DAYS APRIL 29 &

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1 AYS APRIL 29 &

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Welcome Message Schedule of Events Keynote Presentation Faculty Research Mentor of the Year Faculty Research Presentations Kean Assessment Institute Update Undergraduate Researcher of the Year Graduate Researcher of the Year 26 Student Poster Presentations PAGE 7 FACULTY RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE PAGE 96 STUDENT ORAL PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE Senior Integrated Biology Poster Session Biology Business Global Management Business Management and Marketing Chemistry Communication Communication Disorders & Deafness Computer Science Criminal Justice Design Graphic Design Education Middle & Secondary Education Environmental & Sustainability SciencesExercise Science 94 Research & Technology Colloquium Exercise Science 98 Psy.D. Dissertation Symposium History 103 Student Oral Presentations Mathematics 103 Biology NJ Center for Science, Technology and 104 Business Management and Marketing Mathematics 104 Chemistry Nursing 105 Communication Occupational Therapy 105 Communication Disorders and Deafness Physical Education, Recreation and Health 106 Counselor Education Political Science 106 Criminal Justice Psychology 107 Design Graphic Design Psychology 107 Educational Leadership - Advanced Studies in Psychology 108 Environmental & Sustainability Sciences Social Work 109 NJ Center for Science, Technology and Theatre Mathematics 110 Physical Education, Recreation and Health 111 Psychology - Advanced Studies in Psychology 112 Holocaust and Genocide Studies Degree Candidates Panels 114 Ed.D. Student Research Panel 115 Early Childhood & Family Studies Graduate ColloquiuM

3 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME MESSAGE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS TUESDAY, APRIL 29, a.m. 11 a.m. Schwartz Lecture Hall 2 nd Fl. Keynote: Rachel Louise Snyder, Author and Radio Commentator Corporate Social Responsibility & the Supply Chain Jeffrey H. Toney, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs One of the goals of higher education is to produce critical thinkers people who seek to understand and evaluate the different sides of an issue. The Association of American Colleges and Universities defines critical thinking as a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion. We all benefit from the scientists thorough examination of the causes of disease or the sociologists investigation of the barriers to upward mobility. What is even more impressive is when this questioning habit of mind, exercised by just a few, changes the awareness of large numbers of people and the behavior of huge global companies. The concept of corporate social responsibility is widely accepted today. But in the 1980 s, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (Ben & Jerry s), Anita Roddick (The Body Shop), and Burt Shavitz (Burt s Bees) were radicals when they founded companies with a mission of being both profitable and responsible. Consumers and even shareholders eventually embraced the idea that companies have a responsibility not only to produce a profit but also to support human rights, animal rights, environmental protection, and fair trade. Rachel Louise Snyder, our keynote speaker, illustrates the importance of critical thinking as she describes the significant ethical and cultural quandaries she has faced as a journalist looking at today s post-globalization world. She will share her insights about the opportunities and challenges that companies face in a global economy. As we celebrate Research Days and talk to our students about the questions they asked and the answers they found, let us resolve to be always curious and always learning, embodied in Kean s motto: Semper Discens. Let us further resolve to be active with our knowledge. Perhaps a student in the audience today will be inspired by Rachel Louise Snyder s story and will start on a path that changes our world. Why? is a very good question. Why not? may sometimes be a more important one. 11 a.m. 12 p.m. STEM 4 th Fl. Kean University Assessment Institute Update Poster Session 11 a.m. 4 p.m. STEM 3 rd Fl. Faculty Research Presentations see program for details of rooms and times 3:30 p.m. 5:30 p.m. HRI 210/7 Graduate Faculty Panel Witnesses to Genocide WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, a.m. 11 a.m. STEM 308 Psy.D. Dissertation Symposium 9 a.m. 11 p.m. Kean Hall 127 Hominid Evolution Senior Integrated Biology special poster session 9 a.m. 12 p.m. STEM 306/318 Student Oral Presentations every 15 minutes Group B: Arts, Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences See program for details of rooms and times 10 a.m. 12 p.m. STEM Atrium Poster Presentations Group A: Computer Science, Health Sciences, Mathematics, Natural Sciences 10 a.m. 12 p.m. CAS 106 (Hallway) Research & Technology Colloquium morning session 11:30 a.m. STEM Atrium Presentation of the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Research Awards 1 p.m. 3 p.m. STEM Atrium Poster Presentations Group B: Arts, Business, Education, Humanities, and Social Sciences 1 p.m. 4 p.m. STEM 306/318 Student Oral Presentations every 15 minutes Group A: Computer Science, Health Sciences, Mathematics and Natural Sciences See program for details of rooms and times 1 p.m. 3 p.m. CAS 106 (Hallway) Research & Technology Colloquium afternoon session 3:30 p.m. 6 p.m. Kean Hall 127 Holocaust and Genocide Studies Degree Candidates Panels 1) Narratives of Genocide Memory 2) The Holocaust in Film: At What Price Movie Magic? Jeffrey H. Toney, Ph.D. 4:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. STEM 401 Ed.D. Student Research Panel Contemporary Issues in Educational Leadership 2 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS p.m. 7 p.m. STEM 6 th Fl. Early Childhood & Family Studies Graduate Colloquium

4 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION FACULTY RESEARCH MENTOR OF THE YEAR Guest Lecturer: Rachel Louise Snyder Radio Commentator and Author of Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade Corporate Social Responsibility & the Supply Chain Author Rachel Louise Snyder published a book that looked at the world s first sweatshop-free developing country: Cambodia. Could the country survive in the cutthroat world of global trade and bottom dollar profits? By most accounts, the sweatshop-free experiment was a huge success. After living in the country for six years, Snyder prepared to leave Cambodia. But in the weeks leading up to her departure, she learned about a very different experiment in the country. The Phnom Penh women s prison had hired its inmates to begin sewing for one of the largest factories in town for $2.50 a month. The women talked of their exploitation freely, but also begged outsiders not to publicize their plight because without the work, they were never allowed out of their cells. And, as is the case with many developing country women s prisons, many had their children in jail with them. Snyder found herself in a modern-day ethical quandary. As a journalist, she felt she had to tell. As a humanist, however, how could she condemn innocent children to 23 hours a day in prison cells with their mothers? She decided that while she didn t have the answers, industry experts should. What would a multinational corporation do in such a predicament? What followed was a fascinating conversation with the vice president of corporate social responsibility at GAP, Inc. about what they or any multinational brand could and should do in such a situation. Using clips from her interview with GAP, alongside photos from manufacturing plants around the world, Snyder spells out such ethical and cultural quandaries as the women in the Phnom Penh prison, in what she calls today s post-globalization world. * * * Rachel Louise Snyder is a writer and radio commentator. She is also the author of Fugitive Denim: A Moving Story of People and Pants in the Borderless World of Global Trade. An excerpt of the book Dreams of Distant Factories aired on public radio s This American Life and was awarded the 2006 Lowell Thomas Award from the Overseas Press Club. Fugitive Denim was also featured on more than two dozen public radio programs across the US including Marketplace, the World, and The Leonard Lopate Show. Library Journal named it one of the best business books of Dr. James Merritt Dr. James Merritt is associate professor of organic and medicinal chemistry in the New Jersey Center for Science Technology and Mathematics (NJCSTM). He instructs students in Honors Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry and Research and Technology. He joined the university in 2010 after a 15 year career as a leader in medicinal chemistry research at a New Jersey-based biotechnology company. During his industrial career, Dr. Merritt was a co-inventor of numerous potential new medicines, including Navarixin, a Merck drug that entered clinical trial testing in patients for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. At Kean, Dr. Merritt has established a thriving synthetic medicinal chemistry research group in the NJCSTM laboratories. Hosting 6-12 undergraduate and master s level researcher students each year, his laboratory produces small novel, drug-like molecules for discovery of potential new medicines. His current research focuses on synthesis of small molecule inhibitors of CCR1, a cell receptor which is implicated in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and multiple myeloma. Dr. Merritt s group has prepared numerous potent CCR1 inhibitors that are able to block movement of cancerous human multiple myeloma cells and may eventually provide a new route for cancer treatment. More recently, Dr. Merritt has brought combinatorial chemistry research to Kean. Combinatorial chemistry is a modern method for chemical synthesis where molecules can be prepared using multiple parallel reactions. A few chemists can make thousands of novel molecules in the time that it would normally take to make dozens. Using this special technique, a team of four NJCSTM research students in 2013 prepared a collection of 27,000 molecules which are now being screened by a local biotechnology company in search of potential drugs for newly discovered biological targets. Student researchers with Dr. Merritt learn how to carry out organic synthesis using the very latest techniques and instrumentation including automated flash purification, automated microwave assisted synthesis, ultra high pressure liquid chromatography, mass spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Dr. Merritt s students have presented their work at National ACS Meetings, at the Gordon Research Seminar for medicinal chemistry, and at Kean Research Days. With strong laboratory skills and a strong STEM education, members of Dr. Merritt s laboratory have gone on to take research positions in a diverse array of companies including Boehringer Ingleheim, Genewiz and Morristown Hospital. One current master s student, Kelly Bachovchin, active involved in the laboratory and graduating this spring, will be continuing her graduate education in organic/medicinal chemistry in the Ph.D. program at Northeastern University. Kelly got interested in chemistry in Dr. Merritt s organic chemistry course. His passion and enthusiasm excited me about a subject that most students find grueling, pushing me to want to excel and learn more about organic chemistry and drug discovery. In her 4th year as part of Dr. Merritt s research group, she believes the skills that I have learned working in the lab with him surpass any knowledge that I could have acquired in a classroom. It is because of Dr. Merritt s encouragement that I am pursuing a doctoral degree. He cares about his students so much and does everything he can to help them succeed. 4 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

5 FACULTY FACULTY RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE TUESDAY, APRIL 29, a.m. STEM 307 Detecting and Validating Planets around Other Stars: A Stability Analysis of GJ 581 Dr. David Joiner 11 a.m. STEM 317 The Relationship Among Health Promotion Behaviors, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction in Nurses Practicing in a Community Medical Center Dr. Kathleen Neville 11:45 a.m. STEM 307 When Lasers Behave Like Rabbits and Sheep: A Mathematical Analysis of Short Pulse Perturbation Theory Dr. Edward Farnum Janine Black Consuelo Bonillas 11:45 a.m. STEM :30 p.m. STEM 306 How We Look Combinatorial Chemistry at Kean: How to Make 27,000 Drug-like, Novel Molecules in 6 Months Prof. Alan Robbins Dr. James Merritt James Drylie Edward Farnum Sean Hildebrand 12:30 p.m. STEM 318 Ramifications of Sarbanes-Oxley Corporate Governance Legislation on Initial Public Offerings of Research-Intensive Firms Dr. Janine Black Ruth Griffith Sue Gronewold Connie Hassett-Walker Ed Johnston David Joiner Dennis Klein C. Brid Nicholson 1:15 p.m. STEM 306 1:15 p.m. STEM 318 Ethnobotanical and Ecological Approaches to Medicinal Plant Research in the Lowland Wet Forests of Costa Rica Augmented Asbury Park Dr. Daniela Shebitz Prof. Ed Johnston Gary Kulhanjian James Merritt Kathleen Neville Brian Regal Alan Robbins Mary Jo Santo Pietro 2 p.m. STEM p.m. STEM 307 Juntas: Creating Healthy New Beginnings Together Prevalence of Depression in College Athletes: Identification, Mechanisms and Need for Services Dr. Consuelo Bonillas Dr. Andrew Wolanin Daniela Shebitz Andrew Wolanin 2 p.m. STEM 318 Effects of Criminal Justice System Exposure on Youth's Substance Use Trajectories: Findings from Year 2 Dr. Connie Hassett- Walker 2:45 p.m. STEM 306 Rosa Parks, The Bus, and the Politics of Memory Dr. C. Brid Nicholson 2:45 p.m. STEM 318 More Than a Storm: The Kean Experience with Hurricane Sandy and Lessons Learned Dr. James Drylie Dr. Sean Hildebrand 3:30 p.m. STEM 306 The Real Story of the Jersey Devil Dr. Brian Regal AYS 3:30 p.m. STEM 318 Interdisciplinary Research in Healthy Sciences: Communication Dilemmas Dr. Mary Jo Santo- Pietro 3:30 p.m. HRI 201/7 Witnesses to Genocide Faculty Panel (3:30-5:30) Drs. Klein, Griffith, Gronewold, Kulhanjian 6 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS 2014

6 FACULTY RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS JANINE BLACK School of Management, Marketing, International Business Ramification of Sarbanes-Oxley Corporate Governance Legislation on Initial Public Offerings of Research-intensive Firms The 2002 SOX US Congressional Act levied millions of dollars in new compliance costs on each foreign or domestic firm that went public on U.S. exchanges. Funding for regulatory expenditures must come from somewhere. We proposed that one likely candidate was research budgets, as research efforts have a more distant, less immediately visible, long term effect on firm performance. We suggest that large firms more easily absorbed the additional costs of SOX with a reduced effect on research and development budgets, while small firms were less able to maintain research budgets after SOX. In the aftermath of SOX, the number of research intensive firms was greatly diminished in the IPO scene. Only in Biotechnology, Electronics, and Computer Software was the sample size large enough to evaluate post-sox. Those research intensive firms that decided to go public, despite the cost burden of SOX, were rewarded by the market with higher market value. The results underestimated the effect of SOX, as many firms were deterred from going public and therefore were not included in the data set. CONSUELO BONILLAS Physical Education, Recreation and Health Juntas: Creating Healthy New Beginnings Together This initiative was designed to help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes (GDM) in Hispanic pregnant women receiving their prenatal care at a prenatal clinic in Elizabeth, New Jersey. We are on our third and final year of funding from HRSA. Kean University is collaborating with PROCEED, Inc. to recruit 70 Hispanic pregnant women between the ages of in this research study. Thirty-five women will receive the intervention, 18 women will be part of the control group that will not receive the intervention, but will be asked to complete a weekly food diary, and 17 women will be part of the control group that will not receive the intervention, nor be asked to complete a weekly food diary. The women recruited in the intervention group receive five nutritional counseling sessions during the first and second trimester. These counseling sessions are meant to educate on nutrition and exercise during pregnancy and motivate the participants to eat healthier and be physically active during their pregnancy. After signed consent, all three study groups will be asked to complete baseline and post-surveys to use as comparison, along with specific information retrieved from their medical records (i.e., sugar or protein in the urine, blood pressure, gestational weight gain, GDM diagnosis and pregnancy outcomes). The goal of Project Juntas is to determine if a behavioral program can improve the health related behaviors of Hispanic pregnant women which ultimately results in healthier pregnanciesbirths and life styles. To accomplish this, pregnancy related outcomes of those in the intervention group will be compared to that of the control groups. On Research Day, we will discuss the challenges and solutions to recruiting Hispanic pregnant women in an intensive nutritional counseling program and motivating the participants in the intervention group to attend five one-on-one nutritional counseling sessions with the Dietitian during their first and second trimester. We will present preliminary findings to show if a 25% improvement in knowledge, attitude and healthy behaviors during pregnancy was documented in the participants in the intervention group when compared to their baseline surveys and that of the control group. We will also discuss if the participants in the intervention group were less likely to gain excessive gestational weight gain, less likely to be diagnosed with GDM, less likely to have abnormal blood pressure readings, and less likely to have traces of glucose or protein in their urine analyses when compared to the pregnant participants in the control groups. This study is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - grant H59MC22657 JAMES DRYLIE Co-PI: Dr. Sean Hildebrand School of Criminal Justice and Public Administration More than a storm: The Kean Experience with Hurricane Sandy and Lessons Learned The overall impact of Hurricane Sandy on Kean University as an institution is limited in the traditional sense of losses calculated in financial terms. To gauge the response of the university to this incident, a university-wide survey was conducted soon after a majority of the community returned to some sense of normalcy. The results identify one glaring limitation shared by all stakeholders: emergency management is not viewed as a shared responsibility within Kean University.The University s well-established Emergency Management Plan was put into effect the day before the storm struck. While most of the technical aspects of the plan worked as intended and expected under the circumstances, internal reviews since the storm have spurred some necessary adjustments in many of these critical areas. Yet there was a lack of planning to account for external variables that were beyond the control and purview of the university. This research examined the university Campus Alert as an early alert system and medium for providing timely and accurate information, and the myriad difficulties during and after the storm in the reliance on and the severe limitations of social media outlets under these types of circumstances. Variance in the levels of satisfaction of initial notifications between students, faculty and staff were noted. Inconsistencies in updates regarding the expected duration of closure and resumption of campus activities was a source of general dissatisfaction overall. A significant, and justifiable, criticism centered on the inability of faculty and students to account for the growing lapse in time for studies. An underlying assumption by many, faculty and students alike, was that this was the responsibility, and to some extent the fault of the university. Analysis of the data reveals that the general perception of many respondents is that the university has a contingency plan in place to adjust for any classroom and employment time lost, and it is not the responsibility of those in the classroom to develop their own plans or solutions. The survey allowed for respondents to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings as how to overall improvements can be made to improve future response capabilities. The key to success for the Kean community in the face of any future adversity is developing and maintaining a university-wide culture of awareness and increased individual responsibility that becomes the mainstay of normal day-to-day life at Kean University. Establishing a culture of personal and institutional health and safety awareness that becomes the fabric of all aspects of university life is an affordable ounce of prevention. Finding the resources for a pound of cure is a much more daunting task, one that no institution can gamble with. 8 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

7 EDWARD FARNUM NJ Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics When Lasers Behave Like Rabbits and Sheep: A Mathematical Analysis of Short Pulse Perturbation Theory Trains of ultra-short optical pulses are the essence of digital communications systems, and are fundamental to measurement instruments used in all branches science. Today s lasers lengths can routinely generate optical pulses on the order of a few femtoseconds (10 ^ (-15) seconds). Shorter pulses allow higher precision measurements, and can be used to observe the fastest of physical phenomena, including individual electron transitions. An application of mode-locked lasers on frequency combs can improve the precision of time measurement by two orders of magnitude. The engineering of optical systems is guided by mathematical models. Roughly speaking, the engineer needs to know in advance what system parameters are required to support a stable pulse train, and the model gives predictions. The standard model to describe pulse propagation is based on the socalled Slow Envelope Approximation, which assumes the pulse width is broad in comparison to optical frequency. This assumption is not valid for the current state laser technology, in which pulse-widths are routinely on the order of femtoseconds. A newer model called the Short Pulse Equation avoids the slow envelop approximation, but its solutions are complicated and sometimes difficult to use. I will introduce a novel technique that I recently published called Short Pulse Perturbation Theory, which approximates partial differential equation (PDE) model with a much simpler ordinary differential equations (ODE) model. In addition to a huge computational speedup of several orders of magnitude, this simplification allows solutions to be described via a standard technique called a phase plane analysis. In a phase analysis, solutions to an ODE are plotted as curves on a two dimensional plane, and equilibrium solutions are depicted as fixed points in the plane. This provides a visual aspect to the analysis. The stability of each fixed point can be characterized by a pair of numbers called eigenvalues. In the analysis of the laser model, we can determine conditions on the amplifier, which are necessary to support stable pulse train. Furthermore we can predict how the pulse train is destabilized when those conditions are not met. We can even predict when system undergoes an undesirable effect called harmonic pulse splitting. These can all be determined by the calculation of just two eigenvalues. It is the simplicity of the ODE system that allows these results, which cannot be readily derived from a much more complicated full PDE system. A canonical example from applied linear algebra and differential equations classes uses an ODE model for a predator prey interaction to illustrate the same phase plane analysis. In fact, we will see that as certain laser system parameters are varied, the pulses exhibit distinct behaviors analogous to species cooperation, competition, and predation as seen in the ecological models. This talk will have two primary emphases: The first is the practical implication on laser science that derives from this perturbation technique, and resulting novel ODE model (ie: providing parameter bounds for optical pulse propagation; characterizing pulse instability, predicting the onset of pulse splitting). The second emphasis will be the methodology of linear phase space analysis to understanding the qualitative behavior of nonlinear systems. In particular, I will emphasize the remarkable similarities in behaviors of mathematical models used to describe widely diverse branches of science. CONNIE HASSETT-WALKER Co-PIs: Dr. Gilbert Gee, UCLA; Dr. Katrina Walsemann and Dr. Bethany Bell, University of South Carolilna School of Criminal Justice and Public Administration Effects of Criminal Justice System Exposure on Youth s Substance Use Trajectories: Findings from Year 2 The goal of the study is to examine how exposure to the criminal justice system influences substance use during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. We adopt a life course perspective and posit that there is no single pattern of substance use or justice system involvement. Rather, it is likely that there are numerous trajectories. A trajectories approach emphasizes that behaviors change over time (e.g., increase, decrease, fluctuate), and contends that the course of these behaviors is determined by changes in the individual and their social circumstances. The investigators hypothesized that there would be at least three trajectories of justice system involvement, and at least four major trajectories of substance use. Findings from the second year of analyses will be presented. A minute powerpoint presentation is requested, to present the second year of findings. This study is supported by the National Institutes of Health R15 grant #1R15DA ED JOHNSTON Robert Busch School of Design Augmented Asbury Park Augmented reality allows the user of a smart phone or tablet to see a three-dimensional image on their screens overlaid on top of their real-time camera experience. The 3D model can interact with a flat image, or it can exist out in the open at a specific geographic location. Many companies have recently harnessed the capabilities of augmented reality in advertising, scientific visualization, and interactive gaming. In the Augmented Asbury Park project, Kean University professor Ed Johnston is collaborating with Monmouth University professors Michael Richison and Dr. Marina Vujnovic to recreate historical structures that no longer exist on the Asbury Park Boardwalk in augmented reality. They have focused their efforts on two key periods in time during the boardwalk s history, the 1930s and the 1960s. In 1932, the carousel was installed at the southern end of the boardwalk in the Carousel House. Two years later, the smoking wreckage of the luxury liner Morro Castle beached itself right next to Convention Hall at the northern end of the boardwalk. In addition to the three-dimensional reconstructions, recordings of the people s memories of the boardwalk are being incorporated into the experiences. This project is in progress and is being carried out over the next several months. The completed experiences are free and open to the public as long as they have a smart device and download a free mobile app called Layar. More information on this project can be discovered at the following website: DAVID JOINER NJ Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics Validation of Exoplanetary Systems through N-Body Stability Analysis, Application to HD10180 Detection of planets around other stars is primarily done by one of two methods. Lower mass stars are more susceptible to being wobbled by planets in their orbits, and the HARPS spectrometer has been widely used to perform doppler spectroscopy at a resolution of 0.1 m/s of many of these stars, capable of detecting planets down to nearly 1 Earth mass in a habitable zone orbit. High mass stars have been studied largely by the Kepler satellite to search for transits, events in which occasionally a planet will pass in front of the star from our perspective, causing an eclipse. Transit events tend to be well defined, 10 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

8 and clearly indicate aspects of the planet in orbit, however our ability to see these events is constrained to systems which are nearly edge on--with edge-on events becoming geometrically less likely for lower mass stars. Doppler spectroscopy detection, however, becomes more prone to error in analysis when studying multi-planet systems, due to inherent motions of the stellar surface (so-called stellar jitter), and as a result there are concerns of false positives in radial velocity planet detections, particularly for systems with many planets. In the absence of an observable transit, modeling the gravitational stability of these systems can help to rule out false positives, or to constrain the predictions of model orbit parameters. The System Gliese 581 has been studied extensively, with controversy in the literature over the existence of planet GJ 581 G. We find that both a 4- and 5-planet model (with and without planet G) exhibit gravitational stability over a wide range of model parameters that fit the data, and that any discrimination between the two should be based solely on the relative likelihood of the model fit matching the data, for which the 5-planet model fails an F-test for improved significance over a 4-planet model in fitting the data. Additionally, we have extended our approach to the system HD Recent publications in the field suggest that this system may have up to 9 planets. We find that the published orbital values for planet HD I lead to instability due to interactions with the orbits of planets C and D, and place constraints on orbital parameters for which the system is gravitationally stable. DENNIS KLEIN Co-PIs: Drs. Sue Gronewold, Ruth Griffith, Gary Kulhanjian M.A. Holocaust and Genocide Studies Witnesses to Genocide - On the Necessity and Impossibility of Representations Witnesses to Genocide: The Armenian Case Gary Kulhanjian The case of the Armenian genocide of 1915 offers a strong example of the importance of witnesses accounts for establishing the historical record. Indeed, their accounts have helped to establish the Armenian genocide as the first genocide of the 20th century. An examination of these accounts illuminate the preconditions of genocide in Hamidean massacres from the 1890s, the reasons why Young Turks targeted Armenians for destruction, and the methods they deployed to carry it out. Contradictions: Witnesses Testimonies and Tribunals in Bangladesh and Cambodia Sue Gronewold In search of justice, witnesses to mass murder often testify to violence in testimonies before tribunals. As important as they are for achieving justice and establishing the record, courtroom testimonies are necessarily compromised by their belatedness: Witnesses providing testimony in tribunals mounted some 30 years after atrocities in Bangladesh and Cambodia often confused history with memory. In addition, witnesses accounts are mediated by the jurisprudential process of selecting and privileging some witnesses over others to support arguments. Were justice and history served? Suppression and Silence: Testimonies About the Ukraine Famine Genocide after 60 Years Ruth Griffith For political reasons survivors of the Ukraine Famine Genocide ( ) remained silent about their experiences. Almost 60 years later, in 1991, O. Mishchenko wrote Bezkrovna viina (Bloodless War, 1991), the first book published in Ukraine presenting survivor memoirs. After a protracted period of Soviet rule and suppression of survivors accounts, how reliable are they? Witnesses and the Word: Post-Traumatic Accounts of the Holocaust Dennis Klein Witnesses to atrocity constitute the most authentic sources of information we have about the genocidal encounter during the Holocaust era, yet, until the Eichmann trial in the early 1960s, their accounts were virtually eclipsed by scholarly analyses of state ideology, propaganda, and indoctrination. What do memoirists tell us about genocide that revises our understanding of the intent to destroy groups of people? Can witnesses account grasp and communicate the full reality of traumatic assault? Is, paradoxically, silence the only truly authentic response to genocide? JAMES MERRITT NJ Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics Combinatorial Chemistry at Kean: how to make 20,000 drug-like, novel molecules in 6 months Combinatorial synthesis is a well-established method for rapid preparation of large collections (>1000) of novel small molecules. Such collections are utilized by pharmaceutical companies to identify novel hit compounds for early stage drug discover y programs. These hit compounds serve as a starting point for lead optimization and eventual drug development. In the 1990s several companies were founded on this premise and assembled multi-million member compound collections for high throughput biological screening. Many of these companies are now out of business and their unique combinatorial chemistry technologies are now in public domain. One such technology, Encoded Combinatorial Libraries on Polymeric Support (ECLiPSE), resulted in a collection of 7 million unique small molecules available for high-throughput biological screening. This collection, now owned by a local biotechnology company, has been used successfully to identify hundreds of hits for drug discovery, with at least a dozen optimized compounds advancing to human clinical trials. Despite the success, very few researchers are currently designing or synthesizing new, large combinatorial libraries, and the existing collections are being depleted of novel structures. We designed and synthesized a new ECLiPSE library of approximately 20,000 novel compounds at Kean University. The ECLiPSE approach utilizes solid-supported mix and split synthesis in conjunction with a chemical barcode technology which permits synthesis of thousands of compounds in the same time normally needed to prepare just one compound by standard organic synthesis techniques. This means that a team of just 3-4 researchers can prepare a 20,000 member library in only a few months. The downstream efforts needed for biological screening of such an ECLiPSE collection require a unique and expensive infrastructure. Our research collaborators at a local biotech company possess this infrastructure and screen ECLiPSE collections regularly. We have provided the finished library to this company for biological screening. This presentation will highlight the student research efforts that permitted construction of this library and the structure elucidation methods that allowed us to determine its success. KATHLEEN NEVILLE School of Nursing The Relationships Among Health Promotion Behaviors, Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction in Nurses Practiciing in a Community Medical Center Nursing is recognized as a highly rewarding, stimulating and caring profession, yet the increasing complexity in healthcare, and intense human interactions required of nurses often poses significant workplace challenges for nurses and subsequently places nurses at risk for the negative consequences of compassion fatigue and burnout. Health promotional programs are increasingly becoming available 12 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

9 to nurses to offset the negative consequence of compassion fatigue, but there is a paucity of nursing literature examining health promotion behaviors, compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among health promotion behaviors, compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction among nurses practicing in a community medical center. The theoretical framework evolved from the integration of concepts from Stamm s professional quality of life framework and Pender s health promotion model. Using a descriptive, correlational design, the instruments used in this study were the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) (Walker, Sechrist & Pender, 1997), the Professional Quality of Life Scale R-V (Stamm, 2005), and a comprehensive demographic data sheet. Findings: Using a convenience sample of nurses (N=214), findings revealed a statistically significant inverse relationship between health promotional behaviors and compassion fatigue (r = -.17, p<.01), compassion satisfaction (r =.44, p<.01), and burnout (r = -.41, p<.01). Statistically significant relationships were noted between the HPLP II subscales and compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Compassion fatigue may reflect a realistic consequence of nursing practice, and administrative support for nurses engagement in health promotional behaviors may contribute to nurses well-being in counteracting compassion fatigue. Further studies focusing on administration and organization efforts to identify factors to mitigate compassion fatigue are recommended. C. BRID NICHOLSON History Rosa Parks, The Bus, and the Politics of Memory On December 1, 1955 Rosa Parks sat on the only vacant seat at the back on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. It is vital that this historical fact be known and understood. Rosa Parks was sitting in the so-called colored section of the bus. At the next stop a white man got on the bus and sat down in a seat in the row opposite her. He was already sitting when Ms. Parks did not get up. He did not want nor was he offered Ms. Parks seat. The issue of Parks and the Bus is one of the much discussed and praised moments in American history, but a study of school text books, and how this event is taught in the High School classroom shows a constant over simplification of history which has many consequences for the teacher and student. The first question is why does history so often tell the wrong story? Why do so many history teachers teach this event incorrectly? What does it mean for American history and therefore for the study of other vital moments in history? Another vital aspect of this event is why it happened when it did. For some, Parks set up the moment, thus saying this was the result of a long planned strategy. This means then that Parks was far from being the innocent seamstress and instead a highly politicized agitator. A study of the sources from people who were also involved show a more complicated picture: changing social, political, sporting, and even theological perspectives all contributed to creating this moment in history to omit one is a failure to see that history is far from simple and is instead a culmination of a series of events, ideas, and people, all of which are needed in order to create important historical moments. This paper came about as I was teaching the topic each semester in class, sometimes as a topic in itself, sometimes as an example of history being over-simplified and even badly taught. Each time the students expressed their fury and frustration at why they were not told what actually happened. Each time we studied the primary sources and each time students expressed a combination of disbelief and excitement at learning and understanding more about an event and consequences. Rosa Parks, the bus, and how she and the event are remembered says many things, about American Culture and its History! BRIAN REGAL History The Real Story of the Jersey Devil The Jersey Devil is a popular piece of North Eastern folklore. It is widely believed to have been the demonic offspring of an eighteenth century character known as Mother Leeds. It continues to be sighted and searched for to this day, has inspired television productions, and is the mascot of the state s hockey team. Unfortunately, there is no physical evidence for the creature s existence or that it was originally based upon a monstrous birth. The literature on the subject both print and on-line rehashes old stories with little critical examination of sources. To find the origins of the legend requires a complete reexamination of the story and a change in historical focus. While the connection to the Leeds family is correct, it was not some fictional Mother Leeds, but the family patriarch Daniel Leeds and his son Titan who unwittingly became associated with the legend. The origin of the Jersey Devil is political rather than biological. The story involves colonial era Quaker in-fighting, a family of almanac makers and religious heretics, a cross-dressing Royal governor, and Benjamin Franklin. This research represents a radical departure from the accepted story. It takes into consideration historical events and documents never before accessed in relation to this story to break new ground to illuminate New Jersey history. ALAN ROBBINS Robert Busch School of Design How We Look Visuality is the study of looking and seeing. Drawing from a variety of disciplines including visual ecology, neuroanatomy, semiotics, and psychology of mind, this approach attempts to understand the relationship between our cognitive processes and the visual world, with a specific emphasis on our understanding of images. This is critically important in a world in which images have become such key vehicles for communication and information. By bringing together dramatic discoveries from a variety of fields with differing objectives, new insights can be achieved regarding the ways in which humans and other animals look at, process, and make sense of the visual world. Studies of animal vision, of the unique visual cortex in humans, and of the ways in which we build sensory input into higher-level comprehensions have changed the notion of how looking the most active activity of the brain actually works. This presentation is for anyone interested in how we look and see and for anyone interested in images. It is about how we live in a visual world, the relationship between the world of pixels and the world of atoms, and how images in science and the humanities influence how we think about the world. Examples from the presentation include: what the octopus can tell us about sight (we see what we need to see), how the limits of human vision contribute to our sense of the world, what our method for perceiving colors implies for looking, and how the divisions within the visual cortex determine our understanding of what we see. Professor Robbins has been exploring and writing about this topic for more than a decade in books and essays. He has made numerous presentations at conferences and other venues and he created the text and course Understanding Images here at Kean. Join him for an exploration of this fascinating topic. 14 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

