Nine University of Scranton Students Receive Summer Research Awards
Among the students is senior psychology major
Karen Hudzinski of Pittston Township, who worked with Jessica
Nolan, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on research titled “Social
Influence and Fleeting Attraction: Generating Compliance through Conversational
Pausing.”
“I did a study last year for Dr. Nolan.” Hudzinski said. “When I approached and talked to people for that project, I noticed that people interrupted me during our conversation. I wanted to see if pausing could initiate or terminate a conversation.”
Senior international business major Mark Grambo of Clarks Summit was another award recipient. He worked with Susan Trussler, Ph.D., associate professor of economics/finance, on research titled “Greenwashing, Ethics, and U.S. Ecotourism.”
“More and more, things are being marketed as environmentally friendly,” Grambo said. “It’s a growing trend and it’s a good idea, but some corporations are marketing products that claim they are environmentally friendly when they are not. That’s where the term ‘greenwashing’ comes from. I wanted to research this trend to see how much companies claim to be environmentally friendly versus how much they provide that is actually environmentally friendly.”
Seven other students were also working on research projects.
Junior biology major Bernadetta Bernatowicz of Mount Cobb worked with George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on research titled “Cellular Mechanisms of Odor Imprinting in Birds.”
Junior biology major Megan Chan of Kingston and her mentor, Michael Sulzinski, Ph.D., professor of biology, researched “A Real-Time Polymerase Chain Assay for Burkholderia Cenocepacia.”
Junior biology major Rachel Knuth of Greeley worked with Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on research titled “Determining the Presence of Laminin as a Growth Promoting Molecule in Goldfish Spinal Cord Regeneration.”
Junior math major Juan McNamara of Yardville, N.J., and his mentor, Steven Dougherty, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, worked on research titled “Japanese Ladders.”
Senior philosophy and Latin American studies major Ashley Michini of Dickson City researched “Literacy, Empowerment, and the Reduction of Gender-Based Violence: A Case Study in Puebla, Mexico” with her mentor Sharon Meagher, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Latin American and Women Studies and professor of philosophy.
Senior English and philosophy major Ryan Pipan of Forty Fort worked with Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, on research titled “The Archer-Shee Boy: Historical and Shakespearean Antecedents of Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy and his Descendents in Films by David Mamet and Kenneth Branagh.”
Junior biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major Edward Stredny of Dallas worked with his mentor, Timothy Foley, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on research titled “Chemical Modification and Destabilization of Triosephosphate Isomerase: A Possible Trigger of Neurodegenerative Disease.”
