Presenting his research changed Benjamin Burris’ whole outlook on academics.

“The first time I gave a poster presentation I thought that I knew my stuff pretty well,” said Burris, senior in chemistry and Spanish.

“But the faculty members at the school that I was at grilled me on every aspect of what I was doing. So it changed how I viewed my research, and also how I approach academics in general.”

Burris won first place for best undergraduate poster in the 20^thAnnual Student Research and Creative Endeavor Symposium, held March 29 in Walb Classic Ballroom.

ACCOMPANIED BY JOHN O’CONNELL, DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, 2017 WINNERS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: BENJAMIN BURRIS, EMMA ZOLMAN, LAUREN HOFFMAN, LUNA WAHAB, JINLONG HAN AND MONICA OCHOLA. COURTESY OF JIM WHITCRAFT

The symposium divided contestants into two different categories: graduate and undergraduate. The judges selected three winners for each set.

Over 100 students presented their research via poster and were judged by faculty members. This year, 22 departments were represented.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HaiJ2hfjEMxRIW-T0R9SytR5QB8&usp=sharing

Burris’ poster, “Effects of Portal Protein Primary Structure Mutations on Viral Genomic Packaging Capabilities,” has been an ongoing project since 2013.

“Biologists know how bacteria infect the cell, but they don’t know how it packages the DNA to infect the cell”, Burris said. “What we focused on was a portal protein which is a little conical protein. Its got a channel in the middle and DNA travels through the channel, but no one knows what it does and so we did research in what does the portal do. ”

Before participating in events such as the research symposium, Burris said that he did not actually apply what he was being taught in his classes.

“My first couple of years I studied and worked hard to maintain good grades, but I didn’t actually learn a whole lot,” Burris said. “Once I realized that I wanted to go into graduate school, I realized that I needed to be learning more than just being able to memorize stuff and then put it out. Those opportunities, poster presentations, showed me the kind of approach you have to take if you are serious about actually learning.”

Stephen Buttes, Assistant Professor of Spanish, believes all students can benefit.

 

To participate in the research symposium, students either have to apply and be selected; or a faculty member appoints them and the student has to accept the nomination.

In the past, Burris applied for the research symposium but had his proposals rejected for being too similar to another’s student research. This year, Burris was stunned his advisor selected him.

“I was actually pretty surprised just because in the past we had the experience of having me get rejected because it was similar to past presentations,” Burris said. “I just kind of assumed that that was going to be the trend, but he pushed me to do it and you can’t really say no.”

Students not only have the opportunity to present, but they can also decide to archive their posters for future use in a URL form.

Susan Anderson, director of Library Academic Services, further informs how this can be possible.

 

As a senior, Burris plans on attending Ohio State University. He will continue working on his project, and plans to go into analytical chemistry, to work in drug development.

“It really helps mature you as a student to prepare you for whatever you want to do,” Burris said. “It helps prepare you for graduate school, your job, life in general. You need to be able to have that confidence and that level of expertise in whatever you do.”

 

 

In 2013, the Annual IPFW Student Research and Creative Endeavor Symposium changed from research papers over to poster format, in part to increase attendance.

The 20^th annual symposium was held at the Walb Classic Ballroom at 9 a.m. on March 29. There were a total of 125 undergraduate and graduate students presenting 92 research posters from multiple majors, including biology, chemistry, and visual communications.

Cheryl Truesdell, former dean of Helmke Library and a 2017 symposium judge, said there had been a decline of both participants and attendees for the symposium. The symposium planning committee decided to change the way the research was presented.

Truesdell said the committee went from papers and oral presentations to posters, in hopes of making the symposium more interesting for those in attendance. Truesdell said in the past the participants were separated and grouped by department, in which they presented amongst each other. But that changed too.

 

Susan Anderson, member of the Helmke Library symposium planning committee, said the move to a poster format was a great way to represent the research, and express it graphically.

John Nicklin, Studio M coordinator, said the research is ultimately the main focus of the student’s presentation, but how the poster itself should complement the research. He said the poster is a supporting element that reinforces the presentation done by the student.

Nicklin said the content and poster design and how it is presented to the viewer can be used strategically, to lure the attendants to the speaker. Using design elements that are not ordinary or frequently used can help draw people in. It creates interest and makes the attendant want to stay and listen to the presentation.

