The Liberal Arts Undergraduate Research Expo showcases the incredible work of our students through peer presentations, a keynote address, and discussions on how to get involved in research—whether through faculty collaborations, independent projects, or research labs. Explore the depth and diversity of research in the College of the Liberal Arts.
Keynote speaker Stuart Selber, professor of English, will explore the intersection of AI and the Liberal Arts in his talk, “AI and the Liberal Arts: What Students Need to Know and Why.”
Expo Agenda
5:00–5:30 p.m. Liberal Arts and AI Keynote Speaker (114 Welch Building)
5:30–5:45 p.m. Q&A (114 Welch Building)
5:45–7:30 p.m.
- Poster Session (Chaiken Family Atrium)
- Info Tables with Liberal Arts Student Services, URFM, and other offices (Chaiken Family Atrium)
6:15–7:30 p.m.
- Verbal and Digital Student Research Presentations (114 Welch Building)
Thank you for joining us to celebrate student research and discover new opportunities to engage in meaningful scholarship!
Student Presenters
“Acoustic Detail and Phonetic Categories in L2 Speech Perception: The Challenge Is in the Mapping”
Rand Alkhunaizi
“The Moderation of Executive Functioning on the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Alcohol Use”
Antonio Ambris
“A Woman’s Glory: The Past, Present, and Future of Feminist Rhetoric”
Cara Arnoldi
“The Freed State: Insight into the Philosophy of Freedom and Dynamic American Culture”
Melania Buraya
“Codeswitching as a Tool for Opportunistic Speech Planning”
Anna Duiker
“Vocabulary Size Modulates Linguistic Prediction in Adult L2 Speakers of English”
Christina Ellis and Owen Golden
“Students’ Sense of Belonging at Penn State”
Michael Garza
“‘May I acquire some assistance?’ vs. ‘Can I get some help, bro?’: A Persuasive Analysis of High-Register (Formal) vs. Low-Register (Casual) Language over Online Appeals”
George Kadavil
“Comparing Comprehension- and Production-Based Instruction for L2 Tense Inflection”
Catherine Kelly
“Manipulated by Machines: Why Chatbot Empathy Deceives Patients”
Emily Kovacsy
“Women in Government: A Comparative Analysis of Female Representation and Militarization Spending across Countries”
Kendall Kutzavitch
“Processing of Dual-Gender Nouns in Spanish”
Cody Laudenslager and Blanca Lizanne Mejia
“They is One, Not Two: Cognitive Control Predicts Individual Ability to Interpret Inclusive Pronouns in L2 English”
Rachel Leo
“Influential Factors Contributing to Youth Civic Engagement in Ireland and the United States”
Teagan Mayr
“Demographic Divisions: Marianne and the Changing Reality of the French Republic”
Kaitlyn McMahon
“Weavers of Fate: Women’s Work in the Viking Age”
Julia Matthews
“Did the Ancient Taino Know How to Write?”
Evan Paulson
“Exploring Factors Influencing Voter Turnout Among 18- to 24-Year-Olds in the United States”
Alivia Reid-Pitta
“Morality in Duty-Based Interpersonal Relationships”
Amelia Settembre
Rand Alkhunaizi
Psychology and Sociology
“Acoustic Detail and Phonetic Categories in L2 Speech Perception: The Challenge Is in the Mapping”
- Poster Presentation
Antonio Ambris
Psychology
“The Moderation of Executive Functioning on the Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Alcohol Use”
- Poster Presentation
This research study is conducted to see the association between food insecurity and alcohol use as well as the effects of executive function as a moderator. As a result of the data analysis, we hope to produce preventions and education about the possibilities of these associations. Doing so may help college students have an improvement of their well-being during their time at college.
Cara Arnoldi
Communication Arts and Sciences
“A Woman’s Glory: The Past, Present, and Future of Feminist Rhetoric”
- Poster Presentation
Rhetoric dominates social life, including communication theory, political environments, and personal relationships. Since Ancient Greece, rhetoric has evolved to fit ever-changing social conflicts, incorporating new and exciting aspects of life. Despite these changes, rhetoric’s power is constantly constrained to white power-holding men, forcing feminist thinkers to question rhetoric’s role in everyday life. Therefore, gendered challenges throughout time are partly founded on rhetorical challenges. It is important today to consider viewing traditional history through an alternative lens of feminist skepticism, as this perspective allows scholars to understand the world from a more inclusive stance. The emergence of the suffragist movement provided ample opportunities for women to challenge all traditional notions of life, including in the familial, political, and, most notably, rhetorical spheres, leading to the development of feminist rhetoric.
