On Friday, December 9th eighteen honors students presented their research for Senior Symposium in Pickell Hall. Some of these students will be walking at commencement on Saturday, December 17th and all are officially graduates of the Honors program. Below are the students who presented as well as their topics and images from the event.
Fall 2016 Symposium Winner:
The winner of the Fall symposium was Tiffany Newman with her project entitled “The Assessment of Volatile Organic Compounds in Mecosta County Recreational Waters using GCMS.” Tiffany was also a 2016 Summer Student Research Fellow at Ferris State University. Below is the abstract for her research.
A study was performed in order to detect the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in Mecosta County recreational water sources. VOCs are low molecular mass compounds (<500Da), many of which have been found to be carcinogenic or otherwise detrimental to health, and therefore it is important to monitor their acceptable limits as determined by the EPA. Mecosta and surrounding countries have experienced an increase in activities associated with VOC contamination such as fracking and waste water treatment. In the study, water samples were collected for analysis from nine Mecosta County recreational sources including the Muskegon River, Mitchell Creek, Chippewa Lake, Townline Lake, Canadian Lakes, Jehnson Lake, Clear Lake, and two local ponds. A total of 123 samples were extracted using C18 solid phase cartridges and the extracted samples were then analyzed using GCMS. Concentrations of analytes were determined using standard curves prepared from commercial standards. Of the 51 analytes examined, 21 compounds were detected in at least one recreational water source. These compounds include Benzene, Bromodichloromethane, m-Butylbenzene, sec-Butylbenzene, Chloroform, Chloromethane, Chlorotoluene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1-Dichoroethene, p-Isopropyltoluene, Naphthalene, Toluene, 1,2,3-Trichlororpropane, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, and Xylene. The results of this study will be used by future researchers to monitor changes in contamination over time.
Fall 2016 Honors Graduating Class
Stephanie Aigboduwa, Biology/Pre-Medicine, Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease in People who Gain Weight after Quitting Smoking
Leland Arkwright, Resort Management, Labor Shortage and Hotels
Jessica Delaney, Biology/Pre-Physical Therapy, What are the Affects of Physical Therapy on Children Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy?
Tara Erwin, Nursing-BSN, High-Tech vs. High Touch Nursing Care
Paul Hicks, Applied Speech Communication, Relationships Between Culture Shock and Party Behavior
Tyler Jablonski, PGA Golf Management, Golf: A Lifetime Game
Jenna Kioussis, Biology/Pre-Medicine, & Ashley Nichols, Biology, The Village Mountain Mission Project
Hannah Lamberg, Biology/Pre-Medicine, Activin Overexpression in Drosophilia
Jordan McNaughton, Music Industry Management, Now That’s What I Call Music
Bryce Morgan, Plastics Engineering Technology, Hanging Art Piece for the Honors Program Office
Tiffany Newman, Biotechnology, The Assessment of Volatile Organic Compounds in Mecosta County Recreational Waters using GCMS
Kathryn Pilczuk, Pre-Pharmacy, Oravig Buccal Tablet
Pasha Riggins, Biology/Forensics, Steven Avery: The Modern OJ Simpson
Tiffany Schack, Business Data Analytics, How is Big Data Changing the Insurance Industry
Max Schmidt, Construction Management Commercial-Industrial, What is Construction Management
Karlee Schweizer, Biology/Environmental, The Decline of the Honey Bee
Abigail Stricker, Television Digital Media Production, TDMP Production Process