Hastings College students will share research and projects, and the College will honor the high achievements of students and faculty during its annual Celebration of Excellence on Wednesday, April 30. All events are free and open to the public. Additional details can be found at hastings.edu/as. Classes are canceled for the day so students and employees can participate in the events.
Celebration of Excellence opens with Academic Showcase, which includes 28 research, academic and other presentations. Presentations are about 20 minutes in length and most are located in Morrison-Reeves Science Center, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 2:50 p.m. In addition, more than 50 research posters will be available in the Morrison-Reeves atrium from 11:30 a.m. to 1:50 p.m.
Specific presentation titles, times and locations are listed below, while abstracts are available online.
Academic Showcase is sponsored, organized and managed by Hastings College Alpha Chi, a national college honor society.
Honors Convocation, the second portion of the day, will be held at French Memorial Chapel at 3:30 p.m. During the Convocation, students and faculty are recognized for their accomplishments from the academic year. Honors Convocation will be streamed on the College’s YouTube channel — youtube.com/HastingsCollege.
Honors Convocation is also when the Who’s Who and Bronco Award recipients are announced. Established in 1924, the Bronco Award is the College’s highest non-academic award granted to students. Recipients of the award and the accompanying Who’s Who list are determined through a vote of their peers and a joint student-faculty committee.
Academic Showcase Presentations
Note: The full schedule and a link to abstracts can be found at hastings.edu/as.
9:00-9:20 a.m. – Morrison Reeves Science Center (717 N. Ash Avenue)
- Room 219 – “Single-Laser System for Simultaneous Locking to Cooling and Repump Transitions in Rb-87” by Millyzient McClure of Liberal, Kansas
- Room 148 – “Happy Hands: The Role of Iconic Hand Gestures in Recall of Happy Memories” by Lilac Ramsey of Wilson, North Carolina
- Room 213 – “Putting Value in an Undervalued Substance: Advancements in Menstrual Blood Testing” by Meg Dedic of Auburn, Nebraska
- Room 131 – “Growing the Game: An Investigation of Motivators and Deterrents to Golf Participation” by Jaydon Rogers of Fort Worth, Texas
9:30-9:50 a.m. – Morrison Reeves Science Center
- Room 219 – “Recruitment and Retention of Healthcare Providers in Nebraska: Insights from Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry” by Myah Brown of Grand Island, Nebraska, Jenna Sterling of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and Catie Reed of Firth, Nebraska
- Room 148 – “The Silent Whistle: Gender Bias in Referee Interactions with Soccer Coaches” by Megan Lampe of Tolbert Gronigen, Netherlands
- Room 213 – “Toric Knot Mosaics” by Kaelyn Pontes of Fort Collins, Colorado
- Room 131- “A Wonderful Ride: Billy Graham’s Utilization of Western Musical Cinema in 1950s America” by Emma Morelli of Thornton, Colorado
10:00-10:20 a.m. – Morrison Reeves Science Center
- Room 219 – “Understanding and Addressing Depression in Mothers: A Collaborative Approach with South Heartland District Health Department” by Lauren Schneider of Castle Rock, Colorado
- Room 148 – “Kate Barr Can’t Win – But Gerrymandering Won’t Either” by Bri Narick of Bellevue, Nebraska
- Room 213 – “Perceptions of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease” by María Andrea García Elizondo of Santa Caterina, Mexico
- Room 131- “From Passion to Violence: Understanding Ultra Groups in Spanish Soccer Through Ultras Sur and Frente Atlético” by Mireia del Val Fernandez of Madrid, Spain
10:30-10:50 a.m. – Morrison Reeves Science Center
- Room 219 – “The Impact of High-Protein Breakfast on Food Cravings and Food Cue Reactivity: A Randomized Crossover Design” by Riley Lanning of Glendale, Arizona
- Room 148 – “Chasing Dragons: Victorian Tourism, National Identity, and Dragons” by Anya Myers of Overland Park, Kansas
- Room 213 – “Emotions and Efficiency: A Utopian Society Allows Both” by Caspian Weeden of Pueblo, Colorado
- Room 131 – “From Whistle to Words: Understanding the Impact of Coach Feedback on Female Athlete Satisfaction” by Cecilia Velarde of Loveland, Colorado
11:00-11:20 a.m. – Creative Thoughts in Action in Morrison Reeves Science Center
