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Clarion University Honors Program students present projects

Senior Honors presenters Spring 2008 are front row left to right: Megan Laskowski, Shannon Baker, Ashley Grimm, Amanda Jean Mawhinney, Lisa Baumgartner, Brittany Ochs, Kate Ehrensberger, and Michael Chislock; and second row left to right: Melissa Kelso, Sarah Beck, Aimee Zellers, Corin Rombach, Mariah Mills, Lucas Schaeffer, Dan Vikartosky, and James Laurelli.

Sixteen Clarion University Honors Program students presented senior projects as part of the 2007-08 Honors Program Senior Presentations on April 17 at the Center for Academic Excellence and Founders Hall. These are the students’ capstone projects of their undergraduate careers.

The presentations were part of the Third Annual Academic Excellence Week at Clarion University. Additional events during the week included the Faculty and Staff Scholarship Recognition Reception, Undergraduate Research Conference, Academic Convocation, and Graduate Research Seminar and Reception.

The Honors Program is an academic opportunity for students whose intellectual and creative interests and abilities are beyond conventional university offerings. The program gives students the opportunity to enrich their education through specially designed courses and extracurricular involvement. Admission is based on: academic performance, a written statement, SAT scores of 1150 or higher, graduating in the top 15 percent of the high school class, and recommendations.

Shannon Baker presented “Forecasting and Economic Conditions in South America.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Rod Raehsler, professor of economics. The study analyzed the economic conditions of a number of important countries in South America. Forecasting models were used to study the growth in real gross domestic product in these countries. She also explored the use of a simple neutral network model in forecasting. The data was used to not only examine the overall economic standing of these countries, but also as a comparison between the countries.

Baker, an accounting/economics major, is a daughter of Joseph and Carol Baker of Hermitage and is a graduate of West Middlesex High School. After graduation, she will begin employment with Parente Randolph, LLC, Pittsburgh, and prepare for the CPA exam.

Lisa Baumgartner presented “Daycare Providers’ Perception of Children’s Voice Disorders.” Her faculty advisor was Kenneth Straub, professor of communication sciences and disorders. The study suggests that voice disorders affect children physically, functionally and socially and the disorders often go unrecognized by teachers. She surveyed daycare providers to investigate their perceptions regarding the effects of chronic hoarseness as demonstrated by preschoolers.

Baumgartner, a communication sciences and disorders major, is a daughter of John and Marsha Baumgartner of West Middlesex and is a graduate of Wilmington High School. She plans to attend graduate school.

Sarah Beck presented “The Louis Stokes Medical Center Patient Ambassador Program.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Brenda Pondsford, professor of economics. The purpose of her project was to discuss the Patient Ambassador Program that was implemented by the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center and its effects on patient satisfaction. She researched the background of the medical center and the program itself, the methodology used, the results, and her own experiences. She then created a retrospective analysis to describe the positive and negative elements.

Beck, a marketing major with a minor in psychology, is a daughter of Patrick and Sheila Beck of Brecksville, Ohio, and is a graduate of Brecksville Broadview Heights High School. After graduation, she plans to obtain employment in the marketing field and pursue graduate study.

Amanda Mawhinney presented “Case Study: Service Learning Enhances the Development of ‘At-Risk’ Youth.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Katharine Fleissner, professor of political science, sociology and philosophy. Mawhinney conducted a case study of a service learning program at Smiles Youth Corps, an Americorps program serving at-risk youth through Keystone Smiles in Knox. She identified specific ways that the program has been helpful to youth.

Mawhinney, a psychology major with a minor in social work, is a daughter of Ken and Charlene Harold of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of North Hills High School. After graduation, she plans to seek employment in the social services field and attend graduate school.

Aimee Zellers presented “Plato: Molded by His Time.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Robert Frakes, professor of history. The project examined how events such as the Peloponnesian War, the overthrow of democracy, the dictatorship of the “30 Tyrants” in Athens, and the death of Socrates affected the philosophies of Plato

Zellers, a history/philosophy major, is a daughter of Kent and Denise Zellers of York and is a graduate of Red Lion High School. After graduation, Zellers will pursue doctoral studies in philosophy.

Daniel Vikartosky presented “The Effects of Age and Gender on Speech Rate.” His faculty advisor was Kenneth Straub, professor of communication sciences and disorders. The study investigated speech rate, as a function of age, in an effort to detect the decade of life during which a significant decrease was first noted. He also compared speech rate between genders at various ages. By conducting this investigation, he hoped to provide information that assisted in identifying and distinguishing between typical age-related differences in rate and those reductions that may constitute disorders.

Vikartosky, a communication sciences and disorders major, is a son of Dennis Vikartosky of Norvelt and is a graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School. After graduation, he will attend graduate school.

Lucas Schaeffer presented “Wealth Differentials in Selected Latin American Economies.” His faculty advisor was Dr. Rod Raehsler, professor of economics. The research project examined the reasoning behind the deviations in development through a pooled cross section time-series statistical analysis of growth factors, including measures for education, foreign aid, capital formation and population growth. He researched how to promote future economic and human development growth.

Schaeffer, an international business/economics/Spanish major with a minor in Latin American and Caribbean studies, is a son of Michael and Julie Schaeffer of Sligo and is a graduate of Clarion High School. After graduation, he will pursue a career in the federal government while attending graduate school.

Corin Rombach presented “At the Bubbles Edge: Distances to High-Galactic Latitude Clouds.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Sharon Montgomery, professor of physics. The project revolves around the local bubble, which is an irregularly-shaped region of plasma that exists within the Sun. She searched for stars’ spectra for interstellar Na-D absorption lines, which are discernable from stellar lines, and thereby bracketed the distances to each cloud.

