MACOMB/Moline, IL – – Western Illinois University students participated in the 2022 WIU-Quad Cities and Online Student Research Conference April 25-29. A few students participated in live session recordings April 22 on campus.

The conference is a celebration of the scholarly research and creative performance being carried out by students with their faculty mentors at WIU and featured pre-recorded and live scholarly presentations by WIU students. Vice President for Quad Cities Campus Operations Kristi Mindrup gave the keynote presentation.

Health and Education: Health Science and Special Education

• • Effects of the Token Economy System in an Autistic Classroom by Special Education graduate student Katherine Majewski, mentored by Education Assistant Professor Kristin Wiseley.

• • Effect of Check and Connect on Student Engagement in a Secondary Classroom by Special Education graduate student Lindsey Gooding, mentored by Education Professor Christine J. Anderson.

• • Reward Charts and Overall Effects on Reading Growth by Special Education graduate student Janine Olson, mentored by Education Assistant Professor Kristin Wiseley.

• • The Impact of Targeted Fluency Intervention on Reading Comprehension by Special Education graduate student Cheryn Ramos, mentored by Education Assistant Professor Kristin Wiseley.

• • Using Visual Manipulative to Enhance Math Instruction by Special Education graduate student Jodi Thompson, mentored by Education Professor Christine J. Anderson.

• • Self-Monitoring for Executive Functioning by Special Education graduate student Tessa Blakey, mentored by Education Assistant Professor Kristin Wiseley.

• • Impact of Behavior Specific Praise on Student Behaviors and Academics by Special Education graduate student Stacie Drake, mentored by Education Professor Christine J. Anderson.

• • The Revival of Health Care Ethics in the COVID-19 Pandemic by senior Health Services Management major Maille Francis, mentored by Health Sciences and Social Work Associate Professor Hal Marchand.

STEM: Science, General, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

• • The Development of a Biodegradable Mask by Alternative Teacher Licensure graduate students Cesar Garcia and Elizabeth Levenda, mentored by Department of Physics Chair Kishor T. Kapale.

• • The Mechanical Design and Construction of an Autonomous Vehicle by Mechanical Engineering students Kenneth VanDusseldorp, Torrence Johnson and Joseph Spawn, mentored by Engineering Associate Professor II-Seop Shin.

• • Autonomous Vehicle Light State Communication Subsystem by Mechanical Engineering student Joe Spawn and Electrical Engineering student Collin Antolik, mentored by Engineering Associate Professor II-Seop Shin.

• • Pleasant Valley Junior-High School Improvement Project by Civil Engineering students Lyndy Muller, Lindsay Holmes, Aleah Pannell and Engineering student Bradley Cockerill, mentored by Engineering Associate Professor Blair McDonald.

Liberal Arts: LAS and Psychology

• • Trauma Manifestation and Recovery in Pixar’s Inside Out and Laurie Anderson’s Speak by graduate student Sarah Wright, mentored by English Professor Everett Hamner.

• • The Pandemic’s Effects on Attitudes Toward Parenthood and Mental Health by Psychology student Shaniya Wiley, mentored by Psychology Professor Colin R. Harbke.

• • The COVID-19 Pandemic: Stimulating a Global Search for Meaning by graduate student Susan J. Anderson, mentored by Psychology Professor Colin R. Harbke.

• • Anti-social Attitudes and Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic by Management student Theresa L. Schulz, mentored by Psychology Professor Colin R. Harbke.

Live Program Research: STEM: Science, General, Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

• • DC Motors Speed Control by Mechanical Engineering student Caleb Engebrecht and Electrical Engineering student Immanuel Smith.

• • Autonomous Vehicle Navigation and Control System by Mechanical Engineering students Caleb Engebrecht and Justine Kyle.

• • Ultrasonic Object Detection and Distance Measurement by Electrical Engineering students Larry Ferguson and Immanuel Smith.

• • Arduino PID Ball Balance System by Electrical Engineering students Collin Antolik and Caiyun Wurslin.

• • The Pendulum Wave by Electrical Engineering student Noah Seys.

“I am very proud and thankful for our faculty who have mentored their student research and projects, and for our students who have persisted in exploring new ideas and new areas of knowledge in spite of the many obstacles of this past year,” said Physics Professor and Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences James Rabchuk. “I am especially thankful for Dr. Mindrup’s keynote presentation, which demonstrated in a unique way how a journey that starts at WIU can take a student in so many unexpected and exciting directions, in many ways because of the research experiences students get while being here.”

To view the research projects, visit bit.ly/3kBDnlj.

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Sean Leary Director of Digital Media

Sean Leary is an author, director, artist, musician, producer and entrepreneur who has been writing professionally since debuting at age 11 in the pages of the Comics Buyers Guide. An honors graduate of the University of Southern California masters program, he has written over 50 books including the best-sellers The Arimathean, Every Number is Lucky to Someone and We Are All Characters.