Honors students to present research at national conference
By Sarah Shoaf, Staff Writer
What are students passionate about researching?
Governors State University (GovState) Honors Student Brock Krska investigated artificial intelligence (AI) and is set to present at a national conference on its possible applications in the accounting industry, considering its early iterations in the 1950s to present day.
An Accounting major, Brock relishes the opportunity to share his research with National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in April.
“With this opportunity, I will be able to use the knowledge that I have accumulated over the last three years and apply it towards research on a topic that will significantly impact my future career field.”
Brock, whose research dives into how AI can ethically benefit accounting firms and their information systems, will join seven other Honors students April 7 – 9 for NCUR in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
NCUR presents a unique opportunity for undergraduate students from all institutions of higher learning and from all disciplines to gather, network and share their research.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Biology major Amanda Lask is grateful to present and still in awe of the potential impact her research holds – especially as an undergraduate student.
Last summer, Amanda worked with Dr. John Yunger, a GovState professor, to study the effects of logging on black bear habitats in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They discovered a complex relationship between the species and the changing habitat due to the cutting of trees for timber.
Amanda said she’s proud of her ground-breaking research. “My findings are not only helping to educate GovState on more ecologically and environmentally friendly land practices, but I'm able to speak to a much larger audience on this pressing issue by attending this conference,’’ she said.
Moreover, most national presentations are reserved for graduate students. “As an undergraduate, I did not expect my research to be some of the first done on black bears in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,’’ Amanda said.
Community Health major Barbara Broschat is presenting at her second national conference.
“It’s exciting to share research that I’m passionate about while representing Governors State University's Honors College,” she said.
This time, she’s sharing her work on the relationship between stress and sleep in college students, hoping to highlight the importance of prioritizing healthy habits for both mental and physical health.
Another quickly evolving field is social media advertising. Business Administration major Nayeli Zambrano examined the differences in color preferences between Gen Z and Millennials in social media advertising, while analyzing how these distinct aesthetic sensibilities impact engagement rates, purchase intent, and brand perception across generations.
“I want my research to address the growing purchasing power of Gen Z alongside Millennials, offering actionable guidance for brands seeking to enhance campaign performance through targeted color psychology in the social media age,” said Nayeli.
From psychology to spirituality, young scholars are excited to present.
Psychology major Will Ravetto said he is open to all the conference possibilities. He will be presenting research on how spirituality affects the level of regret people experience.
His study prompts participants to read and visualize a stressful or regretful event and then reflect on how much regret they feel by answering a series of questions, which are compared to the results of a spirituality scale they also fill out.
Additional student presenters:
Hayley Stewart (Psychology)
Jade Groble (Psychology)
Nicole Solick (Community Health).