Hofstra Horizons for Undergraduate and Graduate Research - Summer 2022

HORIZONS

for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

HORIZONS

for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

provost’sCOLUMN

Student participation in scholarly research is integral to their academic success. It opens horizons to opportunity and can be the first step toward developing world-changing leaders. I remember my own experience in college, being invited by a faculty member to join his “lab” to conduct undergraduate research. That invitation, and my willingness to say “yes” to something I didn’t quite understand, profoundly impacted my career path.

As the new provost at Hofstra University, it is my privilege to engage with students in conversations about their scholarly and creative endeavors and their aspirations. The research presented in this issue of Hofstra Horizons represents the hard work and dedication of students and their faculty mentors.

I am excited to see that the focus of much of the research is on racial and ethnic diversity across disciplines — ranging from immigration patterns, sustainability, and education to student perseverance.

Congratulations, Hofstra scholars!

Charlie Riordan, PhD Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

editor’s NOTE

Participation in research study at Hofstra University yields fantastic outcomes. Through research, students gain access to mentors, labs, and the academic world of research. Some faculty recruit students to the research experience, as mentors — guiding students through the scientific method. This process often begins with an invitation to participate, an offer to work closely with a role model in a specific area of study. Consequently, students gain curiosity about concepts relevant to their field of study.

The articles contained in this issue of Hofstra Horizons document the individual and collective experiences of Hofstra students who engaged in advanced scientific research projects, including dissertations, master’s theses, and departmental/lab research projects. Some research highlighted in this issue reflects students’ growth over time, as they immersed themselves into investigations shoulder to shoulder with their research mentors. Some students have been actively involved in multiple research studies of topics of their own choosing. Some students report on their own studies. Others report on their work as research assistants.

In every account, it is clear that the research experience and the opportunities to think, question, rethink, and plan have yielded outstanding outcomes. Researchers report having made presentations of their studies at national and international professional conferences, being accepted to graduate degree programs or doctoral studies, and gaining employment in professional research laboratories. All of these are fantastic outcomes – confirming that access to research opportunities is an important hallmark of the Hofstra experience.

Elfreda V. Blue, PhD Vice Provost for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies

Aarti Polavarapu

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

For our research, we did qualitative interview data collection. My team conducted 52 interviews with people that identified with the LGBTQ+ community and held a leadership position in industry. Specifically, we interviewed leaders aged 19-70 from across the country. We wanted to see how these two identities interact and if the LGBTQ+ identity was beneficial in a leadership role or if it presented challenges. Even though we found that there were challenges and issues, many people said that their LGBTQ+ identity was a great benefit to their leadership role. Survey participants responded that their LGBTQ+ identity makes them more sensitive to others and allows them to develop strong relationships. Some hold the opinion that LGBTQ+ employees can be treated as a “buzzword” or “tokens,” but we found that LGBTQ+ leaders inherently bring advantages to their roles. These two identities allow for better advocacy for other employees and are more likely to produce support for others.

Aarti Polavarapu

MA, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, May 2022 • Hometown: Delhi, India

Project Title:

LGBTQ+ Leadership: Benefits of Breaking Boundaries in the Workplace

Advisor: Nicholas Salter

Which professor did you work with, and how did they support you?

Dr. Salter helped us decide on whether to design a qualitative study, since it is not done as often as quantitative studies. We learned along the way, and Dr. Salter helped us with coding the interviews and how to find materials. It was a collaborative space, and we felt like partners.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

We have been working on this for two years. We are now trying to get the research out there so we can share positive results (since you tend to see negatives being presented in relation to the LGBTQ+ community). We presented this research last year at the River City IO Psychology Student Conference and won “Best Poster.” Currently, we are expanding our research analysis and writing an article that we hope to get published.

What career or educational plans do you have?

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you? and we developed this topic.

Dr. Salter has a research lab, the Workplace Inclusion Leadership and Diversity (WILD) lab, and that was interesting to me at the start of my graduate work. I asked if I could be a part of the lab,

I was accepted to the PhD program in Industrial Organizational Psychology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Dr. Salter received his PhD from there as well; it is one of the best industrial organizational psychology programs in the country. Coming into the program at Hofstra, I thought I would go into more applied experience, but this research opportunity showed me how much I liked the research, and the topics are so interesting. Ultimately, I will probably pursue applied research.

(Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Alexandra Attilli

BA, Political Science, May 2022

Hometown: Dayton, OH

Project Title:

Activism, Indigenismo, and the Role of Maya Women in the Peacekeeping Process in Guatemala

Advisor: Benita Sampedro Vizcaya

Written by Leah Chiappino

Senior political science major Alex Attilli studied the role of Maya women in the peacekeeping process in Guatemala. She found that women, who are left all too vulnerable in times of war, are often the ones that make the most sacrifices.

“They get up and start fighting on the front lines, too, but men won’t touch housework,” she said. “Women will sacrifice themselves so that men don’t get kidnapped; they know that if men are kidnapped, they’ll be killed, but women will be tortured. So, I wanted to show that women aren’t just victims. They’re agents of change.”

Attilli, who had minors in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Spanish, also wrote about how women were behind the creation of a national memorial in Guatemala to educate future generations about the genocide and civil war.

Works from Rigoberta Menchú Tum, an Indigenous rights leader who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her role in peacekeeping and the Guatemala Civil War, served as the basis of Attilli’s research. “I was able to use first-person narratives like hers and a couple of others to piece together women’s roles and to highlight a list of everything that women have done,” she said. “This shows that they’re not passive, they’re active.”

The Ohio native worked on the project for her Contemporary Hispanic Thought class, taught by Dr. Benita Sampedro Vizcaya, professor of Spanish colonial studies. “She is an absolutely wonderful professor,” Attilli said. “I absolutely adore her, and she’s just been a great inspiration to me in my research.”

After graduation, Attilli plans to attend law school and practice public interest law, with a focus on taking civil cases for those who cannot afford representation.

College of Liberal

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Alexandra Attilli

Briona Diaz

BA, English, December 2021

Hometown: Elmwood Park, NJ

Project Title: Entitlement

Advisor: Andrea Efthymiou

and Diversity Research

In spring 2020, Briona Diaz asked the question, “Why is this still going on?” As she saw reports of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, amongst countless others, Diaz began to realize that the language around these cases was severely skewed against the victim of violence. Diaz had been having these thoughts and questions since she 14 years old, but now she was better equipped to analyze these horrific acts. These questions and realizations drove her research in the fall of 2021 and resulted in her receiving “high honors” for her senior thesis, “Entitlement.”

The thesis skillfully explored the relationship between white entitlement and Black trauma, specifically, the idea that white entitlement cannot exist without the onset of Black trauma. It is a “symbiotic and parasitic relationship.” At the start of her thesis development, Diaz was going to focus on the violence against Black bodies and the related history. However, she came to the realization that this research would not be helpful, “… because we already know this. Being Black myself, I have the experience, and I don’t need to be writing about it also. So, I started looking at the ‘doers’ of violence because they are not held to the same critical standards as the victims of their violence.”

Specifically, Diaz examined the concept that author Dr. Joy DeGruy explored in Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Black trauma – notably, that the trauma experienced by enslaved Black people can be inherited generationally. This trauma was seen in Black lynchings, historically, and exists today in cases of police brutality. Diaz theorized that, like Black trauma is caused by the environment, “... entitlement is also inherited by white Americans. The symbiotic relationship between the oppressed – Black Americans – and the oppressors – white Americans – is parasitic. White entitlement benefits at the expense of Black trauma and, therefore, cannot exist without the continuation of trauma initiated by slavery onto Black Americans.”

Diaz examined the cases of McMichael and Bryan, who murdered Ahmaud Arbery, and the case of Kyle Rittenhouse. She explored the connecting theme between the cases. In the slavery and post-slavery eras, Black codes (rules and laws that limited Black freedom) flourished and, as a result, white Americans

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Briona Diaz

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

continued to be empowered to protect their property. Diaz theorizes that this empowerment exists today and is exemplified in these case studies, where the “doers” aimed to protect property – property that was not theirs. These cases have undertones of Colonial America and the language used, such as “concerned citizen,” reflects historical Black codes.

