Each month, Capital University takes immense pride in showcasing the remarkable accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students. These achievements, ranging from groundbreaking research and innovative projects to significant contributions in various fields, reflect the vibrant intellectual community and commitment to excellence that define our institution. Join us in applauding these milestones and the individuals who are not only advancing their respective disciplines but also shaping the future of our university and community.
Congratulations to the students who presented their scholarship at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. Caitlyn Arheit, mentored by Stephanie Gray Wilson (psychology), presented Participation and Perception of a University's Counseling Services – this work was also presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association Conference. Jillian Fitzpatrick, mentored by Christine Anderson (biology), presented Infection Rates of Chytrid Fungus and Ranavirus in Amphibians from Southeastern and Central Ohio. Natalie Melert, Katherine Freeland, and Jia Campbell, mentored by Jennifer Larson (biology) and John Mersfelder (biology), presented Academic Stress of Undergraduate Students Affecting Dental Caries. Mersfelder also mentored Kaitlyn Fraser and Courtney Carpenter who presented Antibiotic Resistance of Canadian Geese in Central Ohio. Isabelle Hanning, mentored by Andy Carlson (history), presented The Unsung Heroes of the Underground Railroad: The Role of Free Black Communities and Leaders. Aaron Reising, mentored by Dina Lentsner (music) and Jamie Blake (music), presented Glocal Identity of Contemporary Estonian Music Culture. Lentsner also mentored Murray Robertson who presented FilterINg the Noise: A Digital Method in Composing with Filters and Recorded Sounds. Mia Sanchez, Ryan Suever, Lazaro Fuentes, Sadie Weaver, and Stevyn Butts mentored by Kimberly Heym (biology), presented The Use of Thermal Imaging to Compare Skin Surface Temperature in Long Distance Runners and Age-matched Controls After Running an 8-minute Mile. Kelcie Schnitzler, mentored by Laura Boser-Kane (criminology), presented Law Enforcement Officers' Perceptions of Dropped Charges – this work was also presented at the North Central Sociological Association. Michelle Soto, Taylor Roberts, and Katherine Stranger, mentored by Andrea M. Karkowski (psychology), presented Let's Make Online Learning More Effective. Kudos to the students and their mentors.
The Chimes staff received several awards in the division B category from the Ohio News Media Association during its Columbus convention April 3. Adrian Suppes, editor in chief, and Charlie Rinehart, social media editor, earned a First Place in the Best Multi Media Package for “Key financial takeaways from university finances”. Tatiana Sullivan, website editor, received a Second Place for Best Website. The staff shared a Third Place for Best Newspaper Design. Congratulations to the Chimes Staff and their advisor, Kelly Messinger (English).
Kudos to Chad Payton (music) who presented Strategies for Incorporating Student-Centered Learning Techniques into your Applied Studio and Vocal Pedagogy Classrooms at the Ohio National Association of Teachers of Singing Spring Workshop. Presentations at this year's OH NATS Spring Workshop were selected through peer review. Capital University hosted this workshop for a day of professional development sessions geared towards current university voice teachers, private studio teachers, and collaborative pianists. Peyton’s session offered ways to actively push against the master/pupil mentality in teaching applied lessons, in particular. Attendees left with articles, examples of labs and classroom activities, and book recommendations for further study. Peyton remarked "As students continue to evolve, we owe it to them and ourselves to lean into professional development opportunities to revisit our pedagogies, feedback, and classroom structures so we are enlivening the learning environment." Nicely done!
Congratulations to Thomas Zugger (music) and Ishbah Cox (music) who presented Processed Based Instruction for Rehearsals and Classrooms at the Ohio Music Educators Conference. Zugger also premiered and published Scenes from the Road, a three-movement music composition for Brass quintet, through Cimarron Music. Great work!
Congratulations to Jon Stadler (mathematics) who served on a panel discussing entitled Engaging Students in Mathematics & Statistics: Strategies for Inside and Outside the Classroom. The panelists were the three state teaching award winners who discussed how they have engaged students and build community. The panel discussions were held at the 2025 Trisection Meeting Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio Sections of the Mathematical Association of America.
Kudos to Roxana Vatanparast (law school) who published Is Fairness in Digital Governance a Trap? in the European Journal of Legal Studies. The work was featured in a symposium that brought together a collection of perspectives to unpack different facets and functions of the language of fairness in digital governance. The symposium moved beyond a concern with algorithmic fairness and liberal norms of non-discrimination to critically examine the broader functions of the concept of fairness in the digital governance landscape around the world – whether in terms of the limits of procedural fairness as a means of addressing questions of online platform governance, the concepts of fairness implicitly embedded in different narratives related to digital health governance, or the limits of the concept of fairness as a means of appraising the deployment of machine learning technologies in modern warfare.