Faculty, graduates, student present at conference

Staff report

New wilmington, pa.

Eight Westminster College faculty members, a Westminster student and two recent graduates presented at the Conference on Undergraduate Research last month at the College of New Jersey.

Three faculty members also were elected to serve as councilors on CUR committees.

Sandra K. Webster, a professor of psychology at Westminster, was re-elected for her third term to serve as the CUR councilor for the psychology division. Webster, who has been with Westminster since 1983, earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. She specializes in research and design and is the author of the textbook “Hand in Hand: Research Design and Statistics for Behavioral Sciences.”

Webster, along with Terri L. Lenox, professor of computer science, presented “Parallels in Research Design and Computer Programming Skills Development for Beginning Undergraduate Research.”

Westminster 2012 graduate Devon Struthers also participated in this presentation. Struthers, a Carlisle native, is working as a technical consultant for Psychology Software Tools, Inc.

Lenox was elected for her second term on the CUR Quarterly Committee. Lenox also volunteered to work on the Undergraduate Research Task Force, is the CUR Quarterly Mathematics and Computer Science Division editor, and is the liaison for the new CUR website. She earned her undergraduate degree from Grove City College and her master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Her interests include the psychology of the Internet and computer-supported cooperative work.

Lenox and Webster also participated in “Preparing Women for Success in STEM Graduate Education.” Additional faculty who presented included Doug N. Armstead, assistant professor of physics; Sarah A. Kennedy, assistant professor of chemistry; Katherine L. Robertson, associate professor of biology; Barbara T. Faires, professor of mathematics emerita; and Helen M. Boylan Funari, associate professor of chemistry.

“The Effectiveness of the Hybrid Teaching Method in Non-majors Biology Course” was presented by Karen K. Resendes, assistant professor of biology, student Kevin R. Mroz and graduate Jordan F. Zabo.

Resendes was elected for a three-year term as CUR councilor in the biology division. She has been with Westminster since 2009. She earned her undergraduate degree from Brown University and her Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary. She has an interest in educational research, and her studies involve comparing both majors and nonmajors introductory biology courses at small, liberal arts schools.

According to the CUR website, “The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. CUR believes that faculty members enhance their teaching and contribution to society by remaining active in research and by involving undergraduates in research.”