10 MARY JO SANTOPIETRO School of Communication Disorders and Deafness Interdisciplinary Research in Health Sciences: Communication Dilemmas According to the American Stroke Association (2010), there are as many as 2.5 million Americans currently living with chronic aphasia, a communication disability that results from stroke or other head injury. It is generally reported that as many as 90% of persons with aphasia suffer from clinical depression, yet because of their communication disabilities, few receive adequate evaluation and treatment for their depression. This situation results in increased dependency, loss of function and illness. Post-stroke depression results in higher rates of institutionalization and higher overall costs of medical care. To date, no valid evidence-based assessment or treatments of depression in persons with chronic aphasia have been developed. (Townend et al., 2007) This ongoing effort between Kean s doctoral program in clinical psychology and the master s program in speech-language pathology has unfolded in several stages. Supported by in-house grants, we have examined the effects of jointly facilitated cognitive behavioral group depression therapy for self-referred persons with aphasia; the joint development and re-development of a screening protocol to identify clinical depression in persons with aphasia; and the documentation of the extraordinary difficulties of this avenue of research including the communication and language breakdowns of the participant population; the communication and language breakdowns between the professions seeking to treat the population; and the communication breakdowns within the healthcare system in seeking support for the effort. Using data analyses and video examples, this Research Day presentation will show the methodological and interpersonal communication complications of this type of inter-professional research and acknowledge the impressive efforts of our student researchers. Discussion will include recommendations for future interdisciplinary research endeavors and application of the current research findings to applied settings. ANIELA SHEBITZ School of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences Ethnobotanical and Ecological Approaches to Medicinal Plant Research in the Lowland Wet Forests of Costa Rica Traditional medicine remains the primary drug treatment for 80% of people in developing countries (WHO 2011). Globally, most communities do not have access to what we consider to be conventional medicines and their health is inextricably linked to the availability of medicinal plant resources. The tropical wet lowland forests of the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge (MNWLR) in the Northern Zone of Costa Rica provide habitat to numerous medicinal plants, yet few have been documented. The objectives of this research were threefold: (1) to take an ethnobotanical approach in documenting the commonly used medicinal plant species in the MNWLR used to treat infection by local healers; (2) to use ecological indicators of antibacterial and antifungal properties of plants to provide evidence for potential medicines; and (3) to determine if extracts from these plants would show antifungal and antibacterial properties in laboratory assays. For the ethnobotanical study, semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with seven people who were locally recognized for their knowledge of medicinal plant use. Fifteen of the 60 most commonly cited plants were gathered with the local informants from the forests or home gardens. For the ecological approach, field studies were conducted to investigate the community ecology of plants that are known to affect soil chemistry and microbiology and samples of those species were prepared for assays. Alcohol and aqueous extractions were made of the plant parts that were specified (leaves, bark, rhizomes, roots, fruit, seeds, sap, or flowers). Extracts were screened against gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, and fungus Candida albicans using triplicate disc diffusion assays. Preliminary results do indicate that many of the plants used locally for medicine do indeed have efficacy in-vitro. This study is supported by the National Science Foundation REU grant # ANDREW WOLANIN Advanced Studies in Psychology Prevelance of Depression in College Athletes: Identification, Mechanisms and Need for Services Depression is a prevalent and steadily increasing problem among today s college population. It is estimated that depression affects 15-20% of college students nationwide (ACHA, 2008). College athletes represent a subgroup of the college population that may be particularly vulnerable for the development of depression. In a recent survey of sports medicine physicians it was found that 80% of athletes coming to treatment for an injury also discuss psychological issues (Mann, Grana, Indelicato, O Neill, & George, 2007). Furthermore, Humphrey, Yow, and Burden (2000), found that nearly half of male athletes and slightly more than half of female athletes believe that sport-related stressors significantly affect their mental and emotional health. The prevalence rate of depression among college athletes has been found to range from as low as 15.6% to as high as 21% (Proctor & Boan-Lenzo, 2010; Yang et al, 2007). Based upon these prevalence rates, as many as one in five athletes may be depressed. Despite an increase in media attention related to this topic, there s been a paucity of research in this area. The following measures were administered to a sample of 250 Division I and Division III studentathletes from Universities in the northeastern United States; the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, 1977), the Action and Acceptance Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II; Bond et. al, 2007), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS; Crowne & Marlowe, 1960). Analysis includes prevalence of depression among athletes across sports, gender, as well as level of impression management and examination of psychological processes. Additional analyses examined the prevalence rates of depression related to athletic injuries and concussion history. Discussion will include identification of evidenced based treatment and referral sources for college athletes and sport medicine personnel. In addition, recommendation will be made for collaboration between the disciplines of sports medicine and sport psychology particularly in terms of more effective screening and treatment of depression among athletes. 16 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

11 KEAN ASSESSMENT INSTITUTE UPDATE KEAN ASSESSMENT INSTITUTE UPDATE Assessing Information Literacy Learning Outcomes (GE S5) at Kean University Using Project SAILS: Results to Date for Linda Cifelli, Librarian; Ian Klein, Office of Accreditation and Assessment; Dawn Marie Dowd, School of General Studies; Craig Anderson, Librarian; Janette González, Librarian; Chrisler Pitts, Librarian Information literacy is widely regarded as an essential skill for lifelong learning. Employers also regard information literacy as a desirable skill in prospective employees. At Kean University, information literacy is identified as a General Education student learning outcome (GE Skill 5), and the Research and Technology course (GE 202x), in particular, includes several goals and objectives related to information literacy skills. Craig Anderson Amy Brady Robin Rosen Chang Bridget Chapman Kim Chen Kathryn Inskeep Lydia Kaplan Since 2010, the School of General Studies, Office of Accreditation and Assessment, and Kean University Library have implemented several iterations of a study -- An Investigation of Information Literacy at Kean University Using the Project SAILS Tool -- in an effort to assess student development of information literacy skills in GE courses. Participants in the study were recruited from three course populations: Transition to Kean (GE 1000), Research and Technology (GE 202x), and capstone courses. The study is currently underway for , and this poster describes the results to date for the current academic year. The poster also describes projected closing-the-loop actions for strengthening instruction, services, and resources that will foster student development of this important skill. Linda Cifelli Leslie DaCosta Dawn Marie Dowd Janette González Karen Harris Ramaydalis Keddis Ian Klein Xurong Kong Bridget Lepore Kathleen Lodge Christopher Lynch Donald Marks Juan Carlos Orejarena Chrisler Pitts Michael Rizza Elizabeth Sieminski Lisa Sisler Kim Spaccarotella This work also includes the contributions of Juan Carlos Orejarena, Lecturer, School of General Studies; and Zuzanna Dabek, Ashley Rice, and Syed Huq, Graduate Assistants, School of General Studies. Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) in the School of General Education School of General Studies Faculty Assessment of student learning outcomes (SLOs) in the School of General Studies at Kean University is an ongoing and important process that has been implemented and studied for the past several years. As of the academic year, the SLOs are broken into 3 categories: knowledge, values and skills. Information from the assessment process will be used to determine teaching methods, curriculum changes and future training needs. These posters cover four of the core skills including the SLOs. Bridget White Melda Yildiz Mia Zamora This work includes the contributions of the School of General Studies faculty (in alphabetical order): Amy Brady, Bridget Chapman, Robin Rosen Chang, Kim Chen, Leslie DaCosta, Lydia Kaplan, Ramaydalis Keddis, Bridget Lepore, Kathleen Lodge, Juan Carlos Orejarena, Michael Rizza, Elizabeth Sieminski, Lisa Sisler AYS Bridget Lepore, General Education Coordinator Skill 1: Write to Communicate and Clarify Learning Here we report the assessment for spring/ fall 2013 for writing at three levels: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. In addition, a longitudinal comparison is done to see improvement over time. The Standard 19

12 Kean University Writing Rubric (genre/audience, focus, development, organization, grammar, revision) was used to assess ENG 103X, GE 202X, and Capstone courses (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced levels). The sample size for ENG 103X was 120 students. For GE 202X, the sample size included 541 students and for Capstone courses, 558 students. In each category there was an improvement from one level to the next. Throughout all categories, revision improved the most., which was consistent with the need identified in the past through the assessment process. When looking at longitudinal reports, we can see at both the intermediate and advanced levels an increase in all categories from Fall 2012 to Spring 2013, except organization at the Capstone level, which remain nearly the same in both semesters. Skill 2: Communicate Effectively through Speech Here we report the assessment for spring/ fall 2013 for speech at three levels: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. The Speaker Evaluation Rubric developed by the Kean University Communications Department was used to assess was COMM 1402, GE 202X, and Capstone courses (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced levels). The sample size for COMM 1402 was 458 students. For GE 202X, the sample size included 438 students and for Capstone courses, 593 students. Data collected suggests that students in COMM 1402 achieve slightly better results in persuasive speeches than in their informative counterparts. At the intermediate level, data suggests that students in GE 202X make only minimal improvement from the beginning level, especially when compared tot the persuasive speech of COMM As GE 202X requires a presentation that is more closely allied with COMM 1204 s informative speech, it can be inferred that students, while quite capable at persuasive techniques, as shown in the data, struggle more with solely imparting academic information in a spoken medium. Students at the Capstone level make significant progress from the intermediate level in every area indicated on the rubric. Skill 3: Solving Problems Using Quantitative Reasoning Here we report the pilot stage for the assessment of quantitative reasoning for fall 2013 for courses at the Beginner and Intermediate level. The Quantitative Literacy Rubric developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) was used to assess: Math 1000, Math 1010, Math 1016, Math 1054 and Ge202X. For Math 0901, students were assessed based on answers to a pre-test administered at the beginning of the semester. For developmental Math 539 students were assessed, for the beginning level sample sizes were 1,102 students comprised from all basic Math courses (Math1000, Math1010, Math1016, Math1030 and Math1054). For the intermediate level 154 students from the research and technology course (GE202X were assessed). Results showed that students showed slight improvement in students reasoning abilities as they proceed. One identified possible long term application of this pilot would be to look at the needs for each major and map the appropriate math course for students to successfully pass the courses and apply quantitative reasoning across the curriculum. Skill 4: Think Critically About Concepts in Multiple Disciplines Here we report the pilot stage of assessment for fall 2013 for courses at three levels: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. The Critical Thinking Rubric developed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities was used to assess ENG 103X, GE 202X, and Capstone courses (Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced levels). The rubric scoring defines a score level of 1 for a Benchmark level, 2 and 3 for Milestone level, and 4 for Capstone level. Of the total 719 students assessed, 259 were at the Basic level, 374 at the Intermediate, and 86 at the Advanced level. Results for ENG 103X showed the majority of scores in the 1 2 range scores, which was in the expected range for students at the basic level. Student scores in GE 202X again reflected the expected range, meeting benchmark through milestone markers (2-3). At the Advanced level the scores do need further consideration. They were not as expected for the range of (4) Capstone level. Assessing Writing Emphasis Capstone Courses Kathryn Inskeep, Ph.D., Writing Center How do we assess Capstone courses that also are designated as Writing Emphasis (WE) courses? This poster addresses the necessity of establishing clear assessments for courses that use writing to measure Student Learning Outcomes in a Capstone course. To do this, it contains information about the present state of assessing Capstone courses and writing courses and proposes a framework to assess WE courses: institutional definition, course guidelines, support, measures, and review. Attention is also given to best practices in assigning and assessing writing in upper level content-based courses. Motivational Interviewing in the Classroom Christopher Lynch, Ph.D., School of Communication, Media and Journalism I have been using motivational interviewing (Miller and Rollnick, 2002) to motivate my students to achieve better grades. The theory states that we are motivated internally. Most of us know we need to study more. This process has the student look at his or her obstacles to following up on goals. It involves asking students, early in the semester, how my course will help them as they move to their futures. It involves asking them to set a goal for grades they hope to achieve. It also involves my laying expectations for them at the beginning of each semester and comparing our expectations with each other. Traditionally, the syllabus has often managed this task, but motivational interviewing engages the students as part of the process of learning rather than passive recipients of a syllabus. Each student completes a goal setting sheet that not only involves setting a goal for the semester, but also highlighting what obstacles he or she might encounter within his or her life in trying to achieve the goals. At mid semester students are asked to examine how effectively they have dealt with learning obstacles and what they might do to get back on track if the obstacles are a problem. Students present issues of time management, unreal expectations, cramming instead of critical thinking for exams. I have significantly increased the number of students passing my classes. More students are seeking help and handing in drafts of assignments. There is still a small group that are not motivated, some of these students need direction for more intense learning assistance. Use of item analysis and online pre-/post-testing for assessment in general biology Kim Spaccarotella, Ph.D., School of Natural Sciences; Claudia Knezek, Ed.D., School of General Studies Paper and pencil-based pre- and post- assessments are often used to measure student progress in science courses. Item analysis of questions can be used to identify and target weak areas, yet the process of analyzing individual questions for hundreds of students is extremely time-consuming. This project explored the feasibility of using Qualtrics to develop and administer a smart phone-accessible assessment survey for general biology (Bio 1000). A Qualtrics version of the current, pre- and post-class paper survey was created. To facilitate item analysis, short answer and graphing questions were converted to multiple choice format. The survey was made accessible via smart phone or laptop so that students could take it during their Biology 1000 class supervised by their instructor. For comparison, item analysis was conducted over 3 days using the paper-based, post-class survey (n=479). Pilot-testing of the web version 20 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

13 of the survey is underway so that the data can be compared to those from the paper survey. Preliminary feedback from instructors and students using the web-based survey suggest that it is user-friendly and perceived as giving comparable results to the paper version. This suggests that Qualtrics may provide a simple way to conduct pre- and post-class assessment and item analysis of individual questions for large classes. Future research should explore these findings in other classes. Bridging Theory to Practice in Assessing Learning Using Rubrics Melda Yildiz, Ed.D. and Gregory Shepherd, Ph.D., School for Global Education & Innovation; Donald Marks, Ph.D., Advanced Studies in Psychology; Bridget Lepore, Dawn Marie Dowd, and Bridget White, School of General Studies; Xurong Kong, Ph.D., Department of History; Mia Zamora, Ph.D., School of English Studies; Linda Cifelli, Librarian; Karen Harris, Center for Professional Development. This interactive (using augmented reality and QR codes) poster session focuses on how rubrics can be used by both instructors and students to increase knowledge and decrease confusion. It outlines innovative and transformative assessment models in developing global competencies, information literacy, project based learning, critical thinking and 21st century skills among college students; and showcases transformative, inclusive, multilingual, multicultural assessment models across content areas. 22 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

14 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR GRADUATE RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR Luis Felipe Jimenez Senior, Computer Science Faculty Mentor: Patricia Morreale, PhD User Experience Design for Accessible Systems Kelly Bachovchin BS/MS in Science and Technology, Biotechnology option, NJCSTM Faculty Mentor: James R. Merritt, Ph.D. Synthesis of Solid-supported Exploratory Chemistry for Preparation of a 27,000 Member Compound Collection 24 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS 2014 Luis Felipe Jimenez came to USA in 2005 from Colombia, with an enthusiasm to make his aspirations a reality. Since childhood, Luis has been passionate and curious about science and technology. In 2008 Luis enrolled at Kean University, majoring in Computer Science as a part-time student. He felt that computer science would let him make a difference by researching and developing technologies that can help and impact society. Luis started research in 2011 as a Ronald E. McNair scholar at Kean University; he conducted research in the field of Computer Science (CS) education with his advisor Dr. Patricia Morreale. The results of this initial research project, titled Measuring the Impact of Computational Thinking Workshops on High School Teachers, were published in Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges. In 2011, Luis was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer Science S-STEM Scholarship, which enabled him to become a full-time student at Kean. After the 2011 summer experience, during fall 2011, Luis was part of a Collaborative Research Experience for the Undergraduate project (CREU) at Kean University, funded by the Computing Research Association. This project resulted in the publication and presentation of Attracting High School Students to Computing: A Case Study with Drag-Drop Interfaces at an academic conference. During summer of 2012, Luis was part of the Distributed Research Experience for Undergraduates (DREU) at Clemson University, under the supervision of Dr. Juan Gilbert, where Luis conducted research on brain computer interfaces (BCI), measuring user engagement. In summer 2013 he had the opportunity to work under the supervision of Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez-Osuna at Texas A&M University as a DREU scholar. His research involved the use of a cell phone camera to detect individual heart and breathing rates, based on the measured light absorbance of a user s index finger. Currently, Luis is working with Dr. Morreale on the design and development of a mobile app for Kean University students and visitors by improving their experience when navigating campus. This prototype mobile app provides detailed, location-specific information to individual users, including accessibility information on each building, with identification of emergency exits, elevators, automated doors and accessible parking spots. Luis has been involved in four distinctive, productive research collaborations during his time at Kean. He also serves as President for Kean University s ACM Student Chapter, the student group of the Department of Computer Science, where he has provided several workshops on robotics. Luis is graduating in May 2014, and expects to attend graduate school, as well as pursue a professional career in user experience research. Kelly Bachovchin is a graduate student in the BS/MS Biotechnology program at the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics. She has been conducting research in organic chemistry since her sophomore year with Dr. Merritt, with a main focus in synthesizing novel compounds that would be tested in various biological systems. Most recently, Kelly and four of her classmates prepared a 27,000 member compound collection using combinatorial chemistry techniques. The different compounds are constructed by attaching them to tiny polystyrene beads and then completing a series of chemical reactions by mixing and splitting the resin. Combinatorial chemistry is a technique used in industry to create a large number of novel compounds to be tested in biological assays in a high-throughput manner. After screening the compounds, a hit can be identified and then optimized to possibly create a new drug. Since all the compounds are mixed together during synthesis there is no sure way to tell if the correct compounds are being made until the very end when they are screened. Kelly s main focus was to make several compounds from the library individually on a larger scale. She would make the compound on multiple beads and then cleave it off of the beads at the end of all of the reactions. The final compound is then analyzed to make sure the correct one was made. Kelly s previous research with Dr. Merritt was synthesis of small molecule inhibitors of CCR1, a receptor that is prominent in Multiple Myeloma. She also worked on synthesizing compounds to be used as antifungals. She presented the CCR1 research with her lab partner at the American Chemical Society National Conference in 2012, the Gordon Research Seminar, and several Kean Research Days. Her previous work was done in the summers of 2011, 2012, and 2013, as well as during the school year, with grant money from SpF and the Presidential Scholars Challenge. In addition to her challenging courses and research, Kelly was a two sport athlete in her time at Kean. She was a member of the field hockey team as an undergraduate, finishing her senior year as the team captain. She received both athletic and academic awards, including all-conference honorable mention and the New Jersey Athletic Conference all-academic squad. She joined the women s lacrosse team her junior year and is currently finishing her final season this year. She received second team all-conference honors last year along with academic honors. Along with athletic awards Kelly received an award for Who s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. She was named to the Lambda Alpha Sigma Honor Society and Chi Alpha Sigma athletic Honor Society and is a member of the American Chemical Society. In May 2013, she graduated cum laude with her Bachelor s degree in Molecular Biology. After graduating in May 2014 with her Master s degree, Kelly will be continuing her education at Northeastern University in pursuit of a PhD in Organic Chemistry after being picked from a pool of hundreds of applicants for available slots. She is planning to work as a research scientist in a pharmaceutical company after completing this program. 25

15 STUDENTS Rashawn Adams Anthony Ingato Angela Almeida Erica Ingemann Katherine Andrade Kristin Iorio Brooke Andrews Tara Calafiore Jaclyn Janicky Megan McGrath Richard L. Angelillo Jacquelyn Cali Dasa Jendrusakova David McLeod Matthew Applegate Laura Camp Mary Applegate Omara Cardoza Melissa Arce Lawrence Carsillo Jacqueline Arnone Casey Caruso Fred Asante Melissa Cash Amanda Aster Juan Carlos Castellanos Jessica Agudelo Augdelo Kathleen Cedeno Janice Autera Michelle Chatman Kelly Bachovchin Jui S. Chaugule Sana Baig Candice (Yuan) Chen Carl Bampoe Timothy Chin Christina Barrasso Stephanie Chung Yryn Belmonte Maria Ciufo Michael Berran Laura Coffey Gautam Bhasin Naomi Cohen Ersi Bice Michael Collins Jessica Bomm Armand Crispino Jason Bonafide Margaret Critelli Jarred Boykin Kyle Cronin Sejal Brahmbhatt Priscilla Cunha-De Jesus Daniel Brathwaite Dorota Czajkowski Christopher Butchko Zuzanna Dabek Jill Byoris Eve Dabrowski Rebecca Dagnall Jonathan Davidson Dania Davie AYS Danielle Davis AnneMarie DellaValle Elvin Demereckas Nicole depoortere Danielle DeRiggi Melissa Dettore Karen dipietro Damaris Dominguez Nikki Dreste Jude Elysee Pauline Eskander Angela Estevez James Farhit Brad Fechter Jonathan Fernandez Quintin Ferraris Traci Finkel Rebecca Fisch Jaclyn Franey Kirsten Frisch Khushbu Gajjar Zully Galabay Katilyn Gall Thomas Gambino Roger Garcia David Garcia Alexander Gatto Kevin Gavin Kyle Gavin Katie Gelpke Amy Gervis Taylor Giannullo Briana Gilbert Mark Gittens Sara Glazer Katherine Gomez Allan Goncalves Chelsea Gower Karen Grisales Grisales Mike Gross Margaret Grzymkowski Kerri Hagen Ashley Hague Tonya Hall Christine Hamlett William Harner Everet Harnett Panzy Harvey Brielle Hassa Katherine Hawkins Rachel Hess Megan Hester Noni Hodges-Flakes Linda Hoehman Kristin Holzhauer Devon Hordes Ejemen Ihionkhan Yerika Jimenez Luis Jimenez Debra Johnson Rebecca Jones William Jumbo Jumbo Jesstine Kane Edward Kelly Valerie Kernizan Kyuhwi Kim Cynthia King Jessica Kirsch Adam Kisty Karolina Kowarz Michael Lake Amanda Landwehr Athena LaPenna Christina Leedy Agnes Lenda Agnes Lenda Tatiana Lesiv John Lestrange Kylie Levy Alicia Livelli Yansica Loften-Cooke Robert Loughry Ruth Ma Mike Makela Kristen Matos Jaci Mayer Anthony McFarlane Michael McGauley Daniel Melando Mary Mendez Philomena Menta Marissa Merkin Nicholas Milici Nish Mody Mustafa Mohamed German Montenegro Diego Morales Lindsay Moran Michael Moran Ellana Morris Michelle Mustaciuolo Rafael Nunez Ilyse O-Desky Angelina Okwuego Julia Osmanova Christine Otokiti Kara Owens Theresa Pagan Joseph Palinsky Alexa Panarella Daniel Pareja Chinmayi Parikh Purna Patel Viken Patel Rutika Patel Lia Pazuelo Karla Perez Rachel Pess Amy Pinder John Placca Jose Pozo Barbara Prempeh Jeremy Pugh Helen Pyne Colleen Quirk Michelle Rakovsky Brenda Ramirez Faye Ramirez Hetal Rana Stephanie Reed Donna Reinbeck Nicolette Rittenhouse Deanna Roberman Stephanie Rockwell Sarah Rodman Gina Rohn Anabel Rosario Yulia Rossikova Tevin Rouse Cristina Ruiz Rita Santos Nicole Savva Jeremy Schreiber Kelley Schupak Devon Sepe Patrick Serpico Ilyse Shainbrown Aparna Shankar Binita Sheth Kendahl Shortway Carlos Silva Brittany Simms Kimberly Smela Rebecca Smith-Casey Brenda Snow Lauren Spath Deanna Stapleton Karen Surowiec Julie Switkes Jasiya Tariq Alicia Thom Katherine Thomas Theodore Thompson Meilyn Torres Amanda Toye Heather Trachta Roma Vachhani Lily Vaden Stephanie Valente Samantha Varon Brian Vega Gillian Velmer Ria Venturina Jem Vergara Hailey Vonn Cruz James Walters Relic (Youngfu) Wang Will (Yicheng) Wang Jian Xie Jiangyue Yan Angel Yanez Melisa Yar-Perry Eun You Hui (Yuhui) You Brittany Zanzalari Charles Zapata Kate Zeringo Lotus Xinhe Zhou Jiayun Zhu Lane Zierten Ashley Zultanky

16 SENIOR INTEGRATED BIOLOGY POSTER SESSION - HOMINID EVOLUTION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 KEAN 127, 9 A.M. TO 11 A.M. NERMEIN A. ABOUSHADY Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Proconsul: superfamily Homonoidea Proconsul is a genus from the superfamily Homonoidea. It has four species including Proconsul africanus, Proconsul nyanzae, Proconsul major, and Proconsul heseloni. All four species are very similar but differ in body size. Proconsul was estimated to have lived 23 to 14 million years ago during the Early and Middle Miocene era. The fossils of Proconsul were found in Rusinga Island, Mfangano Island, and Lake Victoria all in Kenya beginning in Some were also found in Napak, Uganda. Based on the compacted soil throughout the years where the fossils were found, the most likely habitats where Proconsul lived were vegetated and grassy woodlands near streambeds and volcanoes. Proconsul species have similar characteristics to apes, monkeys and even humans such as having the same dental formula, 2:1:2:3; having no tail similar to apes; and having a similar wrist anatomy as monkeys, giving them the ability to be tree-dwellers. There is no exact explanation as to why Proconsul became extinct, but from fossil excavations, it was discovered that the genus might have suffered a flood and a volcanic explosion because the fossils were found all clustered together with ash-filled lava flows between the bones. In conclusion, Proconsul is a genus with four slightly different species but all have similar characteristics. Proconsul was from the Early and Middle Miocene era and is the precursor to humans and apes having similarities to both. ELVINAS DEMERECKAS Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Cro-Magnon Ice age or glacial age is a period of long-term reduction in the temperature that started around 2.6 million years ago during the early Proterozoic Eon. The earliest known Neanderthals lived through many climate swings, between 128,000 and 28,000 years ago. They mastered the ability to adapt with the help of a basic survival kit: fire, skin cloaks, stone tools and weaponry. However, around 30,000 years ago, Neanderthals became extinct as a new species emerged - Cro-Magnons or early Homo sapiens. In 1868, Cro-Magnon remains were found by geologist Louis Larlet in Les Eyzies, France. The remains displayed classic modern human characteristics, such as a high, vertical forehead and large cranial capacity. Further studies showed that Cro-Magnon superior intellectual abilities and advanced tools gave them an edge to thrive in bitterly cold, hostile conditions with constant competition for food and shelter during the Ice Age. There are some speculations that suggest interbreeding between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon; Sriram Sankararaman et al. discovered that modern day humans carry 1-4 % of Neanderthal genes which carry the code for proteins in cells. Research done by Anders Eriksson et al., on the other hand, implied that this admixture theory was inconclusive. Further study is needed. In addition, Cro-Magnons development of primitive technology, an early advancement in agriculture, and social values gave rise to modern humans and their genes are still dominant among modern Europeans today. JOSEPH DIMARIA Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Homo neanderthalensis: ,000 YA Hominid, Homo neanderthalensis lived from k years ago during the Paleolithic Era. They are relatively recent ancestors of modern humans and share many of the same features. Though fossils show that Homo neanderthalensis had differences in both teeth and ear structure, the size of both the post skeletal structure and skull, as well as other characteristics are similar yet still distinctly different. The vast amounts of fossils can also tell us about growth rates of Homo neanderthalensis, tool use, diet, and whether or not certain activities such as burying of dead or cannibalism occurred. Studies also show that Homo sapiens may have had competition with Homo neanderthalensis, and that they may have competed through warfare. Further study has gone so far as to begin to estimate the cognitive ability and personality traits of the Neanderthals. Finally, one of the most important things that must be discussed about Homo neanderthalensis is whether or not modem humans evolved from them. There are two different theories about this: one is that Homo sapiens interbred with Homo neanderthalensis and eventually became one species, and the other is that Homo neanderthalensis were a completely separate species, with Homo sapiens eventually outperforming them contributing to their extinction. Currently this second explanation has more evidence, but further study is required. This paper will explore all of the above topics in order to bring about an understanding of how the Homo neanderthalensis lived, adapted, and evolved, as well as the differences between itself and modern humans. CHRISTIAN ERAZO Faculty Advisor: Roxie James The Laetoli Footprints Three and a half million years ago, two early humans marched along the long paths of Laetoli, Tanzania, leaving behind their footprints on the wet ash product of eruptions of the Sadiman volcano. In 1978, the discovery of these footprints impacted the field of human origin, providing factual records of bipedalism and human-like characteristics of early hominids. The 25 to 27 meter long footprint trail was the product of a combination of events. First, the volcanic eruptions resulted in a cloud of lava that mixed with rainfall of the season producing a perfect environment to capture the so-called Laetoli Footprints. Later the footprints were sealed with another cloud of ash that allowed them to be preserved until the prestigious British paleoanthropologist Mary Leaky and her team discovered them in Assumptions of who made these footprints and the analysis of the morphological composition of the tracks led scholars to conduct different studies and analyses. In addition, different multi-methods and experiments recreating scenarios that may have occurred 3.6 million years ago were carried out. Finally comparison of the footprints with apes and modern humans were made with the intention to unveil the qualitative significance of the tracks. FEKRESIASSIE ESHETIE Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Australopithecus anamensis Australopithecus anamensis is the earliest species of this genus to have been found. Fossils credited to A. anamensis have been recovered from sediments dating between 3.9 and 4.2 mya at the sites 28 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