Diaz asked throughout her thesis development, “Is this my judgment, or is there history to back this up? I had to internalize this and look at my feelings. I had to make sure I was looking at the history and not my own feelings or prejudices. It was a slow process and emotionally exhausting.”

At the conclusion of Diaz’s research and thesis writing, she noted, “Nothing will change unless the people who hold the power let go, and I don’t think they will do that. White people can’t really help unless they make room for the people who need to be speaking. Everyone needs to sit at the table. But we are having the same conversations we had before the Civil Rights Movement.”

Professor Andrea Efthymiou from the Writing Studies Department was Diaz’s thesis advisor. Diaz accompanied Professor Efthymiou to a writing workshop this past September in Pennsylvania, where she had the opportunity to collaborate with other mentors and flesh out ideas. Diaz recalls that Professor Efthymiou inspired her to write freely and then would ask her questions that “allowed me to open up my ideas because she could not see things from my perspective ... she challenged me with my writing; she helped me slow down and expand my work.” Diaz learned that by explaining her ideas more thoroughly, this would allow others who don’t have her perspective to learn.

Diaz continued to edit her paper after submission. She noted, “this is something that I was told during my defense of the paper, that I set myself up for a doctoral dissertation!” One day, Diaz can see herself pursuing a PhD in Black history. Currently, Diaz is a 10th grade English language arts fellow with AmeriCorps, where she is working for half a year with an inner-city charter school. This summer, Diaz will be starting a graduate degree at the University of Arizona’s Rhetoric, Composition, and Teaching of English (RCTE) graduate program. Additionally, Diaz will be working as a high school English language arts teacher in Tucson. She states, “I am thoroughly looking forward to this next chapter in my life.”

they will do that. White people can’t really help unless they make room for the

But we are having the same conversations we had before the Civil Rights Movement.”

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

“Nothing will change unless the people who hold the power let go, and I don’t think people who need to be speaking. Everyone needs to sit at the table.

Diversity

Christine Vanella

MA, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) with a concentration in STEM, May 2022 Hometown: Merrick, NY

Project Title:

Measuring the Impact of STEM Instruction in the ENL Classroom and its Effect on the Four Language Domains

(Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening)

Advisors: Amy Catalano, Alan Singer

In basic terms, please describe your research project. I am an English as a New Language (ENL) teacher on Long Island. I work with students who come from a variety of language backgrounds, some born in the United States, some born outside the United States. My research project started with the question, “Does incorporating STEM instruction into the ENL classroom help to increase the four language domains, reading, writing, speaking, and listening?”

I designed an eight-lesson unit for second grade students that focused on habitats, seeds, and seed dispersal. I focused on five ENL students at different English language proficiency levels in the second grade. Throughout the unit, I aimed to assess their different levels of proficiency. In the beginning of the unit, I gave the students a survey that asked them to reflect on their feelings about STEM concepts and their comfort in the classroom, specifically with group work and asking teachers for help. For most of the students, this was a new concept that I needed to explain to them. The unit culminated in an engineering design challenge where the students were instructed to design their own method for seed dispersal for their assigned habitat. I told them a story about “Steve,” the coconut seed who needed to bring his family of seeds together for a reunion; due to COVID-19, the seed airport was shut down. The students were asked to come up with different ways to get Steve’s family to the reunion. The students came up with great designs and they all worked really well together. I provided these ENL students with many visual aids because there were a lot of products (e.g., digital tools) we were working with that were unfamiliar to them, and they needed to communicate in English.

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Christine Vanella

I designed a rubric to evaluate the students as they were working on these projects. Toward the end, I asked a non-ENL teacher to help me assess the students’ progress in the four language domains, as she was not familiar with the students’ development thus far. Each student showed improvement independently and when compared to non-ENL students who participated in the unit. This project should give other teachers an opportunity to research and design STEM instruction. STEM is all around us, and it is something all students are familiar with.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

Last year, there was an opening in my school building for an ENL teacher. Languages are something I have always been interested in, including accents. I am a very musical person, and I sang in other languages previously, so it has always been something that I have been interested in pursuing. So, when I enrolled at Hofstra for graduate school, I found the dual program in TESOL and STEM; this could not have been more perfect for me. It is really important for ENL students to be exposed to this kind of learning because it is not something you can always find in a textbook. They can look outside and see the trees and the grass; it is relatable.

What professors did you work with, and how did they support you?

I worked with Dr. Amy Catalano and Dr. Alan Singer. Dr. Catalano was my professor in many of my undergraduate and graduate classes. What I appreciated is that we didn’t do this all at once; we broke up everything into sections. She knows all the students are working teachers, so it was all spaced out in a way that was easy for us to complete in a timely manner. She was great with answering questions and revisions. Dr. Singer was able to observe one of the lessons in the unit, and his feedback was wonderful. He is great at catching things you may not even think about.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

Many teachers are unaware or unfamiliar with what ENL or ESL is and how to differentiate instruction. I think it is important for teachers to know their students from the beginning and to get to know the different ways they will learn. Once you realize what those differences are, you can better tailor your instruction for every type of learner. My goal is to help educate non-ENL classroom teachers on how to see the differences in their students’ learning and how to include more STEM-related units in the classroom. STEM is a fantastic tool that everyone can relate to.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation? either as an ENL or classroom teacher.

Currently, I am an ENL teacher for all grades in the North Merrick UFSD, and I hope to continue teaching

and Diversity Research

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Ciara Negron

BS, Sustainability Studies and GIS, May 2022

Hometown: Amsterdam, NY

Project Title:

Investigating Possible Environmental Injustice Areas Around Landflls In Upstate New York

Advisor: Craig M. Dalton

Written by Leah Chiappino

Ciara Negron, a May 2022 graduate with double majors in sustainability studies and geographic information systems (GIS), spent the spring semester of her junior year mapping environmental injustice areas throughout New York state.

Negron looked at the location of landfills and compared that to the median income in demographic data, creating a GIS map to showcase her work. “I plotted the landfills first,” she said. “Then it was just down to uploading the median income, race, and population with disability data into the software. [GIS] basically just puts things where they’re supposed to be.”

Negron organized her data by census tract and used different colors to represent each demographic. “I’m really passionate about environmental injustice, especially because I am a minority myself,” she said. “Since I’m in college, and I have the opportunity to do this ... and have a voice for other minorities that may not have that ability, that’s why I really want to do it.”

This project was for Negron’s Cartographic Communication class, taught by Craig Dalton, professor of geography. She hopes another student will use her data to create a linear graph showing the mathematical correlation between demographics and environmental injustice areas.

Negron also produced a senior capstone project focused on environmental injustice in Hempstead, NY. She examined tree inequality using GIS technology.

Negron hopes to find a job working on environmental injustice using GIS and eventually attend graduate school.

Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Ciara Negron

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and

Maria Kim

PhD, Literacy Studies, pending Hometown: Oyster Bay, NY

Project Title:

Narratives of Experience: Teachers of Color in Secondary English Classrooms

Advisor: Jeanne Henry

In basic terms, please describe your research project. The goal of my study was to describe the instructional practices, teaching philosophies, and personal and professional backgrounds of teachers of color on Long Island who taught English language arts (ELA) in predominantly white classrooms. I was able to recruit as participants five teachers of color who taught ELA in different districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

As one of very few teachers of color in my district, I became aware that students of diverse backgrounds needed teachers who represented nondominant cultures. Also, many white students responded positively to instructional strategies such as the use of diverse literature, culture sharing, and exposure to multiple perspectives. As I read more deeply about this topic, I found that there is a great shortage of diverse representation in the teaching field, and at the same time, there is so much that teachers of color can bring to the table.

What professor did you work with, and how did they support you?

