Turning Research into Reality

Get Real, Do Good, Think Big or Go Global? Every Ohio Wesleyan student, in every major, takes part in the OWU Connection, a hands-on program the university calls the foundation of its academic program.

The university describes the OWU Connection as the foundation of its academic program, designed so that every graduate leaves with hands-on experience and a global perspective. Students work with professors and advisors to find their interests and design their own projects.

According to OWU, the options include a travel class to the Galápagos Islands, a semester internship with an artist in New York City, or an internship in the finance or tech industry.

For senior Aidan Weir, it meant a research project on how a common plastic chemical affects fish.Weir, a biology major, chose to do an independent research study and presented it at the Science Poster Symposium on April 16. His project looked at how exposing fish sperm and ovaries to bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in many plastics, affects them.

The lesson he took away was less about the data than about the process of research itself.

“Not all research findings are conclusive, and even with a perfect research design, you won’t always get the results you want,” Weir said. “But you can always tweak your experiment.”

His project falls under Think Big, one of the OWU Connection’s four themes, along with Do Good, Go Global and Get Real. The university says Think Big is about connecting knowledge across fields and working closely with faculty on real-world problems. OWU says it offers 70 majors, and about a third of its students graduate with more than one.

Because every major takes part, students can shape the experience around their field.

A science major like Weir can do faculty-mentored research, an environmental major could choose to study wildlife in Africa, and a business major could get an operations-style internship. Students can also serve their community or study abroad.

That kind of experience is the point, the university says, because real-world learning helps students build skills that employers and graduate schools value, such as critical thinking, analyzing complex problems, working in diverse teams and communicating effectively.

Weir said the project was worth the effort. “It was very rewarding, and it allowed me to grow as a student.”