Research Days Posters 2025

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  Speech Perception and ADHD

  Emily Espinel

  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in which individuals exhibit inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity thereby affecting the overall quality of life. Comprehending speech can become more difficult in the presence of background noise, specifically for individuals with ADHD. Increased difficulty may be due to the distractibility of competing stimuli, their attention deficit can make it challenging to filter out background noise. However, there is little knowledge on available literature in this area, hence the need for the scoping review. The aim of this study is to synthesize literature in the area of speech perception in individuals with ADHD. Search terms included “speech perception” and “ADHD”; 14 studies that met the inclusion criteria were reviewed and data was synthesized. The results showed that individuals with ADHD had more difficulty processing speech in noise compared to typically developing peers. This study helped in identifying the scope for future research.

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  Manufacturing Processes of a Flow Focusing Continuous Casting Pressure Vessel

  Samuel Estroff-Liberti and Anthony Chan

  This project focuses on the manufacturing process of a pressure vessel apparatus to perform Flow Focused Continuous Casting for the manufacturing of metal microparticles encapsulated in silicate glasses for use in High-temperature Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage systems. Micro-encapsulation seeks to solve the durability issues that hinder the usage of phase change materials for concentrated solar power. This manufacturing process includes working with alternative manufacturing methods for materials such as Silicate Glasses, G10 Fiberglass, High-temperature Machinable Alumina Ceramic, and a Magnetic Composite Flux Concentrator plate.

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  An Ecological Analysis of Radical Black Thought from the Black Panther Party

  Joshua Fishkin

  Recent scholarship has attempted to expand common notions of ecology to include human beings and their struggles to survive within their environments. Within that trend, scholars have begun centering radical Black ecology, a discipline that seeks to understand how radical Black thinkers have conceived of their spaces and attempted to influence their surroundings. While much progress has been made in developing that understanding, there is still a large gap in the literature surrounding the ecological implications of radical Black political thought. Using the political writings of Black revolutionaries from the Black Panther Party –including Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis, and Eldridge Cleaver– this work finds a number of ecological applications within tracts that have previously been limited to social or historical analysis. This work places these writings in conversation with historical and contemporary Black ecological thought, creating new ground for understandings of Black space, place, and environment.

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  More than Helpmates: The Role of Women in the Chartist Movement

  Matthew Flynn

  Chartism––a working-class reform movement in Britain active from 1836 to 1858––has long been treated by historians a male-dominated movement, with only marginal roles for women activists. More recently, scholarship by Matthew Roberts and Malcolm Chase has complicated this picture, showing how, though the People’s Charter rejected calls for female suffrage, women organized and helped promote Chartist ideals. Joining with these scholars, this essay contends that women were important both to the debates over strategy and to the staffing of Chartist organizations although they faced opposition. Focusing on Mary Anne Walker, Susanna Inge, and others, this paper examines coverage of women Chartists in the Northern Star and other newspapers, letters, and other documents to demonstrate the impact of prominent Chartist women, female participation in the Chartist land plan and, especially, female Chartist organizations.

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  Does the Shoe Fit: Welfare Capitalism and Paternalism at Endicott Johnson Shoe Corporation

  Margalit Frank

  The Endicott Johnson Shoe Factory (EJ) was one of the most prominent shoe producers in the world between the 1890s and the 1950s. However, EJ was better known for their paternalistic approach to business than their shoes. Corporate paternalism in this case could be classified as a company town, one where amenities such as parks and schools or housing are provided by the company. While the company did provide an abundance of amenities to workers and their families such as healthcare, public parks, and housing, in return it expected loyalty to the company, faith in managers, and avoidance of union organizers. Was this enlightened capitalism or a paternalistic employer trapping workers in a company town? Using local news records, speeches, and oral histories by workers of the company, this paper contributes to an ongoing conversation surrounding corporate paternalism and the possibility of exploitation in welfare capitalism.

