Students Present Research at 21st National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Twenty-one Lafayette students have earned the distinction of making presentations of their scholarly research at the 21st annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) April 12-14.

Held this year at Dominican University of California, the conference is the largest of its kind in the country with approximately 2,200 undergraduates from more than 250 colleges and universities in attendance.

This is Lafayette’s 20th year of participation in NCUR. In that time, more than 550 Lafayette students have been accepted to present their research. The EXCEL Scholars program and departmental honors program are among several opportunities for students to do research jointly with a faculty member or on their own, with faculty guidance.

The following is the list of students invited to this year’s conference along with their project title and faculty research adviser.

Humanities and Social Sciences

Kiira ElisabethBenzing ’07 (Ridgewood, N.J.), a double major in French and performance studies
“Translation and Adaptation of the Medieval Sotise a Huit Personnaiges (1507) to the Post-modern Stage”
Olga Anna Duhl, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures, and Michael O’Neill, associate professor of English and director of theater

Katherine Dranoff ’09 (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.), government and law
“Systemic Functional Grammar Analysis of Political Advertising”
Stephen Lammers, Helen H.P. Manson Professor of the English Bible

Matthew Gyory ’07 (Holmdel, N.J.), B.S. mathematics and A.B. with a major in government and law
“The Internal Migration Policy of the European Union: An Escape from The Past?”
Katalin Fabian, assistant professor of government and law

Julia Kumpan ’07 (Danville, Calif.), interdisciplinary studies in classical civilization
“Unity through Plurality: a Comparative Analysis of Triadic Thought in the Ancient Religions of the Roman Empire and the Christian Trinity”
Howard Marblestone, Charles Elliott Professor of Foreign Languages and Literatures

Brian Laverty ’07 (Harleysville, Pa.), economics and business
“GIS and Pallets: an Economic Approach to Saving the Environment”
Christopher Ruebeck, assistant professor of economics and business, and Sharon Jones, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering

Maria Mileva ’07 (Sofia, Bulgaria), double major in economics & business and international affairs
“Systemic Banking Crisis Resolution”
Julie Smith, assistant professor of economics and business

Thuy Lan Nguyen ’07 (Hanoi, Vietnam), double major in economics & business and mathematics
“The Environment’s Impact on Economic Growth: How to achieve a sustainable economic growth for developing countries”
James DeVault, associate professor of economics and business

Laura Sims ’07(Farmington, Conn.), double major in international affairs and French
“Giving Voice to the Banlieues”
Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History

Jaclyn Smith ’07 (Saugus, Calif.), double major in psychology and English
“Growth Processes of College Freshman Writers”
Bianca Falbo, associate professor of English

Alyssa Wisoff ’07 (New York, N.Y.), double major in American studies and anthropology & sociology
“Sleep-away Camp and Its Emergent Values”
Rebecca Kissane, assistant professor of anthropology & sociology

Natural Sciences and Engineering

Lauren Appio ’07 (Kendall Park, N.J.), double major in psychology and English
“Individual Differences in College Students’ Attributions of Homelessness”
John Shaw, associate professor and assistant head of psychology

Jenny Boyar ’08(Hillsborough, N.J.), double major in English and psychology
“Body Image and Attitudes Toward Aging in Mother-Daughter Pairs”
Jamila Bookwala, associate professor of psychology

Lianne Hansen ’08(Ridgewood, N.J.), psychology
“Korean American Older Adults Attitudes Toward Mental Health Services

Kathryn Longshore ’07 (Philadelphia, Pa.), psychology
“The Effect of Gender and Athletic Status on College Students’ Attribution following a Competitive Task”
Susan Basow, Dana Professor of Psychology

Alexandra Minieri ’07 (East Brunswick, N.J.), psychology
“Perceptions of Rape Justifiability: the Effects of the Cost of a Date, Who Pays, and Participant Gender”
Susan Basow, Dana Professor of Psychology

Joanna Morabito ’08 (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.), geology
“Thermal Expansion of Nepheline-Kalsilite Minerals Having Intermediate Vacancy and Excess Silicon Content”
Guy Hovis, John Markle Professor of Geology

Milena Petrova ’07 (Sofia, Bulgaria), A.B. engineering
“Implications of Alternative Farming Methods on Environmental and Energetic Impacts of Ethanol Fuel”
Javad Tavakoli, associate professor of chemical engineering

Tabitha Sprau ’07 (Hunlock Creek, Pa.), double major in A.B. engineering and art
“Structural Analysis of Abbey Church of Cluny III”
Leonard Van Gulick, Matthew Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Letitia Travaglini ’07 (Downingtown, Pa.), psychology
“Gender Differences in College Students’ Competitiveness in Sports-Related Computer Games”
John Shaw, associate professor and assistant head of psychology

Lee Vanzler ’07 (Sharon, Mass.), civil engineering
[coauthors Lindsey Brough ’08 (Durham, Maine), civil engineering; Samira Fowler ’07 (Dingmans Ferry, Pa.), civil engineering; Trevor Ortolano ’07 (East Nassau, N.Y.), civil engineering; Kate Buettner ’07 (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), chemistry; and Michael Adelman ’10 (Clarks Summit, Pa.)]
“In-Situ Soil Remediation Using Geothermal Engergy”
Arthur Kney, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering
Samuel Morton, assistant professor of chemical engineering
Steven Mylon, assistant professor of chemistry

Michael Werner ’07 (Neenah, Wis.), double major in biology and geology
“Metastatic Analysis of the 168 Murine Breast Carcinoma Following Introduction of CCL5”
Robert Kurt, assistant professor of biology