Scholarship inspires undergrad research

The College of Arts and Sciences awarded $137,000 in undergraduate research scholarships this year. Sixty-two applications were submitted, but only three of these claimed the top prize of $5,000.

The top three winners were Eric Olmon, Aleksander Rekhtman and Alana Shockey and the $5,000 will be paid toward each student's financial package.

The research scholarship subcommittee, which is made up of a variety of professors in Arts and Sciences, reviewed the 62 applications and awarded funding to 59 research projects, said Phoebe Spinrad, subcommittee member and professor of English.

The Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Scholarship is awarded for thesis proposals based on originality, thoughtfulness, expertise in the particular area, capability of project completion and quality of presentation, Spinrad said.

Olmon's thesis proposal discussed the effect of protein binding on the steady-state fluorescence of polynucleotides, while Rekhtman's detailed the relationship between cooperation and democratization. Shockey proposed comparative studies of 19th-century religious utopian sects as presented in local Ohio newspapers.

"It's exciting, but I'm nervous hoping that it all works out because it is a big responsibility," Shockey said.

Her research involves using 19th century Ohio newspapers to study three different religious communities.

"The goal of the project is to pursue a greater understanding of the factors which contributed to outside hostility or lack of hostility toward the religious communities in order to determine how outside perceptions contributed to the success and longevity of the religious communities in the Ohio region," Shockey said in her thesis proposal.

She received word of the scholarship award over winter break and began her research in early January. She said she has encountered difficulties in her research.

"A big hurdle is having so many sources for one group and barely any for another and presenting them equally," said Shockey, a junior in history. "Newspapers were not sacred back then and people just threw them away."

John L. Brooke is the faculty sponsor for Shockey's research

"I have been impressed with her work, and she is a pleasure to work with," said Brooke, a professor of history. "My role now is to push her into new literature."

The research project will conclude with an oral presentation given to OSU faculty members in the summer, said Shockey.

While Shockey's research involves the breakdown of religious communities in the past, Olmon's thesis involves DNA breakdown in the present.

"Although necessary for life to exist on earth, radiation emitted from the sun can be extremely harmful to biological organisms," Olmon said in his thesis proposal. "I hope to study the effects of such radiation on protein-bound polynucleotides like DNA. If my goals are met, I will clarify one of the pathways by which DNA breaks down and the ways DNA molecules are naturally protected from harsh radiation."

Chemistry professor Bern Kohler is Olmon's faculty sponsor.

"I was encouraged to pursue this by Professor Kohler," said Olmon, a senior in chemistry. "The purpose of the thesis project is to put you out on your own."

Olmon will present his thesis and research at the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum on May 18th. He plans to attend graduate school and has already been accepted to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Stanford.

"I would like to be a professor teaching chemistry," Olmon said.

The undergraduate research scholarships are awarded twice a year: once in the spring and once in autumn.

"It's a great opportunity for undergraduates to work with top-notch professors," said Myroslava Mudrak, professor of history of art and subcommittee member. "I'm surprised more students do not take advantage of it."