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  Associations Between Cannabis Consumption, Eating Habits, and Illicit Drug Use Among College Students

  Gianna Gallo, Kayla Taufman, Hera Khan, and Lina Begdache

  Cannabis use has expanded among young adults in the United States due to its recent accessibility. This trend raises alarm for the harmful habits associated with cannabis consumption. An anonymous online survey was administered through Google Forms, distributed across multiple social media platforms and shared at Binghamton University outreach events. The survey included questions on basic demographics, healthy eating habits, unhealthy eating habits, and other illicit drug use. Data was analyzed using Pearson Correlation Coefficient in SPSS version 28.0. The study revealed a positive correlation between cannabis consumption and unhealthy eating habits (p<0.01) and cannabis consumption and illicit drug use (p<0.01). The data further showed a negative correlation between cannabis consumption and healthy eating habits (p<0.05). This study aims to emphasize the potential issues associated with frequent cannabis use to support the detrimental effects of cannabis on overall health.

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  Hong Kong and Xinjiang: Oppression Adapted

  Christopher Gardner

  China's repression of human rights has been quite notable in recent years, with examples such as the widely publicized Hong Kong protests and the crackdown on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. The repression of democratic freedoms is similar in many ways, but also has key differences, which demonstrate China's ability of adaptation to resistance. In Hong Kong, there was a greater legal approach to repression of democratic rights via the application of the National Security Law (NSL), which annulled the previous standing legal distinction of "one country two systems." Xinjiang, on the other hand, has had a much more brutal approach with the implication of concentration camps and detention centers for the Uyghur Muslim population. This paper analyzes the variety of methods adapted by China to curtail resistance movements and protests across populations in Hong Kong. Furthermore, this research looks to address the extreme measures taken to target different populations.

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  No Evidence for Sex-Specific Visual Acuity in Anolis aquaticus

  Samantha Garnsey, Janelle Talavera, and Lindsey Swierk

  Sex differences in sensory perception are widespread among animals, driven by sex-specific reproductive challenges. Males and females often exhibit different sensory abilities, such as in visual acuity; for example, in Heliconius butterflies, males exhibit greater visual acuity due to their mate-seeking behaviors. This study examined this idea in Anolis aquaticus, a semi-aquatic lizard with sexual dimorphism. Males court females using a colorful throat fan (dewlap), which females use to select mates. It is predicted that females will have greater visual acuity than males, given their reliance on visual signals for mate choice. A custom-built apparatus was used to test 45 A. aquaticus (17 females, 28 males) responses to increasingly conspicuous stimuli. No significant sex differences were found in visual acuity or overall responses to stimuli. These results suggest that visual acuity does not differ between sexes in anoles and that other ecological factors (e.g., prey identification) may drive the evolution of visual acuity.

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  Redlining and Incarceration: The Long Shadow of Housing Discrimination in Broome County

  Sophia Gately

  The incarceration rate in Broome County has surged by 680% since 1980. In the Binghamton area, low-income neighborhoods often have a higher, stricter police presence and less government support and development––a legacy of government redlining that has lingered even after the passage of the Fair Housing Act. This project helps connect the era of redlining with mass incarceration by first correlating Broome County incarceration rates with historically redlined zones. Then, using government census data, firsthand interviews with people incarcerated in the Broome County jail, local news archives, and a review of housing policies, it examines the rising issue of incarceration and links it to injustices from past decades in Broome County. These sources suggest how housing insecurity, financial disinvestment, and community neglect have contributed to mass incarceration and heavy policing in the county’s segregated, low-income, and Black neighborhoods.

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  The Impact of Delay and Context Reinstatement on Metacognitive Judgments of Eyewitnessing

  Sarah Gillen, Kaylie Schwartz, and Brittany Race

  The impact of Post-Identification Context Reinstatement (PICR) and delay on eyewitness confidence was examined in a 2x2x2 experimental design. Participants viewed a video portraying a theft and were later asked to identify the suspect from a photographic lineup with conditions differing based on target presence (present vs absent), delay (immediate vs delayed confidence ratings), and PICR (context reinstatement vs control). The hypothesis is that the PICR increases confidence for correct choosers without affecting the confidence levels of incorrect choosers. Delayed participants also exhibit higher confidence compared to no-delay participants, and correct choosers in the PICR delayed condition show no difference from correct choosers in the PICR no-delay condition. Lastly, incorrect choosers in the PICR condition are predicted to report lower confidence than those in the condition without PICR. These findings will potentially implicate future research in legal system procedures involving eyewitness testimonies and will expand previous research regarding confidence inflation.

