WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Petri was on hand in a congressional reception room to offer praise as two University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh seniors joined with other students from across the country to display informative posters about the students' research projects.

The display by the seniors, Amanda Boeker and Valerie Brandt, discussed their research on polio epidemics in northeast Wisconsin between 1940 and 1960. By conducting archival research and collecting oral histories from dozens of people in the community, the researchers discovered the multiple ways in which the fear of polio changed the general functioning of local communities.

Boeker and Brandt also learned how the epidemic altered the government's role in dealing with medical emergencies and the manner in which it forced medical professionals to cope with a mysterious disease. Significantly, the polio epidemics brought women to the forefront as nurses, mothers, volunteers, fundraisers and teachers.

Rep. Tom Petri listens as UW - Oshkosh seniors
Amanda Boeker and Valerie Brandt discuss their project.

Petri remarked: "I think it's wonderful that two students from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh have not only participated in, but have been leaders in a national competition - two of only 75 teams all across the United States that were selected for display here in our nation's capital. Their research into the history of polio in our area is something that touched an awful lot of middle aged and senior citizens very deeply. The interviews that they conducted with citizens in the Fox Valley are recorded and are a central part of their study."