A personal reflection of his time at Ohio State Marion
by Ben Bunnell, biology major
I originally came to The Ohio State University at Marion for the affordable tuition. I initially thought it to merely be a stop on the way to the Columbus campus. What I discovered was a smaller campus that allowed me to get the best education possible for my money. Many define the “college experience” as living in dorms, learning to live independent from their parents, and walking the line between responsibility and reckless fun. I strongly disagree with the aforementioned being the standard “college experience.” To me, the “college experience” is making lasting connections with my professors, earning the privilege to be a TA, researching with talented professors, diving into difficult subjects with passion, and spending my spare time tutoring others in various fields of academia. I have been lucky enough to do all of this and more at The Ohio State University at Marion. This is not a stop on the way to Columbus, OSUM is a destination to receive an education from a large university for a fraction of the cost.
"It is a place to receive a very rigorous education filed with professors that want to teach those willing to learn."
Since I was a freshman, I have been able to forge strong bonds with many of my professors. I met Dr. Craig Franze when I took math 1148, and we would stay after class and discuss mathematics, politics, life, and many other interesting topics that expanded my thinking. Hours upon hours have been spent together talking about various aspects of life and academia. To this day, Dr. Franze and I still have a weekly discussion about something academic, and he has been an excellent mentor in my undergraduate career. Dr. Franze re-inspired my love for Mathematics.
I decided to take Swahili as my foreign language. I had heard good things about the class, and experienced something unique to The Ohio State University at Marion, upon completion of my Swahili language sequence I became a Teaching Assistant. Thanks to Dr. Zak Nyongesa, I was able to teach multiple Swahili lectures to full classes and to focus groups. I later became the President of the Swahili club. Being able to teach and mentor students was an amazing experience, one that I know will benefit my graduate school career. Fast forward a year, and I meet Dr. Scott Fisher, my classics professor. Dr. Fisher was a professor who genuinely cares about the success of his students. A professor who believed that students should focus on what they want to learn from his classes. I remember that he would encourage all digressions that students would ask about. He is a professor that sincerely loves his job, and his preparedness exemplifies his work ethic. Dr. Fisher even connected me to a medical doctor mentor. Dr. Fisher even invited me over to his house to share Sunday meals with his wonderful family.
Dr. Jack Emens was my political science professor in the summer of 2013. It was one of my favorite classes. The way he taught the class expanded my critical thinking skills. He would assign students sides of debates over political topics that were often sensitive issues. He seemed to tell which preconceived notions we had, as we often had to defend the side we didn't believe in! I developed a good relationship with Dr. Emens. I was even married to my wife Michelle on the Marion campus by Dr. Emens!
Dr. Chris Orban was essential to the start of my research career. I emailed him before his first semester teaching at Ohio State Marion, and asked him if I could research with him. I informed him that I had limited training in programming and physics, but that I wanted to learn. He allowed me to work on the project: Visualizing Mechanisms of Electron Acceleration in Laser Fields. I worked with Dr. Orban and Gregory Ngirmang. They taught me how to use their Python scripts, and how to use the Python language. I was also invited to various video conferences with the collaborators in California and Columbus. I was able to visit the SCARLET laser at The Columbus campus, and I went to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to work with the group there. The experience I gained allowed me to present at the Inaugural Undergraduate Research Colloquium at The Ohio State University at Marion, and be featured in a YouTube video over my research experience. I was accepted into a Summer REU at the Mathematical Biosciences Institute with my project being conducted at Virginia Tech titled: Mathematic Modeling and Integrative Analysis ofEpigenetic Heterogeneity. I would not have been able to do a Summer REU without the experience I gained from Dr. Orban and his collaborators. I have been fortunate enough to be given a wonderful research opportunity by Dr. Orban, which has kick-started my Undergraduate Research. I was even hired to be a TA for Physics 1250 after showing my proficiency in the course.
I would like to bring up one more professor. Dr. Ryan Yoder was my organic chemistry professor. Chemistry has always been the subject that required the most work for me. It was the subject that did not come to me naturally. I struggled with that class, and Dr. Yoder was there for every step along that journey. He pushed me every day to be a better student. Dr. Yoder taught me how to think like a scientist. Dr. Yoder was available for his students more than any other professor I have ever met. His lectures were masterpieces. He is a savant in the way he prepares his lectures. Every example is carefully selected to teach a very specific detail on the section we covered at the time. I highly recommend taking Organic Chemistry with Dr. Yoder. Having a professor of this caliber changes your life. He is kind of professor I hope to be some day.
Ohio State Marion is not just a stop on the way to, (another higher education destination), it is a place to receive a very rigorous education filed with professors that want to teach those willing to learn. Where else can one have discussion with professors into the late hours of the night? Where else can a student become a teaching assistant, and lead lectures? Where else can a student go over to a professor’s home to share meal with their family to discuss plans for life, and more about the topics covered in class? Where else can a student be part of a research team that works at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base? What other university offers the research experience and individual attention from professors? The Ohio State University at Marion is a place where a student gets the most out of their education. I look back on my years at OSUM with pride, and I know that I would not be as successful without the professors and faculty that have taught me so much in only a few short years. Go Bucks!