Research Days Posters 2024

Follow

• 

  Food Insecurity in Broome County & Tompkins County

  Judy Field

  Food Sustainability is a multifaceted issue encompassing global health, environmental conservation, and social equity. This study investigates food insecurity and sustainability initiatives in Broome County and Tompkins County. The research explores the socio-economic impacts of local food initiatives globally and delves into household-level food insecurity as a central focus. By examining the historical context, economic dynamics, and healthcare access, of both counties, the study aims to understand the effectiveness of existing initiatives and identify areas for improvement. The study provides a comparative analysis of sustainable food practices between two counties using data from various sources and insights from interviews with community leaders. The findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to address food insecurity while fostering sustainable food systems for resilient communities.

• 

  Selective Democracy: The Exclusion of Foreigners in Ancient Athens in the 5th Century BCE

  Alyssa Flores

  In the 5th century BCE, there was an influx of foreigners coming into Athens. While foreigners were welcomed to the polis, they were excluded in Athenian society. This paper will analyze the treatment of foreigners by the Athenians, as well as the differences in treatment between males and females. It will be focusing on Athenian law and the prejudice that foreigners have faced, with a special emphasis on women. With this emphasis, new hypotheses and conclusions can be made as to where modern feminist attitudes originated from and how they have persisted across time. Also, these interpretations will be drawn from modern theories, like feminist theory and critical race theory. Ultimately, this analysis will bring light to the roots of the Athenians’ actions towards foreigners. I believe that this analysis will bring in new comparisons, and even solutions, to modern day views of foreigners that are regarded as hostile.

• 

  AI as a Replacement for Human Social Interaction: The Case of Character.ai

  Emma Flores

  As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, platforms where people interact with character-based AI chatbots have proliferated. With little research on popular platforms such as character.ai, many questions remain about the social implications of people fostering relationships and fulfilling their social needs with AI. What does it mean to converse with AI chatbots, and how does this interaction impact a person’s desire to socialize with other humans? To address these questions, this research analyzes the character.ai community using the tools of netnography and interviews with character.ai users. It explores why character-based chatbot use has become so popular and discusses the effects of using AI chatbots to replace social interactions. Based on preliminary findings, it is suggested that a combination of loneliness, shame, ideal chatbot responses, and the fulfillment of romantic fantasies contribute to the continued engagement with AI chatbots.

• 

  Empathy for Caregivers: Analyzing the Significance of an Overlooked Clinical Relationship

  Maya Fogel

  Research on empathy in the healthcare field understandably prioritizes the clinician-patient relationship, but the impact of the clinician’s empathetic support for caregivers––family members, friends, and hired care workers––deserves more attention. Caregiver burnout is a significant issue that can negatively impact patient outcomes, particularly in cases of geriatrics, pediatrics, and patients with disabilities. Combining a review of existing scholarship with interviews of healthcare workers and caregivers, this study suggests that clinician empathy for caregivers can help alleviate burnout and improve patient outcomes. The research also identifies specific implementations that can be made in healthcare provider training to encourage an empathetic relationship with caregivers. These implementations include caregiver simulations, and training the clinician to ask questions targeting the assessment of caregiver well-being, provide words of affirmation, maintain correct body language, format their healthcare visits, and more. Finally, this project demonstrates the necessity for further research on this overlooked yet impactful clinical relationship.

• 

  Long Term Phenological Shifts in Moth Communities in Central New York

  Emma Foster and Eliza Grames

  Climate change has led to phenological shifts for many taxa. Using light trap data documenting moth communities in 1919 and 1922 in Ithaca, NY, historic moth phenology was compared to current iNaturalist observational records for Tompkins County, NY. It was hypothesized that warming temperatures over the last century would result in earlier emergence of the first brood, longer flight periods, and more generations per year. The week in the year that a species was first seen, climaxed, and last seen for each species that was observed historically in both 1919 and 1922 was recorded. Moth species have experienced a shift to longer flight duration, and are active later in the year than historically observed. Species with plastic voltinism experienced an increase in broods per year. The local extirpation of six species was also observed. Global change associated with temperature shifts is likely influencing the flight periods of moths in the northeast.

