EHE News
Student research helps, heals, prevents harm
Matthew Mason, human nutrition, won a first prize in the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum last spring. His mother, Marietta Marvin Mason, received the EHE 2008 Career Achievement Alumni Award.
As a future dentist, human nutrition major Matthew Mason ('09) of Columbus wants to help people enjoy healthy teeth and gums, or periodontal health.
So he chose to conduct honors research, which allows undergraduates to make original, intellectual contributions to their disciplines. Such an opportunity, once limited to graduate students, sharpens undergraduate students' independent thinking and problem-solving skills.
Working under advisors Mark Failla, professor of human nutrition and associate dean for the EHE Office of Research, and Purnima Kumar, assistant professor of dentistry, Mason recruited 55 volunteers with healthy teeth and gums.
He analyzed samples of dental plaque to learn whether ethnicity affects the types of bacteria found. Plaque contributes to tooth decay, gingivitis, and more.
Mason's study captured a coveted first prize in Ohio State's Denman Undergraduate Research Forum held this past spring. As winner of the Health Professions - Clinical category, he showed significant differences between the ethnicities in the composition of health-associated bacteria.
"For instance, Chinese subjects in general showed a similar bacterial count among each other, but a different bacterial count when compared to Caucasian subjects," he said. "By expanding this knowledge through more studies, dental professionals will better understand what exactly causes periodontal health. Treatment plans can be created to help 'good' bacteria flourish, which is necessary for periodontal health."
Faculty encourage student research, often with donor support
The inaugural EHE Honors Poster Presentation took place this past spring at the Columbia Gas Student and Alumni Center in Campbell Hall.
Mason is one of more than 100 talented and high-achieving undergraduate students in education and human ecology enrolled in honors research at any given time. Plus, more students not in honors take part in research.
"Research gives students a better understanding of where the 'facts' in their textbooks come from while helping them appreciate how difficult it is to really 'know' something," said Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, Department of Human Development and Family Science. The assistant professor received two Ohio State awards last year for mentoring students, including the Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award.
She and colleague Assistant Professor Claire Kamp Dush currently have eight undergraduate students working on their New Parents Project research project, along with a number of graduate students.
"The undergraduates learn to work effectively as part of a team while exploring and preparing for future careers," she said. "As faculty, we gain invaluable assistance with our research and experience the pleasure of watching students develop as scholars and individuals."
Donor gifts often support students pursuing research. For instance, Mason, who will attend Ohio State's College of Dentistry next year, received a scholarship during his junior year from a fund created in 1966 in memory of alumni Dr. Martha Koehne, chief nutritionist with the Ohio Department of Health, and Minerva Harbage, a nutrition consultant also with the department.
Undergraduates gain experience presenting their studies
Student research, guided by faculty experts, contributes meaningful knowledge that helps improve lives.
At Ohio State, students are encouraged to communicate their findings at the Richard J. and Martha D. Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. The college is following suit with its new EHE Honors Poster Presentation.
The following EHE students created research posters and were juried into the Denman during spring quarter 2009. Those with an asterisk next to their name are honors students who also took part in the inaugural EHE Honors Poster Presentation event.
| Student | Scholarship | Title of Study | Faculty Advisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelly Bloom | Phi Upsilon Omicron Scholarship | "The Influences of Participation in a School-Based Program" | Deanna Wilkinson, HDFS |
| Daniel J. Bower* | University Research Scholarship | Psychological Characteristics and Change in Marital Adjustment for Parents | Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, HDFS |
| Jacqueline A. Cline* | University Research Scholarship | Occupational Self-Direction and Fathers' Involvement with Children | Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, HDFS |
| Sarah L. Cummings* | University Research Scholarship | Influences on High School Retention Among Crime-Involved Males | Deanna Wilkinson, HDFS, and Gwendolyn Cartledge, PAES |
| Brittany Dahms | n/a | "The Emergence of Elite-Level Female Athlete: Effects of Fit, Form, and Fashion" | Julia Cooper and Susie Zavotka, CS |
| Laetitia Dupuy | University Research Scholarship | "Surrealism in Interior Design" | Susie Zavotka, CS |
| Laura M. Joseph* | University Research Scholarship | Soy Isoflavones and Precancerous Prostate Epithelial Cell Viability | Josh Bomser, HN |
| Anastasija Katcyna | n/a | "Vitamin A Metabolism Regulates Branched Amino Acid Metabolism" | Ouliana Ziouzenkova, HN |
| Bethany Mack | Martha Jane Bourquin Mainouse Scholarship | "Assessment of Holiday Weight Gain in Children" | Gail Kaye, HN |
| Trisha Marshall | n/a | "Impact of Iron Deficiency on Endurance Performance and Immune Function" | Robert DiSilvestro, HN |
| Jessica Martin | Joseph J. and Nina Mae Mattus Scholarhip; Martha Jane Bourquin Mainouse Scholarship | "Evaluation of DHA and AA as Modifiers of CPT1 in Pre- and Term Pigs" | Pasha Lyvers-Peffer, Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences |
| Matthew R.Mason* | Koehne-Harbage Memorial Fund | Contribution of Ethnicity to Subgingival Microbial Colonization | Purnima Kumar, Dentistry, and Mark Failla, HN |
| Jenna L. Mastrobuono* | John Scott and Della Errington Memorial Scholarship Fund | Dietary Supplement Use Among Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy | Elizabeth Grainger and Steve Clinton, Medicine |
| Carolyn J. Reed* | Shepherd Foundation Development Fund | Correlates of Potential for Maternal Gatekeeping | Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan and Claire Kamp Dush, HDFS |
| Barbara Reichert | Nancy Reger Broughton Scholarship | "Retinoids Regulate Female Abdominal Obesity by Adipose Triglyceride Lipase" | Ouliana Ziouzenkova, HN |
| Catherine Rogers* | Joseph J. and Nina Mae Mattus Scholarship; Helen Sells Clarkson Memorial Scholarship | Development of a Glycemic Index Checklist for People with Type 2 Diabetes | Carla Miller and Anne Smith, HN |
| Taryn M. Schubert* | n/a | Food Security in Rural and Urban Areas of Ayacucho, Peru | Hugo Melgar-Quinonez, HN |
| Paola Seguil | n/a | "Testing the 'Monthly Cycle of Food Abundance and Food Shortage' Hypothesis" | Hugo Melgar-Quinonez and Qian Ye, HN |
| Sharla R. Starker* | Cynthia Ann Spafford Scholarship Fund; Minnie Price Scholarship | African-American Male Perspectives on Mother's Influence | Deanna Wilkinson, HDFS |
| Sarah L. Watson* | Mabel Sarbaugh Undergraduate Honors Scholarship In Human Ecology; Joseph J. and Nina Mae Mattus Scholarship | Body Composition, Resting Metabolic Rate, and Dietary Habits of Female Athletes | Jackie Buell, HN |
| Kaitlin Woods | n/a | "Excess Body Fat Lessens the Metabolic Response to Cold Exposure" | Steven Devor, PAES |
| Jaclyn Young* | Hulda Ungericht Wells Scholarship Fund | Evaluation of the Breastfeeding Peer Helper Program in Ohio's WIC Program | Anne Smith, HN |
Abbreviations
- CS - Department of Consumer Sciences
- HDFS - Department of Human Development and Family Science
- HN - Department of Human Nutrition
- PAES - School of Physical Activity and Educational Services
© 2009 The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology. All Rights Reserved.
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