SEWARD, NEBRASKA (May 1, 2025) — Over sixty students, including Jason Payne of Bettendorf, Iowa, presented at the fourteenth annual Academic and Research Symposium at Concordia Nebraska on April 28, 2025. The event, which takes place in the Dunklau Center for Math, Science, and Business, includes both poster and oral presentations throughout the late afternoon and evening.
Professor of Mathematics Dr Brian Albright has been coordinating the event for the past four years.
The symposium gives students the opportunity to present original research and significant projects they've worked on over the course of the semester in an interdisciplinary setting. This year, majors from history and psychology to biology and English and others were represented at the event. A total of 62 students gave 38 poster and 23 oral presentations on topics ranging from chiropractic care to football recruiting.
This year, the event concluded with a keynote speech by speaker Lyman Stone, a senior fellow and director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies. Stone's presentation was entitled "What Tomorrow May Bring: Evidence from the Lutheran Religious Life Survey Revealing How the LCMS is Changing."
Student presenters included (listed alphabetically by last name):
Brittney Aitken, senior, Lincoln, Nebraska
Naomi Archer, freshman, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Connor Asche, senior, Geneva, Nebraska
Elena Batenhorst, senior, Columbus, Nebraska
Simon Blankenship, freshman, Wytheville, Virginia
Meredith Boster, junior, Fulshear, Texas
Hanna Bowers, senior, Waddell, Arizona
David Claridge, sophomore, Leander, Texas
Greta Corneliusen, senior, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Aarin Dean, senior, Seward, Nebraska
Autumn Deterding, junior, Cambridge, Nebraska
Hannah Ethridge, junior, Fulda, Minnesota
Aaron Everett, senior, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Ryleigh Flesner, junior, Greeley, Colorado
Rayshun Foreman, senior, Beaver Crossing, Nebraska
Tanner Frahm, sophomore, Plainview, Nebraska
Molly Frenzen, sophomore, Columbus, Nebraska
Hugo Fuentes, junior, Denia, Spain
Edumar Garcia, senior, Rio Grande City, Texas
Thomas Gorline, senior, St Peters, Missouri
Kate Griess, junior, Sutton, Nebraska
Bradley Hallock, sophomore, Ord, Nebraska
Elaina Hanson, sophomore, Valdez, Alaska
Micah Henschen, senior, Bancroft, Nebraska
Martin Herrera, senior, Quito, Ecuador
Molly Hjelm, sophomore, Glenwood, Minnesota
Riley Hoetfelker, senior, Hooper, Nebraska
Ellie Jander, senior, Bridgeton, Mirrouri
Niah Kirchner, junior, Omaha, Nebraska
Nathan Kurth, junior, Stromsburg, Nebraska
Zoe Lavigne, junior, Anaheim, Calif.
Noah Leeper, sophomore, Thornton, Colorado
Slade Leicht, junior, Lucas, Texas
Jackson Lindburg, sophomore, Stromsburg, Nebraska
Emily Loseke, junior, Leigh, Nebraska
Elizabeth Marsh, junior, York, Nebraska
Joseph McQueen, senior, Millsap, Texas
Jenna Muntz, junior, Louisville, Nebraska
Hope Nelson, senior, Rochester, Minnesota
Katelyn Nix, senior, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Brock Olson, junior, Omaha, Nebraska
Zachary Oxar, senior, North Miami, Florida
Joshua Palacios, senior, Katy, Texas
Travis Parsons, senior, Round Rock, Texas
Seanna Patterson, senior, Lincoln, Nebraska
Jason Payne, sophomore, Bettendorf, Iowa
Adah Pflughoeft, junior, Lusk, Wyoming
Anthony Polley, senior, Edmond, Oklahoma
Lily Psencik, junior, Lincoln, Nebraska
Jaidan Quinn, senior, Bonner Springs, Kansas
Molly Reece, junior, McCordsville, Indiana
MaKenzi Ross, sophomore, Grand Island, Nebraska
Terrigen Sebek, sophomore, Hampton, Nebraska
Karson Sherman, junior, Glenvil, Nebraska
Tristan Smith, senior, Elizabeth, Colorado
Colby Sugden, junior, Adams, Nebraska
Bethany Thomas, senior, Libby, Montana
Mason Ward, junior, Twin Falls, Idaho
Ransom Watts, sophomore, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Matthew Weismann, senior, Gibbon, Nebraska
Emma Womboldt-Siemek, junior, Gothenburg, Nebraska
Tytus Woodburn, senior, York, Nebraska
About Concordia University, Nebraska
Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university of The Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod located in Seward, Nebraska, which currently serves more than 1,700 students. Concordia offers more than 100 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service, and leadership in the church and world. For more information, visit cune.edu.