17 of Kanapoi and Allia Bay in northern Kenya. A. anamensis is still poorly known in comparison with other early hominid species, but the material discovered so far displays primitive features along with more characteristics of typical later Australopithecus species. This mix of features suggests that A. anamensis belongs near the ancestry of this genus. Australopithecus species differ noticeably from existing African apes and ancestral hominids such as Ardipithecus, Orrorin and Sahelanthropus. The earliest described Australopithecus species is A. anamensis, probably ancestor of A. afarensis and newly discovered fossils from the Middle Awash study area that extend the known A. anamensis range into northeastern Ethiopia. The new fossils are dated to about mya. They include dental remains, the largest hominid canine so far recovered, and the earliest Australopithecus tibia. The tibia fossils are of particular importance because they demonstrate that this species walked bipedally. A. anamensis is represented by fossils of the mandible (lower jaw), maxilla, and a single temporal bone. Like the teeth, these skull fossils bear many primitive, ape-like features. The dental arcade is generally U-shaped when viewed from above, with the molars and premolars located directly behind the canines. This ape-like shape contrasts with the more parabolic-shaped dental arcade found in A. afarensis and later hominids. These findings support the distinctiveness of early A. anamensis fossils relative to earlier hominids and to the later Australopithecus afarensis. Finally, the environments in which A. anamensis lived have been reconstructed as woodland. Combined with evidence from other early pedal hominid species such as Ardipithecus kadabba and Ar. ramidus, these environmental reconstructions argue strongly against the once widely-held idea that bipedalism initially evolved and flourished in open savanna environments. FARNCE FUNG Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Homo heidelbergensis Homo heidelbergensis were inhabitants of Europe dating back to 700, ,000 years ago. The name was established due to the lower jaw that was discovered upon digging from a gravel pit at Mauer (near Heidelberg, Germany). Originally, when the early fossils of this species were found, they displayed traits similar to those of Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. The mandible of Homo heidelbergensis was identified through the absence of the first two left molars and premolars. This fossil was located in Mauer, a location where fossils found were incredibly difficult to date. However, an educated guess was made estimating the jaw of Homo heidelbergensis fossil as the oldest dated human fossil from Europe, about half a million years old. In addition, Homo heidelbergensis was described as a human ancestor that possessed a larger braincase and flatter face when compared to earlier humans. Characters of Homo heidelbergensis species was its short and wide body that allowed them to conserve heat and adapt to cold climates. Also, they were found to be the first human species to hunt large animals for food using wooden spears. Homo heidelbergensis used fire in this time period and was also the first species to put together a shelter at the site in Terra Amata, France. A few of the fossils belonging to the Homo heidelbergensis category include Ceprano, Kabwe 1, and Petralona 1. KAREN GIRALDO Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Recent Homo neanderthalensis: ,000 YA Homo Neanderthals lived between 28,000 and 300,000 years ago. The word neanderthalensis arises from the location in which the first specimen was discovered in 1856, the Neander Valley in Germany. Fossils remains of this species have been found in Europe and the Middle East. The Neanderthals had a unique anatomy, lifestyle, and many different theories of why they became extinct. Although the Neanderthals have similar features to Homo sapiens, there are some significant differences. The Neanderthals were shorter, but had a more robust skeleton and muscular body than modern humans. These features were evolutionary adaptations to the cold environment. The brain size was larger than the modern human brain, averaging 1500 cubic centimeters. This goes along with their muscular body and adaptation to the cold climate. Moreover, their skull had a very unique shape. It was long and low, with a rounded brain case. It also had a posterior bulge called the occipital bun and a depression for the attachment of their strong neck muscles. Another distinguishable feature was their thick but rounded brow ridge with a flat forehead. The eye sockets were large and rounded and the nose was very large. In addition, their jaws were larger and more robust than those of modern humans. Their long limbs allowed them to store more heat and survive cold weather. Furthermore, the Neanderthals made tools and built fire for warmth, cooking, and protection. They also may have worn clothing wrapped around their body. Their form of shelter consisted of caves or open-air shelters which they built. Interestingly, among this population, the dead were buried but there is no evidence of any ritualistic behavior. Based on fossil analysis, the Neanderthals ate excessive meat and their skeletons also show the effects of a diet with nutrient deficiency. Overall, there have been various theories on what happened to the Neanderthals. Interestingly, the Neanderthals shared Europe with Homo sapiens for 10,000 years. Arising from this fact is the theory that both species may have interbred. Hence, genetic studies have shown some Europeans having a small percentage of the Neanderthalensis genome. The other theory is that Homo sapiens may have replaced the Neanderthals through warfare. In addition, fossils show that the life span of the Neanderthals was about years. Therefore, their reproductive success and survival rates are poor compared to Homo sapiens. Finally, due to the higher metabolic rate, Neanderthals required more food, which made it more difficult for survival during the Pleistocene Era. EJEMEN IHIONKHAN Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Australopithecus afarensis Australopithecus afarensis (A. afarensis) is one of the earliest hominids to have evolved from the common ancestor of apes and humans. This hominid existed around 3.5 million years ago during the Plio- Pleistocene era and has become one of the most important fossils in evolutionary history. Fossils from this group were found in numerous sites all over East Africa further confirming the fact that humans originated from Africa. Lucy, a member of this group and the most popular hominid ever, was also the most documented fossil due to the almost complete partial skeleton. Bipedal motion seems to have evolved first with this species as their ancestors previously had walked on all fours exhibiting quadrupedal locomotion. Changes in bone structure and orientation of the foot and spine in early hominids brought about bipedal locomotion and therefore provided room for the hands to be used for other crucial survival skills. DANIELLE LYON Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Homo sapiens Homo sapiens are primates of the family Hominidae and the only extant species of the genus Homo. Homo sapiens are distinguished from other primates by their bipedal locomotion, and especially by their 30 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

18 relatively larger brain. By exploring the fossil record we are able to examine the evolving characteristics, the differences in tools use, the significance of arts and rituals, and the migration of Homo sapiens around the continent. Homo sapiens began to emerge about 27-28KYA. Specific characteristics were increased cranial capacity, much smaller brow ridges and a positive chin. Many fossilized Homo sapien skeletons were found by paleontologists and archeologists. These fossils supported the characteristics of Homo sapiens and helped researchers distinguish differences between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. But the recent discovery of a new species, Homo floresiensis with a dwarfed skeletal structure, brought much controversy to the Homo sapiens debate. Since Homo sapiens cranial capacity increased, so did their ability of logic and the capability of creating new things. They brought in an abundant diversity in tools: bones and stones for harpoons, stone flakes, pointed blades, as well as the use of common stone tools such as hammers and choppers. The main use of these tools was for hunting, protection, creating arts and crafts and skinning animal fur for clothing and warmth. In addition to their increased cranial capacity, Homo sapiens aspiration for arts and crafts was very significant. They used crafts for personal adornment as well as for ritual burials. As time went on, Homo sapiens needed to migrate due to the glacial maxima which occurred approximately 26-18KYA and Homo sapiens arrived in the Americas about 11KYA. As animals began migrating eastward, humans followed travelling across Beringia, a land bridge between Siberia and North America. When they arrived in the Americas, Homo sapiens began to spread and colonize. HARVEY MINANO Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Aegyptopithecus Zeuxis Aegyptopithecus zeuxis existed million years before the present during the Oligocene period. The fossil was located in the Jebel Qatrani Formation within the Fayum Province of Egypt. Aegyptopithecus zeuxis (A. zeuxis) is Latin and translates to ape from Egypt (Andrews & Stringer, A. zeuxis dental formula was 2:1:2:3 on both the upper and lower jaws. From dental microwear and microstructures on the molars, implications for diet were made. A. zeuxis was most likely a frugivore. The recovery of a complete female cranium from the Jebel Qatrani Formation in 2004 make it possible to compare cranial capacities of males and females while also confirming that this species was sexually dimorphic. A. zeuxis also was an arboreal quadruped which is defined as animals that use all four limbs in walking and running on tree limbs. Their locomotor behavior was that of a slow deliberate climber up and around trees. Analyses of ulna and phalanges of A. zeuxis support these claims (Fleagle, Simons, & Conroy, 1975 and Hamrick, Meldrum, & Simons, 1995). Overall, this research implies that Aegyptopithecus zeuxis was indeed an early ancestor of hominoids and also should be included in hominid evolution. Further research and advanced technology will certainly increase current knowledge about A. zeuxis. East and West Asia, proving that they were able to migrate on foot. Compared with earlier fossil humans, Home erectus had expanded braincases relative to the size of the face. The first complete skull was found in Dmanisi. This skull challenged names of different Homo species. The difference in skulls between Homo erectus and other Homo species is the same as modern human skulls are to one another today. Scientists are now thinking that rather than separate species, the human ancestors found in Africa from the same time period may simply be variants of Homo erectus. The most complete fossil individual of this species is known as the Turkana Boy, a well-preserved skeleton minus hand and foot bones, dated around 1.6 million years old. Homo erectus is considered to have been the first species to have expanded beyond Africa. These fossils spread over two continents and indicate that they are the longest-lived early human species. DIEGO MORALES Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Australopithecus africanus Australopithecus africanus (A. africanus) was the first of the pre-human ancestors to be discovered. It lived between 3.3 and 2.1 million years ago. In 1924, a fossil was rescued from a limestone quarry at Taung in South Africa and sent to Australian, Raymond Dart. Dr. Dart was a Professor of Anatomy in nearby Johannesburg. The now-famous Taung Child skull had a mixture of human-like and apelike features. Dart believed it to be an early ancestor of humans and in 1925 he gave his man-ape a new species name, A. africanus. This species probably used simple tools such as sticks found in the immediate surroundings and scavenged animal bones. Stones may also have been used as tools, however, there is no evidence that these stones were shaped or modified. Over 2.5 million years ago, this species occupied an environment in South Africa in which there was a mixture of woodland and savannah grassland. Then 2.5 million years ago, the climate became drier and savannah grasslands spread. In addition, analysis of tooth wear patterns suggests that A. africanus had a diet that included fruit and leaves. Chemical analysis of the teeth also suggests that some meat was included in the diet but not in significant amounts. It is likely that A. africanus may have scavenged for meat rather than hunted. SHAMIKA MUMFORD Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Paranthropus robustus Paranthropus robustus is one of the three hominids from this genus. Paranthropus was originally found in Kromdaai, South Africa in 1938 by Richard Broom. Later fossil sites are only in South Africa in Kromdaai, Swartkrans, Drimolen, Gondolin and Coopers. Since then 130 different Paranthropus robustus individuals have been found. Anthropologist Richard Broom knew he made a breakthrough in evolution when he discovered this hominid. The distinct features of the skull including robust mandible and zygomatic STEPHEN MOLL arches gave the Paranthropus robustus its name. Other features such as their thick enamel and sagittal Faculty Advisor: Roxie James crest show that P. robustus had a very sturdy jaw capable of chewing hard objects but their dentition Homo erectus: MYBP also shows that they ate more vegetative food rather than meat. These early hominids rarely lived past 17 years of age. They walked upright and had very high sexual dimorphism. Living in open woodlands and Home erectus is one the oldest known early humans to have existed. Many species around this time were savanna areas Paranthropus robustus had to fight for survival with one of their known predators, the known to live and climb trees. This species adapted to a life living on the ground possessing modern leopard. Paranthropus robustus is an important species in paleo-anthropology history. This species raised human-like body proportions with short arms and elongated legs compared to the size of the torso. This many questions on hominid evolutionary lines and was present at a time when stone tools became much gave them capabilities to walk, possibly long distances. Fossils are found in Europe, India, Africa and more common. In the end, it seems that the rare chance of P. robustus survival past 17, climatic and/or environmental shifts and predators may be the reasons for Paranthropus robustus extinction. 32 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

19 ALEXANDRA MURRILO Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Australopithecus africanus Australopithecus africanus (A. africanus) was the first of the pre-human ancestors to be discovered. It lived between 3.3 and 2.1 million years ago. In 1924, a fossil was rescued from a limestone quarry at Taung in South Africa and sent to Australian, Raymond Dart. Dr. Dart was a Professor of Anatomy in nearby Johannesburg. The now-famous Taung Child skull had a mixture of human-like and apelike features. Dart believed it to be an early ancestor of humans and in 1925 he gave his man-ape a new species name, A. africanus. This species probably used simple tools such as sticks found in the immediate surroundings and scavenged animal bones. Stones may also have been used as tools, however, there is no evidence that these stones were shaped or modified. Over 2.5 million years ago, this species occupied an environment in South Africa in which there was a mixture of woodland and savannah grassland. Then 2.5 million years ago, the climate became drier and savannah grasslands spread. In addition, analysis of tooth wear patterns suggests that A. africanus had a diet that included fruit and leaves. Chemical analysis of the teeth also suggests that some meat was included in the diet but not in significant amounts. It is likely that A. africanus may have scavenged for meat rather than hunted. ADRIAN RIVERA Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Homo erectus Put modern clothing on Homo erectus, and it would be challenging to spot this hominid apart from the current species of Homo sapiens. The evolutionary tree of H. erectus ranges from MA with individual species located in parts of Africa, all throughout China, and arguably even Europe. For that reason H. erectus is characterized as a highly variable species, with individuals ranging in height, bone mass, and other characteristics. Distinctions between fossils from different areas can be seen, for example, fossils found in Africa suggest a larger body size while fossils from China and Indonesia suggest the opposite. Some key fossils that show geographical diversity are D3444, KNM-ER 1808, KNM- WT 15000, and Trinil 2. D3444 was that of an elderly Homo erectus. The skull was found with all teeth missing and a badly deteriorated jaw. This is evidence of nutrient deficiency and possibly rickets disease. KATHLEEN ROSETE Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Paranthropus boisei Human evolution is a natural, ongoing phenomenon in which modern day humans have inherited traits from their ape-like ancestors that have assisted them in adapting to the environment. With the help of archeological evidence, researchers are able to find the pieces to the missing links in human history and have a better understanding of how modern day humans evolved. There are four hominid groups that are all linked to the evolution of modern day humans; those include the Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and Homo. Each genus has specific physiological and behavioral traits that modern day humans have genetically developed in order to survive. With the help of archeological evidence, researchers are able to have a better understanding of human evolution and are able to fill the missing pieces in hominid history. One hominid species in particular, the Paranthropus boisei, has unique craniodental features that differentiated them from all other hominid species. They had a robust cranial skull, with a small frontal bone, and protruding zygomatic arches which caused this species to have a dish-shaped face. The Paranthropus boisei were also known for their powerful jaws due to their megadont premolar teeth. This enabled them to feed on a variety of foods. With recent fossil excavations, researchers are able to learn more about the Paranthropus boisei s robust physiology in correlation to its bipedal locomotion and arboreal behaviors. The anatomy of Paranthropus boisei and adaptive behaviors proves evidence of how modern day humans have inherited certain traits from their ancestors in order to become well adapted to their environment. DIANA SALAS Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Paranthropus aethiopicus Paranthropus aethiopicus is recognized from a time span between 2.3 and 2.8 million years ago. The meaning of its name is ape that lived alongside humans, from Ethiopia. French paleoanthropologists Camille Arambourg and Yves Coppens first proposed the name Paranthropus aethiopicus in 1967, when they found a toothless incomplete mandible. Their discovery was ignored since many paleoanthropologists believed that a single incomplete mandible was not enough to name a new species. It was not until 1985, when Alan Walker and Richard Leaky discovered the famous black skull that the classification of Paranthropus aethiopicus re-emerged. The black skull is the most informative fossil of P. aethiopicus since it is the most complete one. Two skulls, an incomplete mandible (Omo 18), and various teeth fragments are also attributed to P. aethiopicus. The black skull has the smallest adult hominid brain ever found, the largest sagittal crest found in the human lineage and it also has an extremely large area in the back of the mouth for molar teeth. The sagittal crest indicated that they had a very strong jaw. No postcranial bones are directly attributed to Paranthropus aethiopicus but there are some unidentified fossil bones of consistent body size from the same deposits and time intervals in which the Paranthropus aethiopicus skull and teeth were found. Many features of the black skull are quite similar to A. afarensis, so therefore P. aethiopicus may be a descendent of this species and it is most likely the ancestor of the robust species found later in Eastern Africa, P. boisei. The existing fossil record for P. aethiopicus is not sufficient to determine with exactitude aspects such as locomotion and diet but theories exist based on later Paranthropus species and other known facts of the geographical era and time during which they lived. KELLY STOUT Faculty Advisor: Roxie James Homo habilis This species, one of the earliest members of the genus Homo, has a slightly larger braincase and smaller face and teeth than in Australopithecus or older hominid species. But it still retains some ape-like features, including long arms and a moderately- prognathic face. Its name, which means handy man, was given in 1964 because this species was thought to represent the first stone-tool maker. Currently, the oldest stone tools are dated slightly older than the oldest evidence of the gene Homo. A team led by scientist Louis and Mary Leakey uncovered the fossilized remains of a unique early human between 1960 and 1963 at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. There were many key fossils found leading to the determination of the key features of Homo habilis. Early Homo has smaller teeth than Australopithecus, but their 34 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

20 tooth enamel was still thick and their jaws were still strong, indicating their teeth were still adapted for chewing some hard foods. Many scientist think early Homo, including Homo habilis, made and used the first stone tools found in the archaeological record. These tools also date back to about 2.6 million years ago. This hypothesis is difficult to test because several other species of early humans lived at the same time, and in the same geographic area, where traces of the earliest tool use was found. Homo habilis was believed to have lived in small groups for protection and hunting. They spent much of their time bipedal and showed the first signs of having a more developed brain. In conclusion Homo habilis was named due to the creation and use of the first stone tools. They had a slightly larger braincase and smaller faces with bipedal locomotion. STUDENT POSTER PRESENTATIONS BIOLOGY SANA BAIG, DIEGO MORALES Faculty Advisor: Daniela Shebitz An Ethnobotanical Approach to Medicinal Plant Research in the Lowland Wet Forests of Costa Rica Traditional medicine remains the primary drug treatment for 80% of people in developing countries (WHO 2011). Globally, most communities do not have access to what we consider to be conventional medicines and their health is inextricably linked to the availability of medicinal plant resources. The tropical wet lowland forests of the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge (MNWLR) in the Northern Zone of Costa Rica provide habitat to numerous medicinal plants, yet few have been documented. By virtue of its proximity to the border, this biologically diverse area has a blending of Nicaraguan and Costa Rican cultures. The objectives of this research were: (1) to document the commonly used medicinal plant species in the MNWLR based on local knowledge and (2) to determine if extracts from these medicinal plants used to treat infection would show antifungal and antibacterial properties in laboratory assays. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with seven people who were locally recognized for their knowledge of medicinal plant use. Uses and preparations were discussed for 60 species. Fifteen of the most commonly cited plants were gathered with the local informants from the forests or home gardens. Alcohol and aqueous extractions were made of the plant parts that were specified (leaves, bark, rhizomes, roots, fruit, seeds, sap, or flowers). Extracts were screened against gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, and fungus Candida albicans using triplicate disc diffusion assays. Preliminary results do indicate that many of the plants used locally for medicine do indeed have efficacy in-vitro. This work also includes contributions from Elvin Demereckas, Katherine Andrade, Alessa Vindas-Cruz, and Betsy De La Cruz. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program PRISCILLA CUNHA-DE JESUS Faculty Advisor: Claudia Knezek The Effects of Genetically Modified Organisms Genetically modified organisms refer to scientist s use of genetic engineering to alter the structure and composition of food. These GM products that can be found in people s local food market are produced by inserting foreign genetic material into a plant or animal using bacteria or what is called gene guns. This allows for a scientist to increase quantities of food production with set traits. Set traits meaning the size, genetic material, shape, or even color of the product of interest. The daily food people consume can contain in itself the potential risk to cause major health problems. This is a main concern for all consumers. Consumers want to be aware of the content in their purchased product. This then brings forth the question of adequate labeling and whether or not to enforce mandatory labeling. In the science field this topic is of increased interest not only for scientists, but also in the biotechnology field because there is a need to keep updated with any recent studies as technology is always growing and 36 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

21 expanding its resources. In order to grasp an idea of the public view on this topic a survey was conducted at Kean University. This survey was on The Effects of Genetically Modified Organisms and included thirteen questions in which the students voluntarily responded to. When reviewing the results from the survey through the graphs for each question it was clear that the majority of the public is doubtful on how to exactly judge Modified Organisms and most importantly people agreed that there was a lack of information which would be enough reason to explain the uncertainty on the safety of Modified Organisms. while editing a web-based lab report in Qualtrics as peer reviewers for a journal. Results showed a trend to significance with more Juniors, Seniors and post-baccalaureate students agreeing they could tell when health and science articles had information they could trust after reviewing the guidelines. The majority of students surveyed were able to use the scientific method rubric to edit the laboratory report presented to them. These findings suggest that Qualtrics could be used as a tool by science faculty to engage students in active learning and measure students abilities in class activities such as writing laboratory reports and evaluating health and science information. ELVIN DEMERECKAS, SANA BAIG, DIEGO MORALES Faculty Advisor: Daniela Shebitz Using Ethnobotanical Indicators for Screening in vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Five Invasive Plants of New Jersey Since the evolution of new strains of disease-causing pathogens, a current concern for global health is the ever-increasing spread of antibiotic resistance. Simultaneously, ecosystems throughout the world are being altered by the abundance of invasive plants often through allelochemistry. While we anxiously wait on the development of new pharmaceuticals, cures may surround us in the form of secondary plant compounds of invasive species. This study explores the antifungal and antibacterial properties of invasive plants found in New Jersey that are commonly recognized as having secondary plant that assist in their ability to outcompete native species. We examined whether extracts from these plants can be used to treat symptoms caused by infection by evaluating their antifungal and antibacterial properties in laboratory assays. Alcohol and aqueous extractions were made for the five plant species: ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) native to Europe and Southwestern Asia; mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) native to China; multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) native to eastern Asia; Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japnica) native to Japan; and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) native to Europe, Asia, and northwestern Africa. These plants were screened against gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis, and fungus Candida albicans using replicate disc diffusion assays. All five plant species have been used for medicinal purposes in traditional medicine in their native range. The strongest evidence of medicinal efficacy was found in Multiflora rose. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program EJEMEN IHIONKHAN Faculty Advisor: Kim Spacarotella Web Surfing for Science: Investigating College Students Abilities to Evaluate Web-Based Health and Science Articles and Use the Scientific Method to Write Laboratory Reports The internet is a powerful tool for college students that provides a vast amount of information necessary for required assignments such as writing laboratory reports. However, internet health and science articles could be inaccurate depending on the source. Two pilot studies investigated college students abilities to decipher accurate and reliable sources of information on the internet and to revise a laboratory report using the scientific method and a Qualtrics-based activity. Participants were students in General Biology (BIO 1000) and Biology Senior Seminar (BIO 4970) classes. In the first study, guidelines for identifying reliable, web-based health and science information were distributed to students. Confidence in evaluating sample articles was assessed using an online questionnaire in Qualtrics before and after students reviewed the guidelines. In the second study, students received a scientific method rubric to use JESSTINE KANE, KATE ZERINGO Faculty Advisor: Carrie Manfrino The Parasitic Content and Analysis of Pterois volitans in the Bahamas Current management strategies for reducing the impact of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish, Pterois volitans, on native fish populations include promoting lionfish removals and establishing a culinary market. However, scant data is available regarding the prevalence of parasites in Caribbean lionfish which influence the safety for human consumption. The objectives of this study are to (i) examine the intestinal and stomach contents of lionfish culled from the Little Cayman Reefs for parasites and (ii) compare any observed parasites to those found on other Caribbean reef fish. Lionfish are not currently approved by the FDA which prevents them from being successful as a culinary option within the United States. Marketing lionfish to the public may be more successful if they can be shown to be free of parasites. NISH MODY Faculty Advisor: Rongsun Pu Bioinformatics Analysis of MiRNA as Regulators of P53 Gene The sequencing of the human genome has transformed how cancer research is being studied, with new tools of bioinformatics being introduced. By identifying a set of genes, it becomes possible to understand the causes of various types of cancer and to investigate if a relationship does exist using molecular and genomic analysis along with clinical studies, essentially to counter cancer. MircoRNA (mirna) and tumor protein53 are becoming increasingly important due to their multiple roles within today s cancer research studies. MiRNA is a 21 to 24 nucleotide chain that acts as regulators of gene expression. Likewise, Protein 53 (p53) plays a critical role as a tumor suppressor gene that prevents cell division from occurring in an uncontrolled manner. Tumor protein p53 is located in the nucleus of cells, where it binds directly to DNA. If the DNA is mutated, this protein prevents the cell from dividing and signals it to undergo apoptosis. In recent years, micrornas (mirnas) were identified as important components of the signaling that mediates and regulates tumor suppression exerted by p53. Experimental approaches and bioinformatics are the main techniques applied to explain the mechanisms by which mirnas participate in the function of p53 and how they were identified through signal transduction. Although some of the central mirnaencoding genes that mediate the effects of p53, such as the mir-34 and mir-200 families, have been identified, additional analyses remain to be performed to fully understand how mirnas interact with p53. The focus of this preliminary study is primarily on tumor protein 53 analyses and is aimed at identifying various mirna. The study was conducted using two bioinformatics applications called OMIM and BLAST that provide descriptive information relevant to a specific gene. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program 38 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

22 BRENDA RAMIREZ Faculty Advisor: Jeff Yang Investigation the Effect of UV Radiation on Prodigiosin Production in Serretia Marcescens. Serratia marcescens is well-known for causing hospital-related infections. The main chromatic pigments in Serratia marcescens is prodigiosin. Digital chromaphotagraphy was applied to investigate the effect of ultraviolet radiation on the prodigiosin production in S. marcescens. Given UV treatment is widely used in hospital, this method will be further developed into a new quantitative monitoring technique. Our result indicates, at room temperature, the moderate UV radiation increase prodigiosin production in S. marcescens. And certain defined media can enhance prodigiosin production too. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program ANGEL YANEZ Faculty Advisor: Daniela Shebitz Frog Growth Under UV Ray Exposure The big-eyed tree frog (Leptopelis vermiculatus) is an endemic frog species from Tanzania, a country with high temperatures and high ultraviolet exposure. Since the big-eyed tree frog is endemic, little research exists regarding its ecophysiological functioning. However, thanks to the Staten Island Zoo s successful conservation project for the big-eyed tree frog, the species is available for research.the purpose of this study was to compare tree frog growth under different amounts of UV exposure to determine the effects of varying UV ray exposure on its growth and development. All frogs were fed small crickets daily and measured weekly according to length and weight. Preliminary results are presented and show a significant relationship between UV exposure and tree frog development. BUSINESS - GLOBAL MANAGEMENT JIAN XIE Faculty Advisor: Sheela Pandey Does Corruption Lead to Squandering of Entrepreneurial Opportunity? A Cross Country Examination of Social Entrepreneurship Activity This cross-national comparative study will examine the effect of corruption on social entrepreneurship. This line of research holds significant strategic implications, especially in public-policy and industry efforts to reposition perceptions of a nation-brand held by external publics (i.e. foreign NGOs, MNEs, investors and entrepreneurs). We will use Williamson s four-tired institutional framework (Williamson, 1998) -- for examining/analyzing a nation -- to develop study hypotheses. Our study sample will be based on country data available from the World Bank, Transparency International and GEDI database, and our study measures will be focused on four key study constructs: social inequality, national corruption levels, social entrepreneurship activity and overall national entrepreneurship levels. We expect to find a significant relationship between corruption and levels of social entrepreneurship. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT LAWRENCE CARSILLO, FAYE RAMIREZ Faculty Advisor: Janine Black The Story Behind the Paint What was Samuel Wetherill s contribution to the Early American Paint Industry and how were the paints formulated? At the time of the American Revolution, an entrepreneur by the name of Samuel Wetherill ( ) started several businesses. One of his better known businesses was the Wetherill Paint Company. In 1760, Samuel Wetherill produced dyes and pigments. The Wetherill Paint Company was the first to make white lead paint in America. This notable achievement would never have happenedwithout the threat and costs from highly taxed imported goods from England. As of result of this success, the Philadelphia paint industry was created. From there, the British were determined to destroy this competition. They sent spies to infiltrate the company, setting it on fire. The fire didn t stop Samuel Wetherill from building another factory. He continued successfully as a pioneerin this industry. Only after the War of Independence, did paints became a common essential in American homes. In Colonial times, paints were a sign of status and reserved for wealthy people s houses, churches, and public buildings. During this time, paint consisted of pigments, a binder, and a solvent. Color and opacity were provided by the pigment, the binder softened the pigment, and solvents were used for smooth application of the paint. The sources for these ingredients were mineral ores, animals, vegetable oils, and tree sap. Leadbased paint used white lead and advanced pigment technology as it caused the paint to dry faster. White lead consisted of two parts; lead carbonate and lead hydroxide. These were combined by placing the lead sheets in specially designed two-chambered earthen pots positioned in a storage area. Horse manure was packed around these pots in order to produce heat as the manure decomposed. The powdered white lead was dried in a kiln then pulverized in a stone mill. During the final grinding, Wetherill used linseed oil in the production of their white lead paint, which was sold as a paste. During this time, paint makers could also use a variety of solvents such as walnut oil, poppy seed oil, and hemp oil extracted from the Marijuana plant. This interdisciplinary (Business and Chemistry Departments) study used primary laboratory synthesis methods and secondary research resources. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program CHEMISTRY MEILYN TORRES, JACLYN FRANEY, PHILOMENA MENTA, JOSE POZO, LANE ZIERTEN Faculty Advisor: Matthew Mongelli Synthesis and Characterization of Potential Ruthenium Photodynamic Therapy Complexes A series of ruthenium (II) complexes with the form [Ru(TL)(BL)(NO)]3+, where TL is the tridentate ligand 2,2 :6,2 -terpyridine (tpy) or tris-(1-pyrazolyl)methane and BL is the bidentate ligand 2,2 -bipyridine (bpy) or dipyridophenazine (dppz). Complexes of this form have the potential to both bind and photocleave DNA, especially those complexes containing the intercalating ligand dppz. These two processes independently are common ways that anticancer drugs perform. The synthetic scheme and characterization data will be presented. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program 40 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

23 COMMUNICATION MARY MENDEZ Faculty Advisor: Janet Yedes Deaf Signing and Deaf Non-Signing Couple Communicate While Dating This research explores the everyday actual communication between Michael and Robyn. How do Deaf Signing and Deaf Non-Signing Couple Communicate While Dating? Based on seven observations during the fall 2013, I took notes at a food pantry every Saturday in October 2013 (1pm to 6pm). Additionally, I audio-taped interpersonal interactions between the couple while attending church, at a Zingo game (deaf Bingo), bowling, and dancing at a Club in the Village in November I found that for this couple there were consistent patterns of teasing, laughing, seeking information, relationship conflict, storytelling, and sharing which reflect the role of talk in their interactions. Their everyday conversation is permeated by Michael s informal (AML) and teasing. This research contributes our paying attention to the social context of everyday talk and treating American Sign Language (ASL) as a privileged form of communication. Robyn still performs herself in this heterosexual relationship despite positioning herself in a pattern of resistant discourse. It becomes clear that Michael s patterns of teasing, laughing, seeking information are powerful tools and essential to breakdown dominant discourses which hinder a relationship like avoidance and silence. The conversations I have analyzed show a woman struggling with acceptance after a tragic experience and, whether hearing or not hearing, finds affectionate discourse a context for interpersonal romantic stability. COMMUNICATION DISORDERS AND DEAFNESS ROOKE ANDREWS Faculty Advisor: Mary Jo Santo Pietro Survey of Educational and Clinical Preparation of the SpeechLlanguage Pathologist Specializing in Voice The purpose of this study was to discover what educational and clinical preparation speech-language pathologists specializing in the area of voice have received and how they view the adequacy of their training. Master s programs in speech-language pathology traditionally provide sparing training in voice and speech-language pathologists often report that it is the area they feel least comfortable treating. The data collected may be of help to future speech-language pathologists seeking to become specialists in voice, as well as university programs seeking to provide appropriate training to students who wish to become voice specialists. A survey was distributed through the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association s (ASHA) Special Interest Group 03, Voice and Voice Disorders, listserv. The brief minute survey asked participants questions about their educational backgrounds and career paths. Sixty-two participants completed the survey. Survey participants provided valuable input on what courses should be offered in a specialty track for voice as well as advice to future speech-language pathologists who wish to specialize in voice. The results of this survey will add to the current body of knowledge about the preparation of the speech-language pathologist specializing in voice and help to advocate for more educational opportunities in voice. RICHARD L. ANGELILLO Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello Caregivers Perception of Communication with Their Clients This quasi-experimental research was guided by the following two explicit questions: 1. What is the caregiver s perceptions and satisfaction level of their communication with the individual under their care? What are some of the communicative strategies the caregivers use? 2. What effects, if any, on caregivers perceptions and satisfaction of communication with the individual under care be if they received an informative presentation on communicative strategies, and language? Data was collected from five participants whom provide care for an adult. Pre- and post- intervention data was collected using two different 32 statements to which participants self-reported on using a 1-5 Likert rating scale of agreement. Data was analyzed for any shift between pre- and post-data could be associated with the intervention. Results indicate that the intervention did not increase caregivers perceptions, however, indicate an increase of communicative strategies used. CASEY CARUSO Faculty Advisor: Mary Jo Santo Pietro Measuring Improvements in Communication Skills of School-Aged Children with Autism using the Social-Communication Assessment Tool (S-CAT) The field of speech-language pathology is lacking a tool to assess and measure child-to-child communication in children with autism. Murdock, Cost, and Tieso (2007) created an instrument, the Social-Communication Assessment Tool (S-CAT), to measure and document the social communication deficits in children with autism. The current study examined Murdock s four core social communication characteristics (verbal initiations, verbal responses, joint attention, and nonverbal communication attempts) in four children with autism who received social skills therapy at Kean University Center for Communication Disorders (KUCCD). In accordance with KUCCD codes and standards, therapy sessions of two different social skills groups were recorded during summer 2013, over a period of three months. Video recordings of six sessions were reviewed and analyzed using the S-CAT in order to measure the changes in Murdock s four core social communication characteristics. Analysis showed increases in the total number of interactions for each child. Further evaluation of results and research and clinical implications of these findings are discussed. MARIA CIUFO Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi The Relationship between English and Spanish Cognates: A Single Subject Observational Study The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the spelling of Cognates in English and Spanish in a bilingual, typically developing child. English orthography differs from the orthography of several other languages due to its use of grapheme-to-morpheme accordance and grapheme-tophoneme accordance. Native speakers of Spanish, whose orthography is strictly phonetic, may encounter difficulties when spelling in English due to this difference. Results suggested that the participant exhibited better spelling in maximally similar words than minimally similar words. In addition, crosslinguistic effects were present in both types of cognates, with reciprocated facilitation between the languages. The results of this study will help speech-language pathologists in making more accurate 42 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