Melania Buraya
History and Political Science
“The Freed State: Insight into the Philosophy of Freedom and Dynamic American Culture”
- Poster Presentation
In my research project, I am focusing on and examining freedom within philosophical principles and American design to provide an argument to show how freedom within America has uprooted freedom from a state of human essence into a given and subjugated understanding. I have research that draws upon Heidegger and Schelling’s interpretations of freedom as well as historical evidence of the Western American expansion and the Revolutionary time period. This culminates into an understanding of American freedom that is analyzed in the sense of Western American culture and attitude to the American Dream, giving America a new take on freedom. The Freed State is within the analysis and comparison of American Freedom to that of philosophical freedom.
Anna Duiker
Human Development and Family Studies and Spanish
“Codeswitching as a Tool for Opportunistic Speech Planning”
- Poster Presentation
Christina Ellis and Owen Golden
Integrative Science; Spanish
“Vocabulary Size Modulates Linguistic Prediction in Adult L2 Speakers of English”
- Poster Presentation
Prediction during sentence comprehension is modulated by comprehenders’ relative linguistic ability. To illustrate, in a visual world eye-tracking study, Peters et al. (2018) showed that adult native speakers and childhood L2 learners of English with higher and lower PPVT vocabulary scores were equally successful at pre-activating a likely sentential ending in the presence of supporting context (e.g., pre-activating ‘treasure’ when hearing ‘The pirate hides the treasure’). However, only participants with smaller vocabularies also considered a locally coherent but less-likely (i.e., verb-related) competitor (e.g., ‘bone’ when hearing ‘The pirate hides the treasure’). This suggests that individuals who experience more uncertainty in everyday language interpretation activate less-likely referents. We examined how vocabulary size modulates the variation underlying differences in predictive abilities between native- and second-language speakers. Results showed that participants with higher vocabulary launched a higher proportion of anticipatory fixations to the most-likely continuation (‘treasure’) sooner than participants with lower scores.
Michael Garza
Communication Arts and Sciences
“Students’ Sense of Belonging at a Predominantly White Institution”
- Digital Presentation
This study investigates students’ sense of belonging at Penn State University, University Park between first-generation college students and continuing generation college students. First-generation college students are those who are the first in their families to attend college/university and continuing generation college students are individuals who have parents or family members that graduated from college/university. The research question presented in this study is, do students who identify as first-generation college students have a lower sense of belong compared to continuing generation college students? Data was collected via a Qualtrics survey that I developed with Dr. Glick, my honors thesis advisor; this survey asks students about their demographics, their parents and siblings education, and asks students to rate the degree to which they feel like they belong at Penn State. Participants were recruited via email Listservs throughout Penn State, 111 total participants completed the survey in full. Major findings include a significant relationship between students who identify themselves as first-generation college students, continuing generation college students and sense of belonging.
George Kadavil
Psychology and Biology
“‘May I acquire some assistance?’ vs. ‘Can I get some help, bro?’: A Persuasive Analysis of High-Register (Formal) vs. Low-Register (Casual) Language over Online Appeals”
- Poster Presentation
This study looks at the persuasive effect of language style/register over online communication, such as emails and tests. The language styles used are high-register (formal) and low-register (casual). Participants were presented with a series of prompts that varied in language style and asked what their thoughts were on the writer’s attributes, if they would accept the appeal (give what was asked), and their reasons for accepting or not. In addition, the mediating variables of emotional expression and the context of the appeals were looked at as well. This project gives us deeper insight into the appropriate writing style when appealing over online communication where the recipient cannot see your face or hear your tone. Applications of this research can be used for higher rates of success in online appeals, such as applying for jobs, requesting favors from peers, or asking for an extension of an assignment.
Catherine Kelly
Linguistics and Anthropology
“Comparing Comprehension- and Production-Based Instruction for L2 Tense Inflection”
- Poster Presentation
The main question of this study concerns whether production-based instruction (PBI) enhances learning of tense-related verbal morphology when compared with comprehension-based instruction (CBI), and if so, the extent to which these benefits persist over time. This study looks at the acquisition of regular and irregular simple past (narrative past) forms in L2 German using a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design. Participants were beginner L2 German speakers who were recruited from GER 001 and GER 002 classes. Each participant completed an initial pretest to gauge their knowledge, then completed either a comprehension- or production-based training on 3rd-person singular verb inflections. The trainings exposed a participant to several verbs in their present and past tense forms, and worked to emphasize the connection between verbal inflection and meaning. The training phase was followed by an immediate posttest and a delayed posttest 7 days later, both of which measured the participant’s learning through a comprehension task and a production task.
