director of Sponsored Programs, 308.865.8496
UNK- Twenty University of Nebraska at Kearney Summer Student Research Program (SSRP) students will present the results of their work at the seventh annual Fall Symposium Friday, Sept. 12, at the Nebraskan Student Union.
“The event is free and open to the public, and will be interesting to community members who want to see the type of scholarly work that UNK students do during their course of study,” said Dr. John Falconer, director of Sponsored Programs. “It is particularly valuable to departments across the campus that are working to strengthen student engagement through out-of-class learning opportunities.”
Presentations run from 1- 5 p.m. in NSU Ponderosa Rooms C and D. The oral presentations and poster displays will showcase research efforts and creative activities in the fields of biology, business management/entrepreneurship, chemistry, communication disorders, geography, English, exercise science, finance/accounting, management, philosophy, physics, political science and sociology.
“Many students report developing an interest in research after having seen the work of their peers at this and other conferences and symposiums,” Dr. Falconer said, adding that a survey of leading institutions in Nebraska and other states indicated that UNK students report more involvement in out-of-class research.
The Summer Student Research Program begins in May, when the students go on an overnight field trip either east into the Lincoln and Omaha communities or west to North Platte, whichever experiences fit best with their planned research.
According to Dianne Holcomb, UNK assistant director for Sponsored Programs, by late May, the students have begun working in earnest, meeting with their mentors on a regular basis and participating in weekly meetings with other student scholars.
“These discussions are meant to foster awareness of research issues outside their major, and may include topics such as research ethics, the use of statistics or the creative process in the arts,” Holcomb said. Research ends by Aug. 1, and students must complete a research paper before the beginning of the new academic year.
“SSRP gives students an opportunity to work closely with an expert, which gives the students a chance to expand their knowledge of a chosen academic discipline,” she said, “and because the research is independent of the structured classroom setting, students experience the excitement and challenges of applying their knowledge and skills to solve new problems.”
The 20 student researchers are listed below, alphabetically by hometown, along with their research project titles and the names of their faculty mentors:
Rachel Usasz-Keber, Albion The Effects of Tenure: Checking Classroom Tenure Abuse Mentor: Dr. Susan Honeyman, English
Elissa Martin, Broken Bow
Multicultural Literature in the Secondary Classroom
Mentor: Dr. Susanne Bloomfield, English
Brooke Young, Eustis
Forecasting Cash Flows: A Comparison of Prediction Models Between Industries
Mentor: Dr. Laurie Swinney, Finance & Accounting
Emily Vencill, Grand Island
An Employee’s Right to Privacy in the United States: Before and After September 11
Mentor: Dr. Larry Carstenson, Finance & Accounting
John Blecha, Gothenburg
Novel Fluorescent Sensor for Mercury Ion
Mentor: Dr. Haishi Cao, Chemistry
Rachael Broadwell, Hastings
Strengths of Single Mother Families
Mentor: Dr. Suzanne Maughan, Sociology
Andrew Baumgartner, Kearney
The Fallacies of Fundamentalism: Design in the Mutability of Life
Mentor: Dr. David Rozema, Philosophy
Andrew Prososki, Kearney
It “Mite” Be the Right Host: Phoretic Mite Relationships with Burying Beetles
Mentor: Dr. Wyatt Hoback, Biology
Matt Morehouse, Lincoln
A Comparative Analysis of the Media, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy in the US and UK: The Case of South Africa in the 1980s
Mentor: Dr. William Aviles, Political Science
Sarah Horst, Mullen
Changes in blood lactate and salivary cortisol concentrations while “exergaming” against a human or computer opponent
Mentor: Dr. Greg Brown, Health, Physical Ed & Recreation
Anna Rosberg, Norfolk
Effects of Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) on the Reproduction in Sea Urchins (Lytchinus varigates)
Mentor: Dr. Kim Carlson, Biology
Matt Noffke, Norfolk
Characterization of Sub-pixel Variation in the Great Plains
Mentor: Dr. Mike Larsen, Physics
Chris Hennessy, North Platte
An Examination of Early Automobile Touring Routes in Nebraska
Mentor: Dr. John Bauer, Geography
Jessica McWha, North Platte
Effects of energy expenditure while playing the Nintendo Wii against a human and computer opponent
Mentor: Dr. Greg Brown, Health, Physical Ed & Recreation
Danielle Helzer, Ogallala
Poetry in the Secondary English Class
Mentor: Dr. Susanne Bloomfield, English
Tim Hruza, Ord
Protecting the Family Farm: Nebraska’s Initiative 300
Mentor: Dr. Peter Longo, Political Science
Mike Eiberger, St. Paul
Vocational Business Education: Curriculum & Technology Across Nebraska
Mentor: Dr. Janet Lear, Management
Sarah Jensen, Wayne
Family Members Preference of Visual Material Used by Patients with Severe Chronic Aphasia
Mentor: Dr. Miechelle McKelvey, Communication Disorders
Rachel Jensen, Wayne
Prose Poetry and Melody: The Influence of Music on the Creative Writing Process
Mentor: Charles Fort, English
Angela Reynolds, Wood River
Suits Me
Mentor: Dr. Susan Jensen, Business Management
For more information on the summer research program, visit the SSRP web site:
http://www.unk.edu/acad/gradstudies/ssrp/. Contact Dr. John Falconer or Dianne Holcomb,
SSRP coordinators, at 308.865.8496 for more details on the public symposium.
Symposium Presentation Schedule
Ponderosa Room C
1:20 Tim Hruza, Political Science
1:40 Rachel Jensen, English/Creative Writing
2:00 Andrew Baumgartner, Philosophy
2:20 Matt Noffke, Physics and Physical Science
2:40 Andrew Prososki, Biology
3:00 Emily Vencill, Finance/Accounting
3:20 Sarah Horst, HPERLS-Exercise Science
3:40 Rachel Usasz-Keber, English
4:00 Rachael Broadwell, Sociology, Geography & Earth Science
4:20 Mike Eiberger, Business Management Ponderosa Room D
1:20 Sarah Jensen, Communication Disorders
1:40 Chris Hennessey, Sociology, Geography & Earth Science
2:00 Brooke Young, Finance/Accounting
2:20 Anna Rosberg, Biology
2:40 Angela Reynolds, Business Management
3:00 Matt Morehouse, Political Science
3:20 John Blecha, Chemistry
3:40 Jessica McWha, HPERLS-Exercise Science
4:00 Elissa Martin, English
4:20 Danielle Helzer, English
