CLU Festival of Scholars begins April 29

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – April 10, 2013) The Seventh Annual Festival of Scholars at California Lutheran University will showcase the work of undergraduate and graduate students from Monday, April 29, through Friday, May 3.

Scholarly work by students in all disciplines will be presented in individual and panel presentations, interactive poster exhibits, musical and theatrical performances, and creative work displays. The many sessions will include screenings of students’ original films, a performance by the Honors String Quartet and faculty presentations on sabbatical projects.

Featured graduate program research projects include Camarillo economics student Kristen Keogh’s study of the potential effect of World Series results on incumbents in gubernatorial elections. Simi Valley education student Deborah Greene will share her analysis of how the use of a flipped classroom where second-graders watched video lectures for homework in math affected achievement.

Business major Madison Pardi of San Diego and global studies majors Daniel Chell of Brookings, S.D., and Kerissa Hollenbach of Bellevue, Wash., will report on human trafficking issues in Thailand. During a travel seminar to the country with faculty member Akiko Yasuike, the students visited several local and international organizations focused on preventing human trafficking and rehabilitating victims and evaluated their effectiveness.

Psychology major Danielle Foster of Cupertino will present the reward-based system she developed and tested to improve the behavior of a preschool-aged child with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. She and other students will also share the results of their investigation into the impact of gratitude and spirituality on life satisfaction.

Projects presented during the Science Showcase will include a study of cross-contamination in reusable shopping bags, a model developed to assess pesticide exposure in low-income communities, and a comparison of bacteria growth among regular, capped and electric toothbrushes.

“Loving as Madness in Film” will include the screening and discussion of two very different Oscar-nominated films about love. Presentation of student abstracts and discussion will follow showings of “Don Juan DeMarco” and “As Good as It Gets.”

Students from the History and Literature of Music class will present formal papers with Robert Cutietta, dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, serving as guest commentator.

For a complete schedule of events, go to callutheran.edu/fos. CLU’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship (OUCRS) is presenting the free festival. For more information, contact the OURCS at 805-493-3795 or ourcs@callutheran.edu.