Emily Kovacsy
Health Policy and Administration
“Manipulated by Machines: Why Chatbot Empathy Deceives Patients”
- Verbal Presentation
My research examines the ethical concerns surrounding chatbot empathy in patient care, particularly its impact on vulnerable populations and the authenticity of caregiving relationships. As AI-powered chatbots become more prevalent in healthcare, especially in telehealth and mental health services, they are designed to simulate emotional support. However, these interactions can be misleading, as chatbots lack genuine emotional capacity. This research explores how vulnerable patients may develop attachments to artificial empathy, violating core care ethics principles and potentially diminishing trust in healthcare. Through a care ethics framework, my research suggests the need for transparency and regulation in AI-driven patient care to protect those most at risk.
Kendall Kutzavitch
International Politics
“Women in Government: A Comparative Analysis of Female Representation and Militarization Spending across Countries”
- Poster Presentation
As stated in the hypothesis, the intended outcome is that countries with higher female representation in government will spend less money, and allocate less resources, to militarization. The goal is to determine if there is a correlation between the percentage of women in government and the level of militarization spending.
For data analysis, while not finalized, I will likely employ statistical methods such as regression analysis to assess the strength and direction of the relationship between female representation and militarization spending while controlling for the potential confounding variables.
Anticipated results could include findings indicating a negative correlation between female representation in government and militarization spending, suggesting that as the percentage of women in government increases, militarization spending decreases. Alternatively, it is possible I may find no significant relationship between the two variables or even unexpected results that require further investigation.
The conclusions drawn from this research could have significant implications for policymakers, governments, and international organizations. If the data suggests that higher levels of female representation in government are associated with lower levels of militarization spending, it could provide support for initiatives aimed at increasing gender diversity in political leadership as a means to promote peace and reduce military conflict. Additionally, the research findings could inform discussions on gender equality, political empowerment, and national security policies at both domestic and international levels. Overall, while this is certainly looking at the much bigger picture, the anticipated outcomes of this thesis could contribute valuable insights to the fields of political science, international relations, and gender studies.
Cody Laudenslager and Blanca Lizanne Mejia
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
“Processing of Dual-Gender Nouns in Spanish”
- Poster Presentation
This study investigated the processing of dual-gendered nouns in comparison to regular nouns among native Spanish speakers. Dual-gendered nouns are nouns that are prescriptively marked for feminine gender, but that must –under a very specific phonological configuration –be modified by a masculine determiner instead of the expected feminine determiner. The goal of the study was to provide insights into ongoing linguistic changes, particularly concerning determiner-noun pairings and their grammatical acceptability in the mental lexicon. Native Spanish-speaking participants heard Spanish sentences and were instructed to repeat each sentence as accurately as possible. Concurrently, pupil dilation was monitored using eye-tracking to collect a measure of processing effort. Analyses of pupil dilation patterns revealed no significant difference between congruent and incongruent determiner-noun pairings for dual-gendered nouns. However, for regular nouns, incongruent pairings elicited noticeably greater pupil dilation compared to congruent pairings. The findings suggest that native Spanish speakers apply grammatical rules differentially to dual-gendered nouns vis-a-vis regular nouns, exhibiting flexibility in determiner selection. This process reflects an ongoing shift in the Spanish language, wherein less frequently used dual-gendered nouns are increasingly accepted with both masculine and feminine determiners, despite their traditionally prescribed feminine classification.
Rachel Leo
Communication Sciences and Disorders
“They is One, Not Two: Cognitive Control Predicts Individual Ability to Interpret Inclusive Pronouns in L2 English”
- Poster Presentation
The English pronoun “they” is traditionally used to refer to a plural entity or to a singular entity with unknown gender but, in recent years, the use of singular “they” has been extended to refer to a single individual of non-binary gender. Data from first-language (L1) English speakers found that explicitly introducing an individual’s pronouns may result in near-perfect accuracy in the comprehension of singular “they”, but only in unambiguous single-referent contexts (Arnold et al., 2021). In ambiguous contexts with more than one referent (where “they” could be interpreted as singular or plural), a singular interpretation is approximately at chance at the group level. Here we examine the use of English as a lingua franca among L2 speakers as one vehicle for broader adoption of inclusive language through singular “they”. Specifically, we ask whether variability in the adoption of the singular “they” interpretation is mediated by speakers’ cognitive control, based on the ability to inhibit the traditional plural interpretation. The results (N=34) revealed that in ambiguous two-referent contexts including a non-binary individual (e.g., Alex), singular “they” interpretations were at-chance at the group level, but bimodally distributed across participants.
