By Michaiah Varnes\u00a0\u00a0and\u00a0Charles Baynum\/\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hood College hosted its annual SPIRE Symposium and Departmental Honors Program on April 21, celebrating student and faculty accomplishments in research, art and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
About 100 students and faculty presented their work in poster sessions and lectures. In the afternoon, 20 students showed off departmental honors research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Casey Chamberlin, a Hood College senior, presented her research on school-related anxiety levels of first-generation college students. Chamberlin noted that first-generation students typically have lower GPAs and dropout rates. She found that problems can arise due to a lack of parental guidance, difficulty in finding resources and not feeling like they belong. These problems, in turn, affect graduation rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The participants in her study were 18 years of age or older and first-year students at Hood College who participated in first-year seminars and attended orientation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Diamond Moffitt Colbert, a freshman at Hood said, \u201cI think the presentation was cool. Most definitely can relate to having test anxiety.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hood College student Sara Munson presented a data analysis project titled \u201cModeling the Game of Softball Using Excel\u201d in which she applied quantitative methods to evaluate and predict scoring outcomes in collegiate softball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her work used Microsoft Excel to organize and interpret statistical data from the Women\u2019s College World Series, with the objective of modeling opponent scoring with measurable accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Munson detailed the sequential methodology of her project, beginning with data collection and progressing through the interpretation of trends and outcomes. By compiling in-game statistics and running analyses within Excel, she was able to produce scoring predictions with a margin of error averaging approximately 1.5 runs. Her findings demonstrated the potential of spreadsheet software as a tool for performance forecasting in competitive athletics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the success of her model, Munson acknowledged limitations inherent to the method. Specifically, she noted Excel\u2019s inability to account for non-quantifiable factors such as player errors and situational mishaps, which can significantly influence game results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project illustrates the increasing relevance of data modeling in sports analysis and reinforces the utility of accessible software platforms in producing reliable statistical evaluations, she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"