14Th Annual Student Research And
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Editor Jill K. Singer, Ph.D. Director, Office of Undergraduate Research Sponsored by Office of Undergraduate Research Office of Academic Affairs Research Foundation for SUNY/Buffalo State Cover Design and Layout: Carol Alex The following individuals and offices are acknowledged for their many contributions: Sean Fox, Ellofex, Inc. Jim Shea, Technology Department Maryruth Glogowski, Director, E.H. Butler Library, and the Tim Ngo, Copy Center library staff Tom Coates, Events Management, and Carole Schaus, Office of Undergraduate Research staff, especially Mary Beth Wojtaszek Kaylene Waite, Computer Graphics Specialist Department and Program Coordinators (identified below) Bruce Fox, Photographer and very special thanks to Carol Alex, Center for Carol Beckley, Theater Department Development of Human Services Department and Program Coordinators for the Fourteenth Annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration Lisa Anselmi, Anthropology Dan MacIsaac, Physics Kyeonghi Baek, Political Science Candace Masters, Art Education Saziye Bayram, Mathematics James Mayrose, Technology Carol Beckley, Theater Amy McMillan, Biology Lynn Boorady, Technology Michaelene Meger, Exceptional Education Betty Cappella, Educational Foundations Michael Niman, Communication Joaquin Carbonara, Mathematics Jill Norvilitis, Psychology Louis Colca, Social Work Kathleen O’Brien, Hospitality and Tourism Carol DeNysschen, Dietetics and Nutrition Barbara Olivieri, Health and Wellness John Draeger, Philosophy and Humanities Terry Postero, Interior Design Reva Fish, Social and Psychological Foundations of Lisa Rafferty, Exceptional Education Education Peter Ramos, English Kelly Frothingham, Geography and Planning Misty Rodeheaver, History and Social Studies Education Victoria Furby, Music Cory Rogge, Art Conservation Andrea Guiati, All College Honors Program Stephen Saracino, Design David Henry, Elementary Education and Reading Lynne Scalia, Business Gerri Hura, Adult Education Jim Shea, Technology Deborah Insalaco, Speech Language Pathology Gary Solar, Earth Sciences and Science Education Lin Xia Jiang, Fine Arts Elizabeth Szockyj, Criminal Justice Michael Johnson, Modern and Classical Languages Amitra Wall, Sociology Jamie Kim, Chemistry Sandra Washington, McNair Scholars Program Joelle Leclaire, Economics William Wieczorek, Center for Health and Social Research Bill Lin, Computer Information Systems Jeffrey Zacko-Smith, Center for Studies in Creativity Table of Contents Table Welcome Statements ___________________________1 Year of the Arts ________________________________4 Program at-a-Glance ___________________________5 Program Galleries and Theatres ______________________________ 5 Oral Papers Humanities I _____________________________________ 6 Humanities II ____________________________________ 6 Science, Mathematics and Technology _____________________ 6 Education _______________________________________ 7 Humanities III ____________________________________ 8 Social Sciences ___________________________________ 8 Poster Sessions and Displays Session I ________________________________________ 9 Session II _______________________________________ 10 Session III _______________________________________ 11 Session IV _______________________________________ 12 Session V _______________________________________ 13 Session VI _______________________________________ 14 Session VII ______________________________________ 15 Session VIII ______________________________________ 16 Recipients of Undergraduate Summer Fellowships in 2011 __________________________ 19 Abstracts Arts _____________________________________________ 27 Business and Fashion & Textile Technology ____________________ 41 Computer Information Systems & Technology ___________________ 54 Education _________________________________________ 63 Health and Wellness ___________________________________ 73 Humanities ________________________________________ 82 Physical Geography, Sciences, and Mathematics __________________ 93 Psychology and Social Sciences ____________________________ 108 It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 2012 Student Research and Creativity Celebration at Buffalo State! This event highlights the tremendous value Buffalo State places on research, scholarly, and creative opportunities for its undergraduates – and the tremendous value those opportunities add to the educations our students receive. On any given day at Buffalo State, students may be making discoveries that will help us preserve the health of the Great Lakes, collecting oral histories that shed new light on our community and our common past, or creating original works of art that help us see the world in exciting new ways. Along with the guidance of outstanding