Earlham College Academic Fair
Join us on April 23, 2025 as Earlham College celebrates the outstanding work and achievements of students and faculty across the full range of the academic curriculum, including classes, collaborative research projects and creative performances. The event includes panel presentations, roundtables focused on group discussion, poster presentations, and musical performances.
Schedule of events
Morning concurrent Sessions (9-10 a.m.)
Various locations
In this roundtable, a product of our “Climate Fiction” course, we will discuss some keys issues in fictional stories about climate change and what difference those stories can make in the world. We will engage issues such as: the relation of climate fiction to climate science; the potential effects on readers of (post)apocalyptic or dystopic as opposed to realist or optimistic stories; the role of emotions, such as fear vs. hope, in motivating climate action; and challenges in representing the very large spatial and temporal scales of climate change in narratives that focus on specific human characters. We will also lead discussion about works of climate fiction that audience members have already encountered, in film as well as literature, and share a very short climate change story for people to read and discuss. Please join us in exploring whether climate fiction has the potential to generate significant change in people’s attitudes and responses towards climate change, including what kinds of stories might be most effective, in what ways.
“Catching Shadows” marimba duo by Ivan Trevino
Keith Cozart Steele and Jesse Danels will perform a marimba duo by Ivan Trevino, called Catching Shadows. The piece is approximately 8-10 minutes long, with multiple contrasting
sections and musical elements.
The Earlham Percussion Program Performance
Hand Drum Ensemble and Rhythm Project
Faculty leader: Keith Cozart Steele, [email protected]
Other participants: Jalen Ang, Liliana Cauende, Samadhi Chandrasena, Misha Feller, Noah Fitz, Logan Galliano, Arjun Lakshmipriya, Ulrik Midthun, Linh Nguyen, Ngoc Pham, Dayna Sarpong, Shun Suzuki, Musa Tora, Ray Zhao, Jacob McKnight, Jo Swanger, Chris Dintamam, Macey Shetler, Grace Baldwin, Ashlyn Bullock, Jesse Danels, John Doub, Rorey Murphy, Gannon Murray, Sarah Wilks, Alaina Webster, and Terran Jefferson.
The Hand Drum Ensemble and Earlham Rhythm Project will perform material from their Spring 2025 repertoire, featuring pieces composed by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Jim Riley,
Famoudou Konate and Keith Cozart Steele.
Japanese Drum Performance
Leader: Shun Suzuki
Other participants: Qais Alayasa, Cecilio Ribeiro, Carlos Lopez Campos
The student club, the Tenjin Japanese Drum Troupe, will play a Japanese drum performance. All the instruments are authentic, and the performance is based on one of the three biggest performances in Japan. The convener of this club, Shun Suzuki, is an international student from Japan and has been playing Japanese drums for more than 15 years. With more than 1,000 years of history, people in Japan have passed down this culture for many centuries. The significance of the drum performance includes worshipping the god of learning and praying for academic success. We will play a performance that you will never be able to see outside of Japan.
“RFID Applications in Race Timing,” by Shannon Milnickel
Commercial race timing products and services are expensive and often not user friendly. RFID timing solutions are common in cross-country, cycling, skiing, triathlon, etc. This senior capstone engineering design project looks at the problems of cost and user ability in alternative RFID timing solutions. The presentation showcases the expanded knowledge on the subject of RFID technology and the design aspects of hardware components in the system.
“Shame and the Feminine Subjectivity in Caché,” by Tae Sakazaki
According to Slavoj Žižek, when flushing the toilet, the excrement disappears from our reality into another space, which we know as a chaotic world. This paper discusses how the scenes ending with darkness in the film Caché indicate that characters in the film and the audience have flushed something disgusting—shame, not guilt. In addition, feminine subjectivity is crucial to confronting shame and escaping from the function of dependency. Flushing the toilet symbolizes reducing history into something monumental or complete. However, as Žižek says, because people believe something disgusting has disappeared, the ultimate horror is that what has been flushed away might return. Thus it is necessary to understand the impossibility of totality and chronological order.
Graduate Programs in Education (GPE) candidates have dedicated research to uncovering innovative strategies for enhancing athletic performance. In this presentation, M. Ed. candidates will unveil data-driven insights that bridge science and sport, offering valuable takeaways for coaches, athletes, and sports professionals alike. Topics include the impact of mindfulness techniques on softball performance, revealing how mental training can sharpen focus and elevate play. Discover how personality assessments can serve as a powerful tool in determining optimal soccer positions, leading to more cohesive and effective teams. Explore the role of Whoop bands in revolutionizing baseball pitching, with real-world data showcasing how wearable technology can refine mechanics. Join us for an engaging session where research meets application — providing fresh perspectives and actionable strategies to maximize athlete potential.