 

Nicklin said he assisted students varying in experience with design software such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.

Peter Bella, assistant professor of visual communications and a 2017 symposium judge, said the poster should not be the voice of the presenter. The poster should be tailored to the audience and the experts who are going to be viewing it, because every discipline has their own set of expectations.

Bella said one thing he noticed in a majority of the posters was how they were missing visual guidance. If the speaker cannot convey the main message in under five seconds, the viewer will most likely move on.

Bella advised when the presenter states their topic, introduce it to the viewer in an easily comprehendible fashion, give the facts, and then a conclusion in an orderly manner. This enables anyone to understand the research without having to be an expert in the field.

 

Bella said the visual communications participant that placed this year did everything right when it came to design. Her presentation was executed in an orderly, guided fashion, and she knew how to present her research clearly.

Anderson said all students’ posters will be published and stored in the OPUS scholarly depository at IPFW with its very own link. The research along with the poster can be used to demonstrate students’ skills and abilities in their resumes later when applying for employment.

He was only 18 when his life changed forever.

South Padre, Texas, was Dustin Faurote’s destination of choice for his first spring break. However, one life-altering accident and 11 years later, Dustin describes the beach as overrated.

Dustin said he was having fun diving in the ocean with friends when disaster struck. One of the waves pulled him down, causing him to hit his head on the sandbar and break his neck.

“But luckily there was a lifeguard on duty. Me,” Faurote said with a smirk. “There wasn’t any lifeguard, but I was a swimmer and a lifeguard, and I just think it was funny that I was the one that got hurt.”

Following his accident, Dustin was pulled out of the water by his friends and airlifted to a hospital. Dustin said that the odds of him even being able to breath on his own were pretty bleak.

Andrew Lindenberg, a senior from Fort Wayne majoring in medical imaging at IPFW, was among Dustin’s many friends at home who were surprised to hear the news.

“I was shocked because him being the person that he was, so active and outgoing, to have something as tragic as that happen to him, it was kinda crazy,” Lindenberg said. “When we first found out, they weren’t 100 percent sure what was gonna really happen to him, because of the fact that the injury was so severe.”

Dustin said he only had a few months of high school left before he was going to attend college to become a physical therapist. However, his plans changed after his accident, when the best-case scenario became breathing on his own and possibly moving his arms.

Now, after eight months of physical therapy in Atlanta, and another couple of years once he returned home to Fort Wayne, he has regained some arm and torso movement as well as control of random muscle groups in his legs.

Dustin said he has walked six very difficult steps since his accident, but relies heavily on his wheelchair. He said with a lot of time and money he could become more mobile in the future.

While Dustin recovered well from his accident, he said the change from his previously active lifestyle was a difficult adjustment.

“It was hard going from benching 285 and running an 18:07 5K, to not being able to feed myself or breath without a ventilator. I missed the ache of a good workout,” Dustin said, “but it was weird being told I’m lucky, and thinking I’m lucky, when I started wiggling toes, lifting my arms, feeling drops of water on my legs, and turning my head.”

Dustin described physical therapy as uncomfortable. He said relearning everything was difficult, but the hardest part was admitting that he needed help.

“I have always been really independent because my mom has always been a single mom working two jobs. I would come home, do my homework, make something to eat, clean up the house, and then do whatever for my mom when she got home,” Dustin said. “Not needing my mom kind of accidentally instilled that you need to rely on yourself. You can count on people, but don’t always depend on others.”

Despite his physical limitations, Dustin has maintained the same independent attitude he’s always had, thanks to the help of Granite Ridge Builders, who he said volunteered to build a new, accessible house for him.

Dustin is currently a senior at IPFW, pursuing a degree in secondary education. He said he hopes to find a job teaching in the area, and to maybe one day feel like an adult.

“One of my biggest hope-to-do things is get back to physical therapy, because I have been able to walk before,” Dustin said, “and I know it’s not that big of a deal, but it’s one of those things that I want to be able to do. To say that as long as you work for it.”

Active Minds will be hosting a movie night on campus April 20 from 6- 8 p.m. in Walb 114, to introduce the group to students, as well as give students time to relax.

Active Minds is a student organization, in conjunction with the Student Assistance Program, are about promoting awareness for mental health. They also provide awareness to suicide prevention as well.

