Hastings College is celebrating excellence with Academic Showcase and the Celebration of Excellence Convocation!

On Wednesday, April 24, 2024, classes are cancelled for the day so the entire campus community can participate.

Students: Submit your Academic Showcase proposal by Monday, March 4! 

Academic Showcase

Each spring, members of Alpha Chi, the collegiate all-discipline national honor society, coordinate Academic Showcase.

During Academic Showcase, students, faculty, staff, parents and community members enjoy and learn from fascinating student presentations about individual research projects, experiential learning, study abroad experiences and creative endeavors.

Academic Showcase is a chance for students to share their passions and to show off their impressive work. It also gives students a chance to engage in dialogue and discussion as they answer questions about their project.

Celebration Convocation

Celebration of Excellence Convocation is at 3:30 p.m. in French Memorial Chapel

The event will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel

Last year's (2023) Academic Showcase Schedule

The abstract book is available here.

9:00-9:25 a.m.

Morrison-Reeves 219

Detection of Exoplanet Candidate in TOI-1302 Star System via Transit Photometry

By Tyler Rath

Morrison-Reeves 148

Honor and Death – The Similar Practices of Honor Towards Fallen Samurai and American Soldiers

By Brandon Hamel

Morrison-Reeves 213

Exhume Their Stories: A Rhetorical Reclamation Autoethnography Case Study between AIDS and Monkeypox

By Brendan Kachnowski

Morrison-Reeves 131

Queer Faces and Safe Space: An Analysis of Hastings College’s Safe Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Students

By Natalie Watson

9:35-10:00 a.m.

Morrison-Reeves 219

Cynthia Lee Reese: I Love You To The Moon And Back- A Family Presentation

By Cici Velarde

Morrison-Reeves 148

‘How Far with Women’s Lib?’: The Catholic Church’s Response to Second-wave Feminism and the Reconciliation of Catholic and Feminist Identity in Ireland

By Hailey Moore

Morrison-Reeves 213

Pruned Fractal Trees: Properties of Space- Filling Canopies

By Samantha Worthington

Morrison-Reeves 131

From Tito’s Yugoslavia to Today’s Latvia: Shifting Power, Ethnocracy, and Minorities in Eastern Europe

By Elizabeth Miller

10:10-10:35 a.m.

Morrison-Reeves 219

The Fight For Female Veterans

By Savana Kascak

Morrison-Reeves 148

The Effect of Diet on Academic Focus and Motivation in College Students

By Riley Lanning

Morrison-Reeves 213

We are the World: Famine Aid in 20th Century Africa and the Creation of the ‘Humanitarian 
Internationalist’

By Emma Downing

Morrison-Reeves 131

An Exploration of Campus Community and Student Success

By Claire Hubbard

10:45 -11:30 a.m.

Creative Thoughts in Action

Kiewit, Room 113

The Harm Black Women Face in Competitive Performance Spaces –service learning/demo

By Ally Banks

Morrison-Reeves 131 and 148

COMM333 – Intercultural
Communication and Building a Musical Tesla Coil and Visualizing Sound using a Rubens Tube – service learning/demo

By Tyler Seeley and Lance High

Kiewit, Room 116

A Tough Task: Fostering Constructive Dialogue & Seeking Understanding service learning/demo

By Emma Downing, Jake Levinson and Michaela Fox

11:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Poster Session
Morrison-Reeves Science Center Atrium

Synthesis of the Novel Compound 1-Tert-Butyl-3-Propylimidazolium Iodide — Jordan Duffy

Herpes Zoster: Shingles — Hallee Mann

Coronary Artery Disease — Rilee Silvain

Electrochemical properties of gold nanoparticles induced in white tea — Justin Martin

Synthesis of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Low Melting Point Solids Containing an Isopropyl Branch — Morgan Wohl

Melting Points of DNA after affected with ionic liquids — Tristin Duff

Muscle firing patterns during prone hip extension — Carley Leners and Allison Bauer

The impact of dehydration an sprint and change of direction performance — Hayden Fells and Rodrigo Braga

The validity of the PACER test for predicting maximal oxygen consumption — Brian Clausen and Zachary Hole

Reaction times in Esport athletes and traditional athletes with and without an exhaustive anaerobic exercise intervention — Kourtney Stewart

