Rider Selects First Undergraduate Research Scholar Awardees

A major initiative of the Office of Academic Affairs this year was to establish the Undergraduate Research Scholar Award (URSA) program – a program that will enhance collaborative work between students and faculty and heighten the intellectual atmosphere on campus.
            That program has come to fruition with the selection committee comprised of representatives of various academic divisions announcing the first Undergraduate Research Scholars for the 2004-2005 academic year.
            The five recipients (with class year, major and project titles) are:

• Dianna Altmiller, junior, secondary education/German major, “Representation of Female Roles in Grimm’s Fairy Tales;”
• Michelle Doherty, junior, English and fine arts, “Music in Chaucer;”
• Christopher Holcombe, junior, computer information systems (CIS), “A Plug-in Architecture for Complex, Multiplatform End-user Application Development;”
• Rachel Kahn, junior, psychology; “The relationship between reality television programming and adolescents’ concepts of love and romance,” and
• Jes Therkelsen, a continuing studies student and communication major, “Dreams and Risks: A documentary film exploration of the marriage of my parents.”

            “This has been one of my favorite projects for the year,” said Dr. Phyllis Frakt, vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Rider has a long tradition of student-faculty collaborations in the sciences, stemming from faculty success in securing outside grants funding. The Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards will use this successful model, but spread the opportunity for undergraduate research throughout the University curriculum.”
      Dr. Frakt said students can work directly with faculty on joint research projects or can work on independent projects under the supervision of a faculty member.  “We want to encourage and reward high-quality student-faculty interactions across a wide range of academic disciplines,” she said.
      Altmiller will work with Dr. Margaret Schleissner, professor of German and chair of the department of foreign languages & literatures. Doherty’s mentor will be Dr. Matthew Goldie, assistant professor of English.  Holcombe will be supervised by Dr. William Amadio, CIS professor and department chair, and consult with Dr. Jonathan Yavelow, professor of biology, in his interdisciplinary project. Kahn will conduct research with Dr. Anne Law, professor of psychology and department chair.  Therkelsen will develop his project under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Simonet, professor of communication.
      Each URSA recipient will receive a $5,000 award, which will be allocated towards tuition. The students will also be recognized as Undergraduate Research Scholars on their academic transcripts.
      URSA committee members are: Robert Congleton, Library; Mike Curran, School of Education; Susan Denbo, College of Business Administration; Stephanie Golski and Laura Hyatt, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Robin Leaver, Westminster Choir College; and Robin Fiske-Rusciano, Continuing Studies.

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