The Fall 2016 Research Day will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 2 and will be held in Sykes Student Union.
The day is organized and sponsored by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
A semi-annual event, Research Day provides West Chester University faculty and students with the opportunity to present, discuss and demonstrate research and scholarship in all disciplines.
The event is also an opportunity for researchers to practice their presentations before upcoming regional and national conferences.
There will be several invited speakers at the event. Kicking it off from 9 to 10 a.m. will be Dr. Don McCown, co-director for the new Center for Contemplative Studies.
He will be speaking on “Mindfulness Research at WCU: An Overview of a Growing Field.” The presentation will also include an overview of the current research projects around campus.
Dr. Lisa Lucas from early and middle grades education will present research pertaning to “Healthy Habits for Educators: Cultivating Presence in Teachers and Students.”
Dr. Greeta Shivde from the psychology department will present research on “Investigating the Effects of a Mindfulness Meditation Training Program on Attention in Undergraduates.”
Also included is Dr. Vipanchi Mishra from the psychology department and Jonathan Godwin with “Effects of Mindfulness Training on Employ- ment Interview Performance: An Ex- ploratory Study.” Brian Stanton and Dr. Sandra Kerr, also from the department of psychology, will present “The Effect of Mindfulness Training on Stress and Emotion in an Undergraduate Sample.”
Dr. Michael E. Antonio, assistant professor from the department of criminal justice, and Argyro Kalli, M.S. candidate in the graduate program from the department of criminal justice, will be presenting on “What’s Done and What’s Next Related to Voices4Perú” from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.
The presentation will discuss what Voices4Perú is and will provide a broad overview of the faculty-led student research projects and social activities that have occurred in the last two years.
Both sessions will be held in the Sykes Student Union Theater.
Session one of the poster presentations and table displays will follow the invited speakers.
The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. and end at 12:30 p.m. in the Sykes Student Union Ballrooms A, B and C.
Presentations will include “Electronic Literature: Where Storytelling and Gaming Cross Paths” presented by Dr. Robert Fletcher, Jamison Ludgate and Daniel Marshall; “Healthy Habits for Educators” presented by Lucas, Daniela Carvajel, and Jonathan Maydwell; as well as “Syncing with families: Using iPads to engage families in the real time learning of their children” presented by Dr. Jade Burris.
A catered lunch will be held afterwards from 12:40 to 1:40 p.m. in Sykes Ballroom C.
The lunch is for all participants and will also include a panel discussion led by students and faculty regarding the importance of engaging in research at West Chester University.
Session two of the poster presenta- tions and table displays will begin at 1:50 p.m. and end at 2:50 p.m. and be held in Sykes Student Union Ballrooms A, B and C.
Posters and presenters will be different than those from the first session. Presentations include “Helping Sight-Impaired Individuals Understand Information Graphics” presented by Dr. Richard Burns, professor in computer science, and “Culinary Tourism and Localism in Central Italy” presented by Ryan Doughtery and Nicole Philion, whose faculty advisor is Dr. Michael A. Di Giovine. “Evaluating the Impact of Academic Success Workshops on First Semester Freshmen in the Achieve! Program” will also be presented by Helena DeBald, whose faculty advisor is Gerardina Martin.
Oral presentations will end the Fall 2016 Research Day. They will be held in Sykes Student Union in various meeting rooms throughout the building from 3 to 4 p.m.
Presentations are in concurrent sessions and organized by topical focus areas.
Presentations will include: “The relationship between the use of mobile-based apps and eating behaviors, physical activity, and health-related lifestyle choice of college students” presented by Dr. Alessandra Sarcona; “Thalamic Inputs onto Neurons Derived from Distinct Progenitors in Layor 4 of the Mouse Barrel Cortex” presented by Denston Carey, Jr., whose faculty mentor is Dr. Jennifer Luebke; and “Forbidden symmetries in cosmological inflation” presented by Dr. Ian Morrison.
For more information on the Fall 2016 Research Day, visit https://www.wcupa.edu/research/.
Rachael Wentz is a fourth-year student majoring in communications studies. She can be reached at RW781262@wcupa.edu.