24 diagnostic decisions about bilingual children who are referred for speech-language services. Follow up studies should include: a great number of participants and cognates, and a longer time allotted to perform the study. In addition, children who represent different spelling abilities as well as a variety of ages should be included in future studies. ANNEMARIE DELLAVALLE Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Speech-Language Pathologists and Special Education Teachers Awareness of the Basic Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior Both special education teachers and speech-language pathologists work on a multidisciplinary team with children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. More often than not, both speech-language pathologists and special education teachers trained in Applied Behavior Analysis focus on teaching skills related to language and communication. The goal of this research project was to attempt to identify if there is an overlap between speech-language pathologists and special education teachers when it comes to their approach to the assessment and treatment of communication disorders in children diagnosed on the autism spectrum with a particular focus on the area of Applied Behavior Analysis concerned with the analysis of a child s verbal behavior. A survey containing a multiple choice test was distributed to the participants (14 speech-language pathologists and 14 special education teachers) to assess their basic knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior. The researcher also assessed the participants attitude toward the use of Applied Behavior Analysis via the use of a likert scale. Results from the multiple choice test revealed no statistically significant difference in their scores; however, the special education teachers had greater variability among their scores. Overall, results showed that the majority of both groups who participated in this study has limited knowledge pertaining to the basic principles of Applied Behavior Analysis thus indicating the need for more training in this area which has been shown to support the use of Applied Behavior Analysis with students diagnosed on the autism spectrum. KATIE GELPKE Faculty Advisor: Mary Jo Santo Pietro How Do Topics Discussed in Aphasia Caregiver Support Groups Vary Based on Length of Time Post-Onset?: A Pilot Study This study aimed to examine how topics discussed in aphasia caregiver support groups vary based on the length of time caregivers have been providing care. Limited research on caregiver groups exists, and to our knowledge, no prior studies have looked at differences in groups based on the time caregivers have been providing care. It is possible that the needs of caregivers change as the aphasic person s illness progresses, and speech-language pathologists need to know how to accommodate these changing needs when conducting caregiver support groups. Video recordings were collected from two caregiver support groups, which differed in the average length of time post-onset of their family members strokes. The topics discussed in these groups were compared in order to determine differences. Significant differences were found in the topics discussed by the two groups. In the short-term group, the topics discussed typically centered around caregiving and people with aphasia. In the long-term group, however, members mostly discussed topics unrelated to caregiving and people with aphasia and used the caregiver support group as an opportunity for socialization. By learning more about the different needs of caregivers, at different points in recovery, speech-language pathologists can customize caregiver support groups to accommodate caregivers specific needs. AMY GERVIS Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Trends in Accented Education Majors Speech Screening Results Larger numbers of foreign students are graduating into teaching roles in American schools, universities, and colleges. In the state of New Jersey, the Department of Education requires higher education institutions to administer speech screenings to Education majors to assess whether students speech and language abilities are within acceptable parameters for performing the duties of a teacher. The purpose of this study was to (1) identify trends in accented Education major s speech screening results (2) determine whether or not these trends could provide beneficial information for higher education institutions to enhance outcomes and provide necessary services, where needed. The speech screening results of 25 foreign students who either passed with recommendations or required retesting due to ineffective communication skills as a result of an accent were analyzed for patterns and trends. Outcomes from this study provided information regarding foreign student demographics, English language acquisition, accented speech characteristics, and overall effective communication skills. Higher education institutions can use this information to assure outcomes of incoming accented students pursuing education degrees. Further research in required to determine what is an appropriate and culturally sensitive protocol for handling students in which their accent interferes with their ability to effectively communicate and excel in their future teaching professions. TAYLOR GIANNULLO Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello A Comparison of Visual Learning Versus Auditory Learning in School-Aged Children The purpose of this study was to examine the comprehension of a storybook in school-aged children when it was read with solely auditory stimuli versus when it was read with auditory and visual stimuli. The findings of this study could assist the speech language specialist in utilizing the most affective stimuli to increase a student s comprehension during therapy. Control group A contained three participants and were read a story without visual stimuli. Experimental group B contained three participants and was read a story with visual stimuli.participants were individually asked what they remembered from the story. Results demonstrated that participants in experimental group B retold more words from the story as an average, than participants in control group A. Participants in experimental group B also used more words total to retell the story than the participants in control group A. These findings suggest the importance of using visual stimuli to enhance a child s comprehension of storybook reading. MEGAN HESTER Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski An In-depth Analysis of the Experience of Caregivers of Individuals with Aphasia There are an estimated one million people in the United States with aphasia and a projected rate of 80,000 more cases each year (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 2008). Additionally, two of the major risk factors for stroke (the leading cause of aphasia) include being over the 44 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

25 age of 55 and being overweight or obese (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2012b). With the aging of the population and the increase in unhealthy lifestyles in the United States, the number of people who may suffer a stroke and be affected by aphasia is rapidly growing. Avent, Glista, Wallace, Jackson, Nishioka, & Winnie (2005) pointed out that most family members are not prepared to handle the sudden changes that aphasia brings on partially because they did not have an understanding of aphasia before the incident. The purpose of this study is to identify any trends in the experience of caregivers of individuals with aphasia. Identifying trends in this experience may provide useful information for families, specifically caregivers, facing a similar encounter in the future. This ethnographic study consisted of seven participants who were interviewed on an individual basis using interview questions created by the principle investigator. Several significant trends in the experience of caregivers with aphasia were identified as a result of this study. These include but are not limited to: lack of education/information about aphasia and lack of support groups for caregivers of individuals with aphasia. Further research should be conducted with a larger sample size and more diverse sample population. KRISTIN HOLZHAUER Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello The Effectiveness of Rhyming Books on Working Memory in Preschool-Aged Children The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the importance of phonological awareness and test its impact on children s working memory. Phonological awareness instruction and intervention are provided to children for one main purpose, which is to facilitate the acquisition of reading, writing, decoding, and spelling words. The goal of this study was to discover if strengthening rhyming skills had a direct effect on preschool-aged children s working memory. Twelve preschool children from a four-year-old program were recruited from a local preschool. The children were randomly assigned to either an experiment group or a control group. The experiment group had a rhyming book read to them and participated in a rhyming intervention and the control group had the same book read to them, but no rhyming intervention was implemented. Pre-test assessments tested the children s memory skills and rhyming knowledge and revealed if the rhyming intervention yielded better results. The researcher hypothesized that the experiment group would retain more information from the rhyming intervention and yield better results on the post-test than the control group. A post-test was administered two weeks later to observe which group was able to retain more information from the book using the same questions as the pre-test. The rhyming techniques helped to facilitate memory, and the treatment group performed significantly better than the control group on the pre and post-test assessments. DEVON HORDES Faculty Advisor: Mary Jo Santo Pietro How and why do people obtain long-term rehabilitative services for aphasia? People with aphasia continue to make improvements years and even decades after initial onset. This is due to a philosophy known as neuroplasticity. There is no known research that follows people with chronic aphasia through the continuum of care. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1). What rehabilitative services do people with aphasia obtain across the continuum of care? 2). After discharge from each level of the care, were additional speech-language pathology services recommended? 3). How did the people who are receiving long-term services find out about them? 4). Why do people with aphasia seek out long term services? One twenty-minute interview with 12 persons with chronic aphasia at least 9-months post-stroke and/or their caregivers revealed information about types of services received, how and why they were obtained, length of services, and benefits of receiving longterm rehabilitative services. Commonalities between interviewees responses included the following: their services at acute care hospitals did not include speech and language intervention, recommendations for rehabilitative services were given at discharge, subacute rehabilitation services included daily speech and language services for on average 30 days, recommendations for outpatient services were provided by the participant s subacute SLP and was covered by insurance anywhere from two weeks to two years depending on whether the person had a private insurance provider or Medicare. Participants found out about the University Clinic they are currently attending either by word of mouth or by the recommendation of their outpatient speech-language pathologist. Participants reported similar responses in regards to benefits of obtaining long-term rehabilitative services which included improvement in speech, language, communication, a substantial increase in socialization and support, but that there are not enough resources for persons with aphasia. It was also frequently reported that the participants received significantly longer physical therapy sessions (about one hour) over a greater amount of sessions (about 30) than speech and language sessions lasting for about 30-to-40 minutes for approximately 20 sessions. ERICA INGEMANN Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi Effects of Adult-Child Shared Storybook Reading on Phonological Awareness in Premature Preschoolers: A Pilot Study This study examined the impact of small group, school-based shared storybook reading on the phonological awareness and print knowledge skills of premature preschoolers. Two four-year-old premature children, were provided with scripted input on print concepts during shared storybook reading within six 30-minute sessions that were conducted in a private classroom of their childcare facility once a week. Both participants responded to four prompts during each session. The participants were pretested, and following the six-week intervention, posttested, on measures of phonological awareness and print knowledge. Slightly greater gains were noted in the performance of participant one across measures; however, the performance of both participants improved on measures of Segmentation, Syllable Counting, Letter Sounds, and Alphabet Knowledge when print-referencing was incorporated into shared storybook reading. These findings, combined with those of previous studies, suggests that shared storybook reading with a print focus is an intervention that can easily be incorporated into the context of storybook reading to facilitate phonological awareness and print knowledge skills in premature preschool-age children. AMANDA LANDWEHR Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi Contribution of the Tactile Modality on Phonemic-Awareness Instruction with Preschool Children There is evidence that the early experiences children receive with language play a crucial role in setting the foundation for later success in reading achievement. Phonemic awareness is an early and important predictor of reading ability (Adam, 1990; Boyer & Ehri, 2011). Children who lack knowledge in phonemic awareness demonstrate difficulty acquiring sound/symbol correspondences in words. A quantitative, single-subject research design was used to compare two different methods of teaching phonemic awareness to preschool children. The child in the experimental group was taught six unknown phonemes 46 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

26 using a multisensory approach including tactile, auditory, and visual modalities. The child in the control was taught using a visual/auditory approach. Results indicate greater carryover to unknown phonemes with the child taught using the tactile approach. ATHENA LAPENNA Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi Early Childcare Providers and Their Role to Understand Early Language and Social Development Strategies A considerable body of research has demonstrated that the quality of early education settings in Canada and the United States is inadequate in terms of the kinds of interactions known to facilitate children s language and literacy development (Doherty, Lero, Goelman, Tougas & LaGrange, 2000; Pianta, 2006). The quality and quantity of language that children are exposed to during everyday interactions with their caregivers significantly affects their language development (Weitzman & Greenberg, 2002). Previous research conducted, indicates that both enhancing our early childcare providers comprehension of typical language and social development could possibly led to an increase the number of children receiving services that would have previously been ignored or unseen, detecting children who are not exhibiting these milestones and when to seek outside interventions. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of teaching to early childcare providers and evaluating their ability to recognize typical language and social development, while also implementing strategies to facilitate development of language and social development. The participants were given a pre and posttest assessment to measure baseline knowledge and the effectiveness of the intervention strategies discussed. Results indicated that all the participants demonstrated a significant score increase after the intervention. The participants reported they were substantially aware of changes in their facilitation of language and social development and use the taught skilled strategies in their classrooms as an everday routine. KRISTEN MATOS Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello Performance of Portuguese-English Bilingual Children on Tasks of Comprehension and Word Labeling A limited amount of research has been completed in regards to the language development of culturally and linguistically diverse children living in the United States. This lack of research may lead to misdiagnoses of language delay or delays in identification of language delay. For this reason, there is a need for research in the language development of diverse children so that they may be better serviced by Speech-Language Pathologists. Eight typically-developing children between the ages of 4 and 7 were assessed using a task of object naming (EOWPVT-4) and a task of whole language (syntax and semantics subtests of the BESA). Four participants completed the bilingual English-Portuguese Speaking group and 4 participants completed the monolingual English only speaking group. Parents also completed a parent questionnaire in order to provide qualifying criterion information as well as information regarding the amount of exposure each child had to each language. Results from testing alone indicated no significant discrepancy between bilingual English-Portuguese speaking children and monolingual English speaking children in both tasks. However, parent reports indicate a potential limitation in the study that may have skewed results. Participants in the bilingual group were less proficient in Portuguese than in English, begging the question, if the bilingual group had consisted of children who were more proficient in Portuguese than in English, could the results have matched those of the bilingual Spanish-English speaking children of previous studies. MEGAN MCGRATH Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Knowledge and Skills Needed By Speech-Language Pathologists Providing Clinical Supervision (2008) ALICIA LIVELLI Faculty Advisor: Mary Jo Santo Pietro Characteristics of paraphasias in the conversation of an adult with aphasia; A case study Paraphasias, the selection of a wrong lexeme in target word, are speech errors made by individuals with aphasia. This study examined how the paraphasias of one woman with aphasia varied in form and context within conversational speech. Previous research analyzed paraphasias within highly structured naming and repetition tasks, but not within conversational speech. The current research examined 100 formal paraphasias from spontaneous speech responses during individual and group therapy sessions at the Kean University Center for Communication Disorders over a five-month period. Utterances transcribed were either initiated by the client or in response to clinician(s)/group members. Significant differences were found in the form, content and context of paraphasias compared to those described in the literature. Paraphasias occurred more often in individual sessions as compared to group sessions. Formal paraphasias were produced more often than phonemic and semantic paraphasias, and within formal paraphasias produced, nouns were most often in error. This research will add functional information to the existing literature by highlighting paraphasias within normal discourse, which is more functional and generalizable in daily living as compared to language resulting from naming and repetition tasks. This information can be expanded and used to target the occurrences of paraphasias in natural discourse within the treatment of persons with aphasia. The purpose of this study was (1) to determine whether or not student clinicians and clinical supervisors are in agreement with the roles and responsibilities of clinical supervisors, using selections from the current evidence-based supervision requirements set forth by the profession s governing body and (2) to identify trends within both groups in regard to personal clinical preferences and expectations. A survey was administered to 13 graduate student clinicians and four clinical supervisors. The survey included 32 statements taken directly from Knowledge and Skills Needed by Speech-Language Pathologists Providing Clinical Supervisions (2008) presented with a corresponding Likert Scale to ascertain agreement. Two additional qualitative questions were included in the survey asking participants to identify areas of most successful clinical supervision and areas that can be improved. Both groups reported a strong agreement with the questionnaire as a whole with the supervisor group agreeing more strongly than the student group. Trends were observed between both groups responses with regard to the following areas: interpersonal communication and the supervisor-supervisee relationship, development of the supervisee s critical thinking and problem-solving skills, development of the supervisee s clinical competence in assessment, and overall preparedness for the supervisory process. MARISSA MERKIN Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi Impact of Type of Discourse on Error Production of Aphasic Spoken Language The aim of the following paper is to describe the frequency of aphasic errors (e.g., neologisms, perseverations, paraphasias) produced by an individual with fluent aphasia during various levels 48 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

27 of discourse (i.e., procedural, narrative, conversational). Previously, perseverative, paraphasic, and neologisitic errors and levels of discourse have been evaluated independently in the study of aphasia. Additionally, the principal investigator could not locate research evaluating aphasic language produced during multiple levels of discourse. The participant was recruited from Kean University s Center for Communication Disorders and demonstrated a classification of fluent aphasia with functional auditory comprehension and hearing ability. Over 15-minute sessions, the participant completed three discourse tasks containing two parts each such that unstructured tasks were followed by structured tasks. Structured tasks included a visual stimulus (e.g., picture cards, newspaper photograph). Because data collection is ongoing at this time, the researcher anticipates the participant to produce many preserved elements of discourse including syntactical structure, mandatory elements of each discourse, and pragmatic and conversation skills across all tasks. However, the researcher expects to observe an increased mean length utterance due to more filler words and repairs consistent with the current body of literature (Armstrong, 2000; Ulatowska et al., 1981, etc.). Additionally, the researcher predicts to observe more nouns and indefinite verbs (i.e., get ) across all tasks due to lexical deficits associated with aphasia, as well more original words (e.g. paraphasias, neologisms) during unstructured tasks due to the lack of visual stimulus to provide language input. Lastly, it is anticipated that the participant will provide a reduced number of phrases contributing to a reduced quality of discourse. ELLANA MORRIS Faculty Advisor: Mary Jo Santo Pietro What are the characteristics of non-traditional, returning graduate students in Speech- Language Pathology? With the changing times, many older individuals have been showing an increasing interest in the field of speech-language pathology due to its flexibility and stability. The 60-credit master s program in speech-language pathology at Kean University is extremely competitive and demanding. Students must have time- management skills to juggle the demands of coursework, family, and financial responsibilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics, struggles, opinions, and factors influencing the success of older, non-traditional, returning graduate students in Speech-Language Pathology. Surveys were completed by current and recent graduate students ranging in age from 30 to 53. Results were analyzed for patterns and trends. On average, the non-traditional students took four years to complete the six-semester program and described struggles with time management, financial burdens, and family obligations. Fifty-six percent of respondents claimed to have great relationships with the younger students in the program. The remaining participants reported the relationships with their younger counterparts to be non-existent due to being in different stages in their lives. Implications for better accommodating the needs of this large number of non-traditional speech-language pathology graduate students are discussed. MICHELLE MUSTACIUOLO Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi The Role of Iconicity of American Sign Language Acquisition in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder The developmental profile of early language development of young children with ASD manifest in a continuum of severity. Some children with ASD may have delayed language development, others remain nonverbal, and some children may demonstrate language competencies comparable to typical development. To compensate for absent expressive communication, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems have been used as viable treatment options. The AAC system focused on and explored in this study was sign language. A robust finding shows that sign language training is successful for children with ASD, and multiple hypotheses have been put forth to explain this illustrated success. This study explored the validity of the iconicity hypothesis by investigating the role of iconicity in the early sign language acquisition of one toddler, (three-years, ten-months), with ASD. Utilizing the principles of applied behavior analysis, ten signs, (five iconic and five noniconic) were taught over a period of four weeks. Results showed a slightly faster acquisition rate of iconic signs as compared to noniconic signs. Findings of the present study suggest that acquisition of iconic and noniconic signs may vary as a function of individual characteristics, for example hand-motor imitation skills, in addition to the method used to teach signs, (ABA versus a naturalistic approach). JULIA OSMANOVA Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello Evaluating The Effectiveness of Sung Story Scripts in Slow Mapping Acquisition of Vocabulary Speech-language pathologists are professionals trained in the interrelatedness of language and literacy. Research data supporting the correlation of children s vocabulary level to reading performance establishes a role for those professionals involved with facilitating literacy to teach vocabulary more effectively. There is research-based evidence on the valuable impact of the integration of music into therapy for children with speech and language disorders; however, its impact on specific areas of language development has not been widely examined. As such, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using sung story script contexts as an intervention strategy to teach the slow mapping acquisition of novel vocabulary to pre-school children who speak English as a second language. The design of this study was a pre-assessment, during intervention, and post-assessment, randomized quasi-experimental design. Participants were recruited via a flyer obtained from a sample of convenience. The study aimed to measure if sung stories are more effective as compared to the traditional approach of using explicit instruction in teaching the slow mapping acquisition of vocabulary to pre-school children. Results of the study indicated sung stories are an effective intervention strategy in teaching the acquisition of novel vocabulary words to pre-school children. Spoken story scripts, while an effective method, were less effective than sung stories in the study conducted. Despite the lack of statistical significance in the results, qualitative findings indicated a greater increase in both the receptive and expressive vocabulary of the experimental group who was presented with sung story scripts. KARA OWENS Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello Assessing Syntax of Autistic Individuals using the Sentence Production Program for Aphasia Syntax, one of five factors that comprise language is an essential component in communication and social skills because it provides structure and allows for the transmission of cohesive messages between two partners. It is also an area widely under researched in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. This purpose of this study was to increase the knowledge base of syntactic development in persons with autism and to explore the benefits of implementing a modified version of the Sentence Production Program for Aphasia ([SPPA] Helm-Estabrooks & Nicholas, 2000), a therapeutic intervention designed for agrammatic aphasia patients, with individuals with autism. The participants in this study were five males 50 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

28 and one female between the ages of years recruited from a school that specializes in the education of young adults with clinical diagnosis of autism. Statistical significance of the intervention could not be determined due to the small sample size. However, the study provided valuable qualitative data, as all six participants presented with severe deficits in syntax construction tasks. All participants struggled with repeating sentences, completing sentences, and implementing prepositional phrases. ALEXA PANARELLA Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Correlation of Gross Motor Coordination And Speech Motor Coordination in Pre-School Aged Dancers The development of motor movement is most commonly examined when dysfunctions or lack of movement behavior is evident (Davies, 2003). Research mainly focuses on motor impairments and motor deficits. To date, not much research has been focused on a relationship between gross motor abilities and the complex motor ability of speech in typically developing children. As such, the purpose of this study focused on comparing gross motor skills to the oral motor skills of speech in a group of typically developing pre-school aged children. The design of the study was a correlation design. The participants oral motor coordination was observed through an articulation test, Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation-2, and through a rapid speech movement task, diadochokinetic rate. Gross motor coordination was observed through an observational checklist. Results of the study indicated that there is a moderate correlation between gross motor coordination and precise articulation and precise articulation and diadochokinetic rate. However, no significant results were found between gross motor coordination and diadochokinetic rate. Despite the lack of statistical significance in the results, qualitative findings indicated a possible correlation between language delay and lack of motor coordination. KARLA PEREZ Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi Conversational Story Telling With a Nursing Home Resident With Alzheimer s Disease The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of two listener response repair strategies, indirect and direct repair, as used by a trained conversational partner (CP) with one 77-year-old female nursing home resident with moderate-stage AD during a personal story telling task. In an indirect repair, the listener paraphrases the speech of the individual with AD. In a direct repair, the listener interjects the speaker with AD and offers corrective feedback. Using an ABAC experimental design, the principal investigator sought to compare the effects of indirect and direct responses on the conversational coherence and topic maintenance of a resident with AD, relative to baseline. The particular dependent measures of interest were discourse building features such as topic maintenance (i.e., local and global coherence) and elaborations of a certain topic, as well as discourse impairing features such as disruptive topic shifts, interruptions, and abandoned utterances. The results of this case study provide evidence for utilizing indirect response repair when conversing with residents with AD. The CP s use of indirect repairs during a story telling task impacted the conversational speech of the AD participant greatly, as evidenced by a greater occurrence of discourse building elements (global coherence, local coherence, and elaborations) and fewer discourse impairing features (disruptive shifts, abandoned utterances, and speaker interruptions). Additionally, the CP utilized a greater amount of response repairs during the indirect condition (30), as opposed to during the direct repair condition (8), indicating that indirect repair was a much more natural way of responding or strategy to utilize in conversation. These findings have implications for the training of caregivers for persons with AD, as caregivers and professional staff members who converse and interact with individuals with AD may benefit from direct training of how their verbal behavior may function to facilitate or discourage speech coherency and communication breakdowns. Training caregivers to respond to individuals with AD in a manner that reinforces (indirect repair) as opposed to punishes (direct repair), may function to correct speech coherency and reduce the risk of excess disability for the AD individual. Additionally, as a result of these changing factors, the quality of life for both members in caregiver relationship may increase. AMY PINDER Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello The Effectiveness of Implementing Components of the Montessori Curriculum on Social Skills Development in Preschoolers The development of appropriate social skills during early childhood is essential to an individual s personal, academic and vocational success throughout life. Speech language pathologists are needed to plan effective social skills interventions because social functioning is heavily reliant on a child s language abilities. Montessori education is a naturalistic teaching approach that may promote positive social skills in young children. This study evaluated the effectiveness of implementing two components of the Montessori curriculum on social skills development in preschoolers. The provision of a single set of specific toys and the provision of small group instruction in social skills were studied. The results demonstrated an increase in positive social skills following the intervention period. There was no significant difference between experimental groups. The results suggest that small group instruction in social skills coupled with an opportunity for structured small group free play is an effective technique for facilitating positive social skills in preschool children. The implementation of these strategies by speech language pathologists may increase the effectiveness of social communication therapy by affording the child multiple and ongoing opportunities to practice and refine social language skills while engaging with peers. JEREMY PUGH Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski The Effects of a Client s Death on a Speech-Language Pathologist Speech-language pathologists (SLP) treat a wide variety of medically fragile clientele. While studies have been conducted on the effects of client death on the careers of other professionals, there is a dearth of research on the effects it has on a SLP. This study explores the impact client death had on the careers of 60 licensed SLPs in the state of New Jersey. A survey was conducted to explore the incidence of client death, the effects it had on participant s careers, the level of support received from employers, coping strategies employed by clinicians, and SLP s opinions on what the American Speech and Hearing Association s (ASHA) role in the grieving process should be. Future research recommendations and implications for SLPs are discussed. 52 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

29 SETPHANIE REED Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders at the College Level: The Speech-Language Pathologist s Role Over the past ten years, there has been an increase of diagnoses in the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) population. Much of the focus of therapy for this population is during early childhood. However, there is a population of ASD students that are eligible to transition to post-secondary education. Once student reaches the post-secondary level, the services that were provided under IDEA are no longer available. There is little information available about the services available for this population for students with ASD at the college level. One of the key team members who provide service for this population is the speech language-pathologist. There is little research about the services a speech-language pathologist can provide to the ASD population at the college level. The purpose of this study is to identify whether there is a role for the speech-language pathologist at the college level for students with ASD. This question was answered by analyzing and reporting the services available at a two-year and four-year college in New Jersey. Both schools services were analyzing under the five questions: services available, specific to ASD, who provides services, cost and additional information. Based on the results from each question, areas of services were identified to see if it could fall under the practice of the speech-language pathologist. The results of this study may be clinically relevant to the little current knowledge about the speech-language pathologist s role in ASD population at the college level. DEANNA ROBERMAN Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski First Language Attrition in Russiasn-English Billingual Adults The purpose of this study was to examine if there is a difference between first-language regression in Russian-English bilingual adults who are able to read, write and speak in their first language and those who can only speak in Russian. Fifteen participants filled out a standardized intake form, watched a 5-minute video, a Russian version of Little Red Riding Hood, and retold the story in Russian. Speech samples were recorded and analyzed for grammatical errors. Results revealed that participants who never learned o read and write well in Russian regressed in their ability to speak well in Russian, which suggests that there is a relationship between bilingual individual s ability to read and write and the degree of language regression experienced. This information indicates that it is important to teach students how to read and write in their native language, in order to reduce the amount of first language attrition. STEPHANIE ROCKWELL Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi Live Situation Versus Video-Watching: How Much Language is Recalled? Prior research has presented contradictory information regarding technological influence upon fastmapping and language recall abilities in children; therefore, this study used a mixed quantitative and qualitative between subject group research design to compare fast-mapping abilities in preschool aged children when given two different language representation methods: live situation and video situation. Evidence of fast mapping was seen in both groups; however, there was no significant difference in language recall between groups. Data revealed ambiguous results due to impacts resulting from word recency, prior semantic knowledge, and age-related factors. RITA SANTOS Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello The Effects of Storybook Reading on New Word Learning in Preschool Aged Children The purpose of this study was to determine if dialogue contained in storybooks, would enhance vocabulary growth in preschool aged children. Ten children, ages four and five, were randomly divided into two groups, experimental group A and control group B. Each student was presented with a pre-test, prior to the intervention, that investigated the knowledge of five novel words. The control group A listened to a narrative story while the experimental group B listened to the same story containing dialogue. Each group participated in an interactive story book session once per week during a three-week period. The results of the study provided evidence that all children from both groups improved their knowledge of new words during both the narrative and dialogue story. Post-test results indicate that all participants improved their knowledge of novel words. As the study aimed to determine that dialogue within storybook reading would enhance new word learning in preschoolers, there was no significant outcome that suggested dialogue improved vocabulary. The present findings of the study suggest that perhaps the interactive reading lead to new word learning rather than the design of the story itself. Possibly, the reader s enthusiasm, prosody, intonation, emotion, and delivery may have influenced the listener s attention and in turn assisted the development of novel words. Although dialogue contained in storybooks does not solely enhance new word learning in preschool aged children, speech-language pathologists, teachers, parents, and other professionals should continue to incorporate robust vocabulary in their conversational dialogue. KELLEY SCHUPAK Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Hockey Coaches and Vocal Hygiene Previous research has confirmed the effectiveness of using proper vocal hygiene in the prevention or reduction of problems resulting from vocal abuse. Hockey coaches are susceptible to voice disorders due to the damage they cause to their vocal folds from frequent yelling during coaching. Studies have shown that education on vocal hygiene and on voice training have been beneficial to study participants, yet no training has been given to hockey coaches prior to beginning their coaching. Vocal abuse can result in permanent damage to the vocal folds. This can affect not only coaches vocal health, but it can potentially affect their livelihood, due to missed days at work. This study aimed to investigate coaches knowledge of vocal hygiene in preventing or reducing vocal abuse. Results revealed that 100% of the participants were knowledgeable in how to maintain proper vocal hygiene so as to prevent or decrease vocal abuse; however, 90% reported experiencing symptoms of vocal abuse (i.e., sore throats, hoarseness, loss of voice) during or after coaching sessions. This indicates that while the participants understand the concept of vocal hygiene, they do not implement these techniques while coaching. Further research is warranted to determine the feasibility of using amplification devices or increasing the use of gestures and writing to communicate while coaching. It is also recommended that coaches perceptions of these alternative strategies be investigated. 54 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

30 APARNA SHANKAR Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Agreement between Speech-Language Pathologists and Special Education Teachers on Goal Areas for Adolescents with An Autism Spectrum Disorder How much agreement exists between the goals that speech-language pathologists and special education teachers address with their adolescent students with an Autism spectrum disorder? The study revealed limited agreement between the goal areas selected by speech-language pathologists and special education teachers. Speech-language pathologists chose goals from the 21st Century Life Skills category as being most important while special education teachers chose goals from the World Languages category as being the most important. Based on the participant pool of five speech-language pathologists and five special education teachers, the survey revealed little agreement regarding goal areas for adolescents with an Autism spectrum disorder. Future research or an expansion of this study should aim to recruit a larger pool of participants from multiple school districts across the state. The results of this study revealed a need for greater communication between speech-language pathologists and special education teachers. More frequent communication between the two groups of professionals could help the generalization and reinforcement of skills taught every day to students who will ultimately transition out of the school system at age 21. KIMBERLY SMELA Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski Effects of Texting on the Ability to Process Auditory Language The main purpose of this study was to determine if texting affects the auditory language one hears or misses while texting. The participants in the control group listened to an audio recording of a narrative. The participants in the experimental group listened to the same recording while simultaneously texting the words to Happy Birthday and The Pledge of Allegiance. Both groups were asked to document the target words they heard after the recording was complete. The participants in the control group correctly answered more target words compared to the participants in the experimental group. It may be possible that speech-language pathologists, parents, and teachers can address texting while listening to language to assist students, teens, and adults how to redirect their attention to retain and process more language from the intended message. DEANNA STAPLETON Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski The Little Things Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students and Recent Graduates Wish They Had Known The purpose of this research is to determine if feedback regarding non-curricular information could assist future students to be more successful in their undergraduate and graduate programs and ultimately in their carriers. A survey developed by the primary investigator (PI) via Qualtrics was used to elicit the perspectives of graduate students and recently graduates speech-language pathologists regarding their educational experience and potential advice they could offer to future students. The survey was ed to 339 individuals (126 graduate students and 213 recent graduates) to ask for their participation in this research study. Participants included 24 graduate students program and 28 recent graduates that met the PIs inclusion criteria. When asked to rate the level of importance regarding topics presented, studying for the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and applying to a graduate program appeared to be the most important to graduate students. Studying for the Comprehensive Examination, studying for the PRAXIS Examination and selecting which facilities to request for externship placement appeared to be the most important. When asked about their difficulty with the topics presented, studying for the GRE and applying for a graduate assistantship appeared to cause the most issues during the undergraduate program for graduate students. Studying for the Comprehensive Examination and selecting facilities to request for externship placement appeared to cause the most issues for recent graduates during the graduate program. When analyzing the rating scale portion and the open-ended responses, there appeared to be a trend with studying and taking the GRE. Other trends were found in the responses of the recent graduates regarding the Comprehensive Examination and scheduling classes. JULIE SWITKES Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski The Effect of Dysfluency Type on Fluent Listeners Perceptions of People Who Stutter The purpose of this study was to examine how dysfluency type affects fluent listeners perceptions of people who stutter. Twenty-seven university students were presented four video clips of speakers, each who exhibited one type of dysfluency: 1) prolongations, 2) blocks, 3) sound repetitions, and 4) interjections. After viewing each clip, participants generated three to five adjectives describing the speaker and completed a Likert scale survey that rated the speakers communicative effectiveness, employability, friendliness, and intelligence. Mean scores suggested that disfluency type does not affect perception of friendliness or intelligence; however, it does affect perception of employability. Analysis of participant-generated traits revealed that repetitions may be viewed more positively than the other types examined. Results of the study may assist speech-language pathologists in developing effective counseling points to be addressed during therapy for stuttering. GILLIAN VELMER Faculty Advisor: Mary Jo Santo Pietro Successful Practices in the Conduct of Aphasia Choirs Around the World The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of structure, goals, and music selection that emerge among aphasia choirs around the globe. Music plays an important role in relaxation, improvement in mood, emotional well-being, socialization, and overall quality of life. Due to its general appeal, accessibility, and its similarities to speech, music is often a tool used to rehabilitate speech for those with neurological impairments, including those living with aphasia following a stroke. Aphasia is a communication disorder that often impairs a person s production and comprehension of language. Research has shown that patients who lose their ability to speak after experiencing a stroke may have a preserved ability to sing (Conklyn, Novak, Boissy, Bethoux, & Chemali, 2012); however, research specific to choral singing and its potential health benefits for this population is lacking. Although choirs for individuals living with aphasia appear to be an emerging rehabilitation tool around the globe, little is known about the structure and methodology of these choirs, nor about the practices shown to be most therapeutic and effective in improving communication skills. A 45-item digital survey was sent to 10 directors of aphasia choirs, previously identified through extensive web searches. A request to the directors to forward the survey to their professional networks was made. Analysis of survey 56 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

