Roanoke College Research Blog

Lauren Strong (’14) is a Biology major and her research project looked at

“how human development affects bird populations along the Roanoke River.”

She decided to study three varying habitat uses of riparian forests (habitats along rivers), and looked at different levels of development and how it impacts the birds that live there:

“My high impact sites are within residential areas, and my low impact sites consist of intact forest along the Blue Ridge Parkway. So far, I have found that even though there were similar numbers of species between the high and low impact sites, they both had totally different communities.”

Lauren mentions that

“being able to get experience in a field that I am interested in was really incredible. Secondly, it’s really nice to do research during the summer, when you more time on your hands to really focus on the research.”

She advises other student researchers to

“begin your data collection and scientific paper, as soon as the summer begins. Also, keep in touch with your faculty mentor multiple times a week! Most importantly have fun!”

Lauren’s faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Rachel Collins.

Lauren plans on continuing research this year on

“migratory birds that use habitats along the Roanoke River. I will be collecting data during the fall and winter. Then my last semester, I plan on conducting an Honors Project! Essentially, I will gain as much experience as possible before I graduate.”

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Mark your calendars for our next on-campus presentation opportunities:

Showcase on Thursday, November 21, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on service-learning, internships, and study abroad. Apply to present by November 8.

Showcase on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on research and artistic/creative work. Apply to present by November 8.

For updated information on student-faculty research:

• Website: roanoke.edu/research
• Twitter: @RCResearch
• Facebook: facebook.com/RCResearch
• Email: [email protected]

Jon Marino (’14) is a mathematics major with a concentration in statistics. Jon’s research project allowed him to create a computer model of the social networking site Twitter to understand and analyze how people interact online.

“I used data collected from real Twitter users to model a small portion of the site and simulated how people in the network may interact with each other.  We want to answer the following questions: how many people saw your message and how long did it take for them to see it.  Whether you’re marketing a product or a politician trying to gain supporters, it’s advantageous to have your message seen by the greatest amount of people in the shortest amount of time, and our model helps see how that can happen in social media.”

As for the Summer Scholars program, Jon says that he enjoyed being a part of it because

“it was a productive way to spend my summer researching a topic I am passionate about while gaining valuable research experience.”

Jon’s faculty mentor for this research project was Dr. Karin Saoub. His advice to students interested in research is

“to find out which faculty member is passionate about the same things you are, because that gives you a valuable resource and a mentor who is just as excited as you to collaborate with.”

This year Jon will be applying to graduate programs in pure mathematics and continuing planning for the math club at RC.

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Mark your calendars for our next on-campus presentation opportunities:

Showcase on Thursday, November 21, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on service-learning, internships, and study abroad. Apply to present by November 8.

Showcase on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on research and artistic/creative work. Apply to present by November 8.

For updated information on student-faculty research:

• Website: roanoke.edu/research
• Twitter: @RCResearch
• Facebook: facebook.com/RCResearch
• Email: [email protected]

Andrew Miles (’15) is a double major in History and Philosophy and his research project combined Social Contract Theory and Game Theory. His project asked the question “Why should a person cooperate with societal laws and norms?” He approached this to show that cooperating with society is not only a moral choice, but one that can be beneficial to the person asking the question as well.

“Specifically, my research compares the pros and cons of living in a contractual society—one where everybody agrees to follows the laws—to a society without any central government or laws and finds that cooperation is better achieved within a contractual system than without it.”

Andrew feels that Summer Scholars is an awesome program and getting to work one on one with a professor is extremely helpful. Andrew’s faculty mentor for his project was Dr. Ned Wisnefske.

“All the summer scholars were passionate about their projects and we became a close-knit family by the end of the summer. Summer Scholars is a fantastic program that allows students to do professional research in a great environment.”

For students considering research opportunities, Andrew says

“don’t be afraid to be ambitious. If you are passionate about something, then go for it. Don’t ever try to stay within your limits; research is about broadening them. Start large, embrace your mistakes, and keep going. There is always something else to discover.”

