Presenters & Presentations
9:45 a.m. -2:30 p.m. coffee and cookies in Great Hall
| Catalyst Day Presentation Schedule for Fall 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 a.m. | “Preventing Hell on Earth: How Livestock Grazing Can Save Sequoia National Forest from Complete Destruction” This project investigates livestock grazing as a wildfire prevention strategy in Sequoia National Forest, emphasizing how targeted grazing can reduce dry fuels and create fire breaks. By integrating natural grazing habits into wildfire control, it aims to protect ecosystems and nearby communities from wildfire spread. | Great Hall | Group 13 | Sydney Swanson, Natalie Weidner, Kyler Hickman, Taylor Nelson |
| “ Echo Chamber and Elections: Implementing AI to Combat Political Misinformation on TikTok” This project addresses the political misinformation spread on social media platforms, specifically TikTok. It utilizes AI to implement systematic warnings for political misinformation, aiming to reduce interaction with misinformation and mitigate the spread of political misinformation. | Todd Wehr 104 | Group 10 | Hailey Krueger, Samantha Differt, Allison Kaja, Hagen Rasmussen, Matthew Stuczynski | |
| “Phoslock: The Key to Locking Down Phosphorus Pollution in Green Lake” Phosphorus pollution is a primary driver of harmful algae blooms that disrupt the ecosystem of Green Lake. Our solution includes implementing Phoslock, an innovative phosphorus treatment developed in Australia. This treatment offers a promising solution to reduce phosphorus levels and improve water quality. | East Hall 101 | Group 4 | Glira De Asis, Teagan Fregosi, Kennedy Moore, Harnish Van Oers, Haley Young | |
| 10:30 a.m. | “A Digital Incentivized Solution to Link Low-Income Individual Access to Transportation and Health Care in Milwaukee, WI.” Many low-income individuals in Milwaukee, WI struggle with knowing what health care options are available to them. A major barrier in accessing health care is the lack of access to transportation. By designing a website, our project will connect low-income individuals to transportation and health care options. | Great Hall | Group 2 | Liliana Sevilla, Samantha Schaefer, Michael Sheehy, Katherine Schucha, Jonathan Derrick |
| “Doulas on the Move: Supportive Care to Combat Low Birth Weight in Rock County's African American Community” Low birth weight is a problem that disproportionately affects African Americans in Wisconsin. Our project looks to improve upon the problem by bringing a doula service, which we modeled after a successful program in Dane County, to Rock County. The program aims to relieve some of the stress during pregnancy by providing someone who can help and support the mother through education about pregnancy, making appointments, and general support. | Todd Wehr 104 | Group 3 | Caleb Sippel, Christian Grunert, Allison Pavlovec, Tia Teichmiller | |
| “Sunshine On My Soldiers: Fighting Veteran PTSD with Ketamine-Enhanced Mindfulness Retreats in Rural Wisconsin” With the lack of productive and effective treatments for veterans with PTSD, this project looks to change the game. Through implementing a nomadic mindfulness retreat that employs Ketamine therapy, we look to serve rural veterans with PTSD to help their fight and create community. | East Hall 101 | Group 14 | Jack Berens, Sid McNatt, Isaac San Diego, Carly Stefl, Andreanna Wilke | |
| 11 a.m. | “Youth Roots: Combatting Garlic Mustard with a Community Conservation Program in Fond du Lac County” Youth Roots will provide art education and outdoor experiences to children and adolescents in Fond du Lac County to foster long-term, active participation in conservation efforts within the community. | Great Hall | Group 5 | Bryce Braunel, Macy Goldthorpe, Eugene Hinton, Delaney Sherry, Bri Young |
| “Utilizing Alum Salt to Prevent Harmful Blue-Green Algae in Green Lake, Wisconsin” Blue-Green Algae bacteria in Big Green Lake, Wisconsin, caused by an excess amount of phosphorus, is harmful to people, animals, and other aquatic organisms. Dispersing Aluminum Sulfate into the lake will create a new chemical compound that prevents the growth of Blue-Green Algae. | Todd Wehr 104 | Group 8 | McKenzie Bestor, Margaret Glaus, Nicole Arnhold, Austin Stevens, Lars Miller | |
| “Building Better Batteries: Enhancing Lithium-Ion Battery Sustainability and Safety for Electric Vehicles” This project advocates for the transition from lithium-ion batteries to solid-state batteries to enhance safety and longevity. Our initiative focuses on implementing a 3D printed casing for these batteries, aiming to reduce manufacturing costs, promote environmental sustainability, and enable large scale production of electric vehicle batteries. | East Hall 101 | Group 12 | Arianna Alirez, Lia Haile, Ashton Norman, Shane Dooley, Britt Hable | |
| 11:30 a.m. | Lunch | Commons | |
| 1 p.m. | “ElectEd: A Mobile App to Increase College Student Voter Turnout” We are excited to propose the development of an interactive mobile app that aims to boost voter turnout among college students like us. This app will feature fun quizzes, easy-to-understand political information, and direct tools for voter registration. | Great Hall | Group 7 | Alex Casey, Cielo Gutierrez Kuhaupt, Kinsley Kahl, Teagen Secora, Trevor Roberts |
| “Helping Heroes: Making VA Healthcare Access Easy to Understand!” Veterans face significant challenges accessing healthcare through the VA, due to complex processes, long wait times, and limited awareness of benefits. This project offers a simple, proactive solution: user-friendly informational handouts that outline healthcare rights, eligibility, and guidance for accessing VA services. | Todd Wehr 104 | Group 1 | Alexander Henriques, Alexis Piette, Benjamin Marn, Jayden Markus, Soo-Yin Brown | |
| 1:30 p.m. | "Growing Green: Creating a Community Rooftop Garden Program in West Pullman” This project explores the potential of rooftop gardens as a sustainable, community-focused solution to tackle the issues of urban flooding and heat islands in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood. | Great Hall | Group 15 | Kayla Cruz, Jada Johnson, Molly Johannes, Dallan Lopez, Sean Tracy |
| “Equity through Education: Empowering Future Healthcare Professionals to Address Inequities for Individuals with Disabilities” This project creates a 2-part course to teach nursing and medical school students about the inequities and discrimination that individuals with disabilities face when seeking healthcare treatment. | Todd Wehr 104 | Group 11 | Hadley Berendsen, Colton Greenwood, Natalie Levar, Dorian Phillips, Liz Walz | |
| 2 p.m. | “Rooted in Agroforestry: Enhancing Soil Health through Sustainable Practices in Wisconsin and Iowa” This project addresses problems with environmental sustainability from traditional farming practices, and proposes implementation of agroforestry as a form of conservation. | Great Hall | Group 9 | Katy Peterson, Sean Rath, Natalie Rauwolf, Caleb Mammoser, Mary Elliot |
| "Re-preserving the Forest: Creating Legislature to Preserve Forests in Wisconsin" Our legislation would aim to preserve the forests of Wisconsin, as the amount of forested land has nearly halved since the formation of the state. By providing incentives to landowners with forested lands to maintain a healthy, ecologically diverse forested area, we hope to increase the amount of sustained and healthy forested areas in Wisconsin. | Todd Wehr 104 | Group 6 | Samantha Campbell, Lucie Petri-Rose, Alex Pankratz, Karly Riverdahl, Presley Buwalda | |