Graduating seniors of Newman University shared their research in the form of poster projects and presentations during a bustling Scholars Day on May 8.
Scholars Day is held during Newman finals week and allows students to present capstone research to an audience on campus. This May, students presented more than 90 projects. Topics ranged from misconceptions in veterinary medicine and exploring grief to prenatal sonography and practical cybersecurity.
Read on for a more in-depth look at five featured research topics.
Personal journey inspires epilepsy research
As a biology major with a pre-med concentration, Shelby Bussman said her own childhood experience with epilepsy inspired both her career path and her Scholars Day project.
“I had epilepsy when I was a kid, and I eventually got surgery in 2017 when I was 13 years old,” Bussman said. “I was resistant against anti-epileptic medications. … If I didn’t get this surgery, I wasn’t going to live much further.”
Bussman, who hails from Derby, Kansas, presented research titled “Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy and Glycolytic Enzymopathy: Ketogenic Diet-Mediated Improvements in Seizure Recovery Dynamics Using Drosophila Melanogaster.”
Her presentation explored treatment options for refractory epilepsy — a form of epilepsy resistant to medication — and examined the potential benefits of ketogenic diets for patients.
Bussman said she hoped people left her presentation with a broader understanding of epilepsy.
“There isn’t just one kind of epilepsy,” she said. “Every case is different. Their symptoms, their triggers, the way we treat them … it’s all different.”
After graduation, Bussman plans to take a gap year and apply for Case Western Reserve University’s neurology residency in Cleveland.
International student creates marketing plan for Sephora
Senior Nicole Bono of Milan, Italy, presented a marketing project titled “Sephora’s Marketing Plan.”
Bono, who double majored in business management and marketing, said her passion for beauty and skincare inspired the project. Her project focused on strategies to help Sephora better connect with younger audiences through social media.
“My main takeaway is that all the companies can improve even though they’re great already,” Bono said. “With my marketing plan, I wanted to reach a lot of new people like Gen Z and millennials on Instagram through tutorials, influencers or brand ambassadors.”
After graduation, Bono plans to return to Italy to pursue a master’s degree in marketing or leadership while working with her family’s company.
Research focuses on athlete health and recovery
Kaven Bartlett of Louisburg, Kansas, presented research examining “The Effects of High Intensity Training on Mucus Immunity and Upper Respiratory Risk Infection in Athletes.”
Bartlett’s Scholars Day research focused on helping athletes stay healthy during periods of intense training and competition, specifically by studying the effects of carbohydrates and sleep recovery.
Bartlett, a biology major with a pre-physician assistant concentration, said his long-term goal is to work in orthopedic surgery.
“I started in the rad tech program here, but I wanted to be a little more involved in surgery, traumas … helping repair someone to make sure that they can go along in the future and be okay,” Bartlett said.
Beyond his research project, Bartlett said Newman’s hands-on academic environment helped prepare him for a future medical career.
“Some schools make you memorize stuff, but Newman actually implements it and helps you understand before going into the medical field,” he said.
Students spotlight behind-the-scenes athletics work
Sports media and promotion majors Hannah Nordby and Kinyon DeCorte collaborated on a presentation titled “More Than the Game: Behind the Scenes of Athletic Performance.”
Nordby, a senior from Redlands, California, said the project highlighted the work that happens off the field during college athletic events.
“Everybody knows what goes on game day on the field, but nobody truly understands what goes into a game day behind the scenes — social media-wise, graphic-wise or photography-wise,” Nordby said.
The pair used experiences from their internships and athletic media work to demonstrate how to prepare content for athletic games.
“It was just really neat to show other people what we did and what we got to learn,” said DeCorte, who hails from Bentonville, Arkansas.
Nordby said one lesson she learned involves sports photography preparation.
“When taking photos, you’re not reacting, you’re predicting,” she said. “You’re supposed to anticipate what’s going to happen in the game in order to get that right action shot.”
DeCorte encouraged students to “never give up” when attempting creative work.
“We started from the bottom and then we got better,” she said. “Just have confidence in yourself.”
Accounting student reflects on AI
Accounting student Cole Munley of Wichita presented a project titled “How AI is Transforming the World of Accounting.”
Munley said his interest in numbers combined naturally with a fascination for emerging artificial intelligence.
“I’m just very interested in AI and seeing how powerful it is now,” Munley said. “I’m so interested to see what it could become.”
His presentation explored how automation and AI tools reshape accounting tasks and workflows, primarily through automation.
Munley said he hopes to work in a role that allows him to implement evolving AI technologies. He also believes accounting education will continue adapting as AI evolves.
“I think it’s a huge tool that is coming around everywhere,” Munley said. “I think we just need to get a better understanding of it.”
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