Voinovich School of Leadership

and Public Affairs

2010 - 11 HTC - Voinovich School

Undergraduate Research Scholars
Emily Atherton
Emily Atherton, a sophomore studying anthropology, is working
with journalism professor Dr. Bernhard Debatin on the projects Little
Cities of Black Diamonds and Coal Mining in Athens County.
Emily is helping create an audio tour and possibly a slide show of the
Little Cities of Black Diamonds region, which includes Eclipse, Hayden-
ville, Nelsonville, New Straitsville, and Shawnee. She has also sifted
through primary source documents in order to help create a coherent
story of the region.
After writing for The Post last year, Emily chose to take a different ap-
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-
cause I think journalism’s a lot of fun and I think it’s a very useful skill,”
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.”
Rachel Brainard
Rachel Brainard is a senior studying political science and economics
working for the Voinovich School’s Data Analysis, Statistics, and
Health (DASH) team. Rachel, who has a strong interest in policy,
organizes and analyzes data for the school.
“It’s really cool to have a background in (economics and political
science) and be able to approach that problem with that skill set,”
Rachel said. “But then I’ve just learned so much more that you can’t
learn in a classroom — just how (policy) functions in the real world.”
Rachel also values the different kinds of tasks that she is being given
as part of the DASH team, as it is helping her develop adaptability.
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Taylor Brand
Taylor Brand, a junior studying mathematics, is working with Dr. Ani
Ruhil to update a study concerning the education of Appalachian na-
tives throughout Ohio.
This is Taylor’s first real experience with statistics and has given her
the opportunity to work with statiscal software, and learning how to
use them has been a rewarding challenge for her.
“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-
ate,” Taylor said.
The relaxed-but-professional atmosphere and resources at her dispos-
al have allowed Taylor to enjoy her time at the School.
“It’s an overall good place to work,” Taylor said.
Nina Cesare
Nina Cesare, a senior studying sociology, is in her third year of work
at the Voinovich School. In her first year, Nina worked with Dr. Ann
Tickameyer, assisting on a paper by doing data analysis.
For the past two years, though, Nina has aided Dr. Ted Welser of the
Sociology Department with various projects, first by assisting him
with data analysis for a paper he was writing and now helping him do
research for a book he is working on.
“I think (the Voinovich School) is probably one of the best parts of my
academic experience here at OU,” Nina said. “I’m challenged in a way I
wouldn’t have been in the classroom.”
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.

As a result of her experience at the Voinovich School, Rebecca hs de-

cided to pursue a career in public policy.

“I was interested in policy from high school government class and

things like that, but working at the Voinovich School really honed that,”
Rebecca said.

Samantha Ellwood
Samantha Elwood, a senior HTC student studying anthology, works
for Dr. Barry Oches of the PEER team. Samantha’s work involves
helping Dr. Oches write evaluations for federally and state-funded
education programs, as well as writing and grading tests.
Caroline Johnson, an undergraduate research scholar, is seen having a discussion at the Voinovich
School Welcome Reception in September. Along with Nina Cesare, Caroline is part of a pilot program
that allows students to work at the School for three years.

She is also working on an ongoing program that involves focusing

on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) high
schools, for which she will observe classes in some of the schools.

“(Dr. Oches) has entrusted me with a lot of responsibilities, which is

really nice,” Samantha said. “I got to do more unique things than just
data entry. … It’s a lot more responsibility than I was expecting.”

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Kathleen Gulino
Kate Gulino, a senior studying philosophy, works with Dr. Julie
White of the Political Science department. Kate is helping White re-
search groups that have been marginalized and the effects that has on
law for a book that White is working on. So far, Kate has focused on
immigration laws and discrimination against women, amongst others.
“My research skills are much better, and I’m also more conscious of
what’s going on in the world and some of the things are that society
needs to address,” Kate said.
Kate added that in addition to the exposure to issues, she also enjoys
the energy and support that Dr. White bring to work.
Emily Hawley
Emily Hawley, a senior studying history and economics, is spending
her time at the Voinovich School working for the PEER team’s Law and
Leadership Institute.
Emily does various projects for the team, including evaluating a pro-
gram for minority students preparing for college and law school, ana-
lyzing interviews and focus group transcripts, looking at survey data
and analyzing writing samples.
“It provides a type of experience that I wouldn’t get in the classroom,”
Emily said. “… For me, it takes the abstract that I’m learning in the
classroom and makes it very applied.”
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Kortney Jaworski
Kortney Jaworski, a senior studying wildlife and conservation biol-
ogy, works with Dr. Don Miles, an ecology professor. As part of her
research, Kortney is cataloging the GPS points of lizard locations over
a 100-year period in the Southwestern United States for a nationwide
project investigating climate change’s effects on animals.
Kortney plans to attend graduate school for either wildlife biology or
animal behavior, both of which pertain to the work she is doing with
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
experience which will help me narrow my ideas.”
Caroline Johnson
Caroline Johnson, a senior studying business, is in her third year of
work at the Voinovich School. Caroline’s work throughout the three
years has involved the continuous improvement of PSYCH 221, a sta-
tistics class that is commonly required for undergraduates.
Caroline’s research took her to Denver last year to present her work at
the American Educational Research Association Conference.
“I just love the work that I do at the Voinovich School. It’s really real
world application. It’s material that I’ve been able to reference for jobs
and interviews and skills that I’ll be needing to build in the future, as
well,” Caroline said.
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.

