Teaching and learning once again collide on the pages of Oshkosh Scholar.

The new edition — Volume IV, 2009 — features findings from 10 research projects conducted through collaborations between University of Wisconsin Oshkosh undergraduate students from a variety of majors and faculty members who serve as mentors.

The fourth edition of Oshkosh Scholar received more than double the number of submissions than in the past, making selections more difficult for the editorial board.

“With many manuscripts to choose from and personal meetings with student authors, the journal has had to rely more than ever on a small team of dedicated editors,” said Tracy H. Slagter, faculty adviser for the publication and assistant professor of political science.

Submissions are judged on quality and intellectual merit by a selection panel and then edited by an editorial board consisting of students, staff and faculty.

Oshkosh Scholar is available in the entryway of Polk Library, in the Office of Grants and Faculty Development, Room 214 in Dempsey Hall.

Highlights from the new edition are listed below:

• “The Effects of Promotions on Attendance at Major League Baseball Games,” written by Amanda Schoenrock, a December 2009 graduate with degrees in economics and marketing, working with Marianne Johnson, economics professor.

Schoenrock found that “bobblehead” giveaway promotions have the highest positive impact on attendance at Milwaukee Brewers games, based on her study of all 81 Brewers home games in 2008.

• “Understanding Unemployment Rates in U.S. Metropolitan Areas,” written by Krista Newell, a senior majoring in math, economics and Spanish, working with Marianne Johnson, economics professor.

Newell addresses the relationship between economic diversity and unemployment rates to better understand possible causes for the increase in unemployment in 2009. She found that regions seeking to reduce unemployment should pay attention to the number of manufacturing jobs in their area.

The following articles also appear in the journal:

• “Content Analysis of Online Commenters on Sexism in the 2008 Presidential Campaign,” by Kathryn Gruber, with faculty advisers Michael Jasinski and Lori Carrell.

• “Global Gene Expression in Cyanobacterial Electron Transfer Mutants,” by George L. Weir IV and Kraig Short, with faculty adviser Toivo Kallas.

• “Global Capitalism in Oryx and Crake,” by Beth Irwin, with faculty adviser Jordan Landry.

• “Confidence and Legitimization: The Role of the Protestant Church in Fostering Opposition in the GDR,” by Craig Lakatos, with faculty adviser Michelle Mouton.

• “The Early Black Press and Social Obligation to Abolish Slavery,” by Amanda Hernandez, with faculty adviser Michelle Kuhl.

• “The Power Complex: The WSU System’s Response to Dissent in the Late 1960s,” by Anthony Pietsch, with faculty adviser Stephen Kercher.

• “The Internet as Utopia: Reality, Virtuality and Politics,” by Joshua Cowles, with faculty adviser Druscilla Scribner.

• “Karl Liebknecht, Willy Brandt and German Socialism,” by Seth Breunig, with faculty adviser Tracy H. Slagter.

For more information about Oshkosh Scholar and other opportunities for student research at UW Oshkosh, visit www.uwosh.edu/grants.