2019 Database of Faculty Summer Research Projects

Survey of the decline of religious material in American primers and early readers.

Faculty Mentor	Kate Koppy
Faculty Department	Literature and Languages
Academic School	Arts and Sciences
Academic Department	Literature and Languages
Contact Information	Email Dr Koppy
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	The earliest educational tools for building literacy in American schools made heavy use of religious material (prayers, proverbs, bible verses, etc.). In the twenty-first century, this is no longer the case. This project seeks to survey the decline of religious material in American primers and early readers and to identify what kinds of material have replaced it. The work of the project will involve first identifying pertinent holdings in the Library of Congress Children’s Literature Center using the catalog and then examining individual texts and entering information about them into a database. Some of this work can be done online, but some will need to be done in the appropriate reading rooms at the Library of Congress.
Date Posted	March 21, 2019

Sea Turtle Tagging and Monitoring

Faculty Mentor	Todd Rimkus
Faculty Department	Biology & Physical Science
Academic School	SSME
Academic Department	SSME or Academic Affairs
Contact Information	trimkus@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	All
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	Sea turtles are explored in Belize. We have internship opportunities and research opportunities in Belize for the summer. Being part of a research team and exploring the possibility of tagging a turtle and monitoring it’s movements as it forages and rests between nesting events.
Date Posted	March 06, 2019

Media Depictions of Juvenile Offenders and Their Families

Faculty Mentor	Erin McNett
Faculty Department	Forensic and Legal Psychology
Academic School	Sciences, Mathematics, and Education
Academic Department	Forensic and Legal Psychology
Contact Information	emcnett@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Forensic and legal psychology and related undergraduate majors
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	I have a longstanding interest in media depictions of mental illness and how they may perpetuate (or help to eliminate) stigma and barriers to help seeking. I have similar questions about how media may shape the public’s perception of juvenile offenders and their families and aim to begin answering them by analyzing news accounts of juvenile offending.
Date Posted	March 06, 2019

African American theater, Orson Welles, and Community Film Festivals

Faculty Mentor	Dr. Marguerite Rippy
Faculty Department	Literature & Languages
Academic School	DAH
Academic Department	Literature & Languages
Contact Information	mrippy@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Any, based on student interest
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description Project 1	I am currently working on a book about the road tour of the Federal Theater Project 1936 Macbeth, directed by Orson Welles with a cast of African and African American dancers, actors, and musicians, as it traveled through the segregated American South. Students could work on posting archival materials for classroom and public use, reviewing potential primary and secondary materials for research at local archives and MU library, or developing teaching lesson plans, depending on their interests. Students could also help develop grant proposals to support archival study or to find engaging ways to bring archival materials into the classroom.
Project 2	I need students to help research the mission of D.C. area film festivals in order to better understand the evolving role of these events within the Washington, D.C. community. In particular, researches would examine festivals and community identity. For example, festivals focused on ethnic or cultural representations (Italian, Jewish, or German cinema festivals), political causes (D.C. Environmental Film Festival, or service orientations (Washington West festival). Student researchers would help compile a list and description of local festivals, along with festival mission statements and supporting materials. They would also reach out to festival organizers to interview them about community involvement, programming goals, economic success, and film selection processes.
Date Posted	March 06, 2019