- Room 219 – Pigs: A Duet for Clarinet and Piano by Donovan Andrews of Chappell, Nebraska, and Dylan Shaw of Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Room 148 – Theatrical Resistance: Queer Performance as an Arena of Resilience by Bri Narick of Bellevue, Nebraska
- Room 213 – The History and Future of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) by Lilac Ramsey of Wilson, North Carolina
- Room 131 – Beyond the Classroom: The Creation of a Major at Hastings College by Josephine Parker of Omaha, Nebraska
11:30 a.m.-1:50 p.m. – Poster Session in Morrison Reeves Science Center Atrium
- “The impact of cosmetic makeup use towards hiring decision bias” by Abby Harveson of Scottsbluff, Nebraska
- “Impact of Ionic Liquids on DNA Melting Points” by Lauren Stull of Walton, Nebraska
- “Do Concentration Grids Affect Focus and Attention?” By Kiernan Paulk of Wood River, Nebraska, and Olivia Kugler of Lincoln, Nebraska
- “Effects on Fatigue While Using an Elevation Training Mask During Acute Exercise” by Jaden Jurgensmier of Grand Island, Nebraska, and Alec Fichter of Missouri Valley, Iowa
- “A Study of How Insect Activity, Climate, and Body Condition Affect Decomposition” by Tori Vondra of Crete, Nebraska
- “The Effect of Decayed Animal Matter on Plant Growth and Development” by Isaiah Strachan of Nassau, The Bahamas
- “The Role of Sensory Perception in Animal Behavior” by Nick Smeltzer of Marble Falls, Texas
- “The Potential Roles of exRNA in Disease Pathogenesis: Potential Application for Biomarker Discovery and Therapeutic Application” by Alyssa Baker of Bentonville, Arkansas
- “Cystic Fibrosis” by Kaitlin Thiebauth of Elkhorn, Nebraska
- “Multiple Sclerosis” by Madison Carpenter of Longville, Minnesota
- “Bacterial Toxins in Infectious Diseases” by Lewis Albert of Hastings, Nebraska
- “Drug Delivery and Technology: CRISPR and Nanotechnology Integration to Target Genetically-Based Cancers” by Myah Brown of Grand Island, Nebraska
- “Living with Cerebral Palsy” by Araceli Ceja of Aurora, Colorado
- “The Impact of Ionic Liquids on DNA Thermal Stability” by Grace Henry of Omaha, Nebraska
- “The Impacts of Warm-Up Intensities on Physical Performance” by Riley Clavel of Roy, New Mexico, and Angelina Lockhart Jber, Alaska
- “Effects of Virtual Reality Baseball Training on Hitting Performance” by Josh Hendrickson of Marana, Arizona, Coletin Renn of Canon City, Colorado
- “HIV/AIDS: A Clinical Overview” by Katyn Kappler of Hastings, Nebraska
- “The Effects of Beetroot Juice on Soccer Players” by Elizabeth Billings of Denver, Colorado, and Allison Seery of Longmont, Colorado
- “The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of Syphilis” by Jackson Lake of North Platte, Nebraska
- “Estimating Surface Area of Irregular Objects Through Conductivity Measurements” by Kerisha Darling of Nassau, The Bahamas
- “The Feedback Factor: The Impact of Positive and Negative Feedback on Female Performance” by Grace Branson of Lawrence, Kansas
- “Dimensions of Food Cravings Across the Menstrual Cycle: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study” by Riley Lanning of Glendale, Arizona
- “Climate Change Impact on West Nile Virus” by Christian Wiegert of Grand Island, Nebraska
- “Olive Ridley Sea Turtles Defying Climate Change as Intermediate Breeders” by Morgan Krinke of Lincoln, Nebraska
- “The Correlation Between Water Levels and Biodiversity Within Urban Wetlands: A Longitudinal Study” by Gavin Chohon of Verdigre, Nebraska
- “Heat and Ice: Comparing the Effects of Each on Recovery after Strenuous Resistance Exercise” by Júlia Vilanova Bonvehí of Vulpellac, Spain, Dalton Michael of Lebanon, Indiana
- “Synthesis of NH-Sulfoximines from Sulfides” by Isabel Tanabe of Douglas, Arizona
- “A Continuing Analysis of Hastings College River Water” by Rennick Turner of Hastings, Nebraska
- “Climate Change and The Effects on Migrant Species” by Abigail Beeck of Fremont, Nebraska
- “Understanding the Complex Condition of Eczema” by Lauren Schneider of Castle Rock, Colorado
- “The Impact of Intermittent Fasting on Muscle Force Production and Endurance” by Reid Martinez of Grand Island, Nebraska, Jackson Hansen of Grand Island, Nebraska
- “What Becomes of Me: A Scientist’s Spiritual Exploration of the Death and the Afterlife” by Marissa Ruiz of Las Vegas, Nevada
- “Closing The Deal: An Investigation of Persuasive Strategies Used by Realtors” by Jayden Lawrence of Elizabeth, Colorado
- “How Invasive Species can be Beneficial” by Bre Jonaitis of San Tan Valley, Arizona
- “The Effects of Cluster Sets on Force and Speed Production” by Torrington Ford of Culbertson, Nebraska, and Gunnar Ogle of Blair, Nebraska.