31 results will add to the current and emergent body of knowledge regarding successful techniques and practices of aphasia choirs around the world. In addition, the data collected will be used to promote an increase in effective implementation of aphasia choirs, as well as advocate for the aphasic population. This information may be shared with professionals outside of the field of speech-language pathology, including but not limited to, music education, music therapy, and sacred music ministry in order to make community music programs more accessible to individuals living with aphasia. MELISA YAR-PERRY Faculty Advisor: Barbara Glazewski A comparison of the language and literacy knowledge base of teachers and speech-language pathologists With knowledge of the importance of literacy in schools for students and for the importance of accountability of service providers, it is important to identify the language and literacy knowledge bases of teachers and SLPs. The purpose of this study was to identify whether teachers and school-based speech-language pathologists have overlapping knowledge, where the knowledge might overlap, and other language and literacy knowledge that does not overlap. In order for improvement in literacy skills to take place, these knowledge bases along with knowledge of the necessary interventions must be identified. Thirty-seven teachers and 22 speech-language pathologists (47 female and 12 male) were surveyed about their knowledge of language and literacy development and language interventions in school-age children. Survey findings showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Although there are differences in their knowledge bases of literacy, these differences appear to be insignificant. BRITTANY ZANZALARI Faculty Advisor: Alice Chiarello An Analysis of Implementing Vocal Hygiene Training for Collegiate Coaches Professionals that require excessive vocal use for their profession are called professional voice users. For these professionals the voice is a vital tool in imparting knowledge and appropriate voice use is important in maintaining pupils interest (Bele, 2008, p.44). The collegiate coaching populations are susceptible to abusing their voices and potentially require voice therapy through indirect or direct therapy approaches. As stated by Pasa, Oates, & Dacakis (2007) voice problems that emerge as a result of hyerfunctional vocal behaviors can threaten, shorten, or end a career (p. 128). For this study, collegiate coaches were utilized to determine if vocal hygiene training through an indirect therapy approach impacted their vocally behaviors. Seven participants participated, three were randomly assigned to control group A and four to experimental group B. Both groups received a pre assessment questionnaire to determine each participant s baseline functions. Following the questionnaire each group received a powerpoint handout on harmful habits, symptoms, preventive actions, photos of vocal folds, and potential risk factors. The experimental group B received a lecture regarding the handout provided by the principal investigator, and were provided opportunity to ask questions and comment. A post assessment questionnaire was provided to each participant to determine the difference between the pre and post assessment results. Mean scores were calculated and found that control group A increased their mean, and experimental group B decreased their mean score. Experimental group B decreasing their mean score indicate that intervention via vocal hygiene training was beneficial. Findings were favorable for this study. COMPUTER SCIENCE LUIS JIMENEZ, JASON BONAFIDE Faculty Advisor: Patricia Morreale Designing an Accessible Campus Map for Kean University Assistive technology is designed to identify and provide individuals with disabilities independence and equal access to interact with their environment. With this type of assistance, people can maximize their independence and their performance of tasks they were not able to accomplish before. The proposed research will identify one approach for an accessibility campus map to allow a population with mobility impairments to improve their daily experience when navigating through the Kean University campus. This project will integrate an accessible campus map design with an interactive Android navigation mobile application to permit the identification of convenient accessible pathways within campus. In the project design phase, usability studies will be conducted in order to ensure that the application will meet the needs of the users. In the development phase, an accessibility layer will be created on top of Google maps to display the accessible information on campus buildings, including convenient paths. This twophase approach will provide all students and visitors with critical accessibility information about the Kean University campus, while assisting researchers to design better overall user experiences in human computer interaction. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program YERIKA JIMENEZ Faculty Advisor: Patricia Morreale, Christina Gardner-McCune (Clemson University) WATCH: Using App Inventor as a Gateway to Engage African-American Students in Computer Science Workshop for African-American Thinking Computationally and Historically (WATCH) is a program designed to leverage students interest in computing through mobile application development to help them learn History and Computer Science. This poster will report an on-going research project that investigates how historical museum site visits and computational thinking influence the learning processes of rural African American and Latino(a) students. The goal is to foster critical and creative reasoning and help students to become knowledge and artifact producers not just consumers. The study combines historical analysis, fieldwork, and computational artifact creation into a pedagogical approach. This paper will concentrate on the computer sciences aspect of the program, students attitudes toward computing and app development, and students conceptual understanding of computing and computer science concepts. Overall, the authors found that students enjoyed the process of creating mobile applications with App Inventor; learned about variables, if-then statements, and conditionals; and increased their interest in computer science and engineering. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program 58 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

32 GERMAN MONTENEGRO, JASIYA TARIQ Faculty Advisor: J. Jenny Li SoftWare IMmunization (SWIM) for a Phone System Software Immunization (SWIM)[COMPSAC2011] is an approach that combines static program analysis and automatic testing to protect software from certain types of defects. In this paper, we modified SWIM for immunization against intrusions to a phone system. We train the SWIM component to detect intrusions by using existing data collected such as belief states and failure rates to distinguish intrusions from internal malfunctions. Our analysis found that this detection method is effective for defects such as the Cisco phone eavesdrop issue. After the detection, preventive actions can be carried out by the other components of SWIM. Research supported by: Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program DANIEL PAREJA Faculty Advisor: Miguel Mosteiro Algorithmic Mechanisms for Reliable Internet-based Computing under Collusion In this work, using a game-theoretic approach, cost-sensitive mechanisms that lead to reliable Internetbased computing are designed. In particular, we consider Internet-based master-worker computations, where a master processor assigns, across the Internet, a computational task to a set of potentially untrusted worker processors and collects their responses. Workers may collude in order to increase their benefit. We develop game-theoretic models that capture the nature of the problem, and we design algorithmic mechanisms that, for each given set of cost and system parameters, achieve high reliability. Additionally, we study two specific realistic system scenarios. These scenarios are a system of volunteer computing like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), a company that buys computing cycles from computers in the Internet and sells them to its customers in the form of a task-computation service. We show analytically various trade-offs between cost and reliability for both scenarios. We also evaluate empirically the mechanisms designed for mixed equilibria games. Notably, under certain conditions, nonredundant allocation yields the best trade-offs between cost and reliability. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program PURNA PATEL, JARRED BOYKIN Faculty Advisor: Patricia Morreale Teaching Computitional Thinking: Python vs. Java A comparative study was conducted using both Python and Java programming languages to determine which language resulted in greater student understanding of computational thinking. Using pre- and post-assessments and language-specific activities, the reported favorability of each language was measured. The results of this study suggest that the utility of these programming languages varies based on student preparation in math and computer science. Python was found to be more successful in supporting more advanced computational thinking earlier. While Java supports a range of learning styles, introducing Python first encourages less prepared students in computer science. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program YULIA ROSSIKOVA Faculty Advisor: Miguel Mosteiro Dynamic Windows Scheduling with Reallocation We consider the Windows Scheduling problem. The problem is mostly motivated by communication networks, and it appears also in the context of Supply Chain where it is called Inventory Replenishment. In brief, the problem is to schedule the use of communication channels to clients. Each client ci is characterized by an active cycle and a window wi. During the period of time that any given client ci is active, there must be at least one transmission from ci scheduled in any wi consecutive time slots, but at most one transmission can be carried out in each channel per time slot. The goal is to minimize the number of channels used. In previous online models for Windows Scheduling, either decisions are final or clients may be reallocated to another channel at some constant cost. In this work, we extend these models assuming that clients may be reallocated, but for a variety of cost functions. We present online Windows Scheduling reallocation algorithms for different cost functions, including constant and window-size inverse. We evaluate experimentally these protocols exposing interesting trade-offs between reallocation cost and channel usage. TEVIN ROUSE Faculty Advisor: Miguel Mosteiro Dynamic Multiple Message Broadcast in Radio Networks We study a broadcast problem in radio networks where packets are injected for dissemination adversarially at any time and any node. Instead, in the traditional model, one source node has been chosen to send out packets at a certain time to other nodes in the network. The delivery of the packet is considered successful if it reaches all nodes, but the task is challenging because packets may collide while traversing the network. Previous work has shown the runtime of disseminating a single packet from each of k source nodes, as well as bounds for the throughput. Our aim is to maximize throughput when many source nodes coexist, even if some source nodes never transmit. Hence, in our protocol, a source node holding packets continues transmitting as long as its backlog does not go below a certain threshold. The idea is to avoid the overhead of handshaking the right of transmission to other source nodes. We prove that the throughput of the protocol is arbitrarily close to inverse log squared. Based on related known lower bounds, we conjecture that such throughput is optimal. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program CARLOS SILVA, ALLAN GONCALVES Faculty Advisor: Patricia Morreale Crowdsourcing for Public Safety As mobile technology advances, the ability to get real-time accurate data, including photos and videos, becomes a greater part of our lives. Businesses tap into this ability to stay ahead of their competitors. Social Media has made this sharing of photos and videos with others a widely accepted and adopted behavior. This technology can be used to help first responders in emergency situations caused by extreme weather such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and snow storms. Using smartphones, civilians can engage in the recovery process and make it more efficient, which can ultimately save lives and decrease the economic impact caused by extreme weather conditions. 60 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

33 ROMA VACHHANI, JAMES FARHIT Faculty Advisor: J. Jenny Li Diagnosis-Guided Regression Test Refinement The original goal of regression test refinement is to accommodate program changes to insure that new features are property implemented while existing features are not impacted. We found that regression test refinement was also essential for diagnosis of failed tests. This paper proposed and tried out an incremental diagnosis approach to refine regression tests of monotone systems where we use test output patterns to select the most effective test cases from the regression suite for diagnosis. That is, after detection of failed tests, more test data are generated into the regression suite to pinpoint the exact causes of failures. This refinement of the regression test suite is a training process from failed tests, so that the new regression suite is more likely to detect failures and diagnose the causes. BRIAN VEGA, KATHLEEN CEDENO, BRIANA GILBERT Faculty Advisor: J. Jenny Li An Evaluation to Compare Software Product Line Decision Model and Feature Model A key issue in defining a product line is specifying the allowable set of products that will be produced using product line assets, i.e., the scope of the domain. This paper conducts an evaluation to compare two different approaches for defining domain scope, decision model as defined in the Family-oriented Abstraction, Specification, Translation (FAST) process and the feature model as defined in the Feature- Oriented Domain Analysis (FODA) process. The comparison is based on applying the approaches to two examples, one a textbook example and the other to a product line we maintain on an open source website, in order to identify guidelines for improving the identification and representation of a software family. Our conclusion is that decision model includes both commonality and variability definition at software architecture level and thus it is more suitable for larger product line with a significant number of commonality and variability. JIANGYUE YAN Faculty Advisor: Tiffany Y. Tang and Pinata Winoto Campus Tour By Your Phone Every semester we have campus tour for new students and visitors, so it is a huge amount of work for student ambassadors to show all the visitors around the campus. In order to increase ambassadors efficiency, we will design a mobile application with location-aware technology ; that is the application will display classrooms, faculty offices, labs or other university landmarks based on the location of the user. We plan to use Visual Studio Ultimate 2013 to develop a Windows Phone application or a Web Application for users to open in the browser for this purpose. In the later case, Responsive Web Design technologies will be applied. RELIC (Youngfu) WANG, CANDICE (Yuan) CHEN, WILL (Yicheng) WANG, HUI (Yuhui) YOU Faculty Advisor: Tiffany Y. Tang When Arduino Meets Kinect: An Intelligent Ambient Home Entertainment Environment Our project aims to create a gesture-based system used in a party and its reception. The reception part aims to improve the ticket-checking system, which is traditionally boring and complex. With the Kinect sensor, LEDs or lamps, Arduino, and a set of Relay Shield for Arduino, the party part creates an immersive ambient entertainment environment that is responsive and sensitive to the presence of users reflected by their gestures, feet movements, and mood. We use C# to develop Kinect for Windows application to detect a single user (full skeletal) movement and facial expression. Based on his/her hand gesture, we change the image shown in the monitor. Based on his/her feet/leg movement, we change the external LED spotlights controlled via Arduino Uno and its Relay Shield. The speed of limbs movement and facial expression will be transferred into mood detection module. A higher mood will be used to control ambient light and play music at the same time. That said, a USB port will be used to connect the Kinect sensor, and one or two more USB ports will be used to connect to the Arduino kits. A servo-motor will be used to rotate spotlights. XINHE ZHOU Faculty Advisor: Tiffany Y. Tang Are Search Engines Making Us Think Less? A Pilot Study of How Baidu-ing is Depleting Chinese Students Talents of Thinking When information overloads us, computer programs equipped with intelligent techniques can help us quickly filter information and return those that match our goals/interests. These programs include search engines such as Google and Baidu which is crowned as the Chinese Google. A number of previous research efforts have pointed out the negative impacts of, for example, relying on googling on the analytical skills of users. However, there still lacks of studies on Chinese Internet users, which motivates our pilot study here. In particular, this paper aims to provide readers with an understanding of the negative effects the omnipotent browser have on today s young and educated Chinese students. A pilot study consisting of some learning scenarios along with questionnaires will be used. Results lead us to believe that limiting the amount of time spent online for Chinese students is necessary; meanwhile, parents and school authority should provide correct guidance to students to assure them to use the Internet browser in a right way. CRIMINAL JUSTICE LAUREN SPATH Faculty Advisor: Connie Hassett-Walker Disabilities among Correctional Populations, and the Effect on Correctional Officers Stress can affect correctional officers behavior within their institutions. Since correctional officers have a major impact on the success or failure of prisons and jails, research to identify stress factors and possible stress prevention strategies is important. Increasing numbers of prisoners being classified as 62 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

34 having mental illnesses/disabilities cause correctional officers higher on-the-job stress, both in general and through their interactions with those prisoners. This study presents qualitative and quantitative results from a survey with current correctional officers about their on- and off-the-job stress levels, causes of stress, and training received in handling mentally ill/disabled inmates. Research supported by: Kean University, Students Partnering with Faculty (SpF) summer research program DESIGN GRAPHIC DESIGN MARGARET GRZYMKOWSKI Faculty Advisor: Robin Landa Rations Rationalized Rations Rationalized is a poster, or an info graphic of sorts, that I have illustrated for the Food Bank of New Jersey, which informs my viewers on the statistics of hunger both nationally and in New Jersey. The purpose of this illustration was to drive people to help the Food Bank by showing and not simply telling them the statistic, hoping to inspire people to donate non-perishables, or volunteer their time. I wanted to put the statistic of hunger into perspective by comparing it to the many layers of a hamburger. The hamburger represents something that is desirable and easily accessible to many of us, yet not very good for us and often still consumed. Perhaps, with this poster we can show people that the dollar or few dollars they are spending towards a hamburger can be spent feeding a room full of people instead of just one, and in turn diminish the NJ Food Insecurity Rate. RIA VENTURINA Faculty Advisor: Robin Landa Story Concept In my Advertising Design 2 class, we had to create an advertising campaign that tells a story. I created a a mystery, which features a man waking up in a dark room, handcuffed. He doesn t remember who he is or why he s there. While everything around him is falling apart, all he knows is that he has thirty days to figure everything out. This campaign will submerge the viewers in his world. By using real ads as well as a dedicated website, consumers can find real clues and must help him figure everything out. EDUCATION MIDDLE & SECONDARY EDUCATION ERSI BICE, KYLE GAVIN, MUSTAFA MOHAMED Faculty Advisor: Gail Verdi Correlation Between Reading Proficiency and Mathematical Problem Solving in Middle School Classrooms does in fact affect mathematical problem solving ability proves true, it will shed light on the importance literacy has on mathematics. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCES MICHAEL BERRAN, ANTHONY INGATO Faculty Advisor: Carrie Manfrino Are Hurricanes and Major Storms Having a Positive Impact on Little Cayman Reefs? The Cayman Islands are impacted by hurricanes about every four to five years. Recent storms include Hurricanes Ivan and Gilbert, with the strongest being Hurricane Paloma in As major storms push through the islands, they cause physical damage not only to the land but to the ocean life as well. The stronger the hurricane or thunderstorm, the more storm surge it creates which can transform coral into rubble and transfer the debris from the reef to the shore. However, from a meteorological perspective, hurricanes can be beneficial as they help regulate the Earth s temperature by transporting the ocean heat into the atmosphere. Such cooling capabilities can provide coral with quick relief during periods of elevated thermal stress which could otherwise lead to bleaching and potential mass mortality events. The objective of this study is to investigate coral recruitment and regeneration after major storm events in Little Cayman. The hypothesis is that positive reef regeneration through recruitment following a disturbance event may balance with the negative physical destruction to shape the coral community structure. LAURA CAMP, NICOLE SAVVA Faculty Advisor: Carrie Manfrino Flux of Marine Debris on Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches Marine Debris is a major environmental concern that affects many levels of marine life. On remote beaches, where human populations are minimal, marine debris is largely deposited by wind and wave energy. A research program was established at the remote Caribbean island of Little Cayman in 2006 to (i) assess the long-term trends in accumulations in shallow marine environments, coral reefs, and beaches and (ii) potentially mitigate the impact to marine life. In 2011, eight turtle nesting beaches from north and south sides of the island were included in the study where 11,186 liters of debris was collected from 1600 meters of coastline. All visible debris was removed and sorted into categories and measured by weight and volume. As predicted, plastics made up nearly 75% of the debris. The overall volume of debris decreased slightly by 22% in 2012 demonstrating continued high influx of debris annually despite removal. Our long term objectives are to confirm sources of debris, promote solutions to this on-going dilemma, and develop a mitigation strategy to minimize its effects on turtle nesting. In today s society there is more focus of time, money, and effort on improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related fields. However, reading seems to be left in the dark. The goal of our project is to look into whether reading ability affects mathematical problem solving ability. We will use NJ ASK scores and an open ended questionnaire to gain data. If our hypothesis that reading ability 64 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

35 JONATHAN DAVIDSON Faculty Advisor: Carrie Manfrino Effects of a High Wind Storm on Coastal Pollution on Little Cayman Over the past five-years, the world s coastal pollution has increased dramatically with plastics being the lead contributor. With this problem increasing rapidly, it can become highly detrimental to both marine life as well as the future environment. This objective of this study was to quantify the marine debris/ pollution that washes onshore during a high windstorm on Little Cayman. A 520ft² area was selected for study based on natural landmarks and debris patterns along the shoreline of the Jackson Point Cut and studied over a 4-year period. Marine debris was removed from both the tidal and back zones where they were categorized and grouped into size categories. Before the storm 290 items were collected, ranging in size from 1mm to 2 feet, and totaled over 6lbs of garbage. After the storm 188 items were collected primarily from the tidal zone, and were less than 5mm in size also called nurdles. With plastic being the lead contributor to coastal pollution on Little Cayman as well as worldwide, it is starting to become a major issue due to its non-biodegradability. Before this problem progresses, worldwide efforts must be done in order to reduce and illuminate the source of the problem. MARK GITTENS Faculty Advisor: Kikombo Ilunga Ngoy The Effects of Pollution and Urban Run Off in Some of Our Local Rivers in New Jersey I am investigating the effects of pollution and urban run off in some of our local rivers in New Jersey. It is very important to me as an Earth Science major to know what is happening to our Planet; the things that we do that may bring out a postive or negative effect to our enviroment, animal and human life. My methods or approach consist of identifying the problem, making observations, conducting experiments and test. For example testing the nitrate balance of the water and other test that will assist in determining pollution level. My main outcome is to know if some of these rives are polluted and how Urban Run off may affect our rivers. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program KATHERINE HAWKINS, SANA BAIG, DOROTO CZAJKOWSKI, DANIELLE DAVIS, VALERIE KERNIZAN Faculty Advisor: Carrie Manfrino Lagoon Coral Biodiversity and Coverage vs. ph Levels in Waters Surrounding Little Cayman Island Measuring coral reef biodiversity in the Lagoons of Little Cayman as indicators for stress and resilience. Climate change and ocean acidification are threats to the sustainability of coral reef ecosystems. The objective of this study is to relate species richness to carbonate chemistry data, including ph variability, within two inner-shelf lagoons around Little Cayman. Our hypothesis is that community structures will show an inverse relationship between water chemistry variability and coral abundance, diversity, and richness due to the increased environmental stress levels to which the corals are exposed on a daily basis. Results from this study will help predict which coral species may potentially be more resilient or stressed due to effects of ocean acidification. LINDA HOEHMAN, JONATHAN DAVIDSON Faculty Advisor: Carrie Manfrino Four Section Survey of Pollution on Little Cayman Since the 1940s, plastics have been a lead contributor to coastal and marine pollution. These lightweight, non-biodegradable materials are detrimental to marine life, birds, ocean ecosystems, and shorelines. Little Cayman has a resident population of <200 people; thus the vast majority of the plastics found along its coastal areas originate from remotes locations and are washed ashore by wind and waves. The objective of this study is to quantify and remove the marine debris which has accumulated on four sections of beach around Little Cayman. In addition to large items, collection will include nurdles, the fragmented pieces of plastic typically found along the high tide line but which are often overlooked by beach cleanup efforts. Nurdles are small, but they may have huge impact on marine life as well as the health of our future environment. ANTHONY INGATO, DEVON SEPE Faculty Advisor: Feng Qi Visualizing Spatiotemporal Patterns of Influenza Surveillance Data This study uses Geographic Information System to visualize the spatiotemporal patterns of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and confirmed influenza cases during the flu season based on data collected at one of the major influenza surveillance centers of China. The spatial dispersion of ILI and confirmed influenza cases in a central China city is examined at the same time the temporal trend is detected through a series of maps representing the case distributions throughout the flu season. The peak times for each of the seven districts of the City are also derived from the surveillance data and compared based on their geography and demographics. The study serves as a preliminary study of a research project to establish spatiotemporal transmission models of influenza in heavily populated cities. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program EXERCISE SCIENCE ROBERT LOUGHRY Faculty Advisor: Walter Andzel The Effects of a Closed Basketweave Ankle Taping with White Linen Tape, Moleskin and AC-Tape, or no Tape Before and After a Period of Activity The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of a closed basketweave ankle taping with white linen tape, moleskin and elastikon tape, or no tape before and after a period of activity, which included a 20 minute continuous run on an indoor track, to determine the effectiveness of restricting ankle inversion, eversion, plantarflexion, and dorsiflexion. Participants were asked to meet with the researcher four different times. The initial meeting was to obtain baseline measurement, which included age, sex, height, weight, and BMI. Meetings two through four consisted of each taping protocol (control, white linen tape, and moleskin and elastikon) in a random order. Measurements of ankle flexibility were taken before each session, after tape as applied, and immediately after the exercise portion. Eighteen participants completed the study. The results showed that both types of ankle taping did decrease ankle flexibility 66 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

36 when compared to the control, but both lost that ability after exercise. When the two taping protocols were compared there were no significant differences found suggesting that choosing either type of tape would have a similar effect on decrease ankle range of motion. MIKE MAKELA Faculty Advisor: Walter Andzel The Acute Effects of Two Warm-Up Techniques on Peak Torque Production of the Quadriceps The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of a traditional warm-up consisting of dynamic exercises and light aerobic exercise and the acute effects of an aqua aerobic warm-up on peak torque of the quadriceps muscle in intercollegiate athletes. Of the 20 students recruited for the study, 19 completed all testing protocols. During the course of the 3 week intervention, participants randomly completed each of the two warm ups; a traditional warm up consisting of dynamic exercises and aerobic activity performed on a bicycle ergometer and an aqua aerobic warm up. Peak torque of the quadriceps was then tested three minutes following the completion of the warm up. Peak torque testing was completed using the Biodex System. A statistical analysis was performed by completing a paired T-test and significance was set at a confidence level of (p>.05). While the mean peak torque value for the aqua aerobic warm-up was greater than the traditional warm-up ( vs ), a significant difference was not found. The findings indicate that the aqua aerobic warm-up may not be the optimal means of warm up to use when compared to land based warm ups. Although there were no statistical significant differences, professional athletes, intercollegiate athletes, and those who use an aqua aerobic warm-up as a way to prepare for competition, can also utilize a land based warm up without compromising peak torque production. Likewise, the individuals that have not considered aqua aerobic warm-up a useful technique can utilize an aqua aerobic warm-up due to its many beneficial physiological effects without compromising peak torque production. MATTHEW APPLEGATE Faculty Advisor: Walter Andzel Perceived Exertion of Year Old Children During the PACER Test This study was created to look at the relationship between heart rate and perceived exertion in year old children when completing the PACER Test. While there are many studies looking at perceived exertion in children, none to date have used the PACER test as the testing protocol. There were 18 total participants in the study (10 Males and 8 Females) ranging in age from 9-12 years old, from Arbor Intermediate School in Piscataway, New Jersey. The test protocol used was the Fitnessgram Progressive Aerobic Capacity Endurance Run (PACER). The participants completed the PACER Test on two separate occasions, 1 month apart, while wearing a Polar E600 wrist worn heart rate monitor. During each test participants were asked to record ratings of their perceived exertion, both during and at the end of the test, using the OMNI Children s Perceived Exertion Scale. After all data was collected a correlation was ran looking at relationships between heart rate increases and perceived exertion ratings during and after each test protocol. Also, correlations between both of these ratings were done between Test 1 and test 2, for each participant. Although correlations were found, none were high enough to be considered high. Although no significant correlation was found, the relationship between heart rate and perceived exertion needs to be further explored to better understand how children perceive their exertion during fitness test. HISTORY YRYN BELMONTE Faculty Advisor: Xurong Kong Influences of Classical Chinese Literature Upon Japanese Anime Japanese anime, as well as its video games, has been a center of the global entertainment for decades. Few people, however, realize that actual origins of some works are based on the influential literary works of ancient China. This research will examine Japanese anime and video games, and then focus on the relationship between the modern Japanese media and its ancient Chinese counterparts. The premier goal of this study is to present the forgotten influence of Chinese literature on Japanese anime, and its ultimate goal is to increase the appreciation of the influence of literary writing on visual arts in general. STEPHANIE VALENTE, CHRISTINA LEEDY, ANTHONY MCFARLANE, MICHAEL COLLINS Faculty Advisor: Jonathan Mercantini, Elizabeth Hyde Remember Me To...The Newark State Teachers College World War II Letter Collection As the Newark State Teacher s College librarian during World War II, Nancy Thompson preserved over four hundred letters from students serving in the war and noted in her scrapbook, It is the story of the war itself, and of how these men and women came back to our country s children to teach the meaning of freedom. As the hub of a communications network that foreshadowed modern social media, this project consisting of our transcriptions, digital preservation, and analysis of the scrapbook, reveals how a local community was changed by a global event. By mapping this network 70 years later we re-capture the movement of hundreds of people and ideas across the country and around the globe. With the sun setting on the Greatest Generation, this project proudly shares their stories for posterity, but more importantly demonstrates how WWII changed American society. We follow these men and women as they take part in the greatest mass mobilization in American history, from their initial processing at Fort Dix and everywhere between Tokyo and Berlin. The project bears witness to the raw emotions of a generation at war, ranging from the mundane to the momentous; and in telling their hundreds of personal stories, the letters collectively reveal these service men and women wrestling with conflicting values of religious freedom, gender roles, race relations, and other socially sensitive topics. While much has been written on WWII history, Nancy Thompson s scrapbook is one of the last untold stories of WWII. MATHEMATICS DANIA DAVIE Faculty Advisor: George Avirappattu Fourier Transform and Applications in Chemistry Fourier transform is a mathematical process used to convert functions from their time domain to their frequency domain. It involves expanding the signal as a trigonometric sum. The infinite Fourier series is the basis for the Fourier Transform. Systematically, a function is first broken into its trigonometric parts, or transformed, and is then pieced back together using a Reimann sum or integration. This second 68 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

37 process is referred to as reverse transform. This system allows functions to be interpreted based on their frequency fluctuations even if they are recorded as a function of time. This property of Fourier Transform makes it a very useful process for signal and data analysis across many branches of Mathematics and Science. Fourier Transform s most common use in the Chemistry field is as a spectroscopic tool. Many chemical phenomena result in an energy output by a molecule which can be sensed by an instrument. Fourier Transform is used to adjust the raw information and make it comprehensible and interpretable to the scientist. The list of Fourier Spectroscopy instruments includes FT-IR, FT-NMR, FT-Mass Spec and FT-MRI. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program KEVIN GAVIN, ROGER GARCIA Faculty Advisor: Mahmoud Affouf Predator-Prey Model: A Facultative Mutualism Approach Predator-Prey models are used by scientist to predict or explain trends in animal populations. Predatorprey models are useful and often used in the environment science field because they allow the opportunity for researchers to both observe the dynamics of animal populations and make predictions as to how they will develop over time. Our project is to explore a mutualistic system, where each species benefits from the presence of the other species. We will derive a system of differential equations to model the mutualistic dynamics. We use a linearized stability analysis to investigate the equilibrium solutions and present their interpretations. We use mathematical software to study the phase plane diagram of the solutions. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program EVERET HARNETT Faculty Advisor: Mahmoud Affouf The Fractals of Space-Filling Curves In this project we design a fast scheme to graph the Hilbert fractal curve, and discuss its topological dimension. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program PANZY HARVEY Faculty Advisor: Wolde Woubneh New Jersey 2013 Gubernatorial Election Results The purpose of this research is to examine the 2013 gubernatorial election results in New Jersey. We will look at the factors that contributed to a win for the current governor. We will explore how and why people make decision to vote for the governor of New Jersey. We will use Statistical software and statistical methodolgy principles to analyze tha available data from news reports and election results data. We will look at the effect of race, political affiliation, age on the outcome of the election. We will use graphs and charts of the data to describe the numerous factors contributea to the win in the 2013 gubernatorial election. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program KYUHWI KIM Faculty Advisor: Wolde Woubneh Analysis of Obesity According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rate in United States keeps increasing, and if this trend continues, nearly half of the US population will be obese by How bad is obesity in America? What is the effect of obesity on human health? Many researchers have studies the effect of smoking cigarette on health, laws against public smoking have passed and have enforced successfully and the smoking rate has decreased successfully. But there are no laws against obesity and no laws that monitor fast foods industry. Unhealthy foods are available in abundance any where in any town USA. Even school cafteria, sporting and music event stands sell fast foods which exposes children and young adults. This research will expolore the relationships between variables: smoking habits, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other b factors that may cause heart attck and stroke. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program DANIEL MELANDO Faculty Advisor: Raymond Viglione Observing the NYC Subway system using Graph Theory The NYC MTA subway system is a massive grid of transport hubs and railways. We model this system with a graph, and explore its structure. PURNA PATEL Faculty Advisor: Raymond Viglione A Parallelogram Trifecta A new and surprising theorem is presented, involving a given parallelogram, the rectangle produced by constructing its angle bisectors, and its Varignon parallelogram. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program PATRICK SERPICO Faculty Advisor: Wolde Woubneh An Artistic Approach to Learn Mathematics At a young age, students are exposed to mathematics through a scientific approach. This is because math is perceived as a science. It is never really thought that math has an artistic component that would be more appealing to young students. The purpose of this study is to show several artistic applications of how math can be studied and to teach students that learning math through art can be enjoyable. I intend to explore the literature reviewaartistic mathematics on and show concrete examples of math can be learned and taught via artistic approach. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program 70 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

