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At the most fundamental level, how are humans defined? What stories are being told within the musical compositions of great composers? How are unions and businesses reacting to legislation addressing collective bargaining? How do fish locomote on land to capture prey? Representing a rich array of research across disciplines, four Wake Forest students addressed these questions during the fourth annual Senior Showcase, held in the library auditorium on April 23.

Nominated by their faculty advisers, the honorees were selected to present their research before an audience comprised of fellow students, faculty and staff, and family members. The Senior Showcase was founded in 2010 upon the suggestion of a former student who desired a campus-wide forum to highlight student research achievements. Each year, the Showcase has grown in both the number of nominees and the distinct departments they represent. Building upon sustained growth, the Showcase expanded this year to include a $1,000 award for each honoree, in additional recognition of their efforts and merit.

The 2013 Senior Showcase honorees were:

• Jonathan Barker, Philosophy, for “Animating Animalism by Eliminating Eliminativism,” nominated by Patrick Toner;
• Liu “Nick” Cheng, Music, for Piano Performance of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Prokofiev Masterworks, nominated by Peter Kairoff;
• Lani Domagalski, Politics & International Affairs, for “Wisconsin and Michigan Collective Bargaining and Breaking the Unions,” nominated by Charles “Hank” Kennedy; and,
• Alexander Pronko, Biology, for “The Novel Kinematics of a Water-Land Transition in Mangrove Rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus),” nominated by Miriam Ashley-Ross.

Following the presentations, and a lively question and answer session with the audience, honorees and attendees enjoyed a reception sponsored by the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Center.

L to R: Nick Cheng, Alex Pronko, Lani Domagalski, Jonathan Barker