




See images from the 2018 Spring Initiation.
On April 5th the 2017 Undergraduate Research Exhibit was held at University Park. Since 2008, the Penn State Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi has sponsored the "Peter Luckie Award for Outstanding Research by a Junior" to encourage the participation of Juniors. This year approximately 268 Juniors competed. The award includes a $200 monetary gift. We are proud to announce this year's recipients by category as follows:
Engineering and Physical Science:
Sumit Pareek, Chemical Engineering
Adviser: Dr. Esther Obonyo, Interim Director of Humanitarian Engineering And Social Entrepreneurship & Associate Professor, School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs, Architectural Engineering, College of Engineering
Title: Pathways to Impact at Scale for Malaria Prevention: Using the Built Environment as a Global Health Strategy
The research is directed at addressing gaps and proposing solutions concerning malaria and the built environment. Success and failure modes of prevention methods implemented by global health agencies are analyzed under the context of urban Kenya and Tanzania. Key findings demonstrate a need for collaborative effort using a systems-level approach.
Health and Life Sciences:
Lianna M. Wodzicki, Plant Science
Advisers: Dr. Sampurna Sattar, College of Agricultural Sciences and
Dr. Gary A. Thompson,
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education & Director, PA Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agricultural Sciences
Title: How Does Auxin Signaling Affect Vat Mediated Aphid Resistance?
In this study a chemical inhibitor, α-(phenylethyl-2-oxo)-IAA (PEO-IAA) was applied to Cucmis melo leaf discs and an aphid (Aphis gossypii) fed on it. Through an Electro Penetration Graph the different feeding habits were observed an analyzed to view the affect of the PEO-IAA on aphid antibiosis and antixenosis.
Social and Behavioral Science:
Shanna Aitcheson, Advertising, College of Communications
Niccolo Fazio, College of the Liberal Arts
Olivia McMahon, CAS, College of the Liberal Arts
Yage Zhang, Art History and CAS, College of Arts and Architecture and the College of the Liberal Arts
Adviser: Dr. Erina MacGeorge, Associate Professor, Communication Arts and Sciences
Title: Viewing and Transmission of Antibiotic Stewardship Messages
Our main goal in this study is to promote viewing and transmission of health messages through using the elements of the Informational Utility Model.