MONT ALTO, Pa. — Twenty students were recognized for outstanding research and academic work during the 17th annual Penn State Mont Alto Academic Festival on Friday, April 22.
Held in person for the first time since 2019, the festival displayed the academic work of 42 students on 19 projects. The Academic Festival allows students to research a topic of interest, and the breadth and depth of a Penn State education was evident in the range of topics explored, from healthcare and mindfulness to server development and database construction to ADA accessibility and dream analysis.
“It was great to be back in person this year and to be able to interact with all the students who participated. I spoke with students from many of the projects and was impressed with their professionalism and with the caliber of the research projects,” said Michael Doncheski, chief academic officer at Penn State Mont Alto. “Of note was how our students were able to engage in conversations in an accessible manner that made it easy for individuals without previous content knowledge to understand and participate — something that can only be accomplished if the scholar has a true depth of knowledge in their subject matter.”
Research abstracts for all projects can be read in the Academic Festival program online.
The following students received recognition for their research during the festival:
Informational Exhibits
- First: "Dream Analysis and the Unconscious," Samantha Sibold and Abbie Stine
Project Adviser: Jacob Sawyer, assistant professor, Psychology
- Second: "Project MISTS," Wade Corun, Paxton Shatzer, Dylan Rhodes, Jared Pine
Project Adviser: John Henry, lecturer, Information Technology
- Third: "Mindfulness Strategies for Prevention and Coping with Burnout in Healthcare Professionals," Danielle Barnhart
Project Adviser: Jackie Schwab, program coordinator and associate professor, human development and family studies
Research Projects
- First: "Trust in Healthcare and Health Information Avoidance Among LGBTQ+ Individuals," Kamila Najafzade
Project Adviser: Nikolette Lipsey, assistant professor, psychology
- Second: "Nursing Burnout Due to COVID-19," Layken Barrows, MaKenzie Llewellyn, Meagan Smith
Project Advisers: Stephanie Unger, assistant teaching professor, nursing; faculty, Honors Program; Lisa Ward, assistant teaching professor, nursing
- Tied for third: "CRISPR Technology and Congenital Disordered Development," Maegan Aleshire, Abigail Keiser, Taylor Peachey
Project Advisers: Stephanie Unger, assistant teaching professor, nursing; faculty, Honors Program
- Tied for third: "The Effectiveness of Different Cleaning Agents on Cloth Masks," Andrea Fox, Madalyn Burton
Project Adviser: Ed Hipkiss, lecturer, biology
Oral Presentations
- For outstanding research in an oral presentation: "How Accessible are We?" Maegan Aleshire
Faculty mentor: Alice Royer, assistant teaching professor of English and women’s studies
- For outstanding research in an oral presentation: "Induction of Labor and Cesarean Sections: An Ethical Issue," Hannah Kertes, Maria Burkett, Sofia Perez-Espinosa, Kathryn Herr
Project Adviser: Stephanie Unger, assistant teaching professor, nursing; faculty, Honors Program
Sustainability Awards
- "How Accessible are We?"" Maegan Aleshire
Project Adviser: Alice Royer, assistant teaching professor of English and women’s studies
- Trust in Healthcare and Health Information Avoidance Among LGBTQ+ Individuals," Kamila Najafzade
Project Adviser: Nikolette Lipsey, assistant professor, psychology
University Libraries Award for Information Literacy
- "CRISPR Technology and Congenital Disordered Development,"" Maegan Aleshire, Abigail Keiser, Taylor Peachey
Project Adviser: Stephanie Unger, assistant teaching professor, nursing; faculty, Honors Program
- Induction of Labor and Cesarean Sections: An Ethical Issue," Hannah Kertes, Maria Burkett, Sofia Perez-Espinosa, Kathryn Herr
Project Adviser: Stephanie Unger, assistant teaching professor, nursing; faculty, Honors Program
The Academic Festival committee thanks the faculty mentors who worked with students on their projects and the faculty and staff judges who attended the festival. The Academic Festival is supported by the Penn State Mont Alto Alumni Society, Penn State Mont Alto Career Services, the Student Activity Fee, the Owl’s Club, and faculty and staff donations.
Of note was how our students were able to engage in conversations in an accessible manner that made it easy for individuals without previous content knowledge to understand and participate — something that can only be accomplished if the scholar has a true depth of knowledge in their subject matter.—Michael Doncheski , chief academic officer, Penn State Mont Alto
