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A world of possibilities

March 26, 2018

Each year, Ohio State hosts one of the largest undergraduate research forums in the country, the Denman Forum. For Ohio State students, research is an important part of the learning experience. Many students take the opportunity to travel abroad and engage with new people and cultures, while conducting hands-on, in-depth research projects that enhance their classroom learning. The below map highlights research locations of some of this year’s participants, with locations that span all seven continents. The Denman Forum is sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry and will be held April 3 at the Ohio Union.

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Rachel Beery

INDIA - Geography

Beery conducted 50 interviews in 31 villages near Melghat, India, to learn what women know about climate change and how they've adapted. Her findings aim to understand how future generations in that rural area can best make family planning choices. "It was awesome to have this experience as a first-generation student. Geographers like to study the world through maps and technology, but to actually experience the world and see what it's like, you learn more - and you learn how much you don't know yet."

Anthony Milian

DENMARK AND ITALY - Dance

Six weeks in Denmark followed by three weeks in Italy allowed Milian to dance with professionals and through interaction gain insight about their teaching methodologies and strategies to improve his own classes and choreography. "There was a big focus on kinesthetic learning and kinesthetic intelligence, which is simply learning by doing. I pinpointed three objectives about the use of the spine that I wanted to get across in teaching: fluidity, articulation, and origin of movement."

Dinushi Kulasekere

NEW ZEALAND - Economics

Kulasekere traveled to New Zealand in December for a second time to conduct an economic analysis of the scoring systems that are used in clinical care to classify the severity of spinal trauma injuries. "It's progression analytics looking at whether these types of scoring systems can be predictive of costs and the treatment process. I've learned about the research process and how much coordination it takes between all different actors involved in different parts of a project."

Collin Oborn

ICELAND - Earth Science

Don't question Oborn's dedication. He spent several nights sleeping in a car to save money during two research trips to Iceland, the second visit to study Herdubreid, one of the nation's 30 active volcanoes. "I collected a specific type of rock sample, analyzed the chemical composition, did calculations, and saw where the sample crystalized under the surface of the Earth. If you know how deep the manga is and its composition, you can get estimates of how long you have between precursor signs and eruption to help with evacuation times."

Joanne Ash

ANTARCTICA - Biological Engineering

Ash spent ten days on Earth's southernmost continent, Antarctica. Her research involved conducting a census of seabird populations, which are threatened by issues such as climate change and pollution. Ash inputted her data into a worldwide database, and her research helped gauge the effectiveness of conservation efforts. "I went down there because I always thought of Antarctica as this mysterious place. As a student, I knew Ohio State had a background in polar research, so I knew there must be a way to get down there so I could discover these mysteries about Antarctica," Ash said. "It's such a fragile place and a huge, unknown place. I'm so grateful I had this opportunity."

Hannah Tomaszewski

GUATEMALA - Criminology

Between 1960 and 1996, the people of Guatemala suffered through a violent civil war. For her research, Tomaszewski spent six weeks in the country to conduct in-depth interviews with residents. She got a deeper understanding of how their exposure to civil war has shaped their thoughts about justice and government. "It was very eye-opening. I've traveled a lot, but the places I've been are much more developed," said Tomaszewski, who embedded herself in the local culture during her time there. "This was a much different view of the world. We traveled by local buses, stayed in local homes. It was eye-opening to see how a country is really helping itself in the wake of such a tragedy."

Christian Moore

UNITED STATES - Landscape Architecture

The U.S. national park system is celebrating 100 years, but it faces increasing threats including climate change and soaring numbers of visitors, said Moore. He and five other students (Jenny Hoppert, Kevin Maas, Amanda Knight, Nick Armstrong and Brad Giordano) representing different fields of study set out across the country together and visited 30 national park sites, documenting everything from trail designs to traffic. The group is putting its research together in a book that will be given to the park system's planner and designers. "It was definitely an adventure, but it was a great collaboration," Moore said. "We had students representing civil engineering, mechanical engineering, biology and landscape architecture spending two months on the road together conducting this research. It was really fascinating."

Johnathan King

BOLIVIA - Environmental Science

King spent five weeks in Bolivia's Barba Azul Reserve, an especially daunting task considering there was no cell phone reception and he didn't speak the language. But he quickly immersed himself in the culture and went all-in on his research. He examined how cattle ranching is decreasing the country's forest land and is hindering endangered species like birds, which depend on those habitats. "My research in Bolivia immersed me in a brand new culture that also presented a lot of challenges during the field work," King said. "But by working through these problems in such a remote place where I couldn't get help easily, I feel really well-equipped for solving problems in the future."

Anthony Milian

DENMARK AND ITALY - Dance

Six weeks in Denmark followed by three weeks in Italy allowed Milian to dance with professionals and through interaction gain insight about their teaching methodologies and strategies to improve his own classes and choreography. "There was a big focus on kinesthetic learning and kinesthetic intelligence, which is simply learning by doing. I pinpointed three objectives about the use of the spine that I wanted to get across in teaching: fluidity, articulation, and origin of movement."

Taylor Klass

UGANDA - Animal Sciences

Not only was Klass' experience in Uganda a great learning opportunity, but it confirmed for her that she wants to dedicate her life to helping farmers in need. Klass' research focused on small urban farmers in Uganda, who face several issues including lack of feed for their animals and limited access to veterinarians. "I would say that it was one of the best experiences of my college career. I absolutely loved it. I made a lot of great friends," Klass said. "For me, this project is basically what I want to do in the future. I want to work with small farmers in developing countries and provide extension to them. So it was actually a dream come true to talk with these farmers and show them that I care."

Tanzania

Zambia

Romania

Nicaragua

Germany

Canada

England