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St. Kate's Collaborative Research
Please join us for the Summer Scholars closing celebration!
From 2-3pm, students will share poster presentations of their research. From 3-3:30pm, Teresa Butel will facilitate a Summer Scholars Alumni Panel associated with the new Purposeful Leadership & Community-based Exploration (PLACE) Initiative.
Speaker Panel:
Shavonnye Rath ‘24 (Biology, Longevity & Aging)
Louise Ba ‘24 (Political Science, Economics,
Public Policy)
Sophie Gibson ‘25 (History & Art History)
All Projects - 2026
All Projects - 2026
Biology
Biology
Algae as biological indicators in lakes treated with alum and an acidic lake
Students: Alincy Her, Public Health ‘27, Kajsa Schultz Bakke, Biology ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Paula Furey, PhD
Dissecting the role of environmental factors on root growth movements in Arabidopsis seedlings
Students: Nora Hoen, Chemistry: Biochemistry ‘29, Karma Mecey-Hill, Biology ‘29
Faculty Mentor: Rahul Roy, PhD
Chemistry
Mechanochemical Synthesis of Earth-Abundant Photoluminescent Materials
Students: Maggie Lewandowski, Biology ‘27, Suze Schoute, Chemistry ‘28
Faculty Mentor: Daron Janzen, PhD
From Bottles to Bio-Awareness: Bridging the Gap Between Industrial PET Recycling and Undergraduate Green Chemistry
Students: Diah Brooks, Chemistry: Biochemistry ‘27, Katherine Grossman, Chemistry ‘28, Anna Marie Millard, Chemistry ‘28
Faculty Mentor: Kayla Lantz, PhD
Data Science
Longitudinal Analysis of Stressors and Burnout Among Healthcare Workers Using Machine Learning and Sentiment Analysis
Students: Emma Holden, Psychology ‘27, Jennifer Yang, Data Science ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Bethlehem Gronneberg, PhD
Economics and Political Science
Aging, Money, and Well-Being: Evidence and Implications for Health Policy
Students: Reka Suranyi, Economics ‘27, Sarah Wangen, Exercise and Sport Science ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Lacey Chu, PhD
Welcoming the Dear Neighbor? Economics Team
Students: Julia Johnson, Political Science ‘26, Nellie Larson, Mathematics ‘28, Samantha Schroeder, Public Policy ‘28, Leslie Varela, Economics ‘26
Faculty Mentors: Kristine West, PhD, Ashley McFarlane, PhD
How Technology-Facilitated Violence Impacts Women’s Legal Participation
Students: Eleanor Lightfield, Political Science ‘28, Thu Nguyen, Philosophy ‘28
Faculty Mentor: Deep Shikha, PhD
Exercise and Sport Science
Growing up by the book: Revising the health stories of adolescence
Students: Katie McKay, Applied Science in Exercise Science ‘27, Lily Peper, Exercise and Sport Science ‘27, Cecilia Purfeerst, Exercise and Sport Science ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Rebecca Busanich, PhD
Fashion Design and Merchandising
House of Worth Afternoon Dress
Students: Cody Kramer, Fashion Design ‘27, Jessica Manion, Jessica Manion ‘28
Faculty Mentor: Carol Mager, MS
Surgeon General’s Warning: This Purchase May Cause Harm
Student: Nora Crayford, Fashion Design ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Emily Worrall, PhD
History
“Welcoming the Dear Neighbor?” Mapping/Ripples in Time: The College of St. Catherine and the St. Paul Human Rights Commission, c. 1960s
Student: Alisa Vang, Sonography ‘28
Mentor: Rachel Neiwert, PhD
Nursing
The Rural Pulse of Minnesota: Holistic Nursing Perspectives on Staffing, Policy, and Health Outcomes
Students: Aisha Sheikhibrahim, Nursing ‘28, Sabrin Yusuf, Nursing ‘28
Faculty Mentor: Sara Rippie, DNP, MSN, BAN, RNC-OB, AHN-BC
Physical Therapy
A “Fair” Approach to Characterizing Health and Fitness in Minnesota
Students: Jordyn Grotbo, Applied Science in Exercise Science ‘27, Kate McKeown, Applied Science in Exercise Science ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Steve Elmer, PhD
Bridging the Gap: Advancing PT-PTA and Health Science Collaboration Through Research
Student: Courtney Crouch, Physical Therapist Assistant ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Erin Schumacher, PT, DPT, EdD
Physics and Mathematics
Launching into physics: Atmospheric ballooning and rocket engineering