The history senior capstone project taught by Elana Passman brings together all graduating history majors to write an original thesis by conducting advanced primary and secondary research. A paper on “Perception of Gender roles and differences during Reunification Germany according to the ALLBUS Survey” will examine the ALLBUS Survey from the 1980s and compares it to subsequent surveys around the German Reunification era. The study aims to understand gender differences between East and West Germany, especially in relation to communist influence in East Germany. A paper on “Cincinnati’s Rapid Transit Disaster 1910-1925” explores the Cincinnati Subway, an abandoned project started in the early 1900s and ended due to funding problems after WWII. Now there are vacant tunnels underneath the city. This project examines the rise and fall of public transportation in early 1900’s Cincinnati.
Students graduating from the Sociology/Anthropology Department and the Media & Communications Program will present concise summaries of their Capstone Theses and/or Projects.
Aruna Bharati: “Media Through Generations”
Anahit Aharonyan: “Do I Dress Differently?”
Dale J. Thomas: “Building and Breaking Trust in Medical Spaces: Formal & Informal”
Yara B. Matar: “Politics of Belly Dance Collectives”
Wren S. Joyrich: “Love Trade: Exploitation of Youth in Tokyo’s Red Light District”
Poster sessions (10:15-11:45 a.m.)
Lilly Library main floor
1. Dorothy Pettet, “Senior Internship at Hand in Hand Adult Daycare”
2. Emma Shelton, “Bridging Gaps in Psychiatric Care: A Medical Humanities Perspective”
3. Macky Laughlin, “From Psychiatry to Public Health: A Journey of Medical Humanities”
4. Edy Byrum, “Centering Community in Healthcare: My Medical Humanities Experiences”
5. Aouss Azzouz, “My Medical Humanities Journey”
6. Niloy Barua, “The Human Side of Medicine: Integrating Science, Ethics, and Culture in Healthcare”
7. Jalyn Kelsey, “Medical Humanities Applied Minor Reflection on the CGH Costa Rica and Peru Outreach”
8. Jalyn Kelsey, “Study of ProXp-x Enzyme in D-Amino Acid Toxicity Using Constructed E. Coli Strains”
9. Luticia Youssef, Alana Weaver, “Exploring Sustainable Synthesis Methods for Quantum Dots”
10. Fabijan Bagaric, Yayah Barrie, “Progress toward Mechanism Determination of Hydrodehalogenation of Aryl Halides by Copper-Catalyzed Concurrent Tandem Catalysis Methodology”
11. Rafael Peres, “How National Narrative Shapes Great Power Competition”
12. Rafael Peres, “Spitting Images: Political AI Deepfake Tracker”
13. Bach Pham, “Prosody Analysis of Audiobooks”
14. Sam Kim, “Word Definitions from Large Language Models”
15. Noah Radtke Kishimoto, “Listening to Student Stories: A Human-Centered Approach to Improving College Healthcare Access”
16. Eric Potter, “Associations between Amygdala Connectivity and Experienced Discrimination in BIPOC Children”
17. Alexis Lynch, Lovie Malone, Abby Parsons, Amari Wright, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
18. Samadhi Chandrasena, Nosipho Mazibuko, Luticia Youssef, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
19. Shelby Hills, Michael King, Alana Smith, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
20. Luca Capano, Devabrat Das, Sophia Kerbleski, Kalla Sanchez, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
21. Celeste Borjas, Keaton Chestnut, Lyric Clark, Grey Garcia, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
22. Ontiretse Kgope, Katleho Mokhele, Tebutare Rukundo, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
23. Zoe Hinson, Erin Jones, Shelby Messer, Kylie Radburn, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
24. Hans Carter, Brock Loveall, Mac Moore, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
25. Mackenzie Davis, Oscar Gomez Aquino, Manntavious Goodman, Prynces Robinson, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
26. Kamdyn DePew, Tatum Rickert, Bella Wesler, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
27. Emily Dye, Eric Potter, Mallory Riche, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
28. Ben Craig, Michael Pacheco, Cleo Saltz, Sage Smith, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
29. Katelyn Trotto, Ashlin Pfeifer-Winborn, Rey Jensen-Sizelove, “Soundscapes and Sound Pollution: Biophony, Geophony, Anthropophony in Richmond, IN”
30. Reena Albina, Lavender Daniels, Ashlin Pfeifer-Winborn, “Social Psychology Replication Project”
31. Katie McCrystal, Aija Bowman, McCarley Keish, Sammy West, Ben Craig, “Wildlife Activity in Earlham College’s Backcampus Wetland”
32. Jenny Perez Alejandres, Michelle Marchesini Vanegas, Christopher Saldana, Javier Orduz, “Face Recognition: Foundations and a Case Study”
33 – Taye Ogundipe, “My Medical Humanities Journey”
Afternoon concurrent sessions (1:15-2:15 p.m.)
Various locations
Students will give an overview of their research this semester in the digital archives of the Portuguese Inquisition tribunal at Coimbra. Trends of persecution in the 16th and 17th centuries shed light on the experiences of Jewish communities that were subjected to forced conversion, violence, and public execution based on their ethnicity. This research in being conducted through Torre do Tombo, the National Archives of Portugal, for the class, “The Jews of Spain & Portugal,” as part of a larger research project led by professor Rebecca Wartell.
