off-campus presentation

This past semester, several Computer Science students attended the annual conference of the Southeastern Region of the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges at Furman University. The research of four students was accepted for the poster presentation at the undergraduate student research competition at the conference. Thomas Lux and Randall Pittman were two of the students chosen to present their joint project and their project won the competition (scores being based on their abstracts, poster presentations, and oral presentations). Eight students, in two teams of four each, participated in the programming contest at the conference and out of 30 teams, Roanoke’s team, consisting of Natalie Wilkinson, Maya Shende, Thomas Lux, and Randall Pittman, came in third place.

Thomas Lux (Junior) has been doing research at Roanoke since his first year here and he will be starting a new project this semester.

“From the start of my college career I’d shown an intense interest in pursuing side projects for my computer science classes. In the spring semester of 2013 the professors of our computer science department approached me and two of my classmates about the possibility of doing research in the coming summer. Needless to say I was ecstatic, and immediately began working with the professors to decide what it was that I was going to pursue.”

The project that Thomas and Randall worked on was about “robotic localization and mapping, and to compare various sensor platforms for the purpose of mapping indoor environments with robots.” The project came about by their interest in the topics of robotics and artificial intelligence. Their faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Durell Bouchard and Thomas explains that working with him was an amazing experience.

“The experience has forever changed the way that I will approach new problems. Every other day we would meet to discuss progress, plans, and problems that we had encountered. This really helped us with time management and learning to set achievable goals. By setting goals, we were able to break down the immense amount of work we had into manageable chunks.”

Thomas highly encourages students to get involved in research opportunities here at Roanoke:

“Research is an experience unlike any other that you would receive in a classroom. Roanoke gave me a great opportunity because I simply showed interest. So show interest and try to learn about new things that you previously didn’t know existed.”

For more information on the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges visit: https://www.ccsc.org/

Joe Gutowski recently had the opportunity this past November to present his research project at the VAHPERD convention. Joe was asked by Dr. Michael Maina if he would be interested in presenting his project that stemmed from a Team Sports activity class that Joe took with Dr. Julie Maina.

Our assignment was to present and teach a “team sport” activity to our class. A few other Health and Physical Education majors and myself decided to present a non-traditional team sport…We were brainstorming ideas and curling, a well known sport during the winter Olympics, was brought up. After researching the sport and its history, we became really interested in how to incorporate this activity into a physical education class. After our initial idea, the lesson and presentation had to be modified several times before we had our final product to be presented.

Joe first began doing research during the spring semester of his junior year and he has now done research for more than three semesters. Joe had the opportunity to work with both Michael and Julie Maina for this project. He explains that:

When presenting research with a professor, you develop a bond with them outside of the classroom and get to know them on a personal level. Dr. Michael and Julie Maina guided us in the right direction with our presentation and facilitated our research, while still being available for any questions or assistance we needed.

This presentation marked Joe’s fourth time presenting at a professional conference and second consecutive year presenting at VAHPERD.  Joe mentions that:

Presenting research is a very unique experience, especially at VAHPERD. VAHPERD generally consists of professors from Virginia Colleges and Universities, as well as Health and Physical Education teachers. Because of this, I was one of the few, if not the only undergraduate presenter. I was very happy at the turnout of our presentation though. It was a great experience to have professionals coming up to me and asking questions and my opinion on areas or modifications. These experiences serve as evidence and demonstrate to myself and my advisor that I am prepared to be an educational professional.

Joe feels that students should be encouraged to present research while at Roanoke.

Not only does it strengthen academic skills in ones content area but it also helps develop confidence in your field of study and public speaking abilities. I am fortunate for the opportunities I have had to present while at Roanoke and am grateful that Dr. Michael and Julie Maina presented research opportunities to me and pushed me in the direction to present research.

For more information on the VAHPERD convention check out: https://m360.vahperd.org/event.aspx?eventID=70329

Adrian Gillem recently travelled to the International Studies Association South Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC to present his research project, “Understanding Japanese Political Leadership Trends Post-World War II: Do the Leaders’ Personal Traits Matter?” For this project Adrian

“analyzed the premierships of three of the longest serving Prime Ministers in post-World War II Japanese history; focusing on their oratorical ability, political brinkmanship, ideology, and party-backing as markers of analysis.”

Adrian has done research over the course of three semesters here at Roanoke. Adrian decided to pursue research opportunities here after taking his Research Methods class in the Public Affairs department.

“Dr. O’Keef noticed my keen interest in comparative governing structures in East Asia, post-World War II. Following the course, she suggested I refine and narrow down my subject options, in pursuit of an independent study of some kind. This led to my current focus topic on Japanese political development trends post World War II, particularly on its so-called ‘leadership crisis.’”

Adrian’s faculty advisor was Dr. Andreea Mihalache-O’Keef and he

“worked quite closely with Professor O’Keef over the course of my research project. In fact, she was one of the key figures that assisted in me in successfully applying for a Gilman Scholarship, which supported a 4-month study abroad experience.”

This was Adrian’s first time presenting at a professional conference and he explains that it was an

“insurmountable experience that I will never forget. Presenting before a professor of a separate university is nerve-racking. But having that same professor critique a paper you have worked on for months is even more nerve-racking. Nevertheless, both experiences gave me confidence to pursue even more research opportunities.”

