Undergraduate students showcase research at Denman Forum

Brody Serravalli
Thu, 10 Mar 2022 02:25:06 +0000
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Undergraduate researcher, Howard Fei (left), discussing his research with a Denman faculty reviewer. Credit: Brody Serravalli | Lantern Reporter

Pomerene Hall bustled with scientific discovery Tuesday as students unveiled research in areas ranging from medicine to international relations.

Over 170 undergraduate researchers convened at Pomerene Hall for the 27th annual Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. Claire Sweigart, program director of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry at Ohio State, said the Denman Forum gives students, particularly graduating seniors, a unique opportunity to share their research with those outside their field of study.

“It’s a really great chance for students to present on their research and share the innovative work that they have been doing with the broader university community,” Sweigart said. “Bringing everyone back in person to campus to share their research has been really wonderful.”

The Denman Forum was divided into 10 academic categories and had three sessions where students presented their research to faculty reviewers.

Sweigart said many students who participate in the forum are looking to continue their academic careers in graduate school, and the event provides them an opportunity to practice presenting their research while adding to their resume.?

“It really sets these students apart, the fact that they participated in research and practiced communicating that research,” Sweigart said.

Jade Hettick, a faculty reviewer for the animal science category, said a student’s ability to demonstrate an understanding of the motivations behind their research is the most important factor in her assessment.

“We’re looking to see if students understand what they’re talking about,” Hettick said. “Not just that they did the basics of the experiment, that they understand why they did the experiment.”

For students like Chance Carafice, a fourth-year in engineering physics, the forum is an opportunity to build upon the skills he has honed throughout his academic career. He said although there were time constraints, he is happy with how his group worked on its research project.

Carafice said his research applied machine learning to create records of changes in tropical glacier environments over time.?

“My lab crew was really supportive, and I’ve been meeting with them for about a week doing practice runs and throwing drafts at them so they could give me comments in order to eventually get here,” Carafice said.

Hettick said students were assigned three reviewers who judged their presentation.

For each category, Hettick said students were given a score from 1-10, earning an overall score at the end of the forum. The students with the highest scores in their category are also awarded at a separate ceremony — which will take place Thursday at the Barrister Club by invitation only.

Shannon Dixon, a fourth-year in food, agricultural and biological engineering, researched the effect of long-term temperature and pH stress on some deep sea organisms. She said although she was nervous to participate, her Denman experience was fulfilling.

“I’ve had a lot of fun, actually. Getting to talk about my research and present it just kind of reaffirms that I’m interested in going into this for grad school,” Dixon said.