Join us to explore what we learn about art by interpreting it using the knowledge of disability studies and what we can learn about experiences of disability through making, experiencing, and studying art. This presentation comes from a student-faculty collaborative research project in which we read and discussed together, visited museums to interpret their accessibility, and conducted independent research into a variety of topics connecting art history to disability, chronic illness, and neurodivergence. Come see some art, learn about collaborative research, and share your own experiences.
Please note: There will be switch in rooms in the middle of this session, to accommodate performance needs
- A Journey in Sound (CVPA 150)
Ethan Rose
My music stems from my original work and is rooted in my journey. I am self-taught on the piano, and one of the songs I’ve created captures a significant time in my life during college. The song is called Rising to the Other Side. I made it during my sophomore year (now a junior), during one of the lowest points of my life of stepping away from college athletics because of my mental health. I named it Rising to the Other Side because it was my way of moving on from my past, incorporating the emotions I was experiencing and putting them into music and sound to tell my story. I used piano and created music to help me stand back on my two feet and inspire people to do the same when change happens. Creating this song was my coping and grieving process from facing a life I didn’t know how to live, yet making this song helped me find clarity and a better place to move forward. I’m looking forward to sharing Rising to the Other Side with you.
2. Javanese Gamelan Concert Preview (Lingle Recital Hall) starts at 1:30 pm
Faculty leader: Marc Benamou
Other participants: Malik Barrett, Marc Benamou (director), Dera Driscoll, Lucas Flores, Logan Galliano, Cyrus Garretson, Arjun Lakshmipriya, Yara Matar, Avin Newswanger, Aoi Maeda, August Nord, Blaise Rzeszut, Tae Sakazaki, Matthew Segvich, Emma Shelton, Sarah Wilks, and Grace Wilson.
Earlham’s Javanese Gamelan Ensemble (MUSG 127 and 327) will perform selected pieces from our upcoming program. A gamelan is a large set of instruments that are unique to Indonesia, consisting of tuned percussion, drums, and other instruments, to which vocal parts are often added. For this preview we will perform traditional pieces that are several centuries old, and we will explain some of the musical procedures, in the hopes that folks might better follow what is happening in the music. Audience members will be able to ask questions and to hear the instruments individually, as they are sometimes difficult to distinguish when they are all playing together. We will not have time for these explanations during the concert on April 26, which will also include pieces from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. That concert will feature renowned guest musicians Peni Candra Rini and Heri Purwanto, who will be coming, respectively, from Richmond, Virginia, and Buffalo, New York, where they are visiting from Indonesia. Dr. Rini is an outstanding vocalist and composer, and Mr. Purwanto is known as an ensemble leader, as well as for his drumming and his skill on the gendèr (double-mallet, tube-resonated metallophone).
This panel explores two case studies of US labor history, one in the context of the Lawrence Massachusetts strike of 1912 in studying the human reactions, both of kindness and greed, to the immigrant-led strike, and the second in the context of the 1955 Perfect Circle strike in Indiana and its subsequent investigation by the McClellan Committee, which analyzes themes of the performativity in anti-unionism. The history senior capstone project taught by Elana Passman brings together all graduating history majors to write an original thesis by conducting advanced primary and secondary research.
How can modern technology, policy, and movement shape engagement in education and the arts? This dynamic panel brings together M.Ed. and M.A.T. candidates from Graduate Programs in Education (GPE) who have explored innovative strategies to enhance student performance and community engagement. Come examine the power of Instagram as a tool to increase awareness and attendance at Earlham College’s arts collections, demonstrating how social media can bridge the gap between institutions and audiences. Delve into the impact of a no-phone policy in high school classrooms, analyzing its effects on student behavior and academic performance. Look through research on the implementation of movement-based brain breaks in middle school, revealing how short bursts of physical activity can boost focus, improve grades, and foster a more positive learning environment. Join us for a thought-provoking panel that offers fresh perspectives on the intersection of technology, policy, and movement in shaping educational and artistic engagement. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or advocate for the arts, this session will provide practical insights that can be applied in classrooms and beyond.
The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have altered recreational behaviors and attitudes toward local natural areas. Our study examined how the pandemic influenced outdoor activity and perceptions of biodiversity at natural areas in Richmond, Indiana. We surveyed 150 participants across three years (2021, 2022, 2024) to assess changes in engagement in nature. Results showed increased outdoor recreation during the pandemic, particularly in solitary activities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, and foraging, while social and educational activities declined. Spiritual practices nearly doubled. Although positive attitudes toward nature persisted post-pandemic, knowledge of local biodiversity remained low. Post-pandemic trends suggest mixed retention of outdoor recreational behavior, with some individuals sustaining increased engagement with others returning to pre-pandemic behaviors. Our findings highlight the role of accessible local green spaces in public well-being during crises and suggest opportunities for urban parks to contribute to mental and physical health and biodiversity education, particularly during crisis.
Spring Awards convocation (4-5 p.m.)
Goddard Auditorium
Can’t make it to campus? Watch the live stream of the spring awards convocation and download the awards program!