Spring Undergraduate Research Forum
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Spring Undergraduate Research Forum Welcome to SURF 2020 The 27th Annual Celebration of Achievements in Undergraduate Research at Elon University The Spring Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) is a time each year when we suspend our other campus activities to celebrate the academically-centered creative endeavors and research efforts of Elon’s students. However, due to COVID-19, we are not able to hold SURF in-person and on-campus this year. Instead, we have prepared this abstract book in recognition of all of the hard work of the undergraduate researchers and faculty mentors. This year, SURF was scheduled to have 247 presentations and two interdisciplinary symposia named “Environmental Contexts of Development” and “Profiling South Asia: Knowledge, Representation, and Self-Understanding in Global Contexts”. Students from Williams High School, Burlington, NC, originally planned to join us by presenting their two posters. Each SURF abstract was reviewed by two Elon faculty members with disciplinary expertise. SURF is usually a part of CELEBRATE! – a weeklong series of events that bring to light our students’ wonderful academic and creative pursuits. Although we will not be able to gather on campus to support the student presenters and performers this year, let’s celebrate their accomplishments through this abstract book. In this collection of abstracts, students share the joy of exploration and discovery that are the hallmarks of an intellectual community. We want to extend our deep appreciation to the entire campus community for being flexible about SURF this year. Thank you for your strong support and commitment to undergraduate research and mentoring. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE Dr. Kevin Bourque Dr. Chris Richardson Prof. Joel Hollingsworth Dr. Paula Rosinski Prof. Erin Hone Dr. Rissa Trachman Dr. Tonmoy Islam Dr. David Vandermast Dr. Ryan Kirk Prof. Bill Webb Dr. Erika Lopina Dr. Meredith Allison (Director) Dr. Titch Madzima Dr. Chad Awtrey (Associate Director) Dr. Kristina Meinking Dr. Qian Xu (Associate Director) Dr. Barbara Miller SURF 2020 2 Undergraduate Research & Creative Endeavors include activities undertaken by undergraduate students with significant faculty mentoring that: • Lead to new scholarly insights and/or the creation of new works; • Add to the discipline; • Involve critical analysis of the process and/or outcome of the activities. Quality undergraduate research and creative activity result in a product that has potential for peer-reviewed dissemination in the form of presentations, publications, exhibitions, or performances. The Undergraduate Research Student Association (URSA) is an organization on campus that acts as the student-run counterpart to Elon’s Undergraduate Research Program. They help first- year students get involved with research as well as act as a cohort for upperclassmen already doing research. URSA is looking for new members as well as people to fill leadership positions next semester. To contact URSA: Faith Glover, President of URSA: [email protected] URSA@ PhoenixConnect SURF 2020 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Symposia 4* Symposium I. Environmental Contexts of Development 4 Symposium II. Profiling South Asia: Knowledge, Representation, and Self- 9 Understanding in Global Contexts Abstracts by Department/Program 13 Art 13 Marketing & International Business 92 Biology 13 Mathematics & Statistics 94 Chemistry 22 Music 100 Cinema & Television Arts 32 Performing Arts 101 Computer Science 32 Physical Therapy Education 104 Economics 36 Physics 106 Education & Wellness 40 Political Science & Policy Studies 116 English 51 Poverty & Social Justices 121 Environmental Studies 58 Psychology 122 Exercise Science 60 Public Health Studies 132 Finance 74 Religious Studies 138 History & Geography 77 Sociology & Anthropology 141 Human Service Studies 82 Sport Management 146 International & Global Studies 86 Strategic Communications 149 Journalism 88 World Languages & Cultures 152 Management & Entrepreneurship 89 * Note: Each page number has a different embedded hyperlink. Clicking it will bring you to a particular section in this abstract book. SURF 2020 4 Symposia Symposium I. Environmental Contexts of Development Development is a highly complex process which influences and is influenced by many multi- directional relationships between developing people and their environments. This symposium considers the myriad of influences on developing young people, ranging from infancy to adolescence, and their environmental contexts. These projects explore environmental contexts of development using Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) bioecological model, which is an interdisciplinary framework used to understand how a person’s individual characteristics interact with various levels of their environments, extending from those most proximal (e.g., home settings, parent- child relationships) to more distal environments (e.g., community resources, political systems, cultural ideologies, etc.). Student research projects presented in this symposium constitute a range of developmental topics – childhood outdoor play, risky play, psychotherapeutic intervention for pediatric cancer patients, international adoption and HIV disclosure narratives, and patterns in infants’ manual interactions with objects. Taken together, the diverse range of developmental phenomena discussed in this set of presentations are each influenced by multiple levels of the bioecological model, including individual child characteristics, caregiver’s beliefs and practices, home settings, community resources, the political climate, sociocultural values and ideologies, and historical factors, including technological advancements. Featuring research conducted by students and faculty members in Human Service Studies, Public Health, and Psychology, this symposium unites developmental science research agendas across interdisciplinary perspectives. SURF 2020 5 A Retrospective, Cross-generational Study of Children’s Play Behaviors in Venezuela Isabel Blanco Araujo (Dr. Maureen Vandermaas-Peeler) Department of Psychology Through unstructured outdoor play experiences, children develop cognitive, physical, social, and emotional skills (Wilson, 2012). Over the past generation, children’s opportunities for unstructured outdoor play have been increasingly restricted due to growing demands on their time; a lack of safe, accessible places; increased technology; and parents’ fears related to safety (Charles & Louv, 2009). However, little research has examined these trends in Latin American countries. This study investigated the influences of a rapidly changing social ecology on children’s play patterns in Caracas, Venezuela. Venezuela has experienced economic and political crises over the past 15 years. This drastic social change provides a unique opportunity to study generational shifts in play patterns. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 adolescents and 18 parents. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological framework, in which biopsychological characteristics are studied over the lifespan, across generations and historical time (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). Findings indicated that although adults and adolescents described vivid memories of childhood play, the frequency of nature and unstructured play activities declined from one generation to the next. Adults remembered playing in community spaces such as parks and in the streets of Caracas. Adolescents talked about playing at home and school in safely enclosed spaces. Although parents and adolescents grew up in the same city with similar environmental affordances, the socio- political climate and rise in insecurity were described by both groups as primary influences for the decrease in outdoor and unstructured play. As expected, increased technology over time also influenced this shift in play. These findings highlight the importance of the sociocultural context in which play occurs and contribute to the sparse body of knowledge on outdoor, nature, and risky play opportunities for children in Latin America. Considering the Venezuelan context, the findings regarding intentionality of play and lack of accessible safe spaces showcase the importance of parental influence in creating outdoor play opportunities. Additionally, in the future, policy makers and city planners could take these findings into consideration in order to create more spaces for exploration within a safe context in Caracas. A Qualitative Longitudinal Study of Adoption and Disclosure Narratives Among U.S. Families With Internationally Adopted Children Living With HIV Amanda Bingaman (Dr. Cynthia Fair) Department of Public Health Studies In 2010, loosened restrictions on immigration of HIV-infected individuals allowed children with HIV to be adopted into the U.S.. Consequently, an increasing number of families pursued the adoption of international children with HIV, yet little is known about their families’ experiences. This project explores parents’ adoption and HIV disclosure narratives, both of which may influence adjustment to the HIV diagnosis as well as their child’s identity development. A purposive snowball sample of 24 parents of 27 internationally adopted children with HIV (IACH) was recruited at two pediatric infectious disease clinics. All parents identified as white and 22 as Christian. Mean age of children at enrollment was 9.2 years. Parents completed two semi-structured audio-recorded phone interviews approximately one year apart. The first interview centered on the adoption story