URSP Student Eleri Burnett Researches The Economic Impacts of Losing a Coastal Shorebird Along the East Coast

The project I am currently researching attempts to assign a monetary value to an endangered shorebird along the East Coast Shoreline named the Piping Plover. In order to do this, I have pulled together data assigning the value of the ecosystem services of the Plover, essentially meaning what the organism provides for the habitat that it is in. 

I have always had an interest in birds, and as a business and finance major, I wanted to attempt a project that could link my two passions and provide a means of incentive for conservation of this bird and all birds in a way that could mutually benefit local economies along the east coast. If I am able to provide a compelling argument that the value of this bird is worth its conservation for the economic benefit it brings communities, more citizens can relate to the money factor and may be more willing to provide resources to help with wildlife conservation.

Even though multiple people told me this project was not going to be easy, I wanted to give it a shot anyway. I spent most of the former half of the semester researching methods and looking at how other researchers came about their economic data. After I used this data, I spent days mapping the precise territory of the Piping Plover’s territory through its sightings and use of an online map feature. The final month has been analyzing the concluding number and its significance. With this, I made the realization that many can say a project may be tough, but nothing is impossible; if you are willing to put forth the effort to complete something, it is absolutely possible. Sometimes, especially with hardship, it’s easy to get demotivated, but if you persevere and remember why you initially took on this research project, you may once again find your footing.

OSCAR Student Morgan Sutherland Focuses on Increasing Female Representation in Percussion Chamber Music

Percussion chamber music, which began around 1929, is music for small groups of musicians who produce sound by hitting their instruments. Since this art form began less than 100 years ago, it is still in an experimental development stage.  As it is historically a male dominated field, my research is focusing on increasing female representation in percussion chamber music. In order to do this, I have commissioned two new works for percussion chamber group by women and started a short timeline of significant female contributors to the art who have been forgotten over time.

My day to day process changes frequently due to the two part division of my project. Some of my most important commission-related tasks include emailing composers, writing contracts for commissions, putting together groups to perform, practicing music to perform, and scheduling rehearsals. Some of my most important tasks for the timeline have included spending time in the library researching scores and sifting through works listed by distributors of percussion music in search of those written by females. Preliminary data shows that 22.33% of percussion chamber works on Steve Weiss Music, one of the leading distributors of percussion resources, was written or arranged by females. A significant portion if these works were written for elementary to early high school level. Currently, I am at the So Percussion Summer Institute (SoSI) at Princeton. Here I am learning rehearsals techniques for percussion chamber music as well as being exposed to many well known contemporary women composers of percussion chamber music including Angelica Negron, Juri Seo, and Caroline Shaw. At SoSI I am also working with Anna Meadors to develop ideas for the trio I commissioned.

URSP Student Daniel Asiedu Researches the Failing Ghanaian High School System

Daniel Asiedu graduates this August with a Bachelor’s in Information Systems and Operations Management. He also holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. This summer, he followed his passion and quest to find innovative ways to improve the quality of high school education in Ghana. His research project centered on the causes of the increasingly failing rates in the Ghanaian High School System. He also participated in the Koch Internship Program, where he interned at the Institute of Humane Studies. There, he explored how liberty, free market economics, market based management, and quality education advances personal wellbeing and free society.

Three hundred randomly selected people across eleven major cities in Ghana participated in the study. They were asked ten basic questions that evaluated the quality of high school education. They commented on prices charged for tuition and boarding, indicated three most pressing issues faced, and also compare performances of students in public and private school, etc.  Overall, 88.4% of participants felt the current public boarding high school system needed remodeling, and 86.7% were dissatisfied with the quality of education students received. Interestingly, a trend emerged among participants. Those living in urban areas, with higher cost of living than the national average, felt that prices charged for boarding schools were higher as compared to participants in other areas.

This summer has been the highlight of Daniel’s academic life. Having the opportunity to participate in the OSCAR program, first as a research assistant, and then working on this summer project has been a rewarding experience for him. It is his ambition to develop a new high school model that utilizes innovative teaching and learning practices, restructures the current system and retools students with the right skills and knowledge to succeed. This new model will mitigate majority of the problems identified in this study. Daniel is currently working on a publication of the research results and also on a business plan for his new high school model.