Adrian’s advice to students considering research opportunities is to

“find a professor you feel comfortable with and pursue every opportunity that professor gives you. If research is one of those opportunities, take it. It develops your presentation skills, gives you confidence, and builds your resume. If you plan on going to graduate school, undergraduate research is a good way of making yourself unique among a slew of other applications.”

For more information on the ISA Conference please visit:  https://www.isanet.org/Conferences/SouthCharlotte2013.aspx

Sarah Barb recently presented her research project, “Economic Development and Political Integration in China: The Migration of Han Chinese into Historic Tibet”, at the 39^th Annual Mid-South Sociological Association Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This is Sarah’s first year doing research and this particular project is her Honor’s project.

Sarah explains that this project is

“about population changes in Tibet and the Western provinces in China. Recent economic opportunities have caused the ethnic majority in China to move to Western provinces that were once part of Tibet.”

Sarah’s advisor, Dr. Daniel Sarabia, invited her to work on this project with him. She explains:

“It was really interesting working with Dr. Sarabia, I learned a lot about what sociology researchers have to do to get their ideas out into the academic literature and about how to get funding for research. We are still working on the research but we did a lot of work together on this research.”

After submitting the paper it was accepted for a paper presentation at this conference. This was Sarah’s first time presenting outside of a classroom and she states that it was

“exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I got a lot of feedback about my research and it was very helpful.”

Sarah’s message to students considering research opportunities:

“Roanoke College is a great place to do undergraduate research because the professors are very willing to work with students on projects, whatever department you are in.  Doing research is a great way to get course credit for something that you are already interested in and it looks good on a resume, especially if you plan on going to graduate school. It is a way to start sharing your ideas with the world, instead of feeling that you are not using the knowledge you have gained this far here at Roanoke.”

Samantha Garst recently travelled to the International Studies Association South Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC to present her research project, “Risky Business: A panel study of the effects of government policies on attraction of FDI in post-conflict countries.” For this project she

“aimed to give foreign government the policy-making tools to attract foreign capital when they needed it the most.”

Samantha started this research this past May in the Summer Scholars program. Dr. Andreea Mihalache-O’Keef was Samantha’s faculty advisor for this project and she explains that

“any time that I was experiencing trouble during the process, I felt more than comfortable going to her for help. It was interesting to have a question and be handed a book that would contain my answer. What helped me even more was that Dr. Mihalache-O’Keef would never give me out-right answers. She challenged me to critically think about my next steps—which gave me a plethora of ‘ah-ha’ moments throughout the summer.”

This was Samantha’s first time presenting her research and she felt that is was nerve-racking to present at an academic conference.

“I was worried about my paper being picked apart on small grammatical errors and to be asked questions I didn’t know the answer too. I was completely wrong. Presenting my research allowed me the opportunity to share my ideas to a group of people that were actually interested in what I had to say. Even more, I was given outside feedback on how to better improve my project for the future. It was more than helpful.”

Samantha’s advice to students considering research is to take the chance and research something that you love.

“Research is an extensive process and journey that seems to never end; ladled with many ups and downs. If you aren’t interested in what you’re researching, then you won’t enjoy one second of it. My advice, find what you love and delve into it. Don’t fear that you won’t have anyone to help. I’ve never had a professor at Roanoke College turn me away. Just put yourself out there. The skills that you will develop are irreplaceable.”

For more information on the ISA Conference please visit:  https://www.isanet.org/Conferences/SouthCharlotte2013.aspx

Dr. Chris Lassiter and six of his students recently attended the Mid-Atlantic Society for Developmental Biology conference on April 19-21, 2013 where four of those students presented posters. Ashley Briggs (’13) presented “Estrogen Replacement Therapy Prevents Cardiac and Vascular Failure in the ‘Listless’ Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Developmental Model”. Other authors on that poster included two former RC students (Rachel Naylor, Tarenne Underwood) and undergrads from VMI.

Tyler Barnes (’14) and Seth Fortmann (’15) presented “vitellogenin1 in Embryonic Zebrafish as a Bioindicator to Detect Estrogenic Compounds with the Roanoke River (Virginia)”. Other authors on that poster included one former RC student (Garrett Schaperjahn). Adam LaChappelle (’14) presented “17-beta Estradiol Causes Craniofacial Chondrogenesis Defects in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)”. Other authors on that poster included one former RC student (Sarah Cohen). Ben Walker (’16) and Gabi Roberto (International Student, Brazil) also attended the conference.

Dr. Lassiter tries to take students to conferences yearly. In 2011 he took five students to a regional conference, two students to an international conference in 2012, and six students to a regional conference this year. He explains that when he takes students to conferences he is very proud of what they have accomplished in the lab and as presenters. “For the scientific process to be truly complete, the research must be communicated to others and evaluated by peers. At a conference, many of my students have been mistaken for graduate students because of the quality of their work and presentation.”

Dr. Lassiter also states that “working with students in the research lab is very rewarding. When we do research in the laboratory, I follow an apprenticeship model with students; they learn techniques and skills from me early in the process and end up running true independent studies of scientific inquiry.”

Dr. Lassiter advises that “If a student is interested in research, the first step is to ask. Don’t hesitate to contact professors who are doing work that intrigues you. Meet with professors and talk about research possibilities. There’s no substitution for independent, yet mentored, research.”

For more information on the ASIANetwork National Conference check out: https://www.asianetwork.org/conferences/annual-meeting/