Seven Wartburg College students and one faculty member recently presented their research at the National Science Teaching Association National Conference on Science Education in Denver, Colorado.
Mikayla Prusha, Kaylyn Hoth, Annie Dietz, Keli Potter, Alex Holden, Michael Holderness and Kate Heithoff presented their work to an audience of science teachers and administrators from all 50 states and several countries. The research and conference attendance were supported by Wartburg’s undergraduate research program, Student Senate, and the college’s NSTA chapter.
Prusha and Hoth presented their research, “Understanding the Ways Physical, Audio and eBooks Affect Comprehension: A Qualitative Case Study.” Prusha, a fourth-year elementary education major, also presented an independent research project on ants and how they can be incorporated into the classroom.
“I worked one-on-one with a high school student from Waverly-Shell Rock who has autism. He really likes ants so we decided to see how we could combine his interest in ants and my background in education,” said Prusha. “Dr. Bechtel got me in contact with the school and the student, then we started meeting weekly for an hour. It was all an amazing experience, which will be extremely valuable for my future in teaching.”
Dietz and Potter presented their research, “The Effects of Biophilia on Secondary Science Classrooms on Motivation, Retention and Academic Success.” Their research will continue. Holden and Holderness presented their yearlong research and work with Green Iowa AmeriCorps, “Composting with Cockroaches in Northeast Iowa K-12 Schools.” Lexi Brown, who is currently student teaching in Alaska, also worked on this project.
“Lexi was the driving force for blapticomposting, or composting with cockroaches, in Cedar Valley schools,” said Michael Bechtel, a science education professor at Wartburg. “Michael and Alex helped her create and refine her Next Generation Science Standards-aligned lesson plans, which were requested at the conference.”
Heithoff presented her research, “Pineapples in Plastic,” which focused on ways to grow pineapples in a one-gallon hydroponic system.
“I am extremely thankful for this experience. None of this would have been possible without Dr. Bechtel’s guidance and assistance,” said Heithoff. “Presenting at the NSTA national conference will be something I gratefully look back on for the rest of my life. It was an amazing experience that I would not have had at any other institution.”
Bechtel also presented his research, “Bat Houses to Reduce Malaria Infections and International Progress,” which proposes next steps for building sustainable bat houses in tropical areas.
“I am very proud of our Wartburg students and thankful I am able to work with such devoted individuals,” said Bechtel.