Addison’s Disease — Claire Hubbard

Survey of health practitioners on the effects of varying squat depths — Brett Simonsen and Trenton Smith

Effect of rigorous lower body exercise on balance and coordination — Xhane Greenidge and Naomi Pedroza

Dehydration and its impacts on muscle soreness — Hali Hansen and Natasha Keen

Effects of Ionic Strength and Solution pH on Electrochemical Detection of Ascorbic Acid — Alyssa Remy

Determination of Heavy Metal Concentrations in Nebraskan Agricultural Water Sources
— Tyler Ohrman

Squatting barefoot versus shoe — Evan Kingston and Braden Kizer

QPCR to estimate copy number — Hayden Grint

Entomopathogenic Fungi’s Greater Role — Dawson Knode

The Effects of Small Class Sizes, in Rural Schools, on Students’ Behavior and Academic Performance: A comparison study — Nicole Halsey

Rheumatoid arthritis — Kelsie Kohl

Success of Brood Parasites Based on Generalist or specialist qualities — Paul Baker Rodriguez

Bacteriophage therapy in combating bacterial infection — Brianna King

Design and Physics of a Remote Control Airplane — Morgan McMeen

Thermophiles vs. Psychrophiles: Adaptations and Biotechnology — Rachel Hefta

Riparian restoration — Matt Urbanski

Connecting and Touching Hearts Around the World — Emily Struss, McKenzie Lloyd, Karly Varah and Lindsey Pratt

The Complete Natural, Social, and Cultural History of the Pet Rock — Emma Downing, Hailey Moore, Max Griffel, Kinser Rafert

The Pathophysiology and Etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease — Claire Larson

An Inquiry into the Experiences and Perceptions of Bilingual Students in Rural Nebraska — Riley Lanning and Nils Schafer

Plastic Degradation: Testing Ionic Liquids Ability to Degrade Plastic — Courtney Manahan

Captive Breeding of Fish May Reverse the Effects of Invasive Species
— Breanna Brennan

Converting a Bicycle into an Electric Bicycle to Reduce Toxic Emissions from Motor Vehicles — Garrett Clasen

The effects of mirrored self-reflection on implicit bias towards loneliness & well-being — Nils Schaefer

Design of a Blimp — Ryan Hunter

The Harmful Impact Zebra Mussels Have On Fish In The Great Lakes and the Correlation to Fish in Nebraska — Paxton Terry

Reduction of Benzophenone — Colby Grossart

Solar Panel Project — Ashton Valentine

Additional Protections for Green Sea Turtles Nesting in the United States Southeast Coastline — Lauren Gahn

Effects of Vertebrate Parental Investment on Future Reproductive Efforts — Mat Baird

Electric Motorcycle — Jarron Martinez

Interstitial Microorganisms in Honduras — Madyson Ludwig

The Art scene in and near Lahinch, Ireland — Savanah Ellis

Pathogeography: enhancing current disease surveillance models — Emma Enochs

Poverty and Obedience: the Usus Pauper Controversy — Max Griffel

AEGIS Analyzing Elements which Generate Illegal Servitude — Victoria Caplinger

Nazis in Nebraska?: A Deeper Dive into the Denazification Program in Midwestern POW camps — Courtney Manahan

2:10-2:35 p.m.

Morrison-Reeves 219

An Analysis of Gender and Marriage in An Experiment with An Air Pump

By Hailey Moore

Morrison-Reeves 148

Inside the Walls of Damascus: Muslim Histories of the Second Crusade

By Kinser Rafert

Morrison-Reeves 213

The (Security) Dangers of Polymetallic Nodule Mining

By Victoria Caplinger

Morrison-Reeves 131

The Decision to Disclose your Learning Disability to Peers

By Cassandra Pine

2:45-3:10 p.m.

Morrison-Reeves 219

Rosin the Bow: The Influence of Irish Folk Music on American Folk Music

By Jake Levinson

Morrison-Reeves 148

Patient Versus Provider: Effective Communication in Type 1 Diabetes

By Myah Brown

Morrison-Reeves 213

Untold Stories of Forensics Competitors: Is my mother tongue a curse?

By Citlaly Quiroz

Morrison-Reeves 131

Is Literary Studies Doing Its Job?: An Examination of the Application of Intersectionality

By Ally Banks

3:30 p.m.

Celebration of Excellence Convocation in French Memorial Chapel