Communications students present their research at SURF

Seventeen students mentored by seven School of Communications faculty members will present their work at Elon University's annual Student Undergraduate Research Forum April 25. The presentations will take place in various venues across the campus that day.

A total of just 67 proposed presentations were accepted university-wide. Each year, SURF abstracts are reviewed by a committee of 20 to 25 Elon faculty members. Typically members of the Undergraduate Research Program Advisory Committee (URPAC) serve as SURF reviewers, but 15-20 persons from the faculty at large are also involved in the process. Each abstract is read by at least three reviewers, each of whom provides feedback to help URPAC members, the SURF chair and the director of the UR Program make appropriate decisions for accepting and declining applications for presentation.

Following are the abstracts submitted by the 2006 SURF participants with ties to the School of Communications. Click on the title for more information.

A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE GOLDEN ERA OF CHILDREN’S TELEVISION
Melissa A. Apperson, Maria T. Interiano, Crystal G. Gentry (Dr. Connie Book) School of Communications

THE PRESENCE OF PROGRAMMING DIVERSITY IN COLLEGE RADIO AT HISTORICALLY BLACK, WOMEN’S, AND NATIVE AMERICAN COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES
Montesia C. Deas and Monica R. Salvo (Dr. Constance Book) School of Communications

THE DYSTOPIAN CITY IN FILM
Benjamin A. DeLoose (Dr. Michael Frontani) School of Communications

FILM GENRE AND THE CREATIVE SCREENWRITING PROCESS
Brandon J. Hale, Ted O’Hanlan (Professor Jim Goodman) School of Communications

FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LOW ATHLETIC EVENT ATTENDANCE AMONG ELON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Katherine E. Hart and Emily Downing (Professor Lee Bush) School of Communications

THE INTERNET AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: A STUDY OF QUANTITATIVE DATA FROM THE ELON/PEW SURVEY
Bridget E. Holmstrom (Professor Janna Q. Anderson) School of Communications

THE SILENT EMERGENCY: MALNUTRITION IN HONDURAS
Maria T. Interiano (Dr. Constance Book) School of Communications

REACHING AND RETAINING ONLINE AUDIENCES: A STUDY OF TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES BASED ON RESEARCH TO UPDATE ELON/PEW IMAGINING THE INTERNET SITE
Bettina C. Johnson, Sarah A. Moser, Amy E. Parker, Christina M. Pompeo (Professor Janna Anderson) School of Communications

“COULD IT HAPPEN IN AMERICA?”: CNN’S BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE OF THE 2005 BRITISH SUBWAY ATTACKS
Cristina M. Mayer (Dr. Brooke Barnett) School of Communications

CLAIMS AND CONSTRAINTS: A QUANTITATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF JAPANESE NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF CHINA
Asami Sudani (Professor Glenn Scott), School of Communications