2012.03.12 > For Immediate Release
contact: Sarah Casey- University Relations
phone: 402.554.2762 - e-mail: scasey@unomaha.edu

Students Participate in Fourth Annual Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Omaha - The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) held its 4th Annual Student Research and Creative Activity Fair, on February 10th, 2012.

The fair provided a venue for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students to showcase their research and creative activity as oral presentations, performances, exhibits and posters. Students from all disciplines and departments were encouraged to participate. All events took place in the Milo Bail Student Center, and were made possible with support from the UNO Office of Research and Creative Activity.

“Now in its fourth year, we’re seeing more undergraduate and graduate students participating in the fair,” said Scott Snyder, UNO associate vice chancellor for research. “Students are becoming passionate about research at an earlier stage in their education. That’s important for a growing, metropolitan university focused on fostering the growth of tomorrow’s leaders.”

2012 AWARDEES:

Undergraduate Oral Presentations/Performances

Best: Natalie McClellan
“Cultural Adaptation through Foodways: South Sudanese in the Omaha area.”
Major: Sociology-Unclassified
Faculty advisor: Timi Barone

Runner-up (tie): Matthew Christenson
“Nebraskan’s Farmland Amphibian Springs from River Bank to GenBank.”
Major: Biotechnology
Faculty advisor: Paul Davis
Co-Authors: Paul H. Davis, Alan S. Kolok, Andrew J. Trease, Steven V. Ready and Lindsey Knight.

Runner-up (tie): Benjamin Knutson
“Relation of Shape Equations (ROSE) Analysis.”
Major: Physics
Faculty advisor: Renat Sabirianov

Undergraduate Posters/Exhibits

Best (tie): Jay Newstrom
“Improving the Accuracy of Measuring Microscopic Organisms Using Information Technology.”
Major: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Faculty advisor: Ann Fruhling
Co-Authors: Greg Hoff and Ann Fruhling

Best (tie): Christopher Sautter
“Fracture Orientation Analysis: The Central U.S.”
Major: Geology
Faculty advisor: Harmon Maher

Runner-up (tie): Joseph Boro
"Mineralogical Analysis of Pottery Shards from the Tall al-Umayri Region, Jordan.”
Major: Geology
Faculty advisor: Robert Shuster

Runner-up (tie): Danielle Suponchick
"The Effects of Treadmill and Over Ground Running on Attentional Focus and Performance.”
Major: Physical Education-Exercise Science
Faculty advisor: John Noble

Graduate Oral Presentations/Performances

Best: Kathryn Dempsey
“Discovering Mechanisms of Aging and Disease Using Heterogeneous Integrated Network Models.”
Major: Bioinformatics
Faculty advisor: Hesham Ali
Co-Author: Hesham Ali

Runner-up (tie): Daniel Harris
“The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Malevolent Creativity in Response to Different Tasks.”
Major: Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Faculty advisor: Roni Reiter-Palmon
Co-Author: Roni Reiter-Palmon

Runner-up (tie): Alicia Phillips Buttner
“The Effect of Stress on Social Cognitive Performance in Shelter Dogs.”
Major: Psychology-Unclassified
Faculty advisor: Rosemary Strasser
Co-Author: Rosemary Strasser

Graduate Posters/Exhibits

Best: Scott Wissing
“Association of Staff Behaviors and Afterschool Program Features to Physical Activity: Findings from Movin’ Afterschool.”
Major: Health, Physical Education & Recreation-Unclassified
Faculty advisor: Jennifer Huberty

Runner-up (tie): Samantha Bayer
“The Impact of Reading Interventions with Sudanese Children.”
Major: School Psychology-unclassifed
Faculty advisor: Lisa Kelly-Vance
Co-Authors: Madeleine Moody and Kristin Moody

Runner-up (tie): Samuel Wilkins
“The Relationship Between Sport Specialization in Baseball and Glenohumeral Internal and External Rotation Range of Motion and Functional Movement Screen Scores.”
Major: Physical Education-Exercise Science
Faculty advisor: Melanie McGrath
Co-Authors: Melanie McGrath, Kris Berg, Jeffrey French and Kody Moffatt.

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The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s metropolitan university. The core values of the institution place students at the center of all that the university does; call for the campus to strive for academic excellence; and promote community engagement that transforms and improves urban, regional, national and global life. UNO, inaugurated in 1968, emerged from the Municipal University of Omaha, established in 1931, which grew out of the University of Omaha founded in 1908.