Student presenting to a group of people

INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS:

MEET THE STUDENT Presenters – 2022 URE Symposium

Jade Almeida

Jade Almeida

Natural Science Department

“The important thing is to never stop questioning”
Albert Einstein

Research Interests:

I am interested in the research of finding cures for human diseases such as Epilepsy, so I hope to one day be a part of a research for that.

Future Plans:

I plan to finish my Bachelor’s degree in biology and go to med school to eventually become a forensic pathologist.

Claudia Brem

Claudia Brem

College of Business

“We can’t change the wind, but we can set the sails differently.”
Aristotle

Research Interests:

My research interests focus on renewable energy and urban ecosystem services within the context of corporate social responsibility, green building practices, and social impact.

Future Plans:

I am interested in analysis, research, and project management working on corporate social responsibility with a diverse stakeholder base to advance organizational behavioral change by implementing viable sustainable practices and solutions.

Joshua Brown

Joshua Brown

Social and Behavioral Sciences

“The world’s problems transcend borders. We have to transcend our differences to transform our future.”
UN Secretary – General António Guterres

Research Interests:

International Policy, especially on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction

Future Plans:

I hope to continue and earn a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering to contribute innovative devices to the world.

Heather Canham

Heather Canham

Natural Science Department

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it”
Albert Einstein

Research Interests:

I would be interested in continuing to work in carnivorous plant physiology. I’m also interested in plant/insect interaction, gopher tortoise burrow ecology, mycorrhizal networks, and parasitic fungi.

Future Plans:

I eventually want to be a wildlife biologist or work behind the scenes at a natural history museum or some other ecological institution.

Alex Clark

Alex Clark

Natural Science Department

“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to sea, whether it is to sail or to watch- we are going back from whence we came.”
John F. Kennedy

Research Interests:

  • Marine Biology, Ecology & Conservation Biology
  • Animal Behavior, Genetic Analysis

Future Plans:

  • I intend to pursue at least a master’s degree, if not a doctorate.
  • Perform active research on sharks, focusing on tagging and tracking their movements, as well as testing hypotheses made regarding their genome and its potential influence on human healthcare.
  • I’m also considering teaching, as I greatly enjoy sharing my love of science with other people, as well as connecting with my community and giving back to it. 
Melina Crowder

Melina Crowder

Honors College, Social and Behavioral Sciences

“Don’t become a mere recorder of facts, but try to penetrate the mystery of their origin.”
Ivan Pavlov

Research Interests:

I am interested in research involving the most effective treatment for those with mental illnesses and how we can implement that in today’s therapy.

Future Plans:

My future plans are to graduate from USF with my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and work with adolescents. My goal is to help children who struggle with mental illnesses by teaching them healthy coping mechanisms and providing them with a safe and healing space.

Alexis Gamache

Alexis Gamache

Honors College, Communications Department

“One is too many and a thousand is never enough”
NA basic text, 6th edition.

Research Interests:

Modern solutions for addiction

Future Plans:

Trauma Nursing

Madison Gauley

Madison Gauley

Social and Behavioral Sciences

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because  they trust in You.”
Isaiah 26:3

Research Interests:

I would love to conduct another study to see at what age repression most often occurs, and the deeper roots behind the repressed memories.

Future Plans:

I plan to continue my studies and get my BA at the University of South Florida, where I am currently enrolled. After my BA, my goal is to achieve my MA so I can become a Marital Counselor.

Ellyce Hamel

Ellyce Hamel

Natural Sciences Department

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein.”
 Zora Neale Hurston

Research Interests:

Human neuroscience

Future Plans:

I graduate in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a subplan in Cellular and Molecular Biology. I plan to attend graduate school to become a Physician Assistant.

Nickie Leon

Nickie Leon

Health Services Administration

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Peter Drucker

Research Interests:

Patient Healthcare / Quality data

Future Plans:

I will begin the UCF Masters of Executive Health Service Administration program in January 2023

Anh Nguyen

Anh Nguyen

Natural Sciences Department

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.”
Robert A. Heinlein

Research Interests:

I am interested in neuroscience research.

Future Plans:

My plan is to apply for graduate school in the Neuroscience program after finishing my Bachelor’s degree.

Felix Nickel

Felix Nickel

Social and Behavioral Sciences

“We are born to love, we live to love, and we will die to love still more.”
St. Joseph Cafasso

Research Interests:

To pursue further action research under SPC’s model UN team

Future Plans:

I would like to attend UF for cognitive neuroscience, where it is my hope to get a PHD and participate in medical research.

