Student faculty collaborative research is rewarding in many respects. This form of experiential learning fosters engagement, leads to higher quality learning, increases knowledge of recent work in a field, develops skills and competitiveness for jobs and graduate studies, promotes mentor relationships with faculty, and it is fun.
"The research program at Albertus Magnus College has given me incredible opportunities that I never thought were even possible. I was given the chance to use my knowledge and design a hands-on study, where my team members and I actually conducted and analyzed research on texting and communication. Our work was even given recognition at the New England Psychological Association conference where we presented our poster. This was such a nerve-wracking, but amazing experience! This program has exposed me to many different areas in the psychological world. My next hope is to present our study at Albertus Magnus College's annual Experiential Learning Day. I have acquired many skills through this research experience enabling me to become a better learner, listener, and leader." - Emily Matousek, Class of 2013
"Participating in research projects as an undergraduate student has allowed me to truly understand the importance of research. Having participated in both pharmaceutical and public health research, I have realized that there is so much to be explored and probed in the world. What many seem to miss is that taking part in research is a unique and valuable experience because it gives us the opportunity to create knowledge. Becoming involved with research was one of the best decisions I ever made. My research experiences have not only helped me grow academically and personally, but have also given me the opportunity to meet extraordinary people along the way who may someday help me get to where I want to be." – Diana Velez, Class of 2012.
"During the past two and half years, I have been conducting volunteer research at Yale University School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I have been working on clinical and laboratory experiments to investigate the mechanism leading to pelvic organ prolapse, a common, costly, and debilitating disorder that affects many women across the world." – Lizamarie Valle-Crespo, Class of 2012
Following are descriptions of faculty research interests and their contact information. If you want to learn more about the research a faculty person is engaged in and what sort of role you would have in these research efforts as a research assistant, please contact the faculty member to arrange a meeting. Research assistantships can be done as a volunteer or as a research practicum or internship (in some departments, check with your advisor). Students and graduates of all programs (undergraduate and graduate) at Albertus Magnus College can participate. Research projects are conducted year round, check with the faculty person you might like to assist as to whether they are currently conducting any projects and the timing for such work. Faculty research descriptions are arranged in alphabetical order by department.
ART THERAPY
Evie Lindemann – Art Therapy
e-mail: elindemann@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8552
office: AH G12
Professor Lindemann is interested in art therapy based techniques that encourage creativity in student learning. She is also interested in research on the manadala and on the Mandala assessment research instrument (MARI).
EDUCATION
Loel Tronsky- Cognitive Psychology & Education
e-mail: ltronsky@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8561
office: WH 203
Dr. Tronsky conducts research on math learning processes and working memory.
Joan Venditto – Education
e-mail: jvenditto@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8087
office: WH 202
Dr. Venditto is interested in research that focus on improving education. She views every teacher as a researcher whose goal in conducting research is effective classroom instruction. Both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, students are instructed to recognize good research, and to produce research of quality, as well as to use published educational research to improve their teaching. Teacher candidates and practicing teachers in the graduate program are encouraged to collect data from their teaching activities, and then to analyze their data with the purpose of teaching to each student’s specific academic needs. This kind of research not only assures ongoing enthusiasm on the part of the teacherresearchers themselves, but also promotes their sharing their results and enthusiasm with other educators.
ENGLISH (Literature and Creative Writing)
Paul Robichaud – English
e-mail: probichaud@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8556
office: AH 234
Dr. Robichaud’s current research interests include: modern poetry; modernism and national identity; Louis MacNeice; T.S. Eliot; Scottish literature.