faculty mentors, these experiences give Buffalo State students exceptional tools for future success – and the confidence that they can, truly, do anything. I am proud to be part of a campus community that places such an emphasis on undergraduate research and creativity – and I am excited to see their work on display once again. Congratulations to all the students taking part in this year’s Student Research and Creativity Celebration, and to the faculty who have mentored them! Aaron Podolefsky, Ph.D. President The Student Research and Creativity Celebration is a hallmark event of each academic year at Buffalo State. For the past 14 years, we gather each spring to be astonished with the diverse and wonderful intellectual, artistic, and creative accomplishments of our undergraduate and graduate students. This annual celebration exemplifies how strongly Buffalo State embraces the academy’s dedication to the rigors, joy, and fulfillment of intellectual discovery and how committed we are to engaging students in this quest. Undergraduate research at Buffalo State is a shining example of our use of high-impact and deep learning practices in student’s educational experiences. The design and delivery of such experiences requires thoughtful planning, supervision, and mentoring by faculty. The student is likewise obligated to dedicate attention and meaningful time to the experience. Outcomes are recognized to be of high value to participants and to the campus community. Increasingly, we find that Buffalo State student research efforts are receiving attention beyond the campus as both the state and national level. With the 14th Student Research and Creativity Celebration, we recognize and applaud all who make this possible – students, faculty, Research Foundation, and all others involved with the event. Dr. Jill Singer continues to provide leadership to advance Buffalo State’s programming and national prominence in undergraduate research. I express appreciation to Dr. Singer on behalf of the Buffalo State community. Dennis Ponton, Ph.D. Provost Welcome! Welcome to the 14th annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration! Our Celebration draws undergraduate and graduate student presenters from all academic areas of the Buffalo State community and includes creative works conducted during the ‘Year of the Arts’. This year’s program is the largest Celebration to date with over 375 posters, oral papers, and visual and performing arts presentations. The growth in this campus-wide event is confirmation that Buffalo State places a high value on the teacher-scholar model of learning in which faculty engage students through research, scholarly and creative activities integrated directly into courses and independent research experiences. The Student Research and Creativity Celebration calls attention to our students’ discoveries as they explored their disciplines in search of answers to open-ended questions, and as a result of applying novel ways to create works of art. In their own way, each student has helped contribute new knowledge and gained a deeper understanding of the research and discovery process. Some of the activities presented this weekend are ongoing and results are preliminary. Other presenters already have shared their work at national and international professional meetings and conferences. But whether the work is in its earliest stages or near completion, our students are learning about the value and importance of communicating and sharing the knowledge gained or exhibiting a new work of art. And, every student presenter has benefitted from the commitment of a dedicated mentor (or mentors) that provided the right mix of encouragement, feedback, and guidance throughout each step of the research, scholarly, and creative process. Undergraduate research continues to gain momentum on campuses across the country. Buffalo State is proud to contribute its voice in conversations about effective models for integrating undergraduate research into the curriculum and evaluating the impact of undergraduate research. This year a Buffalo State fine arts student was featured on the cover of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) Quarterly and another Buffalo State student was invited to share their research at CUR-sponsored “Posters on the Hill” in Washington, DC. Three Buffalo State students took part in the SUNY Undergraduate Research Showcase in Albany and students in the arts, education, natural and social sciences, and computer science traveled internationally and nationally to present their research findings and display their works of art. In addition, undergraduates conducting research, scholarly, and creative projects are being offered assistantships in excellent graduate programs at universities across the country. Buffalo State student research, scholarly, and