Ranger Research Day took place on Nov. 21 in the J.W. Martin Library on the Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Both graduate and undergraduate students presented presentations of academic research conducted from one of their classes.
Tying for Best Overall Project was Raegan Hiner, a senior psychology major from Alva, and Paige Bailey, a senior psychology major from Enid. These students won Best out of 31 projects entered by 50 participants.
The winners including classification, hometown, research project name and sponsor are:
History: M’Cheila Rader won first place. She is an American Studies graduate student from Alva. Her project was “Restoring Women’s History in Public Spaces: The Role of Public Historians in Education and Interpretation.” In second place was Elizabeth Terbush, an American Studies graduate student from Woodward. Her project was “George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate. Heatherene Merill won third place. Merill is an American Studies graduate student from Enid. Her project was “From Ashes to Archives: Oral Tradition as Historical Evidence of the Tulsa Race Massacre.
The winning entries were sponsored by Jana Pittman, instructor of history.
Biology: In first place was Ko Brooks, a senior biology and chemistry major from Alva. Brook’s project was “Prevalence of Hookworms in Northwest Oklahoma and Effects of Habitation on Infection.”
The winning entry was sponsored by Dr. Nicholus Ledbetter, assistant professor of biology.
English: In first place was Ashland Crites, a senior English education major from Hennessey their piece was “Memory as resistance in Monique Truong’s ‘Bitter in the Mouth’,” sponsored by Dr. Christina Xan, assistant professor of English.
Nursing: Frist place: Tatum Brown, a senior nursing major from Woodward, Lainey Coley, a senior nursing major from Medicine Lodge, Kansas, and Shyanna Stopp, a senior nursing major from Park Hill their piece was “Effects of Prenatal Education on Postpartum Depression.”
Second place: Baleigh Stewart, a senior nursing major from Lahoma, Patricia Collins, a senior nursing major from Waukomis, and Nancy Klippenstein, a senior nursing major from Burlington, their piece was “In Pregnant Women in Labor, How Does the Use of Dexmedetomidine Compared to Traditional Opioids for Epidural Analgesia Affect Maternal and Fetal Adverse Effects During Labor?”
Third place: Tejune Kim a senior nursing major from Norman, Evan Silva, a senior nursing major from Ringwood, and Marcus Bueno, a senior nursing major from Clarkdale, Arizona. Their piece was “The Effects of Parental Health Literacy on Overall Child Health.”
Honorable mention: Sarah Decker, a senior nursing major from Meno, Danae Vedetti, a senior nursing major from Enid, and Daphne Zevallos De McCaslin, a senior nursing major from Enid and their piece “The effectiveness of Aromatherapy in Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting.”
All winning entries were sponsored by Dr. Heidi Ritchie, Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs director and assistant professor of nursing.
Psychology: First place and overall winner (tie): Regan Hiner, senior psychology major from Alva and their piece “Exploring the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Body Comparison Behaviors: Implications of Self-Image and Mental Health,” and Paige Bailey senior psychology major from Enid and their piece “Interpersonal Relationship Quality Influencing Well-Being.”
Second place: John Hofferber, a senior psychology major from Ponca City and his piece “The Impact of Digital Notification Frequency on Decision Fatigue, Stress, and Cognitive Strain in the Workplace.
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Third place: Summya Adigun, a senior psychology major from Hugoton, Kansas and their piece “Is Social Media Hurting Our Love Lives?”
Honorable mention: Halie Shirley, a senior psychology major from Braman and their piece “Holistic Medicine as a Treatment for Substance Abuse.”
Dr. Taylor Randolph, chair of the Nortwestern Department of Psychology and assistant professor of psychology, sponsored all psychology award winners, and Taylor Phillips, instructor of psychology, sponsored the second-place winner. All presenters are encouraged to attend Oklahoma Research Day on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at Norteastern State University in Tahlequah.
— University Relations