Bio Mechanical Engineering Projects in Additive Manufacturing

Faculty Mentor	Eric Bubar
Faculty Department	Biology and Physical Sciences
Academic School	Science, Math and Education
Academic Department	Physics
Contact Information	ebubar@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	All
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description Project 1	Use of the Marymount 3D printing lab to develop and test upper limb prosthetic devices. Projects include exploring myoelectric hand/arm control, development of simple, low-cost, mechanical hands, creation of simple, body-powered prosthetics, testing and assessment of current 3D-printed prosthetic designs, creation of aesthetic prosthetics (upper and lower limbs), and the designing and testing of task specific devices (including bike handlebar holders, pom-pom holders, violin bow holders, etc.). Students will learn basics of CAD (computer aided design), how to operate 3D printers, how to apply engineering design principles towards solving problems with upper limb (and limited lower limb) prosthetics and obtain experience with basic computer programming of low-cost, hobbyist microcontroller electronics.
Project 2	Use of the Marymount 3D printing lab to develop and test needed tools/devices for meeting community needs. Students will be asked to identify a community need and then work with Dr Bubar to design and engineer a physical product to solve this problem. To date, projects this year have included creating tactile maps for the visually impaired, creating a low-cost adaptation method to make a standard wheelchair mechanical, creating a sand-rake for cleaning trash on beaches in Belize, designing of a lacrosse tool for repairing damaged equipment and the development of a physical therapy tool for exercising fingers. Opportunities are basically limitless for this project, so if you have an idea of how 3D printing can meet a need, please reach out! Students will learn basics of CAD (computer aided design), how to operate 3D printers, how to apply engineering design principles towards solving problems with upper limb (and limited lower limb) prosthetics and obtain experience with basic computer programming of low-cost, hobbyist microcontroller electronics.
Project 3	Designing an appropriate recycling program for the Marymount 3D printing lab. Plastic waste is an ongoing challenge to the environment. This project can address this problem in a variety of manners. Interested students could design a recycling technique to grind old filament/failed prints into plastic pellets to be re-extruded into usable plastic materials for printing new objects, brainstorm creative uses of old/scrap plastics, develop approaches for campus-wide recycling of plastic materials for recycling into 3D printable filament, etc. This project requires a student with great attention to detail and a willingness to experiment with new technologies. Students would need to have a solid understanding of basic physics and could expect to explore chemistry of thermoplastic polymers, examine approaches to breaking down plastics, conduct mechanical analyses of plastic production and potentially design an open source plastic shredding/recycling workflow.
Date Posted	March 06, 2019

Investigations of SCAMP isoforms in neural and breast cells

Faculty Mentor	Susan Agolini
Faculty Department	Biology and Physical Sciences
Academic School	School of Science, Math and Education
Academic Department	Biology and Physical Sciences
Contact Information	sagolini@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Biology, Biochemistry, Mathematics
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	Utilization of tissue culture, protein and RNA extraction, Western Blotting, and PCR techniques to compare protein and RNA expression levels of SCAMPs in different cell types
Date Posted	March 06, 2019

Investigations of growing conditions in our Plot Against Hunger garden to maximize yield

Faculty Mentor	Susan Agolini
Faculty Department	Biology and Physical Sciences
Academic School	School of Science, Math and Education
Academic Department	Biology and Physical Sciences
Contact Information	sagolini@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Biology, Biochemistry, Mathematics
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	Investigations of irrigation methods to maximize yields in our Plot Against Hunger Vegetable garden.
Date Posted	March 06, 2019

Local immigration policy in the DC metro area

Faculty Mentor	Matt Bakker
Faculty Department	Sociology
Academic School	SME
Academic Department	Sociology
Contact Information	mbakker@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Sociology, Politics, and related fields. Students in other majors with a serious interest in the politics of immigration will be considered.
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description Project 1	This project examines the different policy approaches adopted by local governments across the DMV area to address immigrant communities. Scholarship on local immigration policy has emphasized the “variegated landscape” of policies around the country, including welcoming and inclusive communities that work to integrate immigrants within the local social fabric to more exclusionary communities that are openly hostile towards immigrants, particularly the undocumented. Both types of communities are well represented in our local region. The research this summer will involve, at a minimum, the collection of news reports and official documents about policies adopted in various localities across the region, and analysis of documents and statistics related to local policies and their impacts on the immigrant community.
Project 2	This project examines the relationship between migrant remittances and development. Much has been written in recent years about remittances as a promising “financial flow” and an innovative “development tool.” Proponents of what I’ve termed the remittances-to-development agenda have worked hard to shape the practices of migrants and banks and credit unions in order to ensure that more and more remittance transfers are conducted within the formal banking system. The project will draw upon survey data to explore whether these efforts to bring migrant remitters within the formal banking system have succeeded in the United States. It will also explore whether such successes (if they exist) have contributed to greater economic opportunity and development in migrant-sending countries. Students will be involved in acquiring, cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting data on migrant remittances, migrants’ financial practices, and economic development in migrant-sending countries.
Date Posted	March 18, 2019

