2014 Presenters

2014 List of Presenters (PDF)

28th Annual Student Research Competition Top Presenters

Congratulations to the top presenters of the CSU, Chico 28th Annual Student Research Competition held March 5, 2014!

On that evening, 43 students were vying for a chance to be 1 of 10 student researchers from our campus selected to compete against hundreds of other students at the CSU Statewide Research Competition held at CSU East Bay, May 2 and 3.

Both the local and statewide competitions are held to promote and recognize excellence in student scholarly research and creative activities. The participants submit a 5-page research description and give a short presentation before a panel of judges. Their work is judged on clarity of purpose, appropriateness of methodology, interpretation of results, clear articulation of the research, and ability to field questions from the jury and audience.

As usual, the judges, other presenters, and audience members were impressed and inspired by the quality and rigor of the students' work. Selecting the winners and runners-up this year was a particularly challenging task for our judges.

Thanks to all of the students who participated and the faculty mentors who supported them. Again, our congratulations to these Top Presenters:

Top Presenters

Mitchel Davidovitz, BA Music: Recording Arts
“Window of Normalization”
Mentor: Dr. David Dvorin

Audrey Denny, MS Agricultural Education
“Perceptions of Agricultural Sustainability Held by California Secondary Agriculture Teachers”
Mentor: Dr. Mollie Aschenbrener

Bryan M. Ervin, MS Biology
“Investigating Hot Springs Fungi for Application to Biofuels Production”
Mentor: Dr. Gordon Wolfe

Michael Fitzpatrick, MA English
“To stand upright will ask thee skill”: Freedom in John Milton’s Late Poems
Mentor: Dr. John Traver

Masaki Hamada, MS Environmental Science
“Test of Cross-Correlation Algorithm”
Mentor: Dr. Shane Mayor

Chaz Kelley, MA Communication Studies
“Storm Censors: Framing of Female Sexual Identities through Obscenity Prosecution”
Mentor: Dr. Zachary Justus

Katherine Moore, BS Agricultural-Animal Science
“Effects of Brewer’s Yeast on Growth, Feed Efficiency, and Carcass Traits of Angus-Influenced steers”
Mentors: Dr. Kasey DeAtley & Dr. Celina Phillip

Katlyn Perugini, BA Political Science
“Rethinking the Causes of Routine Gun Violence in the United States”
Mentor: Dr. Paul Viotti

Lindsay Rein, MS Psychological Science
“What’s on Your Mind: A Review of Facebook Extraversion, Narcissism, Loneliness, Empathy, Internet Addiction, and Self-Disclosure”
Mentor: Dr. Eddie Vela

Martin Salgado, MA English/Creative Writing
“Mexican-American Dreams”
Mentor: Dr. Robert Davidson

Catherine Yasuda, MS Biological Sciences
“Assessment of a Non-Invasive Technique to Identify Individual Lizards”
Mentor: Dr. Tag Engstrom

Runners-Up

Eduardo Cabanes-Gonzalez, MS Psychological Science
“Practice Promotes Engagement and Independence of People with Alzheimer’s Disease in an Artistic Painting Class”
Mentor: Dr. Penelope Kuhn

Michelle Johnson, MS Psychological Science
“The Spontaneous Suppression and Amplification of Emotional Facial Expressions in People with Different Attachment Styles”
Mentor: Dr. Michael Ennis

Millicent Mattor, MA Communication Arts & Sciences
“Tweets Won’t Stop: How Twitter Influences Communication about Pop Culture Controversy”
Mentor: Dr. Susan Avanzino

Lizbeth Ramirez, BA Psychology
“Role of Parental and Peer Support on the Academic Achievement of Low-Income High School Students”
Mentor: Dr. Linda Kline

Jung Yul Kwon, MS Psychological Science
“Social Axioms, Personality, and Cooperation in Public Goods Games”
Mentor: Dr. Lawrence Herringer