- “Hyperthyroidism” by Sophia Summy of Papillion, Nebraska
- “A Coaching “Slam Dunk”: An Investigation of the Communication that College Coaches use to Recruit Athletes” by Fernando Perez of Elgin, Illinois
- “Connection of Neuropathic Ways in Upper-Limb Prosthetics” by Jackson Pedersen of Roskilde, Denmark
- “The Role of Gut Microbiota in Alzheimer’s Disease” by Kaila Botts of St. Paul, Nebraska
- “Accents at Work: An Examination of the Effects of Linguistic Profiling on Potential Employment” by Rory Vince of The Hague, Netherlands.
- “Phage Therapy in Bone, Joints, and Prosthetic Joint Infections” by Angelina Lockhart of Jber, Alaska
- “Effects of Xenobiotics on Ecosystems: Impacts on Environmental and Human Microbiomes” by Alissa Bailey of Gibbon, Nebraska
- “Isopod Interaction With Pea Plant Growth” by Anya Myers of Overland Park, Kansas
- “Effect of Xenoestrogens on the Syngnathidae Family” by Jesse Chartier of Lincoln, Nebraska
- “The Power of Words: Exploring Perceptions of Athletes in Images With and Without Captions” by Alyssa Currie of Lakeland, Florida
- “Assessing the Use of Intersectionality through the MeToo movement” by Tymia Thompson of Nassau, The Bahamas
- “Understanding Epilepsy: An Overview, of Etiology, Epidemiology, and Pathophysiology” by Michaela Fox of Elkhorn, Nebraska
- “Rain Check for Doomsday: The Impact of Climate Change Media Messages on Future Orientation” by Ember Thoreson of Crystal Lake, Illinois
- “Evaluating the Dangers of Human Growth Hormone (HgH) Compared to Erythropoietin (EPO) and Androstenedione” by Madison Henderson of Columbus, Nebraska
- “The Impact of Media on Individuals’ Attention” by Levi West of Colorado Springs, Colorado
- “Canned Oxygen’s Impact on Perceptual Effort and Physical Performance during Exhaustive Exercise” by Jonah Doyle of Hastings, Nebraska, and Wyatt Harland of Ulysses, Kansas
- “State Sponsored Support: The Influence of Media on Citizen Opinions in Authoritarian Democracies” by Elizabeth Miller of Arlington, Kansas
2:00 p.m.-2:20 p.m. – Morrison Reeves Science Center
- Room 219 – “New Wave Of News: Investigating the Differences of Framing With User Generated Content Versus Legacy Media” by Kiefer Zabel of Georgetown, Colorado
- Room 148 – “Made in Whose Image” by Maxwell Blankenship of Queen Creek, Arizona
- Room 213 – “Individual Liberty, Free Institutions, and Genuine Independence”: How Economic Aid from the Marshall Plan Impacted the 1950 Turkish Election” by Elizabeth Miller of Arlington, Kansas
- Room 131- “Athlete Perceptions of Coaching Behaviors and the Coach-Athlete Relationships: Influences on Athlete Motivation” by Shania Santos of Marana, Arizona
2:30 p.m.-2:50 p.m. – Morrison Reeves Science Center
- Room 219 – “The Abyss Project pt.1: An Analysis of Emptiness and the Self” by Karl Ludwig of La Junta, Colorado
- Room 148 – “Gender on the Menu: Analyzing Gender Dynamics in Communication Between Servers and Customers” by Alec Garcia of Alliance, Nebraska
- Room 213 – “But What About Women? A Critical Analysis of Alfonso Cuaron’s Film Adaptation of Children of Men” by Kailani Smile of Highlands Ranch, Colorado
- Room 131 – “Resilience, Community, and Nationalism in Russian Gaming” by June Houlihan of Omaha, Nebraska
3:30 p.m. – Honors Convocation, French Memorial Chapel (800 N. Turner Avenue)
Hastings College is a four-year residential college that focuses on student academic and extracurricular achievement. Discover more at hastings.edu.
