Samantha Bagley '12, history
Outstanding Student Research Symposium, April 17

Patrick Barry ’13, environmental studies
Mind Over Major Conference, April 21

"Greek Mythology and Christianity"

Brittany Beaumier ’15, nursing
Mind Over Major Conference, April 21

"Body and Soul through Service Learning"

Krysta L. Boisvert ’12, biology
Science Poster Session, April 26

“Using SH2 Domains Expressed in E.Coli to Investigate Possible Phosphotyrosine-Mediated Protein-Protein Interactions in Schizosaccharomyces Pombe”

Angela G. Bossio '12, psychology
NHIOP Social Science Scholarly Presentations, April 17

"Perceptions of Sexual Behavior in "Hooking Up": Labeling, Sexual Attitudes, and Identity Status"
The problem under investigation in this study is the label "hooking up" and whether the use of that label among college students makes the behaviors it may describe as more acceptable. The main hypothesis was that participants would rate "hooking up" as more acceptable as the behaviors are unknown. A convenience sample of male and female college students aged 18 to 22 was used (N=55). Each participant from the convenience sample was randomly assigned to one of four dating scenario vignettes: "hooked up," "hooked up and explicit," "explicit," and "neutral." A four (dating scenarios) by two (sexual activity) Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was performed on the dating scenario impression questions. A main effect was found for dating scenario type across the four impression questions. Findings indicated that the participants were more likely to rate "hooking up" as acceptable for themselves, whereas with others "hooking up" was less appropriate.

Kristen Branzetti '12, sociology
NHIOP Social Science Scholarly Presentations, April 17

“The Personal Life of College Seniors: Hooking Up and Dating – What Lies Ahead?”
Looking at the viewpoints of college seniors on hooking up and serious relationships was an extremely interesting topic since there seems to be a disconnect between what seniors really want, which is a relationship, and what they are doing, which is hooking up. All across America college campuses are going through a change, pertaining to the personal relationships students share among one another. There is a new culture, the hooking up culture, and romantic relationships seem to occur less often. My research question asked college seniors their definitions, viewpoints and their likes and dislikes of hooking up and serious, exclusive, romantic relationships. I also focused on the disconnect seniors might be encountering with wanting a relationship but continuing to hook up. I used online, anonymous and confidential surveys to obtain my research and I received responses from thirteen out of the fifteen female participants and six out of the fifteen male participants. The results showcased the definitions seniors used for hooking up and relationships, their likes and dislikes of both topics, and lastly, that many seniors view hooking up as a gateway that will lead them to serious, exclusive, romantic relationships. Many seniors actually want serious relationships at this point in their lives but they are unsure of how to navigate the transition from hooking up to building a relationship. Symbolic interactionism, social constructionism, exchange theory and structural functionalism can all be applied to this research and these theories mainly show that the meanings students give hooking up and relationships shape whether they will or will not participate in the acts. Therefore, to many seniors, hooking up can lead them into a relationship which is something many individuals want at this point in their lives.

Daniel Broek, Ph.D., biology
Outstanding Student Research Symposium, April 17

“Identification of mutations that permit aneuploidy in the yeast Schizzosaccharomyces pombe”

Rachel Brooks '11, conservation biology
Science Poster Session, April 26

“Status of Wild Brook Trout in the Piscataquog Watershed: Risk Assessment, Selection, and Protection of Cold Water Streams in a Changing Climate”

Leah Buccheri '12, psychology ’12
Science Poster Session, April 26

“Attributional Style and Ways of Coping as Predictors of Self-Compassion”
This thesis defines the construct of self-compassion and describes other constructs in the field of Psychology that may suggest construct validity. The purpose of this study was to show a relationship between self-compassion, ways of coping and attributional style exists. Self-compassion entails being kind toward oneself in instances of pain or failure, perceiving one’s experiences as part of the larger human experience; and holding painful thoughts and feelings in balanced awareness. Whether or not a person’s attributional style and ways of coping reflect the level of self-compassion someone has is a path towards convergent validity. If the results of one can predict the results of another, then the efforts of understanding one over the other becomes easier. Results indicate that self-compassion is not significantly correlated with the Life Experiences Survey, Ways of Coping, or Attributional Style Questionnaire. Self-compassion, does however, correlate with the escape avoidance and confrontive coping subscales from the Ways of Coping survey. Overall, this study suggested that each scale individually has validity and reliability buy ways of coping and attributional style do not directly predict the level of self-compassion someone would have.

Jessica Buckley '12, psychology
Science Poster Session, April 26

“Self-efficacy Theory and Perceived Personal Performance as Related to Post-Performance Motivation in Athletes”
The relationship between physical self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation is investigated. There were twenty-six participants and two experimental conditions (thirteen participants in each). Past research has demonstrated a relationship between self-efficacy and athletic performance. It has been shown that the higher one scores with regards to self-efficacy, the better one does in sporting competitions. Self-efficacy has not been widely studied as a predictor of motivation, however. Participants completed the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale, played a game of Wii Boxing, completed the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory and a Self-Report Survey. Results demonstrate a significant difference between groups with regards to placement and the degree to which they would try harder next time as well as perceived competence.

