Undergraduate Research Fair Faculty Participants

FACULTY PARTICIPANTS

Penn State Hazleton faculty who are interested in working with undergraduate student research projects are listed here. Most faculty will present a brief overview of their research at the Undergraduate Research Evening in the Fall semester. Click on the name of each faculty to learn more about their research interests and projects.

Dr. Pavel Azalov
Computer Science

Office: M 101
Phone: 570-450 3542
Email: pka10@psu.edu

Research Interests:

• Educational Technology: Web-Based  Educational Systems, Problem-Based and Project-Based Teaching, Computer Science for the High School  
• Design and Analysis of Algorithms: Synthetic Data Generation, Structural Similarity of Informational Objects 
• Database Technology: Web Databases and Information Systems, Information Retrieval, Semistructured Data and XML Databases, Object-Oriented Databases

Student Involvement:

• Writing computer programs.
• Programming languages: C++ or Java

Recent Projects: 

• Azalov, P. Synthetic Exercises on the Web. IEEE Computer Society Press, 2005, Volume 1.
• Azalov, P. Equivalent Variables. Mathematics and Informatics, No. 1, 2005, pp. 3-12 
• Azalov, P. and F. Zlatarova. Synthetic XML Data. Proceedings of the 33rd UMB Conference, 2004
• Azalov, P. and F. Zlatarova. An Instructor’s Environment for Automatic Generation of Problem Sequences. IEEE Computer Society Press, 2004, Volume 1
• Azalov, P. and F. Zlatarova. Teaching Programming through Successive Problem Transformations. The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, 2003, Volume 18, No. 4
• Azalov, P. and F. Zlatarova. SDG - A System for Synthetic Data Generation. IEEE Computer Society Press, 2003

Dr. Mamoun Bader
Chemistry

Office: K108
Phone: 570-450 3385
E-mail: mmb11@psu.edu  
Web site: www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/mbader

Research Interests:

 I am interested in organic materials chemistry with emphasis on electrical and optical properties.  My approach is both experimental and theoretical.  We design new molecules, based on structure/property relationships we develop.  We then synthesize, purify, characterize and grow single crystals and thin films for device fabrications.  X-Ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and electrical characterization is performed at the University of Minnesota (in Professors Michael D. Ward and Dan Frisbie Laboratories).  Students are expected to agree to work for at least 2 semesters in order to insure meaningful and productive research experience.

Student Involvement:

Students working in my group have a choice of doing "wet" chemistry (synthesis, purification and characterization) or theoretical computational chemistry depending on the students' interests and abilities. I will train and supervise each and every student who works with me.

Recent Projects: 

• "Tricyanovinyl-Substituted Oligothiophenes".     Bader, Mamoun M.; Custelcean, Radu; Ward, Michael D.  Chemistry of Materials  15(3),  616-618, 2003.
• "Third-order optical nonlinearities alph-omega-dithienylpolyenes and oligo(thienylvinylene)"    Sun, Wenfang; Bader, Mamoun M.; Carvalho, Taiala.  Optics Communications  215(1-3),  185-190, 2003.
• "Theoretical Investigation of the Electronic and Geometric and Nonlinear Optical Properties of 8-Hydroxyquinoline Derivatives".  Mamoun M. Bader ; T. Hamada ; and A. Kakuta, J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 114, 6475-6479, 1992.

Barbara Brazon
Information Sciences and Technology

Office: K 116
Phone: 570-450-3089
E-mail: bxb30@psu.edu  

Dr. Shaobaio Cai
Mechanical Engineering

Phone: 570-450-3084
E-mail: quc13@psu.edu

Research Interests:

• Computational applied mechanics (Solid, Solid-Liquid, Fracture, and Polymer mechanics)
• Computational Micro/Nano Mechanics and Biomechanics with Applications
• FEA, Numerical method
• System Dynamics, Vibration and Control
• Sustainable design and Renewable Energy System

Student Involvement:

• do literature review
• basic computational simulations
• conduct experiment to get necessary data
• give presentations in conferences

Recent Projects

• Shaobiao Cai, Bharat Bhushan, 2008, “Meniscus and Viscous Forces during Separation of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Surfaces with Liquid-Mediated Contacts”, Material Science and Engineering-R, v 61, doi: 10.1016, pp. 78-106. (Impact Factor: 17.7 (ISI 07)).
• Bharat Bhushan, Shaobiao Cai, 2008, “Dry and Wet Contact Modeling of Multilayered Rough Solid Surfaces”, ASME Applied Mechanics Review, v. 61, 05803, pp.1-34.  (Impact Factor: 6.5 (ISI 07)).
• Shaobiao Cai, Bharat Bhushan, 2007, “Meniscus and Viscous Forces During Normal Separation of Liquid-Mediated Contacts”, Nanotechnology, v.18, 465704, p.1-14. (Impact Factor: 3.04 (ISI 07)).