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  Science (not so) Fiction: H.G. Wells’ Contributions to Social Degeneration and Eugenics in the Context of the Holocaust

  Connor Glozek

  “The minds of all of us… would be perceptibly different if Wells had never existed” (Orwell). Celebrated today for his technological prognostications and contributions to science fiction, H.G. Wells’s influence on twentieth-century thought and politics has a darker side. Much of his work deals with the theory of social degeneration, a belief that the foundations of society were eroding and that whole swaths of people are now spreading their ‘inferior’ genetics. Thus, this research paper focuses on Wells and his popularization of social degeneration theory and eugenics in The Time Machine (1895) and Anticipations (1901). This investigation is crucial because, even today, many continue to believe that the ‘Jewish backstab’ theory or the ‘scapegoat theory’ served as primary factors in the Holocaust instead. Moreover, this paper considers links between Wells, eugenics, and Nazi ideology, highlighting how some of the ideological roots of the Holocaust unnervingly intertwine with 19th and early 20th-century Anglophone popular culture.

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  Reevaluating the Prison Rape Elimination Act: Analyzing Its Shortcomings

  Rachel Goldsmith

  Prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse is widespread in US male prisons, with inmates “turning each other out” by sexually assaulting each other. While the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) received unanimous support in Congress in 2003, motivated by the Human Rights Watch Report “No Escape: Male Rape in Prisons,” scholars argue the PREA fails to protect prisoners from prison rape. For example, its standards may be ineffective or criminalize consensual sex between prisoners. This project will examine the shortcomings of the PREA using current legal scholarship and argue for solutions to improve the law to better protect prisoners. The US government owes prisoners a safe environment for rehabilitation, which begins with adjusting the Prison Rape Elimination Act to better protect prisoners against prison rape. Future research should explore the implementation of legislation to improve the PREA.

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  Origins of New York's Largest Kurdish Diaspora

  Noa Goveia, Julie Decelles, Cecelia Chu, and Ysabel Bote

  The Kurdish community in Binghamton is one of the area's largest and most diverse populations. This study looks into the reasons for Kurdish flight from their home countries to the United States, and the effects of Middle Eastern political and economic crises on Kurdish resettlement. To gain a deeper understanding of the community, the primary method of research utilized was conducting interviews with Kurdish residents of Binghamton. Additionally, a statistical analysis of the Kurdish Oral History Project furthers insight into Kurds in Upstate New York. The findings suggest that fear of persecution was the driving reason for Kurds leaving Kurdistan in search of a new home in America, confirming the need for supplementary research and awareness of Kurds affected by socio-political violence. Research suggests that while not many Kurds had a strong pull towards Binghamton, they have made it home due to the strong Kurdish community found here.

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  The Cost of Political Polarization: Authoritarianism in the United States

  Gabrielle Graff

  Does congressional polarization contribute to authoritarian tendencies within the United States? The growing political divide in the government and the general public raises concern regarding possible long-term changes to the institution, including the threat of democratic backsliding - the gradual movement of an institution away from democratic values toward authoritarian values. Although diverse political ideas promote healthy democratic function, complete polarization erodes democratic institutions while supporting authoritarian behavior. Authoritarianism thrives on the exclusion of out-groups and division among the populace. Under the current American institution, a polarized Congress is ineffective in producing policy. This project explores how the political system of the United States adjusts to these congressional deficiencies and the degree to which these adjustments are considered authoritarian.

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  Social Integration and Memory Task: Investigating Moral Judgement Formation

  Emma Green and Michael R. Dulas

  This study investigated how emotional and explicit relational information interact in memory and guide our opinions of people. Participants viewed faces paired with two moral behaviors that were either congruent (e.g., positive-positive) or incongruent (e.g., negative-positive). Participants provided morality ratings of these faces after each behavior. After a delay, it was assessed whether participants remembered their opinions of the people they studied, as well as whether they remembered the actual behaviors those people performed. Initial results show that participants successfully update their ratings of each face, integrating both behaviors into their ratings, even when incongruent. After the delay, the same pattern of morality ratings generally held, though it was overall weaker, suggesting the strong opinions formed in the moment were not held with the same intensity. Interestingly, this pattern was only present when participants remembered explicit details about each face, suggesting morality judgments and explicit memory are perhaps intertwined.