38 JIAYUN ZHU Faculty Advisor: Wolde Woubneh The Incidence of Lung Cancer in New Jersey by County The purpose of this research is to explore Lung cancer data in New Jersey. I intend to study the difference in cancer cases between men and women, explore the differences in lung cancer cases within the 21 counties of New Jersey, study the effect of environment on lung cancer cases, study the smoking behavior of lung cancer patients and other potential causes of lung cancer. I will also explore the effect of income level on lung cancer incidence rate. Preliminary results of this research shows that the incidence of lung cancer among males declined in the past decade while that of females increased. Statistical methodology principles and the SAS statistical Software will used to help analyze the data. NJ CENTER FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS FRED ASANTE, RUTIKA PATEL Faculty Advisor: Dil Ramanathan Detection of Metal Binding sites in peptides and proteins using Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) Studies have shown that metal cations play important roles in biological processes and enzymatic activities. The binding of metal cations (Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+ ) is essential for peptides and proteins to maintain their structural conformation. However, to completely understand the interactions between these metal cations and peptide or protein structures in a more complex biological system, the binding of metal cations to individual amino acid (AA), such as, (L-Tryptophan, L-Phenylalanine ) needs to be understood. In this study, a Thermo Scientific Accela UHPLC and LTQ Orbitrap Discovery mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization (ESI) source was used to detect metal ion binding in amino acids (AA) and peptides. Each AA and, peptides solutions were prepared at 10 ng/µl with metal nitrate solutions of various concentrations (1mM-50mM). All chromatographic separations were achieved on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column with injection volume of 20 µl with a flow rate of 200 µl/min by using a genetal LC-HRMS gradient method. L-Tryptophan, L-Phenylalanine, L-Histidine, L-Cysteine, Glycine and Alanine were detected using the orbitrap at m/z , , , and , respectively. The retention time for L-Tryptophan, L-phenylalanine, L-Histidine, L-Cysteine, Glycine, and Alanine were 3.89, 2.86, 1.06, 1.11, 1.09, 1.1 minutes respectively. The preliminary results show that the cations Na+, K+, and Ag+ bind to L-Tryptophan, L-Phenylalanine, L-Histidine, whereas Zn2+ only binds to Cysteine at varying metal ion concentrations. Also, Li+only binds to L-Histidine. Therefore, in the protein pockets, if any of above mentioned particular amino acids are present, the cation for that specific amino acid would bind resulting in the protein to bind to the cation. In peptides, the glutathione (tri peptide) at m/z was detected with 0.76 minutes retention time. Glutathione binds to Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ag+ at varying metal ion concentrations. To further evaluate the binding of metal ions to proteins, same set of experiment will be performed for other peptides. KELLY BACHOVCHIN, LILY VADEN, KATHERINE THOMAS Faculty Advisor: James Merritt Solid-Supported Exploratory Chemistry for Preparation of a 27,000 Member Compound Collection Combinatorial chemistry is a specialized synthetic technique in which thousands of unique organic molecules can be synthesized simultaneously. The molecules are constructed on tiny polystyrene beads. After construction, the molecules can be removed from the beads and tested in high-throughput biological assays in search of starting points for new drugs. In 2013 we prepared a combinatorial library of 27,000 novel drug-like molecules for biological screening by a local biotech company. Since it is not possible to prepare and confirm the structure of every molecule, representative, quality control, compounds are synthesized in larger quantity using the same general experimental methods. This presentation will describe the solid-supported synthesis and characterization of these novel representative compounds. Research supported by: Kean University, Students Partnering with Faculty (SpF) summer research program QUINTIN FERRARIS, JACQUELYN CALI Faculty Advisor: Dil Ramanathan Comparison of Low Resolution Mass Spectrometry with High Resolution Mass Spectrometry for the Identification of Pharmaceuticals in a Mixture Migrations from High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) and Low Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LMS) to High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) have been made to improve productivity, separation efficiency, linearity, reproducibility, repeatability, accuracy, precision, sensitivity and resolution. UHPLC chromatograms contain peak widths of about 3-5 seconds and a total separation time 1/10th of HPLC. Recent advancements in MS detectors have increased resolution to identify masses with +/-5 ppm mass accuracy. In a previous study, we have answered the question whether the MS detectors can detect as fast as the UHPLC can separate. The focus of this study will be a comparison of UHPLC-LRMS with UHPLC-HRMS to separate a mixture of pharmaceutical drugs. How many pharmaceuticals in a mixture can be identified accurately and precisely? Specifically, scan rate, flow rate, resolution settings will be optimized to identify about 25 pharmaceutical drugs in a mixture. Research supported by: Kean University, Students Partnering with Faculty (SpF) summer research program KHUSHBU GAJJAR Faculty Advisor: Dil Ramanathan Evaluation of Low- and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Techniques for Metabolite Profiling and Identification Preclinical species drug metabolism studies are integral part of drug discovery process to understand and predict the metabolism of drugs in humans. Loratadine (LOR) is a second-generation histamine H1 receptor antagonist drug which is used in the treatment of allergic symptoms. In the present study, LOR and its primary metabolites such as desloratadine (DL), hydroxy desloratadine (OH-DL) and glucuronide metabolites of LOR and DL in plasma and urine of male and female rats treated with a single oral 8 mg/ kg dose of LOR were analyzed by a low resolution LTQ and a high resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometers. 72 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

39 The main purpose of this analysis is to compare the two types of mass spectrometers to understand which type of mass spectrometer should be used to accurately and precisely identify and characterize drugs and their metabolites. Plasma and urine from rats were collected at different time intervals over 48 hours to identify and profile circulating and excretory metabolites. The pharmacokinetics of LOR and DL were also studied. ROGER GARCIA, TEVIN ROUSE, JAMES WALTERS Faculty Advisor: David Joiner Towards Supercomputing Portals in the Sciences: Standards for Portal Development and Prototype Projects for Development We present the current status of a project to develop science education web portals connected to supercomputing resources. Our goal is to tie multiple science portals with supercomputing content into a common framework that can be shared and extended, based off of best practices, open source software solutions, and existing curriculum resources. Work is in progress, and we can report on the selection of specific tools in the Globus toolkit that will be used in portal design, the development of an XML standard for systems dynamics modeling that will allow for large scale optimization of SD problems, and the development of lesson plan material for N-body modeling. A test webpage has been developed that incorporates the GSI C tool from Globus Toolkit to provide a secure procedure that prevents malicious code upload while giving portal capabilities. The Systems Dynamics project explores how simple SD problems can be extended in ways that make use of HPC capability. Ongoing process is being made for creating an XML language for optimization of SD problems. Furthermore, exploration of existing systems dynamics models is being done in a number of packages as well as tools for evaluating those models. The N-Body project is awaiting creation of the web tool until portal prototype development is complete, but a lesson plan has been developed centering around the use of supercomputing software with command line based file creation and submission scripts. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program DAVID MCLEOD, WILLIAM HARNER, RACHEL HESS Faculty Advisor: James Merritt Solution and Solid-Supported Buchwald Synthesis of Potential CCR1 Antagonists The Buchwald reaction is a popular method for the synthesis of substituted anilines. Our prior research suggested that substituted aniline analogs of our pyrrolidine compound series of antagonists for CCR1 might provide potent compounds with improved properties. We have previously prepared potent inhibitors of CCR1, a cell surface receptor that is implicated in multiple sclerosis, multiple myeloma, and various autoimmune diseases. This presentation will describe the Buchwald synthesis and characterization of aniline pyrrolidines which will soon be tested for CCR1 antagonism by our collaborators at Midwestern University. Notably, this is the first time that the Buchwald synthesis has been achieved in this fashion using solid-supported synthesis. Research supported by: Kean University, Students Partnering with Faculty (SpF) summer research program VIKEN PATEL, JUI S. CHAUGULE, KHUSHBU G. GAJJAR Faculty Advisor: Dil Ramanathan Comparison of Capillary Electrophoresis with Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography High Resolution Mass Spectrometry for Determination of Aspartame in Artificial Sweeteners Artificial sweeteners use low-calorie products to replace sugar. Such products have become an essential part of a healthy human lifestyle. Since its discovery in 1965, the most commonly used artificial sweetener has been Aspartame. Aspartame is a methyl ester of aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. Various scientific studies supporting the safety of aspartame have been performed. As approved by the FDA, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for aspartame is 50 mg/kg of body weight. However, the European Food Safety Authority has recommended a slightly lower ADI for aspartame, at 40 mg/kg. The goals of this study are twofold: (1) a comparison of ultra high performance liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) to determine the presence of Aspartame in commonly used sweeteners and (2) to develop a rapid, sensitive, and reproducible method to accurately determine the concentration of aspartame in typical food and beverage products. The method developed on UHPLC-HRMS will focus on the mobile phases, flow rates, retention times, and the limit of quantification (LOQ). The method for CE will include effects of different buffers and CE instrument settings to choose optimal conditions HETAL RANA Faculty Advisor: Dil Ramanathan Identification of volatile organic compounds in beer by Headspace-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Beer is the third most popular drink around the world, after water and tea. It has become a standard and most consumed alcoholic beverage. Beer is made by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of sugar, a process called brewing. The saccharification enzymes, required for fermentation process, are extracted from malted cereal grains like wheat and barley. Female flowers called Hops are used as flavoring agents, which also give bitterness to the beer and act as a natural preservative. Beer is a complex mixture of various compounds such as alcohols, sugars, esters, proteins, ketones and acids. In this study, a rapid and sensitive method is developed to identify and quantify many of these compounds using a TurboMatrix Headspace Trap (TMHST) system connected to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The headspace trap extracts the volatile compounds of beer samples and sends them to the GC. The selectivity and inertness of the stationery phase, the chromatography column (60 m x 0.25 mm x 1.0 µm Elite-5MS), and the gaseous mobile phase give precise retention times to separate the peaks. In the MS, each peak will be further separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio and then identified and characterized. The method developed will be used to create a library of volatile organic compounds present in beer. 74 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

40 NURSING JACQUELINE ARNONE Faculty Advisor: Virginia Fitzsimons Adolescents with Celiac Disease: A Literature Review of the Impact Developmental Tasks Have on Adherence with a Gluten-Free Diet Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease affecting individuals at any time across the developmental lifespan. The only treatment for celiac disease is a lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet to prevent future complications and malignancies. The ratio of occurrence between children and adolescents is 1:104. When the phase of adolescence is coalesced with having celiac disease, normal developmental tasks become more challenging, therefore impacting adherence with the gluten free diet. An abundance of both qualitative and quantitative studies from the Netherlands, Europe, and Canada focusing on adolescents with celiac disease and the gluten-free diet was found in the literature. Conversely, in the United States, there was a dearth of literature examining adolescents diagnosed with celiac disease, their adherence to a gluten-free diet, and their lived experience of having celiac disease. The relevance to nursing practice and recommendations for future research are discussed in light of these findings. STEPHANIE CHUNG, BRENDA SNOW Faculty Advisor: Virginia Fitzsimons ihealth: Creating Accessible Preventative Care for the Future of Your Health The landscape of healthcare is changing dramatically and quickly. Through an examination of two visionary leaders a new approach to health is created. Steve Jobs has been named one of the greatest technological innovators of our time so what if he tackled healthcare? Could his Apple mentality show us how to better lead the future of (preventative) healthcare? Steven Covey has been internationally acclaimed for his habits of highly effective people in search of personal leadership. Could his theoretical model of values, vision and mission help better plan our healthcare? The purpose of our presentation is to use the theoretical framework of Steven Covey to formulate a conceptual healthcare plan based on visionary leadership style of Steve Jobs. Technology in healthcare is evolving and there is an opportunity for it lead preventative healthcare initiatives and cement changes within our new healthcare system. ihealth introduces technological advances and practical approaches to preventative care in our fastpaced society with a nursing perspective. TATIANA LESIV, THERESA PAGAN Faculty Advisor: Katherine Neville Medication Error Reduction during Transitional Care for Patients Aged 65 Years and Older Medication reconciliation, the formal process for identifying and correcting medication errors and discrepancies across transitions of care is widely recommended. As many as fifty percent of medication errors occur during transitions of clients between medical facilities. The elderly, especially clients with complex health care issues and altered cognitive capacities are at higher risk for adverse events due to their inability to participate actively in providing medication history and usage. This project explores the best practice evidence by comparing traditional medication reconciliation to the use of a multidiscipline approach in the reconciliation of medicine in clients 65 year of age and older, during this transition from acute settings to sub-acute settings. The literature search focused on systematic reviews, and case studies that evaluated interventions for medication error reduction in elderly patients transferred from hospital to skilled nursing facilities. Substantial evidence suggests a multidisciplinary approach to medication error reduction as the best practice intervention. However, a consistent finding in the research studies centered on the use of a pharmacist review to identify medication discrepancies in transitional care. Research indicates a computer-based system decreases medication errors by improving legibility and direction, but there are still inaccuracies due to omissions or incomplete entries. Indications for patient safety and quality of care continue to necessitate improvement. Future studies need to explore the role and benefits of nurses as leaders in the coordination of discharge care. HELEN PYNE, KAREN DIPIETRO Faculty Advisor: Kathy Neville Centering Pregnancy versus Standard Prenatal Care in Pregnant Women of Low Socioeconomic Status Prenatal care plays a significant role in prevention of infant mortality. The increase in low birth weight and preterm births, especially in low socioeconomic populations, suggests a need for change. Although standard prenatal care is the conventional model, CenteringPregnancy is a group model and an alternative to traditional care. The purpose of this project is to investigate the evidence of CenteringPregnancy versus the Standard Care model in low socioeconomic populations, related to outcomes of low birth weight and preterm birth. A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using the following databases; COCHRANE, CINAHL, Joanna Briggs, MEDLINE and articles from descriptive studies to answer the PICOT question: In pregnant women of low socioeconomic status, what is the effect of CenteringPregnancy compared to Standard Prenatal Care of low birth weight and preterm birth? Based on the twelve articles examined consisting of evidence from systematic reviews, RCT s and descriptive studies, the review of the literature show a decrease in preterm birth and low birth weight in the group prenatal care model. In group prenatal care, nurses are facilitators and leaders with a central role as educator, to improve outcomes in pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. Nursing Research has the potential to further investigate the impact group prenatal care has on perinatal outcomes. DONNA REINBECK Faculty Advisor: Virginia Fitzsimons Examining the Effects of Bedside Shift Report on the Patient Experience A 31-bed Medical/Surgical Oncology unit at a large community hospital, sought ways to create an atmosphere of safety and trust that would improve the overall patient experience. The nurses implemented bedside shift report which allows for active patient participation and verification of information and creates an environment that promotes safety and focuses on communication and patient centered care. Patient centered care can be defined as, improving health care through the eyes of the patient, often measured by patient experience surveys such as the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Improving the patient experience involves changing the current culture of the way nurses practice and communicate with each other and with their patients. One way to improve these communications is to commit to bedside shift report. Historically nursing shift to shift reports have occurred at a central nursing station on a patient care unit. Patient history, plan of care and information vital to the care of the patient are exchanged during this time. This traditional 76 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

41 practice of one way communication from the off-going provider to the oncoming nurse can be lengthy, incomplete and fraught with interruptions. This hand off occurs with no patient involvement which can lead to errors, confusion about treatments, diagnosis and medications. Moving report to the bedside improves transparency between the healthcare team and the patient. The patients are able to hear exactly what their plan of care entails and are free to add any pertinent information. Achieving this level of communication does not come without establishing trust between the nursing staff and the patients. Nurses must demonstrate empathy, respect and compassion in order to establish this type of relationship. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY DANIELLE DERIGGI, JILL BYORIS, ADAM KISTY Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Gardner Sensory Modulation Treatment versus Traditional Stress Management Techniques in Regulating the Arousal Level of Adults Living with a Mental Illness Occupational therapists in mental health collaborate with their clients to help find ways that allow for successful participation in daily life. Sensory modulation dysfunction is common with mental illness, which results in irregular states of arousal that limits one s ability to function optimally in daily activities. Typical interventions for the mental health population include stress management techniques which incorporate coping skills and relaxation methods. However, it is a broad generalization to believe that all individuals with a mental illness need to relax and lower their level of arousal. Sensory modulation intervention provides an individualized method to allow the clients to determine various strategies that either heighten or lower levels of arousal, which promote their optimal level of arousal for function. Using a repeated measures design, the study will compare two types of intervention sensory modulation intervention and stress management intervention in a partial hospitalization/outpatient setting. The results of the study will provide valuable information that will help clinicians to provide more effective treatment to mental health patients in partial hospitalization/outpatient settings. This work also contains contributions from Alana Jogan and Elizabeth Padykula. PAULINE ESKANDER, NAOMI COHEN, REBECCA JONES, KYLE CRONIN, KIRSTEN FRISCH Faculty Advisor: Mariann Moran A Qualitative Study of Adherence to Orthotics with Individuals Diagnosed with Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis This qualitative study seeks to discover factors that influence clients compliance to their orthotic (splint)- wearing regiment for carpometacarpal osteoarthritis (CMC OA). Many occupational therapists and certified hand therapists fabricate orthotics for individuals diagnosed with CMC OA in order to prevent further damage to the joint. This study proposes that by understanding what factors influence a client s compliance to their orthotic regimen, therapists can then fabricate orthotics that match the individual s needs and ultimately increase the likelihood of client compliance. The present study will examine the subjective experiences of those who have been prescribed a CMC OA orthotic. We plan to analyze common themes and find similarities among each interview that will provide future insight and guidance for occupational therapists when designing and fabricating orthotics for their clients. We predict that there are many personal and physical factors that influence whether an individual will wear their orthotic; this study will present valuable information that will help improve the design and implementation of CMC OA orthotics in future occupational therapy practice. ASHLEY HAGUE, DEBRA JOHNSON, JACLYN JANICKY Faculty Advisor: Claire Mulry The Impact of a Fall Prevention Program on Fall Frequency and Self-Perceived Mobility Confidence of Individuals in a PACE Program Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries and unintentional injury deaths in older adults in the United States, and are a significant contributor to health care costs (CDC, 2012). Fear of falling is an important risk factor in older adults because it can lead to reduced physical activity, which results in loss of strength and physical function, which thereby increases the risk of future falls (Delbaere, Crombez, Vanderstraeten, Willems, & Cambier, 2004). Both injuries from falls and the fear of falling can have a significant impact on a person s ability to remain in their home and participate in their desired occupations. This study sought to determine the impact of a OT designed fall prevention program on fall frequency and self-perceived mobility confidence among individuals in a Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). The research study included a multi-modal fall prevention program, which included a one-hour education session followed by eight fall prevention dance sessions. Fall frequency and mobility confidence were measured pre- and post-intervention, results are pending. JESSICA KIRSCH, JUAN CARLOS CASTELLANOS, MICHAEL MORAN Faculty Advisor: Mariann Moran Effectiveness of modified constraint-induced movement therapy in improving upper extremity function in school-aged children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy using the Assisting Hand Assessment and Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function The purpose of this study is to identify improvement of upper extremity function in school-aged children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) as a result of receiving modified constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) treatment in a three-week camp setting. This study will gather data regarding the effectiveness of modified constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) treatment on school-aged children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy thus adding credible research to the evidence based practice of occupational therapy. We will conduct a retrospective quantitative data analysis of medical charts spanning 3 years. This research study will focus on analyzing scores obtained from the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function (MUUL) and the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA), which were used to measure the child s upper-limb function. Upon completion of the analysis, we expect to find that school-aged children with hemiplegic CP who receive 3 weeks of modified CIMT and formal occupational therapy treatment throughout the year will show significant improvements in function on the MUUL and AHA post-treatment in comparison to the group who only received modified CIMT treatment for 3 weeks. We also expect that the analysis will reveal significant functional maintenance on the MUUL and AHA year to year for the group that received modified CIMT and formal occupational therapy treatment in comparison to the group who only received modified CIMT. This work also includes contributions from Narili Patel, Ashley Greenspan, and Marissa Gordon. 78 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

42 RUTH MA, KAITLYN GALL, MICHELLE RAKOVSKY Faculty Advisor: Mariann Moran Can an iphone app be a new reliable and valid way to confidently measure pronation, supination, flexion, and extension of the wrist and forearm? A criterion validity study used to compare the Angle app to the long arm goniometer Goniometry serves as a reliable and valid instrument to measuring joint range of motion utilized by many healthcare professionals to address and assess functional impairments as well as assess rehabilitative status. The increase in accessibility of smartphones enables both professionals and evntually clients to use the smartphone goniometer application as an alternative method to measure joint range of motion. The purpose of this research study is to establish validity as well as inter and intra-rater reliability of the iphone application, Angle. We specifically will be measuring wrist flexion/extension, and forearm supination/pronation. We will then compare our results to the gold standard long arm goniometer. By studying the use of the iphone application Angle and determining if it is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring wrist and forearm range of motion, this technology can lead to a new alternative instrument that can be utilized in future practice to enhance client outcomes. This work also includes contributions from Gonzalo Garcia, Beatrice Alexis, and Estee Saks. BRITTANY SIMMS, ZUZANNA DABEK, BRIELLE HASSA, RACHEL FISCH, MICHAEL LAKE Faculty Advisor: Mary Falzarano How Scores on the COPM Change Across Factors for Children Receiving CIMT Occupational therapy is a health care profession that enables people to participate in their meaningful occupations that they want and need to do in order to live a fulfilled life. One form of occupational therapy intervention is constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), which encourages the child with hemiplegia to use their affected arm by constraining the sound arm during therapeutic exercise and functional use [self feeding, dressing, play] (Coker, Lebkicher, Harris, & Snape, 2009). This study investigates the changes in scores for children receiving CIMT at a local camp-based setting who are assessed with the Canadian Occupational Therapy Measure (COPM). Secondary data from the COPM has been reviewed from the charts of these children and will be entered into an SPSS program to discover how the goals and scores identified on this assessment change over time across the factors of age, gender, frequency/ duration of attendance at the CIMT camp and if and when the children receive botox. Initial data analysis suggests improvement in self-reported performance and satisfaction scores as well as a trend towards identifying goals such as feeding with two hands, zippering and buttoning clothing, holding a lunch tray at lunch and braiding hair. Upon completion of data analysis findings will be useful for OT practitioners, parents and neurologic pediatricians who work with children with hemiplegia. PHYSICAL EDUCATION, RECREATION AND HEALTH JOHN PLACCA Faculty Advisor: Gwen Cleaves Inducible Reciprocating Tachycardia in Collegiate Football Player Inducible Reciprocating Tachycardia in a Collegiate Football Player uses a case study approach in investigating the use of a cardiac catheter ablation as a technique for correction of a heart arrhythmia. This unique case involves a collegiate level football player who began suffering from bouts of tachycardia during football scrimmages. The poster is presented from an athletic trainer s perspective of managing the condition, which includes background, differential diagnosis, uniqueness, and treatments of the cardiac abnormality. SARAH RODMAN Faculty Advisor: Gwen Cleaves Grade I Bilateral Degenerative Spondylolisthesis of L5-S1 With a L5 Pars Articularis Defect in a Collegiate Women s Volleyball Player A 19 year-old female Division III collegiate volleyball player suffers from a bilateral L5 pars articularis defect. Athlete also presents with a 5mm anterolisthesis of L5 on S1, resulting in spondylolisthesis. Athlete complained of radiating low back pain for a few months in high school. Athlete stated she could not sit for more than an hour before having a sharp, radiating pain run down her leg into her knee from her low back. Initial assessment showed a normal lumbar curve/lordosis and the right iliac crest/right PSIS was elevated. An MRI showed that the athlete had a degenerative disc disease and above L5-S1 was benign, a grade I spondylolisthesis, mild facet arthrosis, and slight scoliosis. X-rays showed a bilateral L5 pars articularis defect with a 5mm anterolisthesis of L5 on S1 and at the first spinal segment a spina bifida occulta. Spondylolisthesis is a displacement of a vertebra either anteriorly (anterolisthesis) or posterior (posterolisthesis). There are four grades: Grade I is a 1-25% slip, Grade II is a 26-50% slip, Grade III is 51-75% slip and Grade IV is a % slip. Spondylolisthesis has six major types: dysplastic (congenital), isthmic, degenerative, traumatic, post-surgical, and pathologic. Degenerative spondylolisthesis is more common in elderly patients in ages over 50, even more so in individuals over 65. It also is typically found in the L4-L5 (most common) and the L3-L4 levels. It is relatively rare in other levels of the spine. POLITICAL SCIENCE ALEXANDER GATTO Faculty Advisor: Lawerence Chang U.S. Perception of and Response to the Rise of China The rise of China into the country and modern power that is in present day had arguably started in 1979 with the progression of modernization and industrialization taking form as a manufacturer that could meet the demands of the world around it. The U.S. has long been a superpower and economic giant in 80 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

43 the global economy. It is because of this standing on the political, economic, and militaristic world stage that U.S. foreign policy becomes the product of the perceptions it (The U.S.) has on the world around it, and the countries that rise to power as well. This research will investigate and analyze the basis of U.S. perception of China starting as early as 1969 up to the present day. The U.S. s response to the rise of China s economy, military capability and modernization, as well as the Chinese role in the global economy as a major power in the modern day, as a reflection of perceptions, American foreign policy, and the approaches undertaken by the U.S. in dealing with the rising of China. PSYCHOLOGY JESSICA BOMM Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh The Relationship Between Smartphone Access and Anxiety The purpose of this experiment was to determine the relationship, if any, between smartphone access and anxiety levels. Research shows a majority of young adults have smartphones and use them to access social media sites via applications at all times during their day. The ability to be connected through networking sites at any given moment, while remarkable and convenient, can also lead to a dependency which can lead to stressful consequences when the smartphone is absent. Participants in this experiment were asked to forfeit their smartphones for the duration of a class period and after were asked to rate their anxiety levels. Data was also collected in respect to smartphone utilization, such as, time spent on social media sites. NICOLE DEPOORTERE Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh Aromas, Moods, and Memory The present study was designed to determine whether there is a relationship between aromas and the emotions and memories they evoke. Researchers have found that certain aromas do in fact inspire specific moods. For example, androstenol, a musk-like scent, when in the presence of women has been shown to make them warmer and friendlier. In the present study participants will be asked to smell cinnamon, lavender, lemon, and peppermint. They will then be asked to identify the scent, describe the emotion they feel, and recall a memory related to the scent. It is hypothesized that these scents will vary in terms of level of recognition, and they will inspire similar mood states across participants. DAMARIS DOMINGUEZ Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh Students Perceptions of Relaxation Techniques The present study was design to study the effectiveness of students perceptions of relaxation techniques. The participants were divided into two groups; one group experienced warm autogenic relaxation while the other group experienced a combination of music and visual imagery. All participants were asked to fill out a survey measuring their stress levels before and after the technique. The goal of this study was to understand students perceptions of the effectiveness of each technique as well as increase the knowledge on the benefits of different relaxation techniques. It was hypothesized that the results would confirm findings on previous studies on the benefits of relaxation techniques. ZULLY GALABAY Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh The Effect of Note Taking Techniques on Retention Note taking used to mean manually writing information down on paper, however over the years technology has advanced tremendously and has created alternatives for note taking. Today, many rely on distinctive studying methods in order to academically perform well; from manually writing down lecture notes on paper, to tape-recording a class, or even relying on more advanced technology such as laptops and ipads. In this study the effectiveness of two different types of note taking methods will be investigated. The potential goal is to offer a clearer picture of which note taking method benefits recollection of material. Half of the participants watched a fifteen minute documentary and were instructed to manually take notes on the information presented, while the other half were instructed to take notes using a laptop computer. Participants then answered questions about specific details presented in the video to access their retention of the information. It was hypothesized that manually taking notes will result in better performance. THOMAS GAMBINO Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh Positive Encouragement and Performance The purpose of this study is to see if encouragement affects performance. Past literature has supported the positive impact encouragement has on performance. Encouragement or praise has been found to increase athletic performance as well as academic performance. However, the type of encouragement can lead to very different outcomes. This study will require participants to complete a difficult maze while receiving either encouraging comments (you re doing fine, you re doing great) or comments to frustrate or slow them down (you re taking too long, hurry up). The hypothesis is as positive encouragement increases, the faster the maze will be completed and the likelihood participants will not complete the maze will decrease. KYLIE LEVY Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh The Effect of Clothing and Religious Practices on Perception of Personal Previous studies have been conducted exploring the relationship between outer appearances and perceptions of others. Depending on the variables manipulated, studies have produced significant results. The current study manipulates clothing as the independent variable and measures positive and negative attributes assigned to the person wearing the outfit including hireability, outgoingness, dateability and professionalism. The outfits varied from modest to provocative wear. Participants religious practices were also assessed to determine its effect on clothing perception. It was hypothesized that clothing characterized as modest wear will be attributed to more positive characteristics as well as a serious and responsible disposition, while clothing which is characterized as provocative will be attributed to less positive characteristics and a fun and outgoing disposition. In addition, clothing that is 82 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

44 characterized as casual will have a variety of both positive and negative characteristics, and both a fun and outgoing disposition. COLLEEN QUIRK Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh Music and Concentration Music has a substantial influence on the way humans concentrate on various daily tasks. Different types of music may have strong positive or negative effects on the way humans concentrate. For example, upbeat music with many lyrics may be distracting and therefore negatively affect concentration while classical and instrumental music may be relaxing and therefore positively affect concentration. Participants were asked to take a concentration test for four different trials. During three of the four trials, each participant was asked to listen to three different music genres and then complete one trial with no music at all. It was hypothesized that when participants listened to classical music they would be positively affected and complete the concentration test more quickly. CRISTINA RUIZ Faculty Advisor: Verneda Hamm Baugh The Relationship Between General Self-Efficacy, Goal Setting Preferences, and the Effect of Forced Planning on Emotion The present study was designed to examine the relationship between general self-efficacy, goal setting preferences, and the effect of forced planning on emotion for those who are close or far from reaching their goal. Research has shown that holding beliefs of self-efficacy, and performing process simulations of future goals results in better performance and achievement. Research also shows that individuals in poor goal standing tend to experience negative emotions when they are forced to plan. Participants completed a general self-efficacy scale. Following completion of the scale they indicated their preference for the outcome or process based approach and then were forced to plan one life goal using the process-based approach and indicate whether they were close to or far from achieving the goal. Lastly, a projective word-stem task was completed to indicate whether participants were experiencing distress after the planning task. It was hypothesized that those with lower general self-efficacy would prefer the outcome-based approach and experience distress after the forced planning task. CHARLES ZAPATA Faculty Advisor: Richard Conti The Effects of Malingering and Deception on Jury Decision Making Two studies were conducted to examine the impact of malingering and deception on jury decision making. In study 1, participants (N = 209) read a simulated case involving an automobile accident and evidence was presented that the plaintiff was either honest, exaggerating, or malingering in describing his symptoms. According to the law, compensation should be awarded solely by the severity of the plaintiff s injury. In addition, participants completed the Belief in Just World Scale (BJW), the Revised Legal Attitudes Questionnaire (RLAQ), and a demographic questionnaire. The results of study 1 indicated that the plaintiff s conduct and participant scores on the BJW and RLAQ had a strong impact on damage awards, but not to the degree expected. Participant gender also influenced damage awards with males recommending larger awards in the honest condition. In study 2, participants (N = 147) read either a summary of a criminal case in which evidence was presented that the defendant was malingering or another version where no such evidence was presented. Participants also completed the BJW, the RLAQ, and a demographic questionnaire. According to the law, malingering is considered obstruction of justice and a defendant s sentence may be enhanced by the Court. Results indicated that defendant malingering, and participant scores on the BJW, RLAQ, and demographic indices were related to the recommended sentence. PSYCHOLOGY - ADVANCED STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY COMBINED SCHOOL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY ANGELA ALMEIDA, TARA CALAFIORE Faculty Advisor: Andrew Wolanin Experiential Avoidance and Psychological Flexibility as Captured by AAQ-II, DERS, FFMQ, and MEAQ; A Correlational Study There is strong support for experiential avoidance as a core construct underlying many forms of psychopathology (Gamez, Chmielewski, Kotov, Ruggero, & Watson, 2011). Although this relationship continues to be established there is debate over how to best measure this construct. The reason for this appears to be multi-faceted, specifically in that there is support that current measures may lack the ability to measure the different manifestations of experiential avoidance. Hayes (1996) suggests that most if not all psychopathological classifications involve problems arising from private experiences; however, the form that avoidance takes is typically syndrome specific. This study suggests that the manifestation of experiential avoidance and its relationship to pathology are important treatment implications. However due to a lack of adequate measures, psychologists are unable to adequately examine the relationships between dimensions or forms of experiential avoidance and pathology. The purpose of this study was to compare current measures of experiential avoidance and psychological flexibility as they relate to more adaptive mindfulness and emotion regulation skills. A sample of 144 college students were administered the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ) to assess these constructs. A correlational analysis was conducted on the AAQ-II, MEAQ, DERS, and FFMQ, in order to assess the difference in relationships between the AAQ-II compared to the DERS, FFMQ and MEAQ. AMANDA ASTER, REBECCA SMITH-CASEY, AGNES LENDA Faculty Advisor: Frank Gardner Comparing the Relationship Between Negative Affect and Affective Verbalizations in Court- Mandated Violent Offenders: A Continuation of a Pilot Study The present study is a continuation from a pilot study that examined the relationship between negative affect and affective verbalizations subsequent to exposure to a series of videos selected to elicit emotions related to anger. The population consisted of clients mandated for an Anger-Reduction Program through a University-based community based-behavioral health care center, and recruited specifically for this study, in addition to a non-clinical population matched control group composed of male participants 84 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

