Research Articles

Research articles describe research and creative projects in all the disciplines and are authored by UNH undergraduates or recent graduates in collaboration with Inquiry student and staff editors. They should not exceed 2500 words (excluding bibliography). These articles are based on research reports or essays written for a course or independent study. Because of the relatively short length and general audience of research articles, their authors often choose to narrow or refocus their original text. The research experience is held to be as important as research results.

Using Magnetostratigraphy to Find the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary in La Colonia Formation, Patagonia, Argentina

—Peter Haber (Mentor: William Clyde)

Peter’s research as a UNH McNair Scholar connects Patagonian rock samples to reversals in Earth’s magnetic field and helps verify a new South American geologic site for studying the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs.

Connecting Composting and Greenhouses: An Energy Capture and Usage Model

—Dena Hoffman (Mentor: John Aber)

Is it possible to run a greenhouse on heat generated from a compost pile? Environmental sciences major Dena Hoffman finds out.

Professional Nurse-Led Unjani Clinics: Empowering the Nurse Entrepreneur

—Bri McGrath (Mentor: Gene Harkless, Lynda Toussaint)

Bri spent nine weeks visiting the innovative Unjani Clinics in South Africa and brought home inspiring information about how this model brings high-quality primary health care to underserved communities while empowering the nurse-owners of the clinics.

Contributing to the Field of Dam Removal Science: Analyzing Sediment Characteristics in Mill Pond and Sawyer Mill

—Hannah Miller (Mentor: Anne Lightbody)

Realizing the importance of research in her field, civil engineering major Hannah contributes to the body of knowledge with a study of sediment contamination impounded at two local dams.

Media, Gender, and National Identity in Almaty, Kazakhstan

—Darby O’Neil (Mentor: Svetlana Peshkova, Nurseit Niyazbekov)

Darby spent two months in Almaty, Kazakhstan, analyzing how the country’s evolving gender roles are portrayed in popular magazines and on billboard images.

The Post-Tonal Pedagogical Piano Music of Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee

—Annelise Papinsick (Mentor: Rose Pruiksma)

Annelise’s multipronged research on teaching piano brings light to a seldom-taught style of piano music and to the pedagogical works of a little-known female composer.

Clothing and Power in the Royal World of Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth I

—Niki Toy-Caron (Mentor: John Cerullo)

How did Henry VIII’s wives and daughters use clothing to advance their political and personal agendas? Niki Toy-Caron, a recent UNH graduate and historical costume maker, tells us.

Remote Sensing for River Restoration and Dam Removal Studies

—Bonnie Turek (Mentor: Kevin Gardner)

Learning about the use of drones to study river ecology inspired Bonnie to earn an FAA remote pilot license to research the Bellamy River’s response to dam removal.

Living in a World Where Seeing Is No Longer Believing: Artificial Intelligence as a Disinformation Engine

—Dylan Wheeler (Mentor: Nick Smith)

How can we guard against falling for fake content online? Dylan delves into how fake content is made and disseminated and offers advice on identifying what is real.

Inquiry Journal

Undergraduate Research Journal : Spring 2020

Research Articles