OSHKOSH—Senior chemistry student Hailey Johnson won first place in the WiSys Quick Pitch @ UW Oshkosh on March 2.
The student “pitch” competition inspires UW System students to consider the impact of their research and effectively communicate it to the public. Students have three minutes to impress a panel of judges with their pitch.
PHOTOS: WiSys Quick Pitch @ UW Oshkosh
Johnson’s winning presentation was titled “Ligand Gated Ion Channels as Drug Targets to Kill Blood-Dwelling Parasitic Flatworms.” The first place finish comes with a $450 prize and a spot in the WiSys Quick Pitch State Final later in the year.
Johnson’s faculty advisor is UW Oshkosh Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Dr. John Chan.
SECOND PLACE
Senior mechanical engineering technology student Drosianos Louvaris took second place and a $250 prize in the competition with the presentation “Applications of Information Theory on Allostery and Nanomechanical Communication.”
Louvaris’ faculty advisor is UW Oshkosh Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology Dr. Ahmed Nasif.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Senior history major Liseng Xiong was awarded the event’s People’s Choice Award, which was voted on by the audience, for the presentation “Cia Siab In Wisconsin: A HMoob Story.”
Xiong’s faculty advisor on the project is UW Oshkosh Assistant Professor of Hmong Studies Dr. Dr. Mai See Thao.
Overall, 12 students participated in this year’s campus competition. The other presenters included:
- Brian Conway, “Evidence of Fighting Behavior in the Horned Dinosaurs.”
- Nick Morrissey, “On the Context and Implications of Mike Winkelmann.”
- Joey Reddin, “Impact of Voter ID Laws on Turnout.”
- Megan Scanlon, “Occurrence of Deinococcus in Lake Winnebago During Seasonal Temperature Change.”
- Adanna Okeke, “Understanding the impact of COVID on Students’ Learning.”
- Emmy Carrick, “ADHD and Creative Writing: A Case Study.”
- Mackenzie Seymour, “Manganese Homeostasis in Bacteria: Interaction of the Small Protein MntS and Manganese Exporter MntP in E. coli.”
- Anissa Garcia, “How Bratz & Barbie Dolls Inform Attitudes About Race.”
- Emily Thomas, “Dinosaurs in the Classroom: Geosciences in K-12.”
The prizes were partially funded by UW Oshkosh Office of Student Research & Creative Activity.
For more information about the WiSys Quick Pitch Program, visit wisys.org/quickpitch.
WiSys is a nonprofit organization that works with faculty, staff, students and alumni of the UW System to facilitate cutting-edge research programs, develop and commercialize discoveries and foster a spirit of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the state.