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| Outstanding Student Projects Move Forward with Support from SVSU |
| Ten outstanding Saginaw Valley State University students have been awarded funding by SVSU’s Student Research and Creativity Institute to support their exceptional scholarly and creative endeavors. Four projects were chosen during a second 2007 selection process. They include developing a device for the disabled, implementing a physical fitness education program at a local school, studying a suicide prevention program, and introducing a literary criticism program at the elementary level. Some projects will begin this summer; others will get underway during the 2007-08 academic year. Any SVSU student may submit a proposal to receive financial support for his/her research or other creative endeavors. Each student project is eligible to receive up to $10,000. All student submissions must be sponsored by an SVSU faculty or staff member. Students serve as the primary researcher, author, or creative agent for each project but are guided by SVSU faculty and staff. The following student projects were selected to receive funding:Mechhanical engineering majors Carlo Cerroni of Windsor, Ontario, Anthony Lombardi of Amherstburg, Ontario and Mark Pressacco of Tecumseh, Ontario will design and build a wheelchair wheel-cleaning device for the Millet Learning Center, which serves special needs students from Saginaw County. The project was awarded $4,057. Similar devices are commercially available but not particularly well-suited to the Millet Center’s needs. Clean wheelchair wheels are essential because students routinely get on the floor as part of their therapy regimen and uncleaned wheels leave behind dirt and debris that can make the floors unsanitary. The SVSU students expect to complete fabrication of their device this summer. In his letter of support, Brooks Byam, SVSU associate professor of mechanical engineering, wrote that by working on a project of this complex and demanding nature the trio "will develop and hone their entrepreneurial, managerial and technical skills to a point where they could complete any project." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nursing majors Darryn Crocker of Traverse City, Torrey Freese of Midland, Ashley Jackson of Swartz Creek and Courtney Sierko of Pinconning will travel to Australia to study the "Yellow Ribbon Campaign," a suicide prevention program, and implement it at SVSU. They will receive $5,850 to purchase materials, bring experts to campus, and cover one quarter of their travel costs. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. Australia has been a leader in implementing the "Yellow Ribbon Campaign," especially at colleges and universities. The students will visit four cities to learn best practices and apply that knowledge toward establishing a Yellow Ribbon program at SVSU, beginning this fall. The program works when people who are experiencing feelings of depression, confusion or loneliness give a yellow ribbon to someone, indicating that they are in need of attention. In her letter of support, Beth Roe, SVSU assistant professor of nursing, wrote that all four are "successful and motivated students who have demonstrated leadership in the nursing program." She added she believes "this project will make a difference in the lives of students at SVSU ... (and) is sustainable as part of an ongoing project through SVSU’s nursing program in collaboration with community agencies." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elayna Dush of Sanford and Rebecca Rudey of Wixom, both of whom are double majors in exercise science and psychology, will implement a classroom-based physical activity program at Saginaw’s Arthur Eddy Academy. The project was awarded $9,975. Each student in the school will be given a pedometer to track their daily activity and set goals for improvement; the program will also introduce so-called "energizer activities" that integrate academic concepts with physical activity. Only 21 percent of American children participate in physical education classes, despite research that shows increased physical activity improves concentration, mental cognitive processes and on-task behavior. In addition, studies show that minority students are more likely to be overweight or obese than their Caucasian counterparts; students at Arthur Eddy are predominantly African-American. SVSU students and staff already have an active volunteer arrangement with Arthur Eddy, and the school is a member of the Healthy Schools Program developed by the American Alliance of a Healthier Generation, but there is room for improvement – and a higher purpose. Dush and Rudey will be part of an SVSU research team that will collect data over the course of the 2007-08 school year with the goal of collaborating with other researchers to develop successful school-based physical activity programs that can be implemented across Michigan. In his letter of support, Josh Ode, SVSU assistant professor of kinesiology, wrote that Dush and Rudey "have the desire and attention to detail that is needed to succeed at research (and) have an unparalleled ability to combine these traits with a detailed knowledge of pediatric physical activity, an incredible work ethic, and a tremendous ability to work with others." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Elementary education major Nicole Tomlinson of Mayville will develop techniques to introduce literary criticism at the elementary school level. She was awarded $920 for research and to purchase children’s books. Common at the college level, literary criticism is an approach to literary study that focuses on reading and discussion aimed at generating a deeper understanding of literature and its meaning. Tomlinson will develop a teaching manual that includes suggested literature and teaching techniques, and intends to use this approach when she completes her student teaching in the winter 2008 semester. In addition, Tomlinson plans to collaborate with the lead literacy coach for Bay City Public Schools to evaluate how such a program might be applied throughout a school district. In her letter of support, M.P. Cavanaugh, SVSU associate professor of English, wrote that Tomlinson’s academic work "has been exemplary." Cavanaugh added that Tomlinson has "learned how to both critique and respond to literature and she would like to research ways to help young children learn." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Winning Student Research and Creativity Institute proposals were chosen through a competitive selection process. The selection committee includes at least one representative from each of SVSU’s five colleges. Carlos Ramet, executive assistant to the president, serves as coordinator of the program. Other current committee members are:
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| For more Information on this article: visit www.svsu.edu/srci Contact: Carlos Ramet | 964-4042 |
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