Daemen College : Academics & Research : Research at Daemen : Student Faculty Interdisciplinary Research Think Tank : Dean's Undergraduate Research Fellows

Dean's Undergraduate Research Fellows

Through the Dean's Undergraduate Research Fellows (DURF) program, first-year Daemen College students are awarded funds to work closely with a professor in their major on an academic project.

Frequently Asked Questions about DURF

The following are proposals from the 2006-2007 academic year fellows:

Title: A Construct Validity Study of Reflective Judgment: Comparing Steps for Better Thinking with the Model of Hierarchical Complexity
Researcher: Samantha Sessamen
Advisor: Ellen Banks, Professor/Chair, Psychology
Description: Two different ways of assessing students' reflective judgment are being compared. Reflective judgment is an aspect of critical thinking that is engaged when a person responds to open-ended questions, those that have no simple right answers. In this study, the open-ended questions are about current issues of concern in our society. The study is part of a larger project that is tracking changes in reflective judgment for a group of students throughout their college years.
Download Overview in Word  Download Overview in PDF

Title of Project: The Effect of a 12-Week Fitness Training Program on Body Morphology, Strength and Flexibility as Part of an Employee Wellness Initiative
Researcher: Ariel Trzewieczynski
Advisor: Margaret A. Mazzone, PT, MS, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy
Description:  This project examines data collected from the Daemen On the Move Employee Wellness Initiative here at Daemen College. The Fitness Training Program is a 12-week program targeting the employee's individually identified fitness goals, which may include increasing strength, muscle toning, or cardiovascular endurance or weight loss. Employees received an initial assessment and had a fitness training program developed by an athletic trainer or a physical therapist. Following the 12 weeks of fitness training the employees completed a final assessment that reevaluated the research variables. The variables examined include body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, resting heart rate and blood pressure, upper and lower extremity flexibility and strength. Data analysis is currently ongoing.

The following are proposals from the 2005-2006 academic year fellows:

Title: Implementing Code-Switching in the Classroom
Researcher: Lesley-Anne Kasperczyk
Advisor: Dr. Melissa Fiori, Assistant Professor in Linguistics & Spanish
Download Abstract: Word - PDF
Download Final Paper Fall 2005: Word - PDF

Title: Effectiveness of Computer Aided Instruction Versus Conventional Methods in Learning Musculoskeletal Special Tests
Researcher: Elizabeth Podgers
Download Abstract Fall 2005: Word - PDF

Title: Teaching Adults to Imitate the Behavior of Their Young Children with Autism
Researcher:  Katie Russo
Advisor: Mary Fox
Download Outline Fall 2005: Word - PDF

Title: Building Bridges: Helping children with autism to communicate
Researcher:  Katie Russo
Advisor: Mary Fox
Download Abstract Spring 2006: Word - PDF

Title: The Effects of an Employee Walking Program on Physical Activity and Body Mass
Student: Catherine Gwinn
Faculty Mentor: Margaret Mazzone, PT, MS
Download Abstract Fall 2005 Word - PDF

Title: Male/Female Wage Gap in the Accounting Profession
Researcher: Lauren Robinson
Advisor: Dr. Linda Kuechler, Associate Professor, Department of Accounting/MIS
Download Abstract Fall 2005 Word - PDF

Title: "Juvenile Homicide: Factors that Influence Perception of Culpability and Reasonable Punishment"
Researcher: Steve Godzich
Advisor: Denise Emer.
Summary: The project involves determining how various factors that are being manipulated experimentally impact voters' perceptions about the cause of juvenile crime and beliefs about appropriate punishment. Steve is going to be collecting data in the near future.