• 

  Public Perceptions of Lyme Disease in Broome County

  Daniel Fried

  Lyme Disease, a vector borne illness caused by the blacklegged tick, has become increasingly more prevalent in the last decade, particularly in the Southern Tier. As a result, there has been a rise in public discourse regarding the importance of Personal Protection techniques against Lyme Disease. Previous research has demonstrated that certain attributes such as a person’s occupation and Lyme Disease status can impact their likelihood of adoption prevention techniques. This study builds upon these principles and aims to quantify the impact of Lyme Disease public service announcements through various types of media. The study also attempts to quantify the impact of friend and family sentiments on an individual’s opinion. This will be deduced by applying linear regression analysis to surveying done on Broome County populations. The data from this study will give insight to organizations pushing Lyme Disease awareness, allowing them to better allocate their resources.

• 

  The Power of Appearance: A Study on How the Association of Masculinity and Power Influenced Pharaoh Hatshepsut's Decision to Change her Gender Appearance

  Julie Friedlander

  In 1921, the discovery of a pit containing statues of Pharaoh Hatshepsut perplexed archaeologists and scholars due to the varying gender characteristics of the figurines. Today, an emerging theory suggests that Hatshepsut was transgender. An alternative and more probable explanation is that the ambiguous gender characteristics reflected a political move designed to ensure her authority. The graffiti, statuary, and inscriptions found near or in the Deir-el Bahri Temple allow for examination of ways that Hatshepsut strategically used her gender duality. Additionally, comparing her with other female Egyption rulers reveals that there was a tendency to use women's sexuality to undermine their sovereignty. By taking the masculine form, Hatshepsut avoided much of the criticism that other Queens had to endure. This paper will bring awareness to struggles faced by ancient women in power and the unique and intelligent tactics implemented to protect their legacies and reigns.

• 

  David, Prieur, and Robert: Artistic Architects of the French Revolution

  Alyssa Frysinger

  In the absence of mass media and high literacy rates, art became a powerful tool for spreading revolutionary sentiment among the populace during the French Revolution. Hubert Robert, Jean-Louis Prieur, and Jacques-Louis David all employed varying levels of embellishment in their artistic creations in order to promote the Revolution. By analyzing the works of these three artists with three widely different scopes, the importance and impact of embellishment in patriotic artwork is fully revealed. The influence and objectives of Robert, Prieur, and David differed greatly and the level of embellishment that can be seen in their creations is affected by these notions. This implies that artists of the French Revolution were not only passive revolutionaries but instead, shaped the socio-political landscape through their talents.

• 

  Doodling on the Word of God: Marks of Use in a 1589 Breeches Bible

  Liam Gajewski

  The practice of annotating and writing in books has been around since humans first decided to write and the 1589 Breeches Bible in Special Collections is rich with annotations and marks of use from its past owners. This Bible can be used as a window to look into the lives of these people from hundreds of years ago allowing us to better understand their lives, ideas, and philosophies. Using the signatures of past owners, this research attempts to uncover the origins of the book and the identities of the owners and annotators of this book. This project also examined the origins of a multitude of philosophical phrases that appear throughout the Bible. This Bible serves as a prime example of the historical willingness to write on all books (including the Bible), and how marks of use can be used to examine historical people and philosophical ideas.

• 

  Finger Lakes Klansmen: How the Ku Klux Klan Spread Their Invisible Empire in Upstate New York

  Mary Givens

  In the early 1920s, the second incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan attracted millions of adherents and was one of the largest and most visible organizations in America. Scholars have written about the Klan’s activities in New York City, Buffalo, and Binghamton, but little is known about their presence in the Finger Lakes. By examining historic newspapers published in Finger Lakes communities as well as Klan publications like the newspaper Vigilance, this research will show that the region was not immune to the KKK revival. This research will try to determine who supported the Klan and why, uncover the range of Klan activities, and highlight localized Klan opposition. This project will draw on specific Klan events such as parades, meetings, and cross burnings, all being used to prove that the KKK maintained a dominant presence within communities across the Finger Lakes.

