Research Posters from Penn State Students
Partisan Bias in Electoral Conflict by Seamus Wagner
This work examines what factors influence varied perceptions of electoral conflict using a case study in Tanzania. The 2015 general elections in Tanzania, some constituencies experienced electoral conflict. Using an original survey developed in conjunction with graduate students at the University of Dar es Salaam, this paper tests perceptions of violence in Kawe, a constituency in the heart of Dar es Salaam that experienced conflict during the 2015 general elections.
This poster was awarded the University Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy in spring 2018.
Showcasing Internships: The Art of Scientific Presentations by Sarah Mohammed & Matt Adams
For the past two years, Penn State Altoona has conducted a pilot program of students presenting their internships at undergraduate research fairs. This is novel territory with virtually no research to guide presenters. Our research team will determine 1) what visual qualities of a research poster translate into award-winning presentations and 2) if these winning qualities of traditional research presentations translate into successful internship presentations.
This poster was awarded the University Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy in spring 2018.
A Behavioral Economic Analysis of Media Multitasking: Delay Discounting as an Underlying Process of Texting in the Classroom by Glenn Blessington
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the decision making process underlying texting in the classroom from a behavioral economic perspective. A sample of 136 undergraduate students completed a novel delay-discounting task that involved a hypothetical scenario in which, after receiving a text message in the classroom, they rated their likelihood of replying to a text message immediately versus waiting until the class is over to reply. The scenario presented several delays (ranged from 1 min to 75 min) under two cell-phone-policy conditions (with and without a policy that banned in-class cell phone use). Participants also completed a behavioral assessment of impulsivity with a delay-discounting task involving hypothetical monetary rewards and a self-reported assessment of the dispositional trait of impulsivity. The results show that the decrease in the likelihood of waiting to reply as a function of the delay was well described by a hyperboloid delay discounting function. The rates of discounting were greater for students who self-reported higher frequencies of texting in the classroom as well as under the condition without the cell phone policy. Finally, students who self-reported higher frequencies of texting in the classroom were more impulsive in both behavioral and self-reported measures of impulsivity. These results support the conclusion that the decision making underlying texting in the classroom can be well characterized using the delay-discounting paradigm and that texting in the classroom is fundamentally an impulsive choice. A behavioral economic approach may be a useful research tool for investigating the decision-making process underlying texting in the classroom, and possibly other forms of media multitasking.
This poster was awarded the University Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy in spring 2018.
A Look into the History Of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, During The Great War by Robert Reynolds
The summer of 1914 was shaping up to be one of society’s most grand on record, yet the political grievances and secret ententes between European nations were escalating at a frantic pace. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo and the long anticipated war among nations was given the necessary spark to begin. The United States President, Woodrow Wilson, made strenuous efforts to remain out of the Great War, yet was ultimately enveloped into the struggle in April of 1917. The impact was felt immediately as small towns across America gave up their sons and daughters to the service of their country. A typical example of this small town support is Ephrata, Pennsylvania, where twenty five World War I service members offered the ultimate sacrifice. Their names are now listed on the American Legion Cloister Post #429 Monument. Ephrata, Pennsylvania, known for the colonial era pacifist religious experiment of the Historic Ephrata Cloister, has served its country every time it has called. From supporting a casualty hospital during the battle of Brandywine, to providing one of the military’s greatest heroes of World War II, Major Dick Winters, Ephrata’s citizens have provided for the country it serves each time it was needed. This study is an attempt to bring forth the story of those Great War veterans through research of military and town records on the centennial of their deaths. The rediscovery of their lives and sacrifices provide a testament to the will and commitment of communities throughout our nation.
This poster was awarded the University Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy in spring 2018.
Effects of Education and Income Level on Obesity by Marin Marina
Using the publicly available National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database provided by the Center for Disease Control, I investigated correlations between socioeconomic status (SES) and obesity in the United States using a sample size of 10175 (5003 Males, 5172 Females) Americans varying in age from 20 to 80+. Income and education level will be used as measures of SES. Total body weight and abdominal circumference were used as indicators of obesity. Waist circumference identifies a vital area of storage for adipose tissue and a consistently higher waist circumference is often a stronger indicator of obesity and its risk as compared to BMI (Van Pelt et al, 2001) They were compared across household income and education level in an attempt to investigate possible correlations between SES and obesity in the United States.
This poster was awarded the University Libraries' Undergraduate Research Award: Excellence in Information Literacy in spring 2018.