45 recruited from the campus community at an urban University in the northeastern United States. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the Total Negative Affect Score and total number of affective verbalizations of the clinical and control group. Results from the current study produced similar results found in the pilot study conducted by Aster, Smith-Casey, & Gardner (2011). As such, following viewing of the anger video provocation, there was a significant difference between mean scores of total negative affect and affective verbalizations expressed between the clinical and the control group. One theoretically consistent explanation for these differences may be the non-clinical control group having greater emotional awareness, as well as being more open to having affective reactions to the video clips. These results are supportive of and consistent with the Anger Avoidance Model proposed by Gardner and Moore (2008), suggesting that individuals with clinically relevant anger dysregulation do not allow themselves to experience emotions, such as anger. GAUTAM BHASIN, BARBARA PREMPEH, RACHEL PESS Faculty Advisor: Daniela Colognori Initial Effectiveness and Satisfaction of a School-Based Group Anxiety Program for Elementary and Middle School-Aged Youth in a Parochial School District Anxiety disorders are prevalent among children and adolescents, yet are associated with lower rates of service utilization compared to other common classes of childhood disorders such as ADHD and conduct disorders (Merikangas et al., 2009). Research showing that untreated anxiety in youth predicts risk for mood and anxiety disorders at later ages (Cole, Peeke, Martin, Truglio, & Seroczynski, 1998; Reiger & Robins, 1991), as well as suicide attempts and psychiatric hospitalizations (Ferdinand & Verhulst, 1995; Klein, 1995; Pine et al., 1998), underscores the need for early identification and intervention. Schools may be an optimal venue for accessing anxious youth and delivering treatment in the school setting may minimize barriers such as cost, transportation, and stigma associated with seeking care at community clinics (Catron, Harris, & Weiss, 1998; Wu et al., 1999). School-based intervention has received a great deal of attention in the past decade, with mounting support for the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs targeting anxiety (see Herzig-Anderson, Colognori, Fox, Stewart, & Masia Warner, 2012; Neil and Christensen, 2009) The present study aims to examine the initial feasibility and effectiveness of a school-based group intervention for childhood anxiety in a population of 13 elementary and school-aged children enrolled in a suburban parochial school. Participants, their parents, and teachers were asked to complete a broad-band report of child behavior (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2006), and participants also completed a self-report measure of anxiety (MASC-2; March, 2010), before and after group treatment. The intervention used for this study was a cognitive-behavioral program called Group Behavioral Activation Treatment (GBAT; Chu, Colognori, Weissman, & Bannon, 2009), a 10-week group program designed to decrease anxiety in youth with content focusing on psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, and exposure. Results provided partial support for the initial effectiveness of a group behavioral intervention addressing anxiety symptoms in students at a parochial school, as students levels of anxiety improved according to parent report on both outcome measures, although post-treatment means still represent scores above the normal range. BRAD FECHTER, ILYSE O DESKY Faculty Advisor: Don Marks Noticing a Neglected Learning Problem: Neuropsychological Predictors of Nonverbal Learning Disorder The diagnosis of nonverbal learning disability (NLD) has been a source of significant controversy in the psychological assessment of children. Applied to a subgroup of children who are competent in verbal ability (with average to high verbal IQ) but weak in nonverbal domains, particularly visual-spatial abilities, NLD has also been associated with a variety of interpersonal and behavioral difficulties. Although parents, teachers, and school psychologists regularly identify children who match the NLD profile, the disorder was not included in the DSM-5, and it is not recognized in the ICD-10. From a clinical standpoint, NLD is typically identified by the presence of a striking discrepancy between measures of verbal and non-verbal intelligence, which is also commonly found in autism spectrum disorders. In NLD, however, this discrepancy occurs in the absence of autism spectrum disorder symptoms, such as a restricted pattern of interests, inflexible adherence to nonfunctional routines, stereotyped movements, preoccupation with parts of objects, and lack of spontaneous sharing of interests or enjoyment. Moreover, NLD has also been associated with interpersonal communication problems and depressive symptoms. This study, which examined archival neuropsychological profiles from 68 children, ages 6- to 12-yearsold, who were evaluated for a variety of learning problems, considered whether several specific patterns of neuropsychological outcomes associated with the diagnosis of NLD can serve as predictors of the disorder s characteristic discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal intelligence. Specific predictive patterns examined included: 1) visual-constructive and fine-motor impairment; 2) poor mathematical achievement at school paired with average or above reading decoding ability; 3) spatial working memory deficits; 4) emotional and social difficulties; and 5) executive functioning deficits. AGNES LENDA, BRAD FECHTER, KAROLINA KOWARZ Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Lerner An Exploration of the Psychological Constructs Associated with Facebook Use Despite Facebook s immense popularity and expanding membership, minimal research has explored processes which perpetuate its use. Past exploratory studies have indicated a connection between Facebook use and depression, stress, and anxiety (Aiello et al., 2011; Dickstein-Fischer, 2011); however, more recent explorations using validated measures of such symptoms failed to establish a connection between daily time spent using Facebook and symptomology (Lenda, Fechter, Kowarz, Barrasso, & Block-Lerner, 2012). While Facebook use was not associated with negative affectivity, the acceptance component of mindfulness, as measured by the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale (Cardaciotto et al., 2008), was negatively associated with using Facebook (Lenda et al., 2012). Such findings illustrate that certain psychological processes are associated with Facebook use, or with the individuals who spend more/ less time on the site. Given the pervasiveness of use and time spent on social media, it is imperative to explore whether and in what ways use may be problematic. This exploratory study aims to further examine correlates of Facebook and predictors of parameters of use. Results begin to elucidate the role certain psychological processes may play in the use of Facebook. Individuals who spend more time on Facebook were more likely to agree that Facebook is part of their daily routine, that they feel out of the loop when not on Facebook, that Facebook makes them stressed, and that Facebook interactions have caused them anxiety on occasion. Also, individuals who are less satisfied with life, as measured by the Satisfaction 86 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

46 with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985), appear to spend more time on Facebook. Interestingly, those who are more self-compassionate, as measured by the SCS, are less likely to endorse investment in Facebook and negative consequences associated with its use. Thus, self-compassion may play a critical role in how individuals relate to Facebook. Findings should be corroborated with validated measures, and within the context of longitudinal and experimental designs. LINDSAY MORAN, NICOLETTE RITTENHOUSE, JANICE AUTERA, RACHEL PESS Faculty Advisor: Daniela Colognori Teacher Attitudes about School-based Mental Health in Two Parochial Schools The high prevalence and impairment associated with childhood anxiety disorders, coupled with low service utilization among this population, provide support for school-based identification and intervention. This study will examine teachers attitudes regarding the delivery of mental health intervention in the school setting, and whether attitudes changed following implementation of a schoolbased intervention in their school. Implications for school professionals and school-based intervention will be discussed. RACHEL PESS, LINDSAY MORAN, SARA GLAZER Faculty Advisor: Daniela Colognori School-based Identification of Anxiety Disorders in Children: An Examination of Concordance between Parent, Teacher, and Child Self-Reports Despite the high prevalence rates of anxiety disorders in youth, service utilization is among the lowest across childhood disorders (Merikangas et al., 2009). Considering that efficacious intervention exists (Walkup et al., 2008), problems with identification of anxiety and access to treatment are likely responsible for such low service utilization. Unlike adults, youth cannot refer themselves for treatment, and instead rely on parents and teachers to recognize problems and take action to address them. However, research has shown that adults are not particularly skilled at detecting internalizing problems. Parents and teachers are often in disagreement on ratings of internalizing disorders in children (Grietens et al., 2004), with one study showing that agreement in identifying internalizing symptoms is lowest for rater pairs involving teachers when compared to parent-child dyads (Stanger & Lewis, 1993). Conversely, Mesman and Koot (2000) found that teachers are more likely than parents to notice anxiety and related difficulties. The present study aims to clarify these mixed findings by comparing parent, teacher, and self-ratings of anxiety. Participants completed the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (BASC-2; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004), a broad-band report of child behavior, as well as the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Second Edition (MASC-2; March et al., 1997), a self-report of anxiety for children and adolescents. Parent and child ratings of anxiety symptoms were found to be positively correlated, suggesting that they may have similar perspectives, although paired t-tests revealed children rated their symptoms as more severe than parents. These results are consistent with previous research suggesting that children may be the best informants when assessing for internalizing symptoms. Teacher anxiety ratings were not significantly correlated with either parent or child ratings, which suggests that teachers may not be reliable informants for identifying anxiety in youth. Screening outcomes analyzed categorically across all informants were significantly different. This overall pattern of preliminary findings suggests that teachers and parents may benefit from psychoeducation regarding the signs and symptoms of internalizing disorders. This work also includes the contributions of Amanda Aster, Angela Almeida, Janice Autera, Nicolette Rittenhouse and Alisha Thom. JEREMY SCHREIBER, CHARLES ZAPATA Faculty Advisor: Andrew Wolanin, David Brandwein Establishing A Norm: MCMI-III Results from State Referred Child Custody Litigants Abstract: Among forensic evaluations, child custody evaluations are perhaps the most volatile. Emotions can run high among parents as evaluation results can be life changing. A frequently used measure in this population to assess response style is the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III (MCMI; Millon, 1994; Millon, 1994; Million, Davis, & Millon, 1997). Recently, researchers (e.g. McCann et al., 2001, Blood, 2008) have been publishing MCMI-III results for child custody litigants. Results have demonstrated a common theme of elevations on certain scales indicating these individuals seek to present themselves in a positive manner. The goal of this presentation is to provide normative information about how 254 state referred, child-custody litigants in New Jersey performed on the MCMI-III. Additionally, these results will be compared to results from previous studies. Information such as demographics and history have been gathered from the reports of child custody evaluations and coded by graduate research assistants. KENDAHL SHORTWAY, LINDSAY MORAN Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Block-Lerner, Self-Compassion as a Predictor of Campus Integration Across Two College Student Samples Community feel, or empathic bond (contributing to enhanced quality of life) and connectedness (predictor of trait anxiety, chronic loneliness, social mistrust, depression, guilt, and student persistence) are two factors especially important to target in the college student population; this may be achieved through targeting the process of self compassion. If self-compassion is associated with campus connectedness specifically, this argues for implementation of certain types of trainings (e.g. Acceptance and Commitment Training which targets self compassion) to be used with college students who may be at risk for mental health related problems as well as attrition. Participants were recruited from two college campuses and were given the following measures: Self-Compassion Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and a measure of student integration (the Campus Connectedness Scale in one sample and an investigator-created measure of involvement in extracurricular activities in the other sample). Findings indicate that elements of self-compassion relate to involvement in different types of activities (e.g., correlation between self-kindness and involvement in multicultural activities; between common humanity and involvement in community service), some of which are, in turn, related to life satisfaction (SWLS and co-institutional involvement; Sample #1) and that self-compassion as a whole is significantly associated with campus connectedness, which in turn is related to satisfaction with life (Sample #2). REBECCA SMITH-CASEY Faculty Advisor: David Brandwein Faking Good on the MCMI-III: A Comparison of Court Mandated Anger Probationers and Parental Litigants Research has demonstrated that certain profiles on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory III (MCMI- III) are typical in high stakes evaluations, particularly in the context of parental custody evaluations 88 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

47 (e.g. McCann, Flens, Campagna, Collman, Lazzaro, & Connor, 2001; Blood, 2008; Stredny, Archer, & Mason, 2006; Lenny & Dear, 2009), which generally have shown elevations on the Desirability, Histrionic, Narcissistic, and Compulsive scales in combination with low scores on the Debasement scale. In the context of forensic populations, personality measures are often used as part of a more comprehensive evaluation to provide information about competence to proceed in a criminal matter, criminal responsibility, and risk assessment (Duellman & Bowers, 2004). Specifically in assessments for parole and probation situations, personality assessments are used to determine risk of suicide potential, risk for violence, the need for treatment, and issues related to recidivism (Edens, Cruise, & Buffington- Vollum, 2001). It is likely that in these high-stakes situations, examinees will often be motivated, like parental litigants, to portray themselves as relatively free from shortcomings, yielding a defensive personality profile. However, few studies have utilized a forensic-based population to investigate typical MCMI-III profiles. As such, the present study seeks to examine the MCMI-III profiles of court-mandated probationers referred primarily for treatment of domestic violence, as compared to those of parental litigants. All MCMI-III information was drawn from databases maintained in an urban university-based treatment clinic in the Northeastern United States. All participants were pulled from a geographically narrow area of a densely populated Northeastern state. It is hypothesized the anger/domestic violencetreatment group will yield defensiveness profiles on the MCMI-III comparable with those of the reported parental litigation population. It is further hypothesized that anger clients respond to psychological assessment measures in a way that is intended to conceal their true psychological functioning, in order to appear closer to the average range of scores. It is expected that these clients are motivated to do so based on expectation that denial of psychological problems will result in more favorable outcomes for their criminal litigation, probation, and/or parole situations. The present research findings support the hypothesis that the probationer and parental litigant populations yield similar profiles on the MCMI- III. It appears that both groups attempted to conceal their true psychological functioning and made efforts to appear closer to average, as evidenced by the scores on the Desirability Scale. The findings were not consistent with prior research concerning parental litigant profiles with regards to predicted elevations on the Histrionic, Compulsive, or Narcissistic Scales, although the probationer group did have elevations on Narcissistic Scale. The limitations of the present study include the relatively small sample size, unequal group sizes, and the geographically limited area from which subjects were drawn. Future research should utilize larger sample sizes, while also investigating the overlap of group membership to determine if that factor results in differential responding. ALICIA THOM, KERRI HAGEN, ANGELA ALMEIDA Faculty Advisor: David Brandwein Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction in Special Education Direct Care Providers The secondary exposure of therapists and caregivers to the trauma of a client creates an increased risk for developing secondary traumatic stress (STS). STS concentrates on the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which may transpire as a result of direct care of those who have been traumatized. This secondary exposure has been correlated with the PTSD symptoms of intrusion, avoidance, dissociation, and hyperarousal (Bride, 2007; Crestman, 1999; Herman, 1997; Kassam-Adams, 1999; Figley, 1995; McCann & Pearlman, 1990). These symptoms are thought to occur as a result of exposure to the graphic narratives of the trauma and the impairment experienced by clients (Pearlmann & Saakvitne, 1995a; Dane, 2000). There is currently limited research addressing the issue of secondary trauma among those working directly with students classified within a school setting. / The purpose of the study was to develop an understanding of the scope and effect that secondary traumatic stress symptoms have on perceptions and personal functioning of the personnel who work with students with severe disabilities. Participants were recruited thought the National Child Traumatic Stress Network s school focused listserv. An was sent on two different occasions to the s of 1500 members of the listserv. All members of the listserv work with in a special education population. The study used a demographic survey, the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale and the Impact of Events Scale as a means of quantifying STS endorsed symptoms in participants. Results of this study demonstrated 67.5% of participants indicated the presence of PTSD-like symptoms as evidenced by their total IES scores. Participants who endorsed experiencing a personal trauma demonstrated significantly higher scores than those who had not experienced personal trauma in areas of STSS: Intrusion p<.05; STSS: Arousal p<.05; STSS: Total p<.05; IES-R: Avoidance p<.05; IES-R: Intrusion p<.05; IES-R: Hyperarousal p<.05; IES-R: Total p<.05. Participants who were exposed to graphic details of their students trauma demonstrated significantly higher scores on the Intrusion subscale of the STSS p<.05. Those respondents who indicated that they have been adversely affected from their work with the special education population, who also reported experiencing difficulty recovering from said experiences demonstrated significant results on both the STSS and the IES-R in all subscales, as well as, Total scores p<.05. SAMANTHA VARON, JUDE ELYSEE, SEJAL BRAHMBHATT Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Lerner Self-Compassion and Psychological Flexibility as Predictors of Campus Connectedness and Retention in University Students This poster is coauthored with the following students who are co-investigators on the research project being conducted in a doctoral Research Design course and in collaboration with Dr. Edward Barboni: Wendy Alfaro, Charles Borgen, Christina Bueno, Joshua Goldstein, Corrine McCarthy, Lindsay Moran, Jeremy Schreiber, Kendahl Shortway, and Charles Zapata. Campus connectedness, or the sense of belonging that a student feels in relation to the social, academic, and/or co-curricular elements of a campus (Summers, Beretvas, Svinicki, & Gorin, 2005) has been associated with important constructs and processes, including student self-esteem, anxiety, depression, social avoidance, life satisfaction, academic persistence, and campus participation (e.g., DeNeui, 2003; Elkins et al., 2011; Lee & Robbins, 1998; Wolf-Wendel, Ward, & Kinzie, 2009). Since a sense of connection to one s college or university is important in its own right and also because of its link with student retention, it is pertinent to understand processes by which campus connectedness may be fostered. Students ways of relating to their emotional experiences may play a role in their capacity to integrate themselves into the fabric of their campuses. The current study aims to specifically examine self-compassion (comprised of selfkindness, common humanity, and mindfulness components; Neff, 2003) and psychological flexibility (the ability to contact the present moment fully and, depending on what the situation affords, persisting in or changing behavior in the service of one s goals and values; Bond et al., 2011) as processes that may be associated with campus connectedness. Investigators sought permission from instructors of randomly selected lower-level courses at Kean to visit classes and administer the brief survey to students (current N = 64). Measures included an investigator-created demographic form, the Campus Connectedness Scale (Summers et al., 2005), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (Bond et al., 2011), and the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003). Further, student identification numbers were gathered to be able to link self-report measures to institutional data. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses will be employed 90 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

48 to examine self-compassion and psychological flexibility as predictors of campus connectedness and retention (i.e., number of credits registered for the following year). Implications for pedagogical interventions (e.g., those that foster a self-compassionate and/or psychologically flexible way of relating to one s emotional experiences), limitations, and future directions will be discussed. ASHLEY ZULTANKY, JANICE AUTERA Faculty Advisor: Frank Gardner The Role of Emotion Regulation, Mindfulness, and Mental Skills in Football Over the last several decades, research has identified a number of psychological skills such as goal-setting, mental preparation, attention, confidence, and peaking under pressure associated with athletic performance (Vealey, 2007). While these characteristics have been found to be moderately correlated with athletic success, some have questioned the utility of these factors and called for further study to expand the possible factors associated with athletic performance to more contemporary dimensions, such as emotion regulation and dispositional mindfulness (Gardner & Moore, 2007; Moore, 2009). For example, dispositional mindfulness recently has been shown to be strongly associated with both basketball free-throw shooting (Gooding & Gardner, 2009) and golf performance (Bernier et al., 2009). While emotion regulation has been theorized to be directly related to optimal athletic performance (Moore & Gardner, 2011), to date no study has empirically evaluated this assumption. Thus, this study explores the relative contribution of emotion regulation, mindfulness, and mental skills on football performance in a sample of collegiate athletes. Performance was measured via coaching staff performance grading of all participants immediately following (and via video analysis of) each game of the previous season. THEATRE JEM VERGARA, CHELSEA GOWER, REBECCA DAGNALL Faculty Advisor: Rachel Evans Creating Theatre for the Very Young (TVY): Taking Children Ages 2 5 on an Emotional Journey of Delight Combining both research and creative work, this project focused on the development of an original theatrical script for audiences of 2 5 year olds. The team investigated trends, strategies, and techniques in creating Theatre for the Very Young (TVY), the newest genre in the more general field of Theatre for Young Audiences. By examining TVY methodologies from international theatre companies and initial offerings in the USA, a more comprehensive view of the successful elements needed in TVY was achieved. As a team of playwrights, the researchers sought to unite theatrical devices and the teachings of mindfulness in a playscript for a highly specialized performance experience for young children. Research supported by: Kean University, Students Partnering with Faculty (SpF) summer research program SOCIAL WORK EUN YOU Faculty Advisor: Maureen Himchak, Corinne Warrener (Rutgers University) Hegemonic Masculinity, Violence, and Intervention Numerous studies link hegemonic masculinity to the incarceration of men. Some studies also highlight how prisons worsen this link due to the nature of the prison environment (Karp, 2010). This study proposes to intervene on a sample of 400 twelve year-old boys from U.S. counties with high and low rates of juvenile arrests to evaluate the effectiveness of the New Warrior Training Adventure program. This program is one of few programs promoting self-examination, encouraging emotional freedom, and introducing a new way of understanding masculinity (ManKind Project, 2009). 92 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

49 RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY COLLOQUIUM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 CAS BUILDING, 10 A.M. TO 12 P.M. (AND) 1 P.M. TO 3 P.M. Research and Technology Colloquium 2014 Presented by the Students and Faculty of GE202x, Research and Technology Coordinated by Bridget Lepore, Lecturer, School of General Studies Research and Technology is a required General Education foundation course that introduces students to research design and methodology as well as to disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives of the research process. The course is geared toward second-semester freshman and all sophomores and builds on pervious coursework in writing, speech and quantitative reasoning. During this semester-long course, students engage in an original research project while learning about research overall. As part of the course, students select a topic, identify relevant research problems and sub-problems, review the literature on the issue, design a research plan, collect primary and secondary data, analyze and interpret the data, and arrive at logical conclusions. In addition to the final paper, students deliver a formal presentation to the class. The Research and Technology Student Colloquium is a Research Days event that presents a selection of student research projects. Started in 2013 as a way of showcasing student work in Research and Technology, faculty teaching Research and Technology invite students with strong research projects to participate. The 2014 Research and Technology Colloquium includes projects as varied as Impact of Hearing Loss on Reading and Comics and Superheroes: A Reflection of Society. Spring 2013 colloquium participants: Gordon Allan, Danielle Barakat, Samantha Barry, Ishani Bhadiyadara, Jessica Brenner, Kwincy Brown, Michel Cabral-Martin, Michael Coletta, Selwyn Delgado, Damaris Dominguez, Sarra Doriety, Angelica Firetto, Samantha Garcia, Megan Keogh, Alyssa Leccese, Karen Lipyanek, Gloria Londono, Sharell Lowe, Kimalee Nichol-Ford, Emily Pawlowski, Brittney Pollins, Cristina Ruiz, and Nathaniel Sietz Student Presenters (not shown in the order listed above/not all presenters are pictured) 94 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS 2014

50 STUDENT ORAL PRESENTATIONS SCHEDULE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, am 11 a.m. STEM 308 Psy. D. Dissertation Symposium 9 a.m. STEM 306 The Training of Emergency Service Personnel Regarding Citizens with Hidden Disabilities Edward Kelly, Criminal Justice 9:15 a.m. STEM 318 School-based Speech-Language Pathology Practices with Bilingual Children Lia Pazeulo, Communication Disorders & Deafness 9:30 a.m. STEM 306 Implementing a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in High Schools Omara Cardoza and Karen Grisales, Physical Education, Recreation & Health 9:45 a.m. STEM 318 Women Communicate in Close Friendship Gina Rohn, Communication 10 a.m. STEM 306 The Dangerous Rise of Prescription Opioids Nicholas Milici, Counselor Education 10:15 a.m. STEM 318 Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability: Applying the Interbrand Sustainability Method on Assessing Perception Elements in the case of Juja Farm Secondary School Library in Kenya (SHSAO Project) Angelina Okwuego and Jessica Agudelo, Business Management and Marketing 10:30 a.m. STEM 306 The Effect of Mandible Wear on Velocity and Task Partitioning in Foraging Leafcutter Ants Theodore Thompson, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences 10:45 a.m. STEM 318 Evaluation of Different Sources of Drinking Water Rafael Nunez, William Jumbo, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences 11 a.m. STEM 306 Cellular Respiration & Animation: An Interdisciplinary Tool for Education Melissa Cash, Design - Graphic Design 11:15 a.m. STEM 318 Restoration of a 17th Century Physics Garden in Elizabeth, NJ Katherine Andrade and Christine Otokiti, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences 1:15 p.m. STEM 318 Assessing the Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Protecting Reef Fish Predators Christine Otokiti, Environmental and Sustainability Sciences 1:30 p.m. STEM 306 Understanding the role of small molecules in the readthrough of nonsense codons Angela Estevez, Chemistry 1:45 p.m. STEM 318 A Preliminary Survey of Three Species of New World Monkeys Daniel Braithwaite, Biology 2 p.m. STEM 306 Combating Antibiotic Resistance: Exploring Visualization of NDM-1 Metallo-β-Lactamase as a New Drug Target David Garcia, Angela Estevez, NJ Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics 2:15 p.m. STEM 318 Analysis of Tetracycline transformation and degradation via Vetiver grass by using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC HRMS) Chinmayi Parikh, NJ Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics 3 p.m. STEM 306 First Steps: Experiences with a Pedometer Hailey Vonn Cruz, Biology 3:15 p.m. STEM 318 An analysis of the performance based assessments collected from a valid and reliable instrument of the ELCC Standards on the perceptions of relevance of current New Jersey Superintendents ( ) Christine Hamlett, Educational Leadership - Ed.D. Program 3:30 p.m. STEM 306 The Relationship Between Parents Depression and Childhood Trauma and Adherence to Court-Mandated Child-Parent Psychotherapy: Preliminary Research Heather Tracta, Psychology Advanced Studies in Psychology combined School and Clinical Psychology 3:30 p.m. 6 p.m. Kean 127 Holocaust & Genocide Studies Graduate Panels Narratives of Genocide Memory The Holocaust in Film: At What Price Movie Magic? 4:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. STEM 401 Ed.D. Student Research Panel Contemporary Issues in Educational Leadership 5 p.m. 7 p.m. STEM 6 th Fl. Early Childhood & Family Studies Graduate Colloquium 96 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS 2014

51 PSY.D. DISSERTATION SYMPOSIUM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 STEM 308, 9 A.M. TO 11 A.M. CHRISTINA BARRASSO Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Block-Lerner Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Practice at the Curriculum Level: Examining Receptivity in Higher Education There has been empirical support for interventions that emphasize a mindful and accepting stance toward the range of human experience in the service of promoting psychological flexibility and valuesconsistent actions. Importantly, mindfulness and acceptance-based behavioral interventions have been evidenced as useful for both clinical and nonclinical populations. Among these populations, college students facing the task of balancing academic and personal responsibilities stand to benefit greatly from such practices. However, in general, research consistently shows that mental health services are underutilized among the college population. Thus, an important and novel contribution of the current study lies in its implementation of a brief curriculum-based mindfulness- and acceptance-based intervention. There is little research to date that has explored the utility of such brief interventions that can be integrated into the classroom. Similarly, it has yet to be discovered which individuals are initially drawn to and are receptive to such practices. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess receptivity to a brief curriculum-based mindfulness-and acceptance-based intervention among college students, as well as to identify predictors of receptivity toward these approaches. Psychological flexibility is proposed to moderate the relationship between symptoms of psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety) and receptivity to mindfulness-and acceptance-based exercises. Results will be discussed in terms of the value of a curriculum-based preventative approach toward mental health difficulties at the systematic level in university settings. MELISSA DETTORE Faculty Advisor: Donald Marks DSM-5 Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder: Diagnostics for Anger Pathology in a Violent Offender Population Individuals experiencing clinical anger and the resultant aggressive/violent behavior often present challenges across multiple settings including healthcare, occupational, and forensic settings. Currently, individuals with clinical anger are classified under a multitude of psychiatric diagnoses, yet these patients exhibit similar symptoms and behaviors. Creating a diagnosis that accurately captures the nature of clinical anger will ultimately provide the ability to identify members of this population, thus enabling more efficient and effective treatment in children and adults. As such, conceptualizing DSM-5 Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) as a disorder that extends into adulthood in the form of clinical anger will provide greater continuity in care. Study 1 will screen court-mandated individuals exhibiting clinical anger for the DSM-5 DMDD diagnosis. Results are expected to show that DSM-5 DMDD accounts for a significantly greater proportion of the clinical anger population than any other single diagnosis included within the sample. Study 2 will explore the trauma history and psychological traits in individuals who meet the criteria for DSM-5 DMDD. Results are expected to exhibit moderate early 98 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS 2014 aversive histories, high levels of anger arousal, high susceptibility to anger provocation, high levels of difficulties in emotion regulation, and high levels of experiential avoidance. Results and implications to be discussed. MIKE GROSS Faculty Advisor: Frank Gardner Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) Program for the Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Health Issues among Student-Athletes This study investigated the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) intervention as a vehicle for primary prevention of mental and behavioral health issues, increasingly noted in student-athletes. Previous MAC research has demonstrated its effectiveness in improving performance and reducing emotional distress. We hypothesized that when compared to a traditional psychological skills training approach, MAC participants would demonstrate a greater reduction in behavioral issues, emotional distress, and psychological symptoms, while improving performance as rated by coaches. Participants were 22 women s basketball players at an NCAA Division III university in the northeastern U.S.. Participants were randomized into the MAC or PST group. Intervention groups were led by a doctorallevel clinician, once per week for seven weeks. Assessments at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up included: Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 (CCAPS-62), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Coaches Rating of Performance Scale (CRPS), and Sport Performance Classification Questionnaire (SPCQ). Mixed-model ANOVA tested the differences across time within and between the two groups on a number of measures. The MAC intervention had a statistically significant effect on the total score on CCAPS-62 Distress Index, a measure of overall psychological distress. Post-hoc analyses revealed statistically significant decreases from post-treatment to follow-up among MAC participants on the Distress Index, Anxiety, and Hostility subscales of the CCAPS-62; and significant decreases among MAC participants from pre-treatment to follow-up on CCAPS-62 substance use scores. For the PST group, statistically significant decreases were found from pre-treatment to post-treatment only on CCAPS-62 Hostility scores. CRPS findings indicated that MAC enhanced athletic performance from pre- to post-test, while PST did not. Finally, significant decreases were found among the MAC group from post-intervention to follow-up on the AAQ-II, and from pre-intervention to follow-up on the DERS, supporting a theorized mechanism through which MAC achieves its results. DASA JENDRUSAKOVA Faculty Advisor: Adrienne Garro, Jennifer Lerner Factors Related to Practitioner Attitudes Regarding Discipline Practices Regardless of the limited empirical evidence for effectiveness of the use of corporal punishment (CP), this disciplinary method is widely used with great public support. From a historical standpoint, the prevalence rate of CP appears to have decreased, though it is still quite high. Despite families continued use of CP as a discipline method, relatively little research has looked at CP from the perspective of mental health professionals who work with children, parents, and families. The aim of this study is to examine the attitudes and beliefs of practitioners with respect to the use of certain parenting practices, particularly corporal punishment. In addition, this study will examine factors that may influence these attitudes and beliefs. Identification of potential factors that influence professionals attitudes 99

