under Xi Jinping operates.

Jake Troutt

“The Importance of the International Criminal Court in Prosecuting War Crimes”
The International Criminal Court is affected by a variety of issues and problems that collectively hurt the Court’s effectiveness and legitimacy. Most notably these problems have a variety of solutions that if implemented could help the Court.

EXPERIENCES IN SERVICE LEARNING PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Amanda Gowin
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Ashton Martin

“Learn Nutrition Through Tasting It - Nutrition Program at Day Solutions, Inc.”

Caroline Bentley

“The Stay Strong, Stay Healthy Program”

Kaleb Hinkle-Pruett

“Building a Program for Students to Serve Together”

Providing service to others through service-learning experiences or through doing service work is an important way to expand academic skills, as well as add to and be part of the community in which we live. In this session, students will share their experiences with service-learning, connect them to scholarly learning, and offer ways for more of the Westminster community to engage.

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Laura Stumpe
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Sophia Reed and Shyann Michaels

“Pruitt-Igoe: Governmental Housing Turned Biological Warfare Testing Zone”
The Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis was envisioned as a model of urban living but became a symbol of public housing failure due to neglect and government-led biological warfare experiments. Its failure exposed many racial and socioeconomic inequalities, leading to long-lasting distrust in governmental programs.

Joshua Morales

“Charged Particle and Proton Multiplicity in MicroBooNE”
This paper examines charged current neutrino-argon interactions that have at least two long tracks, one consistent with a muon and the other consistent with a pion or proton, recorded in the MicroBooNE detector operated in Fermilab’s Booster Neutrino Beam. 

* Indicates research completed for the Honors Program

Presentations

HISTORY AND MUSEUM STUDIES PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Mark Boulton
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Carter Murray

“Yalta @ 80: The Summit That Shaped the World”
This project explores the Yalta Conference through museum curation, analyzing political discourse and diplomacy. In collaboration with America’s National Churchill Museum, I will create an exhibit at George Washington University, highlighting how world leaders shape global stability through negotiation and strategic decision-making

Jake Troutt*

“Original Intent: What the Founders Intended for the Politicization of the Supreme Court”
This presentation covers the history of politicization on the Supreme Court, specifically adapted from a paper which looks at how the original intent of the founding fathers has shifted as the Court has aged.

Katelyn Swayze

“Understanding Early Excommunication of Witches in 17th Century England and Massachusetts”
This presentation examines the historical roots of the antagonization of witchcraft in England and Massachusetts. Focusing on social and legal frameworks, tactics used during witch hunts, and their lasting impact on society today.

GLOBAL AND TRANSNATIONAL STUDIES RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Kali Wright-Smith
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Megan Marcum

“Armenia and Azerbaijan Post-Artsakh: What We Can Learn About the Peace Process”

Mawina Robinson

“Global Dominance and Language: How Global Superpowers Influenced the Languages We Use Today”

Wyatt Hammond

“Accountability Under the International Court of Justice”

In this panel, Global and Transnational Studies majors will present their research projects on the International Court of Justice, peacemaking processes, and the spread of languages.

CULTURAL STUDIES PRESENTATIONS

Moderator: Jeremy Reed
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Alexandra Hood

“The Lasting Effects of Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker’s Writing”
I will examine the lasting effects of Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker’s writing on LGBT history and beyond.

Natalie Benton*

“Speak Now: The Influence of Celebrity Advocacy and the Taylor Swift Effect”
Celebrity activism shapes identity, reputation, and culture, but its success depends on key factors. While the ‘Taylor Swift Effect’ is widely discussed, research on its causes and replicability is limited. An analytical framework assesses celebrity advocacy’s reach, impact, and limitations.

SOCIAL SCIENCE POSTERS

Moderator: Abby Coats
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Kaitlyn Halamicek, Skyler English, and Payton Heevner

“Factors Related to Relational Aggression in College Students”
The Future Time Perspective (FTP) Theory suggests that as one’s time is concluding or a phase in their life is changing, they will change their priorities on what matters most to them. Relational aggression includes talking poorly behind someone’s back or ruining their social reputation in interpersonal relationships. In this study, we found that FTP is not related to relational aggression in young adults.

Anna Cox and Dinsmore

“Who is Responsible for Subnational Environmental Justice Policy? Exploring the Impact of Mainstream Environmental Justice Groups on Environmental Justice Policy”
Using a measure of financial strength of large mainstream environmental organizations and environmental justice organizations between 1995 and 2015, we explore whether the push to adopt and implement these policies originated from more traditional environmental organizations or environmental justice organizations.

