RESEARCH THAT TRANSFORMS STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES
Instilling Confidence and Scientific Belonging
At IWU, research reflects a commitment to exploration, innovation, and discovery rooted in respect for the complexity of God’s creation. Faculty and students pursue research not for commercial success but as a meaningful way to solve problems and honor God through faithful stewardship of knowledge.
In a time when higher education faces widespread uncertainty, IWU’s faith-centered approach to research provides both stability and purpose.
What distinguishes IWU is its emphasis on engaging undergraduates in hands-on research guided by faculty who are accomplished scholars and devoted mentors. This model develops technical skill, intellectual curiosity, and confidence.
Biology professor and neuroscience researcher Matthew Kreitzer, Ph.D., embodies that mission. His research examines how neurons, the cells that transmit information throughout the nervous system, communicate across synapses, the tiny gaps where electrical signals pass between cells. Focusing on the retina, Kreitzer and his students study how small shifts in pH affect these neural signals.
“The brain is constantly adapting,” he said. “There are structural and neurochemical shifts happening all the time. When I leave a room, I literally have a different brain than when I walked in. That’s fascinating.”
While his work is foundational rather than clinical, it could guide future treatments for various medical conditions linked to disrupted brain signaling.
Kreitzer includes students in every stage of research, from designing experiments to co-authoring papers. He reminds them that progress in science takes time. “Patience is a learned virtue for researchers,” Kreitzer said.
Many of his students participate in the Hodson Research Institute. The eight-week summer program allows undergraduates to work full time alongside faculty mentors, often leading to published results or conference presentations. “Spending 40 hours a week in the lab allows them to face challenges and make real discoveries,” Kreitzer said.
More than 70 students have worked in Kreitzer’s lab, each earning a place on his “wall of fame.” “Every photo represents a relationship formed around shared discovery,” he said. “It is something I look at for encouragement.”
RESEARCH AT A GLANCE
2022-PRESENT
MILLION IN RESEARCH GRANTS AND EXTERNAL FUNDING
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH
FACULTY ARTICLES PUBLISHED
BOOKS AUTHORED BY FACULTY
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS PARTICIPATING IN RESEARCH (2025)
Research Backed by Art, Inspired by God
When most people think of research, they imagine scientists in labs or engineers designing new technologies. Daniel Hall, professor of art, finds his inspiration in a different place: God’s creation. “The Lord's solutions are everywhere,” he said.
A longtime teacher of biomimicry, the study of how nature’s patterns inspire sustainable innovation, Hall encourages creative disciplines to look at God’s designs as blueprints for solving modern challenges. “Nature is full of answers,” he said. “The more closely we study God’s design, the more we find solutions that are both functional and beautiful.”
This philosophy connects to centuries of research in natural design, from Leonardo da Vinci’s studies of bird flight to the Wright brothers’ invention of the airplane.
Hall’s research bridges art, restoration, and faith. Supported by two Lilly Endowment grants, he studied art restoration at the Lorenzo de’ Medici Institute in Florence, Italy, where he helped restore religious artworks in a thousand-year-old church. The town’s mayor later commissioned him to design the banner for the historic Palio di Piancastagnaio, a horse race honoring the Madonna of San Pietro. “The banner serves as the race’s trophy,” Hall said. “It is comparable to designing the silver cup awarded at Wimbledon.”
At IWU, Hall leads one of the most active college-based art programs in the country, hosting as many as 17 exhibitions across three campus galleries in a single year. These exhibitions serve as living laboratories for research, creativity, and innovation. “Every project is an experiment in design thinking,” he said. “Art is not separate from research. It is how we explore God’s created world.”