Research and Creative Exposition, Career Day set for April 14

The 3-D printer, built by electro-mechanical engineering technology students, left to right, Brandon Kendall, Sage DeFrances,Tyler Leatherwood and Ross Jubic, was a demonstration project. The group printed a plastic cog.

Expo allows research presentations in a public setting;
Career Day helps recruitment for internships and jobs

UPPER BURRELL, Pa. -- From the effects of sleep deprivation on grade-point averages, to the advantages of green roofs, to a study of Uber's customers, students at Penn State New Kensington explored a variety of issues during the fall and spring semesters. The results of their research will be unveiled publicly at the 12th annual Research and Creative Exposition from 1 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, in the campus Athletics Center.

Students will display their research as posters at the innovative event. The exposition provides students, under the guidance of a faculty adviser, with the opportunity to conduct research, draw conclusions and present their information in a public setting. This year, 81 students researched 53 projects, under the direction of 14 faculty members.

The poster category is designed to convey the project's significance to scholars in the field and potential significance to the general public. The students' written research is translated into a poster and presented in public. Participants are judged on content, display and oral defense of their project.

The oral presentation category is designed to take written research and present it in an engaging 10-minute presentation. Presenters are judged on written materials, topic significance, objectives, methods, responsible knowledge, invention, preparation and delivery.

Career Day
In conjunction with the expo, Penn State New Kensington will host the fifth annual Career Day from noon to 3 p.m., in the Athletics Center. Career Day complements the expo by creating new opportunities for the students and faculty to build stronger contacts with local industries through sharing of career information while also highlighting the campus' numerous research and creative activities.

Representatives from more than 30 companies will discuss career options, internships and job opportunities for current students and recent graduates. Organizations attending Career Day represent a variety of fields, including business, engineering, science, information technology, psychology, marketing, administration of justice, communications, finance, accounting, social services and human services. The campus faculty is encouraged to attend as companies will focus on career paths within their organizations that relate to academic disciplines.

"The combination of the Career Day with the Research and Creative Expo creates a major annual event for the campus while giving students significant opportunities to present their best work to local professionals and employers," said Jim Shields, career services coordinator at the campus. "At the same time, it's another chance to showcase Penn State New Kensington as a vital resource for local communities and businesses."

Career Day is more than just a job and internship fair. The goals for the event are three-fold: career information-sharing with students; networking among students, faculty and local businesses; and recruitment for internships and jobs. A directory with more information about opportunities with each employer will be available before the event to help students prepare for their interactions with the representatives.

The free event is open to Penn State students and recent graduates. For more information, contact Jim Shields, career services coordinator, at 724-334-6095 or jshields@psu.edu

Premier Automation Inc. representatives, including Samantha Polons, center, a graduate of the
Penn State New Kensington Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology program, talk with a
prospective employee at last year's Career Fair. Penn State alumni Walt Dollard and Michael Gunniers
co-founded the company. Gunniers earned his EMET degree at the New Kensington campus.

Student Projects

Faculty Mentor, Student, Project Name

Faculty Mentor: Debra Majetic
Kaitlin Bell: “What is a PET/CT Scan?”
Samantha Smith, Mikala Bodle: “Radiation In Cosmetics”
Kaitlyn Attig: “Breast Cancer and Mammography”
Trisha Amy, Courtney Comunale, Emily Robson: “Renal Cell Carcinoma”
Jennifer Lieu, Haley Mascarello: “Hutchinson-Gilford Syndrome (Progeria)”
Madison Krug, Morgan Leasure, Rachel Seback: “Radiation in Household Products”

Faculty Mentors: Dr. Bill Hamilton and Deborah Sillman
Gabby Miller, Alexis Dolby, Maria Daugherty: “The Effect of Differing Leaf Litter Types on Earthworm Mass”
Brittany Rotto, Rachael Sunday, Dayanna Lugo: “Avian Community Along The PSNK Nature Trail”
Aubrey Simpson, Regis Uhric, Shania Eckman: “Affect of Temperature on the Development Time of
Drosophila Melanogaster”
Jennifer Phillips, Michael Daly: “The Effect of Gender Ratio on the Mortality of Drosophila Melanogaster”
Laura Gensamer: “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?”
Helen Schlemmer, Broderick Gerano, Brooke Johns: “Peer Influence on Campus Composting Project”
Helen Schlemmer, Broderick Gerano: “Effectiveness of Worm Species on Composting”
Ava Witter: “Flea and Tick Medications: What Owners Should Know”
Brittany Hydock, Jayson Meyers: “Observed Behavior Pattern in Lady Bugs”

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Wood
Ryan McLaughlin: “Still a Man's Game?: Videogame Reviews, GamerGate, and Women”
Danielle Richardson: “Power, Media and the Millenial Generation”

Faculty mentor: Dr. Jyotsna Kalavar
Michael Daly: “Power, Media, and the Millenial Generation”
Jennifer Phillips: “Maternal Age and Communication Technology Preferences in Transnational Care Relationships”

Faculty mentor: Dr. K. R. Bridges
Jonathan McCabe: “Sleep and Academics: How Sleep Deprivation May Drop Your GPA”
Allison Blue: “Change a Habit, Change Your Life”
Ariel Festa, Anastasia Carrasco: “Analysis of Violent Crimes Committed by Incarcerated Felons”

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Richard Harnish
Megan Altmeyer: “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Body Satisfaction and Advertisements”
Channing Nolan: “Smell and Our Mood”
Christopher Lecnar: “The Effect of Deadlines on Math Anxiety”
Abby Deluisio: “The Effects of Ink Color on Memorization?”
Cassandra Dunmire: “Taste Perception Based on Color”
Shawn Shannon: “Proper Name Recall is Improved when a Descriptive Property is Present in a Picture”
David Green: “Changes in the Environment and Its Effects on Memory”
Michael Esposito: “Does the Music of Bach Improve Working Memory?”
Allison Blue: “Cannabis or Marijuana: Does It Matter What You Call It?”
Amanda Hanks: “The Effects on Memory on Related and Unrelated Words”
Beau Bechtel: “Effects of Stress: Sensation of Perception Through the Auditory Sense”
Subhashini Charyulu: “Increasing Motivation in Students through Mindfulness Techniques”
Joy Bowman: “Child Abuse”
Carley Carnahan: “The Effect of doTERRA’S Focus Blend Essential Oil on Memory”
Scout Young: “Perceptions of Another Person's Traits”

Faculty Mentors: Gary Heberling and Alexa Schriempf
Michael Daly, Jennifer M. Phillips: “Assistive Technology Database for Institutions of Higher Education”

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Hal Smith
Nicholas Cirrincione: “The Effects of Multiple Variables on a GPS Unit”

Faculty Mentor: Joan Kowalski
Evan West: “Innovations and Advantages of Green Roofs”
Robert Palko: “DIY Engineering”
Nathan Schartner: “Velocity, Time, and Displacement”
Jake Boney, Gabriel Schroeder: “Thermogenic Green Roof”
Lindsey Grasinger, Sandie Muhhuku: “Effects of Different Loads on a Bridge Truss”
James Vought, James Noah: “Accuracy of a 30 Caliber Bullet With Respect to Powder Ratio”
Alexander Stack: “Sustainable Ideas: Hexagonal Bridge Designs”

Faculty Mentor: Laurie Durzo
Vanessa Sacco, Zak Hudak, Erin Bruce: “Talkin ' n' at: A Study of American Dialects”

Faculty Mentor: Michael Manojlovich
Christian Kamenic: “Metadata and the Information Underground”

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Rujirutana Mandhachitara
Sheree Vergerio, Rich Bair: “A Comparative Study of Uber's Customers and Non-Customers”
Richard Jenkins: “A Mystery Shopper at Verizon”
Michael Demyan, Liz Heuston: “Amazing Amazon”
Shawna Fluhme, Jen Shannon: “The Secrets of Victoria”
Kevin McKee, Joseph Strellec: “A Hi-Tech Business with a HI-Touch Service:
An Evaluation of Shopping Experience at Best Buy”

 Radiological sciences students, from left to right, Jennifer Sekowski, Bhawani Harrell, Jennifer White and Beth Hollinger, discuss their award-winning research project, “Radon in the Home,” with chemistry instructor Frances Blanco-Yu at the 2014 Research Expo.