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  Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Path to Guaranteed Income: Examining His Motivations

  Owen Greene

  With the recent surge in popularity of universal basic income, Martin Luther King, Jr. 's advocacy for a guaranteed income from 1965 until his assassination in 1968, has received heightened interest. Scholars including Tommie Shelby, Roger Bruns, and Jonathan Eig have pointed to numerous factors behind his support for the policy, including unrest due to the Vietnam War, the controversial Moynihan Report, and King’s work with the civil rights movement. Drawing on King’s public addresses, books, and essays, this paper argues for the importance of his evolving understanding of economic conditions and his direct work in impoverished urban neighborhoods as influential factors guiding King toward an embrace of guaranteed income. Discussing King’s distinctive arguments for a guaranteed income and collaborations with groups like the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and National Welfare Rights Organization can teach us how to fight for a guaranteed income today.

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  Locke(d) Away or Free for All? Alaskan Homesteading, the Permanent Fund Dividend, and Shifting Property Models

  Daniel Greenspan

  Accounts of U.S. property formation along the colonial frontier generally follow a Lockean model, in which occupation and improvement of land confer title. This project explores an underappreciated exception to this rule: the shift in Alaskan resource use models from the late 19th to the early 21st century. During this period, homesteading gave way to new resource-sharing models exemplified by the oil-revenue-sharing program known as the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). While the Homesteading Act adhered to John Locke’s labor theory of property, the PFD follows Thomas Spence’s wealth-sharing model as outlined in The Rights of Man (1775). Building on scholarship regarding Lockean property formation and evaluations of the PFD, this project consults legislation, legal documents, and government reports to examine how this transformation redefined Alaskan land ownership and shaped broader debates about resource allocation, economic policy, and Indigenous land claims.

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  Confinement and Consent: A Comparative Analysis of Sexual Abuse in Finnish and U.S. Prisons

  Madison Greico

  Every year, thousands of prison rapes occur behind bars in New York alone by the very guards meant to protect prisoners. The Bangkok Rules and The Basic Principles for The Treatment of Prisoners are a specific outline of protections and rights for individuals (Bangkok specifically about women) within prisons adopted by the United Nations compromising states. While The United States is a leader in the United Nations and adopted these sets of rules, their failures of commitment are extremely apparent. However, Finland, another United Nations member, has virtually no record of sexual abuse within their prisons. In investigation of what sets these two countries apart, the research looks to explain the conditions that allow for these violences to occur. Distinguishing and investigating what allows Finland to prosper and the United States to utterly fail in this aspect will help to put an end to the injustices of prison rape.

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  From Fascination to Fear: Perceptions of Transness in Postwar America

  Rey Griffin

  A common piece of American transphobic rhetoric holds the belief that transness is a “new” concept, or merely a trend of the 21st century. Yet publicly out trans figures, such as Christine Jorgensen, have been advocating for transgender rights since the 1950s––and, indeed, were treated shockingly well by the media. This discrepancy reveals how perceptions of transness have changed with time: as transness has become more public and common, it has become a convenient scapegoat within American political campaigns. Drawing on understudied trans print culture such as the magazine Transvestia and the FtM newsletter (from the 1960s and 1980s, respectively), this paper seeks to track this shift, and understand how conditions have developed and perhaps worsened. As transgender individuals have altered their own terminology and fought to be understood, beginning with the work highlighted in these archives, they have only become an easier target. Due to the portrayal of transness as an attack against traditional family values in present-day media and politics, views of this marginalized group have shifted from fascination to outright fear.

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  Public and Self-Perceptions of Gender Queerness in Middle Eastern and North African Communities

  Shane Hamblin and Arusha Ramaswamy

  Despite increased acceptance and legal recognition of queer identities in Western societies within the past 25 years, there remain stark differences in representation of LGBTQ+ voices between white and nonwhite communities. Particularly within Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities, this underrepresentation is exacerbated by societal pressures to adhere to strict heteronormative, gender-stratified roles, with little room for deviation from the norm. This paper examines the experiences of genderqueer individuals with MENA heritage at Binghamton University, exploring how they fit into their cultural definitions of gender and how this differs from the broader gender expectations of a majority-white campus. Research attained through surveys and interviews indicates that individuals across the gender spectrum have difficulty deviating from pervasive gender roles, particularly in collectivist cultures wherein familial influence colors all aspects of one's self-presentation. Understanding and resisting these constructions is essential to dismantling them and building ones with more freedom of expression.