Currently Andrew works as a tutor in the Writing Center and as a Maroon Ambassador. He is also the student leader for the newly established RC Alternatives

“hosting events to allow students another way to have fun and find new people to hang out with on campus.”

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Mark your calendars for our next on-campus presentation opportunities:

Showcase on Thursday, November 21, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on service-learning, internships, and study abroad. Apply to present by November 8.

Showcase on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on research and artistic/creative work. Apply to present by November 8.

For updated information on student-faculty research:

• Website: roanoke.edu/research
• Twitter: @RCResearch
• Facebook: facebook.com/RCResearch
• Email: [email protected]

Michelle Pasier (’15) is a biochemistry major and

“my research has been verifying that a certain gene, a segment of DNA that functions as instructions to make a product, codes for a protein it is assumed to provide the instructions in the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This protein, adenylosuccinate synthetase, is of interest as it could be potential target for a new tuberculosis treatment.”

Michelle mentions that one of the benefits of being a Summer Scholar is

“a blunt taste of what working in one’s field really entails, while still having time to tweak one’s plan. I prefer summer research because it allows me focus and clarity on my project and the ability to step back and think through why I want to do this. Summer Scholars has a great program for not only allowing research to occur in your field of interest but also preparing you for other aspects of research, such as presentation skills.”

Michelle’s faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Cathy Sarisky. Michelle advises other student researchers to

“get to know your mentor and let them get to know you. Once you know your mentor’s style of research and their personal expectations it is much easier to get the results you want.”

Michelle plans to continue working on this research project, through URAP, with Dr. Sarisky this year “Characterizing a PurA in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.”

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Mark your calendars for our next on-campus presentation opportunities:

Showcase on Thursday, November 21, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on service-learning, internships, and study abroad. Apply to present by November 8.

Showcase on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on research and artistic/creative work. Apply to present by November 8.

For updated information on student-faculty research:

• Website: roanoke.edu/research
• Twitter: @RCResearch
• Facebook: facebook.com/RCResearch
• Email: [email protected]

Katrina King (’14) is an Art History Major with a concentration in Business Leadership and Human Resource. For her research project she researched three paintings from the Italian Renaissance. All three paintings revolved around the Annunciation, a Biblical story where the angel Gabriel comes to visit the Virgin Mary to tell her she will bear God’s son.

“The paintings are on the same subject, but they have different details. I wanted to see if these different details were influenced more by the artist, the audience for which the painting was intended, or the person who paid to have the painting made (or the patron).  I chose two paintings by one artist so that I could see the varying choices that he might make based on the influence of the audience or patron. Then I chose one painting by a different artist so that I could have a different interpretation of the story and try to determine who influenced his choices the most.”

Katrina’s favorite thing about the Summer Scholars program was the fact that she was able to bring her own ideas to the table.

“I wasn’t continuing anyone else’s research but was able to come up with my own ideas and then find information that backed those ideas up.  I would get really excited when I found something that would help me to prove my point!”

Katrina’s faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Jane Long and Katrina felt that doing research with Dr. Long was a great experience. She explains that

“faculty are there to guide and encourage you. Working with Dr. Long was extremely helpful for me. She encouraged me to ask questions when I was unsure about something and helped me to stay on track. My advice to those who want to do research with a faculty member would have to be: Don’t be afraid to ask questions! The faculty are veterans of research and know exactly what they’re talking about. They’ll be able to guide you in the right direction.”

Katrina is in the process of applying to graduate schools where she plans to continue her education in art history in order to work in art museums.

“My research is going to be very helpful when I write my sample writing section of the applications and served as great experience for graduate school.”

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Mark your calendars for our next on-campus presentation opportunities:

Showcase on Thursday, November 21, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on service-learning, internships, and study abroad. Apply to present by November 8.

Showcase on Friday, November 22, 2013 from 6-8pm in Fintel Library focused on research and artistic/creative work. Apply to present by November 8.

For updated information on student-faculty research:

• Website: roanoke.edu/research
• Twitter: @RCResearch
• Facebook: facebook.com/RCResearch
• Email: [email protected]

Dr. Elizabeth Holbrook will keynote the Showcase of Experiential Learning in Fintel Library this Friday, September 27. Check in starts at 6pm, and her talk will begin at 6:15 in the lobby of Fintel Library.

Dr. Holbrook will be speaking about her current research on the “Roanoke Valley Community Healthy Living Index”.

Dr. Holbrook and about thirty collaborating organizations are rejuvenating underserved neighborhoods in Roanoke. They have recommended changes to the  built environment, access to healthy foods, and physical activity programs. The collaboration is funded by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.

Working with Dr. Holbrook is her URAP student Lauren Roth,  Summer Scholar Alex DeLaricheliere, Summer Scholar Caroline Muller, and Jesse Griffin, the Director of the Center for Civic Engagement.

One of the best things about this project in Dr. Holbrook’s opinion is “working collaboratively with organizations in the city as well as other organizations within the college.”

Be sure and come to hear Dr. Holbrook this Friday at 6:15 pm in Fintel Library. Then be sure to stick around and check out the student poster presentations running from 6:45-8:00pm. For the full list of student presentations, please see: https://www.rcresearch.org/?page_id=32 or download the Program PDF.

Find more information about Roanoke College Research:

https://roanoke.edu/research
https://facebook.com/RCResearch
https://twitter.com/RCResearch
https://RCResearch.org
[email protected]

Are you working on or planning a project that deals in some manner with American public policy in the last 75 years? It’s not too early to start thinking about the Fowler Paper Competition 2014!  The generosity of Mr. Fowler has made possible an annual research paper competition at Roanoke College to recognize outstanding student papers dealing with recent U.S public policy.  

The papers can be written from any disciplinary perspective (e.g., history, sociology, political science, econ, etc.). The prizes for excellent, distinguished, and superior papers are substantial: $2000, $1500, and $1,000 in cash (or double in graduate school scholarship).

To enter this year’s competition, submit a topic proposal by April 1, 2014 and the completed paper by the reading day of Spring 2014, to Ms. Pinckney ([email protected]).  Your topic proposal must include your paper’s (tentative) title, a paragraph description of the project, an outline of your paper (2 pages maximum) and the names of your honors committee members and/or paper supervisor. 

For more information and examples of past winning papers, visit https://roanoke.edu/A-Z_Index/Henry_H_Fowler/Student_PapersScholarships.htm.  If you have questions, contact Prof. Mihalache-O’Keef ([email protected]).

 If you are considering entering the competition, talk to your advisor or professor early on (one or two years early is NOT too early!) and ask for their suggestions on strengthening your paper.  In recent years, the most successful papers have been those developed as Independent Study projects, with close faculty monitoring, and those written in seminars or advanced courses, but revised with faculty input over the course of a subsequent semester. 

 We look forward to your entries!  Good luck!

Award-Winning Papers

Emma Webb (’15) spent her summer focused on measuring student wellness.

“Many colleges offer different types of wellness programs to students. Programs can range from a self-defense class, to a competition reach ideal BMI, to a lecture series on emotional well being. One thing missing from these programs is a comprehensive way to measure student wellness and therefore the impact of the program.”

Emma helped to develop an index to numerically measure student wellness using a  Health Economics approach:

“The index score is derived from survey responses and measures physical, emotional, social, spiritual, academic, intellectual, and environmental wellness specific to college students and college campuses.”

As a Summer Scholar,

“I loved having a whole summer to focus solely on a research project. I was able to do so much more than I would ever have been able to during the school year.”

Emma’s faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Alice Kassens. Emma advises student researchers to

“create benchmarks with your faculty mentor from the beginning so you keep yourself focused and don’t get slammed at the end of the project.”

Emma is a double major in Economics and Political Science. Emma plants to turn her project into a Wellness Program proposal for Roanoke College this year. In addition to her research, Emma will also be going to Washington DC for her spring semester to take political science classes and intern with an agency in DC.

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Talk more with Emma and other student researchers at:

Family Weekend Showcase of Experiential Learning on Friday, September 27, 2013 6-8pm in Fintel Library

Roanoke College students from all disciplines will showcase their research, creative works and experiences from intensive learning travel courses.

The event kicks off with a social at 6 p.m. and a keynote speaker at 6:15 p.m. Students will stand at their posters at 6:45 p.m. Attendees should roam throughout Fintel Library and stop to talk to students.

Drop by the registration table for more information on experiential learning opportunities, such as internships, service-learning, study abroad, creative and artistic works and research.

Latest program information

Find more information about Roanoke College Research:

https://roanoke.edu/research
https://facebook.com/RCResearch
https://twitter.com/RCResearch
https://RCResearch.org
[email protected]

Caroline Mueller (’15) is an Exercise Science major whose research deals with recreation and exercise for the sensory impaired community.

She began this study last semester with student-athletes from the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind cross country team.

Caroline states that her favorite part about her experience as a Summer Scholar was

“having the freedom of working anytime and anywhere I wanted. I needed just the right atmosphere to work: a bit of background noise, coffee, and a comfortable place to work for a few hours everyday. Coffee shops are great if you want to get some serious work done.”

Caroline’s faculty mentor for this project was Dr. Elizabeth Holbrook. Caroline recommends other students doing research to

“stay in regular contact with the faculty member, even if it’s simple conversations about how the process is going. I would also advise students to stay on a regular schedule because it is so easy to procrastinate if someone isn’t hounding you to keep working.”

Caroline plans to continue doing research in the Health and Human Performance Department this year and hopes to publish her research in the Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness. She also will be working in a community garden sponsored by the Chaplain’s Office and the Roanoke Community Garden Association, working as a teacher’s aide, and riding her mountain bike.

For more information on how the Health and Human Performance Department at Roanoke College helps students with real-world learning, watch this fantastic video featuring several students:

 

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Talk more with Caroline and other student researchers at:

Family Weekend Showcase of Experiential Learning on Friday, September 27, 2013 6-8pm in Fintel Library

Roanoke College students from all disciplines will showcase their research, creative works and experiences from intensive learning travel courses.

The event kicks off with a social at 6 p.m. and a keynote speaker at 6:15 p.m. Students will stand at their posters at 6:45 p.m. Attendees should roam throughout Fintel Library and stop to talk to students.

Drop by the registration table for more information on experiential learning opportunities, such as internships, service-learning, study abroad, creative and artistic works and research.

Latest program information

Find more information about Roanoke College Research:

https://roanoke.edu/research
https://facebook.com/RCResearch
https://twitter.com/RCResearch
https://RCResearch.org
[email protected]

 

Emily Leimbach (’14) spent the summer researching the many ways that people respond emotionally to music. Specifically,

“I worked towards understanding different ways to illustrate music with a connection to its text. After understanding these different viewpoints, I applied them to my own study of a musical piece, Fauré’s ‘Chant d’automne’.”

Emily mentions that Summer Scholars gave her a chance to experience research before leaving Roanoke.

“Summer Scholars allowed me to devote all of my time to learning, understanding my research, and applying it how I chose. I would not have completed nearly has much if I had done it during the year.”

Emily’s faculty mentor for her research project was Dr. Gordon Marsh. She notes that

“Your faculty mentor is there to see you succeed! You should not be intimidated to ask them a question or come to them with the problem. Oftentimes, they will give you just enough to lead you in the right direction.”

This year Emily is directing the all-female a Cappella group Mainstreet, working as a Writing Center tutor, and beginning her senior project which will focus on teaching others the connection of music and poetry. Emily will be graduating in the spring with a major in music and a double minor in elementary education and music education.