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LDES Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Faculty
Overview of Research Projects
Preferred Student Qualifications
Contact Information

Dr. Cassie Storlie

Counselor Education and Supervision

Currently analyzing data related to college and career readiness of marginalized youth (specifically low income and ethnically diverse students).  I am also working on several projects about the career development of Latino youth and supporting science related careers.

Time commitment: 3-5 hours per week

Junior or Senior students that are interested in the topic, familiar with APA format

Email: cstorlie@kent.edu

Dr. Kelly Cichy

Human Development and Family Science

Projects focusing on relationships and health in midlife and later life, including daily family stress, health behaviors, and physical and emotional well-being, particularly within the context of African American families

Time commitment: 3-5 hours per week; 2 semester commitment 

Email: kcichy@kent.edu

Dr. Greg Smith

Human Development and Family Science

My research examines stress, coping, and well-being in later life families, especially within the context of family caregiving. A particular research focus is on families where grandparents are raising grandchildren in the absence of significant involvement by the grandchild’s birth parents.

Basic training in SPSS data entry and coding. 

Juniors and Seniors with a GPA of at least 3.25.

Email: gsmith2@kent.edu

Dr. Brian Barber

Special Education

Projects include: pilot evaluation of school-based social emotional curriculum to reduce peer aggression; pilot evaluation of a goal-setting mobile application for students with behavioral lability; development of content acquisition podcasts (CAPs) for improving teacher’s classroom management skills; survey research of restorative practices used in alternative education settings; meta-analysis of peer status interventions

Time commitment: 5-9 hrs/wk and two semester commitment

Required: 3.5 minimum GPA

Preference given to students who have taken a research methods or statistics course

Email: bbarber8@kent.edu

Dr. Peña Bedesem

Special Education

Current Research Projects: All of the following projects focus on students with high incidence disabilities

Literature review on the use of mobile technology in inclusive settings; Meta-analysis of the use of self-monitoring to increase student on-task behavior in inclusive settings; School-based study on the use of mobile applications to increase students’ self-regulation

Time commitment: 3-4 hours per week; 2 semesters

Preferred Student Qualifications: Junior or Senior; At least a 3.5 GPA; Available for weekly research team meetings; Working knowledge of Google Apps

Email: pbedesem@kent.edu

Dr. Nathan A. Stevenson

Special Education

Developing culturally responsive functional behavior assessment; Developing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (Positive Behavior Support and Response-to-Intervention) for high school dropout prevention; Creating school-wide systems of support for struggling learners in middle school and high school; Developing supports for students with behavioral difficulties in schools. This includes creation for resources and supports for Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Support Plans (BSP). Students interested in FBA/BSP should have taken at minimum of one course in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Time commitment: Average of 5 hours per week. Required hours will vary week to week. 

Required skills: The ability to work independently and stay on pace with project deadlines, exceptional verbal and written communications skills, willingness to learn new research skills; Preferred skills: The ability to conduct a research literature review, basic skills using Microsoft Excel 

Email: nsteve15@kent.edu