“This actually gives me a chance to really work with my economics

background,” Michelle said. “This is a cool way to work with people
who know about (economic development) or need help with it.”

In order to do this, Michelle is helping define the best practices that

make incubators successful and then helping create an interview pro-
cess that matches companies to those practices.

“ 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.

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Renee Lewis
Renee Lewis, a junior studying sociology, works for the PEER
(Planning, Evaluation, and Education Research) Team. As part of
the PEER team, Renee works for the LAUNCH program, a state-wide
initiative that is designed to help children’s development.
“We’re doing young child wellness stuff and family programs to help
promote young child wellness throughout the area, because this area
has a lot of poor families and children don’t always get the resources
they need,” Renee said.
Renee is currently helping compile a report that will be delivered to
the statewide LAUNCH initiative to help it understand what services it
could improve in the Southeast Ohio region.
Josh Lundfelt
Josh Lundfelt, a junior majoring in actuarial sciences, is using his
time at the Voinovich School to get professional experience. Josh
works for the Data Analysis Survey and Health program, inputting and
analyzing information that aids the other branches of the School.
“It’s definitely the best job I could think of that you could have down
here,” Josh said. He went on to add that displaying an interest in lead-
ership and public affairs could be attractive to future employers.
Josh is working with statistical programs that he’ll be expected to
know in the future, and earning experience with them now will be a
chance for him to move to the front of the job line.
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Alex Maza
Alex Maza, a senior studying economics and political science, has
worked as a research assistant for Dr. Jay Ryu in the political science
department for two years.
Alex’s recent work has primarily involved budget analysis and budget
theory in the Federal government, as well as looking at increases in
agency funding on a state level.
“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,”
said Alex about his decision to work at the School for a second year.
Alex plans on his next step either being working or doing the Teach
for America program.
Tiana McKenna
Tiana McKenna, a senior studying English, is in her second year of
work at the Voinovich School’s Government Development Group.
McKenna was initially uncertain whether any of her skills would
translate to the school, but quickly discovered that they did. Her work
has included creating a document explaining how the Chester Hill
Produce Auction Works and the Community Economic Development
Program Workshops.
“I absolutely adore my job,” said McKenna. “It’s really fun, and I
actually feel like I’m doing something instead of having a desk job
where I sit and do my homework.”
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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.”

After college, Kim plans on taking part in a Student Conservation As-

sociation program before potentially continuing her education.

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Clint Riddell
Clint Riddell, an HTC student majoring in neuroscience, is working
to understand the business aspects of science. While working with
TechGrowth Ohio, Clint has created an application to become certified
as a community development financial institution and worked as a
consultant to Brian Phillips, an OU-COMS professor.
Clint said that in the Voinovich School, he is “working on actual real
life problems that involve doing valuable work that actually makes a
difference now.”
The work is particularly valuable to Clint because he plans on working
to commercialize technologies after he leaves Athens.
Justin Wiseman
Justin Wiseman, a senior studying civil engineering, works as a
research assistant for Dr. Tiao Chang. As part of his work, Justin has
helped Dr. Chang work with projects involving solar erosion and
sedimentation in lake reservoirs.
Prior to his research, Justin did not know what he wanted to do next.
After some time working with Dr. Chang, however, he decided to
attend graduate school.
“I had thought about going to grad school, but I didn’t know what
exactly I wanted to do (there),” Justin said. “But through the Voinovich
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 work with elementary school-age children with attention

problems, and we work with their teachers to help create a better
teacher-child relationship,” said Victoria, who documents how
teachers respond to kids at the Green School in the Logan-Hocking
district over 45-minute periods.

“We target certain behaviors and deal with how the teacher responds
to those behaviors and how the child improves,” she said.

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