• 

  Would Basic Income Reduce Worker Motivation? A Review of the Evidence

  Evan Gleason

  Advocates of basic income tout the policy as a solution to poverty. Yet debates exist over whether it might backfire and sap the motivation of low-wage workers, leading to an exodus of labor from low-pay jobs. Studies have shown that financial incentives often reduce the motivation of individuals to work, and this is a possibility with basic income. Drawing on work in economics, psychology, and public policy, this research seeks to determine the likelihood of this outcome. It analyzes the possible effects on labor force participation rates, exploring arguments from both sides as to whether this concern about basic income is credible. After doing so, the following concern would be the degree to which this would affect society, as with lower-wage jobs potentially losing a portion of their volume of work, their performance would be severely hindered.

• 

  Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling and Potential Environmental Impacts

  Sam Gold, Yuxin Wang, and Tasneem Tawalbeh

  Growth of Lithium-Ion Battery (LIBs) in consumer electronics and the electric vehicle fleet has highlighted the need to address recycling issues. Recycling of spent LIBs is in its infancy and less than 5% of LIBs are recycled globally. LIBs are manufactured with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are persistent, mobile, and toxic environmental contaminants. Little is known about the environmental risks of LIBs recycling. This research presents an overview of fluorinated compounds used in LIBs. Recognizing the need for LIBs recycling, this project also presents LIBs disposal management methods and their environmental impacts from landfilling and recycling techniques including pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy, and direct recycling. Additionally, this review examines emissions accompanied with pyrometallurgy and produced chemicals related to hydrometallurgy. Further, this project summarizes spent LIBs recycling regulations. This review highlights the need to investigate emissions of fluorinated compounds during battery recycling to eliminate environmental and human health risks and promote sustainable battery management.

• 

  The Absence of Outgroup Empathy in US Border Enforcement Rhetoric

  Benjamin Goldstein

  In 2018, President Donald Trump reportedly referred to African immigrants as coming from “sh*thole countries” and said the US should have more migrants from places like Norway. While his comments were widely decried, white supremacist sentiment and media coverage is in fact pervasive in American discourse around immigration and border enforcement. Policies enacted during and after Trump’s presidency have greatly altered Americans’ perceptions of immigration and migrant “criminality,” particularly among conservatives. In this rhetoric, dehumanization of immigrants is used to reduce outgroup empathy and promote ingroup empathy. This research explores this instrumentalization of ingroup empathy in border patrol agents’s discussions of their jobs. In her Vega 2018 article, Vega emphasized how border agents have deployed three distinct legitimization narratives to ensure moral authority including; criminalization as a corrective, uncertainty, and caring control. As one explanation of border agents asserting their power, we are able to identify the crisis of empathy occurring at the border. Through this analysis of empathy the goal of this research is to identify solutions to the real crisis at the border––a crisis in which white supremacist policy and attitudes thrive.

• 

  Perpetuating Racist Stereotypes: The Rise of Amateur Minstrel Shows in Broome County, 1910-1960

  Blake Goldstein

  Minstrel shows were once among the most popular forms of entertainment in America. These performances featured songs, dances, and comic routines--typically performed by white actors in blackface--that demeaned African Americans by portraying them as lazy, unintelligent or buffoonish. While scholars have written volumes about professional minstrel shows in the 19th century and the subsequent use of blackface in movies, amateur minstrel shows have largely been forgotten. This project calls attention to the proliferation of amateur minstrel performances put on in Broome County between roughly 1910 and 1960 by workers’ groups, local clubs, fraternal organizations, schools, and other community-based groups. Drawing primarily on historical newspapers, I examine the organizations involved in producing these shows, the way shows changed, the reasons they remained popular for decades, and the eventual emergence of protests against them.

• 

  “Orlando Furioso”: the Poems that Needed to be Censored

  Alexa Gomez

  The censorship of books during the Renaissance had been done due to the lack of support from the religion being practiced. Despite a text being fictional, it was deemed to be wrong towards catholicism, making it forbidden to be read. When comparing the book from special collections, the one which was made during the Renaissance was censored the most, helping compare the reason behind the censorship. In “Orlando Furioso,” there are many censored lines of text that are due to the mention of angels or fantasy. Due to this book being from Italy, the text was taken more seriously to be censored because of how public it was and how popular the poems were. This also included the images that were paired with each poem. There were differences when comparing an English version of the text to the one in Italian.