52 and beliefs related to CP may increase understanding of how they approach recommendations and psycho-education with families. It may also highlight issues and needs in the training of mental health professionals who work with children, parents, and families. KAROLINA KOWARZ Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Block-Lerner Background Music in Mindfulness Practice: Effects on State Mindfulness, Emotional Arousal and Relationship with Psychological Flexibility Current research indicates that prevalence of psychological distress within college populations is substantial (Eisenberg et al., 2011). Meanwhile, dispositional mindfulness has been demonstrated to be associated with healthier psychological functioning amongst college students (Sirois & Tosti, 2012). In light of these research findings, mindfulness practice is proposed to serve as a preventative intervention for mental illness within this population. Although potentially powerful, opening up to aversive private experiences (e.g., difficult thoughts, feelings, and emotions), a key element of many mindfulness-based interventions, may turn certain individuals away from the approach. Meanwhile, others may find it difficult to contact internal stimuli through traditional mindfulness practice (i.e., a meditation script). The purpose of the present study is to examine the impact of incorporating background music into a mindfulness exercise conducted as part of an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT-) based workshop protocol addressing values, present moment awareness, and experiential acceptance. Participants include students attending a university in northeastern United States. It is proposed that students will report more powerful reactions toward the mindfulness exercise incorporating background music. Specifically, it is hypothesized that the degree of experienced emotional arousal will be significantly higher in the music group. Additionally, it is hypothesized that levels of state mindfulness will be significantly higher in the music group immediately post intervention. Levels of psychological flexibility are expected to be positively associated with levels of state mindfulness and emotional arousal. Lastly, correlations are expected to be stronger in the non-music group as it is proposed that background music will compensate for lower levels of psychological flexibility in the music group. BARBARA PREMPEH Faculty Advisor: David Brandwein Exploring the Association Between Bullying and Life Satisfaction There has been growing concern that youth violence has expanded beyond the scope of simple namecalling. The prevalence of bullying appears to increase in late elementary school, peak during middle school, and decline in high school (Eliot & Cornell, 2009). Although bullying is a major issue within school violence, there is still considerable controversy over the best way to address the issue. In previous literature, bullying has been examined in respect to its impact on an individual s psychological and physical well-being. In addition, an individual s psychological and physical well-being can lead to the demonstration of bullying behaviors (Wilkins-Shurmer, O Callaghan, Najman, Bor, Williams, and Anderson, 2003). Another construct that can be used to gain a better understanding of the impact of bullying is quality of life and/or life satisfaction. Research is emerging on the relationship between bullying and quality of life and/or life satisfaction. Studies have shown the impact of quality of life on involvement in bullying and the consequences of being bullied (Flaspohler, Elfstrom, Vanderezee, and Sink, 2009; Suldo and Huebner, 2004; Valios, Zullig, Drane, and Huebner, 2001). The current study will investigate the association between bullying and life satisfaction in middle and high school students in a sample of public and private schools. Students will be administered two self-report measures; one will assess engagement in bullying behaviors and the other measure will assess life satisfaction. Multiple regression and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) will be conducted to examine the relationship between bullying and life satisfaction. NICOLETTE RITTENHOUSE Faculty Advisor: Daniela Colognori Emotion Regulation Development: Does Parent Emotion Regulation and Parenting Style Play a Role in Adolescent Emotion Regulation and Psychopathology? Emotion regulation is the process used to change one s own emotional state, to prevent or initiate emotional responding, to modify the significance of the event one s self, and to modulate the behavioral expression of emotion (Gross & Thompson, 2007). Learning how to effectively regulate emotion facilitates healthy and adaptive psychosocial and emotional functioning (Bridges et al. 2004), while overuse of maladaptive emotion regulation skills have been linked to both externalizing and internalizing problems in early childhood and adolescence (Buckner et al. 2003; Eisenberg et al. 2001a; Sheeber et al. 2000; Silk et al. 2003). Parenting and family experiences have been documented to play a fundamental role in children s emotional development (Repetti et al. 2002). This project seeks to examine the relationship between parent emotion regulation skills, adolescent emotional regulation skills and adolescent psychopathology. A sample of at least 111 parents will complete measures assessing parenting style, their own emotion regulation skills, and their child s emotional and social functioning. Additionally, their children will be asked to provide a self-report of emotion regulation skills. We hypothesize that parental factors such as parental emotion regulation skills and parenting style play a role in the adolescents emotion regulation development. Furthermore, this study will investigate whether parenting style mediates the relationship between parent emotion regulation and adolescent emotion regulation. KAREN SUROWIEC Faculty Advisor: Daniela Colongori Parentification, Parent Psychopathology, and Infant Development The infant-parent relationship is one of the most important components of early child development (Lieberman, 2007; Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991). Early interactions within the dyad contribute to the quality of bond created. This bond, also known as attachment, has been shown to influence the trajectory of emotional growth and development (Guajardo, 2009; Raphael, 2010). Discontinuity in the infant-parent relationship has the potential to influence child development across numerous developmental domains, such as communication, problem-solving abilities, and personal-social skills (Sameroff et al, 1982; Paulson, 2009). Research on child development suggests parental psychopathology, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is associated with an increased risk for disruptions in the infant-parent relationship (Cicchetti et al, 2000; Duch & Rodrequez, 2010; Epkins & Heckler, 2011; Johnson & Flake, 2007). Parent-child roles are an important component of functional parentchild relationships. When parent-child roles are not clearly defined and a parent has developmentally inappropriate expectations for the child, role-reversal also referred to as parentification has occurred. Review of literature suggests that role reversal has the capacity to contribute to developmental delays in children (Macfie, 2005, 2008; Hesse & Main, 2006; Fivaz-Depeursinge et al, 2007; Hooper, 2007). The 100 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

53 current study examines court-referred infant-parent dyads as characterized by varying levels of parent psychopathology, child developmental delays, and role-reversal. It is important to understand the complex nature of the infant-parent relationship in hopes of learning new ways to identify and prevent ruptures early in the relationship. This study aims to discover whether infant-parent role-reversal moderates the relationship between parent psychopathology and child developmental outcomes. Once ruptures are discovered, it is important to access infant-parent relationships and provide parent psychoeducation on appropriate parent-child roles in an effort to bolster healthy child development. STUDENT ORAL PRESENTATIONS BIOLOGY DANIEL BRATHWAITE Faculty Advisor: Roxie James A Preliminary Survey of Three Species of New World Monkeys A preliminary survey of three species of New World Monkeys was conducted during a five-week field experience July-August 2013 in the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge (MNWLR). MNWLR is located in the Northeast region of Costa Rica, about 15 km south of the Nicaraguan border. This refuge has an average elevation of 68m and is a mixture of primary and secondary forest with surrounding murky lagoons, swamps, and rivers. Using a GPS tracker we surveyed three species of New World monkeys in the MNWLR ( N, W to N, W). Results showed 21 troops of spider monkeys, Ateles Geffroyi (total population 69); 7 troops of mantled howler monkeys, Alouatta palliata (total population 35); and one troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys, Cebus capuchinus (total population 6). Our preliminary results indicate low population density for Ateles Geffroyi located in primary forested areas and low population density for Alouatta palliata located in secondary forest. Since we located only one troop of Cebus capuchinus (in the lagoon area) conclusions on population density for this species will await subsequent field work. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program HAILEY VONN CRUZ Faculty Advisor: Kim Spaccarotella First Steps: Experiences with a Pedometer Students training for careers in the helping professions are often called upon to help patients achieve a healthy lifestyle. Pedometers are frequently recommended as inexpensive tools that motivate the user by giving important feedback about physical activity accumulated during a day. The First Steps project assessed student confidence in using the smart phone pedometer app, Runtastic, and intent to recommend pedometers on-the-job as a tool for patients. Participants were Occupational Therapy (OT) and Exercise Science (ES) students asked to answer a brief questionnaire via smart phone about their prior knowledge and use of pedometers and likelihood of recommending them to patients. Although 81% of the Exercise Science students (n = 16) had not used a pedometer app, 56% believed it was accurate, and 87% would recommend the app to clients. Among the Occupational Therapy majors (n=27), 64% had not used pedometer app; 34% believed it was accurate, and 50% would recommend the app. In general, both OT and ES students believed the pedometer app would be easy to use and somewhat accurate. Future studies could examine factors affecting students perception of its accuracy and usefulness and patient barriers to following through with regular pedometer use. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program 102 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

54 BUSINESS - MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING ANGELINA OKWUEGO, JESSICA AGUDELO Faculty Advisor: Michael Chattalas Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability: Applying the Interbrand Sustainability Method on Assessing Perception Elements in the case of Juja Farm Secondary School Library in Kenya (SHSAO Project) The proposed study intends to enlighten educational institutions on eco-friendly practices such as textbook donations to countries where educational resources are scarce. For this specific project our goal is to motivate Kean University to sponsor Students Helping Students Across the Ocean s charitable mission. This social entrepreneurial effort promotes sustainability which is vital in protecting our environment as well as social and economic equity. Our research will test the significance and correlation between the brand s (Kean U) sponsorship of sustainable projects and the impact this has on Interbrand perception score. Through statistical analysis of data we hope to verify that projects such as SHSAO are essential in building a sustainable educational brand. CHEMISTRY ANGELA ESTEVEZ Faculty Advisor: Brian Teasdale, (Dr. Ellen Welch, PTC Therapeutics) Understanding the role of small molecules in the readthrough of nonsense codons It is generally assumed that when readthrough at a premature termination codon occurs a near cognate aminoacyl-trna has effectively out-competed the polypeptide release factors for access to the ribosomal acceptor site (A site) that has translocated to a termination codon. Ataluren is a small molecular weight compound that enables readthrough of nonsense codons in many cell types, in animal models of nonsense mutation disease and in humans suffering from disease due to nonsense mutations. The goal of this research is to determine the identity of the amino acid that is incorporated at the site of the nonsense codon as a result of compound treatment and understand the cis-acting sequences that determine which amino acid(s) is inserted at the site of the premature stop codon and how these sequences affect the response of different compounds. To determine which amino acids are inserted we developed luciferase reporter (LUC) alleles that facilitate purification of protein fragments encompassing these insertions. We prepared LUC constructs containing a nonsense codon at amino acid 20 or the wild-type sequence, a 5 triple hemagglutinin (HA) epitope sequence and 3 Strep-Tactin and Flag epitope sequences. Stable cell lines containing these constructs were prepared in 293H cells. Using these cell lines, we optimized a protein purification method using the epitope tag sequences incorporated in the reporter construct. Small scale purifications using the wild-type cell line were performed. A two-step purification using a Strep-Tactin Sepharose column followed by a second purification using an anti-ha antibody column was performed. The purification was optimized by monitoring luciferase activity at the different steps of the purification process. The results using wild-type cells demonstrated that a protein of the correct size was purified. Subsequently, the nonsense-containing cell line containing the UGA premature stop codon will be treated with known nonsense suppression compound(s) and the full-length protein will be purified using the method established above. The purified protein will be digested with trypsin and the sequence determined using a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spec method previously established to determine the identity of the amino acid inserted at the site of the premature stop codon. The results of this work will be presented. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program COMMUNICATION GINA ROHN Faculty Advisor: Janet Yedes How Women Communicate in Close Friendship Understanding how women communicate in close friendships provides beneficial information for the foundation of some of our most valued relationships, close friendships. Over the course of three months (October - December 2013) I observed, took notes, and audio taped actual friendship interactions. Everyday discourse is the data I collected in casual settings, such as in the car and the friend s apartment. Using participant observation and discourse analysis, I researched several communication patterns between the friends. These discourse features include teasing, support, and information seeking. Studying how women communicate in close friendships helps us understand the variety of discourse patterns and provides us with knowledge which can help us become more effective communicators. COMMUNICATION DISORDERS AND DEAFNESS LIA PAZUELO Faculty Advisor: Mahchid Namazi School-based Speech-Language Pathology Practices with Bilingual Children Providing evidence-based practice (EBP) assessment and intervention for bilingual children is complicated. Not only is their first language one of about 400 different languages spoken in the US (Ryan, 2013), but they also, represent different ways of second language acquisition and varied levels of fluency (Kohnert and Goldstein, 2005). The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) demographics indicate that only 5% of their total members identify themselves as bilinguals (ASHA, 2012). In order to provide EBP services to the diverse population, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) need to have the knowledge and skills needed to assess and provide intervention to bilingual children. English language-learning (ELL) children entering school at age five are often over-referred by teachers and thus over-represented on the caseloads of speech-language pathologists. This is because relevant screening tools for ELL are rare and traditional treatment approaches are inappropriate for this population. SLPs are lacking appropriate education and training to assess and treat this population competently (Gottlieb & Sanchez-Lopez 2008; Caesar and Kohler, 2007). Over the past two decades research has shown a gradual improvement in the preparedness, training, competence and confidence level of SLPs providing speech and language services to bilingual children (Guiberson and Atkins 2012). 104 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

55 However, no research has been done specifically in the state of New Jersey (NJ). Some schools in NJ were identified by the state as over-identifying bilingual children as having language impairments. This kind of research is needed in order to ensure that NJ SLPs are providing competent EBP services. A specialized certificate of bilingual SLP can offer most of the tools needed for providing EBP. Many states with a large bilingual population offer programs with a bilingual certificate; however, the programs in NJ do not. Because the majority of SLPs, especially, in schools are monolingual English speakers, completion of a bilingual certificate program will better prepare SLPs to work with bilingual populations they are likely to encounter on a daily basis (Nalley, 2013). This research will offer valuable information on where improvement and/or additional training are needed and whether a bilingual certificate is needed in the state of NJ. COUNSELOR EDUCATION NICHOLAS MILICI Faculty Advisor: Robert Kitzinger The Dangerous Rise of Prescription Opioids According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), opioid related drug overdose deaths have increased by 400% from Currently, peer-reviewed journals in counseling and addictions-related counseling contain few articles regarding the rising rates of opioid usage and opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States. The oral presentation is drawn from an examination of current research on opioid use in counseling, counseling related, and medical peer reviewed journals. Although several research studies exist related to heroin use and treatment, articles in counseling related journals about the rising rate of prescription opioid use, unintentional overdoses and deaths are scarce. The presentation will include implications for counselors and other health professionals and suggestions for further research. DESIGN GRAPHIC DESIGN MELISSA CASH Faculty Advisor: Liz Blazer Cellular Respiration & Animation: An Interdisciplinary Tool for Education This research was conducted to determine the following: can a successful educational tool for middle schoolers that meets the standards of professional teaching be developed by students of differing academic backgrounds? The project was a collaboration between biology students and myself, a graphic design student with an understanding of animation, to create an animated info-graphic explaining the process of cellular respiration, a rather complex topic in the field of biology. Groups of students that were taking a biology course (Biology 1000) at Kean University during Fall 2013 were given the task of explaining cellular respiration by providing charts, graphics and audio visual ideas through a series of storyboards. These storyboards were then given to me, which I used as reference to write a script that accurately explained the science of cellular resperation, as well as to design and produce the film. I designed, directed and animated the film by working closely with my advisor, Liz Blazer. Voices were provided by Dr. Mary Falzarano, a Kean University professor from the occupational therapy department, and Curran Leeds, a fellow design student. The film received verbal feedback from biology and design students, both groups providing reactions that the project was a useful and entertaining way to help students understand the cellular respiration process. Further outcomes of this research should include feedback from middle school teachers and students about the accessibility of this film for the target age group, as well as the potential for future collaborations such as this within the fields of biology and design. EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDWARD KELLY Faculty Advisor: Connie Hassett-Walker The Training of Emergency Service Personnel Regarding Citizens with Hidden Disabilities On September 9, 2008 Governor Corzine signed a New Jersey law requiring emergency service personnel to receive training in the recognition of hidden developmental disabilities and response to situations involving persons with autism. Issues have arisen since this legislation was signed that effect the delivery of police, fire and emergency medical services to this population. The problems are inadequate or ineffective training and the time required for training programs. The research question for the study is to what extent emergency service agencies are complying with the law, what type of training is being used and is the training effective? This completed study investigated these issues and made recommendations that will allow emergency service providers to better serve this growing special needs population. CHRSTINE HAMLETT Faculty Advisor: Efthimia Christie An analysis of the performance based assessments collected from a valid and reliable instrument of the ELCC Standards on the perceptions of relevance of current New Jersey Superintendents ( ) The purpose of this research study is to examine the perceptions of relevance the Educational Leadership Constituent Council Standards, ELCC Standards, have on the work performance of current New Jersey superintendents. Analysis of collected data gleaned from superintendent s responses to the New Jersey Superintendent Questionnaire: Relevance of the Educational Leadership Constituent Council will provide additional research outcomes that will enhance the performance of school leadership; update and evaluate university based leadership preparation programs; and expand the educational leadership literature. 106 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

56 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCES KATHERINE ANDRAD, CHRISTINE OTOKITI, MELISSA ARCE, SANA BAIG, ARMAND CRISPINO, KATHERINE GOMEZ, ANABEL ROSARIO Faculty Advisor: Dr. Daniela Shebitz Restoration of a 17th Century Physics Garden in Elizabeth, NJ A Physic garden is a botanical garden devoted to the cultivation and display of medicinal plants. In urban societies there tends to be a significant gap between community and nature. The First Presbyterian Church (FPC) located at 42 Broad Street, Elizabeth NJ 07201, has presented the idea of restoring a Physic garden in the heart of this urban community. The main objective of this Physic garden is to re-establish the connection between humans and nature by offering a medicinal oasis in the middle of the city that reflects plants that were used when the church was founded in the 1600s. The garden will provide the public with information about all the plants installed in the garden, including knowledge of health benefits and proper usage of each plant species. During the spring of 2014, Dr. Shebitz s Medicinal Botany course worked with a landscape architect to design the garden based on other physic gardens in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Students in Kean University s Applied Ecology course of Fall 2013 selected plant species and implemented garden designs in collaboration with FPC. The initial plants installed in the physic garden include: sage, willow, lavender redbud, English lavender, black snakeroot, purple coneflower, heather, boxwood, paprika, and blueberries. By the summer of 2014, it is intended that people of the 21st century will have the opportunity to enjoy the City of Elizabeth s rich medicinal plant history. Funding for the project was provided by the Union County History Grants Program. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program RAFAEL NUNEZ, WILLIAM JUMBO Faculty Advisors: Paul Croft and Juyoung Ha Evaluation of Different Sources of Drinking Water Salinity, ph, concentrations of a number of different anions, heavy metals, and microorganisms in three different types of drinking water (bottled water, tap water, and filtered house water) have been examined and characterized. Different purification techniques and sources of drinking water have been identified and developed in the past to provide safe drinking water to community. However, concerns have arisen regarding the amount and concentration of the various chemicals added during the fiteration or purification processes. One of the major concerns are the levels of chemicals in water after the treatment and the residuals of the filtered water. To response to such concerns and problems, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established health standards in order to prevent excessive amount of toxics on the water. Despite the guidelines established by the EPA, public concerns about the toxicity of water still remain. In this study, we compare the concentration of NaCl along with presence and the concentrations of various other toxic elements with the EPA guidelines and whether or not specific microorganism found on the water are harmful. Based on the results of this study, we will be able to differentiate the quality of different sources of water. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program CHRISTINE OTOKITI, SANA BAIG, KATHERINE HAWKINS, KRISTEN IORIO, KAITLYN ZERINGO Faculty Advisor: Carrie Manfrino, Kristi Foster Assessing the Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas in Protecting Reef Fish Predators Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been shown to aid in reducing habitat degradation and protecting fish populations. The objectives of this study are to (i) determine the diversity indices for fish found in inner-reef settings around Little Cayman and (ii) relate these indices to the health of the respective ecosystems. Fish shall be counted and identified to species along six 30m x 2m belt transects at two locations within and two locations outside of marine protected areas. The hypotheses are that (i) fish diversity indices shall be higher within the Little Cayman MPAs due to strict management policies including the no-take marine reserves and (ii) the correlation between predatory fish abundance and coral reef health shall be greater within the MPA as both metrics are indicators of low ecosystem stress. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program THEODORE THOMPSON Faculty Advisor: Sylvio Codella The Effect of Mandible Wear on Task Partitioning in Foraging Leafcutter Ants As part of a continuing study on the foraging behavior of leafcutter ants (Atta cephalotes) in the Maquenque rainforest of Costa Rica, we are investigating mandible wear as a contributing factor to the type (leaf fragments and flower petals) and weight of items retrieved by foragers. We are also investigating the task allocation in relation to mandible wear. We found that the gap between the first (apical) and second (preapical) tooth on the mandible cut the leaves and wears significantly during the ants life. Mandible length, apical tooth height, and preapical tooth height are being measured using a Nikon SMZ1000 Stereomicroscope coupled to a SPOT 5.0 digital camera and imaging software. Head width is also being measured. These data will be compared between leaf- and petal-retrieving workers. From our data, we will create a model to explain factors such as item selection and running speed. Research supported by: National sscience Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program NJ CENTER FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS DAVID GARCIA, ANGELA ESTEVEZ Faculty Advisor: Jeffrey Toney, David Joiner, Sonia Arora Combating Antibiotic Resistance: Exploring Visualization of NDM-1 Metallo-β-Lactamase as a New Drug Target Bacteria such as Klebsiella, Escherichia and Acinetobacteruse are known to develop resistance to antibiotics causing a significant public health risk. In this example, an enzymatic mechanism destroys the β lactam ring in carbapenem type antibiotics rendering them useless. The protein used by the bacteria is a class B, Metallo-β- lactamase (MBL) called NDM-1 named after New Delhi, India, the city in which it was first discovered. Through the use of three-dimensional software and a virtual reality environment, a set of potential inhibitors were found that could reverse antibiotic resistance and enhance 108 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

57 effectiveness of antibiotics. These inhibitors were found to be capable of blocking the di-zinc active site of NDM-1. In addition, The Johns Hopkins library of FDA approved drugs were tested against NDM-1 to explore whether prescription drugs can be repurposed for treating antibiotic-resistant infections. Research supported by: U.S. Dept. of Education, Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program CHINMAYI PARIKH Faculty Advisor: Dil Ramanathan Analysis of Tetracycline transformation and degradation via Vetiver grass by using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC HRMS) For the screening of parent compounds of Tetracycline antibiotic group, a rapid and sensitive method was developed using ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) combined with electrospray ionization (ESI). In this study, Tetracycline, one of the parent compounds was studied in vetiver grass root and shoot samples at various concentrations. Plant samples were prepared using solid phase extraction (SPE) and samples were analyzed after 30 days of waste water treatment. Also, several compounds were studied to choose a compatible internal standard for this study. The UHPLC-HRMS data obtained, showed three product ions (m/z = , and ) along with the parent ion (m/z ) in root sample and only one product ion (m/z = ) in shoot samples. These ions showed loss of ammonia (m/z ) with subsequent loss of water (m/z ) in root sample and loss of water, at m/z , in both root and shoot sample from parent Tetracycline. Moreover, the structures and compositions of these ions were hypothesized by performing tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). In addition, a possible pathway of transformation products of Tetracycline was confirmed including possible structures of all ions in plant samples. PHYSICAL EDUCATION, RECREATION AND HEALTH OMARA CARDOZA, KAREN GRISALES, ANGELA OKWUEGO Faculty Advisor: Consuelo Bonillas Implementing a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in High Schools sexual intercourse 3 months after program completion. Thirty-nine percent of our program participants who reported being sexually active at baseline reported abstaining from sexual activity during the 3 months following program participation. Overall, the Reducing the Risk program was effective in presenting a strong and active approach in reducing the risk to teenage pregnancy and protecting against HIV and other STDs. The program was more effective in delaying sexual debut with 9th graders than with 11th graders. Further research is needed to determine what strategies are successful in delaying sexual debut with upper classmen. Research supported by: National Science Foundation, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program PSYCHOLOGY - ADVANCED STUDIES IN PSYCHOLOGY COMBINED SCHOOL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY HEATHER TRACHTA Faculty Advisor: David Brandwein The Relationship Between Parents Childhood Trauma, Depression, and Adherence to Court- Mandated Child-Parent Psychotherapy: Preliminary Research This study will use a pre-existing data set to evaluate factors which lead to attrition in parents who had been court-mandated to complete Child-Parent Psychotherapy as a result of child abuse and neglect charges. Parental childhood trauma has been assessed by a shortened version of the Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire. Parental depression symptoms at the time of intake have been assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd Edition. Demographic information including parent age, gender, and ethnicity will be analyzed. It is hypothesized that (1) parents who experienced adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, and exposure to community violence will have higher depression scores at the time of intake than those who did not have these experiences; and (2) parents who experienced more adverse childhood experiences will attend fewer sessions than those with fewer or no adverse experiences. This study evaluated the longitudinal effectiveness of the program Reducing the Risk - Building Skills to Prevent Pregnancy, STD and HIV, an evidence based program designed to decrease adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in two New Jersey State identified, high risk municipalities. During the academic year, the curriculum was implemented in health classes with ethnic minority college research assistants co-facilitating the lessons with the health teachers. A cohort of 283 predominantly ninth grade students participated in the program. Participants completed baseline, postand 3- month follow-up surveys. The study used randomized control and intervention groups of students in the two high schools in New Jersey. By the end of the academic year, 130 participants completed the Reducing the Risk Knowledge Survey before and after the program. The average score prior to the program was After the program, the average score was This change indicated that the participants knowledge significantly increased at a.001 level. Ninety-one percent of program participants who reported being sexually inexperienced at baseline reported they ve continued to delay initiation of sexual intercourse after program completion. Ninety-five percent of our program participants who reported being sexually inexperienced at baseline reported they ve continued to delay initiation of 110 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

58 HOLOCAUST AND GENOCIDE STUDIES GRADUATE PANELS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 KEAN 127, 3:30 P.M. TO 6 P.M. TIMOTHY CHIN, MICHAEL MCGAULEY, ILYSE SHAINBROWN Faculty Advisor: Dennis Klein Narratives of Genocide Memory This collective, SpF13-grant-supported research project explores the role of selective memory in interpretations of genocide. To observe this dynamic in comprehending the phenomenon of genocide in general, it compares two examples the Holocaust ( ) and the Bosnian War a half century later ( ). Critics observe that memory is not only about the past but also about the present. We discovered that for genocide, blame and recrimination often trains memory to parts of the genocide past at the expense of other aspects. Our research considers a range of personal and collective memorialization, from memoirs to public legal trials to memorials and museums. To focus our discussion, we explore the phenomenon of genocide memory in survivors accounts of their experiences in concentration camps during the Holocaust and the Bosnian War as well in memories of local acts of genocide. Recent research asserts the central place of local killling fields in genocide transactions. Two that compel our attention are the massacres at Jedwabne, in Poland, and Srebrenica, in Bosnia. Our research also observes that genocide memory, based as it often is on assertions of accusation, shifts its attention over time to different culprits, lending support to the critical observation that history, even though it happened, is changeable and never finished. Monuments Men Tonya S. Hall The movie Monuments Men is unapologetically based on a true story told in the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel. It selects incidents described in the book about the experiences of those who served in the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section of the Allied armies during World War II and uses them to craft a Hollywood blockbuster asserting the importance of protecting culture during wartime. We will explore the movie s success at portraying the story s characters as well as the problems it introduces when director George Clooney (and his co-writer/co-producer Grant Heslov) altered details and the chronology and ignored the role of women in the rescue missions. The Book Thief John LeStrange Why did the film adaptation of The Book Thief fail and what does that failure tell us about the limits of the Holocaust s cinematic representation? In this paper, we will explore how film can eviscerate the substantive merits of written accounts, skimp on character development, deflect the actual hardships, and compromise on historical accuracy. Sarah s Key Jaci Mayer Sarah s Key, although a fictional story, raises awareness about the French involvement in Germany s Final Solution of the Jews. The story of the Starzynski family is based on the roundup of French Jews in July, 1942, at the Vel d Hiv. This eye-opening novel was subsequently turned into a film. How successful was the film adaptation? CHRISTOPHER BUTCHKO, TONYA HALL, JOHN LESTRANGE, JACI MAYER Faculty Advisor: Dennis Klein The Holocaust in Film: At What Price Movie Magic? We have all heard the phrase, the book is so much better than the movie. A panel comprised of graduate students from the Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies will investigate this assertion by comparing actual events in history with the way they are translated to the silver screen. Focusing on film adaptations of significant Holocaust literature, panelists will consider how much can get lost in the translation and will ask the question, how do survivors regard cinematic versions of written accounts? Schindler s List Christopher Butcko Schindler s List is, perhaps, the most watched film about the Holocaust era, but how does it represent or misrepresent the actual sites inhabiting the story the Kraków-Płaszów labor and concentration camp or Schindler s factory? To what lengths does Hollywood go when it retells a true story? 112 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

59 ED.D. STUDENT RESEARCH PANEL EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY STUDIES GRADUATE COLLOQUIUM WEDNESDAY, APRIL STEM 401, 4:30 P.M. TO 6:30 P.M. RASHAWN ADAMS, CARL BAMPOE, MARGARET CRITELLI, YANSICA LOFTEN-COOKE Moderators: Kathe Callahan, Ph.D, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership and Leila Sadeghi, Ph.D, Assistant Professor and Chair, Educational Leadership Department Contemporary Issues in Educational Leadership This session will explore the cultural, social, political and temporal contexts within which educational leaders must work. This roundtable discussion will center on school based accountability, extended learning time, standards based curriculum, charter schools and legislative policies impacting school leadership. More specifically, this roundtable discussion will explore the ramifications of increased accountability requirements as reflected in the Core Content Standards and recently enacted teacher evaluation policies. In addition, students will present research findings on extended learning time and charter school administration. The doctoral students participating in this discussion are all experienced school administrators who currently serve as principals or associate principals in several of the largest districts in the state. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 STEM 6 TH FLOOR, 5 P.M. TO 7 P.M. MICHELLE CHATMAN Faculty Advisor: Sonja de Groot Kim An Examination of Use of Teacher Reflection on Subsequent Curriculum Planning and Classroom Environment This study was carried out in a preschool classroom of three and four year old children. The researcher examined how reflecting on her conversations and interactions with the children affected her subsequent curriculum planning and classroom environment, including arrangement of play areas, and provision of resources and materials. Data was collected for a period of 4 weeks, twice a week, during the children s free choice play time. Data collection methods included a voice recorder and a teacher-child interaction rating chart. Results of the study will be discussed. LAURA COFFEY Faculty Advisor: Sonja Kim An Examination of Gender and Activity Choices in an Early Childhood Setting This action research project took place in a suburban, private preschool classroom. The classroom consisted of two teachers and 16 children, ages four to five years old. The purpose of this observational study was to examine the play behaviors of preschool children during free choice center time and document possible gender-related play patterns in selected centers. The centers included in this study were the transportation center, the block center, and the home living center. Data was collected using parent questionnaires, anecdotal records, checklists and time sampling. The results of the study will be shared. EVE DABROWSKI Faculty Advisor: Sonja de Groot Kim An Examination of Second Language Acquisition in Young Children This action research project took place in a suburban bilingual prekindergarten classroom with four and five-year old children. The purpose of this study was to examine how English-speaking preschool children developed Spanish-speaking language skills. The study was carried out for approximately six weeks, focusing on two selected children. The researcher documented how each child developed his or her communication skills in the Spanish language during various classroom activities, including circle time, center time, and snack time. Data collection methods included voice recordings, check lists of verbal and nonverbal communication, field notes, and a teacher interview. The researcher will discuss the results of the study and share implications for practice. 114 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS

60 TRACI FINKEL Faculty Advisor: Sonja de Groot Kim An Examination of the Effect of Children s Exposure to Positive Stories on Their Subsequent Behavior This action research project was conducted in a preschool classroom with three year old male and female children. The purpose of this study was to examine children s behavior during free choice center time after being exposed to stories emphasizing positive behaviors. Observations were conducted during children s free play period three times a week for an hour each time. For four weeks of the study the head teacher in the classroom read a story for a portion of the observation. During these four weeks the researcher focused on three selected children. Data collection methods included behavior charts, anecdotal records, and a check list. The researcher documented the behaviors of the three selected children and noted any differences between their verbal and nonverbal behaviors throughout the study. The findings and implications of this study will be discussed. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs acknowledges the national efforts of the Council on Undergraduate Research in promoting research collaborations by undergraduate students and faculty members. Kean University is an institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research. BINITA SHETH Faculty Advisor: Sonja De Groot Kim An Examination of Children s Display of Empathy During Their Free Play Period in an Early Childhood Classroom. This action research project was conducted in a preschool classroom with three and four-year old children. The purpose of this study was to examine how children display empathy in their interactions with other children. Observations were conducted during children s free play period three times a week. Children were free to choose any play center during this time. Data collection methods included video recording, observation check lists, and a parent survey. The researcher documented the different ways children expressed empathy in their interactions through verbal and nonverbal communication. The findings and implications of this study will be discussed. AMANDA TOYE Faculty Advisor: Sonja de Groot Kim An Examination of the Interactions and Conversations Between a Preschool Teacher and the Children in her Classroom This action research study took place in a Reggio Emilia inspired preschool in one classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine the ways the classroom teacher communicated and interacted with the girls and the boys in her classroom during free choice play time. The classroom consisted of 18 children, a teacher, and assistants. The data collection methods included video-recording, a checklist, and an interaction/conversation chart. The researcher will discuss the results of the study and share possible implications. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs extends special thanks to the Garden State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (GS-LSAMP) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, which provided support for 26 students participating in Research Days Kean University is a member of the GS-LSAMP, an alliance of nine colleges and universities in central and northern New Jersey, with the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minority students who graduate with degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Teobaldo Arrunategui, Sana Baig, Elizabeth Bosque, Mario DaCosta, Angela Estevez, Doris Fakeh, Nechama Florans, David Garcia, Mary Girgis, Sheila Hargrove, Luis Jimenez, Yerika Jimenez, Carolina Londono, Nathaly Lozano, Rewman Mahmoud, Christine Otokiti, Purna Patel, Michael Rizzo, Tevin Rouse, Sarah Salter, Devon Sepe, Patrick Serpico, Jugal Shah, Meilyn Torres, Theordore Woubneh, Elana Youssef The Students Partnering with Faculty (SpF) summer research program at Kean University, established in 2004, is designed to support and advance student-faculty research and creative activities. The SpF program is an intensive summer experience that continues into the next academic year and provides an opportunity for students to work together with a faculty mentor on a major project. The Kean University SpF program provided support for 16 students participating in Research Days Brady Dupre, Adalberto Freaya, Nathaniel Friedlander, Jennifer L. Green, Jinping Guo, William Horlacher, Kelly Johnson, Jennifer Latham, Michael Lee, Nathaly Lozano, Brianne Mahoney, Meggan McGuire, Angie Ossa, Altagracia Petela, Rameez Qureshi, Brian Sheldon 116 l KEAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH DAYS 2014