Twelve teams of students and their faculty mentors from across the college participated in a research project poster contest during the inaugural Ignite alumni event during homecoming on Oct. 7. 

The projects were funded through the college’s Expanding Horizons Initiative. Students took the stage and presented their research using a poster and a one-minute speech. The alumni and donors in attendance were asked to review each participant’s poster, ask questions, learn more about their research and then vote on their favorites. 

Originally, two teams were going to receive $1,000 awards but the voting resulted in a four-way tie. The dean and organizers decided to give an award to all four teams. 

The event highlighted for alumni and donors the impact of awards given in the College of Arts and Sciences.

While all of the students should be proud of the presentations, those receiving the awards were: 

Clara Pinchbeck and Mahamad Salah (advisor – Professor Ken Singer): “Attributing 3-D images of paintings using machine learning”

Anika Krishna and Court Krystek (advisor – Professor Lee Hoffer): ‘Understanding Psilocybin in the context of the modern psychedelic renaissance” 

Peter Coggan (advisor – Professor Mark Willis): “The impact of Neuronal coordination of wing flapping and olfactory tracking in free-flying moths”

Tamara Jeffries (advisor – Professor Beverly Saylor): “Hypoxia and climate condition of the central basin of Lake Erie”