• 

  Analysis of the Development, Effectiveness, and Future of Green Infrastructure in Broome County since the 2011 floods

  Luke Goodman

  This research project delves into the development, effectiveness, and necessity of green infrastructure in Broome County since 2011, particularly in the wake of floods that devastated the county that year. By examining the geographical landscape, historical flood control measures, and recent weather patterns, it elucidates why traditional flood control methods have become insufficient. Through a thorough analysis of over 170 green infrastructure projects, such as the innovative green roof on Binghamton's city hall, this study will evaluate the tangible and abstract benefits of such initiatives, such as reduced stormwater runoff, improved water quality, and aesthetic appeal. Furthermore, it explores the socioeconomic impact of green infrastructure, including property value fluctuations and public perception. By gathering data from residents and city officials, alongside scientific assessments of water levels, this research aims to provide a comprehensive and holistic understanding of the role of green infrastructure in mitigating flood damage and fostering long-term sustainability in Broome County.

• 

  Exploring the Association Between Epistemic Emotions and Engagement in Early Engineering Design Tasks

  Michael Guglielmo, Christopher Costello, and Yvette Kim

  Research has shown that students who are interested in engineering design tasks early in their lives are more likely to become engineers. Importantly, kids tend to be more engaged with activities that elicit positive emotions (Hammond, 2014). Our purpose is to try fostering higher levels of engagement in engineering design tasks by observing how each step is associated with positive or negative epistemic emotions. We observed video recordings of six families engaged in different engineering tasks in their home environments. The videos were coded to categorize a range of different emotions throughout the activity. We hypothesize that activities involving physical engagement will be associated with positive emotions, while parts involving reading or planning will be associated with negative emotions. This research could help improve future engineering design tasks, by decreasing negative emotions and thus, increasing engagement. Designing activities to be more engaging helps attract more students to STEM.

• 

  Stories of Faith and Community: Russian Orthodox Churches in Binghamton

  Deniz Gulay

  Binghamton has one of the largest concentrations of Orthodox Christians in New York State. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the city’s cigar and shoe factories drew immigrants from the most distant corners of Eastern Europe. Within a few short years, an Orthodox Christian community made up of various nationalities flourished in the city, but this unique history has remained largely hidden throughout the past decades. This research will shed light on the role that Orthodox churches played in creating communities among people of Slavic descent and helping them to become "American." It is a story of nationalities, beliefs and integration into the society of this country throughout history. Drawing on the archives of local Orthodox churches and delving into historic newspapers, this project plans to tell the story of the lives of these immigrants and the origin of their communities.

• 

  Digital Amnesia: The Aftermath of a Screenshot

  Adden Hartl, Sophia Fabrizio, Tara Holihan, and Sameena Rao

  The photo impairment effect is the finding that memory for photographed information is worse than for viewed information. Recent research has extended this finding to stimuli that are screenshot on a phone or computer (Lurie et al., submitted). One potential explanation for the impairment is cognitive offloading, which is a reliance on an external memory store for information (Henkel, 2014; Lurie & Westerman, 2021; Lurie et al., submitted). Four experiments were conducted to examine the feasibility of the offloading account by investigating potential benefits of taking screenshots as compared with viewing pieces of art, as suggested by previous research. The results suggest that the act of screenshotting produces memory costs (average d = 1.35) without the expected benefits for source memory, subsequently learned information, or performance on a cognitive task compared with viewing. These collective findings do not support a cognitive offloading explanation.

• 

  Exploring the Significance of Old Books: A Case Study of

  Hana Hassan

  Why do books matter? Beyond their contents, what stories can they tell? In 1825, a fire broke out in Edinburgh, destroying almost every copy of The Knightly Tales. Instead of giving up, the printer spent great time and money painstakingly restoring the few copies so they could be sold and read. This study explores the significance of old books, using The Knightly Tales as a case study. I analyze the book’s journey from creation, to its burning and restoration, to its current state. Utilizing interviews with preservation experts, this project investigates how to restore damaged books. This research underscores the importance of preserving old books. It highlights the need for continued efforts in book conservation to ensure that future generations can access and appreciate these invaluable treasures. Ultimately, I argue that old books hold value beyond their textual content, serving as gateways to the past, a repository for cultural heritage, and artifacts of craftsmanship.

