On April 2, 2025, six undergraduate research groups from UW Platteville traveled to the Wisconsin State Capitol to present their projects at the 21st annual “Research in the Rotunda.” 88 groups from across the UW system had the opportunity to share their research with community members and state legislators.
“Cycling Infrastructure in the Netherlands,” presented by Ella Imhoff, Cameron Joseph, Jak Kielpikowski and Lauren Lodico focused on how American infrastructure could be improved by the Netherlands’ “pedestrian first” approach.
During their research, they learned more about how these designs come to be, with Joseph sharing, “There is a lot more human psychology involved in designing traffic infrastructure than I realized,” showing the importance of cross-disciplinary education.
Other sentiments included the importance of being proactive with safety measures and why the USA may struggle to incorporate this infrastructure, as it is more spread out than many European countries.
Faith Rothkopf was the student researcher for the project “Synthesis and Antibacterial Properties of Copper Metal-Organic Frameworks on Modified Cotton Fabrics.” Rothkopf stated the importance of her research, “I am studying how to make antibacterial bandages to combat antibacterial resistance. They are usually used for… things that, you could throw an antibiotic on it, and nothing would happen.” She also shared that it could have applications in hospitals and the military.
Another project, “Evaluating AI Capacity for Creating Successful Narratives,” by Jade Fitzgerald, studied how people create narratives and compare them to AI-generated writing. She found that AI is better at filling in gaps in narrative structures and creating rhyme schemes than human writers.
When asked about the importance of this research, she shared that AI is a newer field so it’s important to “(add) any bit of knowledge that we can…so that people can be a little less afraid of it and learn that this is an area we can try to apply and incorporate to our future.” For future research, Fitzgerald would want to test AI capabilities against more genres of writing and reader demographics.
Lillian Dalbey, Anna Hagemann, Esther Vertein and Lauren Young presented their project, “Plant Essential Oils for the Management of Aphanomyces Root Rot in Alfalfa.” This project studied how essential oils can be used to prevent this disease, which commercial fungicides are unable to control reliably. To give an example of the importance of the research, Young states, “Alfalfa is the main fodder grown in Wisconsin, and Aphanomyces root rot can reduce yields by up to 30%.” Vertein shared that she learned “how extensive research has to be… we still have a lot of research to do even though we got good results.”
Alex Cutty and Cohen Wojnowiak presented their research project, “Photo-meditated Hexafluoroisopropoxylation of Unactivated Aryl Halides.” Wojnowiak stated the research could affect society, “by providing new opportunities to synthesize pharmaceutical and agro chemicals, leading to potentially lower costs and less toxic waste,” and that he learned what affect light can have on reactions.
“The Ellenboro Drummer: Gender, Justice, Wisconsin and the U.S. Civil War,” presented by Madilyn Henderson, Olivia Schweiger and Ashley Weis, combined research from each student on the women who pretended to be men to fight in the Civil War. The researchers speculated that some of these women may have been queer and that some of their names may have been lost to history due to gender transitions. Schweiger states this research is important because “it proves that queer people have been here and always will be here.”
UW Platteville Chancellor Dr. Tammy Evetovich shared her thoughts on this event: “This is what sets us apart – the fact (students) know their faculty and are learning in the laboratory, isn’t something we should take for granted; it doesn’t happen everywhere … it gives them that confidence they need to take them to the next level.”
With Spring comes more opportunities to present research. Poster Day, held on April 23 from 1-2:30pm in the Velzy Commons, gives UWP students the opportunity to share their work. Applications for this opportunity have been extended to April 11.