Made in Millersville

Made in Millersville is an annual conference to showcase the scholarly and creative work of Millersville University students. Hundreds of students and faculty from different disciplines and backgrounds converged on the McNairy Library and Learning Forum on April 18. The event embraces traditional field and laboratory work as well as projects in the visual and performing arts such as creative writing, music, drama, debate and public speaking.

This year boasted the largest showcase to date with more than 400 presenters. The library lobby, conference rooms and third floor bustled with activity all day long. Students stood by their poster boards, explaining their research to interested viewers. Here are five students who participated in this year’s Made in Millersville showcase.

Gary Grimm

Master’s Nursing

Lancaster, Pa.

Graduate student Gary Grimm was asked to participate in Made in Millersville by his professor, but decided to go through with it because he wanted to get people thinking about his presentation topic. He presented a poster titled: “Food as Medication: A Concept Analysis,” which he hoped would educate the audience on the concept of using food as a form of medication.

“It is important to understand the power and effect of food beyond viewing it as simply fuel,” says Grimm, who is studying for his master’s in nursing and is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International – Xi Chi at large chapter.

His original intent was to become a nurse anesthetist. However, after he watched the documentary “Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare,” he decided to become a nurse practitioner. After he graduates in the spring 2019, Grimm plans to go to work in an integrative medicine family practice, using a Direct Primary Care model for care. This is a no-insurance model that eliminates fee-for-service incentives, time restrictions, allows for a more trusting relationship between patient and provider and reduces costs. Grimm enjoys backpacking with his wife and friends in his spare time and likes skydiving.

Ashley Jumbelick

English Major

Lancaster, Pa.

Freshman English major Ashley Jumbelick moved around a lot during her childhood, but she considers Lancaster her home. She decided to participate in Made in Millersville because it recommended by her professor, so she decided to do some research on it. Jumbelick, who works at the campus radio station 91.7 WIXQ from 1 to 3 a.m. on Sunday nights, presented about American realist painter and printmaker Edward Hopper’s art throughout the 1920’s. She explained how it represents the counterculture of the time and its importance.

“I think the most unique thing about it is that the presentation was an oral recording similar to the Khan Academy presentations,” says Jumbelick.

This type of presentation was right up her alley since she possesses the ability to recall just about anything when it comes to history. A skill that she says serves as a good conversation starter and comes in handy in her classes. After she graduates, Jumbelick plans to attend graduate school in hopes of becoming a professor and one day leading an archaeological expedition to Greece.

Lindsay Roschel

Master’s History

Mountville, Pa.

Graduate student Lindsay Roschel saw Made in Millersville as an opportunity to highlight her research and sharpen her professional skills. She, along with her co-presenter Abigail Gruber, received a grant from the Noonan Endowment, during the fall 2016 semester to participate in the Pennsylvania Historical Association’s Student Poster Session. The Lancaster county native presented a poster detailing the experiences of families in Lancaster and Philadelphia during the American Revolution. The research focused on four prominent families; the Yeates and Hand families of Lancaster and the Shippen and Drinker families of Philadelphia. All four families are somehow linked by lineage, business and/or friendship.

“The uniqueness of our research within the grand historiography of the American Revolution is noteworthy itself,” says Roschel.

The Phi Alpha Theta member is currently working for an environmental consulting firm as a technical writer. After graduating with her master’s in history, Roschel plans on attending the Seventeenth Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Genders, and Sexualities in June as a roundtable participant with Dr. Tracey Weis, associate professor of history at MU. She also plans to seek employment in historical consulting or preservation and get married later this year.

Dylan Houseal

Geography Major

Mount Joy, Pa.

If you’re lost anywhere on the planet, senior geography major Dylan Houseal is who you’d want to be lost with. Houseal is a geography major and has a focus in geospatial applications. He was among the top 100 students to compete in back-to-back years at the Pennsylvania State Geography Bee in middle school. He is on the student leadership team of the Navigators Christian Campus Ministry at Millersville University.

He decided to participate in Made in Millersville because it served as a requirement for his minor in Land Use. Houseal presented research that focused on the distribution of habitats of interest to the Lancaster County Nature Conservancy for future land preservation. His research was unique because it required the mapping of caves in Lancaster County. Whether these caves are still accessible or filled in over time is unknown.

“My research project provides spatial data for future field work to see if these caves are still in existence,” says Houseal, who plans to pursue a career where he can use Geographic Information Systems every day to solve and display spatial problems. He will also get married in September.

Janelle Konkle

Early Childhood Education Major

Montoursville, Pa.

Junior Janelle Konkle prides herself on being very involved on campus. She’s a member of Early Childhood Education (ECHO), STEM Advocates of Millersville and Kappa Delta Pi just to name a few.

“I love being involved on campus because it allows me to make the most of my experience here at Millersville,” says Konkle.

The Montoursville native, along with two of her fellow education majors, presented research on how teachers use web-based resources in their classroom to encourage young writers. This information was previously presented at the Keystone State Reading Association conference.

“Our presentation was originally presented in front of teachers of all backgrounds and grade levels,” says Konkle.

After she graduates in spring 2018, Konkle plans on getting a job in an urban public school somewhere in the Lancaster area. She’s also thought about teaching abroad. She knows the value of international education because she was able to study abroad last summer at a bilingual school in Sweden.