On Thursday, April 24, many Winona State University students and faculty members participated in a Research and Creative Achievement Day that showcased research efforts, innovations, creative ideas, senior projects, and more. A day of great pride for the university, smiles and excitement filled the Kryzsko ballroom as students explained their projects to those in attendance. The morning consisted of students presenting their research with poster boards and engaging in conversation with attendees, while the afternoon was an opportunity for faculty members to present the abstracts of their research or creative works.
Megan Gerlach is a first-year psychology major who was one of the student presenters. She worked with Dr. Joseph West, chemistry professor at Winona State, to identify if certain chemical structures were listed in databases so that if they were not published, other students could do so.
“I want to do research when I’m older,” Gerlach said. “So I thought this was a really good way to get a start on that, because I think the whole process definitely differs based on what you’re doing and what your topic is.”
Another interesting research project was done by fourth-year nursing students Lauren Cahalan and Kierra Pickard on the effects of prior direct patient care on undergraduate nursing students’ anxiety and self-confidence while they’re in the nursing program. From surveying 294 nursing students from the Winona and Rochester campuses, Cahalan said,
“We found that the more experiences that students have, the less anxiety that they have and more self-confidence they have.” Pickard said, “I think we’re most proud that we were able to do this mostly by ourselves. We did have help from two professors, but I think we really did all of it pretty much by ourselves and just had a little help from them— and then just seeing the final product, I think we’re really proud of this.”
Fourth year I-Design major Madison Ketterling had a slightly different project to present—she designed a fidget toy for adults with OCD, ADHD, and anxiety. She says that most fidget toys are designed for children, which leaves adults who have the same conditions children have like OCD or ADHD without something to fidget with, relieving stress or tension. Ketterling designed this for her senior project and used a 3-D printer to create the final product.
“I did a lot of research with it,” Ketterling said, “And I just wanted it to be shown, to be honest. [This] could be beneficial to everyone.” She is now exploring the possibility of creating an online shop to sell her fidget toy.
Toward the beginning of the day, Winona State president, Dr. Kenneth Janz, addressed those in attendance.
“Thank you for sharing, thank you for showing up and exemplifying exactly what it means to be a Winona State warrior. Thank you.” Janz said.
He and many others expressed their gratitude for the hard work the students put in to presenting the things they learned.
These students were just three of the many projects presented during Research and Creative Achievement Day. The day truly showcased how much hard work both students and faculty put into research, academic excellence, and propelling forward not only the university, but the future of our country and world.
