University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students practiced relaying the importance and impact of their research in a way that is understandable to a broad audience.
Aimed to encourage innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, the WiSys Quick Pitch competition allows students to consider the impact of their research and how their ideas could ultimately benefit the local economy and society. Students presented their findings and innovative ideas with a short pitch–without note cards, posters or PowerPoints–to a panel of judges.
After presenting Comparative Analysis of Math Teacher Training Programs, UW Oshkosh’s Alex Siebers, a secondary math education major from Kaukauna, was awarded first place. Second place and a People’s Choice award were awarded to student Madeline Hass.
“This experience really helped me develop the ability to summarize my work in a concise way that everyone can understand as well as make my research meaningful to those outside the math education field,” Siebers said.
Siebers is working with UW Oshkosh math professor Stephanie Bernander to study the impact of teacher preparation in mathematics as it pertains to what they need as they enter the profession.
“I am excited to work with Alex on this project because he is committed to becoming the very best secondary math teacher he can be and wants to make an impact for future math educators,” Bernander said.
Their research will utilize an undergraduate grant from the UW Oshkosh Office of Student Research and Creativity Activity with work beginning in December and culminating with a presentation of their research at the annual Celebration of Scholarship.
“Almost all secondary math education programs in the UW System require students to take upper-level math courses that don’t correlate to the actual classes that math teachers teach in the classroom. My research with Professor Bernander will look at how well we are actually preparing math teachers to teach middle and high school content, foster student conceptual understanding and provide interventions to struggling students,” Siebers said.
In all, five UW Oshkosh students presented their research at the competition, ranging in topic from the cognitive theory of the value of art to eviction trends in Oshkosh. All students who participated in the competition are guaranteed a scholarship to attend the 12th Annual Wisconsin Science and Technology Symposium (WSTS) at UW-Stout next summer.
UW Oshkosh participants:
- Robert Fricke, Montello, electrical engineering technology, presenting Wrightbike
- Madeline Hass, Neenah, philosophy, German, history, presenting A Cognitive Theory of the Value of Art
- Jaron Olson, Edgar, sociology, presenting Research on Eviction Trends in Oshkosh, WI from 2014 to Present
- Carolyn Schweda, Oshkosh, psychology, presenting An Examination of Researcher Effects Across a Series of Three Experiments
- Alexander Siebers, Kaukauna, education, presenting Comparative Analysis of Math Teacher Training Programs
At the WSTS state final, Siebers will pitch to a statewide audience of more than 200 UW System faculty, staff, students and community members.
LEARN MORE
- Become a Teacher
- Office of Student Research and Creativity Activity
- For more information about the 12th Annual WSTS and the Quick Pitch State Final, visit www.wisys.org/events/wsts.