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Research and Creativity Showcase highlights student innovation
Third-year student Ryker Saltonstall '27 presents research on the calling behavior of the male túngara frog during the Research and Creativity Showcase.
From Swiss alphorn traditions to cutting-edge research on seabirds, faculty and students at University of the Pacific dove into more than 100 topics during the annual Research and Creativity Showcase April 27.
The event highlights outstanding student research and projects from across disciplines developed over the past year.
“What’s great about research in general is that you get a bunch of different perspectives on new issues that come in, and so a lot of the projects came out of the brains of students,” said Zachary Stahlschmidt, professor of biology and director of undergraduate research at Pacific. “They came in with an idea, and we just followed up on it. Trying to take that natural curiosity humans have and answer a question with it is really cool.”
Students share their research with faculty members inside the DeRosa University Center.
Conducting original research gives students a unique chance to explore their interests while being mentored by experienced faculty.
Lillian Walter ’29, a double major in music performance and biology and Ciera Alkhoury ’29, a music performance major, presented their research, “Swiss Alphorn Traditions: Informing Modern Horn Playing and Pedagogy.”
The project centers on the history of the Swiss alphorn—a 12-foot wooden instrument that Walter said plays similarly to a brass instrument, such as a French horn, which both students play.
“Due to its simplicity and how all the notes can only be changed with the face, it provides pedagogical benefits for brass students,” Walter said. “They can experiment and play with the harmonic series without having all of the additional elements of their respective instruments.”
The students presented a history of the alphorn and its origins, gave demonstrations, instructed willing participants how to play the horn and performed for the audience.
President Christopher Callahan plays the alphorn during a demonstration at the Research and Creativity Showcase.
“It's so nice to have the close guidance of Professor Sadie Glass in this research. It's not that different from playing French horn or any other brass instrument. It definitely requires a little bit of practice, and there is skill and technique involved,” Alkhoury said. “Having Professor Glass there to guide us in this new forefront of pedagogy, and for her to be so skilled in that, we've been really privileged to have her as a mentor.”
Walter will be traveling to Switzerland at the end of the summer with Glass to participate in the International Alphorn Festival.
Third-year student Madeline Neely '27 presents her research, "A rhetorical critique on Modern Family," to Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert.
Lauren Hahn ’26 and Gagik Mkrtchian ’26 presented research focused on understanding the physiology of local bird species as a way to predict environmental changes, including the impacts of global warming.
Their research, “Bridging Physiology and Population Dynamics in Cassin’s Auklets Through Biomarker Analysis,” monitored seabirds that live on the southeast of Farallon Island, west of San Francisco.
“By understanding the physiology of these birds, and seeing the data, by measuring the contents of the bird's blood, we can establish a baseline that we can compare to future ecological events,” Hahn said. “When those events place significant stress on these birds, we'll know that there's something going on with the environment. These birds are very good primary indicators of environmental changes.”
Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mary Lomax-Ghirarduzzi (right) listens to students present their findings on whole body regeneration in sea star larva.
Elisa Villalpando ’26, a history major, presented her research, “The Curse of the Liquor Sale: An Examination of the Prohibition Movement in San Joaquin County from 1905-1933.”
Her work delves into the factors behind San Joaquin County’s nearly even 50/50 split on whether to enact prohibition. Villalpando’s research shows that while surrounding areas tended to be strongly unified, either for or against prohibition, San Joaquin County remained sharply split, making its indecision a unique phenomenon.
A Stockton native, Villalpando said the ability to learn more about the factors impacting the region were particularly engaging.
“The showcase is a really wonderful chance to show all my hard work over the semester. There were a lot of late nights, a lot of researching, a lot of looking for sources and trying to track things down, so it's wonderful to get to share what I learned because I think it is so interesting.”