HISTORY & POLITICAL SCIENCE
Robert Imholt – History
e-mail: rimholt@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8548
office: AH 204
Dr. Imholt’s research is focused on creating a dual biography of Timothy Dwight and Joel Barlow. Timothy Dwight (1752-1817) was a poet, preacher, and president of Yale from 1795 until his death. He published two book length poems (The Conquest of Caaan and Greenfield Hill), four volumes of theology, four volumes of travels, and dozens of shorter works. Dwight was closely associated with the missionary and educational activities in the early republic and was a staunch defender of Connecticut’s Standing Order. Joel Barlow (1754-1812) was a graduate of Yale who also published two book length poems (The Vision of Columbus and The Columbiad) as well as many shorter poems and numerous political tracts. From 1788 to 1805, Barlow was in Europe and served briefly as American representative to Algiers. He was a close friend of Thomas Paine, Mary Wollstonecraft, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert Fulton. He died in Poland in 1812 while serving as personal representative of President Madison to Napoleon.
Michael Nordquist – Political Science
e-mail: mnordquist@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-1289
office: AH 203
Dr. Nordquist’s research areas include: Political Science; Political Theory; Environmental Politics; Contemporary Philosophy; and Food Politics. His research focuses on theoretical assessments of environmental politics and the role of other-than-human actors in environmental political activities, drawing on work from the fields of geography, public policy, philosophy, and cultural studies. His current work challenges the established division of “nonhuman nature” and “human society” as opposite and conflicting terms, using the examples of food and cities to demonstrate the blurred lines between "nature" and "society." Rather than starting from the assumption that humans are the only political actors, his work asks what it would mean to understand the activities of nonhumans and humans, acting together, as a form of political action. Students interested in relevant topics could read and review articles and books and contribute to writing and researching papers on theoretical critiques of environmental political phenomena.
PSYCHOLOGY
Howard Fero – Organizational Psychology
e-mail: hfero@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-4424
office: AH 306
Dr. Fero’s research focuses on leadership. He investigates motivation in the workplace and the conditions which foster those motivations. Furthermore, he is interested in how the interrelatedness of the leader and the follower leads to individual and organizational successes and failures.
Stephen Joy- Clinical Psychology
e-mail: joy@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8555
office: AH 230
Dr. Joy conducts research on creativity and neuropsychology.
Hilda Speicher – Social Psychology
e-mail: hspeicher@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8548
office: AH 210
Dr. Speicher studies the psychology of intimacy and interpersonal relations in a number of ongoing studies, including studies seeking to validate the questionnaire “Speicher Trait Intimacy Capability and Intimacy Motivation” (STICIM) which measure individual differences in approaches to intimacy across a variety of relationship types (e.g., romantic, friendship, familial). Topics include: a) attachment, b) attitudes toward and experiences of single (never married) adults, c) verbal and nonverbal communication in relationships, d) social cognition & intimacy, e) cultural influences on intimacy, etc. A secondary field of interest is the assessment of psychological well-being and self-esteem employing art therapy measures (e.g., the Projective Plant Drawing Assessment; PPDA).
Loel Tronsky- Cognitive Psychology & Education
e-mail: ltronsky@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8561
office: WH 203
Dr. Tronsky conducts research on math learning processes and working memory.
SCIENCES & MATH
Patty Compagnone-Post – Biology
e-mail: pcpost@albertus.edu
phone: 203-401-4682
office: AC 203
Dr. Post studies how chemical modification of DNA packaged within the cell nucleus (chromatin) affects gene activity. A recent international collaboration with another research lab involved understanding the process of repairing damaged DNA. Research can be conducted on campus, or in some cases as a collaborative effort off campus at area institutions.
SOCIOLOGY
Karen Kendrick – Sociology
e-mail: kkendrick@albertus.edu
phone: 203-773-8556
office: AH 308
Dr. Kendrick is in the early phases of a new project on the experiences of mothering among African American women college students. She will be conducting qualitative in-depth interviews about experiences negotiating the contemporary American family “time bind” while struggling to create a more secure position in the post-recession economy. The research will contribute to a growing body of literature exploring how race, class, and gender inequalities shape the work that women do as mothers in a globalized society. It also hopes to expand on the literature on African American women’s mothering by focusing on the role of mothers’ educational experiences and role modeling.
