Students Present Undergraduate Research at Annual Conference

Undergraduate research is a hallmark of a Niagara University education, and on May 2, 2025, more than 115 students across a variety of academic disciplines presented their scholarly work at the annual Niagara University Undergraduate Research Conference, sponsored by the university's honors program.

The conference began with panel presentations on topics as varied as "The Romanticization of Male Serial Killers," "Analysis of disability stigma and willingness to seek out necessary healthcare among NCAA Division I athletes," "Hell is a Teenage Girl: When Horror Movies Get Feminism Right" and "Examining the Gender Pay Gap: A Statistical Review of Its Predictors."

Honors student Mary Lennon explored how the six global Disney theme parks adapt to cultural expectations while maintaining Disney's signature brand identity in her project, "A World of Magic: The Influence of Culture on Disney's Theme Parks." Through comparative analysis, her study demonstrated that Disney's success lies in blending classic storytelling with culturally specific elements and concluded that, ultimately, culture is not just an aesthetic addition, but a fundamental aspect that shapes the guest experience in Disney theme parks worldwide. She performed this research with Dr. Youngsoo Choi, associate professor in the College of Hospitality, Sport, and Tourism Management.

The conference continued throughout the afternoon with poster presentations that showed student research on topics including "Re-remembering Love Canal: A Story of Women," "A Comparative Study of the ELA and Math Curricular and Instructional Framework in Nature- Based and Public Kindergarten," and "Treatment of the Developmentally Disabled Patient."

Alice Moll's research, ""Using Microorganisms to Understand Genetics, Disease, and the Early Earth," took place in three different labs in the biology department. She studied how different strains of yeast genetically mutate in Dr. Walter Steiner's lab; the use of bacteriophages as an alternative to treat individuals with bacterial infections that have antibiotic resistance in Dr. Mark Gallo's lab; and islolated DNA from Synechococcus, a cyanobacterium from the sulfidic region of the meromictic Fayetteville Green Lake, in Dr. Cassandra Marnocha's lab.

The conference is an opportunity for students to present on topics of interest to them, while facilitating student intellectual development, research and presentation skills; enhancing research at the undergraduate level; preparing students for graduate and professional schools; and fostering mentoring between undergraduate students and their faculty research advisors.

Students in the honors program work one-on-one with a NU faculty member and conduct original, groundbreaking research for their capstone thesis projects. In addition to conducting their own research, honors students enjoy a unique educational experience with smaller, specialized honors-exclusive classes. These classes feature innovative teaching methods and foster close interactions with peers and faculty. For more information, visit www.niagara.edu/academics/honors-program/.