BIOLOGY POSTERS

Moderator: Dawn Holliday
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David Fenton, Isaac Gawronski, Afton Morrison, and Brendan Rehkop

“Fire in the Hole: Send Noodles”
Capsaicin is a naturally occurring bioactive compound found in chili peppers. We are using capsaicin as a stressor to explore the effects of capsaicin on heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood pressure between athletes and non-athletes.

Hugo Jover, Shyann Michaels, and Collin Siebel-Spath

“From Stress to Zest: The CBD Effect”
Stress can be hard to deal with sometimes. We will be testing the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) as a stress reducer for college students. Students will be stressed using the Stroop test to see if CBD will alleviate the effects.

Caroline Bentley, Jaya Salgaonkar, and Connor Siebel-Spath

“Stress Less, Groove More: The Healing Power of Music”
Most college students experience acute stress daily. Music can be effective in reducing acute stress. Specifically the song “Weightless” by Marconi Union can reduce stress-related skin conduction. We will examine how different music genres affect acute stress in college students.

Erica Amponsah, Kyla Gentry, and Madelynn Kordik

“Sips Don’t Lie: The Effectiveness of Rehydration Beverages”
Hydration is essential for performance and physiological safety during and after physical activity. This comparative analysis examines the effectiveness of water and Pedialyte® as rehydration supplements post exercise through urinalysis. We will compare electrolyte concentrations pre and post-exercise.

Alyson Bullock, Jamie Peffer, John Stannard*, and Kendall Weber

“Blue Jay Bird Bath”
Contrast baths are primarily used for recovery of athletes post injury or to treat muscle soreness. We studied the effects of these baths on heart rate, swelling reduction, and recovery in Westminster College athletes.

Kaleb Hinkle-Pruett

“The Creatine Charge: A Case-Control Report on the Effects of Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation on Creatine Kinase Levels in a College-Aged Male With Cystic Fibrosis”
Cystic fibrosis is characterized by thick mucus lining the lungs and digestive tract and may cause musculoskeletal discomfort. I evaluated the efficacy of creatine monohydrate supplementation on reducing discomfort by examining plasma creatine kinase post-exercise.

EDUCATION POSTERS

Moderator: Cami Webb
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Charlotte Kurtz and Alex Jaspering

“What Makes an Effective Middle School?”
This study will be an evaluation of the qualities of effectiveness present in a local middle school as defined by the Association for Middle Level Education.

Corbin Fusselman

“How Social Workers Make an Effective Middle School”
This study examines the effectiveness of social workers in a middle level learning environment in improving the educational setting by ensuring a safe environment to develop social emotional skills, ensuring a student’s rights and protections while in school.

Reece Davidson

“How Cell Phones Play an Impact on Behavior and Classroom Environment”
This is a research presentation on the topic of cell phones as well as social media and the impact that they play on students and classrooms.

* Indicates research completed for the Honors Program

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, PALEONTOLOGY, AND PHYSICS POSTERS

Moderator: David Schmidt
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Madison Scott*

“Correlating Eruption Frequency Patterns from the Las Cañadas Caldera”
This study examines Tenerife’s eruptive history, focusing on Las Cañadas Caldera’s eruption frequency over 1.6 million years. Fieldwork identified new deposits, suggesting more eruptions than previously known, which enhances volcanic hazard assessment and risk management strategies for the island.

Madison Scott, Liberty Cole, Anja Browner, and Viridian Lowe

“Triceratops Mosaic”
During a creative art class, a mosaic of Shady the Triceratops was made by students.

Viridian Lowe

“Revisiting the Vertebral Position Along the Axial Skeleton of a Triceratops Specimen From Grand River, South Dakota”
Methods of determining vertebral position along the axial skeleton in Triceratops have not been revisited since their 1907 development. This study will assess specimen GRNG-Tr-20 (“Shady”) for establishment of a new method of determining axial placement of vertebral elements.

Kayley Manwell

“Comparative Analysis of a Fossil Avian Egg from the White River Group of Northwest Nebraska”
This project explores the probability of a fossil specimen (ONG-egg-16) being an avian egg. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to create a method of determination for fossil avian eggs.

