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Academic Festival winners graphic Penn State Mont Alto

Student Research is Front and Center During 2020 Academic Festival

Penn State Mont Alto recognizes and honors winners during awards ceremony

Seventy-two Penn State Mont Alto students displayed and presented their best academic and artistic work on April 24, during the Fifteenth Annual Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival; due to COVID-19, this year’s festival was a virtual event with innovative research-based posters, informational exhibits, and oral presentations presented by students via Zoom.  

The Mont Alto campus community applauds all the students who presented their research and scholarly work in this year’s festival.

This year’s winners were announced following the festival. Congratulations to the following students:

Exhibits

First: “Hosted SAP Classroom Support” Michael, Fignar, Timothy Eaton (Faculty Mentor: Paul Bart, M.S.)

This project presents a hosted SAP ERP solution for classroom support relevant to business, technology, and healthcare fields. The solution provides free access to SAP products that inform and educate students on business process components and/or their configuration through premade curriculum. This free curriculum can better prepare students to enter their respective field of work following graduation and can potentially improve their marketability to employers.

Second: “Flourishing with the Emotional Challenges and Stressors Associated with College” Katelyn Jackson (Faculty Mentor: Jacob S. Sawyer, Ph.D.)

This informational exhibit reviews the current information regarding college student emotional well-being and attempts to explain how students can flourish with the emotional challenges and stressors associated with college. The variables that tend to have the greatest impact on the overall emotional well-being are discussed as coping mechanisms, social support systems, and resilience. Reviewing this literature is important as it is becoming increasingly more evident that college student emotional well-being is a major concern.

Third: “Understanding Service Animals” Ben Cai, Shania Atherton, Jacie Buller, Amanda Krug, Mercedes Ost, Shayna Young (Faculty Mentor: Anne Devney, M.S.N, E.D.D.)

It is not uncommon today to see individuals with disabilities accompanied by a service animal. Unfortunately, the public has a poor understanding of the care and benefits those animals can provide. In this presentation, we discuss the legal definition of service animals, their training and behavior, handler's responsibilities and rights, and the differences between other supportive or therapy animals.

Research Posters

First: “A Content Analysis on the Psychological Impacts of School Shootings: Current Themes and Directions for Future Research” Cara Burgan, Amanda Moore, Jenna Taylor, Blasia Drumm, (Faculty Mentor: Jacob S. Sawyer, Ph.D.)

This study is a content analysis of 29 articles related to school shootings. An analysis of the data suggests that slightly more articles were nonempirical rather than empirical, there were similar rates of representation based on sample characteristics, and most were focused on the United States. Furthermore, trauma, school policies, post-shooting interventions, and specific shooting events were the most common topics within four primary factors assessed in this study. Findings suggest important implications for future research.

Second: “The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Attachment and Substance Abuse in Sexual and Gender Minority Emerging Adults” Amanda Moore (Faculty Mentor: Barrett Scroggs, Ph.D.)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to several health disparities including deficits in regulating emotions, sensitivity to stress, and substance use. Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience high rates of psychological distress and substance use and report higher rates of ACEs compared to their heterosexual peers. The current study found that there was significant relationship between ACEs and cocaine, prescription opioids, amphetamines, solvents/inhalants, Amyl nitrate, and MDMA when explained through Secure attachment for SGM emerging adults.

Third: “Effective Sedations Management” Jacqueline Coddington, Jessica Beckley, Danielle Failor, Chassidy Bishop (Faculty mentors Stephanie Unger, Ph.D.; Lisa Ward, M.S.N)

Finding a more effective management of sedation in mechanically ventilated patients is the goal of the critical care unit (CCU) nurses at Waynesboro Hospital. A review of the literature of best practice/policy will occur with this study. The PICO question presented is: In intubated and mechanically ventilated critical care patients, what is the most effective protocol for sedation management compared to the current practice used at Waynesboro Hospital. Utilizing the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Evidence Level and Quality Guide, the evidence from the literature reviews will indicate more effective measures for sedation medications and give options for other available sedation scales in managing intubated and mechanically ventilated CCU patients, with positive patient outcomes.

Presentations

First: “Mixed Spaces and Mixed Faces” Angelina Guntert (Faculty mentor: Robin Yaure, Ph.D.)

This project focuses on the importance of identifying the biracial race and becoming aware of the struggles these individuals face. Biracial identity, like all identities, is evolving daily, and biracial individuals have unique struggles in their identity development.

Second: “Archaeoastronomy in Ancient Civilizations” Alex Benedict (Faculty mentor: Kimberly Herrmann, Ph.D.)

This presentation looks at how different civilizations used astronomy in their daily lives and how it impacted beliefs, culture, and archaeology.

Sustainability Awards

First: “Mixed Spaces and Mixed Faces” Angelina Guntert  (Faculty mentor: Robin Yaure, Ph.D.)

This project focuses on the importance of identifying the biracial race and becoming aware of the struggles these individuals face. Biracial identity, like all identities, is evolving daily, and biracial individuals have unique struggles in their identity development."

Second: “A Content Analysis on the Psychological Impacts of School Shootings: Current Themes and Directions for Future Research” Cara Burgan, Amanda Moore, Jenna Taylor, Blasia Drumm, (Faculty Mentor: Jacob S. Sawyer, Ph.D.)

This study is a content analysis of 29 articles related to school shootings. An analysis of the data suggests that slightly more articles were nonempirical rather than empirical, there were similar rates of representation based on sample characteristics, and most were focused on the United States. Furthermore, trauma, school policies, post-shooting interventions, and specific shooting events were the most common topics within four primary factors assessed in this study. Findings suggest important implications for future research.

Third: “The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Attachment and Substance Abuse in Sexual and Gender Minority Emerging Adults” Amanda Moore (Faculty Mentor: Barrett Scroggs, Ph.D.)

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to several health disparities including deficits in regulating emotions, sensitivity to stress, and substance use. Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience high rates of psychological distress and substance use and report higher rates of ACEs compared to their heterosexual peers. The current study found that there was significant relationship between ACEs and cocaine, prescription opioids, amphetamines, solvents/inhalants, Amyl nitrate, and MDMA when explained through Secure attachment for SGM emerging adults.

Library Information Literacy Awards

The University Libraries Information Literacy Award recognizes scholarly work based on a foundation of careful background research and literature review.

“Effects of Waterbirth” Meghan Durniak, Ashlyn Ellis, Audrey Glassmyer (Faculty mentors: Stephanie Unger, Ph.D.; Lois Orndorf, Ph.D)

Waterbirth is becoming increasingly popular in the United States and women value the opportunity to have a choice in their birthing method. The purpose of this research is to evaluate how waterbirth affects patient satisfaction and the safety of the mother and neonate compared to the traditional delivery model in unmedicated labor patients. A search for literature was conducted in CINAHL and PubMed databases using keywords waterbirth, waterbirth outcomes, waterbirth safety, and waterbirth satisfaction. Eight research articles which evaluated the safety and patient satisfaction of waterbirth were chosen to be reviewed. Overall, it was found that waterbirth shortens the first and second stage of labor, decreases perineal trauma, elicits positive experiences for the laboring woman, and does not increase the incidence of poor outcomes in the neonate.

Art Show

  • First: “Good Boys” Jen Nunemaker
  • Second: “Closer Perspective” Jen Nunemaker
  • Second: “I Presented This in a Dream Once” Haedyssa Harvey
  • Third: “Power Lines” Somer Pedersen
  • Honorable Mention
    • “The Volga River” Hanna Lowman
    • “Portrait of a Young Woman” Somer Pedersen
    • “Lighthouse” Maria Burkett