Midland University’s 2025 Spring Research & Critical Thinking Fair was held on May 2nd at the Wikert Event Center.
There were more than 40 different students representing Biology, Criminal Justice/Sociology, Mathematics, Psychology, Youth & Family Ministry, History, and Communications Studies, as well as Howard Hanson Honors students presenting as part of their capstone project.
For many students, these research projects serve as the capstone experience for their academic major, requiring them to apply skills they have developed throughout their time at Midland. For others, their projects involve putting academic knowledge into practice by going out into the community for enhanced experiences and reflection.
Students presented their findings to judges during the event, and awards were presented in two different categories.
First place in Inquiry & Evidence-based Research went to Myana Sigers for her presentation, Racial Disparities in Drug Sentencing: The Impact of Legal Policies on the Prison Pipeline. Second place went to Alec Villanueva for his presentation, A Spiraling Economy: The United States.
In the Primary Data/Explanatory Research category, first place went to Emma Strom for her presentation, Understanding Police Officer Stress Levels: Agency-Supported Coping Strategies. Second place was awarded to Kelly Leuthaeuser for her presentation, Analyzing the Predictive Power of Childhood Trauma on College Academic Performance.
First Place Inquiry & Evidence-Based Research
Myana Sigers
Racial Disparities in Drug Sentencing: The Impact of Legal Policies on the Prison Pipeline
Second Place Inquiry & Evidence-Based Research
Alec Villanueva
A Spiraling Economy: The United States
First Place Primary Data – Explanatory Research
Emma Strom
Understanding Police Officer Stress Levels: Agency-Supported Coping Strategies
Second Place Primary Data – Explanatory Research
Kelly Leuthaeuser
Analyzing the Predictive Power of Childhood Trauma on College Academic Performance
