Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Emily is helping create an audio tour and possibly a slide show of the This is Taylor’s first real experience with statistics and has given her
Little Cities of Black Diamonds region, which includes Eclipse, Hayden- the opportunity to work with statiscal software, and learning how to
ville, Nelsonville, New Straitsville, and Shawnee. She has also sifted use them has been a rewarding challenge for her.
through primary source documents in order to help create a coherent
story of the region. “It doesn’t so much relate to my major or my studies, but it’s giving me
an opportunity to see what I want to do with my degree once I gradu-
After writing for The Post last year, Emily chose to take a different ap- ate,” Taylor said.
proach to journalism this year. “I decided to do something different
and this was a great way to still relate it to journalism somehow, be- The relaxed-but-professional atmosphere and resources at her dispos-
cause I think journalism’s a lot of fun and I think it’s a very useful skill,” al have allowed Taylor to enjoy her time at the School.
Emily said. “Although I’m probably not going to end up in journalism,
I’d kind of like to have the skill set that journalists have.” “It’s an overall good place to work,” Taylor said.
“It’s really cool to have a background in (economics and political For the past two years, though, Nina has aided Dr. Ted Welser of the
science) and be able to approach that problem with that skill set,” Sociology Department with various projects, first by assisting him
Rachel said. “But then I’ve just learned so much more that you can’t with data analysis for a paper he was writing and now helping him do
learn in a classroom — just how (policy) functions in the real world.” research for a book he is working on.
Rachel also values the different kinds of tasks that she is being given “I think (the Voinovich School) is probably one of the best parts of my
as part of the DASH team, as it is helping her develop adaptability. academic experience here at OU,” Nina said. “I’m challenged in a way I
wouldn’t have been in the classroom.”
2 3
Rebecca Cochran
Rebecca Cochran, a junior studying journalism, works for the Con-
sortium for Energy, Economics and the Environment (CE3). She is cur-
rently working on writing case studies about businesses in Ohio that
are involved with clean technology and green energy.
Samantha Ellwood
Samantha Elwood, a senior HTC student studying anthology, works
for Dr. Barry Oches of the PEER team. Samantha’s work involves Caroline Johnson, an undergraduate research scholar, is seen having a discussion at the Voinovich
helping Dr. Oches write evaluations for federally and state-funded School Welcome Reception in September. Along with Nina Cesare, Caroline is part of a pilot program
education programs, as well as writing and grading tests. that allows students to work at the School for three years.
4 5
Kathleen Gulino Kortney Jaworski
Kate Gulino, a senior studying philosophy, works with Dr. Julie Kortney Jaworski, a senior studying wildlife and conservation biol-
White of the Political Science department. Kate is helping White re- ogy, works with Dr. Don Miles, an ecology professor. As part of her
search groups that have been marginalized and the effects that has on research, Kortney is cataloging the GPS points of lizard locations over
law for a book that White is working on. So far, Kate has focused on a 100-year period in the Southwestern United States for a nationwide
immigration laws and discrimination against women, amongst others. project investigating climate change’s effects on animals.
“My research skills are much better, and I’m also more conscious of Kortney plans to attend graduate school for either wildlife biology or
what’s going on in the world and some of the things are that society animal behavior, both of which pertain to the work she is doing with
needs to address,” Kate said. the Voinovich School. She isn’t sure what she wants to write her the-
sis on yet, but said, “(The Voinovich) program is giving me additional
Kate added that in addition to the exposure to issues, she also enjoys experience which will help me narrow my ideas.”
the energy and support that Dr. White bring to work.
6 7
Michelle Johnson
Michelle Johnson, a senior studying English and economics, is work-
ing for the Government Development Group. Michelle is currently
helping Champaign and Noble Counties set up business incubators
without wasting their resources.
“ When we had to come up with three things that you would change
(for an evaluation), I couldn’t come up with anything,” Michelle said.
Director Mark Weinberg (seen above speaking to Voinovich School Faculty) and Honors Tutorial College Dean
Jeremy Webster (pictured below with Ohio University Provost Pam Benoit) have partnered to support the HTC-
Voinovich School Undergraduate Research Scholars.
Daniel Klein
Dan Klein, a senior studying journalism, is in his second year of work
at the Regional Nonprofit Alliance. Last year, Klein spent much of his
time making recommendations about the direction the Alliance should
head in.
