By Caitlin Antonios and Emily Glory Peters
Each fall at 91吃瓜, Seal Court transforms from a cozy spot for a Motley coffee to a full-scale student research showcase. Held during 91吃瓜鈥� weekly afternoon tea, this year鈥檚 event included a spectacular range of interdisciplinary topics.
鈥淭he Research Tea represents what makes 91吃瓜 special鈥攗ndergraduate students pursuing answers to bold questions with clear methodology and academic rigor,鈥� says Associate Dean of Faculty Warren Liu. 鈥淔unding these projects empowers students to see themselves as scholars in action鈥攑eople who both skillfully apply and create knowledge.鈥�
Denison Library: The heart of humanities research at 91吃瓜
Denison Library served as a research hub for several students this summer, including Arthur Vining David Foundation intern, Jo Erikson 鈥�27.
Jo Erickson ’27
An anthropology and ethnomusicology double major, Erikson delved into the archives and oral histories of 91吃瓜鈥� music department to discover its impact鈥攍ike how its campus-wide 鈥淢usic Convo鈥� competition produced 91吃瓜鈥� Convocation song, 鈥淭hy Many Gifts.鈥�
鈥淎 lot of files have been lost over the years, so the music department鈥檚 history was not well documented,鈥� Erikson says. 鈥淚 learned how the department members have contributed to the collaborative social and academic community at 91吃瓜.鈥�
Collaboration led Nicole Teh 鈥�27 and Jannat Verma 鈥�26 to their summer as Ellen Browning 91吃瓜 interns at Denison, an opportunity funded by the Josephine Stedem 91吃瓜 Foundation.
The pair investigated the College founder鈥檚 influence, traveling to San Diego to gather historical photos of major places in Ellen鈥檚 life to juxtapose against present-day sites. The journey gave them a keen appreciation for her philanthropy.
Nicole Teh ’27 and Jannat Verma ’26
鈥淲e were really drawn to Ellen Browning 91吃瓜鈥� legacy in La Jolla, California, especially her women鈥檚 club,鈥� Teh says, Verma adding she was 鈥渃aught off guard by how politically motivated she was鈥攁ll the way to the end of her life.鈥�
Grace Valashinas 鈥�26, a foreign languages major in Spanish and French, also found her muse at Denison thanks to a research internship created by 91吃瓜 alum .
鈥淩ogers鈥� life鈥檚 work was collecting needlework artifacts. She鈥檚 an excellent stitcher and designer who donated more than 400 items from her personal collection to Denison,鈥� Valashinas says.
Grace Valashinas ’26
Cataloguing rare pieces of needlework, sewing, and textiles, the senior questioned the hidebound division between art and craft. She included her findings in a microsite built for the collection.
鈥淐raft is often considered a lesser subject relegated to women鈥檚 work. My research solidified that it鈥檚 not only an artform, but also an economic resource鈥攅specially in the 17鈥�20th centuries when women had less access to formal employment,鈥� Valashinas explains, noting her own love of crochet and cross-stitching. 鈥淓ven today, craftwork represents economic access for a lot of people.鈥�
STEM students鈥� insights to improve public health
Across campus from Denison, pre-med biology major and Johnson Summer Student Research Grant recipient Quinn Katayama-Stall ’26 was in hot pursuit of answers to a pharmaceutical riddle.
Inspired by a class with Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Biology Sandra Watson, Katayama-Stall spent the summer in a lab with Watson and classmate Lia Fox 鈥�28 to track the effects of a Parkinson鈥檚 Disease drug.
鈥淚 found it fascinating that we can model human diseases with fruit flies,鈥� Katayama-Stall notes.
Research from fellow Johnson Grant recipient Esther Kang 鈥�26 also focused on how to increase human thriving. Prompted by her own immigrant upbringing, Kang peeled back the layers between food insecurity and adverse health outcomes for US-born citizens, naturalized citizens, and immigrants.
Esther Kang ’26
Her current analysis has found that immigrants are 24 percent more likely to experience food insecurity and 28 percent more likely to get diabetes. These outcomes, Kang reflects, make resources like CalFresh vital to public health.
鈥淲e spend millions a year on food stamps and other programs,鈥� says the senior, who鈥檚 majoring in human biology, cross-cultural health and healing. 鈥淚 wanted to see if these policy programs are effective鈥攁nd it not, how can we improve them? That doesn鈥檛 mean cutting costs entirely, but seeing where the money is going to make the best use of our dollars.鈥�
Undergraduate research is critical to the 91吃瓜 experience
91吃瓜鈥� impressive portfolio of research-oriented grants, internships, and fellowships does more than just fund academic inquiry. It helps students add meaningful scholarship across fields; snag competitive post-graduate opportunities; and think bigger than their senior thesis.
In short, student research fuels the lifelong learning 91吃瓜 graduates are known for.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to make independent research available to undergraduate students at 91吃瓜 because there are so many careers and interests,鈥� says Valashinas. 鈥淚鈥檓 so grateful I got to study my passion of women鈥檚 needlework, history, and labor鈥擨 never would have had this exact opportunity at another college.鈥