Dr. Peter Crabb
Psychology

Office: M102
Phone: (570) 450-3547
E-mail: pbc1@psu.edu   

Research Interests:

My research program examines various ways that technology/material culture insinuates itself into social behavior and personality processes.

Student Involvement:

Up to 2 students may participate in a new environmental psychology project examining littering behavior.

Recent Projects: 

• Crabb, P., and Elizaga, A. (in press). The adaptive value of tool-aided defense against wild animal attacks. Aggressive Behavior. 
• Crabb, P. B. (2005). The material culture of suicidal fantasies. Journal of Psychology, 139, 211-220. 
• Crabb, P. B. (2003). Technology and self-regulation: The case of alarm clock use. Social Behavior and Personality, 31, 343-348.

 

Dr. Carl Frankel
Biology

Office: K107
Phone: (570) 450-3080
E-mail: csf1@psu.edu  

Dr. Maggie Gordon Froehlich
English

Office: Library 5 
Phone: (570) 450-3134
E-mail: mgf10@psu.edu

Research Interests:

• After graduate school, my interest in the issues that drove my dissertation project -- of women, religion, gender, spirituality, and myth in contemporary women's poetry -- developed in a variety of ways.  Most broadly, my work in the field of cultural studies has me focusing on issues of diversity (particularly with regard to gender, sexuality, race, and class) in late-19th and early-20th century American literature and culture.

Student Involvement:

• I'd be delighted to supervise students pursuing independent research projects in literature, film studies, popular culture, race, gender, and sexuality studies.
• I also welcome students' interest in assisting me in the professional work of literary scholarship; this sort of mentoring relationship might be of particular interest to students pursuing (undergraduate or graduate) degrees in the humanities.

Recent Projects: 

• My dissertation, "(Re)Conceiving the Sacred:  Postmodern Spirituality in the Poetry of Louise Gluck" (University of Mississippi, 2000) examines the ways in which female bodily experience (such as maternity and anorexia) influence contemporary American poet Louise Gluck's poetics, particularly her use of Classical mythology.
• The "Slayer" in the 1990s:  Images of Female Heroism in Contemporary Literature and Culture.  Throughout American high and popular culture in the 1990s -- in novels, memoirs, 'zines, comics, popular music, film, and television -- adolescent female rebellion is depicted as heroic, rather than, as is so often the case, hysteric.
• Intersections of race and (homo)sexuality in F. Scott Fitzgerald's *The Great Gatsby."  I'm interested in examining *Gatsby* within its cultural and historical context -- a time historians of both sexuality and of race look to as crucial in the development of discourses of identity.

Dr. Christopher Goguen
Biology

Office: K115
Phone: (570) 450 3088
E-mail: cbg10@psu.edu  

Research Interests:

• I am broadly interested in questions of vertebrate behavior and ecology, with an emphasis on conservation.  In particular, I am interested in field studies of songbirds and mammals, including local research in nearby state parks and summer opportunities at my long-term research site in northeastern New Mexico.

Student Involvement:

• I have three main research interests currently that would lend themselves to independent student projects or short-term volunteer opportunities:
  1) an inventory of the mammal species of Nescopeck State Park;
  2) assessment of population status of the state endangered Allegheny Woodrat in Lehigh Gorge State Park, 
  3) songbird breeding success in a bison-grazed landscape in New Mexico, with an emphasis on cowbird parasitism.

Recent Projects: 

• Goguen, C. B. and G. J. San Julian.  2007.  Effect of artificial brushpiles on small mammal abundance and diversity in forested habitats in central Pennsylvania.  Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society, State College, PA.
• Goguen, C.B., D. R. Curson, and N. E. Mathews.  2005.  Behavioral ecology of the brown-headed cowbird in a bison-grazed landscape in New Mexico.  Ornithological Monographs 57:71-83
• Goguen, C.B., and N.E. Mathews.  2000.  Local gradients of cowbird abundance and parasitism relative to livestock grazing in a western landscape. Conservation Biology. 14:1862-1869.