Julia Matthews
History, Medieval Studies, Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Religious Studies
“Weavers of Fate: Women’s Work in the Viking Age”
- Poster Presentation
The concept of fate as textile woven by women appears in many cultures. In Norse mythology, this idea is most closely tied to the nornir, but is also associated with the valkyrjur, vǫlur, and women practicing ‘seiðr’. My research explored these connections by examining the Viking conception of fate and its relationship to textile production carried out by women. This involved reconstructing how fate may have been envisioned in the Viking Age using etymologies and literary examples, analyzing metaphors tied to different forms of textile work (dyngja, spinning, tablet weaving, tapestry weaving, cloth weaving), and demonstrating how fate and textile production were deeply connected to the role of women.
Drawing on Old Norse literature, mythology, and archaeological evidence, my research shows that textile production appears as a powerful metaphor for fate, both as an external force and an intrinsic part of a person’s personality according to Viking conceptions. Terms such as ‘ørlǫg’ and ‘skǫp’ reveal a worldview in which agency and inevitability intertwine. Mythological figures like the nornir, valkyrjur, and vǫlur, closely associated with textiles, further illustrate these connections. Women’s roles as creators of textiles reflect their central position in shaping society, not only through domestic contributions but also through symbolic associations with fate. The practices of textile creation mirror the processes of life’s creation and the unfolding of fate. Through textile metaphors Viking cultural values, gender roles, and societal structures are revealed, all woven into their conception of fate.
Teagan Mayr
Political Science and Broadcast Journalism
“Influential Factors Contributing to Youth Civic Engagement in Ireland and the United States”
- Poster Presentation
My research project explores the influential factors shaping youth development in Ireland and the United States through a comparative analysis. The project examines how family environments, education systems, economic conditions, social influences, youth programs, and global interactions impact young people’s civic engagement in both countries. By analyzing the role of social structures and access to resources, this research highlights how cultural and political contexts foster or inhibit youth participation in civic life. The findings aim to inform policies and programs that promote equitable access to civic engagement opportunities, ultimately empowering young people to become active citizens in their communities.
Kaitlyn McMahon
French and Francophone Studies and Criminology
“Demographic Divisions: Marianne and the Changing Reality of the French Republic”
- Verbal Presentation
I am writing a thesis in which I analyse how the symbol of “Marianne” as a physical embodiment of the French Republic has changed in the 200 years since her creation during the French Revolution. Her transformation through revolution, social movements, and now through growing racial tensions in France serves as a direct reflection of the state of the republic. Using a lens of historical and cultural context, I hope to analyze current issues regarding race and gender in France and explain how they are being influenced by history and make possible predictions for how these issues will affect the future of the Republic.
Evan Paulson
Anthropology
“Did the Ancient Taino Know How to Write?”
- Digital Presentation
This project in an analysis of several enigmatic and understudied artifacts from Puerto Rico that have been alleged to be evidence of pre-columbian writing. Through an application of statistical comparison against known writing systems we have been able to demonstrate that it is unlikely the artifacts represent a form of writing.
Alivia Reid-Pitta
Political Science and Marketing
“Exploring Factors Influencing Voter Turnout Among 18- to 24-Year-Olds in the United States”
- Poster Presentation
Despite our current state in a political era where youth are described as the “changemakers” of the future, the youth voting cohort of 18-24-year-old voters continuously holds the title of having the lowest proportion of registered voters compared to older cohorts. A perpetual trend of low youth voter turnout produces concerns in our political landscape that threaten the integrity of our democratic institutions. Moreover, my research analyzes how societal influences, barriers to the political sphere, and candidate characteristics are related to higher or lower levels of turnout across the United States in the 2020. From my findings, I suggest solutions for increasing voter turnout nationwide.
Amelia Settembre
Philosophy, History, and Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
“Morality in Duty-Based Interpersonal Relationships”
- Verbal Presentation
In this paper, I will be combining deontological Kantian ethics with a contractualist augment, as illustrated by T.M. Scanlon, to argue the premise of duty-based interpersonal relationships, how to determine moral actions within an interpersonal relationship, and why we have a duty to complete these actions. This will include an explanation of universalizability of actions, alongside what we owe to each other, and what our specific duties are in different scenarios. I will establish five categories of relationships which all relationships fall into (generic, equal, unequal, unequal-without-autonomy, and intrapersonal), but I will be focusing on two categories for the sake of concision: duties in equal relationships and in an intrapersonal relationship. These relationships exist insofar as we enter into different kinds of social contracts with different people, and the act of consenting to a specific social contract by initiating a relationship imbues us with duties to that person. Additionally, I will address how to rationalize moral actions when duties conflict between different relationships. This exploration is done with the idea that it is possible to universalize certain moral actions and values, which allow us to use logic and reason to determine moral actions. I argue that once one has determined the moral action based on this rationalization system, they have a duty to perform that action. My aim in explaining this framework is to provide a rationale that is applicable in every-day scenarios to determine actions, as well as being able to address the tie-breaker argument and reason through conflict-resolution in interpersonal relationships