• 

  On Earth As It Is In Heaven? Toward a History of Catholicism and Universal Basic Income

  Brendan Heaney

  Pope Francis has come out in support of Universal Basic Income multiple times throughout his Papacy, being the first Pontiff to do so. Despite a wide-ranging support base, Universal Basic Income (UBI) has never been embraced by Catholic orthodoxy. Although some scholars have discussed the theological compatibility of UBI with Catholic Doctrine, there has been no review to date of the history between the two traditions. This paper therefore offers a historical and empirical review of the relationship between Catholic Social Teaching and UBI proposals, focusing on how the Catholic understanding of property rights influenced the development of both the clergy and lay Catholics’ stances on Basic Income proposals and the relations between land reformer movements and the Catholic Church.

• 

  Stella Adler Summer Conservatory

  Kaitlyn Hennie

  Attending Stella Adler Studio's Summer Conservatory helped me overcome fear of judgment in acting. The supportive environment and passionate peers made it comfortable to grow. I learned to handle intimate scenes and the importance of professionalism, like punctuality and line memorization. The industry's challenges were addressed, teaching me to navigate discomfort professionally. Despite being tough, the experience was rewarding, enhancing both my acting skills and personal growth. Now, equipped with newfound tools, I aim to apply them here at SUNY Bing. Excited for auditions and eager to see my progress, I'm grateful for Stella Adler Studio's guidance, ready to share my journey with peers in the Theatre department.

• 

  Sudden Removal of High Social Enrichment Affects Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Monoamine Levels in Cortico-Striatal-Thalamic Structures of the Rat Brain

  Ada Hepner

  This study evaluated a novel stress-induced animal model in adolescent male (n=28) and female (n=28) rats. All rats were first exposed to high social enrichment (frequent handling and playdates with 13 other rats). Then, experimental rats were exposed to a standard social enrichment, whereas control rats continued in high social enrichment. Behaviors assessed included grooming, rearing, arm entry in the elevated plus maze, and head poking in the hole board. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to evaluate monoamine neurochemical levels in post-mortem tissue from the prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, lateral/medial thalamus, dorsal/ventral striatum, amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. Behavioral and neurochemical measures were affected by enrichment, sex, and age. Understanding the neurophysiological consequences of a sudden removal of social enrichment, such as experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, holds translational value for the treatment of mental health issues.

• 

  Navigating Prejudice and Solidarity: Labor Disputes in New York City's Chinatown in the 1980s and 1990s

  Yao Shen He

  In documenting the Chinese experience in America, scholars and the mass media have emphasized the prejudice of Americans who aren’t Chinese, as well as discriminatory government policies like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This portrayal often implies that Chinese communities have unified for the sake of their collective survival. However, this narrative generally omits the prejudice faced by newer immigrants when they try to raise concerns about labor and working conditions within the Chinese community. This research examines unionization and labor disputes at several restaurants in New York City’s Chinatown during the 1980s and 1990s and the impact such actions had within the Chinese community. This research will draw on English and Chinese-language newspaper articles, legal documents, and videos provided by the Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association to evaluate the consequences of pushing back against intra-ethnic prejudice in both the communities the prejudice directly affects and America as a whole.

• 

  How Sympathy Lost its Luster: A Linguistic and Cultural Review

  Zona Huang

  Since the mid-20th century, the term, “empathy” has gained widespread usage and applause as a cultural virtue. In recent decades, its usage has even surpassed sympathy, which has been in English for centuries longer. While sympathy was once praised as a source of social harmony, it is increasingly associated with attitudes of pity and condensation. Whereas sympathy currently involves feeling for the sufferer, empathy requires putting yourself in the shoes of another. It is clear sympathy has undergone a semantic shift, the linguistic term for when a word takes on additional meanings over time. But how and when did this happen? This research tracks the evolution of the cultural meanings of sympathy throughout the past century by examining its usage in dictionaries, literature, and psychological writings. In particular, it is examined how the connotation of sympathy has shifted from positive to negative.