Dr. Wes Grebski
Engineering

Office: K 111
Phone: (570) 450-3087
E-mail: wxg3@psu.edu  

Research Interests:

My research interest is optimization of the design as well as applied research projects which are done for local industry

Student Involvement:

My research interest is optimization of the design as well as applied research projects which are done for local industry.

Recent Projects: 

"K-12 Outreach for Teaching Engineering Concepts." International Conference on Engineering Education.
 

Dr. J. Alfredo Jimenez
Math

Office: G113
Phone: (570) 450-3117
E-mail: jaj4@psu.edu

Research Interests:

Uses of technology to gain a deeper understanding of mathematics either in education, art, or producing animations.

Student Involvement:

Students interested in education willing to see how to use technology to help students gain a better understanding of math. Students interested in the intersection of math, art, and technology. Purely students interested in math.

Recent Projects: 


I could show some current work with computer algebra systems or with producing interactive math lessons, but none of this has been published yet.

Dr. Zugang (Leo) Liu
Business Administration

Office: Library 8
Phone: (570) 450-3096
E-mail: zxl23@psu.edu

Research Interests:

I am interested in economic network analysis, especially electric power networks. I am also interested in financial markets and risk management.

Student Involvement:

Student can get involved in literature review and data collection. I also would like to help students conduct research on their own interested topics.

Recent Projects

• An Integrated Electric Power Supply Chain and Fuel Market Network Framework: Theoretical Modeling with Empirical Analysis for New England (with A. Nagurney), Naval Research Logistics, forthcoming..
• Stock Market Crashes, Firm Characteristics, and Stock Returns (with J. Wang, G. Meric, and I. Meric), Journal of Banking and Finance, forthcoming.
• Financial Networks with Intermediation and Transportation Network Equilibria: A Supernetwork Equivalence and Reinterpretation of the Equilibrium Conditions with Computations (with A. Nagurney) (2007), Computational Management Science 4, 3, 243-281.

Dr. Eric Lu
Information Sciences and Technology

Office: Graham 110
Phone: (570) 450-3024
E-mail: yul14@psu.edu

Research Interests:

Social Networks Theory and Dynamic Network Analysis for studying complex socio-technical systems, such as virtual communities, web bloggers, and online trader groups.

Student Involvement:

Students can get involved in many aspects of my research, such as new security technology experiment/test, data collection, and data analysis. But I would also like to let students explore a topic of their own choosing, with me acting as a coach and support.

Recent Projects: 

• Lu, Y., Ma, H., Turner, S., and Huang, W. "Wireless Internet and student-centered learning: A partial least squares model," Computers & Education (49:2) 2007, pp 530-544. 
• Lu, Y., Quan, J., and Cao, X. "The perceived attributes of Wi-Fi technology and the diffusion gap among university faculty members: A case study," Communications of the Association for Information Systems. (24: ) 2009, pp 69-88.
• Lu, Y., and Korukonda, A.R. "Exploratory investigation of student attitudes toward technology based on Wi-Fi usage," International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation (2:3) 2008, pp 283-300.

Dr. Kathy Maxwell
Kinesiology

Office: A-9
Phone: (570) 450-3566
E-mail: kmm7@psu.edu    

Research Interests:

I am interested in studying the supposed benefits of "virtual" exercise. Does using a Wii provide the physiologial benefits of traditional exercise?

Student Involvement:

Recruiting participants, monitoring perceived exertion rate, taking vital signs after a Wii session.

Recent Projects:

• Interest in health and exercise stems primarily from teaching Kinesiology courses.
• Prior research relates to stress and individual's perceptions of stressors.

Dr. David Miller
Physics

Office: K 110
Phone: (570) 450-3083
E-mail: om0@psu.edu

Research Interests:
The main interest is in various areas in physics and astronomy. It would be helpful if students had taken courses in
these fields of study.

Student Involvement:
I leave it to the student's interest in the areas of theoretical physics or astronomy.

Recent Projects:
I have finished a long work in theoretical physics published in the journal Physics Reports 443, 55-96 (2007).