The student organization puts on one movie night per semester. They will be showing “Big Hero 6”.

President Manal Saeed said it is a recruiting tool, but is more of a night to discuss mental health themes within the film and just have fun.

“We usually take the movie apart,” Saeed said. “We will talk about the common themes. If anything, it’s like a fun night out.”

Saeed said there will also be a counselor present just in case anyone is triggered during the movie.

Past movies they have shown with mental health themes include “Inside Out” and “Good Will Hunting.”

Courtney Seymour, vice president, agrees with Saeed, stating that the fun from the movie will lead to having facilitated discussion about mental health issues.

“I’m glad we choose the certain movies we do. We chose it because we obviously want to relate it to mental health, but do want to make it fun,” Seymour said. “It is like our way to opening up the floor about mental health.”

Active Minds Secretary Damini Handa said her favorite part of the movie night is how people have different perspectives on the themes in the film. It allows a person to be vulnerable.

“It’s really interesting to see. You hear 20 other students, faculty or whoever is attending from a different angle,” Handa said. “That’s exposure to a lot of different things.”

Saeed said she agrees with Handa, saying that people’s reactions will differ from one another. However, Active Minds puts emphasis into having fun in all their events. Saeed said they are never boring.

“There is always laughs. We always want to have fun,” Saeed said. “We just want to spread that. If anything, they are having a fun night out.”

Although Active Minds is creating awareness for mental illness and educating students, the night can also be used as a chance to just simply relax and enjoy.

“It just an open-ended discussion, but it is also an hour and a half just to chill and relax and be able to take your mind away from things,” Seymour said. “It’s a way to watch something educational yet fun.”

Seymour said their movie nights’ average about 20-30 people. She said having a large attendance is not a priority, but would like to see it increase.

“We just want as many people to come willingly,” Seymour said. “Whoever comes we would love to talk to them about Active Minds and talk about the movie.”

 

 

People too often assume it affects only women.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, over 10 million men will suffer from some kind of eating disorder in their lifetime.  This includes anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating.

Judy Tillapaugh, IPFW wellness and fitness coordinator, is also a registered dietitian and certified personal trainer. She meets with students and faculty on campus to talk about personal fitness, and to improve the body image of her patients.

“Listening to students, listening to faculty and staff, I feel that in general our population is similar to the nation’s population that the majority of people do have body dissatisfaction,” Tillapaugh said.

Tillapaugh said she believes men’s body image is an especially underreported topic, in comparison to women’s body image. Their goals are different too. Women typically want to lose more weight while men want to be more muscular.

She believes a number of factors contribute to these ideals.

“I think that it’s not one factor but a number of factors that contribute, but it’s a combination,” Tillapaugh said. “Social, cultural, people’s time in their life, there is no one factor.”

Jake McDougald, an OLS senior from Auburn, agrees.

“I guess it depends on the situation,” McDougald said. “I think as far as if a guy or girl, which one cares the most, it just depends on the personality of the person.”

McDougald said he has a positive view of his body image, but continues to enhance it. He works out and eats healthy, so he can feel better about himself and comfortable in his own skin.

He said his relationship status has an impact on maintaining his weight.

“When I was single, I was able, that’s all I would do, work, workout, then go to school,” McDougald said. “Back then I’d cook up my meal for the next few days, granted it was basically the same thing, but you know it didn’t bug me. Because when you have someone else cooking with you, you can’t have that same meal every day.”

Zack Yahi, a freshmen general studies major from Fort Wayne, also believes that relationship status has an effect on how he sees himself.

“I’m self-conscious because I notice a lot of the guys around me are fit, or toned up, and they’re good looking,” Yahi said. “When I look at myself, I’m not. It has a negative effect on me.”

Yahi said he thinks the problem affects more than just gay single men. But he feels the gay community focuses on looks, which contributes to body image.

According to the journal Body Image, a study with 38 straight and 38 gay college men was conducted to test their body image using factors such as media influence and media exposure. Gay men scored highest in all categories, which suggests they are more susceptible to poor body image and media influence.

To enhance his body, Yahi said he goes to the gym, watches what he eats, and keeps his hair trimmed. He feels his body image is negative, but improving.

“I feel like I have a little extra weight here and there but don’t like that about myself, but recently I just came to terms with it,” Yahi said. “You have to love yourself for others to love you.”