Dr. Jeanne Henry made herself available to me throughout the process of writing my dissertation, from reading, editing, and providing feedback, to brainstorming with me and offering moral support along the way. Her help was invaluable.

How long did you work on this research?

I began writing in the summer of 2020, which, as we all know, was a tumultuous time to grapple with issues of race and education. Despite the emotional heaviness of that time, my study became even more meaningful to me because of everything that had been going on.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

I’d like to continue thinking about diverse students’ cultural and socioemotional needs in the classroom. Teachers play such a vital role in a student’s school life. There are so many excellent and passionate teachers of all backgrounds out there, but it’s difficult to tackle issues of culture, race, and linguistics amid the hustle and bustle of our daily work lives. I would like to contribute more to that field.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I will continue to teach and learn more about what my students need, and perhaps think about teaching pre-service courses if such an opportunity arises. I’d love to continue writing as well.

of Liberal

Hofstra

Undergraduate

Maria Kim

Gina Sandavol

EdD, Educational and Policy Leadership, May 2022

Hometown: Jersey City, NJ

Project Title:

A Case Study of the Premed Experiences of Black Male Undergraduate Students

Advisor: Rebecca Natow

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

I saw a segment on the CBS Morning Show, where they featured Dr. Damon Tweedy, who wrote Black Man in a White Coat, where he described his experience pursuing medicine as a Black man in a predominantly white institution. This inspired my research.

There is a lack of Black male students that are going into medicine, especially at the undergraduate level; premed students are just not applying. The data shows that in 1978, there were 1,410 Black male applicants nationally, whereas in 2020, there we only 981 Black male applicants. I wanted to find out why this was happening, considering more Black males are graduating from college. I looked at the premed experience of Black males, as well as their premed advising experience. I intended to use my background in academic advising to assess this piece as a higher education administrator. I conducted a qualitative case study with 11 students across seven universities on the East Coast and the Midwest. The students needed to self-identify as Black males; hold sophomore, junior, or senior standing; and have at least one appointment with their academic advisor.

I found that there are external factors that these students cannot control such as finances and community stereotype threats. Secondly, there are internal factors that they are less likely to talk about. All these factors are influencing whether the students stay on the premed track. I also found that advisors are providing academic support but are more transactional; relational advising was less likely to occur. Advisors are practicing a lot of “cooling out,” which is an aspect of the 1960 theory by Burton Clark, where it is the advisor or counselor’s job to discourage a student and have them go in a direction that the advisor believes is better.

Race

Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Gina Sandavol

All the participants were intrinsically motivated, but they struggled with imposter syndrome. For many of these students, they were the only Black males in the classroom and felt no real connection to the other students. All the participants reported that their academic advisors had no real influence on their decision to apply to medical school. As an advisor myself, I was really surprised by this. I thought the

advisors would have some role in the decision-making process, but they did not.

What professor did you work with, and how did they support you?

Dr. Rebecca Natow in the School of Education and my entire dissertation committee were a great support. I also had two outside mentors who helped me with my own imposter syndrome: my previous program advisor from the Loyola University Chicago School of Education, and a previous dean of students at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

We need to provide more programming in high schools, so these students can begin to meet professionals in the field and determine if medicine is their career choice and get excited about it! For higher education institutions, this is a population that relies heavily on peer hearsay. Higher education institutions can address this by answering students’ questions directly, so they do not need to rely on their peers. For instance, if a peer says the curriculum is too tough, these students may step away. But if the institution sent different messaging, we might be able to keep them on track. We also need to create more inclusive environments and recognize stereotype threats. One of the students in the study had the highest score on his high school IB Biology exam, and he heard an administrator say, “wow, I didn’t know the Black kid was so smart.” This experience stayed with the student and really caused a sense of imposter syndrome for the student throughout college. Finally, advising offices can restructure caseloads so more relational and holistic advising can be done; they can hire more minority staff and create a premed cohort model where Black male students can meet regularly and feel the community support.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I would love to get this published one day in a publication like the Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

“There is a lack of Black male students that are going into medicine, especially at the undergraduate 1,410 Black male applicants nationally, whereas in 2020, there we only 981 Black male applicants.”

level; premed students are just not applying. The data shows that in 1978, there were

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Race and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Paul Woldt

BA, Spanish and Latin American & Caribbean Studies, May 2022 • Hometown: Lovettsville, VA

Project Title:

Los Productos Migratorios de la Politica Neoliberal Latinoamericana

Advisor: Benita Sampedro Vizcaya

Written by Leah Chiappino

Paul Woldt, a senior Spanish and Latin American and Caribbean studies double major originally from Frankfurt, Germany, used his own experiences as an immigrant to inspire him to study the personal, individual experiences of Central American migrants and their movements through the American continent.

His study focused on the last 20 years, while taking into account historical contexts and relying on personal ethnographic research from experts in the field.

Woldt’s main goal in his research was to highlight the stories told about the track many migrants take across the border that aren’t widely covered by the media.

“A lot of these people just die in the middle of the desert, and nobody ever finds them,” he said. “Their families never know what happens with them, and so there’s just this massive amount of unknown connection to the whole migratory experience.”

Woldt first became interested in this topic in his first year at Hofstra; he read a book by Jason De León about how the U.S. government deters migration by forcing migrants into areas that are naturally dangerous. “As a Spanish major in the United States, there’s no way to not be somehow in touch with mass migration,” Woldt said. “It’s just a subject that you are bound to face at one point or another.”

He continued his studies and used De León’s research as the basis of his own. He also included the work of David Spiner, who studied how the practice of hiring a coyote, a paid guide to help migrants cross the border, is often the only way migrants can do so safely.

Woldt presented his research as part of a final paper for his Contemporary Hispanic Thought Class, taught by Benita Sampedro Vizcaya, professor of Spanish Colonial studies.

Next semester, Woldt wants to use his research to prepare an argumentative paper for his senior departmental thesis. “My goal is to build an overall image of what that migratory experience looks like, as a whole and on a very personal level, and make that idea and those concepts more ideologically accessible to anyone that might read it,” he said. “Nobody, no human being, just wants to get up and leave their home. Nobody does that just for fun. Nobody does that just to annoy people on the other side.”

After graduation, Woldt plans to move back to Germany and do an apprenticeship to become a professional chef. “[The project] is just something I’m kind of passionate about,” he said. “I’m in college, and I should use this time to study something that’s important and makes a difference.”

Public Health and Psychology (Health Professions and Human Services, and Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

and Diversity Research (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

(Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Paul Woldt

Amatul Mariam

Master of Public Health, May 2022 Hometown: Floral Park, NY

Project Title: Association Between Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Stroke Among U.S. Adults, NHANES 2015-2020

Advisor: Ibraheem Karaye

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

We studied people in the United States who suffer from excessive daytime sleepiness, which means sleeping during the day for more than six hours – not the average 30-minute to two-hour nap – to see if these people were at higher risk for strokes. We used data from across the U.S. from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Specifically, we looked at data from 2015 to 2020, and we determined that there was no relationship between excessive daytime sleepiness and strokes. Looking at previous studies, some researchers did find a relationship, while others did not. Those that did find a relationship between the two failed to consider confounding factors like physical activity, obesity, and heart conditions.

What professor did you work with, and how did they support you?

Dr. Kyriacou asked me if I wanted to work with Dr. Karaye at the start of the academic year. The research was based around trend analysis. Specifically, I examined existing data to determine if there were trends and associations, something I enjoyed. In total, this was a two-week project with Dr. Karaye.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

This research could be presented at public health conferences or in magazines or journals. Dr. Karaye recently submitted this to the American Public Health Association.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I just got a job with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a consumer safety officer in pharmaceuticals. I will conduct inspections at buildings where they make drugs and make sure they are

in compliance. I earned this degree to get a job with the FDA, so I am very satisfied!

Public Health and Psychology (School of Health Professions and Human Services • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra

Undergraduate

Graduate

Public Health and Psychology (School of Health Professions and Human Services

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Angelique Jabouin

Master of Public Health

Expected graduation: December 2022 Hometown: West Hempstead, NY

Project Title:

Comparative Effect of Hypertensive Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) versus Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARB) in Reducing the Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Adults From 45 to 65 Years

Old: A Prospective Cohort Study

Advisor: Chanapong Rojanaworarit

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

The goal of this project is to see how we can manage hypertension – which affects one in three adults –so we can help reduce the progression of chronic and end stage renal/kidney disease. There are two treatment options for hypertension: angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARB). I am going to see the comparative effect and determine which one slows the progression of kidney disease in the demographic I am studying.

The treatment group will be 45- to 65-year-olds in different end stages of kidney disease. I will look for people with hypertension and determine if they have already been prescribed one of the two treatments. If they agree to participate, I will trend/follow them for two years, and every three months I will look at their vitals, like blood pressure, and their creatinine clearance test because that determines the kidney function. We will then document how they are doing in the treatment group they were assigned to.

I work as a surgical coordinator for a vascular surgeon. Once I have permission from the doctors and the nephrology offices that we work with, I will begin the study with a patient chart review.

I expect that the angiotensin II receptor blocker treatment group will have a slower progression of chronic kidney disease because there are fewer side effects. They would not experience swelling, nausea, fatigue, or a cough. If patients can continue with the medication, this will allow them to have a higher success rate.

What professor are you working with, and how have they supported you?

I am working with Dr. Rojanaworarit. He has helped me work through this topic and evaluate the confounding factors that could affect this study.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

Since I am graduating in December, I would love to be able to continue with this research project, since it is a two-year study. This study could give clinicians insight on patient treatment options.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

In June 2022, I started a one-year fellowship with the Suffolk County Department of Health Communicable Disease Unit. This will be my introduction to infectious diseases. Eventually, if I can get into data analysis, that would be my goal.

Public

Health Professions and Human Services

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts

Jessica Doherty

BS/MS in Physician Assistant Studies

Expected graduation: BS, May 2025; MS, December 2026

Hometown: Bayside, NY

Project Title: Consolidating and Delivering Comprehensive Library Services Following a Healthcare System Merger or Acquisition: An e-Delphi Study

Advisors: Wendy Herman, Jaclyn Morales, and Stacy Posillico

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

We are seeking to collect a list of guidelines on how best to go about library mergers and acquisitions when hospital systems merge. To do this, we are using the e-Delphi methodology, in which expert panelists respond to a series of questionnaires regarding their experiences in previous hospital mergers. Surveys are distributed to panelists, and within each question, there are several open text boxes that allow for free response answers. These answers are then screened by researchers and coded qualitatively on the different themes that emerge consistently across responses. Researchers then pull out the themes and have panelists vote on their necessity and priority. Consecutive rounds of surveys allow room for modifications to each point. Once consensus is reached, points can then move on to become part of the final list of guidelines set for publishing.

How did you become interested in this topic?

What inspired you?

My own desire to one day work in a hospital setting inspired me to take part in this project. I think it’s important, as a future medical provider, that the literature made available to providers is well kept and organized.

All the didactic information and documented case studies

about different diseases, symptoms, treatments, etc., are kept by hospital libraries, and I believe it is important to maintain easy access and organization of such works in order to provide quality care. What better way to do this than to work toward an evidence-based procedure for library mergers?

What professor are you working with, and how have they supported you?

I work with Wendy Herman, Jaclyn Morales, and Stacy Posillico through the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. They have all been such wonderful mentors and have taught me everything I know about the e-Delphi method. They have always been there to explain every part of the process to me, from the survey platform to coding responses through thematic analysis. Throughout this semester, it was always a challenge to balance my course load and research responsibilities, but Herman, Posillico, and Morales were always there to lend a helping hand. I’m so excited to continue working with them next semester! This semester was already a wonderful experience!

How long have you been working on this research?

I came on board in January 2022.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

Our plan is to continue working through the rest of the questionnaire rounds, working toward consensus on the themes that emerge. Once a list of themes reaches consensus among the expert panelists, we plan to publish them in a list of guidelines for future library mergers.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I plan to take the PANCE (Physician Assistant National Certification Exam) to become a certified physician assistant, and then hopefully, start working as a PA in New York. Right now, I’m exploring different specialties, including emergency medicine and OB/GYN.

Public

(Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies

• Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Public Health and Psychology

(Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies

• Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Saher Chaudhry

BS, Psychology, May 2022 • Hometown: Smithtown, NY

Project Title: Why Was 6 Afraid of 7? A Look into the Role of Emotional Valence on Memory for Numerical Information

Advisor: Dr. Amy Masnick

In basic terms, please describe your research project. Our research looked at whether our memory for numerical information can be enhanced when presented in an emotional context. Oftentimes, numbers can be conveyed in an arbitrary or mundane context, where it’s not readily meaningful to us. To make numerical information potentially more meaningful for us to remember, we’re interested in seeing whether numbers in an emotional context influence our memory. Recent research has suggested that emotional valence (the positivity or negativity of emotions) has a significant role in memory formation and processing. In other words, we are more likely to remember emotionally charged events and information compared to mundane ones. According to mixed research, what remains unknown is whether negative or positive valence is more prioritized for memory processing. Thus, we decided to create a study where we give participants a series of randomized sentences containing numerical information in three different emotional contexts: positive, negative, and neutral. As there are no standardized methods to assess recall, we generated three different scoring techniques (ranging from conservative to lenient scoring) to evaluate memory. While we did not find that emotionally valent numerical information was better recalled in comparison to neutral numerical information, we are interested in conducting further research on how we can better understand the role of emotional valence

Saher Chaudhry on memory, specifically for numerical information.

and

Services

Hofstra College of

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

At first, I had to come up with several research ideas to complete an Honors thesis in the Psychology Department. While I was initially interested in studying emotions and mental health, Dr. Masnick has an extensive research background in numerical cognition. Surprisingly, we combined the ideas of emotions and numerical information, and we found that there is very little existing research on the role of emotional valence on numerical cognition. Of the papers that exist in this small field, we stumbled upon several papers that looked at how emotional valence influences perception of numerical information. We decided to explore the questions associated with this research area and run our own study!

What professor are you working with, and how have they supported you?

I’m very fortunate to work with Dr. [Amy] Masnick, who continues to remain an incredibly knowledgeable, supportive, and enthusiastic mentor for my research ideas. We often hold weekly meetings to solidify our research questions and methodology, while also exploring newer perspectives in understanding our research goals. Beyond understanding the rigors of conducting research, Dr. Masnick has encouraged me to explore the interesting, growing field of numerical cognition. As psychology consists of a variety of academic subfields and disciplines, I am fortunate to have been exposed to the sophisticated meshwork of the research fields that fall under numerical cognition. By being exposed to this once unfamiliar field, I feel more committed and engaged to put my growing interest of numerical cognition to practical use. Overall, I would describe my experiences working with Dr. Masnick as very rewarding and insightful.

How long have you been working on this research?

I’ve been working on this research over the course of an academic year, starting in fall 2021.

Where do you see this research going in the future? Both Dr. Masnick and I are very excited to explore more research questions that come out of our current research project. While we discovered mixed findings associated with the role of emotional valence on memory for numerical cognition, there are so many variables involved that are worth manipulating and even deeper questions to answer. As we live in a data-centered world, where we are constantly utilizing and processing numerical information, it is essential for us to understand how we can make the seemingly arbitrary nature of numbers more meaningful. With newer research questions to explore, we are hoping to conduct further studies to better understand the role of emotional valence on memory for numerical cognition. Perhaps we can create a tent outside of Hauser Hall to kickstart Hofstra University’s very first Numerical Cognition Lab!

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I hope to enroll in an MD/PhD or DO/PhD program, with a concentration in neuroscience or psychology.

“Beyond understanding the rigors of conducting research, Dr. Masnick has encouraged me to explore the interesting, growing feld of numerical cognition. As psychology consists of a variety of academic subfelds and disciplines, I am fortunate to have been exposed to the sophisticated meshwork of the research felds that fall under numerical cognition.”

Health and Psychology (School of Health Professions and Human Services

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

(School of Health Professions and Human Services • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Rida Nasir

BS, Health Sciences, May 2025

Hometown: Floral Park, NY

Project Title: Temporal Trends in Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 1999-2020

Advisor: Dr. Ibraheem M. Karaye

Written by Leah Chiappino

First-year student and health science major Rida Nasir studied maternal mortality from 1999 to 2020. Her advisor, Ibraheem Karaye, came to her with the topic, and she was immediately on board.

“I was immediately fascinated by it. Especially considering today’s political climate, it is more important than ever that we established these trends,” she said.

The U.S. also has about 700 deaths a year that are connected to maternal mortality. Nasir found that internationally, the U.S. ranks 50th in comparison to European counterparts and fellow Middle Eastern and Asian countries.

Nasir, together with Dr. Karaye, performed a detailed regression analysis using CDC data. They found that maternal mortality rates are highest among non-Hispanic Black Americans between 25 and 39 years of age, and those living in the southern U.S. Census region. These findings, Nasir said, are important to understanding how to improve public health.

“You want to look at health care, affordability, and healthcare access. You want to look at the knowledge that the government is holding about public health and related interventions, in order to better inform people on this topic,” she said.

Nasir hopes to continue her research throughout her college career.

You want to look at the knowledge that the government is holding about public health

“You want to look at health care, affordability, and healthcare access. and related interventions, in order to better inform people on this topic.”

Public

of Health Professions and Human Services

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra

Atara Israel

BS, Biomedical Engineering, May 2022

Hometown: Hewlett, NY

Project Title: In Vitro Characterization of Hair Macrofibrils

Advisor: Dr. Roche C. de Guzman

In basic terms, please describe your research project. The goal of my research project was to see if human hair, specifically the keratin filaments found in hair, could be used as a biomaterial. To determine this, I first chemically treated hair with alcohol and other reducing agents to expose the inner fibers and proteins that make up hair. Specifically, I was interested in seeing keratins and keratin-associated proteins. Once that was completed, I was able to confirm exposure of the keratin filaments by analyzing the hair samples collected under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). These fibers were then prepared for cells to be cultured onto them to determine the compatibility of the cells with the treated hair. The hair fibers were cut into small segments and placed in an agarose gel to keep the fibers still. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were the cell type used to be cultured onto these fibers, and adhesion of the cells onto the fibers were observed.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

My passion has always been to conduct research and make advancements in the scientific field. I’ve become interested in finding ways to use materials around us for innovative purposes. When I was introduced to this project, I was very excited to see the potential this project had to be used in the medical field and other applications to expand scientific findings.

What professor did you work with, and how did they support you?

I worked with Dr. Roche C. de Guzman from the Department of Engineering. Dr. de Guzman provided me with the resources and knowledge to guide me.

How long did you work on this research?

I worked on this research for one year.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

I hope to be able to test the ability of the hair fibers to serve as a suitable substrate to allow for the MSCs to proliferate and differentiate into different cell types, such as bone and fat cells.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I will begin my PhD studies in biomedical engineering this fall at the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York, CUNY.

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Joshua Crisaf

BS, Mathematics, May 2022

Hometown: White Plains, NY

Project Title:

Solution Points to the Multinomial Lucas Congruence Mod p2

Advisor: Eric Rowland

Written by Leah Chiappino

Joshua Crisafi, a recent graduate, worked to solve a question posed by his mentor, Dr. Eric Rowland. Rowland had written a paper in which he had noticed a strange pattern in numbers in Pascal’s triangle. Rowland found some properties of numbers that maintained this pattern, but he could not fully crack that code.

So, Crisafi and Rowland worked two days a week during the semester to solve the question, as well as expand the question to find these same patterns in multinomial coefficients. Ultimately, they solved Rowland’s question, discovering the solution points are two comprised distant categories with very different behavior. “I don’t think either one of us on our own could have answered the original question,” Crisafi said. “I think we both had our own unique insights that we brought to the table, and luckily, that resulted in a question being answered, which doesn’t happen too often. ... I very much attribute that to cooperation and teamwork. It was a wonderful experience working with him.”

Crisafi has already had his research published in the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences, a huge database of integer sequences, which is respected enough to be cited in academic research. Next semester, Crisafi plans to continue his research to see what additional patterns he can find, and then work to publish the findings in an academic journal.

Despite his mathematical accomplishments, the White Plains native never enjoyed the subject growing up. “In high school, I was very bad at it, and I got a lot of failing grades,” he said. “Then one day, it just clicked for me that math isn’t about repeating what the teacher does or doing the problems in class. It’s about finding your own solutions, and it’s about being creative.”

“Once I figured that out, I was able to do really well,” he continued. “That’s what’s helped me succeed as a math major at Hofstra, which of course is a very difficult major, but if you know that it’s not about memorizing formulas and plugging things in, and it’s about applying your own way of seeing the world to numbers, then it becomes really accessible.”

After graduation, Crisafi plans to work in software engineering or data analytics.

DeMatteis

of

Hofstra

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Joshua Crisafi

Brendan Sperling BS, Chemistry

Hometown: West Islip, NY

Project Title:

Brendan Sperling

Advisor: Sabrina Sobel

Written by Leah Chiappino

Brendan Sperling, a May 2022 graduate and chemistry major, studied antibiotics’ effect on the protein expression in Escherichia coli (E. coli). His research led him to find that antibiotic use increases protein expression.

Sperling refers to himself as a natural-synthetic chemist, over a biochemist, though this project opened his eyes to a whole new world.

“This was really cool to be able to use the tools and the molecular biology to get some results,” he said.

The budding chemist created the idea for the project himself and worked under the supervision of Dr. Sabrina Sobel, a chemistry professor.

“She gave me a lot of creative freedom,” he said.

Sperling developed such a close relationship with Sobel that she even gifted him custom chemistrythemed shoes.

He will be starting a chemical biology PhD program at Princeton University in the fall and hopes to become a professor and researcher, and one day win a Nobel Prize.

“This was really cool to be able to use the tools and the molecular biology to get some results.”

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research t SUMMER

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Examining Zn(II) Salen as a Shuttle-Stimulant for In-Cell Mismetallation and its Infuence on Protein Expression in DH10B Cell Lysates

Quinlan Crossley

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

For my research, I investigated alkalides, which are negatively charged alkali earth metals, using computational modeling software (Spartan). With the help of my research professor, Dr. Miller, we were able to create superalkali alkalide complexes. These complexes use ammonia molecules as organic ligand, which coordinate around the alkali in complex. I was able to calculate the interaction energy of various superalkali alkalide complexes using different combinations of alkali earth metals (lithium, potassium, and sodium). I also tested the importance of using a diffuse function basis set (6-311+G**) for calculating alkalide complexes, versus one without a diffuse function (6-31G*).

How did you become interested in this topic?

What inspired you?

This topic seemed interesting to me because I didn’t know alkalides could exist. I felt like I wanted to learn more about these negatively charged alkali earth metals and explore their properties. I had to use the computational modeling software (Spartan) in the past for my chemistry classes, so I had experience with it. It is a very useful tool for chemists, so I also wanted to gain more experience using this software. There is also not much

Quinlan Crossley

Major: Chemistry • Expected Graduation: December 2022 Hometown: Fleetwood, PA

Project Title: Exploring the Coordination Sphere of Superalkali Alkalide Ion

Pairs in Ammonia

Advisor: Daniel Miller

research that has been done using alkalides, so I thought it would be cool to explore something different for my research.

What professor are you working with, and how have they supported you?

I conducted my research with the guidance of Dr. Miller. He previously published research using alkalides, which we used as a starting point for designing my research project. With his help, I was able to create superalkali alkalide complexes, and study their properties. He also helped me interpret the data that I received from the computations, during our weekly research meetings. Dr. Miller would always respond to my emails and questions quickly, which was very helpful throughout the research process. He helped me construct a research poster, which I was able to present at Undergraduate Research Day. He has also been guiding me through the process of publishing our research.

How long have you been working on this research?

I first reached out to Dr. Miller in the middle of the fall semester about doing research in the spring. He helped me explore different options for research projects based on his past research.

I chose my topic of alkalides around the

end of the fall semester (mid/late November). Over winter break, I prepared for my research by reading Dr. Miller’s previous publication on alkalides. My research started at the beginning of the spring semester and lasted for the entire semester. We were able to create a poster, which was presented at the end of the semester at Undergraduate Research Day. Even though our research has ended, we are still working on publishing a manuscript of our research.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

Dr. Miller and I are working on writing up and publishing a manuscript on our research. I am hoping that my research can help other people learn about alkalides and expand the research being conducted with them. I also hope that future students can use my research as a starting point or inspiration for their own research project. I would like to use the knowledge I gained with the modeling software (Spartan) to develop my own research projects in the future.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

After I graduate, I plan to get a full-time job in a lab to gain experience in the field. Then I want to go back to school for a master’s degree after a year or two.

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Tom Quigley MS, Biology, May 2022 • Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Project Title: Consequences of Mud Nesting by the American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus

Advisor: Nicholas Santangelo

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

Horseshoe crabs on Long Island are using mud as a nesting habitat, possibly because of shoreline hardening, which reduces sandy habitat. I investigated the impact of mud nesting on reproductive success, specifically development time and hatching success. I found that mud-like levels of dissolved oxygen increase mortality of horseshoe crab embryos. Also, embryos laid in mud hatch in lower proportion than embryos laid in sand, even when both were incubated in the lab under the same conditions, suggesting a difference between which crabs use mud and which use sand. I believe that lower-quality crabs are forced to use mud. Among other things, these findings suggest that we should attempt to preserve natural sandy habitat as much as possible.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

I’ve been familiar with horseshoe crabs since I was a child, but I was inspired to study them by my advisor and other biologists on Long Island.

What professor did you work with, and did they support you?

Dr. Nick Santangelo was my advisor. He has an enormous amount of experience conducting experiments like mine, and he helped me do everything from planning to experimenting to analyzing and writing up the results.

How long did you work on this research?

I started my research in spring 2020, and it continued for about two years.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

My kind of study can be used to evaluate horseshoe crab nesting habitat in other places along its range. Also, there is more to learn about how different crabs use the intertidal zone for reproduction.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I am starting a PhD in Biology at CUNY in the fall.

(Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Tom Quigley

Jared Dans

BS, Physics and Chemistry, May 2022 Hometown: Merrick, NY

Project Title: Full Superconducting Gap in the Candidate Topological Superconductor In0.8Pb0.2Te

Advisor: Matthew Smylie

In basic terms, please describe your research project. I work in Dr. Matthew Smylie’s new low-temperature physics laboratory. We studied a variety of exotic superconductors –materials that lose all their electrical resistance below a certain critical temperature. The majority of my projects focused on setting up the new laboratory. Most notably, I was directly involved in the commissioning of Dr. Smylie’s liquid helium cryostat. The cryostat is our main tool for studying the behavior of materials at temperatures near absolute zero. It is essentially a very large thermos bottle, which, instead of keeping coffee or soup hot, keeps liquefied helium and nitrogen gas cold. These liquefied gases, or cryogens, are what we use to cool our samples to such low temperatures. In addition to setting up the cryostat, I am proud to have written many of the Python programs that we use to control our instruments and acquire data.

After many COVID-related delays, this past semester we were finally able to begin scientific projects. We recently studied In0.8Pb0.2Te, an alloy of indium (In), lead (Pb), and tellurium (Te). This material is a candidate topological superconductor, a type of superconductor that is thought to have especially unusual electronic properties. Such a material is of great interest to the field of quantum computing. Our data is included in a manuscript we submitted for publication in the journal Physical Review B.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

In my junior year, I decided to try doing research. At the time, I felt like I was lacking direction in my education; I was well on my way to finishing my physics degree, but I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I thought that doing research would be a fun way to build my scientific background and discover a topic I was passionate about. I was not entirely sure what I wanted to research, only that I was interested in doing experimental work – I enjoy hands-on projects much more than staring at a white board all day. When I heard that Dr. Smylie was setting up a new experimental physics lab, I jumped at the opportunity to work with him.

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Jared Dans

What professor did you work with, and how have they supported you?

I worked with Dr. Matthew Smylie, assistant professor of physics. Dr. Smylie has been a fantastic mentor he taught me so much about experimental low-temperature physics, especially about the workings of a cryostat and the ways we take measurements. Dr. Smylie also helped me get my feet wet in the world of scientific academia. Earlier this year, he took me and another student to the American Physical Society March Meeting, where I gave a talk about our In0.8Pb0.2Te project. I was also very excited to join Dr. Smylie at Argonne National Laboratory for a 10-week summer research fellowship. He made my time at Hofstra so much more exciting, and I am eternally grateful for all his support.

How long did you work on this research?

I worked with Dr. Smylie for three years. During my senior year, I decided to stay at Hofstra for an extra year to pursue a second major in chemistry; this gave me the opportunity to continue doing research that would have otherwise been cut short by the pandemic.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

The search for a topological superconductor is currently a very hot topic. It is thought that the exotic electronic properties of such a material could be used to create a more robust quantum computer. One of the biggest issues with current quantum computers is that they are very sensitive to environmental disturbances; topological superconductors could be used to make a quantum computer that does not suffer from this problem. In the future, research like this has the potential to revolutionize computer technology.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

In the fall, I will begin a PhD in Chemical Physics program at the University of Maryland (UMD). This program is designed for students like me who have a strong background in both physics and chemistry. UMD also has a strong presence in quantum materials science (which includes superconductivity). I am very excited to continue doing this kind of research as I pursue my PhD.

“One of the biggest issues with current quantum computers is that they are very sensitive to environmental disturbances; topological superconductors could be used to make a quantum computer that does not suffer from this problem. In the future,

research like this has the potential to revolutionize computer technology.”

(Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Lillian Moy

Lillian Moy

Major: Civil Engineering

Expected graduation: May 2024

Hometown: Middle Village, NY

Project Title: Rapid Prototyping of Structures with 3D Printing Pens

Advisor: Ted Segal

In basic terms, please describe your research project.

My research project revolved around the use of 3D printing pens to generate small-scale models. Small-scale models allow designers to explore various shapes and forms before finalizing a design for a large structure. It is imperative that the method used to produce small-scale models is quick and inexpensive. However, the reality is that it is time consuming to produce small-scale models by hand, using a laser cutter, or using a 3D printer.

3D printing pens feature a compact and straightforward design that makes them easy to use. These increasingly affordable pens allow users to produce custom models with PLA, a biodegradable plastic. In this project, we draw a 2D grid using the 3D printing pen and transform this grid into a 3D model via a heat-based method. This method requires hanging the 2D grid in an oven, heating it until it deforms completely, and flipping it into its final form. I worked on developing designs and creating models, while documenting the process and procedures.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you? I became interested in this topic after taking classes with Dr. Segal. In class, Dr. Segal shows his work with engineers and students, and invites students to take part as these projects come up. When Dr. Segal first reached out with a general description of this project, I was immediately hooked. I was really drawn to the fact that this and past projects featured overlap between engineering and art because my decision to study civil engineering had grown out of my interest in architecture.

What professor are you working with, and how have they supported you?

Professor Segal advised me throughout this project. He provided me with a lot of direction, but at the same time, a lot of freedom to take the project down whatever path interested me. I learned during my research that there was a constant supply of new data and new information every week, and this occasionally caused me to lose focus on the end goal. Our advisement meetings helped me consolidate and organize the research I conducted, which in turn allowed me to better approach the

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

question, “What next?” I learned to raise my own questions, think about the possibilities, and take more initiative in determining what I wanted to prioritize in my research moving forward.

How long have you been working on this research?

I worked on this research project throughout the spring 2022 semester. The first two weeks focused on background research. I read related research papers, conference papers, and books detailing various methods for creating small-scale models and featuring precedent 3D printed structures. This caught me up to speed with the engineering concepts underlying this project and helped me better understand the goal of the project.

Then, the next couple of weeks focused on using the 3D printing pen to create small-scale models. I documented and made observations throughout the process of creating, deforming, and displaying each model. With each iteration of this process, I got more comfortable using the 3D printing pen. By the end of the semester, I got the time spent to produce a small-scale model down to one hour. In the last couple of weeks, I focused on writing up a detailed procedure from design to construction of small-scale models using a 3D printing pen.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

I hope to find answers to some unaddressed questions that were raised throughout the project, including: (1) How efficient are the small-scale models created? (2) How does scale affect slump behavior? (3) How do other heat-induced form-finding methods (utilizing water, sand, solar power, etc.) compare to existing methods? Dr. Segal and two other students will continue with the project this summer as a part of ASPiRe [Advanced Summer Program in Research], and they will no doubt take the research in a great direction.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation? Before taking on this research project, my plan was to obtain a professional engineer license and build a career in the architecture/construction/engineering field. However, I am now considering pursuing a master’s degree in structural engineering. Attending graduate school would not only equip me with specialized knowledge that would help me as a structural engineer, but also could potentially allow me to continue conducting research.

(Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science • Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

“When Dr. Segal frst reached out with a general description of this project, I was immediately hooked. I was really drawn to the fact that this and past projects featured overlap between engineering and art because my decision to study civil engineering had grown out of my interest in architecture.”

Laura Sánchez

BS, Biochemistry, May 2022

Hometown: Bogota, Colombia

Project Title:

Investigating Host-Guest Interactions for Understanding lon Transport Electronic Structure

Advisor: Daniel Miller

Written by: Leah Chiappino

Laura Sánchez, a senior biochemistry major, originally from Colombia, helped show what can happen when a guest host enters a cell by creating a synthetic model.

Sánchez worked with students from the University of Buffalo to build the simulations. Essentially, the inside of a ring was negatively charged and could bind to guests. When the team put things through a synthetic membrane, they began to study the binding properties of a cell.

Each scenario was modeled on a computer. She found that the rings would bind to charged guests because the pore was changed. She also discovered that two rings on top of each other would be more effective in getting the guests through.

“We just submitted it to the computer, and then observed how it bound to things, the numbers, the energies ... we found that, yeah, it works,” Sánchez said.

She was approached to work on the project by Daniel Miller, assistant professor of chemistry, who knew she was looking for a research position on campus. Miller graduated from the University of Buffalo, and he was able to connect Sanchez to the school’s lab, which created the model structures.

“I saw how my peers were doing research, and I thought it would complement my academic curriculum more than any other extracurricular,” she said. “I always had a curiosity for research. I didn’t really know much about it. I’m from Colombia, and we don’t really have that stuff there. It’s more of a U.S.-based kind of thing.”

Sánchez is working on a similar project, but with positively charged models. She plans to attend graduate school to earn a PhD in Pharmacology or Chemical Biology and pursue a research career.

STEM (Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

(Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Laura Sánchez

Ethan Adeniran

Major: Audio/Radio Production and Studies Expected graduation: May 2024 • Hometown: Freeport, NY

Project Title:

Analysis of Worship Center

Acoustic Quality for Audiences

Advisor: Fernando Espinoza

In basic terms, please describe your project.

My research was based on measuring the four major acoustic qualities (reverberation time, clarity, intimacy, bass ratio) and comparing them to acceptable or expected values for a church or worship center of a particular size. These values were obtained at different locations throughout the church, and from those measurements I was able to map out the best parts of the church for listening to music, being able to understand speech, and a mixture of both.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

Although my major is in audio production, much of my fascination comes from how sound works in the physical world, and how living things interact with and understand the sounds they hear. I was fortunate to be in an acoustics class and have access to a facility where I could conduct research, and Rabinowitz Honors College gave me the opportunity to engage in that research.

What professor did you work with, and how did they support you?

I worked with Dr. Fernando Espinoza on this project. I first showed Dr. Espinoza a rough estimate of values I obtained, and he encouraged me to continue to pursue this research, both by assisting me in providing proper equipment and in the analysis of my results.

How long did you work on this research?

I worked on my research on a weekly basis from mid-February to late April.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

There are many aspects of my research that I would like to explore further. I ran into limitations in the analysis of data for intimacy that I hypothesize come from the alignment of speakers throughout the center, so I wish to find the real values after developing a new methodology. I also wish to explore more about the acoustical qualities of that worship center versus other centers, and how those differences affect the experience of audiences.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

After graduation, I intend to pursue a master’s degree in acoustics and become an architectural acoustics consultant and possibly do advocacy work to promote reducing the noise pollution that disproportionately affects poor communities and harms land and marine ecosystems.

Audio/Acoustics (The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication)

Audio/Acoustics (The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

In basic terms, please describe your project.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many industries approach sales and marketing. In book publishing, new and returning authors had to find new ways to connect with readers and find new audiences.

Despite the broken supply chain and bookstores closed for signings or readings, the publishing industry soared. I looked at six books released from 2020 to 2022 and created timelines of each author and publishers’ events and methods of reaching consumers online. These case studies revealed how virtual events kept readers engaged and allowed authors to reach audiences larger and farther away than ever before. We worked to uncover how this shift will change the industry, and what in-person or online practices will stay or go in the future.

How did you become interested in this topic?

What inspired you?

Across industries, the process of publishing and promotion is fascinating. Many people spend countless hours with months or years of planning to simply get a CD, book, or game on the shelves. The pandemic holds a guide to adaptation, and I wanted to be able to uncover this resource for future

Sara Bowles

Major: Music Business • Expected graduation: May 2025

Hometown: Warwick, RI

Project Title: Post-Pandemic Publishing: A COVID

Case Study

Advisor: Kelly McMasters

authors to learn from. Behind-the scenes management and advocacy for writers, artists, speakers, and performers is a huge passion of mine. My mentor introduced me to how this industry really functioned and what part we may have in assisting its success.

What professor did you work with, and how did they support you?

I worked with Professor Kelly McMasters, MFA, of the English Department. As the head of creative writing, she was very supportive of my new ways to organize and understand this data through visual timelines. As my first-generation advisor, she spent many meetings reassuring me and providing amazing resources to an industry I had yet to uncover. She responded to my emails at any time of the day and guided me through new research techniques. This semester truly opened my eyes to how enriching and helpful it is to have the support of someone like Professor McMasters during my college career.

How long did you work on this research?

We began brainstorming in December 2021 and worked throughout the spring 2022 semester. It began with understanding the principles of the

printed book industry and how it was affected by the pandemic. Then, I dove into research and developed six case studies before finalizing conclusions and presentations.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

Once I was able to complete the case studies, I created an online database that will be available for any author or reader. Our findings and conclusions are currently in the process of being published in a trade magazine, and we will continue to develop a guide to be presented at a publishing conference in the future.

The success of the books I studied is ongoing, so I will continue to monitor and update the databases to assist publicists and authors on navigating the virtual world.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

After graduating from Hofstra with a BA in Music Business, I hope to attend law school and become an entertainment attorney. Creators deserve fair chances, compensation, and resources for them to thrive in the public domain that we have created. Understanding virtual workspaces and sharing ways for new and returning writers to adapt to constantly changing industries are more important than ever.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Publishing (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Caitlin O’Brien

BA, Journalism and Political Science, May 2022 Hometown: West Roxbury, MA Project Title:

Votes for Service? The Limits of Military and Foreign Policy Credentials in Post-9/11 United States

Presidential Elections

Advisor: Meena Bose

Written by Leah Chiappino

Caitlin O’Brien, a May 2022 graduate with majors in journalism and political science, spent her final year at Hofstra University researching the impact of military service on presidential electability, all while interning at MSNBC and serving as news director at WRHU-88.7 FM, Radio Hofstra University.

Her research looked at post-9/11 presidential campaigns, and how military and foreign policy-based rhetoric has influenced elections.

“Bottom line, military service, foreign policy credentials don’t matter very much on the campaign trail. It’s really troubling that more presidents don’t have military service in their backgrounds and that they don’t have a lot of foreign policy experience because it might not matter on the campaign trail if a candidate can’t talk intelligently about foreign policy, but it sure matters once they’re in the Oval Office,” she said.

O’Brien, who is from West Roxbury, MA, was inspired to investigate the topic by her father, a Vietnam veteran.

“He’s super politically active, and we always talked about military service and elections, so I was like, why not? I’m going to look into this a bit,” she said.

Working with Dr. Meena Bose of the Political Science Department, O’Brien started her research in summer 2021. She began slowly researching, cutting down information, and figuring out what directly applied. She would meet with Dr. Bose multiple times a week to discuss research and get ideas.

“I’m very thankful for her,” O’Brien said.

The research is set to be published by the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in Washington, D.C., where O’Brien held a fellowship. She recently had the opportunity to present her research to policy leaders such as Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King, and even Dwight D. Eisenhower’s granddaughter.

She is now working as an associate producer and assignment desk editor at WJAR-TV in Providence, Rhode Island.

Political Science, Geography, Geology, and Sustainability

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Political

Geography, Geology, and Sustainability (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Caroline Czerwonka

Republic?

Written by Leah Chiappino

Caroline Czerwonka focused her research on democratic backsliding in the Czech Republic.

“I determined that because of the results of the 2021 election, democracy has been temporarily saved,” she said.

Democratic backsliding refers to the state elimination of political institutions that comprise a democracy. A European Studies minor, Czerwonka wanted to get research experience to prepare for graduate school.

“I’ve always been interested in Eastern European politics, she said. “Everyone talks about Poland and Hungary in terms of backsliding, and I wanted to see if there were any other states. I found the Czech Republic,” she said.

Czerwonka worked with Dr. Carolyn Dudek, a Hofstra political science professor and expert on European affairs. They met once every three weeks beginning last spring to review drafts until they had finished the product.

“I found that within the Czech Republic, an active political and civil society can, together, stop populist parties and tyrannies,” she said.

In the fall, Czerwonka plans to attend Sciences Po, a research university in Paris, to begin a master’s program in international government, with the goal of pursuing a career in public service.

Department

Czerwonka

Kate Meagher

BA, Geography and Sustainability Studies, May 2022 Hometown: Airville, PA

Project Title:

Sustainable Development: Exploring Urban Green Spaces

Advisor: Craig M. Dalton

Written by Leah Chiappino

Kate Meagher, a senior geography and sustainability major (in a dual-degree program) from Airville, Maryland, was able to gain hands-on experience in cartography work by creating a map to show the growth of Help Me Grow Long Island, a local nonprofit that assists families with children in need of medical care, since the pandemic began.

The organization provided Meagher with the number of children they helped in each ZIP code from 2018 to 2019, as well as a new set of similar data from November 2019 to October 2020. This showed the organization was able to assist hundreds of additional families in over 30 new ZIP codes since the pandemic began.

“When working with a client, it’s really different because they have certain visions and certain things that they want to see on this map,” Meagher said. “Sometimes it’s kind of hard because the things they want to do aren’t really possible, or it would work better another way.”

With the help of Craig Dalton, associate professor of global studies and geography, who approached Meagher with the project, she was able to create a map using GIS technology to show the organization’s growth. The process, which took about a month, involved taking data and making sure it was compatible with the GIS.

“The process of going through the data wasn’t really that difficult,” she said. “The more skillful part would have been the actual map design and knowing how to classify the data and represent it as truthfully and accurately as it could be.”

The end product wound up being published in the nonprofit’s annual report on its website.

“It was a really good experience working with clients, and it was also a really good opportunity to add something else to my resume and GIS portfolio,” Meagher said.

After graduation, Meagher will continue her education in Hofstra’s five-year sustainability program, graduating with a master’s degree in sustainability in 2023. She hopes to continue her work with GIS by working in environmental research, geospatial analysis, or general map making.

Science, Geography, Geology, and Sustainability

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Geography, Geology, and Sustainability (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Kate Meagher

Margaret Moore BA, Geology, May 2022

Hometown: Neptune Beach, FL

Project Title: Suburbanites and Climate Change Opinion: Breaking Down the Demographics

Advisor: Jase Bernhardt

Written by Leah Chiappino

Margaret Moore, a junior geology major and creative writing minor from Neptune Beach, Florida, took the data from Hofstra’s 2014-2020 Kalikow School Polls to show that the average American suburbanite is growing increasingly concerned about climate change.

“There’s a slight increase in concern over climate change across almost all demographics,” Moore said. “Not quite as much as we’d like to see, of course, but still enough to be significant.”

Moore’s findings are consistent with other prestigious research institutions, such as those of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the University of Chicago.

Dr. Jase Bernhardt, assistant professor of geology, environment and sustainability, approached Moore to work on the project. It involved manually going through all the data and breaking down how people had changed their answers over time, while focusing on specific demographics and cross-referencing. Moore then converted each answer to a score on a scale of 1 to 4, found the average for each demographic, and graphed them. She met with Bernhardt biweekly to maintain their progress.

Moore said she was specifically drawn to climate change and opinion because it’s an intersection between hard science and social science.

“By having our finger on the pulse of those sorts of trends, it could influence the way people approach talking about climate change with those different demographics,” she said. “Personally, it’s not always communicated in a way that’s most effective in convincing people to take positive environmental action.”

Moore would like to expand her research to include 2021 and 2022 polls. She is open to pursuing a wide variety of interests after graduation, but really enjoys playwriting and plans to add a philosophy minor to her studies at Hofstra.

Geology, and Sustainability (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Margaret Moore

Muhammad Muktadiral Khan

MA, Sustainability Studies

Expected graduation: May 2023

Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Project Title:

What Climate Change Means to the Wetlands:

Studying Livelihood Vulnerabilities in a Climate-Critical Wetland Context of Bangladesh

Advisor: Jase Bernhardt

In basic terms, please describe your project.

Bangladesh has progressed economically. We have proven evidence that Bangladesh has fought poverty, and the poverty rate has decreased 20% over the last 10 years. Environmentally, temperatures are significantly rising in the northeast wetland region; a bowl-shaped water basin area is the most vulnerable to climate change. The people are dependent on agriculture, such as rice, for their livelihood. However, this is deteriorating. For seven or eight months of the year, people face climate shocks like flooding and erosion. Unfortunately, many people have identified that this is the most understudied region of the country. I will study how climate change is adversely affecting the livelihood of that area, while looking for sustainable practices that people are employing now. The hope is to develop these practices. My research will use a mixed method approach to collect qualitative and quantitative data. This will be a yearlong research project. I will return to Bangladesh for my last semester to collect and analyze the data.

How did you become interested in this topic? What inspired you?

I am from this region, and for several years, I was working and dealing with the effects of climate change. I realized I needed to look at this through an academic lens. The United States is the best place to study this topic.

What professor are you working with, and how are they supporting you?

Dr. Jase Bernhardt is supporting and sharing his knowledge with me. I like the educational system at Hofstra. The content and research are readily available and related to the practical work that needs to be done.

Where do you see this research going in the future?

Sustainability is my passion, and I am very happy to be looking at it academically. I am confident that I will be able to apply what I have learned to my own country.

What career or educational plans do you have for after graduation?

I will go back to Bangladesh and continue working for an NGO or for the government.

Science, Geography, Geology, and Sustainability

Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

Hofstra HORIZONS for Undergraduate and Graduate Research

Political Science, Geography, Geology, and Sustainability (Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)

HOFSTRA AT A GLANCE

LOCATION

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