URSP Student Larissa Schomaker Researches the Importance of Writing in Business Schools

When I decided to move from Europe to the U.S. to attend college, not being able to properly communicate was among my biggest fears. Without the ability to articulate information, ideas, and emotions, I was afraid to find myself at a loss. “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere” (Iacocca). I find this statement by Lee Iacocca, an American businessman, to be very true, especially, but not limited to, the field of business. Throughout my undergraduate degree program at Mason, I have been required to take general composition courses offering the analytical tools I need as a writer and effective communicator. It is important for faculty to connect class material of specific disciplines with professional writing experiences I will encounter in my career. Unfortunately, this is less often the case. An increasing number of employers have criticized college graduates’ inadequate communication skills. Companies have difficulties to fill job openings because of the candidates’ inability to speak and write clearly. Some blame technology; others blame colleges or even high schools for not focusing on written and oral communication.

This disconnect started to become very apparent to me shortly after my teacher for Business Communication (SOM 301), Jacquelyn Brown, asked me to assist her as a writing fellow (WF) in her class. As a WF, I attend SOM 301 labs to establish a relationship with students and actively support Professor Brown. Outside the classroom, I function as a tutor to clarify writing assignments, brainstorm ideas, and respond to students’ individual needs. By obtaining the position of a middleman, I have the opportunity to observe both, student and faculty perspectives. During tutoring sessions in particular, I witness students’ struggles more often than not. They have brilliant ideas, are committed to their studies, but lack proper communication skills. Because of my own background, I am able to understand the difficulties and frustrations that can come with writing and business communication. Being a WF gives me the ability to see both sides, which is why I started thinking of this research initially. The project intends to define the extent to which a gap between faculty and students exists. With the help of my findings, I will then determine whether or not WFs fulfill their role as middlemen sufficiently and therefore contribute to a closer compliance with expectations from both, students and faculty.

My position as a middleman between students and faculty is of essence in order to fill the gap between employer, student and faculty. As a WF, I have a great understanding of the class and assignments, as well as a great rapport with the students. Thus, SOM 301 students feel more comfortable addressing their questions and concerns with either faculty or WF. The opportunity to work closely together over an entire semester gets me significantly engaged in the writing process of students and also allows me time to observe approaches that work and don’t work. The same applies for WFs and faculty. Because I attend class, I see where students struggle, which gives me the ability to suggest different approaches for assignments to Professor Brown in order to achieve a better outcome. However, the writing fellow program also requires a significant investment on the part of faculty. WFs can only help students if all participants clearly understand the parameters of writing assignments, important matters of their discipline, and expectations of the individual instructor. Hence, a successful program raises faculty’s awareness of how writing is part of their disciplinary system. Ideally, they will engage in new practices that reflect responses to students and their writing, comply with definitions of their discipline, and match their students’ development.

A similar WFs program has been implemented by Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. It is based on the belief that collaboration among peers is one of the most effective methods of learning. Additionally, members of this program are committed to promoting a campus-wide culture in which writing and communication in its many forms is central to learning. In this culture, communication and inquiry are vitally linked, restraints on learning imposed by traditional disciplinary boundaries are eased, and students and faculty are all part of one vibrant intellectual community. Similar to Lehigh University’s approach to erase boundaries, I am pursuing the goal to evaluate the relationship between students and faculty. The main question hereby is the following: Can WFs fulfill their position as a middleman between students and faculty? Providing research-based answers to this question is significant, because it observes the stated disconnect from a new angle. Minimal research has been done from a WFs perspective. Although WAC faculty has conducted a fair amount of research, WFs have only been quoted sparingly, and they have not yet given their own voice. Looking at the WF program from a different perspective for the first time will increase its efficiency, but also takes significant steps to bridge the addressed gap. A better understanding of expectations from both, students and faculty, can contribute to the development of a more beneficial curriculum beyond the Mason community.

