Students selected for First Year Research awards will work closely with a faculty member while pursuing exciting research opportunities in the first year at Wittenberg. The First Year Research Awards are for $2,000 ($1,000 per semester) for the student’s first year only. This is a non-renewable award. Students can only receive one First Year Research Award and one will be awarded per area listed below. First Year Research Awards can be combined with other Special Interest Awards.
- Deadline: February 15
Students must be admitted to Wittenberg prior to submitting a First Year Research Award application. When clicking the link to apply for an award, please log in using your Wittenberg Admission Portal username and password.
Nursing, Professor Marie Bashaw
Recipient will assist Dr. Marie Bashaw in her research on educational practices to build clinical judgment in nursing students.
Biological and Environmental Sciences, Professor Kunal Chatterjee
Recipient will assist Dr. Kunal Chatterjee in his current research in the area of tRNA nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling and quality control. For more information about Dr. Chatterjee’s current research activities please visit this website.
Chemistry, Professor Kristin Cline
Recipient will assist Dr. Kristin Cline in her current research in characterizing the presence and identity of microplastics (less than 5 mm particles) in local water sources.
Education, Professor Michael Daiga
Recipients will assist Dr. Michael Daiga in his research involving experiential learning in STEM education in partnership with the Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont.
Neuroscience and Psychology, Professor Gwynne Davis
Recipient will assist Dr. Gwynne Davis in her research focused understanding the biological basis of goal-directed motivated behavior, impulse control, and habit formation.
Religion, Professor Kati Fitzgerald
Recipient will assist Dr. Kati Fitzgerald in her ongoing research on Buddhism in American prisons.
Physics, Professor Elizabeth George
Recipient will assist Dr. Elizabeth George in her research involving positronium, an artificial “atom” consisting of an electron and a positron (the antiparticle of the electron). The goal of the research is to investigate differences between matter and anti-matter.
Nursing, Professor Jessica Johnson
Recipient will assist Professor Jessica Johnson with her research on undergraduate curriculum related to the provision of healthcare for LGBTQA+ clients.
Math and Computer Science, Professor Adam Parker
Recipient will assist Dr. Adam Parker in his research implementing and assessing a new Learning Assistant (LA) program at Wittenberg.
Biological and Environmental Sciences, Professor Richard Phillips
Recipient will assist Dr. Richard Phillips, in consultation with the Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, in developing and evaluating survey techniques to document the spotted turtle population numbers at fens in Clark County.
Religion, Professor Travis Proctor
Recipient will assist Dr. Travis Proctor in his research on early Christian depictions of Jesus of Nazareth, as understood through perspectives drawn from religious studies, gender studies, and the environmental humanities.
Biology and Marine Science, Dr. Kathy Reinsel and Dr. Jim Welch
Recipients may assist Drs. Reinsel & Welch with various aspects of their research, including sorting zooplankton samples to isolate larval fiddler crabs and fish, and using molecular tools (DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis) to identify the species of individual fiddler crab larvae.
Biological and Environmental Sciences, Professor Timothy Swartz
Restoring habitats is crucial to ensuring that plants and animals thrive in our forests, wetlands, and meadows. Our lab is working to design, implement, and monitor ecological restoration activities in local natural areas. As a research assistant, you will contribute to surveys of wildlife using camera traps, bird counts, and insect sampling.
Physics, Professor Jeremiah Williams
Recipient will assist Dr. Jeremiah Williams in the ongoing research activities of the Wittenberg University Plasma Laboratory (WUPL). The specific project will be determined based on student background and the current research priorities of the laboratory. For more information about the current research activities in the WUPL, please visit this website.