Park Ridge student to present research on Capitol Hill

2016 Apr 11

Only a really special event can persuade John Warnock '16 to travel on something other than his bike.

John, a geography and earth science major from Park Ridge, Illinois, and Professor Wenjie Sun will fly to Washington for the 20th annual Posters on the Hill event April 19-20. The Council on Undergraduate Research, which sponsors the national research showcase, selected only 60 projects after reviewing several hundred applications.

Students share their research with members of Congress and their staffers, federal officials, academics, and other researchers. The event informs Capitol Hill lawmakers about the value of undergraduate research.

John's winning submission, "Is Cycling as an Active Transportation More than Environmentally Friendly? - Impacts of Bicycle Networks on Property Values in Madison, Wisconsin," is based on his senior thesis. Using geospatial and statistical analysis, he determined that proximity to bike trails does contribute slightly to property values.

The topic came naturally to him. John has worked at a bike shop since he was 15, and weeklong cycling trips with his brother aren't unusual.

"If I'm not in school, I'm probably working on or riding my bike," he said.

Cycling's impact on health and gas savings are undisputed, so John decided to investigate a less obvious benefit. He presented his thesis on campus in December.

Next comes a more imposing audience. John is the fourth Carthage student since 2009 to be selected for Posters on the Hill.

"This is a great opportunity to meet people I'd never otherwise meet, and to represent Carthage," he said.

On track to graduate in May, John wants to work with the National Park Service someday. He definitely recommends the major to others after developing strong connections to all of the professors in the Geography and Earth Science Department.

"You can really branch out," John said, "in terms of the diversity of courses you can take."

Prof. Sun said the faculty routinely encourages students with strong theses to apply to prestigious programs like Posters on the Hill. It's all original research, with Carthage geography majors following through from hypothesis to data analysis.

One special ingredient may have pushed the cycling project over the top.

"It helped that John chose a topic that reflects his lifelong passion," said Prof. Sun.

This will be his first trip to the nation's capital. Although he's going on official business, rumor has it the National Mall is a pretty enticing bike trail.