Throughout my research process thus far, I have come to realize that detailed documentation is essential for each individual step and sometimes more lengthy than initially anticipated. As I am conducting a case study where I interview a selected number of former and current SOM 301 students who have met with me as a writing fellow more than twice, I needed IRB approval in order to conduct individual student interviews. Going through the application process and describing specific processes to individuals unfamiliar with my research project has been a task that required me to invest a lot of time. Over time, this objective has become easier as I am more familiar with the process now. Yet, I am certain that conducting detailed documentation will continue to be part of my work as an undergraduate research scholar.

URSP Student Juny Canenguez Researches the Relationship of Cultural Simpatía and Workplace Favoritism

Never would I have though that I would be conducting research on something of that would be of so much interest and significance to me.  With OSCAR funding, I am researching the relationship of cultural simpatía and workplace favoritism. Simpatía is the act of behaving with dignity, respect, courtesy and empathy toward others with the goal of emphasizing positive behaviors and deemphasizing negative behavior. Simpatía is a deeply held value in many Latin American cultures and in this study, my mentor, Dr. Olivia (Mandy) O’Neill and I are investigating whether the cultural value of simpatía is associated with a perception of less favoritism in the workplace.

To test this phenomenon, we created a multi-step survey in English and Spanish to determine whether the language of the survey and personality factors illicit different responses in our subjects. This past week, my main focus has been to find participants, in particular Spanish-speakers, to take survey.  In order for the data to be representative of the population, I have to find as many people as I can to take it. There have been some days of frustration where only two to three people take the survey in a day.  But there are also very rewarding days were 15+ people take the survey. Thus far, gathering data has been the most challenging part of my study, but my findings in the analysis stage should make it all worth it.

I have come to learn it is often difficult to study human subjects.  We all are different in so many ways yet there are some aspects that we share. By doing this study, I now see research like a maze; there are various routes available, but you can only pick one.  However, if the route you choose does not lead to an outcome, it is a matter of turning around and getting on a different route to find something interesting to share. Comes to show that once curiosity enters the mind, not matter how difficult the task may be, a researcher is determined to find an answer.  

URSP Student Elena Sendolo Researches Successful Women in Southern Europe and Eurasia

My research project is titled Modern Woman: Conversations about Culture, Progress, Society, and Success with Women who Live in Post-Communist Romania. In addition to writing an academic paper using multiple references, I interview intellectuals, influential and public figures, covering topics from rising above a legacy of totalitarianism and achieving success to their personal development and future endeavors.

I care deeply about this question because in a patriarchal universe, financial and emotional stability can fundamentally change a woman's identity, and thus her success in society and her personal life. As one of millions of Eastern European women growing up without role models, it was crucial to self-teach that there are many happy, secure, and successful women who come from the same region as me. Simultaneously, I believe it is very important to show other men and women, Eastern European or not, that in a part of the world where there is virtually no feminine empowerment proposition, there is still much to be talked about in terms of triumph, resilience, and well-being. The purpose of telling the story of multiple successful women is meaningful to me, but it can also be a powerful tool to spread regard for leadership in a part of the world where there is still much room for improvement in human rights, education, and equality.

I want to discover the conclusion to my own research because by interpreting and deciphering historical facts of a country that cannot come to terms with its own past, a way can be made for unequivocal and beneficial change for future generations. This research opportunity is also a personal campaign, a reflection of where I have come from and where I am heading. My work will contribute to the discipline of European and Eurasian studies, by depicting modern and accurate portrayals of women from Romania. In the future, I wish to conduct research in more than one Eastern European country. Upon completion of the program, I will work to develop my research undertaking into a long-term international campaign that aims to inspire, educate, provoke thought, and defy human labels, as well as promote and celebrate sensational, savvy women.

There are about twelve books that I need to get through before December. On a weekly basis, I read, plan, and organize. I wish I were able to read twice as much, but it’s difficult given that I’m interning at a communications agency, and completing 13 credits. In November I am interviewing four high-profile subjects for this project: one is a director at the United Nations headquarters, another is an international executive. The other two women work as entrepreneurs together. The pressure is on but I look forward to get to know my interviewees!