Goshen students present at ninth annual research symposium, March 10

GOSHEN, Ind. — Every year Goshen College students devote hours to research and experimentation in laboratories or in the field, as well as labor over research papers. Too often, only their professors can appreciate the efforts.

But at the ninth annual Goshen College Undergraduate Research Symposium on March 10 at 12:30 p.m. in Newcomer Center, students will “present some of their best work from disciplines ranging from the professional programs, the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences to the college community and public,” said Jo-Ann Brant, professor of Bible, religion and philosophy and the symposium coordinator. “The presenters gain valuable experience in explaining their work and the audience gains greater appreciation for the academic work of the college.”

Presenters and their topics include:

* Sophomore Matthew Plummer (Reynoldsburg, Ohio), “Aristotle, Plato and the influence of their philosophies on Early Church and Gnostic world-views.”

* Sophomore Phillip Schmidt (Berne, Ind.), “Being salty: Matthew 5:13 and Luke 14:34-35”

* Senior Garrett Gingrich (Kokomo, Ind.), “Crafting and executing a sustainable strategy for a recently developed small business: 3epho Design”

* Senior Chrissy Marie Gosteli (Flanagan, Ill.), “Bulimia nervosa: Challenges in treating college women”

* Junior Jenna Preheim (Monument, Colo.), “The violence of atonement”

* Senior Nate Gautsche (Goshen), ”Preserving historical housing: A business opportunity”

* Junior Laurelyn Foderaro (Harleysville, Pa.), ”Review of ‘War is a force that gives us

meaning’ ”

* Senior Erin Boers (Elkhart, Ind.), ”Truth commissions: Controversies and possibilities”

* Senior Bethany Loberg (Salem, Ore.), ”David Stoll’s ‘Rigoberta Menchú and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans: A Complex Controversy’ ”

* Senior Justin Heinz (Goshen) “The relevance of childhood in the infancy Gospel of Thomas” and “Protestantism in Guatemala: A personal Liberation Theology”

* Senior Isaac Hooley (Goshen), “Practice issues for social workers working with clients in end of life settings”

* Senior Hilary Mayhew (Hutchinson, Kan.) “Restorative justice”

* Senior Micah Jost (Harrisonburg, Va.), “Christianity, capitalism, and civilization: Indian boarding schools in North America”

* Senior Jocie Fong (Phoenix, Ariz.), “Settling moral accounts”

* Senior Andrew Esch (Bellefontaine, Ohio), “African American religion and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement”

* Junior Ben Jacobs (Goshen), “Signified confusion: The infinitely receding meaning in Karasik and Mazzuchelli’s City of Glass”

* Senior Claire Swora (Shoreview, Minn.), “David Edgar’s ‘Pentecost’: Colonized Through Time”

* Senior Fjaere Harder (Mountain Lake, Minn.), “Gender construction in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea”

* Senior Shihoko Kanemoto (Tokyo, Japan), “Human trafficking”

* Senior Emily Rose Yoder (Archbold, Ohio), “Literacy II case study: First grade student or diverse student needs In the ENL classroom: Japanese learners”

* Senior Kirsten S. Hartwig (Arusha, Tanzania), “Success and challenge in the struggle against HIV/AIDS”

* Junior Irene Ngun (Plano, Texas) and senior Sarah Thiessen (Austin, Texas), “Genetic characterization of suppressors of Potassium Transport Deficiency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using DNA Microarray Technology”

* Senior Samuel Moyer (Plymouth, Vt.) “Exercise: Does it reduce depression?”

* Senior Jonny West (Ripon, Wis.), “Peter and Mangus: The Homeric heroes”

* Senior Sarah Thiessen (Austin, Texas) and senior Kat Stutzman (Goshen), “God concepts: Denominational comparisons amongst college students”

* Junior Eduardo Vargas (San Antonio, Texas), “The light within: The Gospel of Judas”

* Sophomore Charity Grimes (Goshen), senior Cristina Rodriguez (Quito, Ecuador) and junior Ramadhan Onyango Audy (Nairobi, Kenya), “Water quality testing of Goshen Dam and toilet water”

• Senior Brian Schlabach (West Liberty, Ohio) and junior I. David Martinez (Goshen), “Youth and the future of the news media: The importance of news and civic engagement among teenagers in Goshen, Indiana”

• Senior Amanda Zehr (Topeka, Ind.), “Counting and grouping in first grade”

• Junior Sara K. Thögersen (Goshen), “Stories without words: Autobiographical content in Johannes Brahms’ First Symphony”

• Junior Shafkatul Khan (Dhaka, Bangladesh), “Yellowstone’s management: Considering the past, present and future”

The mission of the Goshen College Research Symposium is to acknowledge original undergraduate research, which already plays an essential role in the college’s academic program, and to encourage students and faculty to contribute to the larger conversation about knowing and knowledge that sustains the academy.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.