2023-2024
The Child’s Understanding of the Human Brain: How and when can we best explain seizure disorders (and other neurologically-based challenges)
We’ll review existing developmental research on children’s understanding of the structure/functions of the human brain.
We’ll make inquiries of PA school districts as to the grade at which they introduce brain-related science curricula and to get details.
We’ll assess current health data regarding the occurrence of childhood seizure disorders worldwide and whether certain populations are more affected than others.
We’ll correlate developmental research on children’s level of understanding about the brain with when school curricula are introduced. Is there a reasonable connection?
We’ll suggest adding information to existing curricula re childhood seizure disorders and/or to determine whether existing children’s books on seizure disorders provide an adequate and developmentally-appropriate explanation.
Requirements: Just a preliminary interview with 2 faculty sponsors.
Duration: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Faculty: Judy Newman ([email protected])
Classroom Configuration Research
Penn State has invested in moveable furniture in the majority of general education classrooms on campus. This project will investigate how the classroom furniture selection and configuration impacts faculty teaching behavior as well as affects student learning. We are currently working on IRB approval, a literature review, as well as creation of a survey and interview protocols. The plan is to gather data and analyze this year.
Requirements: Curiosity and interest in learning about research, classroom furniture configurations, etc.
Duration: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Faculty: Rachael Brown ([email protected])
Nature and Ostracism: Examining factors relating to how sense of belonging is related to psychological connection to nature
Prior work has shown that the negative effects of social rejection can be buffered by exposure to nature. Here, we want to examine whether psychological connection to nature and how you see your relative size to nature impacts this relationship. This will be an experimental, laboratory based study using quantitative methods.
Requirements: There are no specific training requirements. Students should ideally be comfortable with computers as the study will involve programming in Qualtrics (NO PRIOR programming knowledge required as I can train a student in 20 minutes to use it.
Duration: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Faculty: Michael Bernstein ([email protected])
Enhancing Global Travel College Programs (Embedded Courses) through Interactive VR Experience (Embedded-VR)
This project will explore the potential of "embedded-VR", i.e. enhancing global travel embedded courses through immersive VR experiences. By evaluating the experiences with the well-researched Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) tool, we can assess the suitability of fostering cultural competence through embedded VR travel. Our objectives include crafting inclusive VR scenarios, collaborating with diverse partner colleges, and enabling accessible VR platforms. Through this novel approach, we aim to cultivate intercultural understanding, diversity, equity, and inclusion, preparing students for a globally interconnected world.
Requirements: Students should have a minimum GPA of 2.8.
Previous VR knowledge and/or experience is appreciated but not mandatory.
Experience with using/creating 360 VR videos appreciated but not mandatory."
Duration: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Faculty: Kimberley Hemmings-Jarrett ([email protected])
The relationships between gynecological issues, eating behaviors, and body image.
This two-semester project will be investigating the relationships between gynecological concerns, eating behaviors, and body image.
Requirements: Interested students must have a strong background in psychology courses including B+ or better grades in the advanced offering of abnormal psychology (PSYCH 470), statistics (PSYCH 200 or STAT 200), and research methods (PSYCH 301W). Previous research experience and course work in health-related areas and women’s issues are a plus. Overall GPA must be at least a 3.5.
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Diane Rosenbaum ([email protected])
Rational Number Playground
Rachael Brown, PI on NSF-funded grant Rational Numbers Playground and math education faculty member, is seeking a Penn State student to work on campus and/or remotely as a research assistant. The research project is investigating middle school teacher learning and knowledge in a 30-hour professional development focused on proportional reasoning. Typical job duties include help with transcription clean up and data organization to start. Then we’ll be analyzing data, making changes to our professional development, starting a facilitator guide, etc.
Requirements: Applicants do not need a strong background in mathematics but must be interested in learning about qualitative research as well as have solid organization skills.
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Rachael Brown ([email protected])
Employment Quality -- Measurement and Determinants
This research will explore what employed individuals in the US and in PA reveal are the most important and impactful working conditions of their jobs. This includes objective factors -- pay rates, benefits, leaves, workweek (e.g. 4-day), etc. and more subjective attributes, such as flexibility of schedule and location (remote), workplace supports, advancement/opportunities, autonomy/freedom, inclusion/input and meaningfulness of their work. We will explore the valuations at which workers trade of money for these non-monetary conditions and their associations with workers' satisfaction with their job, schedules and life generally. We will construct a first of its kind index, designed to be tracked over time, for the purposes of public policy to improve overall worker well being and for organizational practices to address their current retention and recruitment issues.
Requirements: Statistics courses; Skill with Excel and PPT, tables and graphics; ECON courses (especially 410/315); Social science course related to work, labor, and employment.
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Lonnie Golden ([email protected])
Conspiratorial thinking and restorative nature
Using data that is already collected, the student(s) on this project will help to analyze and present data from two different projects: One on conspiratorial thinking and another on the restorative effects of nature exposure. Students looking for additional research or statistical training before graduate school would benefit the most from this project.
Requirements: Should have successfully completed at least one STATS course.
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Jacob Benfield ([email protected])
Psychological Predictors of Dangerous Outdoor Behavior
Looking for 1-2 students to help with a project involving wildlife interactions and personality traits. The project involves using creative software (Photoshop, AR tools) to generate study materials before collecting data. All skills and areas of interest are welcome.
Requirements: None but students with photoshop skills or an interest in psychology or recreation management would be particularly well suited for the work.
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Jacob Benfield ([email protected])
Multidimensional Exploration and the Knowledge Advantage of Multinational Corporations
This project reviews the extant literature to inform the multidimensional nature of exploration and empirically tests the relationships between multidimensional exploration and the multinational corporation's (MNC) knowledge advantages. This project aims to bridge and contribute to the MNC and organizational learning literature.
Requirements: Words and Excel skills, as well as research skills using library database; basic business, accounting/finance knowledge; considerate attention to details; being responsible and reliable.
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Feng Zhang ([email protected])
Racial Preferences in Sexual Attraction
The goal of this project is to examine racial preferences in sexual attraction, or specifically why some people find members from some racial/ethnic backgrounds more attractive than those from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. We will collect data from a large, diverse sample using surveys, cognitive tasks, and other measures, which will assess demographic information, sexual preferences and behavior, and explicit and implicit bias toward members from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. We are interested in whether some of these factors (e.g., demographics, explicit and implicit bias) predict the degree to which someone reports racial preferences in sexual attraction.
Requirements: Experience with Qualtrics, Excel, and/or Microsoft Office is not required but preferred. Priority will go to those majoring in Psychological and Social Sciences or a related field, and those who wish to attend graduate school with a focus on social science research.
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Kevin Hsu ([email protected])
Discrimination in Education
The impact discrimination has on students’ education and their well-being is clear (Karuppan and Barari 2011; Levy, Heissel, Richeson, and Adam 2016; Sefdgar et al. 2019). Recently there have been strong movements on campuses across the country to ensure that discrimination is eradicated from the learning experience (Anderson 2020). This type of awareness of the discrimination issues on campus is important, not only to foster changes to campus but because those who are aware of the campus climate toward its diverse community are more likely to stand up as a bystander (Dessel, Goodman and Woodford 2017; Sue et al. 2019). The ""Black@"" Instagram pages have been central in understanding how discrimination is present on college campuses. The paper looks into categorizing these incidents and the communities' response to these incidents.
Requirements: None
Duration: Fall 2023, Spring 2024
Faculty: Sa'arah Alhouti ([email protected])
Employment Quality -- Measurement and Determinants
This research will explore what employed individuals in the US and in PA reveal are the most important and impactful working conditions of their jobs. This includes objective factors -- pay rates, benefits, leaves, workweek (e.g. 4-day), etc. and more subjective attributes, such as flexibility of schedule and location (remote), workplace supports, advancement/opportunities, autonomy/freedom, inclusion/input and meaningfulness of their work. We will explore the valuations at which workers trade of money for these non-monetary conditions and their associations with workers' satisfaction with their job, schedules and life generally. We will construct a first of its kind index, designed to be tracked over time, for the purposes of public policy to improve overall worker well being and for organizational practices to address their current retention and recruitment issues.
Requirements: Statistics courses; Skill with Excel and PPT, tables and graphics; ECON courses (especially 410/315); Social science course related to work, labor, employment.
Duration: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Faculty: Lonnie Golden ([email protected])
Racial Preferences in Sexual Attraction
The goal of this project is to examine racial preferences in sexual attraction, or specifically why some people find members from some racial/ethnic backgrounds more attractive than those from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. We will collect data from a large, diverse sample using surveys, cognitive tasks, and other measures, which will assess demographic information, sexual preferences and behavior, and explicit and implicit bias toward members from different racial/ethnic backgrounds. We are interested in whether some of these factors (e.g., demographics, explicit and implicit bias) predict the degree to which someone reports racial preferences in sexual attraction.
Requirements: Experience with Qualtrics, Excel, and/or Microsoft Office is not required but preferred.
Duration: Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024 *Not required to present in ACURA fair 2023*
Faculty: Kevin Hsu ([email protected])
Cultural Determinants in Patents and Trademarks
Analyze how country characteristics such as individualism have an effect in the innovation development of firms within a country. After establishing which countries produce more patents and trademarks, we will study the effects on the financial performance of companies.
Requirements: None
Duration: Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024 *Not required to present in ACURA fair 2023*
Faculty: Alejandro Serrano ([email protected])
Learning International Management with Blockbuster Films
This project aims to expand the use of films in learning international management topics such as globalization, political, legal, economic, ethical and technological environments, cultural dimensions, strategic predispositions for managing across cultures, organizational culture, diversity, cross-cultural communication and negotiation, internationalization strategies, entry strategies, multinational organizational structures, and so on and so forth. This project seeks to identify films and/or TV shows that offer examples of national and/or business cultures of major regions around the world and connects them with international business pedagogy practices.
Requirements: Hard-working; good oral and written communication skills; passionate about international business and movies.
Duration: Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024 *Not required to present in ACURA fair 2023*
Faculty: Feng Zhang ([email protected])