Student projects across the spectrum Keeley J. Pratt, a first-year doctoral student in medical family therapy, is examining the behavior, financial status, weight and exercise habits of parents to better understand their role in their children’s weight with hopes of determining better prevention and treatment methods for childhood obesity.
Megan Roberts, a graduate student in English, has published short stories, short fiction and essays in several notable publications, including Encore Magazine.
Carrie Carman, pursuing a master’s degree in international studies, is investigating the testimonial narratives of indigenous women in Central America as part of her graduate certificate in Hispanic studies. Dr. Michael Bassman
suggestions that will help them move forward, it’s very instructive for them as composers. It has an enormous benefit.” Other projects are examining topics outside the traditional sciences. In the School of Communication, the first master’s thesis, completed by Shekinah Thomas, examined images of sexuality in magazine advertisements. In geography, master’s student E. Arnold Modlin Jr. is considering the extent and manner in which North Carolina’s historic plantation sites discuss or do not discuss slavery. Any subject, any class Throughout the university, research is more important than ever. Faculty members pursue their own research and creative projects and received $38.6 million in external funding during the 2006-2007 fiscal year. Officials expect that amount to grow. In years to come, more ECU students likely will stake out new fields for their own study. Whether part of a larger project led by professors or their own projects, they’ll participate fully in the work of discovery. They will also become inventors, creating films, dance, short stories and other arts. What’s more, the students leading these journeys of discovery will be younger than ever. “Research was once something reserved for just graduate students,” said Dr. Michael Bassman, assistant vice chancellor and director of university honors, EC Scholars and undergraduate research. “Now, it’s almost taken for granted that if you’re going to attend a strong graduate school, you’re going to have already undertaken your own research.”
Donna L. Wolfe, a doctoral student in Communication Sciences and Disorders, is examining treatments for children who begin speaking at a late age to see which are more effective in helping children develop language skills.
Susan Morgan, a second-year medical student, is studying the role of a peptide known as insulinomimetic visfatin in human pregnancy, part of a larger study examining whether this chemical messenger may serve as an insulin substitute and possibly lead to new diabetes treatments.
Emma Hardison, a master’s student in biology, is working on a project to quantify the effects of urban land use on Coastal Plain streams and riparian zones. She has found that the number of watershed-impervious areas such as parking lots, rooftops and roads is a good indicator of the degree of stream degradation.
Liu Lu, a master’s student in anthropology from China, has been a research assistant in the National Science Foundation-funded project studying concepts of justice and fairness in China. She designed an associated project to examine the perceived markers of wealth in rural China and how “rich” and “poor” are determined.
Sol Wuensch is a master’s student in geography with NASA funding to develop a quantitative description of extreme precipitation in the Carolinas using rain gauge and satellite data.
Ahmed Salahuddin, a doctoral candidate in coastal resources management, is working with Malaysian scientists to determine the climatology of storms in that part of the world with the hope of improving El Nino predictions.
Diana Gliga is an undergraduate whose senior honors project is comparing eye-care health disparities between similar groups of people from former communist countries and economically developed countries, particularly at Belvoir Elementary School in Pitt County.
Patrick O’Shea is an undergraduate whose senior honors project focuses on exercise modification among young people in Pitt County.
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