George Nunoo

George Nunoo

Natural Sciences Department

“When the going gets tough, the tough keep going.”

Research Interests:

Science and my favorite research topic is Genetic analysis of multiple primary cancers and Brca1.

Future Plans:

My plan is to apply to PA SCHOOL after acquiring the Bachelor’s degree.

Duke Alexander Panagiotis

Duke Alexander Panagiotis

Social and Behavioral Sciences

“Do good, get good.”
Jennifer Panagiotis

Research Interests:

My research interests as of now are Psychology, International Relations, and Linguistics.

Future Plans:

My future plans are to find an occupation that allows me to utilize all of those interests and to have the ability to travel.

Talya Redinger

Talya Redinger

Natural Sciences Department

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in Democracy.  You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”
Author unknown

Research Interests:

Intercoastal coral identification and out planting; Marine debris impacts and solutions on estuarine ecosystems; Submerged aquatic vegetation and watershed influence; Natural rehabilitation of coastal systems

Future Plans:

Continue with marine and coastal conservation efforts under the scope of the contributing anthropogenic factors, and work to create solutions in the degradation of these delicate ecosystems.

Kaitlyn Haynes

Kaitlyn Haynes

Natural Science Department

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame. In diet and in the cause and prevention of disease”
Thomas Edison.

Research Interests:

Microbiology & Cancer Biology

Future Plans:

I plan to attend medical school to pursue pediatric neurology 

Vivienne Kountz

Vivienne Kountz

Public Policy and Administration

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Nelson Mandela

Research Interests:

My interests in research include a multitude of topics, such as the study of human behavior, relationships, and functions.

Future Plans:

I plan on applying and interviewing for available positions overseas here in Germany.  I would like to move back to the States to pursue positions in fields I am interested in (i.e., working in Courts, Districts, or other governmental positions). 

Dakota Lawson

Dakota Lawson

Social and Behavioral Sciences

“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and think what nobody else has thought”

Research Interests:

Clinical Psychology in the mental health field

Future Plans:

My passion is to work with children who have experienced trauma related to family members abusing drugs or alcohol. I hope to start out in an elementary school as a guidance counselor because the school guidance office is where I spent most of my childhood life, and the counselors were the only positive influence that I remember from that age. Later in life, I hope to own and run my own practice.

Adam Robinson

Adam Robinson

Natural Sciences Department

“If there is life on Mars, I believe we should do nothing with Mars. Mars then belongs to the Martians, even if they are only microbes.”  
Carl Sagan

Research Interests:

I am interested in studying the response of Earth micro-organisms to Mars-like conditions. The primary goal of this research is to explore the possibility of discovering extinct or extant life on Mars today.

Future Plans:

Next year I will be starting a Ph.D. program in Microbiology to continue my research exposing microbes to Mars-like conditions.

Georgette Rutherford

Georgette Rutherford

Natural Sciences Department

“Colors are the smiles of nature, beauty, peace.”
Leigh Hunt

Research Interests:

I enjoy being in nature, and working both in the lab and field, as well as conducting experiments with plants and researching water quality.

Future Plans:

To work for the Florida Fish and Wildlife. Environmental specialist technician.

Alexander Teleszky

Alexander Teleszky

Natural Sciences Department

“Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.”
Robert A. Heinlein 

Research Interests:

Stem cells, Corals, and Plant ecosystems

Future Plans:

Finish Bachelor’s degree at USF St. Pete while continuing research opportunities to become a marine biologist and work on reversing ocean acidification. 

Alexis Vandepol

Alexis Vandepol

Social and Behavioral Sciences

“It’s better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.” Mark Twain

Research Interests:

My research interests include developmental psychology within the deaf community and the effects of ASL on early development.

Future Plans:

I plan to get my degree in educational and community leadership with a focus on ASL interpreting, which I will use to be an advocate for the deaf community.

ASSESSMENTS

IE is responsible for ensuring the quality and value of academic programs, student support services, and administrative units, collaborating with the provost, deans, faculty, and administrators to identify and conduct assessments in various areas.

SURVEYS

PROGRAMMATIC ACCREDITATION

SPC is an accredited institution with many degree programs additionally accredited or approved by state and national organizations specific to those fields of study.

student speaking about project

STUDENT RESEARCH

Various opportunities to complete a research project are available to SPC students. Additionally, student researchers are invited to present their research projects at SPC’s Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium each fall semester.

MEET THE TEAM

Contact information for our Institutional Effectiveness Team;

  • Maggie Tymms
  • Jennifer McBride
  • Amy Eggers
  • Robert Mohr