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Sam Snyder, junior art history major, showcases her glass art techniques at Apeiron. She has spent over a year perfecting methods like copper foiling and lead came.
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Britney Kiamco, senior Spanish major, wins the top Apeironn poster. Kiamco’s project explored the experiences of Hispanics with immigrant parents as they navigate two worlds.
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Jason Scott Lutz, senior molecular biology major, explains his research to one of the attendees. Lutz’s goal was to identify the species of marine algae selected to determine the capacity of oxygen production.
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Kian Beemer (left), Jacob Anderson (middle) and Matthew Smoker (right), senior psychology majors, talk about each other’s projects. The participants and audience were actively engaged throughout the event.
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Rick Barker, associate professor emeritus of computer information sciences, gives a speech. Barker talked about lifelong learning and the evolution of computer science and shared some of his experiences.
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The ensemble performs the music piece “Carmina Burana.” This performance included various instruments.
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Urshula Manandhar (left), senior data analytics major, and Makayla Coffey (right), senior data analytics major, talk with each other regarding their project. Their project was about the Kansas Department of Transportation exploring how it utilizes traffic-counting technology to collect data on vehicle volume.
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Students were able to present their posters for the attendants. There were seventy posters presented in the Washburn A/B room.
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Divita Gaudtaula, senior nursing major, describing her research work on managing postprandial glucose spike and its effects on cardiovascular health. The purpose of this research was to provide accurate information regarding the link between nutrition and the health of diabetic patients.
Apeiron at Washburn University is a dynamic research showcase where students from all disciplines present their creative and scholarly projects, highlighting the innovation and dedication behind their work.
“Apeiron is a research day, and it’s for all the different academic disciplines. It’s a chance for undergraduates to present their research or their projects and to talk about some of their process and display their work for all sorts of everybody and the community and other students, and it’s a really exciting day,” said Julie Noonan, director of theatre.
Noonan adds that students in the Washburn University Apeiron program have completed their project with guidance from a faculty mentor. These projects, evaluated by faculty, showcase exceptional creativity and originality, exceeding typical student expectations.
“For some students, it is like an academic conference, almost like so they are practicing how they might be practicing their work out in their field, or for others, it is to build their resume and to have a chance to display their work and Our theater folks to practice in creating a little section of their play so it allows them a stepping stone into where they’re going next,” Noonan said.
Sam Snyder, a junior art history major, has been working with glass for a year and a half, mastering techniques like copper foiling and lead came methods. She explained in her aperion presentation that stained glass requires joining multiple pieces using solder and adhesives, while fused glass relies on the heat of the kiln to bond glass sheets together.
“Every piece is an experiment. You have to respect how glass moves and changes with heat,” Snyder said.
Through her projects, Snyder has explored complex glass shaping techniques, experimented with color theory and learned how to structurally reinforce larger glass pieces.
“I want to continue pushing myself with glass art because there are endless possibilities, from casting pendants to creating large panels,” Snyder said.
She hopes her passion for color and craftsmanship will continue shaping her future in both visual arts and museum studies.
“Working with glass taught me patience and precision, especially when learning how to properly reinforce designs to keep them strong over time,” Snyder said.
Snyder was just one of many students who took the opportunity to present their work at Apeiron.
“We did research about how AI is affecting higher education, and we did a survey with the student perspective, like what they think, how much they use AI, what purpose and to know the faculty perspective. So, we did interviews with the faculty, and my experience overall with the process, I enjoyed a lot and I learned in every step,” said Rajdeep Sah, sophomore computer science major.
This was Sah’s first research experience and he believes this is a valuable analysis process and will aid him in future research.
The Apeiron program has been an invaluable experience, fostering creativity, collaboration, and growth, and it has provided all participants with the opportunity to showcase their work, learn from others, and develop skills that will benefit them in their future academic and professional journeys.
Edited by Jeremy Ford.
