Purchase College Presents 28th Annual Natural and Social Sciences Research Symposium April 25

Purchase College will present the 28th annual Natural and Social Sciences Symposium on April 25 from 8:45 AM to 1 PM in the Natural Science Building.  Distinguished alumni will join seniors and faculty members at this forum for the presentation of original scientific research conducted by Purchase College students.

The program represents the best of the science programs offered at Purchase College with undergraduate students reporting on year-long research conducted collaboratively with senior science faculty members.

Topics to be presented this year include research on the ethnography of TV fans, how men think, the rise of Japanese pop culture in the West, reactions of pessimists and optimists during a creativity task, whether preschools use gender cues when interpreting emotions, an analysis of sustainability in the US’s mega food markets, myths surrounding rape, an online mapping math game, and a look at terrorism as the new Communism.

The science program is unique for it allows undergraduate students to report on their research as scientists from major research laboratories do at national conferences.  It is distinctive, unlike larger institutions, where undergraduates seldom work closely with faculty members on original research, Purchase students do this for their Senior Thesis. Students also have opportunities to present their findings at national scientific meetings and also to publish their results in scientific journals.

The Symposium consists of concurrent sessions in anthropology, biology, chemistry, environmental studies, economics, math, computer science, political science, psychology, sociology, women’s studies, media, society & the arts.

Students describe their research during 15 minute oral presentations followed by 5 minutes of questions from the audience.  Other students participate in poster sessions, in which presenters display their research results with a combination of words, images and graphics.

Afterward, awards will be presented to students for academic excellence, outstanding research and service to the School of Natural and Social Sciences. 

The Symposium is sponsored by: The Joseph & Sophia Abeles Foundation, John & Jeannette Ambroseo, Entergy Nuclear, Doral Arrowwood, Dextra Baldwin McGonagle Foundation, The Bayer USA Foundation, Peter Compo, Robert & Edith Fehr, The National Science Foundation, Lucille Werlinich, and The School of Natural & Social Sciences, Purchase College. 

This year's oral and poster session presentations include:

Psychology
Oral Presentations
Shelley Abbott (Biddeford, ME)
 The Marriage Revolution: The Impact Of Legalized Same-Sex Marriage On Non-Heterosexual Relationships Across Cultures

Omar Bryan (Queens, NY)
 A Comparison Of The Effects Of Conscious Versus Non-Conscious Exposure On Fearful Behavior
 
Joseph Castro (Nanuet, NY)
 Eyewitness Suggestibility For Order Of Events
 
Concettina Damico (Valley Cottage, NY)
 The Impact Of Mode Of Presentation On The Incidence Of False Memory
 
 Ali Dibona (Commack, NY)
 Controlling The Automatic: An Attempt To Reduce Stereotyping Of Male And Female Faces

Joshua Dietrich (Yorktown Heights, NY)
 Mind Wandering In The Classroom

Cian Duross (Johnstown, NY)
 The Immediate Effects Of Non-Conscious Exposure On The Avoidant Behavior Of Spider-Fearful Participants

Daniila Georgieva (Peekskill, NY)
 Persistence And Struggle: How Do Students Cope With Academic Hardships?

Mallory Kinney (Middletown, NY)
 To Feel Or Not To Feel: The Effect Of Theatrical Performance On Emotions

Amanda Magurne (Northvale, NJ)
 Little Ladies Never Shout: Do Preschoolers Use Gender Cues When Interpreting Emotions?

Jason Montalvo (Bronx, NY)
 The Influence Of Images Of Terrorist Motivations 

Dana Munsch (Bohemia, NY)
 The Effects Of Familiarity On Mental Rotation Tasks

Hajni Pap (Brewster, NY)
 Insight And Categorization Theory: The Effect Of Prototypical Versus Diagonal Orientations On Insight Difficulty

Sonia Pena-Diaz (High Falls, NY)
 Preschoolers' Perception Of Numerosities
 
Melody Tuck (Margate, NJ)
 Seeing Insight: The Influence Of Prior Exposure On Solving Insight Problems 

Posters
Veronica Alfonso (White Plains, NY)
 Reactions Of Pessimists And Optimists During A Creativity Task

Shanthea Buckle (Roosevelt, Long Island, NY)
 A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Heterosexuals' Attitudes Toward Homosexuality And Same-Sex Marriage Rights
 
Maryanne Yacoub (Suffern, NY)
 The Effect Of Mental Visualization On False Memory: An Event-Related Potential Study
 
Michael-O Jones (Watertown, CT)
 Androcentrism In Medical Journals: The Communication Of Bias Through Text And Visuospatial Displays

Raegan Mcduffey (Croton-On-Hudson, NY)
 Event-Related Potentials: Face Recognition Using An Oddball Paradigm

Stephanie Rudin (Putnam Valley, NY)
 Androcentrism In Medical Journals: The Communication Of Bias Through Text And Visuospatial Displays
 
Anthony Steele (Manlius, NY)
 Justifying Terrorism
 
Biology
Oral Presentations
Nicole Anayannis (Wesley Hills, NY)
 In Vitro Studies Of Stromal Influence On Epithelial Proliferation In Prostate Carcinogenesis
 
Kleber Coronel (Buchanan, NY)
 Cellular Immunity In Larval And Juvenile Lobsters
 
Ian Falchiere (Bronx, NY)
 Ultrasound Vs. Stretching To Increase Knee Range Of Motion 

