19 Students Invited to Present at National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Nineteen students have been invited to present their research at the 27th National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) April 11-13 at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Sarah Hardy ’14 and Professor Art Kney in Acopian Engineering Center

NCUR is the largest conference of its kind in the country with approximately 2,000 undergraduates from more than 250 colleges and universities in attendance. This is Lafayette’s 26th year of participation. In that time, almost 700 students have been accepted to present their research.

Students invited to the conference represent majors in all four of the College’s academic divisions. Some project topics include a novel, turning plastic waste into fuel, China’s household registration system, water pollution, memory recall, taxation and economic growth, redevelopment in New Orleans, and sports violence.

All of the students have worked with a faculty member through the College’s honors thesis, independent study, or EXCEL Scholars undergraduate research programs. Lafayette’s focus on close student-faculty interaction has made it a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the hundreds of students who participate in these programs each year publish their work in academic journals and present at regional and national conferences.

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

Angel Ackerman ’13 (Easton, Pa.), double major in international affairs and French
“Civilizing Muslims: How the French Perpetuate Algerian Colonialism in Their Fight Against the Veil”
Angelika von Wahl, associate professor of international affairs

Xiao Cui ’13 (Beijing, China), double major in economics and international affairs
“Banking Regulation around the Globe: The Role of the Central Bank”
Julie Smith, assistant professor of economics

Rachel Davidson ’13 (Bethesda, Md.), double major in international affairs and government & law
“Savings and Insurance: Missing Pieces of the Microfinance Puzzle”
David Stifel, associate professor of economics and chair of international affairs

Karalyn Enz ’13 (Milford, N.J.), double major in music and psychology
“The Intimacy of Expression: The Implications of Performance Indications in Mompou’s Piano Music for Guitar Arrangement and Performance”
Jorge Torres, associate professor of music

John Fedak IV ’13 (Boulder, Colo.), electrical and computer engineering
“Experience Fogo Island”
Karina Skvirsky, assistant professor of art

Paul Hadzewycz ’13 (Morristown, N.J.), double major in Russian & East European studies and policy studies
“Is Georgia ‘European?’ A Critical Analysis of Integration Efforts”
Katalin Fabian, associate professor of government and law

Sarah Hardy ’14 (Rowley, Mass.), civil engineering
“Applying Eco-Machine Technology to Local Wastewater Treatment Plant”
Arthur Kney, associate professor and head of civil and environmental engineering

Samantha Jordan ’13 (Manassas, Va.), international economics and commerce
“The Symbolic Politics of the Veil: The Role of Politicians in the Construction of Modern French National Identity”
Seo-Hyun Park, assistant professor of government and law

Hassaan Khan ’13 (Karachi, Pakistan), civil engineering
“Nutrient Analysis and Removal in the Sullivan Park Constructed Wetland”
Arthur Kney, associate professor and head of civil and environmental engineering

Minyan Li ’13 (Luo He, China), civil engineering
“Optimization of Deployable Structures”
Anne Raich, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering

Tracy McFarlan ’13 (Yardley, Pa.), history
“The Identity Crisis of Alsace-Lorraine”
Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History

Avi Mersky ’13 (Wynnewood, Pa.), civil engineering
“Swelling Kinetics and Deformation Characteristics of Hydrogel Spheres”
Mesut Pervizpour, visiting assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering

Chris Miles ’13 (West Chester, Pa.), electrical and computer engineering
“Sensitivity Analysis of Discrete Biological Models Using Polynomial Dynamical Systems”
Franziska Hinkelmann, postdoctoral fellow at Mathematical Biosciences Institute of Ohio State University

Asa Puckette ’13 (Encinitas, Calif.), mechanical engineering
“Structural Analysis of La Sainte-Chapelle of Paris”
Leonard Van Gulick, Baird Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Cameron Roche ’13 (Southborough, Mass.), double major in psychology and government & law
“Personality Traits in Senate Elections: The Predictive Value of Personality Traits in the 2012 Senate Elections”
Bruce Murphy, Kirby Professor of Government and Law

Andrew Sanders ’13 (Chevy Chase, Md.), mechanical engineering
“A Study of the Mechanics of the Hairpin Vortex through Visualization and PIV”
Daniel Sabatino, assistant professor of mechanical engineering

Devon Thorsell ’13 (Lake Forest Park, Wash.), international affairs
“Navigation through Sovereign Seas: Strategic Waterways and Cooperation with the International Community”
David Stifel, associate professor of economics and chair of international affairs

Alyssa Usoskin ’13 (Port Washington, N.Y.), psychology
“Bittersweet Memories: How High School Graduation Fits into Autobiographical Memory”
Jennifer Talarico, assistant professor of psychology

Liang Zhang ’13 (Shandong, China), mathematics
“Connectivity at Infinity for Braid Groups on Complete Graphs”
John Meier, associate provost and professor of mathematics