Kiersten Stephens

“Analysis of Marine Environments Using Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV)”
This study compares genera recorded at a sand flat habitat as well as a reef environment using BRUVS, baited remote underwater video, to determine the similarities and differences based on the topographical differences and better understand fish diversity of these environments.

Steven Muller

“Developing an Ultrasonic Measurement System for Real-Time Distance and Object Tracking”
This project demonstrates the development of an ultrasonic sensor system designed for object tracking and accurate distance measurement. Applications of ultrasonic technology include robotic navigation, autonomous vehicles, and industrial systems.

BIOCHEMISTRY RESEARCH POSTERS

Moderator: Jo Morrow
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Toby Hughes

“Lactate Dehydrogenase Purification and Characterization”
We are purifying the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase from bovine (cattle) liver. Lactate dehydrogenase converts pyruvate to lactate primarily in the cytoplasm of somatic cells. This project incorporates several purification techniques, such as ammonium sulfate precipitation and dialysis, for optimal enzyme purification and kinetics analysis.

Claire Janson, Gabrielle Sharer, Joey Rembecki, and Niklas Olsson

“Polyphenol Oxidase Purification”
We are purifying polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from banana peels. We will use several purification methods in our efforts to ensure its purity. Isolating this enzyme can help our understanding of its role in food preservation. This research is applicable to many food crops that brown, such as apples and potatoes.

Raigan McKee, Delaney Kaiser, and Ashton Martin

“Lysozyme Purification and Characterization”
Lysozyme is an enzyme with antimicrobial function that catalyzes the destruction of the bacteria cell wall. It is found in a wide variety of organisms and plays a vital role in their immunological response. This study aims to purify lysozyme from hen egg whites while maintaining optimal enzyme activity

Anna Cox, Katherine Donnell, Kirsten Schrader, and Paige Sunneberg

“Unlocking the Power of Butter Beans: Purification of Beta-Glucosidase”
The enzyme, beta-glucosidase, breaks down carbohydrates in the cell walls of butter beans, enhancing nutrient availability and digestion. Extracting and purifying beta-glucosidase from butter beans enables further characterization of this enzyme by exploring factors that affect its reaction rate.

EDUCATION POSTERS

Moderator: Casey Echelmeier
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Tabitha Skuta, Charlotte Kurtz, and Casey Farris

“Reading Assessment and Achievement Case Study”
Future elementary teachers will share research gathered and analyzed from their case study. The preservice teacher will detail support for improving reading skills of elementary students, as well as their own insights into reading assessment, overall.

Kenny Angeles, Lakyn Breesawitz, Elly Crum, Reece Davidson, Casey Farris, Andrew Friend, Corbin Fusselman, Alexander Goly, Colton Goodwin, Bryce Hale, Audrey Hawkins, Payton Heevner, Samuel Hoffman, Katelynn Jackson, Brysan Jeffries, Tessa Keltner, Charlotte Kurtz, Amanda Martin-Hilker, Abigail Ridgel, Paige Rowland, and Elle Turner

“Content Area Text Set Unit”
Future teachers share units focused on the incorporation of text sets in the content area classroom. Students will share a variety of texts, and supporting lessons, focused on a content area topic of their choice aligned with Missouri Learning Standards.

HISTORY POSTERS

Moderator: Mark Boulton
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Elizabeth Rodriguez

“The History of Human Sacrifice: In Comparison of Egyptian and Meso-American Cultures”
This poster examines the role of human sacrifice in comparison of Egyptian and Meso-American history, looking at how their actions were influenced through a religious perspective, societal hierarchy, and communal identity. Why is this significantly important towards our society from an ethical viewpoint? How may one see this as extremely controversial, and why was it justified as necessary?

Trey Mazzarese*

“Hands Off or Hands On? A Comparative Analysis of Hoover and FDR’s Economic Approaches During the Great Depression ”
My research is going to focus on two presidents, FDR and Hoover, and their views on shaping the U.S economy. It will consist of how both presidents looked to influence economic policies and outcomes through fiscal policies and reforms, and it will examine how their administrations have attempted to influence the economy

Faith Beckmann

“Lost Voices: Prostitutes in the Old American West and Their Modern Representation”
This poster examines the ways in which stereotypes and myths regarding prostitution in the Old American West appear in modern media (created post-1950), fueled by the long-term issue of inaccessible or destroyed records.

* Indicates research completed for the Honors Program