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Thomas E. Helm Undergraduate Research Day Award Winners Announced

April 23, 2018

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MACOMB, IL - Several Western Illinois University students earned recognition at the 15th annual Centennial Honors College's Thomas E. Helm Undergraduate Research Day last week. Students were honored with first, second and third place awards for their performance, podium and poster presentations and creative performances.

"We are extremely pleased with the participation in this year's event," said Alex Geisler, assistant to Centennial Honors College Director Richard Hardy. "It's success exemplifies WIU's commitment to research, while also showcasing our students and helping them improve their skills and marketability to future employers. It is the cornerstone of many of our departmental honors programs within the Centennial Honors College."

This year's winners were:

Performance Presentation Winners

1. Senior music education major Benjamin Rogers, of Savanna, IL, with Music Professor Christine Lapka – "Redesigning the General Music Recorder Curriculum." ($200)

2. Senior art major Ashley Derry, of Macomb, with Art Professor William Howard – "Combining the Scientific Method with the Artistic Process to Make a Better Cyanotype." ($100)

3. Junior music major Heather Johnson, of Macomb, with assistant professor of music Anita Hardeman and Penelope Shumate – "The Life and Compositional Works of Francesca Caccini." ($50)


Performance Judges: Associate Professor of Music Richard Hughey; Libraries Assistant Professor Krista Bowers Sharpe; History Chair Emeritus Larry Balsamo; retired Sociology/Anthropology Instructor Chris Adamski Mietus; Assistant Dean of Libraries Jeanne Stierman; Music Professor Terry Chasteen; Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center Director Michael Williams; Assistant Professor of Music Penny Shumate; Associate Professor of Music Julieta Mihai; Music Professor Randall Faust and Sociology/Anthropology Professor Emeritus Ken Mietus.


Podium Presentation Winners

1. Senior biology major Erica Marquez, of East Peoria, IL, with biology Instructor Victoria Livingston – "The Effects of Environmental Coloration on Spatial Learning in Male Lab Mice (Mus musculus)." ($200)

2. Senior agriculture major Will Taylor, of Flora, IN, with Assistant Professor of Agriculture Keela Trennepohl – "Relationship of Bull Performance and Genetic Data and their Ability to Predict Yearling Bull Purchase Price." ($100)

3. Senior psychology major Hilary Dunn, of Elgin, IL, with Psychology Professor David Lane – "Religiousity vs. Neuroticism in Predicting Religious/Spiritual Struggles Among Church Goers." ($50)

Podium Judges: Centennial Honors College Advisor Michele Aurand; Liberal Arts and Sciences Associate Professor Amy Carr; Libraries Professor Sean Cordes; Centennial Honors College Associate Director Erik Brooks and Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration Professor Katharine Pawelko.


Poster Presentation Winners

1. Senior physics major Zachary Foreman, of Macomb, with Associate Professor of Physics P.K. Babu - "Optical Properties of DY3+ Doped Calcium Bismuth-Borate and Barium Bismuth-Borate Glasses." ($200)

2. Junior agriculture major Allyson Rumler, of Canton, IL, with Associate Professor of Agriculture Mark Bernards – "Waterhemp Seed Production and Seed Viability as Affected by Sublethal Dicamba Dose." ($100)

3. Senior communication sciences and disorders and music double major Jillian Escobar, of Hanover Park, IL, with Communication Sciences and Disorders Assistant Professor Amanda Silberer – "The Effect of Musical Training and Working Memory in Adverse Listening Situations." ($50)

Poster Judges: Political Science Associate Professor Greg Baldi; Associate Professor of Educational Studies Yuki Hasebe; Psychology Professor Bob Intrieri; Physics Professor Kishor Kapale; English Professor Bill Knox; University Field and Clinical Experience Coordinator Jackie Richmond; Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction Sebastian Szyjka; Institute for Environmental Studies Director Roger Viadero; Sociology/Anthropology Professor Oswald Warner and Curriculum and Instruction Professor Barry Witten.

WIU alumna Maria Kurth, a 2017 graduate with a degree in psychology, and now graduate student at Oregon State University, delivered the keynote address "What Can I Contribute? The Importance of Undergraduate Research." WIU President Jack Thomas and Interim Provost Kathleen Neumann also spoke during the event.

Co-Sponsors of the Undergraduate Research Day include WIU's Centennial Honors College, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and Human Services; College of Fine Arts and Communication; College of Business and Technology and University Libraries.

For more information about the Thomas E. Helm Undergraduate Research Day, visit wiu.edu/centennial_honors_college/research_day/researchday.php.














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