Name: Chris Tanner
Graduation Year: 2015
Hometown: Rowlett, TX
Majors: Math and Physics
Project presented: “Properties of Gold and Palladium Thin Films at Nanoscale”
Faculty Sponsor: Andra Petrean
How did you become involved in research?
I applied for a summer research position with the physics department and got the opportunity to use a lot of equipment that I wouldn’t have gotten to use otherwise.
What did you learn by participating in the conference?
In presenting our research, we discovered that we actually got a lot more done in a short time than we previously thought. Though we still have a lot left to do and by seeing other presentations it seemed that other people had similar situations which helped reaffirm our perceptions of the research we have done.
Name: Devin Chang
Graduation year: 2014
Hometown: Flower Mound, TX
Major: Business Administration
Project presented: “The Effects of Facial Piercings on Attractiveness and Trustworthiness”
Faculty Sponsor: Peter Marks
How did you become involved in research and how has it benefited your education?
I continued conducting research from a class project. Through the process I really enhanced all that I learned in the classroom and was able to apply that knowledge to real-life situations.
Please describe your overall experience:
I learned so much about different topics and everything was so interesting. The conference was so active and I loved every moment. Through my own presentation, I learned how to present my researched materials in an accessible way and to interact with people that have totally different perspectives.
Name: Annalise Kean
Graduation Year: 2014
Hometown: Arlington, TX
Major: Psychology
Projects presented: “The Effects of Facial Piercings on Attractiveness and Trustworthiness” and Chamber Music
Faculty Sponsor: Peter Marks
How did you become involved in research and how has it benefited your education?
I did research through my research methods class and then continued it outside class. It has greatly benefitted my education by giving me hands on research design experience.
What did you learn by participating in the conference?
I learned how to prepare a presentation and how to deliver a selective summary of research by condensing long paragraphs into short sentences. Additionally, I saw what other students were doing and realized what I could do to improve my own work.
Name: Sam Gamble
Graduation year: 2014
Hometown: Carrollton, TX
Major: Art
Project Presented: “Queer Bodies”
Faculty Sponsor: Todd Penner
How did you become involved in research and how has it benefited your education?
I first became interested in research my sophomore year, when I approached Todd Penner about a directed study in female masculinity and other gender studies topics. From there I decided to take on some interdisciplinary research with Jeremy Posadas and Tim Tracz, combining my love of art with my interest in more advanced gender studies topics. After that I received a Scarborough Fellowship for the summer of 2013 in advanced gender studies topics. I feel that this research has benefited me in that I am more prepared for graduate schools, and I have gained a lot of confidence since presenting my work. I also really enjoyed giving my talk, showing people my art, and talking with people about my work.
What did you learn through your presentation at the conference?
I learned how to take months and months of research and condense it into a 20 minute talk that was not only comprehensive and informative, but also accessible to people who had not necessarily read the books and articles I had. I also learned how to appropriately trim a selection of photographic works down to the best of the bunch in order to better convey my point and to make sure I was only putting my best work out there.
Name: Megan Daugherty
Graduation Year: 2016
Hometown: North Richland Hills, TX
Major: Chemistry
Project presented: Chamber Music
Faculty Sponsor: Ricky Duhaime
What did you learn by participating in the conference?
I learned that performing comes with great practice and musical interpretation skills, but the opportunity to perform has enhanced my musical experience and expanded my education. As I explored various presentations, I learned about all the great opportunities research provides and how knowledgeable students are about their work.
Name: Zhiwei Cai
Graduation Year: 2014
Hometown: Guangzhou, China
Major: International Economics and Finance
Project presented: “The Effect of FDI and Local Business on Economic Growth and Environmental Issues”
Faculty Sponsor: David Griffith
How did you become involved in research and how has it benefited your education?
I did summer research with David Griffith which helped me further understand econometrics and analysis, which are critical to conduct research.
Please describe your overall experience:
I found the conference to be inspiring and informative. In talking to other students about their research I learned a great deal about their ideas and how they went about approaching them. Many ideas were combined from different fields and that really inspired me.
Name: Shardae White
Graduation Year: 2016
Major: Spanish
Project presented: Chamber Music
What did you learn by participating at the conference?
I learned that academic work truly does go far beyond the classroom, especially at Austin College. As students, we are sharing that academic work, in my case through choral music, which compels us to make it interesting and relevant to our audiences. There is something great about all of the work we do as students, and it’s even greater when we are able to find subjects that resonate with us and relate that work to other disciplines. The diverse set of presentations I was able to attend helped me realize the Austin College experience really is what you make it, academically and beyond, and being able to share that passion for learning is an honor.
Name: Daniel Park
Graduation Year: 2016
Hometown: Yeosu, South Korea
Major: Chemistry
Project presented: “Syntheses of 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)glycol Platinum(II) Dithiolene Building Blocks”
Faculty Sponsor: Brad Smucker
What did you learn through the conference?
In presenting my research, I realized how much I truly understood my work by explaining it to people without a science background, which was incredibly valuable. The core belief of the liberal arts education is “interconnectivity of disciplines” and the diversity of presentations led to this interconnectivity during the conference. I also learned how active AC students are throughout the country through all the different research opportunities that exist.
Name: Whitney Russell
Graduation Year: 2015
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Sherman, TX
Project presented: “Effect of fMRI Scan Presentation on Perceptions of Homosexuality”
Faculty sponsor: Renee Countryman
How did you become involved in research?
I took a psychology research methods class and then I was able to develop the class project into an independent research project.
What was the most valuable experience of the conference?
I loved getting to talk to people outside of my department and explain what my research was all about. At the same time, it was interesting to learn about the wide array of research that other departments are doing.
Name: Spencer Nystrom
Graduation Year: 2015
Hometown: Mesquite, TX
Major: Biology
Project presented: “Molecular Mechanisms Conferring HIF-2α Dependent Activation of Erythropoietin Gene Expression”
Faculty Sponsor: David Aiello
How did you become involved in research and how has it benefitted your education?
I first took a Jan Term in organic chemistry research with Dr. Carr, which is where I first discovered that I actually did enjoy spending close to 8 hours a day in a lab setting. My experience over Jan Term, combined with some persuasion from my mentor, Dr. David Aiello, prompted me to apply for a summer research position in the biology department, for which I was accepted. I haven’t looked back since. I originally came to Austin College with the intention of being Pre-Med, but the experiences I’ve had during summer- and semester-long research have fostered my passion for asking and answering questions without answers.
What did you learn from participating in the conference?
It is always interesting to learn about the other types of student research being conducted outside of the biology department. Additionally, I enjoy the challenge of presenting my work to those unfamiliar with the subject matter. Everyone at the conference has a different background, and because of that, they all have very interesting perspectives on different aspects or applications of our research. The conference does a wonderful job of stimulating a dialogue between academics across multiple fields that does not typically exist at a typical single-discipline research conference.