Trine students win awards at STEM Symposium

ANGOLA, Ind. (12/11/2024) — Trine University students have been honored for projects presented at the university's eighth annual STEM Research and Design Symposium, held Thursday, Dec. 5, on the concourse of the MTI Center.

The symposium featured 52 student projects representing multiple academic departments. Projects included departmental freshman and research projects as well as Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU).

Awards were presented in the following categories:

Best REU: Peyton Schuring, a biology major from Portage, Michigan, "Round Goby Roundup: Estimating Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) Population Size in Relation to Goby Length."

Honorable Mention, REU: Jake Doyle, a chemical engineering major from Marengo, Illinois, "Carbon Nanocage Enclosed Nickel Sulfide Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction." Natalie Crowner, a chemical engineering major from Saline, Michigan, "Forming Adsorptive Microparticles to Enable Continuous Solute Removal Processes."

Best Trine Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering: Biomedical engineering majors Cooper Clark of Holiday City, Ohio, Kara Harris of Plainfield, Indiana, Fatima Naji of Coldwater, Michigan, and Colin Shriver of Douglas, Michigan, "EMG and Force Plate Analysis of Reflexive Responses to an External Force in Different Environmental Settings."

Honorable Mention, Trine Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering: Biomedical engineering majors Jessica Bailey of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Kristin Baker of Green Springs, Ohio, Elizabeth Larson of Angola, Indiana, and Kaden Senetra of Waynesville, Ohio, and chemical engineering major Allison Korpi of Gladstone, Michigan, "Developing a Skin Model for Studying Host-Microorganism Interactions in Hypoxia."

Best Trine Undergraduate Research in Chemical Engineering: Chemical engineering majors Natalie Crowner of Saline, Michigan, and Dean Campbell of Batesville, Indiana, "Abrasion Resistant Coating for Fiber Optic Cables." Chemical engineering majors Alyssa Keptner of Midland, Michigan, and Haley Hartmann of Winimac, Indiana, "Quick Dry Coating for Fiber Optic Cables."

Honorable Mention, Trine Undergraduate Research in Chemical Engineering: Chemical engineering majors Lydia Randolph of Jefferson, Ohio, Joshua Scott of Ossian, Indiana, and Marshall Beebe of Nappanee, Indiana, "Soot Recovery System." Chemical engineering majors Madison Ruen of Antwerp, Ohio, Taylor Early of Angola, Indiana, and Aaron Phillips of Marengo, Illinois, "Transforming Waste Tires into Valuable Products."

Best Trine Undergraduate Research in Exercise Science: Exercise science major Kade Fuelling of Decatur, Indiana, "Improving Vertical Jump Height in Female Athletes through Plyometric Training."

Honorable Mention, Trine Undergraduate Research in Exercise Science: Exercise science major Ellie Essenberg of Middleville, Michigan, "Effects of Endoscopic Craniectomy with Helmet Therapy or Spring-Mediated Cranioplasty on Infants with Sagittal Craniosynostosis." Psychology major Calista Richmond of Portage, Michigan, "Sports Performance Anxiety in Collegiate Male Athletes." Exercise science major Macy Huber of Greenfield, Indiana, "Does Virtual Reality Training Improve Chronic Ankle Instability in Female Adolescent Soccer Players?" Exercise science major Mekhi Simmons of Beech Grove, Indiana, "Capstone: Research Design."

Best Freshman Project in Biomedical Engineering: Biomedical engineering majors Izabelle Dominski of Carol Stream, Illinois, and Jacqueline Ward of Lake Villa, Illinois, "Design and Development of Custom 3D Printed Prosthetic Limbs."

Honorable Mention, Freshman Project in Biomedical Engineering: Biomedical engineering majors Adilyn Smith of Angola, Indiana, and Cal Wilhelm of Hudson, Indiana, "The Future of Wearable Health Monitors." Biomedical engineering major Camron Schlegel of Wauseon, Ohio, "Exoskeletons In Our World."

People's Choice: Chemical engineering major Marshall Beebe of Nappanee, Indiana, "Bio-Based Epoxy-Modified Pine Fibers to Reinforce Polylactic Acid and Polyhydroxybutyrate."

Honorable Mention, People's Choice: Biomedical engineering majors Kaeli Sterling of Prior Lake, Minnesota, and Carley Thomas of Milroy, Indiana, "Nature Inspired Innovation."

Media Attachments

Natalie Crowner, a chemical engineering major from Saline, Michigan, earned Honorable Mention, REU, for “Forming Adsorptive Microparticles to Enable Continuous Solute Removal Processes.” (Photo by Shawn Julian / Trine University)

Biomedical engineering majors, from left, Fatima Naji of Coldwater, Michigan, Kara Harris of Plainfield, Indiana, and Colin Shriver of Douglas, Michigan, were part of a group that won Best Trine Undergraduate Research in Biomedical Engineering. (Photo by Shawn Julian / Trine University)

Biomedical engineering major Camron Schlegel of Wauseon, Ohio, received Honorable Mention for a Freshman Project in Biomedical Engineering for “Exoskeletons In Our World.” (Photo by Shawn Julian / Trine University)

Chemical engineering majors Alyssa Keptner of Midland, Michigan, and Haley Hartmann of Winimac, Indiana, were honored for Best Trine Undergraduate Research in Chemical Engineering for “Quick Dry Coating for Fiber Optic Cables.” (Photo by Shawn Julian / Trine University)

Chemical engineering major Marshall Beebe of Nappanee, Indiana, received the People's Choice Award for “Bio-Based Epoxy-Modified Pine Fibers to Reinforce Polylactic Acid and Polyhydroxybutyrate.” (Photo by Shawn Julian / Trine University)

Psychology major Calista Richmond of Portage, Michigan, right, received Honorable Mention, Trine Undergraduate Research in Exercise Science, for “Sports Performance Anxiety in Collegiate Male Athletes.” (Photo by Shawn Julian / Trine University)

Exercise science major Kade Fuelling of Decatur, Indiana, was honored for Best Trine Undergraduate Research in Exercise Science for “Improving Vertical Jump Height in Female Athletes through Plyometric Training.” Photo by Shawn Julian / Trine University)