CAS CONNECT 2022

DANI PUTNEY Ph.D. | English: Creative Writing Third Year Sacramento, California JESSE HURD Ph.D. | Integrative Biology Second Year Gordon, Nebraska How did you start researching? As a creative writer in my early 20s, I thought that the Master of Fine Arts was the terminal degree, that there weren’t any research-oriented educational programs afterward. However, during my master’s program, my thesis committee told me about creative writing doctorates like the one at OSU. With the support of my MFA professors, I decided to jump headfirst into the Ph.D. program here, and I haven’t looked back since. Research Impacts Because my research regarding Filipinx American poetics and Southeast Asian art history ultimately relates to individual identity and agency, I’d say the biggest impact of my work is others seeing themselves in what I do. Individuals who share some or all of my marginalized identities deserve to both lead research initiatives and have their cultural contributions be researched on the opposite end. Recent Research Activities A recent research-focused activity I’m proud of is presenting my paper “Sino-Filipino Artistic Collaboration: Agency via Ivory Sculpture Production in Seventeenth-Century Colonial Manila” at the Art History Graduate Symposium hosted by Florida State University this past April. I received excellent feedback from the professors there, and my paper is slated for publication in FSU’s art history graduate research journal, Athanor . Future Plans I’m compelled by private-sector or nonprofit work environments, where my skills can help advance a number of causes, but I also appreciate academia and can see myself becoming a professor, most likely at a community college or smaller regional institution. How did you start researching? I’ve been interested in research since freshman year of undergrad, but my school/region had little to no traditional research opportunities. I pursued non- academic laboratory, pharmacological and veterinary experience, which led to acceptance at the OSU Integrative Biology Graduate Department three years after earning my bachelor’s degree. Much of this journey is thanks to the people who encouraged me to keep pursuing my research aspirations — including my fiancé, many coworkers and my current advisor/ principal investigator, Dr. Liz McCullagh. Research Impacts My research focuses on the intersection of neuroscience and reproductive biology. Using prairie voles as a model organism, I investigate the effects that pair bonding has on the male reproductive system. I use females to study the development and potential prevention of postpartum depression and the epigenetic effects of postpartum depression on offspring. Recent Research Activities My undergraduate mentees — Shay Nguyen, Emmy Fowler and Casey Sergott — have presented our findings at the Freshman Research Scholars, Undergraduate Research and Karen Smith Symposiums. We are on track to have our first paper submitted for publication this year. Future Plans I’m open to a future career in either academia or industry research. I’m hopeful that my current position as a G-RISE Scholar through the National Institutes of Health will open the door to a future NIH- based career path. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SC I ENCES 9