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  Renewable Energy Efforts Across New York: Levels of Effectiveness and Plans for the Future

  Alyssa Hazen

  How effective are renewable energy efforts in New York State and what more can be done to implement renewable energy sources? How have renewable energy efforts in New York progressed and changed over time and to what extent will future policy plans be successful? This project will review and evaluate the extent to which renewable energy efforts in New York are effective, and based on previous policy, to what extent the state’s renewable energy policy will prove successful. The effectiveness of these efforts will be assessed through a literature review examining the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standards. It will also assess the feasibility of entirely converting to electricity generation by renewable sources, as well as statistical data regarding New York’s renewable energy generation, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, and fossil fuel use. This assessment will determine the effectiveness of renewable energy efforts in New York and the extent to which the state will achieve policy goals.

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  Correlation between Cocaine Use, Gambling Behaviors, and Body Image

  Georgi Hirschegger, Elena Baldo, Haley Prisinzano, and Lina Begdache

  Cocaine use, gambling behaviors, and concerns about negative body image are common among college students and may be interrelated. Previous research suggests a connection between cocaine use and gambling, but little is known about how these behaviors intersect with practices related to body image. This study explores the relationships between cocaine use, gambling behaviors, and body image issues. An anonymous online survey conducted through Google Forms received 878 responses, gathering self-reported data on cocaine use, gambling behaviors, and body image-related practices. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient in SPSS version 28.0. The findings indicate that individuals who use cocaine also encounter financial difficulties due to gambling (p<0.01). Fasting for weight control was positively associated with cocaine use (p<0.01), while self-induced illness for weight control was linked to gambling behaviors (p<0.01). These findings emphasize the interconnected nature of these behaviors, highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies and efforts.

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  One Education, Under God: A Study of White Christian Nationalism Its Authoritarian Impact on the United States K-12 Public Education

  Katherine Hochberg

  In recent years, White Christian Nationalism (WCN) has been identified by scholars as a driving force behind the spread of authoritarian thought in U.S. institutions– including public education. This study draws on existing scholarship to define WCN, discern authoritarian ideology within WCN, and identify key intersections between WCN and U.S. public education. Legislation including the “Stop WOKE Act” and Florida House Bill 1557 are examined to highlight active WCN authoritarian policies. Findings indicate that WCN undermines U.S. public education by campaigning for the elimination of minorities’ stories in curricula (particularly Black Americans and LGBTQ+) under the guise of maintaining America’s moral integrity. In response, this study proposes the implementation of media literacy and civil dialogue programs in public education. Thus, this study contributes to the current literature by analyzing WCN’s authoritarian threat to U.S. public education and providing potential action to address this issue.

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  Expanding the Bibliographic Palette: Diversifying the Binghamton University Libraries Fine Arts Collection

  Ari Hoffman

  The classical music canon, often emphasizing Western Art Music, remains the primary focus of academic music curricula. As a result, academic library collections may omit materials presenting diverse global musical traditions and cultures. In light of the emphasis on inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in 21st century academic libraries, it is crucial to decolonize fine arts collections to allow exposure to underrepresented composers and marginalized musical communities. This research project explores strategies for diversifying the Fine Arts Collection at Bartle Library, aiming to reflect a broader range of cultural, historical, and artistic perspectives. Providing access to materials relating to African drumming ensembles, Eastern European folk music, and Indonesian Gamelan would expand our understanding of music across cultures. With this change, fostering a more inclusive and equitable space for all students to engage with the rich, diverse fabric of ethnomusicology and global music heritage will be more likely to occur.

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  “We Are Going!!!”: Understanding Nineteenth-Century Perspectives on Chinese Immigration Through Book Marginalia

  Celeste Hoo

  Since its beginning, Chinese immigration to America has been a contentious topic, marked by preventative laws like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. While such prejudice is historically evident, some works, such as Russell H. Conwell’s 1871 Why and How: Why the Chinese Emigrate, and the Means They Adopt for the Purpose of Reaching America, sought not entirely to judge, but also to understand. By exploring the inscription found in Binghamton University’s copy of this book—which marks this book as a Christmas gift—as well as by studying the people involved in its production and its marginalia, this project aims to uncover how Why and How was actually used by its readers, and compare this against Conwell’s own intentions. Ultimately, this research centers on how the study of ordinary people can provide nuance to what we currently believe to be historical sentiment, on top of (or contrary to) what existing evidence suggests.