11Th Annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Editor Jill K. Singer, Ph.D. Director, Office of Undergraduate Research Sponsored by Office of Undergraduate Research Office of Academic Affairs The Research Foundation of SUNY College at Buffalo Cover Design and Layout: Carol Alex The following individuals and offices are acknowledged for their many contributions: Sean Fox, Technical Director, SERC, Carleton College Tom Coates, Director, Events Management, and staff, especially Maryruth Glogowski, Director, Butler Library, and the Mary Beth Wojtaszek library staff Ted Turkle, Director, Research Foundation, and staff Jim Shea, Technology Department The Department and Program Coordinators Carol Beckley, Theater Department Members of the Undergraduate Research Advisory Committee Suza Labiak, Office of Undergraduate Research Beth Graff-Baker, Center for Development Kaylene Waite, Computer Graphics Specialist of Human Services Bruce Fox, Photographer Special thanks to Carol Alex, Center for Development Tim Ngo, Copy Center of Human Services Undergraduate Research Advisory Committee members Lisa Berglund David Kukulka Tina Colaizzo-Anas Michaelene Meger Lou Colca Jill Norvilitis Kelly Frothingham Gary Solar Andrea Guiati Sandra Washington Amitra Wall Robert Wood Lin Xia Jiang Department and Program Coordinators for the Eleventh Annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration Lisa Anselmi, Anthropology Dianne McCarthy, Elementary Education and Reading Kyeonghi Baek, Political Science S. Diane McFarland, Business Kim Bagley, Chemistry Amy McMillan, Biology Saziye Bayram, Mathematics Michaelene Meger, Exceptional Education Carol Beckley, Theater Andrew Nicholls, History and Social Studies Education Cyndi Burnett, Creative Studies Michael Niman, Communication Betty Cappella, Educational Foundations Jill Norvilitis, Psychology Joaquin Carbonara, Mathematics Kathleen O’Brien, Hospitality and Tourism Louis Colca, Social Work William Raffel, Communication Carol DeNysschen, Dietetics and Nutrition Lisa Rafferty, Exceptional Education John Draeger, Philosophy and Humanities Peter Ramos, English Kelly Frothingham, Geography and Planning Scott Roberts, Health and Wellness Vicky Furby, Music Stephen Saracino, Design Andrea Guiati, All College Honors Program Jim Shea, Technology David Henry, Elementary Education and Reading Greg Smith, Art Conservation Pixita del Prado Hill, Elementary Education and Reading Gary Solar, Earth Sciences Deborah Insalaco, Speech Language Pathology Elizabeth Szockyj, Criminal Justice Lin Xia Jiang, Fine Arts Amitra Wall, Sociology David Kukulka, Technology Sandra Washington, McNair Scholars Program Joelle Leclaire, Economics William White, Modern and Classical Languages Bill Lin, Computer Information Systems Kevin Williams, Earth Sciences Dan MacIsaac, Physics Robert Wood, Design James Mayrose, Technology Mary Wyrick, Art Education Table of Contents Table Welcome Statements ___________________________1 Program at-a-Glance Friday, May 1 __________________________________________ 5 Saturday, May 2 ________________________________________ 5 Program Oral Papers Humanities ______________________________________ 6 Business and Technology ______________________________ 6 Social/Political Science _______________________________ 6 Sciences ________________________________________ 7 Arts, Journalism, Health, and Social Sciences _________________ 7 Education and Problem Solving _________________________ 8 Poster Sessions Session I ________________________________________ 8 Session II _______________________________________ 9 Session III _______________________________________ 10 Session IV _______________________________________ 10 Session V _______________________________________ 11 Session VI _______________________________________ 12 Session VII ______________________________________ 13 Session VIII ______________________________________ 13 Recipients of Undergraduate Summer Fellowships in 2008 _________________________ 15 Abstracts Arts _____________________________________________ 21 Business and Technology ________________________________ 30 Education and Problem Solving ____________________________ 42 Health, Wellness and Safety _______________________________ 50 Humanities and Journalism ______________________________ 58 Physical Geography, Science, and Mathematics __________________ 62 Social Sciences ______________________________________ 76 The opportunity for students to participate in meaningful research and creative experiences alongside faculty is one of Welcome! the distinguishing features of a liberal arts education at Buffalo State College. Every year the number of students engaged in such activities grows, adding prestige and value to our academic programs. Through this annual celebration, now in its 11th year, we take time to appreciate the intellectual and creative vitality of our students, as well as the dedication of the faculty and staff who mentor and inspire them. Each year, the Student Research and Creativity Celebration showcases an impressive array of intellectual endeavors, and demonstrates how we can create new knowledge and expand our world through innovation. Through undergraduate research, Buffalo State students collaborate with faculty, or work under their supervision, to examine, create and share new knowledge or works in ways that strengthen their understanding of various academic disciplines. These hands on experience are a powerful enrichment to learning on our campus, and as every student participant can confirm, the process is just as important as the outcome for these exciting projects. Thank you for joining us for this inspiring celebration. We hope that you will find your own intellectual and creative horizons expanded today. Sincerely, Muriel A. Howard, Ph.D. President A small number of campus activities evolve, with time, from a yearly event to an annual tradition. The Student Research and Creativity Celebration, now in its eleventh year, is an outstanding example of the institutionalization of an initiative greatly valued by the college community. The celebration originated, under the guidance of Dr. Jill Singer, as part of Buffalo State’s emphasis on undergraduate research. The importance of undergraduate research was evident in the early years leading to an action step in the college’s 2003-2008 Strategic Plan calling for the college to “expand student creativity and research initiatives”. This was accomplished with creation of the Office of Undergraduate Research in 2003, appointment of a director, dedication of resources to support summer fellowships, student travel, and small grants programs, and continuation of the annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration. The celebration is a time for the campus community to recognize student achievement resulting from a multitude of research, artistic, and creative efforts. We are reminded during the two days of the celebration of the extent to which Buffalo State students participate in inquiry-based learning and creatively articulate their findings to the wider community. Student participants and faculty and staff mentors are to be congratulated for embracing the academy’s commitment to “the rigors, joys and fulfillment of intellectual discovery”, a core value of Buffalo State. Many from our campus community are involved in the logistics and details of the celebration. Thanks to each individual for their contributions. Congratulations to all participants as we celebrate this wonderful example of excellence within the Buffalo State community. Sincerely, Dennis Ponton, Ph.D. 1 Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Welcome to the 11th annual Student Research and Creativity Celebration. This year’s program includes over 250 abstracts and represents a wide array of talks, posters, exhibits and performances. This two-day event represents the culmination of many months of planning and could not happen without the support and assistance from individuals and offices across campus. I acknowledge their efforts and enthusiasm as they help make this event run smoothly. Campuses across the country place a high value on engaging students in quality learning experiences. Here at Buffalo State we make student research and active learning a central theme in our academic strategic plan. Even in the midst of challenging fiscal times, the College remains steadfast in its commitment to support research activities for students in all academic disciplines. After thirteen years as President of Buffalo State, Dr. Muriel Howard will leave the College to become the President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). Throughout her presidency, Dr. Howard has been a vocal supporter of undergraduate research, both in front of, and behind the scenes. I am indebted to her for demonstrating such a strong commitment for undergraduate research as well as for her support of me in my position as director of the Office of Undergraduate Research. I congratulate Dr. Howard on being named as the next president of AASCU and wish her the very best in this endeavor. This weekend we celebrate our students’ discoveries as they have explored their discipline in search of answers to open-ended questions and have applied 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 have already shared their work at national and international professional meetings