TITLE: Jane Austen and Her Legacy in the Modern World
STUDENT: Abigail Alderdice 
MAJOR: English with a concentration in Literature
STUDENT: Eden Alderdice
MAJOR: Communication
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Julie Goodspeed-Chadwick
ABSTRACT: Jane Austen is an author whose legacy lives on more than 200 years after her death. Writing works that have influenced literature and feminism, she is revered in communities and organizations worldwide. After attending the Jane Austen Society of North America’s 10th annual festival, the student researchers identified the value this beloved author holds with her devoted fanbase and explored why she is still widely celebrated.

Project Poster

TITLE: The Role of Movement in Social Perception
STUDENT: Issac Garcia Rojas Aguilar
MAJORS: Mechanical Engineering and Math MINOR: Math
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Mark Jaime
ABSTRACT: This study focuses on how effectively people can rate extraversion, valance, dominance, and arousal by viewing biological movement data presented in the form of point light display videos (PLD). PLD removes any information that is not biological movement, such as gender, physical appearance, facial expressions, information which could otherwise influence ratings.

This OSR project will serve as pilot data for a large-scaled version of this study, which will be conducted at IU Bloomington. The data from both studies will be used in a scientific publication.

Project poster

TITLE: Makeup Use and Self-Esteem in Women
STUDENT: Hannah Ballard
MAJOR: Psychology
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Joan Poulsen
ABSTRACT: This study examined the correlation between makeup use and self-esteem. An online survey was used to measure makeup use and self-esteem, extraversion, age, other’s approval, and appearance. Results revealed extraversion and self-esteem were positively correlated with makeup use, suggesting that personality may play a role in understanding makeup use.

Hannah presented her research on “Makeup Use and Self-Esteem in Women” in late May in Washington DC at the 31st annual Association for Psychological Science.

Project poster

TITLE: Unforgetting Poland’s Forgotten Victims: Critical Reflection on Survivor Narratives
STUDENT: Elzbieta Antonina Bidwell
MAJOR: General Studies with a concentration in Arts and Humanities
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Katherine Wills
ABSTRACT: This project is a collection of first-person narratives in a web-folio format that captures previously unrecorded stories of Polish Holocaust survivors. The purpose of the digital collection is that it offers these stories to a new generation of readers. The memory web-folio contributes primary research with a digital humanities delivery system. The creative non-fiction web-folio contributes hitherto lost/unfound stories of Polish non-Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. Readers for this memoir include World War II scholars and historians, students of Holocaust history, and those interested in creating a web-folio. This is a significant and timely contribution of primary narratives to the current discussion of Polish people and their complex and varied roles in the Holocaust.

This OSR web-folio was presented in April 2019 at the Hope Indiana Library to an adult reading group and to the eighth-grade class at St. Bartholomew School in Columbus, IN. Elzbieta also presented this project at IUPUI’s 50th anniversary student research showcase on April 12.

Project poster

TITLE: Synthesizing Crystals to Model Crystalline Structures in Introductory Chemistry Classes
STUDENT: Nicole Bodi
MAJOR: Biology MINOR: Chemistry
STUDENT: Adrienne Shea
MAJOR: Mechanical Engineering MINORS: Chemistry and Math
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. James Mendez
ABSTRACT: Nicole Bodi and Adrienne Shea are synthesizing crystals in the chemistry lab to demonstrate the real world examples of crystalline and lattice structures. These will be used in conjunction with 3-D printed models of the same crystalline structures in introductory chemistry classes.

They presented a poster in conjunction with the 3-D printing project at the American Chemical Society Conference on April 1 in Orlando, Florida.

Poster project

TITLE: ASIST for Jackson County
STUDENT: Anthony Cox
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Brooke Ebbing
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Kylee Hollenbeck
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Danielle Shelley
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Jerrica Wischmeier
MAJOR: Nursing
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Lana Watson
ABSTRACT: This student project partially funded the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) training program for police officers and other first responders in Jackson County. This training will help to increase positive outcomes to suicide interventions performed by the trained officers.

Project poster

TITLE: Pressure Ulcer Prevention Among Residents at a Long-Term Care Facility in South Central Indiana
STUDENT: Alex Day
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Michelle Fitzsimmons
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Elizabeth Leech
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Kailee Lynn
MAJOR: Nursing
STUDENT: Lauryn Stephens
MAJOR: Nursing
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Lisa Homer
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research project is to provide education to staff members at a long-term care facility in South Central Indiana to enhance their knowledge on the use of Mepilex dressing for pressure ulcer prevention and how to correctly use the Braden score. The student researchers are focusing on preventing pressure ulcers in this extended care facility. Their research has shown that utilizing silicone foam dressings as a preventative measure reduces incidents of facility-acquired pressure ulcers. Staff education is needed to assess and prevent pressure ulcers.

Project poster

TITLE: How Well Can Toddlers Self-Regulate? Comparing Temperamental, Attentional, and Behavioral Predicters of Self-Regulation
STUDENT: Asher Denny
MAJOR: Psychology
FACULTY MENTORS: Dr. Elizabeth daSilva and Dr. Mark Jaime
ABSTRACT: In this research project, the researchers are measuring the ability of toddlers to postpone gratification. They are coding videos to examine which behaviors are associated with increased wait time.

Project poster

TITLE: How Paper and Digital Children’s Books Support Student Understanding
STUDENT: Maycie Asher
MAJOR: Elementary Education
STUDENT: Payten Ewing
MAJOR: Elementary Education
STUDENT: Kayla Pride
MAJOR: Elementary Education
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Laura Liu
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research project is to explore the impact of paper and digital children’s books on civic science conceptual learning for early readers, specifically Kindergarten or 1st grade students. The findings can help teachers and teacher candidates understand better how to integrate both print and digital children’s books into curricula to affect meaningful learning.

Project poster

TITLE: Ergo-Can: A Better Way to Take Out Your Trash
STUDENT: Maya Garcia
MAJOR: Mechanical Engineering
STUDENT: Elizabeth Lynch
MAJOR: Mechanical Engineering
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Julie Mendez
ABSTRACT: Current trash can designs make users put unnecessary strains on their bodies by requiring them to lift the bag over the top of the trash can. The objective of this project was to design a trash can to make this household chore easier, specifically for those with back problems. The project resulted in a trash can, dubbed “Ergo-Can,” which meets all customer requirements and engineering constraints.

Project poster

TITLE: Characterization of a Key Acinetobacter baumannii Iron Scavenging Protein
STUDENT: Ciara Phares
MAJOR: Biology MINORS: Chemistry and Business
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr. Michael Rowse
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) approved project is to characterize the EntA protein from A. baumannii. This will provide a greater understanding of A. baumanniii’s ability to scavenge iron and to assess the potential of targeting the EntA protein with antibiotics.

Project poster

TITLE: Small Scale Weather and Climate Change Study in Columbus, Indiana
STUDENT: Ciara Phares
MAJOR: Biology MINORS: Chemistry and Business
FACULTY MENTORS: Dr. Luke Jacobus and Dr. Elizabeth Donald
ABSTRACT: Climate change not only means warming temperatures and drought, but it also includes increased precipitation, severe weather, and cooler temperatures in some places. Through altering the soil, climate change will affect Indiana’s forest ecosystems and agriculture. The effects of severe weather such as extreme rainfall and temperature on soil health have not yet been adequately studied in order to predict and manage their effects. This study involved observing the effects of varying amounts of precipitation, sunlight, and temperature on grassy soil located in the recently built Student Experiment & Research Enclosure (SERE). Throughout the study, the concentration of nitrates in soil was tested in order to assess its health. The results allow a greater understanding of how the effects of human-induced climate change may affect Indiana’s forest ecosystems and agriculture.

Project poster