Students: Mary Gurka, Mathematics ‘28, Abigail Lee Williams, Mathematics ‘28, Anna Wigren, Chemistry: Biochemistry ‘27
Faculty Mentors: Erick Agrimson, MS, Alex Yuschik, PhD
Psychology
The St. Catherine University Cookbook Research Project on Food, Culture, and Community
Students: Danae Heffron, Psychology ‘29, Veronique Kolibe-Gnamikou, Psychology ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Anaya Mitra, PhD, MPH
Parents of Adult Children Experiencing Psychosis
Students: Elianna Johnson, Psychology ‘27, Maddie Ruddy, Psychology ‘28
Faculty Mentor: Anne Williams-Wengerd, PhD, MA, LP
Public Health
Effects of a best possible self-visualization exercise on college students’ well-being: A mixed-methods pilot study
Students: Liva Dill, Public Health: Public Policy ‘28, Lydia Roseth, Public Health: Health Sciences ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Angela Ekwonye, PhD, CPH
Social Work / Master of Social Work (MSW)
An exploration of legal conviction related to political protest as a barrier to social work licensure in the U.S.
Student: Jory Braham, Social Work ‘28
Faculty Mentor: Sharyn Dezelar, PhD
Food acculturation patterns and diabetes-related health risks among East African Immigrants
Student: Muna Shidane, International Studies ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Habiba Ibrahim, PhD
The Mental Health of Children of Immigrants
Student: Kat Nguyen, Business Administration ‘26
Faculty Mentor: Sloan Okrey Anderson, PhD, MSW, LGSW
Sociology
The Difficulty of Passing Anti-lynching Law: A Comparative Historical Analysis of Successful and Unsuccessful State and Federal Anti-lynching Legislation
Students: Sara Campbell, Health Science - Pre-Nursing ‘29, Hazel Fang, Sociology ‘27
Faculty Mentor: Aisha Upton Azzam, PhD
A "Fair" Way to Improve Health in Minnesota
A "Fair" Way to Improve Health in Minnesota
By: Jordyn Grotbo and Kate McKeown
Jorydn Grotbo offers health and wellness screening at the 2026 Hennepin County Fair
Summer is here, but too many Minnesotans are not moving enough. In fact, 3 out of 4 adults do not get enough weekly exercise. Sitting too much increases the risk of serious health issues like heart disease. Moving your body regularly—by walking, swimming, or even gardening and dancing—is great for your health. It strengthens your immune system and helps you feel better.
Health experts recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, plus two days of muscle strength training. Staying active is so important that it should be tracked at your yearly checkups, just like blood pressure and body weight are monitored.
This summer, our research team from the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health Science will be visiting local county fairs and the Minnesota State Fair. We are offering free health and wellness tests for our study, "A 'Fair' Approach to Health and Wellness Across Minnesota."
The free screening takes about 20 minutes and includes five fun stations:
Health Intake: A quick health history check.
Muscle Strength: Testing your arm and leg strength.
Walking Speed: Seeing how fast you move.
Heart and Lung Endurance: A short step test for your heart and lungs.
Ball Toss: A simple throwing test.
After the tests, you will see your results. You can talk with our team to see how your values compare to other people your age. This information can help you stay healthy or get extra support if you need it. Our long-term goal is to make these quick health and wellness tests a standard part of regular healthcare visits.
If you are coming to the Minnesota State Fair, come visit us! Look for our team in the Driven to Discovery Building (1367 Cosgrove Street). It will be a “Great Minnesota Get Together’ indeed and you will get your steps in too!
Check back for more Summer Scholars posts!
Check back for more Summer Scholars posts!
Summer Scholars is made possible by all of the students, faculty, staff, community members, and donors
at St. Kate's, as well as by the following:
Muellerleile Endowed Fund
Absalon Fund
3M
AmeriCorps VISTA
Thank you for all of your support!
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