Colm Mccarthy (White Plains, NY)
 Synthesis Of Drosophila Paulistorum Sex Pheromones

Anthony Pinto (Philadelphia, PA)
 Electron Microscopical Localization Of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors In NMU Rat Mammary Tumor Cells

Taras Pylypiv (Yonkers, NY)
 Uterine Artery Embolization, An Alternative Treatment For Uterine Leiomyomata: Case Studies

Richard Wrancher (Newburgh, NY)
 Nuptial Gifts And Sperm Storage

Posters
Henry Ferrarin (Irvington, NY)
 Comparison Of Cellular Proliferation Between NMU Cancer Cells And RAT2 Normal Cells Treated With Varying Fatty Acids 

Magdalena Gapinski (Yonkers, NY)
 The Progression Of Gaffkemia (Aerococcus Viridans Var. Homari), A Lethal Disease Of Lobsters (Homarus Americanus)

Colm Mccarthy (White Plains, NY)
 The Effects Of Antibiotics Upon Sterility Of Wolbachia Infected Drosophila Paulistorum Hybrids  

Liza Rivera (Carmel, NY)
 Hypoxia Induced Changes In Gill Morphology Of Marine Fish

Robert Strang (Greenlawn, NY)
 Exercise Physiology: Change In Exercise And Fitness Level After Chest Surgery To Correct Pectus Excavatum And The Comparison Of Fitness Measures  
 
Christian Zietsman (Rye, NY)
 Cellular And Molecular Assays For The Presence Of Wolbachia In Drosophila Species
 
Chemistry
Oral Presentations
Kristen Andersen (Pleasantville, NY)
 Fe-Exchanged US-Y Zeolite As Catalyst In The Oxidative Degradation Of Phenol In Aqueous Medium

Posters
Jonathan Mathis (Bronx, NY)
 The Continued Fight Against Systemic Fungal Infections: Examining Licorice Root For Antifungal Properties 

Political Sciences
Oral Presentations
Alexander Bodas (Port Chester, NY)
 What America Fears: Terrorism As The New Communism 

Antonio Commisso (Flushing, NY)
 Votare O Morire?: Political Participation In Siderno Reggio Calabria, Italia 

Alexandra Friedman (Trumbull, CT)
 The Cyprus Crisis: A Case Study Of US Foreign Policy During The Cold War 
 
Adam Savelli (Ozone Park, Queens, NY)
 Exile And The Kingdom: Strategies Of The Kurdish Nationalists In Turkey

Math/Computer Science
Oral Presentations
Janeth Cabrera (NY, NY)
 Math/Online Map Game 

Daniel Conners (Ithaca, NY)
 Vertex Coloring Of Graphs 
 
Shima Ghoroghi (Tuckahoe, NY)
 Detection Of Coliforms In The Bronx River
 
Radil Iliev (New Rochelle, NY)
 The History Of Algebra 
 
Kenneth Schoeller (Medford, NY)
 Math Wars: Today's Question And Tomorrow's Answer 
 
Johanna Vera (Queens, NY)
 M.C. Escher Illusionist And Mathematician

Gareth Yates (Huntington Station, NY)
 Creating A G.U.I. (Graphic User Interface) Using XHTML, PHP, CSS, And Javascript For Mysql Database  

Posters
Nik Dedvukaj (Mohegan Lake, NY)
 Line Graph 

John Gillespie (Freeport, NY)
 Multiplayer Games For Autistic Children

Jeremy Martinez (Putnam Valley, NY)
 Exploration And Statistical Analysis Of Data Retrieval Between XML And Oracle Based Databases Through Java 

Sociology
Oral Presentations
David Cohn (Yorktown Heights, NY)
 How And Why Mcdonald's Targets Children, And Its Effect Upon Child Obesity And Obesity Related Diseases 
 
Karen Dehnert (Poughkeepsie, NY)
 Violence Beyond The Fist: Myths About Rape In The United States 
 
Michael Dummeyer (Merrick, NY)
 Plastic Diamonds 

Jeffrey Mathias (Scottsville, NY)
 The Central Park Zoo And The Production Of Nature/Culture Boundaries 

Katelyn Shankey (Pomona, NY)
 Can Men ‘Think Wide Open?’ 

Anthropology
Oral Presentation
Christopher Douglas (Brooklyn, NY)
 American Monks: An Ethnographic Analysis Of American Converts To Buddhism

Poster
Brian Grant (Endicott, NY)
 Greening Business: A Critical Analysis Of Sustainability In Mega Food Markets In The United States

New Media
Oral Presentation
Yagil Kadosh (Wesley Hills, NY)
 Earoneye : Intentionality And The Phenomenology Of Human Cognitive Perception
 
Media, Society & The Arts
Oral Presentations
Stephanie Perez (Verplanck, NY)
 The Rise Of Japanese Pop Culture In The West

Michael Villata (Katonah, NY)
 Media Ethnography Of Television Fandom 
 
Poster
Rena Shiraishi (Yokohama, Kanagawa)
 International Sexual Trafficking In Children 
 
Environmental Studies
Oral Presentation
Christina Ruiz (Peekskill, NY)
 A Multidisciplinary Approach To Determining The Age Of Stone Walls On The Purchase College Campus