“What’s really exciting is that this year, a lot of the stuff that I had in the
proposal is beginning to come to fruition,” Klein said. “We’re actually
organizing training sessions, we’re in the process of organizing a board
of advisors … and we’re just trying to offer better services.”
Some of the services that Klein has helped the Alliance offer include
working on training seminars that help local nonprofits better under-
stand fundraising, maintaining a volunteer force and building organiza-
tional capacity.
“It’s been really rewarding for me to see us really move forward,” Klein
said.
8
Renee Lewis Alex Maza
Renee Lewis, a junior studying sociology, works for the PEER Alex Maza, a senior studying economics and political science, has
(Planning, Evaluation, and Education Research) Team. As part of worked as a research assistant for Dr. Jay Ryu in the political science
the PEER team, Renee works for the LAUNCH program, a state-wide department for two years.
initiative that is designed to help children’s development.
Alex’s recent work has primarily involved budget analysis and budget
“We’re doing young child wellness stuff and family programs to help theory in the Federal government, as well as looking at increases in
promote young child wellness throughout the area, because this area agency funding on a state level.
has a lot of poor families and children don’t always get the resources
they need,” Renee said. “The first year was a rewarding experience. I learned quite a bit and
I enjoyed working with Dr. Ryu, and I wanted to continue my work,”
Renee is currently helping compile a report that will be delivered to said Alex about his decision to work at the School for a second year.
the statewide LAUNCH initiative to help it understand what services it
could improve in the Southeast Ohio region. Alex plans on his next step either being working or doing the Teach
for America program.
Josh is working with statistical programs that he’ll be expected to “I absolutely adore my job,” said McKenna. “It’s really fun, and I
know in the future, and earning experience with them now will be a actually feel like I’m doing something instead of having a desk job
chance for him to move to the front of the job line. where I sit and do my homework.”
10 11
Jonathan Nutter
Jonathan Nutter is a senior studying theatre working in the School’s
communication department. Despite working in the communications
department, Jonathan has particular interest in environmental issues.
As such, his work has been focused on writing press releases for
branches of the School like TechGrowth Ohio. “I’ve really enjoyed it,”
Jonathan said. “It’s helpful that I get to work on issues specifically that
I’m interested in.”
His experience has given Jonathan the chance to make contacts, as well
as improve his communication skills. “It’s been a great opportunity
for networking. I’ve met so many cool people in completely different
areas,” Jonathan said. “It’s been a really great learning experience.”
Kimberly Olivito
Kim Olivito, a junior studying environmental geography and plant
biology, works for the Consortium for Energy, Economics and the Envi-
ronment (CE3). As part of her work with the group, Olivito is working John Glazer, director of TechGrowth Ohio, speaks at the Advanced Energy conference, which featured
on researching the potential of carbon capture sequestration in Ohio, a speech by Dr. James Markowsky, the Department of Energy’s assistant secretary for fossil energy. The
or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in a conference was the largest energy symposium ever held in Southeast Ohio.
different way.
“It’s been really rewarding in the sense that I’ve been researching and
learning how to form outlines,” Kim said. “I’m learning research skills
and how to turn that into something that can actually be used.”
12 13
Clint Riddell Justin Wiseman
Clint Riddell, an HTC student majoring in neuroscience, is working Justin Wiseman, a senior studying civil engineering, works as a
to understand the business aspects of science. While working with research assistant for Dr. Tiao Chang. As part of his work, Justin has
TechGrowth Ohio, Clint has created an application to become certified helped Dr. Chang work with projects involving solar erosion and
as a community development financial institution and worked as a sedimentation in lake reservoirs.
consultant to Brian Phillips, an OU-COMS professor.
Prior to his research, Justin did not know what he wanted to do next.
Clint said that in the Voinovich School, he is “working on actual real After some time working with Dr. Chang, however, he decided to
life problems that involve doing valuable work that actually makes a attend graduate school.
difference now.”
“I had thought about going to grad school, but I didn’t know what
The work is particularly valuable to Clint because he plans on working exactly I wanted to do (there),” Justin said. “But through the Voinovich
to commercialize technologies after he leaves Athens. school I narrowed down what I wanted to do.”
Victoria Scott
Victoria Scott, a junior studying psychology, works in the Youth
Experiencing Success in Schools (YESS) Lab. Victoria works as the
project manager of the Daily Report Card project.
“We target certain behaviors and deal with how the teacher responds
to those behaviors and how the child improves,” she said.
14 15