Rombach, a physics major with a concentration in astrophysics, is a daughter of David and Karen Rombach of Prattsburgh, N.Y., and is a graduate of Prattsburgh Central High School. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school in astronomy/astrophysics.

Brittany Ochs presented “Bullying: Children’s Book.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Barrie Brancato, professor of education. The project was based on the premise that bullying is an issue in today’s schools and often begins in the early grades. She investigated the severity of bullying and what schools are doing to prevent or eliminate the behavior.

Ochs, an elementary education/early childhood education major, is a daughter of Nelson and Nancy Ochs of Leeper and is a graduate of North Clarion High School. Her career plans are to obtain a teaching position.

Mariah Mills presented “Interior Point Primal-Dual Methods.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Jon Beal, professor of mathematics. Mills utilized a continuous Newton Method Approach to analyze trajectories with initial points that are singular values of the associated Jacobian matrix. She also studied examples of application of this method for optimization and/or minimization. The project combined work in many areas of mathematics.

Mariah, a mathematics major with a minor in physics, is a daughter of Ken and Dawna Allison of Fairmont City and is a graduate of Redbank Valley High School. After graduation, she plans to attend the mathematical sciences doctoral program at Clemson University.

James Laurelli presented “Nanotechnology Enhanced Solar Photovoltaic Cells.” His faculty advisor was Dr. Joshua Pearce, professor of physics. The project revolved around photovoltaics, a steadily growing form of energy production over the years. He focused on improving an earlier attempt at using these cells to create power by adding a new monolayer of transparent conductive oxide on top of the indium tin oxide monolayer on the glass side with the desire of greatly reducing shunting.

Laurelli, a biology/physics major with a minor in nanotechnology, is a son of Marilynn Laurelli of Warrington and is a graduate of Central Bucks East High School. After graduation, he will pursue a career in nanofabrication manufacturing technology, with an emphasis on the development of microchips and other forms of digital hardware.

Megan Laskowski presented “In Front of the Cameras: Honors.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Robert Nulph, professor of mass media arts, journalism and communications studies. The project is about using the language of film for informing and promoting purposes. She created a five minute video explaining the Clarion University Honors Program, which will be available to incoming students.

Laskowski, a mass media arts, journalism, and communication studies major with a minor in business administration, is a daughter of John and Cheryl Laskowski of Lake Aerial and is a graduate of Western Wayne High School. After graduation, she will seek employment as a news reporter and anchor for a television station.

Melissa Kelso presented “Technology in the Elementary Music Classroom.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Jeffery Wardlaw, professor of music. The project sought to create an interactive web interface that elementary music teachers could use to supplement instruction in the elementary music classroom. By implementing the interface, students could practice pitch and rhythm recognition and discrimination, instrument identification, and access a world of music resources.

Kelso, a music education/elementary education major, is a daughter of Al and Antoinette Kelso of Brookville and is a graduate of Brookville High School. After graduation, she plans to obtain a teaching position in elementary music education.

Ashley Grimm presented “A Model for Health and Wellness.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Douglas Smith, professor of biology. The purpose of her project was to propose a model for a health and wellness center designed to meet the needs of a wide spectrum of the population. A comprehensive review of the literature documented the cultural trends that provided a rationale for the model. Her goal was to satisfy the health and wellness need by providing a physical environment that affects an increased quality of life.

Grimm, a biology/pre-dentistry major, is a daughter of Richard and Jane Grimm of Sugarloaf and is a graduate of Hazleton High School. After graduation, she plans to serve as the graduate assistant for the women’s basketball team.

Kate Ehrensberger presented “Quantification of Bacterial Biofilms on Soft Contact Lenses.” Her faculty advisor was Dr. Douglas Smith, professor of biology. The project examined two bacterial species that are common causes of eye infections and are known to form biofilms. Biofilms of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus were grown on various brands of soft contact lenses and then quantified. She tested different contact lenses to determine which were most effective in removing the bacterial biofilms.

Ehrensberger, a molecular biology/biotechnology major with a minor in mathematics, is a daughter of Charles and Jennifer Ehrensberger of St. Marys and is a graduate of Elk County Catholic High School. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school for microbiology or molecular biology.

Michael Chislock presented “Blinded by the Stink: Eutrophication Impairs the Anti-predator Responses of Freshwater Gastropods.” His advisor was Dr. Andrew Turner, professor of biology. The project revolved around pH shifts in lakes and streams that have important affects on animal sensory capability, but they have not been studied. He hypothesized that predator recognition would be impaired at high pH because the structure of the peptides used to detect predators is pH dependent.

Chislock, a biology major with a minor in chemistry, is a grandson of Michael and Deborah Chislock of Greensburg and is a graduate of Huntingdon Area High School. Following graduation, he will attend graduate school to study limnology at Auburn University.

Dustin McElhattan from the Honors Program Junior Seminar provided the welcome and introductions during the opening ceremony. Kenneth Bonus, vice president of the Student Honors Association, provided remarks. Mary Loveless from the Honors Program Junior Seminar presented the service awards. Dr. Hallie Savage, director of the Honors Program, presented the seniors and faculty advisors. Luke Martin, Honors Program Junior Seminar, gave the closing remarks.

The Honors Program is supported by the Honors faculty, alumni, and friends. Contributions to the student scholarships were provided by the Clarion University Foundation, the Mochnick family, Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity, and the France Allison Honors Scholarship.

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