Andrews University students regularly participate in research at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Often, students learn about research opportunities unique to their areas of study from professors, who then mentor the students from a project’s start to finish. These practical experiences benefit students both academically and as they establish credibility in their professional fields.
Madison Vath, English major
The opportunity to present my research at the Midwest Modern Language Association (MMLA) came about after wrapping up my J.N. Andrews Honors Program thesis. My project, a literary analysis of Greta Gerwig’s film “Little Women” (2019), specifically centered on the character of Jo March’s authorship journey and her dependence on her community of sisters. The project was inspired by research done in classes with Dr. Kristin Denslow and Dr. L. Monique Pittman. One day, my thesis advisor, Dr. Denslow, called me into her office with the opportunity to submit an abstract to MMLA, and a month later, I received an acceptance email from the association!
The conference, which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in November, was a wonderful experience. I met warm, enthusiastic scholars in my session with whom I engaged in wonderful conversation and received helpful feedback on my project from the session moderator. Overall, it was very enriching, and I would definitely recommend future students take the opportunity to do student research. Participating in research provides undergraduate students with professional experiences that prepare them for graduate school and future careers. Because I have plans to pursue an academic career in library sciences, I know that more conferences will be in my future, and I’m incredibly thankful that I was able to “get my feet wet” here in undergrad.
Contribute to the Department of English at andrews.edu/go/give/englfm.
Erica Howell, speech-language pathology graduate student
During my first year as a graduate student studying speech-language pathology at Andrews University, I was invited to co-author a textbook chapter called “Acquired Neurological Disorders: Implications of Facial Expression in Communication Disorders” with Dr. Marileda Cattelan Tomé, a professor of speech-language pathology, and Kristin Burgess, a second-year graduate student. The chapter was published in “Facial Mimicry, Facial Expression, and Gesture in Human Development.”
Nonverbal aspects of communication, such as facial expression, play a significant role in the process of communication, and speech-language pathologists can contribute to assessing and treating facial expression dysfunction. While some graduate-level courses provided surface-level information regarding facial expression, this topic was relatively unfamiliar to me when I began this project. Writing this chapter gave me the opportunity to read, study and synthesize the research surrounding the impacts of various neurological disorders, including stroke, dysarthria and dementia, on facial expression production.
This was my first time working on a project of this scale, so collaborating with Dr. Tomé and Kristin to research and write a full-length chapter was a unique challenge that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. It allowed me to deepen my understanding of class content, improve my research and writing skills, build my confidence and gain knowledge I can apply in a clinical setting.
Contribute to the School of Communication Sciences & Disorders at andrews.edu/go/give/scsdfm.
