2024-25 Adam Rahl
Adam Rahl is pursuing majors in German and biochemistry (with a minor in LGBTQ+ studies). These two disciplines, although seemingly disconnected, provide the intellectual vitality that he hoped to find at Ohio State. He is thankful for the invaluable mentoring provided by the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures as he completed two research projects: one investigating gay Holocaust survivor testimonies and the other examining an herbal taxonomy published in Prague in 1789.
Having changed the way I relate to art, literature and history, a major in the humanities has been a spiritual investment in my inner life. Within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, I have spent two years leading sections of CHEM 1612 and 1622. Additionally, during this past year, I was a student researcher in the Huang lab, working on projects in plant genetics and gaining a new appreciation for my professors who expand the frontiers of scientific knowledge.
2022-23 Gwen Stamper
Gwen Stamper (German, Forestry Fisheries & Wildlife) will conduct research for the thesis she plans to write in German next year by visiting the International Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich over the summer. Her interest lies in pollinator research (she works in a bumble bee lab here at OSU) and composting and recycling practices in Germany, topics that allow her to combine both her interest in German culture and society and in environmental matters. It was in high school that Gwen visited Germany and was impressed most by the lack of manicured lawns: “The vibrant biodiversity of gardens and meadows blew my mind. This trip solidified what I had suspected throughout my German studies: Americans have a lot to learn from German environmentalism.”
2021-22 Alex Corpuz
Alex Corpuz (German, Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies), in 2021, researched the Ambraser Heldenbuch, and the aim is to write an Honors thesis in their senior year. Alex’s professors describe them as an “energetic collaborator,” “engaged reader,” and a “lively presenter.” This prize award will help Alex achieve their goals next year.
2020-21 Jessica (Jess) Kavinsky
Jess Kavinsky (German, International Studies) is planning to write—and has already begun research for—a senior thesis. Her broad topic looks at the way that societies process the aftermath of genocide. In particular, she will investigate the way that women are represented in genocide memorial sites, the kinds of roles ascribed to them, and the function that those roles play in cultural memory of events. Jess intends to visit sites in Rwanda and in Germany.
2019-20 Rebecca Gill
Rebecca Gill (German and Linguistics) researched the use of the subjunctive 2 mood in southern Germany and how it might interact with the historic loss of the preterite verb form in this region. She was accepted into a 4-week study abroad program through AIFS that allowed her to study in Salzburg in the summer of 2019. As a senior, Rebecca was instrumental in assuring that German Career Day was a successful and exciting event for over a hundred high school German learners who visited the main campus. Her leadership and acumen were invaluable.
2018-19 Kate Greer
Kate Greer (German and History) was selected to receive the first Wolfgang Fleischhauer Scholarship. As an undergraduate student, Kate served as President of the Undergraduate Student Government at Ohio State, and one of her accomplishments was spearheading the creation of the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy. In 2016, Kate testified before the Ohio House Education committee, urging lawmakers to adopt the Seal of Biliteracy, which is attached to the high school transcript or diploma of students who show proficiency in a foreign language. As a senior, Kate placed first in the Human Experiences category at the 25th Anniversary Denman Research Forum with her study on “Falk Richter's I am Europe: Challenging German Identity and Eurocentric Elitism in the Era of Mass Migration.” She won a U.S. Student Fulbright Grant to teach English in Germany and was named an International Affairs scholar.