The annual Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) Student Research Exhibition will be held Tuesday, April 24 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in Room 1400 of the Columbus Learning Center (CLC).

The research teams, comprised of 11 students and seven faculty mentors, will showcase their work in a poster session and informal discussion in the CLC’s Summerville Room.

Each student-faculty team received a $1,000 grant from the Office of Student Research, said Julie Goodspeed-Chadwick, director of the program which is now in its second year.

“The event will showcase nine innovative research projects that have important impact on various target populations and communities. Completing the work has been an excellent opportunity for students to combine academic knowledge with professional research for the benefit of those who live and work in our service region,” explained Goodspeed-Chadwick.

According to Dr. Marwan Wafa, IUPUC’s vice chancellor and dean, the engagement in research helps students develop stronger analytical skills and better understanding of how theory works in practice. “Applied research conducted by our students adds to the overall academic experience and is critical not only to elevate the the quality of learning but also to positively impact our communities and region,” Wafa said.

To earn a grant, students submitted detailed project proposals, passed a rigorous vetting process by a review committee, and then completed their projects with direction and guidance from a faculty mentor. The funded projects for 2012 included:

1. Buildinga Model for Language Acquisition through Inquiry-based Science Instruction:Universal Design using Lego WeDo and iPad Technology as an InstructionalPlatform for Field-Based Experiences. This project demonstrates the advantages of usingtechnology to better develop shared language among elementary students withdiverse learning needs. It relied on universal design for learning principlesas a conceptual framework for incorporating Lego WeDo and iPads instudent-centered inquiry into simple machines to meaningfully merge scienceinstruction with deliberate support for content-specific language.
   — Caroline Arbuckle (Columbus) | Education major
   — Carina Cole (Seymour) |Education major
   
   
2. Using Digital Media Projects toEnhance Fourth-Grade Students’ 21st Century Literacies: An ActionResearch Project. This action research project investigated afourth-grade English language arts project that invited student groups tocreate digital media technology projects in response to books that they hadread. Data were analyzed to determine the extent to which the project supportedstudents with 21st century literacies.
   — Danielle Dias (Franklin) | Elementary education major
   
   
3. Boundaries of Privacy: AnExamination of Family Satisfaction, Work Satisfaction, and Work-Life Balance. This studyseeks to determine the relationship between privacy boundary management andperceptions of family satisfaction, work satisfaction, and work-life balance.Results indicate internal privacy boundaries are related to perceptions offamily satisfaction, work satisfaction, and work-life balance. Further, resultsalso indicate external privacy boundaries are only related to perceptions offamily satisfaction.
   — Kristen Brasher (Seymour) | Business major and communication studies minor
   
   
4. Adolescent Substance Abuse Patterns:The Effects of Ostracism, Social Pain, and the Need to Belong.Througha series of surveys, this project seeks to understand the process of ostracismfrom one’s home, family, and friends who are users and the development of newsocial bonds with non users through placement in an immersive rehabilitationenvironment.
   — Nathan Walsh (Columbus) | Psychology major
   
   
5. Personality Predicts Research Preferences.This study tested how personality relates to information-sourcepreference. Participants were presented with 10 scenarios. Participants ratedthe likelihood of using five sources of information for each scenario. Thestudy found that personality was related to information-source preference, andmediation and moderation were tested. In sum, personality predictedinformation-source preferences.
   — Olivia Pavlov (Bloomington) | Psychology major
   
   
6. The Ecologies of Two RareMayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera)from Bartholomew County, Indiana. The group collected Paraleptophlebia sticta from WhiteCreek in the spring of 2012 and made the first discovery of its larva andlarval habitat. They plan to study Waynokiops dentatogriphus at Tipton Lakes later this summer, where theywill attempt to discover its adult metamorphic stages and its larval habitat.
   — David Cool (North Vernon) | Business major
   — Darby Funke (North Vernon) | Biology major
   
   
7. Engagement with Schools and Familiesin Crisis. This study examined the unique needs of familiesexperiencing homelessness with regard to effective engagement in theirchildren’s education.
   — Carrie Scherschel (Columbus) | Graduate student in education
   
   
8. Engineering Students Make Orderout of Chaos 1: Archival research ona Tinguely Kinetic Sculpture. Students studied parts of a mechanical sculpturein order to describe and illustrate dimensions and other specifications. Theresearch data is intended to be archived for the use of art historians andpreservationists. The grant recipient assisted in their efforts by documentingthe process and results.
   — Cynthia Scott (Columbus) | General studies major
   
   
9. Assessing Crisis Interventions:A Follow-Up to the 2008 Flood. This study tests the impact counseling had onsurvivors of the 2008 flood in Bartholomew County.
   — Catherine Walker (North Vernon) | Psychology major

IUPUC faculty mentors participating in the student projects include:

1. Dr. Anna Carmon, assistant professor of communication studies
2. Dr. Jennifer Connor-Zachocki, assistant professor of language education
3. Dr. Allison Howland, assistant professor of special education
4. Dr. Luke Jacobus, assistant professor of biology
5. Dr. Kimdy Le, assistant professor of psychology
6. Dr. Joan Poulsen, assistant professor of psychology
7. Dr. Kathy Wills, assistant professor of English

Students and faculty will be on hand to discuss their projects in more detail. Parents, friends, family members, colleagues, and members of the public are invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served.