Dr. Justin Nordstrom
History

Office: A208
Phone: (570) 450-3037
E-mail: jan13@psu.edu

Research Interests:

I study American history, emphasizing the time period from 1877 (the end of the Civil War) through 1919 (the end of World War I).  My specific focus is the overlap between religious, literary, and immigration history, though I feel comfortable advising students in all aspects of American history.  Most recently, my research has focused on American utopian writing--how authors tried to imagine perfect communities during the transitions of the Industrial Revolution.

Student Involvement:

I feel that students' interests, and not my own projects, should guide the independent study experience.  I would love to work with students in directed readings on utopian studies, my latest research, or inter-religious conflict, the subject of my book.  But I would also like to let students explore a topic of their own choosing, with me acting as a coach and support.

Recent Projects: 

• Book--Danger on the Doorstep: Anti-Catholicism and American Print Culture in the Progressive Era (University of Notre Dame Press, 2006)
• Article--“Beyond Bellamy: What a (Mostly) Forgotten Utopian Novel Can Teach Scholars about Interdisciplinary Perspectives,” The Journal of Interdisciplinary Twentieth Century Studies (February, 2006).
• “Looking Backward’s Utopian Sequels: ‘Fictional Dialogues’ in Gilded-Age America.”  Utopian Studies, September 2007.

Dr. Frank Novak
Chemistry

Office: Kostos Building
Phone: (570) 450-3112
E-mail: fxn4@psu.edu

Research Interests:

I am interested in statistical mechanics and dynamical systems and their relation to both physical and biological problems. An example of this is an attempt to construct mathematical models that display features associated with biological evolution.

Student Involvement:

Students could work on constructing computer simulations related to dynamical systems. They may also help me with literature research and thereby gain knowledge of some sophisticated subjects like theotetical physics and biology.

Recent Projects: 


On the Relationship between Statistical Independence, Large Deviations, and Thermodynamic Behavior, to be submitted for puplication.

Dr. Michael Polgar
Sociology

Office: A205
Phone: (570) 450-3103
E-mail: mfp11@psu.edu

Research Interests:

I study topics in the sociology of health and poverty.  My research on families examines the burdens associated with homelessness. My research on organizations examines social networks that help youth improve mental health.

Student Involvement:

Students get involved by reading and writing about social research topics.  I would like students to help me explore organizations in our area that help homeless people.

Recent Projects: 

• Polgar, Michael, & Leo Cabassa, “Helping young adults with mental health problems: Providers evaluate a regional system of care,” Sociological Viewpoints, Fall 2007. 
• Polgar, Michael, David Pollio, and Carol North, Family support for individual homeless adults, Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless 15(4), 273-293, November 2006.
• Polgar, M. “Three Views of Homelessness,” Presentation to Penn State Division of Social Sciences and Education, November 2006. 
• Polgar, M. and Morrissey, J. “Mental Health Services and Systems,” in C. Aneshensel and J. Phelan, eds., Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health, New York, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press, 461-480, 1999

Dr. Sherry Robinson
Business

Office: 3rd Floor Admin Building
Phone: (570) 450-3559
E-mail: skr12@psu.edu

Research Interests:

I study rural women business owners. That means I also study differences by sex, location and job.

Student Involvement:

I would be happy to help them study a topic related to self-employment.

Recent Projects: 

• Business Start and Termination Rates in Rural and Non-rural Areas
• Carrying on the Family Business: A Norwegian Case Study
• A Study of Rural Small Business Owners' Internet Usage

Dr. Tom Smialek
Music

Office: Administration Building Room 207
Phone: (570) 450-3058
E-mail: tws4@psu.edu

Research Interests:

My personal research interests are varied:   I do historical research on North American saxophonists in the early 20th-century.  I create multimedia music listening software for non-musicians.  Most recently, I have done experimental research studies on the effectiveness of teaching methods such as group learning and Internet-based testing.

Student Involvement:

As the campus representative to the College of Arts & Architecture, I advise students who wish to pursue one of its majors.  The portfolios of creative work required for entry into the various Arts & Architecture majors can serve as the basis of creative projects that can be exhibited at PSU, Hazleton's annual research fair.  Portfolio creation is also suitable creative activity for an independent study course.

Recent Projects: 

• Smialek, Thomas, producer. The Saxophone Craze: Early Twentieth-Century North American Concert Saxophonists. North American Saxophone Alliance, Compact disc recording NASA 101, 2005.
• Smialek, Thomas, and L. A. Logrande. Active Listening Tools for Listening to Music, 5th ed. Belmont, Calif.: Thomson Schirmer, 2008.
• Smialek, Thomas and Renee Boburka. "The Effect of Cooperative Listening Exercises on the Critical Listening Skills of College Music Appreciation Students." Journal of Research in Music Education 54 (Spring 2006): 57-72.

Dr. David Smith
English and History

E-mail: djs46@psu.edu

Dr. Lisa Goguen
Psychology

Office: Memorial 104
Phone: (570) 450-3023
E-mail: lms42@psu.edu

Research Interests:

Broadly speaking, my interests are in social and cognitive development among adolescents and young adults. More specifically, I focus on the impact of friendship and gender on development, and on factors that impact outcomes such as academic achievement or adjustment to college.

Student Involvement:

I am working on the early stages of a new study (literature searching; study design), with a possible focus on social development among individuals who involve themselves in activities such as the Boy/Girl Scouts. Students could help me brainstorm ideas and find relevant literature on this topic.

Recent Projects

• Swenson, L.M., Hiester, M.A., & Nordstrom, A.H. Associations among peer relationships, academic achievement, and persistence in college. Manuscript to be published August 2010 in the Journal of College Student Retention.
• Swenson, L.M., Nordstrom, A.H., & Hiester, M.A. (2008). The role of peer relationships in adjustment to college. Journal of College Student Development, 49 (6).
• Swenson, L.M., & Strough, J. (2008). Adolescents’ collaboration in the classroom: Do peer relationships or gender matter? Psychology in the Schools, 45, 715-728.

Dr. Molly Wertheimer
Communication Arts & Sciences

Office: M109
Phone: (570) 450-3051
E-mail: mmw9@psu.edu     Research Interests:   My interest is in women's persuasive messages that are designed to achieve change. I've focused on historical women, from ancient Egypt to contemporary times. My ongoing research examines the speeches and activities of American First Ladies.
Student Involvement:
Students who are interested in politics, communication, public relations or other areas would use online research tools to find and analyze newspaper articles on the activities of potential first ladies who might be ushered into office after the 2008 election. Specifically, I am looking for someone to collect material on Bill Clinton's summit with Laura Bush. Is he jockeying to become the first male first lady?

Current Projects:

• Inventing a Voice: The Rhetoric of American First Ladies of the Twentieth Century (Rowman and Littlefield).
• Leading Ladies of the White House: Communication Stategies of Notable Twentieth-Century First Ladies (Rowman and Littlefield).
• Listening to their Voices: The Rhetorical Activities of Historical Women (University of South Carolina Press).

Dr. Liz Wright
English

Office: M 102
Phone: (570) 450-3503
E-mail: ejw12@psu.edu

Research Interests:

I study twentieth-century women writers who focus on war and disability.

Student Involvement:

Typically, students work with me to devise a project of their choosing.

Recent Projects: 

• Mapping War:  Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s The Deepening Stream and the Politics of the American Abroad during World War I
• ‘An Able-Bodied Man’: Disability and Masculinity in Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s The Home-maker”
• “She and I Are Molecules”: The Disabled Body in Denise Chávez's The Last of the Menu Girls

Amie Yenser
Biology

Office: Kostos 107
Phone: (570) 450-3063
E-mail: alv10@psu.edu

Research Interests:

My research interests are in the field of anatomy and physiology.  The specific design of body structures to fit their function in mammals, reptiles, and amphibians is fascinating to study.

Student Involvement:

Past student research has involved the negative side effects of over-the-counter drugs and the consequences of steroid use in canines. 

Recent Projects: 

• The effect of genetic distance on female mate preference in the redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus).   Presented at the Towson University Research Expo, and at the National meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
• Predation of Hydrotea aenescens on Drosophila melanogaster.  Presented at the Pennsylvania Academy of Science

Dr. Xingguo Zhang
Physics

Office: Kostos 110
Phone: (570) 450-3082
E-mail: xqz@psu.edu

Research Interests:

Amplitude modulated mid-wave receiver and the measurement of the ratio of electron charge to electron mass .

Student Involvement:

These are the student research topics, the participated students will do either the first project(build the receiver) or the second project(do the measure using  advanced equipment).