Two juniors, two sophomores and one continuing studies student have been awarded Rider University’s Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards (URSA) for 2007-08. Dionne Lashley, Katrina Stehle, Rick Sando, Dan Ziegler and Emily Wagner discussed their proposed projects and what they expect to discover during the third annual Rider University Student Research Symposium.

The all-day event took place on Wednesday, May 2 at the Bart Luedeke Center and in Sweigart Auditorium.

This is the fourth year that the URSA awards have been conferred. The program was founded by former Provost Dr. Phyllis Frakt to recognize exceptional student scholarship and original creative works.

The new URSA scholars were joined by the five 2006-2007 winners, who also presented their research findings at the event. Outstanding academic and creative work from students on both campuses was also featured.

URSA winners receive a $5,000 award that is applied toward their tuition, and are formally recognized for their work during the Symposium. The winners will spend the next year working on the following projects:

Dionne Lashley is a junior music education major at Westminster Choir College. Her project is entitled, “My Music and My Education: Music as a Cultural Commodity for West Indian Americans and Implications for Music Pedagogy in Urban Schools.” Her goal is to explore the relationship between music and cultural identity among West Indian immigrants in the U.S. She seeks to discover the roles that identity and music might play in the teaching of music in urban school settings. Dr. Patrick Schmidt, assistant professor of music education, will serve as her adviser.

Katrina Stehle is a junior biology major in the College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences. The title of her project is “Discovery of a Novel, Non-Pigmented Haloarchaea Isolated from a Solar Saltern.” She will be testing the hypothesis that a mutant albino strain of halophilic archaea uses circadian genes to protect itself from DNA-damaging sunlight. Dr. Kelly Bidle, associate professor of biology, will serve as her adviser.

Rick Sando is a sophomore biopsychology major in the College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences. As part of his project, titled “Determination of the Effects of Site-Directed Mutagenesis on the Function of Mammalian Casein Kinase I Epsilon (CKIe),” Sando will generate mutations in CKIe , a “clock gene” that regulates daily biological rhythms. Clock genes govern the body’s circadian rhythms, which coordinate its biological functions. Dr. Philip Lowrey, assistant professor of biology, will be his adviser.

Daniel Ziegler is a sophomore entrepreneurial studies major in the School of Business Administration. The goal of his study, “Analysis of Entrepreneurial Studies Alumni Venture Experiences,” is to interview Entrepreneurial Studies alumni about their post-graduation business ventures. He also will study whether and how Rider alumni use what they learned at the University to succeed in the business world. Dr. Ronald Cook, professor of management and human resources, will serve as his adviser.

Emily Wagner, from the College of Continuing Studies, is undertaking a study of the roles that illegal immigrants play in New Jersey’s equine industry, titled “Undocumented Hands and Hurdles: Illegal Immigrants Within the Equine Industry.” One of her goals is to determine how undocumented workers arrive in the U.S. and become part of the equine industry. She also hopes to discover what hardships the workers endure, as well as what their hopes are for themselves and their families in this country. Dr. Barbara Franz, assistant professor of political science, will serve as Wagner’s adviser.

Last year’s winners also made presentations during the Rider University Student Research Symposium.

Biology major Matthew Geigel presented on the “Identification and Characterization of Death Genes in Haloarchaea.”

Psychology major Kristin Harley discussed “The Effectiveness of the PREP with Latino Couples and their Willingness to Forgive.”

Biology and English major James Leone reported the findings of his study, “An Antisense Oligonucleotide Approach for Studying the Role of the RET Tyrosine Kinase during Kidney Organogenesis in Axolotl Embryos.”

Spanish and psychology major Elaine Lopes Vieites discussed “The Representation of Latin American Women Immigrants in Contemporary Spanish Cinema.”

Music composition, history and theory major Bethany Trainor introduced the Rider community to the world of “Rachel Portman and Her Film Music.”

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