Muskingum News

The Science Division held its annual Dr. Homer A. Anderson Lecture on April 24, delivered by alumna Anya Belyaevskaya Sherwood ’08. Her presentation was titled Riboswitches: Unique Regulation of Gene Expression Through Changes in RNA Structure.

Ms. Sherwood graduated  summa cum laude from Muskingum with a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and a minor in chemistry.  She then received a fellowship to start the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology graduate program at The Ohio State University. 

The Anderson Lecture is named in honor of Dr. Homer A. Anderson, a 1935 Muskingum graduate who earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University in 1943.  The lecture is dedicated to Dr. Anderson’s lifelong pursuit of knowledge and healing and the value of the teaching and learning process.

Immediately following the Anderson Lecture, Science Division students presented their research findings in poster presentations, and were on hand to answer questions from their faculty and fellow students. 

The following students earned awards for their poster presentations:

Emily Bay ’14 earned first place honors for her presentation, Synthesis and Analysis of a Charge-Transfer Complex Formedbetween Piperidine Andhexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile ((HAT)CN6), representing the Department of Chemistry.

Sophia Liva ’14 earned second place for her presentation A Characterization and Drug Delivery Study of Metal-Organic Frameworks, representing the Department of Chemistry.

Andrew Piper ’14 and Alece D. Powery ’14 earned third place for their presentation, Distribution of Grassland Nesting Bird Species at The Wilds’ Prairie Agriculture Demonstration Site, representing the Department of Biology.

Also making poster presentations were the following:

Matt Allen ’15, Paul Cristofari of Hyeres, France; Heidi Landis ’15 and Kelli Brock ’14 presented The Impact of Ferrocene as a Bio-Fuel Additive, representing the Department of Chemistry.

Jae Baldwin ’15 presented The Portrayal by The Media: Effects on College Students and Their Attitude Toward The War, representing the Department of Psychology.

Clark Bauman ’15 presented The Attachment of a Primary Terminal Amine to Naphthylated Lignin Using B-Alanine, representing the Department of Chemistry.

Hilary Burgess ’14 presented Identifying and Refining the Muskingum Anthozoan Specimen Collection, representing the Department of Geology.

Ryan Burke ’14 presented A Population Estimation of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) at The Wilds Using the Sight Distance Method, representing the Department of Biology.

Nicole Carroll ’15, Cameron Godfrey ’15, Tony Moore ’15 and Jonathan Ray ’17 presented Synthesis and Characterization of Ferrocene and Ferrocene Derivatives and Their Effect on the Characteristics of Black Powder, representing the Department of Chemistry.

Chris Daley ’14 presented Modified Nafion Membranes using Ionic Liquids and Chloride Salts, representing the Department of Chemistry.

Katherine Davis ’14 presented Differences in Food Preferences and Body Esteem, representing the Department of Psychology.

Chris Deal ’14 presented Impact of Boat Generated Waves on Shoreline Erosion and Degradation, representing Department of Geology.

Kristina Deem ’14 presented Prosocial Behavior and Need Threat Responses to Ostracism by Different Races Using O-Cam, representing the Department of Psychology.

George Carter Eberwine ’14 presented Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Coumarin-Based Fluorescent L-Lysine Analog for use in Protein Folding Studies, representing the Department of Chemistry.

Adam Gordon ’14 presented Investigating the Propagation of Radio Waves from a Radio Frequency Dog Leash Computationally, representing the Department of Physics and Engineering.

Wuyan Li of Lanzhou, China, presented Improvement of an Automatic Gear Change System, representing the Department of Physics and Engineering.

Sarah Linn ’14 presented Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Modeling of Respiratory Neuron Development, representing the Department of Biology.

Kaylee Mallory ’15 presented The Role of Exercise on Psychological Well-Being, representing the Department of Psychology.

Amy McConkey ’14 presented Visual and Verbal Working Memory, representing the Department of Psychology.

Stephanie Merrilees ’14 presented Peer and Parental Influence on Sexual Attitudes of College Students, representing the Department of Psychology.

Stephanie Metzger ’14 and Lucas Weber ’14 presented Design for Window AC Unit Using Solidworks® Flow Simulation, representing the Department of Physics and Engineering.

Shelby Milhoan ’14 presented The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Music on Anxiety, Heart Rate, and Blood Pressure in a College Population, representing the Department of Psychology.

Jonathan Ray ’17 presented Colorimetric and Fluorimetric Assay Methods for Quantifying AP-Sites in Dna Using an Aldehyde Reactive Probe-Antibiotin Antibody-Horseradish Peroxidase Probe, representing the Department of Chemistry.

Katherine Riley ’14 presented Subsurface Structure and Isopach Thickness of the Lower Ordovician Beekmantown Member of the Knox Dolomite in Muskingum and Guernsey Counties, representing the Department of Geology.

Brian Sayre ’14, Brandon Leyda ’14 and Scott McDermott ’16 presented A Dog Leash That Won’t “King Tut” You, representing the Department of Physics and Engineering.

Alexys Settles ’14 presented Choking Versus Clutch Performance: A Qualitative Study, representing the Department of Psychology.

Nick Williams ’15 presented Preliminary GIS Assessment of Potential Wind Farm Locations in Muskingum County, representing the Department of Geology.

Weifan Zhang of Lazhou, China, presented Effects of Long-Term Oversea Experience and Stereotype Threat on Interview Anxiety, representing Department of Psychology.

Kunyu Zheng of Lazhou, China, presented Synthesis and Characterization of Vinyl Naphthalene Grafted Lignin and its Copolymers of Styrene and 2-Hydroxyethyl Acrylate, representing the Department of Chemistry.

IN THE PHOTO: Anya Sherwood '08 presents the Anderson Lecture.