Dakota Wesleyan seniors flex their knowledge during Capstone Day
Apr. 17—MITCHELL — There was no class at Dakota Wesleyan University on Wednesday, but campus was still awash in academic activities.
Dozens of seniors set to graduate were on hand for a series of oral and poster presentations as well as recitals for Capstone Day, a celebration of the academic accomplishments of degree-seeking seniors that provides them with an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in their time at the school.
"This is the ultimate expression of your undergraduate major," said Paula Mazzer, a professor of biochemistry at Dakota Wesleyan who serves as a co-chair for the yearly event. "Regardless of what your major is, you do a piece of professional practice and report on it for the day."
The day is filled with presentations that run the gamut from hard scientific research projects, presentations on criminal justice theory and examples of graphic design. Students and faculty at every level are encouraged to take part and engage with seniors on their way to the work world.
About 105 students took part in the day. Of those, 26 took part in seven group presentations, 34 performed individual poster presentations and 47 delivered oral presentations. The day is also open to the public and family.
Hunter Shanks, a senior from Bennington, Nebraska, did his poster presentation, an interactive activity where seniors summarize their projects to students and faculty in a career-fair type environment, on honeybees. He worked to quantify certain factors in how the bees fight infections and the resistance of those infections to traditional antibiotic treatments.
He's been working on the presentation since May of last year.
"Now that I've found these numbers and found what bacteria species and phyla are producing the most biofilm, it would be interesting to see where that can go on the front of microbial resistance as a treatment option rather than just spraying it with antibiotics over and over again," Shanks said.
It sounds complicated, but the biochemistry major said there are practical applications for humans that could come from the research.
Shanks,
who as a student at Dakota Wesleyan assisted with research concerning Lake Mitchell
and is interested in working in a combination of both the science and business worlds, had completed his presentation for the day and was looking forward to seeing the work of his fellow seniors.
"I thought it went well. We always talk about today not being about getting a grade on a presentation. It's a senior's chance to flex their knowledge and seem like a big shot," Shanks laughed. "When people start to ask questions about specific terminology or a concept or procedure and you get to explain more in depth you can seem like this expert. It feels awesome."
Ruslan Rogers, a native of Ukraine who grew up in Texas, was preparing to deliver his poster presentation "How Law Enforcement Plays an Important Part in Keeping Schools Safe Both Every Day and in a Crisis."
His summary poster was highly detailed and drew a sizable crowd where he explained his research.
"The primary focus is all the shootings in the world," Rogers said. "I feel like there are things that we can prevent and things we cannot."
Rogers is looking toward a potential career in law enforcement, perhaps with the FBI or United States Secret Service. His interest in that field was sparked by his father having worked in the security industry and it was further nurtured during his college experience in Mitchell.
Graduation is on the horizon for Rogers, and he's preparing to enter the work world with a mix of anticipation and anxiety, but he's looking forward to the challenges the next stage will bring.
Not far away, Maddie Andersen was talking about her work in the digital media and design program.
Her table was filled with examples of her work, including business letterhead and business cards with her professional contact information. She drew on her love of the color purple to give an example of her talents, with the color and a flame design being a prominent part of what she has created.
The Mitchell native has already used her talents to lend a hand doing volunteer design work at Mitchell High School, and with graduation looming she has her eyes set on a career putting the skills she learned at Dakota Wesleyan to good use.
"I would love to move to Sioux Falls and work as a graphic designer, or an overall designer in general," Andersen said. "I've applied for a few positions, and we'll see what happens with that."
Mazzer said Capstone Day is a perfect way to prepare for those post-college interviews and job applications. Thanks to their experience at events like the one Tuesday, students automatically have a discussion point when they are asked by potential employers about their undergraduate years.
Student presentations can vary in appearance and subject, but each is an important part of the student experience at Dakota Wesleyan. And it's a chance for faculty to assess how they themselves are performing based on the quality of the projects, she said.
"When you're interviewing for a job or graduate school and somebody asks what you did as an undergrad, you've got a good answer," Mazzer said. "Let me tell you about my internship. Let me tell you about my research project. Let me tell you about my portfolio. So they've got that piece of professional practice when they go out in the world."
While participation in Capstone Day is required, there are no grades handed out and the entire day has a convention-like atmosphere. It keeps the event both informative and generally informal, and segments like the poster presentations have a high-energy back-and-forth feel that sees students put their social networking skills to the test.
