Lily Bishop, a rising senior in industrial engineering, researched the history and origin of Indiana's state song, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" written by Paul Dresser and published in 1897. She utilized Purdue's library system and other local news sources to uncover the nostalgia of the state song and the impact that it has on the perception of the Wabash River today. Lisa Welp-Smith, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), served as Bishop's research mentor throughout the year.

"I am an industrial engineering major, which means that I don't usually get the opportunity to perform historical research," said Bishop. "I love history and learning the context of why things are the way they are, so conducting this research was a welcome change from my normal class work."

While participating in the Undergraduate Research Conference, Bishop was able to strengthen her communication skills and learn how to present to different audiences. Conducting undergraduate research has helped her grow as a student and a professional, and has also exposed her to new ideas and ways of problem-solving.

"If you talked to me three years ago and told me that I would be presenting research about the state song of Indiana as part of my engineering education, I would have laughed," said Bishop. "However, my time at Purdue has taught me to appreciate the importance of multidisciplinary learning. I would challenge students to take the leap and explore research in an area that isn't their primary focus."

The conference theme was "Celebrate Purdue's Thinkers, Creators, and Experimenters". Nine other Purdue IE students also entered posters in the conference.

Source: Office of Undergraduate Research News article, "Bishop's archival research poster awarded first place".

In another beyond-the-classroom venture, Bishop won 2nd place in Purdue IE's 2017 Beautify Grissom Painting Competition for her work, "StarrIE Night", painting in a Vincent Van Gogh style what industrial engineering means to her.