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| SVSU Students to Build Business in Ghana and Wind/Solar Energy Station on Campus |
| Saginaw Valley State University students continue to find new outlets to test their research and creative abilities. Four student projects were awarded financial support from SVSU’s Student Research and Creativity Institute for 2009. One team of students plans to build an alternative energy station that will be used to charge electric vehicles. Another student intends to develop a plan to train women in Ghana so that they can start their own businesses. Other projects will examine a famous Civil War colonel and study the effect of gender in sexual assault cases. 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 students were selected to receive funding for their projects: • A team of four electrical and computer engineering students was awarded $9,777 to devise and build a system to harness wind and solar energy and use it to power one or more campus vehicles such as golf carts. Ron Allison of Clio, Jason Gerard of Bay City, Paul Miller of Saginaw Township, and Benjamin Weihl of Midland plan to develop a charging station that uses 100 percent renewable energy to fuel batteries that will power the vehicles. In his letter of support, Russell Clark, SVSU associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, wrote that “this project will demonstrate that SVSU is taking the lead in this important and emerging field and that the campus is willing to implement the results of the research.” He added that the team members are “enthusiastic, diligent and capable.” In another letter of support, Chris Schilling, Strosacker Chair and Professor of Engineering, wrote that he predicts “the charging station will become a versatile educational tool for students of many majors, including engineering, science, business and professional writing.” • Nana Kwame Akowuah, an economics major from Kumasi, Ghana, received $8,229 for his project titled “Shattering the Glass Ceiling for Women in Ghana.” He says that while his native country is becoming a hub of investment and business development in West Africa, there is a wide gap in entrepreneurship between men and women. Akowuah will develop a training program for a group of 10 low-income women, focusing on four skills: marketing strategies, customer care, saving management and bookkeeping. He intends to produce a video documentary and write an academic paper to chronicle the project. The video camera and other equipment purchased will be donated to SVSU’s Entrepreneurship Institute after the project’s completion. In his letter of support, Kenneth Kousky, Dow Entrepreneur-in-Residence, said “this project tests our ability to produce global citizens. At one level its methods of localizing entrepreneurial education and aligning micro-financing should be applicable in downtown Flint as well as India or China, but the devil, hidden in the details, is best exorcized through intensive academic inquiry. This is the job I believe Nana is committed to undertaking.” • Claire Herhold, a secondary education major from Fenton, was awarded $4,089 to support her research on Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and his attitudes toward abolition. Shaw was the commander of the first black regiment to be raised by the Union during the Civil War. While his story was made popular by the film “Glory,” Herhold says little scholarly attention has been devoted to Shaw and why he accepted the controversial assignment. The funding will support her travel to New York and Boston to study his personal correspondence and other archival materials. In his letter of support, Paul Teed, SVSU professor of history, wrote that Herhold’s project “will make an important and original contribution to our understanding of slavery, race and the American Civil War.” He added that in his 11 years at SVSU, he has “never interacted with a student whose ability to interpret primary and secondary sources approaches hers.” • Peter Martini, a psychology major from Pinconning, received $952 for his study of sexual assault cases and how gender affects attitudes. The funding will be used to purchase human response dials that will measure participants’ attitudes as scenarios are presented. Martini says “the ultimate goal of this project is to shed light on the factors that influence jurors as they begin to apportion blame in sexual assault cases.” In her letter of support, Sandra Nagel, SVSU associate professor of psychology, wrote that Martini “has conducted a thorough study of the research relevant to this cross-disciplinary study and has received the guidance of multiple members of our faculty during the development of this proposal.” She added that he has impressed her “with his finely honed critical thinking skills.” 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, has served as coordinator of the program, but those duties are being assumed by Deborah Huntley, associate vice president for academic affairs. Other current committee members are: • William Barnes, assistant professor of art • Joni Boye-Beaman, professor of sociology and interim assistant dean of the College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences • Brooks Byam, associate professor of mechanical engineering • Holly Child, assistant professor of criminal justice • Andrew Chubb, associate professor of chemistry • Daniel Cook, assistant professor of English • Frank Dane, Finkbeiner Endowed Chair in Ethics and Public Policy • Sally Decker, professor of nursing • Josh Ode, assistant professor of kinesiology • Joseph Ofori-Dankwa, professor of management and marketing • Danilo Sirias, associate professor of management and marketing • Stephen Taber, associate professor of biology • Lee Trepanier, assistant professor of political science • Robert Tuttle, assistant professor of mechanical engineering SVSU has committed $50,000 annually to fund outstanding student projects. For more information, visit www.svsu.edu/srci. |
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