(CLOSED) An Investigation and Assessment of Cybersecurity Investment in Non-Profit Organizations

Faculty Mentor	Dr. Michelle Liu
Faculty Department	IT, Cybersecurity and Data Science
Academic School	School of Business and Technology
Academic Department	IT, Cybersecurity and Data Science
Contact Information	xliu@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Cybersecurity
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	The subject of cybersecurity applied in large corporations has been widely explored because of the numerous data breaches that implicated millions of people. However, much uncertainty still remains in non-profit counterparts due to underreported cybersecurity threats in non-profits compared with for-profit businesses. The Gordon-Loeb (GL) model is a single period economic model to analyze the optimal amount of investment in cybersecurity to protect the information assets of an organization. However, no previous study has investigated the applicability of the model on non-profit organizations. This research intends to assess the extent to which the GL model applies to non-profits and whether the model fits their particularities. The study will also determine whether the 37% rule of GL model is a valid option for non-profits and what the rationales are. This study will advance the understanding of the differences between non-profit organizations and for-profit regarding cybersecurity vulnerabilities and will make an original contribution to the field.
Date Posted	March 11, 2019

Urban Redevelopment in Historically Black Neighborhoods of the DC Metro Area

Faculty Mentor	Delario Lindsey
Faculty Department	Sociology
Academic School	SSME
Academic Department	Sociology
Contact Information	dlindsey@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Sociology, Politics, Business, History, students with an interest in urban development, urban history, and planning.
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	This project will investigate urban redevelopment processes in historically Black neighborhoods in the Washington DC metropolitan area. In particular, we will focus on neighborhoods and regions that are experiencing, or have recently experienced, the community transformations typically described as gentrification. We define gentrification as a process of urban redevelopment that directs public and private investment toward relatively poor and underserved communities, thereby enhancing community infrastructure and urban services, enticing wealthier residents to settle in the changing neighborhood, and displacing long-term residents who are thereby denied the benefits from “improvements” to their community.
Date Posted	March 11, 2019

(CLOSED) Sexuality and Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

Faculty Mentor	Linda McKenna Gulyn
Faculty Department	Psychology
Academic School	School of Sciences, Mathematics and Education
Academic Department	Psychology
Contact Information	lgulyn@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Psychology, Sociology, Health Professions, Education, Counseling
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description Project 1	Conduct a review on the literature concerning attitudes about sexuality among individuals with developmental disabilities.
Project 2	Design a pilot study utilizing a survey of attitudes about sexuality and disabilities
Project 3	Conduct survey, analyze data and prepare a manuscript based on research on sexuality and developmental disabilities.
Date Posted	March 14, 2019

The Custis Family in the Antebellum Era

Faculty Mentor	Cassandra Good
Faculty Department	History & Politics
Academic School	SDAH
Academic Department	History
Contact Information	cgood@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	History major or minor; public history minor; English; Communications
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	This research project will contribute to Dr. Good’s book project, Children of Washington: The Custis Grandchildren and the Politics of Family in America, 1776-1865. Many Americans know that George Washington never fathered children of his own. But George Washington was the father of more than the country: he was a father and grandfather to Martha Washington’s two children and four grandchildren. The Custis grandchildren, born during the American Revolution and with lives spanning to the eve of the Civil War, shaped their identities and careers around being Washington’s descendants. Eliza, Martha, Nelly, and George Washington Parke Custis passed down the objects, stories, and prestige that came with their role as Washington’s heirs. Through their continuous efforts, the family remained in the public eye through the mid-nineteenth century. They were active agents in shaping the very meaning of family, memory, and politics in the young nation. This book is the first biography to tell their story—the forgotten story of America’s first “first family.” This book relies on thousands of individual letters from numerous archives. The student working on this project will transcribe, research, and tag original manuscripts by the Custis family from the antebellum era. Dr. Good will train the student to transcribe these documents and tag them with relevant metadata to enter a database of research for the book. The student will also have the opportunity to do research with original documents in local archives. At the end of the project, the student will write a short original research paper based on the documents transcribed that may be cited in the final book.
Date Posted	March 07, 2019

Children’s and YA Literature

Faculty Mentor	Robert Otten
Faculty Department	Literature and Languages
Academic School	Design, Arts and Humanities
Academic Department	Literature and Languages
Contact Information	rmotten@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	All
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description Project 1	I am writing a history of children’s literature and would like to work with a student interested in the similarities and differences between fairy tales/folk tales and fantasy tales.
Project 2	For a study of diversity in young adult fiction, I would like to work with a student interested in novels about Latino/a or Native American experience.
Date Posted	March 21, 2019

Agent-Based Modeling using NetLogo

Faculty Mentor	Jacquie Rische
Faculty Department	Mathematics
Academic School	SSME
Academic Department	Mathematics
Contact Information	jrische@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Mathematics, Biology, Biochemistry, or anyone with an interest in programming
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	I am interested in agent-based modeling. This is a type of model where you program a computer simulation to look at the interactions of “agents” (according to the rules you determine). NetLogo is a free, “programmable modeling environment for simulating natural and social phenomena…NetLogo is particularly well suited for modeling complex systems developing over time. Modelers can give instructions to hundreds or thousands of ‘agents’ all operating independently. This makes it possible to explore the connection between the micro-level behavior of individuals and the macro-level patterns that emerge from their interaction,” (source: https://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/faq.html). These models are used in many different disciplines, so I am happy to work with students from any major who have an interest in programming. I have ideas for a project involving the spread of language, but I am also happy to look at other topics that interest you. Check out https://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/ to see some of their sample models.
Date Posted	March 22, 2019

Categorizing Top European Companies Mission and Vision Statements using Text Mining tools

Faculty Mentor	Dr. Faleh Alshameri
Faculty Department	Department of Information Technology, Data Science, and Cybersecurity
Academic School	School of Business and Technology
Academic Department	Department of Information Technology, Data Science, and Cybersecurity
Contact Information	falshame@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Information Technology, Data Science
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	The research seeks to categorize mission and vision statements of European companies into clusters and demonstrate how these clusters can be profiled in the context of Globalization, Innovation and Strategy using text mining tools. Based on text mining methodology, mission and vision statements of the companies will be analyzed to understand: 1) How mission and vision statements can be meaningfully categorized into clusters, 2) How attributes of each cluster can be meaningfully evaluated in the context of the degree to which Globalization, Innovation and Strategy Centric Mission and Vision statements will be discovered.
Date Posted	Apr, 11, 2019

Using Textual data mining tools to Analyze American Dream Documents

Faculty Mentor	Dr. Faleh Alshameri
Faculty Department	Department of Information Technology, Data Science, and Cybersecurity
Academic School	School of Business and Technology
Academic Department	Department of Information Technology, Data Science, and Cybersecurity
Contact Information	falshame@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Information Technology, Data Science
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	The research project explores the connections between organizational culture in the United States, aspects of the “American Dream” and the intellectual virus known as TFW virus. By showing the qualitative dysfunctions and ontological parallels of organizational leadership within the typical American mindset and the definition of the American Dream, the main components of the TFW virus can be revealed. Textual data mining algorithms will be used to categorize the American dream documents and compare it with work of Tylor, Fayol, and Weber.
Date Posted	Apr, 11, 2019

Using Textual data Mining Tools for Mining the Legal Statements of Asian Companies.

Faculty Mentor	Dr. Faleh Alshameri
Faculty Department	Department of Information Technology, Data Science, and Cybersecurity
Academic School	School of Business and Technology
Academic Department	Department of Information Technology, Data Science, and Cybersecurity
Contact Information	falshame@marymount.edu
Appropriate Majors/Programs	Information Technology, Data Science
Position Availability	Summer, 2019
Description	The study is to categorize mission statements and legal statements of corporations in Hong Kong stock market and Mainland China stock market into clusters using textual data mining tools. More than 400 companies will be analyzed to extract the meaningful of the mission and legal statements.
Date Posted	Apr, 11, 2019