The Choose Ohio First Poster Conference was held Sunday, April 13 in the Kent State Student Center, where students pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or medicine were able to present posters explaining their research and work related to their field. Presenting students from Kent State University, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, Youngstown State University, and John Caroll University were eligible for a scholarship award decided by judges attending the event.
Evgenia Soprunova, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and lead organizer of the event, explained the impact this event will have on students.
“For many students, this conference is their first opportunity to present their work in front of experts,” Soprunova said. “My hope is that this event would not only help them with practicing their presentation skills but would also give them some idea of what it means to be a part of a research community.”
Seven of the scholarship winning projects came from Kent State students, including Brandon Renner, Ben Purdum, Isaac Hraga, Rachel Tan, Brandon Sainiak, Ben Ams, Caleb Stanberry, Ethan Hicks, and Tina Morgan.
Students in attendance were given the opportunity to listen to the keynote speaker Casey Stella, a software engineer working on the core recommendations engine team at Netflix, about the impact AI will have on STEM careers. Stella encouraged students to embrace the opportunities AI presents and advised emphasizing flexibility and focusing their careers away from AI. Ultimately, Stella believes that AI will create more jobs than it takes.
Javed Kahn, Ph.D., a computer science professor at Kent State, and the principal investigator of the Choose Ohio First – Computer Science scholarship, explained the importance of the conference for underprivileged students.
“Choose Ohio First opens doors for first-generation, underrepresented, and economically disadvantaged students,” Kahn said. “This is what real investment in talent looks like. Ohio’s future isn’t just being built in labs and classrooms — it’s being built right here, by students like the ones we celebrate today."
Student Spotlights
Lauren Tan is a senior majoring in applied mathematics with a minor in finance. Tan, under the advisement of Xiaoyu Zheng, Ph.D., presented “Comparing COVID-19 Containment Strategies: A Study of Quarantine, Isolation, and Vaccination Effectiveness.” She has presented at the COF conference three times.
Tan’s study analyzed and compared the effectiveness of quarantine and isolation, as well as the vaccine, to contain and control the spread of COVID-19. She simulated the population dynamics of the epidemic in the United States in Python using Euler’s method. Tan concluded with a recommendation that quarantine and isolation measures should be implemented as the primary containment strategy used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 because they are more effective in decreasing exposure and infection.
“Choose Ohio First is a great way to get research experience as an undergraduate student,” Tan said. “I think this experience is really going to benefit me when I am working on my master’s degree.”
Cole Peaco is a sophomore majoring in computer science. Peaco, under the advisement of Deepshikha Bhati, presented “Drone-Based Utilization for Disaster-Relief Purposes.”
Peaco’s study examined the utilization of drones in disaster response, such as floods and fires. He used Unreal Engine 5 to simulate disaster-response scenarios involving drone deployment. Peaco concluded that drones are versatile and useful for disaster relief, and that efforts should be made to increase their integration into organizations like FEMA.
“The conference was a very cool experience,” Peaco said. “I had a lot of fun, and I got to see plenty of projects that were inspiring to me.”
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Media Contact:
Jim Maxwell, JMAXWEL2@kent.edu, 330-672-8028