The College of Arts and Sciences congratulates the undergraduate researchers who received awards at the 2024 Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum.  27 students from 10 majors placed in their respective categories, with all but one section including Arts and Sciences representation.

The Denman Forum provides an opportunity for graduating student researchers to share their research endeavors with the broader community.  This is Ohio State's only competitive poster forum in which winners are recognized in each category as determined by faculty, staff and Denman alumni reviewers. Students are reviewed on their ability to communicate their research process and results effectively in both their written poster content and accompanying oral presentation.  During the Denman Forum, the university community celebrates not only the hard work of these students, but also the dedication of their faculty research mentors.

Arts and Sciences Winners

Business, Society and International Relations

• Second Place: ​Sarah Kocher, Design - “TravelReady Currency Package: Enhancing the Currency Exchange Experience”
• Honorable Mention: Madison Meixner, Political Science - “An Exploration of the Implementation of Political Gender Quotas and Public Opinion: A Case Study of Sierra Leone”

Earth and Beyond

• Second Place: Blake Murray, Atmospheric Sciences - “An Evaluation of the Accuracy of Numerical Weather Prediction for a Summer Antarctic Severe Storm”
• Honorable Mention: Radhika Abeywickrama, Molecular Genetics - “Understanding Pollen Development Through Isolation of Genes used in Exine and Aperture Formation in Arabidopsis thaliana”

Health Under the Microscope

• Third Place: Emily Williams, Neuroscience - “Identification of Genes Critical to Fitness of a Cariogenic Bacteria in Mixed-Species Settings”
• Honorable Mention: Benjamen (Hank) Kern, Chemistry and Biochemistry - “MG53 AAV Constructs as a Gene Therapy for Dysferlinopathies”

The Human Experience

• Second Place: Maggie Duffy, Psychology - “An Attentional Serial Reaction Time Task”
• Honorable Mention: Morgan Vereb, Design - “Channels of Knowledge: The Future of Community Library Design”

Innovations in Medicine

• First Place: Christina Isckarus, Chemistry and Biochemistry - “A Novel Adjuvant to Enhance NK Cell Response in HIV Preventive Vaccines”
• Second Place: Sadie Potts, Chemistry and Biochemistry - “Investigating the Effect of Small Molecules on the Differentiation of Müller Glia-Derived Progenitor Cells into Retinal Neurons”
• Third Place: Shulian Guo, Biology - “Optogenetic Modulation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) Engineered for Precise Control of Arrhythmias”
• Honorable Mention: Dina Bayachou, Chemistry and Biochemistry - “Investigating the effect of phosphomimetic mutations of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein on viral RNA binding”

Insect and Other Animal Sciences

• Third Place: Olivia Houpt, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology - “Understanding the impact of Bythotrephes longimanus on Yellow Perch angling success in western Lake Erie”
• Honorable Mention: Natalie Sebunia, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology - “Trends in Raptor Admittance in Urban and Rural Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers”

Pediatric and Family Health

• First Place: Sanjana Ranade, Neuroscience - “Hormonal contraceptives in adolescence perturb the neuroimmune environment of the prefrontal cortex”
• Second Place: Divya Gopal, Neuroscience - “ADHD Symptom Severity and Neural Reward Processing in Children”
• Third Place: Calyn Evans, Speech and Hearing Science - “Exploring early indicators of persisting versus resolving childhood apraxia of speech”
• Honorable Mention: Jordyn Singleton, Neuroscience - “Peripartum Opioid Exposure Alters Neuroimmune Cells and the Maternal Behavior of Postpartum Rats”

Public Health

• First Place: Lyric Ransom, Psychology - “Effective distribution of VWM resources does not depend on VWM capacity”
• Third Place: Varshini Chennupati, Neuroscience - “Follicular T and B Cell Interplay in ART-Treated Perinatally HIV-Acquired Adolescents”
• Honorable Mention: Rachel Mitchell, Psychology - “The Combined Effect of Anxiety and Substance Use on Quality of Life in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients”

Understanding Cancer

• First Place: Alexander Abreo, Neuroscience - “Brd4 inhibition leads to Reduction of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells in Solid Tumors”
• Second Place: Reem Ahmed, Molecular Genetics - “Factors Impacting Tumor Displacement Artifact and Pseudo-Lymphovascular Invasion in Testicular Germ Cell Tumors”
• Third Place: Amanda Jay, Biology - “Engineering an fgfr4 knockout zebrafish to study genetic cooperation in rhabdomyosarcoma”

Partner Awards

• Center for Ethics and Human Values Award: Madison Meixner, Political Science - “An Exploration of the Implementation of Political Gender Quotas and Public Opinion: A Case Study of Sierra Leone”
• Center for Ethics and Human Values Award: Averi Wolf, Design - “Woven Roots - A Holistic Women’s Wellness Center”
• Civil Discourse for Citizenship Award: Morgan Vereb, Design - “Channels of Knowledge: The Future of Community Library Design”
• Secondary Data Core Award: Deondray Radford, Biology - “A Content Analysis of Highly Viewed #Autism TikTok Videos”
• IDI Award: Varshini Chennupati, Neuroscience - “Follicular T and B Cell Interplay in ART-Treated Perinatally HIV-Acquired Adolescents”
• SI Award: Robert Furlong, Molecular Genetics - “A contribution to the  the biological production of Hydrogen Gas by the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii”