Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair 2022

After two years of virtual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair, URCAF came roaring back to the Adler Athletic Complex at Penn State Altoona with more than 40 student participants and many visitors to witness the students’ efforts. Lara LaDage, associate professor of biology and Undergraduate Research Coordinator, organized the event. “Before the pandemic,” she says, “URCAF was a vibrant event in which we celebrated our students’ achievements in research, creative activities, and internships.” But “the pandemic forced us into an online platform so this was our first in-person URCAF since 2019, which made it particularly special for our students, faculty mentors, and the campus community.”

URCAF has always had poster presentations and performances. New this year were The University Libraries Undergraduate Research Award for excellence in information literacy and the Sustainability Award for the student research or activity that directly addresses one or more of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Winners in all categories can be found below.

Among the students presenting their work was junior psychology major Nicholas Glunt with a poster on “Screening for Traumatic Brain Injury in the Incarcerated Population.” He had taken a class with Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Nathan Kruis his freshman year and says that Kruis approached him about working in the Integrated Social Sciences Research Lab (ISSRL) “after I did a paper for his Introduction to Criminal Justice class.”

Glunt joined the lab and spent the summer of 2021 working on a project that “came from researchers out of Pittsburgh,” he says. The subject matter was use of the Impact Quick Test, an iPad-based test for concussion, in the prison population. “I was in charge of taking the original manuscript and trying to put it in a more publishable condition,” Glunt explains. “The references needed to be styled consistently. Then I went through the manuscript and made notes on questions to ask Dr. Kruis, for example, ‘Is this supposed to be here?’ so that I wouldn’t delete too much.” The paper is now being reviewed for publication.

“Glunt is a tremendously hard worker,” Kruis says. He explains the project: “Last summer, I was contacted by a group of neuroscientific professionals from UPMC who were struggling with a project that they had recently completed at a county jail. They asked for our help with interpreting the findings and preparing a manuscript. It was kind of a unique opportunity, and I knew Glunt was just the guy for the job. He’s been looking at the study findings and reworking a manuscript for about a year now. He just presented a draft of the revision at the Sigma Xi Research Competition at Penn State Behrend. He took home second place in the Psychology Division. I’m proud of his work so far.”

Junior psychology major Mykala McGill joined an ISSRL research project with Rachel Kosaka, a junior majoring in criminal justice at Penn State Altoona, and Cassie Gartley, now at University Park, on “Comparing Perceptions of Local and Campus Police in Central Pennsylvania.” According to McGill, “Cassie and Dr. Kruis had written a paper about it. Once McGill and Kosaka were added to the project, “Rachel and I looked up the background information to have a general understanding of it. Then we all worked on the poster together. We helped create the graph, go through the data, and figure out the percentages.”

Once again, the research lab bug has gained an advocate. “I am fascinated by all research, honestly, especially criminal justice,” McGill says. “Initially I was planning on majoring in biology; I was thinking optometry.” But then she took a class with Kruis. “The lab stirred my interest. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but I found what I liked.” She also found benefits beyond her research work. “Having the lab environment helps a lot. It’s a better learning environment, a motivator.” McGill’s goals now include future research and possibly working with adoption agencies.

Kruis has high praise for this research lab veteran. “McGill is a long-standing member of the research lab. She and Rachel Kosaka won the University Park Undergraduate Exhibition last year; she is kind of a leader in the lab now. Her work on the current project was more advisory/mentorship. I brought her in to help a new student in the research lab, Cassie Gartley. She has proven to be a great leader.”

Psychology majors Jasmine Otieno and Saadia Arshad, along with Olivia Ronan, presented a poster on “The Effects of Reproductive Information on Mothers’ Expected Reaction to Youths’ Sexual Orientation Disclosure.” Otieno and Arshad approached Assistant Professor of Psychology Danielle DelPriore about working on research separately and ended up working on a research study designed by DelPriore and Ronan, a former undergraduate psychology student at Penn State Altoona who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree program in community counseling at Mount Aloysius College.

Given a number of subjects to choose from, Otieno says, studying mothers and their reaction to their children coming out “was the most interesting.” During the course of their research both students were surprised to find out that the study showed that mothers were not all that accepting of their child’s sexual orientation. Arshad says, “Moms are seen as nurturing, it was a little surprising to hear that.” They also found, however, that those same mothers could change their opinion, Otieno says, “with as little as one article.”

They both enjoyed working on the project. “This was my first time doing research,” Arshad admits. “I liked the technical stuff—coding and putting information into other systems.” Otieno adds, “I came in after Saadia and reviewed the work. And I did the abstract.”

DelPriore is very pleased with her student researchers’ dedication: “It is incredibly exciting and rewarding to get to work with students who are eager to get involved in the research process. Saadia and Jasmine really took ownership of this ongoing work, and developed a deep understanding of and investment in the project.”

Arshad, a senior, has her career path in place for post-graduation. “I’m going to continue to work at Blair Health Choices. I’m the support partner, I work with the kids. I advocate for the youth or the children and bring their needs to the table—meds, therapy, accommodations—and connect them with the resources they need.” Otieno plans to apply to graduate school: “I want to work more with the LBGTQ community.”

Advice for students from two who have taken the plunge into research: “Students should get involved in research; it’s good for your grad school application,” Otieno says. Arshad adds encouragement: “Don’t hesitate to reach out to professors. More often than not they’re excited and they want you.”

—Therese Boyd, ’79

URCAF Award Winners

Social Sciences

• First Place: Rachel Kosaka, Tyler Frye, and Alicia Williams, “Punitive Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders: Does Offender Sex Matter?”
• Second Place: Jazzmine McCauley, Abigail Harvey, Cassandra Gartley, and Tyler Frye, “An Empirical Assessment of the Relationship Between Jail Population Size and County-level Crime Rates in Central Pennsylvania”
• Third Place: Lindsay Fusco, Ziwei Lin, Rachel Kosaka, and Tyler Frye, “Media Exposure and Perceptions of Police”

Physical and Natural Sciences

• First Place: Zachary Bell, “Protein Solubility Optimization of RNA-Helicase from Psychrobacter”
• Second Place: Philip Chamberlin, “To Improve Photovoltaics: Simulation and Nanotube Synthesis”
• Third Place: Gracie Harlow, “A Test of the Enemy Release Hypothesis in the New Zealand Mud Snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum”

Engineering, Information Sciences and Technology, and Mathematics

• First Place: Makayla Ianuzzi and Joshua Hollingshead, “Development and Experimentation of a Continuously Rotating Detonation Engine”
• Second Place: Andrew Sherren, Kyle Fink, and Joshua Eshelman, “Road Energy Harvesting and Smart Highway”
• Third Place: Emma Hoover and Jessica Shearer, “Rooted Trees Connected to the Tribonacci Numbers”

Arts and Humanities

• First Place: McKenna Hurd, “Invisible Things”
• Second Place: Maleah Orr, “Analyzing Anti-COVID-19 Vaccine and Anti-Mask Postings on Online Forums in Central Pennsylvania”
• Third Place: Madisyn Simington, “Mother’s Days”

Internships

• First Place: Alicia Williams, “Impact of Co-Parenting Negligence: How Custody Agreements Impact Teen Parenting”
• Second Place: Kevin Karpovich, “Crossroads of Addiction”
• Third Place: Cierra Rhodes, “Generational Poverty and Negative Stereotypes”

Sustainability Award

• First Place: Philip Chamberlin, —“To Improve Photovotalics: Simulation and Nanotube Synthesis”
• Second Place: Megan McConnell and Zachary Bell, “The Effects of Caffeine on Bacterial Growth”
• Third Place: Andrew Sherren, Kyle Fink, and Joshua Eshelman, “Road Energy Harvesting and Smart Highway”

Library Award

• First Place: Megan McConnell and Zachary Bell, “The Effects of Caffeine on Bacterial Growth”
• Second Place: Rachel Kosaka, Tyler Frye, and Alicia Williams, “Punitive Attitudes Toward Sex Offenders: Does Offender Sex Matter?”
• Third Place (tie): Maleah Orr, “Analyzing Anti-COVID-19 Vaccine and Anti-Mask Postings on Online Forums in Central Pennsylvania” and Sally Ghannam, “Determining the Optimal Substrate for the Invasive New Zealand Mud Snail”

Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Mentoring Award

Juan Gil, Professor of Mathematics, was awarded Penn State Altoona’s first Excellence in Mentoring award. As evidenced by student nominations, testimonials, funding, publications, and conference presentations, Juan has demonstrated his commitment to involving undergraduates in the research endeavor. Congratulations, Juan!