President's Blog: From the Heart

By Eric F. Spina

Christian S. Hemsath stood behind a grand piano in the Sears Recital Hall, gracefully brushing his fingers across the keys while he talked about similar patterns he discovered in the seemingly opposite fields of math and music.

“Music can be thought of as an extension of the intricacies of mathematics to the world of art and beauty,” said Christian, a mathematics major who kicked off the Honors Summer Research Symposium last Thursday.

He’s one of 14 rising juniors who received a fellowship *and* research funding to pursue a summer-long thesis research project under the guidance of faculty mentors while volunteering with such community partners as the Dayton Foodbank, Mission of Mary Cooperative, and East End Community Center. Their experience culminates with a presentation before their peers, faculty, and family.

Welcome to the Berry Summer Thesis Institute, supported by a generous gift from the Berry Family Foundation and the Berry family, who understand well — and have seen over time — that hands-on learning deepens students’ education and prepares them to be leaders.

The institute introduces high-achieving students from all majors to scholarly research before their junior year, but it’s not the only effort on campus that provides a growing number of undergraduates with hands-on research opportunities.

Just the week before, I attended the Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, where University of Dayton students presented research on such diverse topics as using nanoparticles to remove chemical compounds from wastewater and understanding the link between sugar and Alzheimer’s Disease.

You could easily mistake these students — so poised, confident, curious and intelligent — as graduate students. Instead, they are exploring their passions, asking critical questions, learning the art of collaboration — and getting a leg up on skills desired (and necessary) for graduate and professional schools. Some will present their work alongside faculty at conferences or be a co-author in an academic journal. Others will win prestigious national fellowships, guaranteed.

Between the two daylong events, dozens of students shared their research through oral presentations and poster sessions. They deftly explained complicated ideas in everyday language. And, with their faculty and research mentors, they’re advancing the frontiers of knowledge.

At the Honors Summer Research Symposium, I felt like a proud father when I listened to computer engineering major and Clare Booth Luce Scholar Kayla D. Chisholm talk about a new technique in cyberattack detection, biochemistry major Stephanie M. Johnson describe advances in antibiotic resistance, and biology major Patrick R. Flaherty depict the implications of bullying on a child’s brain. Before the students broke for lunch, music therapy major Michaela A. Miller picked up a guitar and sang a haunting song, “Vayan Al Norte,” a piece that can help Latinx immigrants cope with the trauma of leaving their homes in search of a better life.

The University of Dayton is a place where students discover their passions and blossom — motivated by the encouragement and mentorship of great faculty. To watch that happen is truly extraordinary.