Penn State Hazleton announces research fair winners

HAZLETON, Pa. — Penn State Hazleton announced the winners of its 2016 Undergraduate Research Fair.

Students created projects in the arts and humanities (including behavioral sciences, business studies and economics) and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines under the guidance of faculty members at Penn State Hazleton.

Winners are as follows:

Arts and Humanities category:

First place: “A behavioral economic analysis of texting while driving: Delay discounting processes” by Kimberly Miller (adviser: Yusuke Hayashi)

Second place: “Delay discounting, executive function, and risky driving behavior in college students” by Emily Greenawalt and Amanda Viechec (adviser: Yusuke Hayashi)

Third place: “An Analysis of White Collar Crime” by Paige Steigerwalt (adviser: Dan Gutierrez)

STEM category:

First place: “Accuracy and Uncertainty in Shading Calculations for Solar Power” by Robert Vitagliano and Mauro Notaro (advisers: Joseph Ranalli and David Starling)

Second place: “Quinone Based Diarylethenes For Near IR Initiated Photoisomerization” by Dorothy Carter (adviser: Dan Patel)

Third place: “3D Printed Computer-Controlled Rotation Optical Polarizer Mount” by Maria Magabo (advisers: David Starling, Joseph Ranalli and Kenneth Dudeck)

Popular vote:

Tie: “3D Printed Computer-Controlled Rotation Optical Polarizer Mount” by Maria Magabo and “Veery Research” by Sarah Iwanski (adviser: Chris Goguen)

Project winners from the campus fair advance to the sixth annual Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium at Penn State Lehigh Valley. The symposium will feature the scholarly research endeavors of undergraduate students from eight Penn State campuses.

Penn State Hazleton’s Undergraduate Research Program provides an opportunity for students to work closely with faculty members. For more information, visit www.hn.psu.edu/Academics/ugradresearch.htm.