More than 70 projects were funded, with appreciative students eager to discuss their research methods and present their findings to fellow students, faculty and staff during the first annual Undergraduate Research Symposium held on campus in August.
Their goal? To develop diagnostic tools for low back pain. Six communication students and three communication faculty members researched mission statements — how to effectively communicate an organization’s statement and how it affects job satisfaction. Their methods included sharing CSU’s mission statement with a target audience
in two ways — on paper and in video form with President Michael Schwartz reading the statement. Eight undergraduates majoring in marketing, management and international business joined five MBA students and Professor Thomas Whipple on a trip to England to do market research for four companies. Six students of Associate Professor Robert Wheeler worked at the Western Reserve Historical Society, processing a massive backlog of manuscript collections. Subject areas included Cleveland women in World War II, women’s clubs from 1860 to 1950, and development of the Western Reserve. “Everything we worked on relates to Cleveland. Future generations of researchers will benefit from having these collections accessible,” said Alicia Pavelecky, a junior majoring in English. Ryan Richard, a senior chemistry major, worked with Professor David Ball on using computerbased computational chemistry methods to explore the thermodynamic properties of new, potential, high-energy fuels and explosives. This very productive young man has had four papers published, with three more accepted for publication and another under review for publication. Six communication students worked with Professor Kim Neuendorf on the effects of a laugh track on an audience. Their research tool? Four episodes of the Andy Griffith Show, with and without laugh tracks.
Alicia Romano, a senior majoring in communication and women’s studies, and Assistant Professor Dana Hubbard researched women substance abusers and eating disorders. Their hypothesis: Women with low body satisfaction often use drugs and eating disorders to control and escape their environments. Ellauna Evans, a senior majoring in communication management, and Assistant Professor Katheryn Maguire studied social support systems during wartime deployment. Interview transcripts of seven wives whose husbands were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan between 2003 and 2005 were examined to explore the degree to which social support systems were helpful or harmful. “Through Students’ Eyes” brought together eight education majors and 20 students at Euclid High School who were given digital cameras and through photos and writing, documented their relationships to school. The project attempted to bridge the gap between future teachers and their future students and give urban teachers a better understanding of their students’ experiences, thereby helping them engage with their students and promote their academic success. Advisors for this project were Associate Professor Kristien Marquez-Zenkov and Jim Harmon of Euclid High School. For more information on the undergraduate research program, visit www.csuohio.edu/undergradresearch. B Illustration by Melody Oakes
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