Seven Corporate Communications students from Penn State Greater Allegheny won first place in the Course-Based Project (all disciplines) category at the annual Undergraduate Research Exhibition sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Schreyer Honors College, and the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence at University Park on April 9.
Students Vincent Gibbons, Dion Harris, Ada Jamison, Ashley Kowalski, Amanda Mospan, Crystal Outlaw, and Scott Varner presented and defended their research before an audience in the HUB-Robinson Center. The student group was under the tutelage of Dr. Kathleen Taylor Brown, Assistant Professor of Communications.
The students conducted qualitative research regarding senior citizens and technology. Their findings showed that empowering active citizenship results in successful aging, as defined by the Rowe and Kahn model which believes extrinsic factors like diet, psychological factors, personal habits, and exercise can affect the aging process in a positive manner. The students? research supported the fact that quality of life is improved through technological education and its implementation into one's life.
The students' research was displayed via a poster presented at the HUB.
The poster is now on display in Old Main, outside of the Office of Undergraduate Education. There were 70 total poster entries approved to be in the exhibition from across the University. The Penn State Greater Allegheny students competed against nine other entries in their category, including presentations displayed by University Park, Altoona and Schreyer Honors College students.
The Greater Allegheny students shared a monetary prize awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Education. The annual exhibition communicates and celebrates the participation of the University's undergraduate students in research and creative endeavors. Students from all Penn State locations are invited to enter poster or performance presentations to showcase their work to a general audience. The annual exhibition is open to the public.
This marks the third year that Dr. Brown's students have placed and participated in the research exhibition.