Celebration of Creative Inquiry: Minds at Work (NEWS)

Last weekend, the college partook in festivities to celebrate the hard work and the achievements of its best and brightest students. On Friday, Honors Weekend began with the Celebration of Creative Inquiry, a forum in which Gustavus students could present the research and studies they’ve been working on throughout the year. It was held in the conference and dining rooms of the Charles Jackson Campus Center, allowing guests to meander through the numerous displays and presentations.

With about 100 submissions this year and over 180 participants the event drew a large crowd from Gustavus faculty, staff, students, and family as well as others from the surrounding areas.

The Celebration for Creative Inquiry (CCI) has been held every year since 2008, though the Sigma Xi Research Symposium, a partner event, has been held for nearly 30 years. CCI began as a faculty workshop in 2007 which strove to find a way “to showcase student work across all disciplines (arts, humanities, social and natural sciences),” Dr. Thomas Huber, who serves as Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creativity, and has organized this event for the last five years, said.

Many of the students that participated in this event began their research at the beginning of spring semester as part of a class project, while others began their projects even earlier.

Students could also submit their findings from summer research or collaborative research with a faculty member. Student researchers then displayed their works with posters which included an abstract, research and/or experimentation, and their ultimate findings. Many of the researchers themselves were present at the event and were available to explain their research and answer questions.

By giving the event a fairly vague name such as “creative inquiry,” the founders allowed for any and all students to participate and present their studies.

“Creative inquiry is an intentionally broad term” that includes “asking a question that has not been asked before… is shaped by choices that the student made independently” or “a component of critical reflection,” states the college’s statement in the event’s program.

This event showcased the hard work of many students from several disciplines, drawing from 23 departments, which adds interest and diversity to the event.

The topics that were presented included a wide variety of subjects, including titles that ranged from Phenotypic Effects of TDNA Insertion Mutations in the Arabidopsis thaliana S15-4 Ribosomal Protein Gene (Senior Kelsey Lenhart), to The Spatial Relationship Between Precipitation and Drought Effects in the San Joaquin Valley ( Sophomore Gwen Saliares), to Rhetoric and Reality in Revolutionary Russia: The Bolshevik Agrarian Program ( Senior Izaak Hagen).

“Many of the projects have, or will be, presented at other regional or national conferences, such as the National Council on Undergraduate Research,” Huber said. Though many of these projects begin as class assignment, some are taken and fitted to be presented at other academic forums or competitions.

One of these, a group consisting of sophomores and juniors including Kassandra Pull, Matthew Dietz, Brian Hastings, and Janet Jennings began their project in November of 2015 in preparation for the IMPACT Competition through the Mayo Clinic last March.

Their research was entitled HERVs, Neurotoxic Maternal Immune Response, and the Development of Bipolar Disorder, which they presented at the Mayo’s symposium earlier in the spring. IMPACT, or Innovative Minds Partnering to Advance Curative Therapies, is an undergraduate research program sponsored by Regenerative Medicine Minnesota and is aimed at encouraging undergraduate students to create research models and procedures to find answers to unique  medical hypotheses.

“We placed second in the competition for research funding through Mayo,” says Sophomore Kassandra Pull and Matthew Dietz said, “but we had such a great time presenting. It was really hard and challenging, but it made this event seem like a piece of cake.”

After presenting their proposed research to the question “What is the non-genetic cause of bipolar disorder?” they were asked numerous questions by Mayo Clinic doctors and the program judges about their findings, which tested their knowledge of their topic and the soundness of their conclusions.

When asked about the importance of their research and presentation to the Gustavus community, the researchers responded they felt that creative inquiry was a good chance to show that there are a multitude of opportunities to do research outside of Gustavus and to be successful as well.

Additionally, Sophomore Avery Bather presented her research entitled Discovering My Voice: A Woman’s Journey through Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD) and Sexual Assault. Motivated by her own struggle with VCD in connection with trauma, she conducted her own research on the frequently misdiagnosed affliction.

Bather struggled with VCD for about a year and it affected her ability to sing, speak, and sometimes her ability to breathe. Through physical therapy and work with a speech pathologist, she is now on the road to recovery.

“[The research] grew out of a need,” Bather, referencing the fact that the condition is not well known or easily cured, said “I found that victims of sexual assault were at an especially high risk for VCD, and I wish to shed light on this unusual mind/body connection.”

Ultimately, the Celebration for Creative Inquiry is meant to encourage Gustavus students of all disciplines to pursue further investigation, to dig deeper, and discover new passions in all areas of academia.

By taking initiative to do individual research or partnering with a professor, students can learn important analytical skills and develop a good work ethic which will make students more attractive to employers after graduation.

“This is an opportunity for students to engage in many of the high-impact practices that will be valuable after graduation… Developing an abstract, preparing a poster, and then sharing this at the session encourages essential oral and written communication skills.

The students have an opportunity to communicate their project to individuals with strong expertise in an area as well as others who are unfamiliar with the area of study,” Huber said.

We look forward to seeing what our fellow Gusties have in store for us this summer and the 2016-2017 school year.