![Demian Hommel is sitting in front of a large window and two large potted plants. He wears a plaid button up shirt with a black suit jacket and gestures with his hands as he talks. Out of focus in front of him is Mary Ellen Dello Stritto, the Ecampus assistant director of research. Mary Ellen has dark brown hair and wears a vibrant blue shirt and a blue and white scarf.](https://i0.wp.com/ecampus.oregonstate.edu/news/assets/ECRF-main.jpg?resize=200%2C150&ssl=1)
Rallied by research
3 minute read When Demian Hommel applied for the Oregon State University Ecampus Research Fellows Program, he carried the seed of an idea: Experiential education can transform a student’s understanding of a concept into real-world circumstances, so it should be offered equally to learners in online and traditional classroom settings. What he didn’t know was that sowing the seed of this idea through his research project could help sprout a grassroots community of advocates like him.