Lafayette Students Will Make Presentations on Their Scholarly Work at the 15th Annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research March 15-17

Twenty-two Lafayette students have earned the distinction of being invited to make presentations on their scholarly research at the 15th annual National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) March 15-17.

The students’ research ranges widely over the academic landscape, from the humanist to the technical.

This year’s presenters will bring to nearly 350 the number of Lafayette students who have participated in NCUR, the only national conference dedicated to showcasing research by college undergraduates. More than 400 colleges and universities are expected to send students to this year’s conference hosted by the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

Another 16 biology and biochemistry students have been invited to present their research at the 77th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science at the Radisson Hotel, Monroeville, Pa., March 30 and April 1.

Here is a list of the Lafayette students participating in NCUR, including their class year, major, hometown, research topic, and faculty research adviser.

Humanities

Bruce Adcock ’01 (mathematics) (Marquis Scholar), Watervliet, N.Y., “Chinese Characters: Using Web-based Learning To Improve and Expand Upon Current Methods of Studying Writing in Japanese” (Yoshihiko Ariizumi, assistant professor of foreign languages and literatures)

Lauren Frese ’03 (International Affairs) (Marquis Scholar), Morris Plains, N.J., “The Future of Japanese in the Globalized World” (Yoshihiko Ariizumi, assistant professor of foreign languages and literature)

Gabriela Martins ’03 (undecided), Newark, N.J., “Elements of Theatricality in L’Abbe Prevost’s Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut” (Roxanne Lalande, professor and head of foreign languages and literatures)

Vilas Menon ’02 (chemical engineering), Wassenaar, Netherlands, “The Trials and Rewards of Translating Old French Texts” (Olga Anna Duhl, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures)

C. Beth Wynstra ’01 (English), Walnut Creek, Calif., “Always Gene: O’Neill Portrayed By the Women He Knew and Created, An Original Play in One Act” (Suzanne R. Westfall, associate professor of English)

Acelya Yonac ’01 (International Affairs), Milan, Italy, “Dorgeles and Barbusse: Two Visions of War” (Robert Weiner, professor of history)

Social Sciences

Susan Antonioni ’01 (government and law), Hellertown, Pa., “The Paradox of Democracy in East-Central Europe after Communism: The Revival of Anti-Semitism in Hungary and Poland” (Katalin Fabian, assistant professor of government and law)

Daniel Arnold ’01 (history/International Affairs), Emmaus, Pa., “The U.S. Role in the Fall of the Allende Government in Chile, 1970-1973” (Arnold Offner, Cornelia F. Hugel Professor of History)

Cameron Hall ’01 (International Affairs), Portland, Ore., “Defining the Decline of International State Sovereignty” (Neil Englehart, assistant professor government and law)

John Hegeman ’01 (International Affairs), Basking Ridge, N.J., “The Empire Strikes Back: A Study of the Potential United States Missile Defense System” (Ilan Peleg, Charles A. Dana Professor of Government and Law)

Lisa Kendall ’01 (economics and business), Hebron, Conn., “Earnings of Female Mexican Immigrants: Are They Discriminated Against in the U.S. Labor Market?” (Susan Averett, associate professor and associate head of economics and business)

Todd Landis ’01 (government and law), Whitehall, Pa., “Jury Awards Versus Arbitration Panel Awards in Civil Litigation” (James Lennertz, associate professor of government and law)

Jessika Luth ’01 (history) (Marquis Scholar), Littleton, Colo., “John R. Freeman and the Origins of the Earthquake Insurance Industry” (Donald C. Jackson, associate professor of history and chair of American Studies)

Matthew Parrott ’03 (English), Columbia, Md., “The Forgotten Children of Democratization: Roma in the Czech Republic and Slovakia” (Katalin Fabian, assistant professor of government and law)

Chantal Pasquarello ’02 (International Affairs) (Marquis Scholar), Phoenixville, Pa., “Burma: Diary of an Unending Civil War” (Neil A. Englehart, assistant professor of government and law)

Natural Sciences

Mona Shahbazi ’02 (behavioral neuroscience), New York, N.Y., “ADHD: The State of the Question” (Stephen Lammers, Helen H.P. Manson Professor of the English Bible in the department of religion)

Engineering

Jessica Calaman ’01 (chemical engineering) (Marquis Scholar), Newville, Pa., “Molecular Weight Determination of a Biocatalytically Synthesized Polyester” (Billie Kline, visiting assistant professor of chemical engineering)

Sandra Doyle ’01 (civil engineering) (Marquis Scholar), Springfield, Pa., “Laboratory Flushing of Contaminant Mobilization from Aquifers by Cosolvent Flushing” (David Brandes, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering)

Crystalann Harbold ’02 (civil engineering), York, Pa., “Developing a Geographical Information System to Analyze the Pollutant Stream for Mpererwe Landfill” (Arthur Kney, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering)

Eric Hauck ’02 (mechanical engineering) (Marquis Scholar) Andreas, Pa., “Determining the Effect of Fiber Sizing on the Flatwise Tensile Strength of Composite Materials” (Laura Ruhala, assistant professor of mechanical engineering)

Michael Lestingi ’04 (mechanical engineering) (Marquis Scholar), Tallmadge, Ohio, “A Review of Compression After Impact Test Methods” (Laura Ruhala, assistant professor of mechanical engineering)

Jessica Molek ’03 (chemical engineering) (Marquis Scholar) Reedsville, Pa., “Enhanced Selectivity of Cations When Using Select Ion Exchange Materials in the Presence of Either an Applied Magnetic or Electrostatic Field” (Arthur Kney, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering)