Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Earn Awards

The Independent Scholarship and Creative Activity Presentations showcased the outstanding academic and creative work of more than 40 Rider University students on Wednesday, April 30. Presentations ranged from reports of laboratory studies to a musical performance to a reading from a novel in progress.

The fifth annual Undergraduate Research Scholars Awards (URSA) were also presented to four rising seniors and one rising junior. The students discussed their proposed projects and what they expect to discover. URSA Scholars from the 2007-2008 academic year also presented their findings at the student research symposium. Each year, the URSA Committee presents $5,000 research scholarships to Rider students in the colleges of Business Administration; Liberal Arts, Education and Sciences; Continuing Studies and Westminster College of the Arts. 

“We want to give students, who have been working with faculty, an opportunity to share with their peers and the Rider community what they have been up to,” said URSA committee chairwoman Dr. Laura Hyatt, about the day’s activities.

The URSA recipients, who will spend the 2008-2009 academic year working on their research, are:

•  Brittany Baxter, a junior Biology major, “A Two-Hit Model of Parkinson’s Disease.” Baxter’s goal is to examine the possibility that a subclinical bacteria infection will increase susceptibility of mice to a neurotoxic agent known to cause Parkinson’s disease-like changes in brain chemistry and behavior in mice. Her adviser is Dr. Jonathan Karp, professor of Biology and Behavioral Neuroscience. Baxter is also a student in the interdisciplinary Baccalaureate Honors Program.
• Tara Riccelli, a senior Music Education and Voice Performance double major, “The Nuclear Family in American Opera and Situational Comedy.” Riccelli proposes to study how 20th century American operas and musicals responded to the ideal of the white middle class suburban family as portrayed in television situational comedies of the 1940’s – 1970’s. She will examine the idea that operas often subvert and comment upon television’s idealized suburban family image. Her adviser is Dr. Eric Hung, assistant professor of Music Composition, History and Theory.
• Maria Seuffert, a senior Music major, “The Marketing of the Sousa Band.” Seuffert will use archival material at the Marine Band Library and the Library of Congress to investigate the business strategies behind the overwhelming success of the Sousa Band between 1892 and 1896. Her adviser is Dr. Jerry Rife, professor of Fine Arts.
• Adam Swinder, a senior Biology major, “Determining the Mechanism of B Cell Suppression Triggered by High Macrophage Numbers.” He will spend the academic year investigating imbalances between macrophages (innate immune cells) and activation-dependent adaptive immune cells (T and B cells) as seen in cancer cells. His work will further the development of immunotherapy strategies to overcome the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. He will be advised by Dr. James Riggs, professor of Biology.
• Ellen Thompson, a senior Journalism major, “Sex 101: Sex Education in America.” Thompson will spend the academic year writing and producing a play. She will compile and present stories from students about sexual education programs. Her work will explore the idea that the way people are first introduced to sex can shape their decisions and attitudes about it for life. Her advisers are Dr. Rebecca Basham, associate professor of English, and Dr. Aaron Moore, assistant professor of Journalism. Thompson is also a student in the interdisciplinary Baccalaureate Honors Program.

Hyatt, associate professor of Biology, said faculty should also be recognized for their dedication to students and their research. Research not only benefits students, but also faculty, she added.

“It makes my job so much richer,” said Hyatt about advising students in research. “I think students sort of have this new eye of what’s new and exciting, and as a professor you can guide them. It makes you think in a new way.”

Submitted on May 8, 2008