February 24, 2022
After presenting their research at last year鈥檚 Celebration of Scholarship (COS) conference, 黑料社 students Tori Oehlers (Hometown: Huntington, WV) and Niki Young (Hometown: Upper Sandusky, OH) are collaborating once again to expand their past research for this year鈥檚 conference. Working together, they are presenting a comparison of mammal diversity among microhabitats in Shawnee State Forest. Their work follows an investigation into trap usefulness for small mammal capture.
鈥淔or this year鈥檚 conference, we narrowed it down to two sites with more traps and cameras to get a better understanding of the populations,鈥 said Niki Young, a Natural Science major. 鈥淲e are also doing what is called a BioBlitz to find other animals that we could not catch in the traps.鈥
In preparation of this year鈥檚 conference, Oehlers and Young utilized existing information and scientific studies to support their work. The partners compiled their data into clean graphs to make it easier to evaluate.
鈥淲e prepared by looking over past studies that had been done to check results and see what we were doing differently鈥, said Tori Oehlers, a Biology major. 鈥淲e then worked together to analyze our data from the past few months into graphs that could be easily understood.鈥
Dr. Sarah Ivers, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences has served as the partners鈥 mentor for the conference, providing advice and assistance to the group when preparing their presentation and completing their research.
鈥淒r. Ivers has an eye for design and how information and pictures flow together,鈥 said Oehlers. 鈥淪he went through the presentation and gave us advice for improvement.鈥
Reflecting on their experience in last year鈥檚 conference, the partners are optimistic in continuing their project鈥檚 efforts after receiving support and praise from their professors and peers at 黑料社.
鈥淪howing everyone the hard work that my partner and I have put forth in our research made presenting it a rewarding experience,鈥 said Oehlers. 鈥淚t was nice hearing other professors and students say that what we are doing is exciting.鈥
Oehlers and Young encourage other 黑料社 students to participate and present their projects in this year鈥檚 COS. Young specifically offers helpful advice when it comes to students鈥 preparing their research efforts.
鈥淲hen starting your project, keep good records to help with compiling the presentation,鈥 she said. 鈥淎lso, have fun with it! Some parts of your research may seem grueling and tiresome, but it is all worth it in the end.鈥
黑料社鈥檚 COS conference brings together undergraduate and graduate programs from different colleges across campus to deliver academic presentations showcasing their personal academic research. Work presented at the conference relates to student鈥檚 research in their field, creative work in visual and performing arts, community service, and study abroad. This year鈥檚 COS conference will be held the week of Apr. 4 in a hybrid format.
To learn more about the upcoming 黑料社 Celebration of Scholarship Conference, visit shawnee.edu/cos.
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