John Castellucci '12, international Relations
Modern Language and Literature, April 20

“Waiting for Nabokov: Absurdity in Nabokov’s The Visit to the Museum”
This paper describes absurdity that is found within Vladimir Nabokov’s short story, The Visit to the Museum. It primarily focuses on the unnamed narrator’s bizarre teleportation to Soviet Russia, where the protagonist is horrified by the alienation he comes to feel for the land he was born in. Also, it investigates other events in the story, such as the narrator’s conversation with the museum guard and his introduction to the museum’s curator, M.Godard. In the end, the amusing absurd nature of the story also reveals a tragic separation from the narrator’s homeland, resulting in a somber and heartbreaking ending.

Rachel Casazza ’12, biochemistry
Science Poster Session, April 26

“Toward the Enantiomeric Resolution of 5-phenyl-1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,10b-octahydrobenzo[h]isoquinoline-7,8-diol, a Potent D1-Selective Dopamine Agonist”

Bianca M. Ciuffredo '12, psychology
Outstanding Student Research Symposium, April 17
Science Poster Session, April 26

"Antioxidant Status and Inflammation in Distance Runners"
The objective of this study was to measure the effects of a multiple-hour training regimen in distance runners. C-reactive protein (CRP)- a biomarker for inflammation- and macular pigment optical density (MPOD)-an aggregation of plant pigments in the retina- were measured within cross-country athletes. It was hypothesized that CRP (inflammation) would increase, and that MPOD (antioxidant status) would decrease, during their season. CRP has been found to increase in individuals, such as runners, who exhibit higher levels of inflammation (Ford et al., 2003). In addition, MPOD could decrease within this population due to higher levels of oxidative stress, which depletes antioxidant stores (Wenzel et al., 2006). According to repeated- measures ANOVA, MPOD did not significantly change from baseline, nor did CRP concentrations. Use of this methodology in future research may aid in the development of optimal training programs for athletes, and may also help to describe antioxidant transport in the body.

Peter Clark ’12, politics
Politics Senior Theses Presentations, April 17

“Helping Our Neighbors: The Success of US Aid to Plan Colombia”

Hannah Collins ’15, nursing
Mind Over Major Conference, April 21

Nursing Panel: "Body and Soul through Service Learning"

Christine Connolly '12, psychology
Science Poster Session, April 26

"The effects of brand on consumer preferences"
The effects of brand names on consumer preferences were examined through a visual and responsive task. This study examined the motivation of consumers in relation to social identity theory. It was hypothesized that a consumer will be much more likely to purchase an item of clothing with a name-brand label instead of an identical no name brand product. College students, (N=47 were randomly assigned to three different groups (high end brand, middle brand, no name brand),viewed an image of clothing and filled out a survey that corresponded with the image. A series of one-way ANOVAs indicated that three of the questions on the survey demonstrated a significant difference between the high end brand and the no name brand. The hypothesis was partially supported by revealing that upon reviewing specific statements, there were significant differences between the high-end brand and the no name brand.

Elizabeth Craig '14, psychology
Outstanding Student Research Symposium, April 17

"Extinction of the parts of a complex interoceptive (drug state)/exteroceptive (environmental setting) sensory gestalt in rats: model for relapse"
The external environment in which a drug is taken and the internal state present at that time are both important to consider during drug abuse treatment. The external environment is typically complex involving multiple auditory and visual cues, whereas the internal environment may consist of emotional or drug states. Treatment focuses on extinction of behavior in external contexts. This study examined if complex environments can be extinguished separately without any responding (i.e., relapse) once reintroduced to the original environment under a drug state. There were two gestalts, both of which involved a combination of an exteroceptive (lights and tone) and an interoceptive (drug state) cue that predicted reinforcement or non-reinforcement of nose poking in rats. Following discrimination training each internal and external context was extinguished separately - not in combination. After extinction each gestalt is to be retested and recovery of responding will be evaluated.

Julie Cristello '12, psychology
Science Poster Session, April 26

"Anxiety, Stress and Academic Self-Efficacy in College Students"
College Counseling Centers and Health Services Departments are widely used because of how common mental illness is becoming among students. In 2005, the American Psychological Association reported that anxiety is the sixth most prevalent problem that student's face. Literature has stated that students who practice a relaxation technique have lower anxiety, higher academic self-efficacy, how students perceive themselves when performing an academic related task, and lower stress. This study was designed to examine the effects of two relaxation responses (a breathing technique, and negative thought challenging) on anxiety, academic self-efficacy and stress. Analysis of the data suggested that there were no differences between the relaxation techniques, but significant negative correlations between anxiety and academic self-efficacy were found, as well as positive correlations between anxiety and stress due to academics and work. These results suggest that incorporating a relaxation technique into ones daily schedule can decrease anxiety and increase academic self-efficacy.

Stephen Cunniffe '12, psychology
Science Poster Session, April 26

"Emotional Stroop Effect: Are you scared of love?"
One of the goals in life is to fall in love and be committed to another person and start a new life. This is hard for those who have Philophobia, fear of love, commitment and relationships. This literature reviews and examines the approach to this specific phobia and the Stroop task. The paper compares the difference between students who have back grounds in public or private high school and their openness to being in a relationship, having private school students to be less interested even aversive to entering such a relationship. In the experiment, the response time on an Emotional Stroop paired with Philophibia was tested. The results concluded that public school students were less likely to be in a committed romantic relationship, opposite to what was hypothesized. The study did not support the hypothesis therefore Philophobia not higher in private school students compared to public school students.

Colleen Currier ’15, history
Mind Over Major Conference, April 21

"Body and Soul in a Dark Time"