{"id":13448,"date":"2013-04-29T23:23:47","date_gmt":"2013-04-29T23:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/librarynews\/?p=13448"},"modified":"2013-10-24T16:15:21","modified_gmt":"2013-10-24T16:15:21","slug":"turf-crews-undergraduate-research-in-technicolor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/librarynews\/2013\/04\/29\/turf-crews-undergraduate-research-in-technicolor\/","title":{"rendered":"TURF-CreWS: Undergraduate Research in Technicolor"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is research? And how exactly is that concept made manifest? \u00a0As members of an academic community, we may think of research as a culling\u2014one gathers information from a static collection of preexisting \u201cfacts\u201d, and uses said facts as supporting evidence in the construction of an original thesis. That thesis is then articulated, filled out, augmented with the appropriate research materials, and, often, rendered formally in print.<\/p>\n

However, after attending Temple\u2019s Undergraduate Research Forum\/Workshop Symposium (aka TURF-CreWs), held in the Howard Gittis Student Center on April 18th<\/sup>, it’s clear that research can be a far more fluid enterprise than its face value definition suggests.\u00a0 Composed of the research projects of 130 undergraduate participants from all of Temple\u2019s colleges, the forum offers these students a setting in which to display and present their ongoing projects. From papers to posters to panels to performances, a wide range of subjects were on exhibit for the Temple community to not only observe, but to engage with as well.<\/p>\n

At the event, I was able to speak with three students from three different Temple colleges, whose respective research interests engendered three different approaches to the research process\u2014some traditional, some more creatively employed, but all immanently remarkable.<\/p>\n

Andrea Gudiel, Biology: \u201cDeforestation and the Spread of Invasive Species\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

While assisting with a graduate student research project \u00a0during a field work trip to Madagascar , Andrea found herself focusing on the effects of local human use in her immediate environment. Built infrastructure, such as roads and trails, along with various invasive flora and fauna species, were causing tangible changes within the Madagascan ecosystem.\u00a0 Though internet connectivity was precarious in her location, she was able to discern a lack in written research in this specific area after conducting preliminary searches. This lack, then, Andrea decided to take up and address herself. Since her trip, Andrea has utilized various library databases\u2014including Web of Knowledge and Gale\u2014to flesh out her \u00a0field work. Though still in progress, Andrea told me she hopes to submit the finished project to an international bio-diversity journal for publication.<\/p>\n

Daharis Pesantez, Communication Studies, \u201cNetworks in New Urbanism\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was drawn \u00a0to Daharis\u2019 poster because its primary subject matter, The High Line Park in New York City (check out the website HERE<\/a> if you\u2019re unfamiliar with the park), is, in and of itself, very interesting. Daharis\u2019 engagement with the park, though, added several dimensions to its appeal: her poster posed the questions, Do these types of spaces promote diversity within the community? \u00a0Within their respective communities, are they perceived as inviting spaces, or as marginalizing? Thinking of the High Line as one of the first \u201crepurposed urban spaces\u201d in what is becoming an emerging trend (including in our own Philadelphia!), Daharis sees these spaces as sites, \u201cnetworks\u201d, in which social, economic, and cultural intersections are enacted, redefining ideas surrounding urban areas and community engagement. \u00a0As of now, Daharis\u2019 footwork has been interdisciplinary and research-based, looking at work in fields such as urban studies, sociology,\u00a0 and her major, communication. This summer, Daharis will be in New York \u00a0conducting on-site research (she hopes to interview parkgoers) and incorporating an experiential aspect into the solid research-based foundation she\u2019s established.<\/p>\n

\"Daharis<\/a>

Daharis and her High Line poster<\/p><\/div>\n

Kenneth Brown, Music Composition, \u201cTwo Concertos for Bassoon and String Orchestra\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

After being commissioned to write two neo-baroque concerti for bassoon by a fellow composition student, Kenneth began the task of composing. Aided by a Diamond Scholars Research grant, he started at Paley, where he studied a variety of concerti from the baroque period for bassoon and other instruments. With these materials in hand, Kenneth analyzed the key, tempo, meter, and length of the pieces he found in the library, identifying patterns in the scores. Vivaldi\u2019s 10 Bassoon Concerti <\/i>\u00a0in particular was an important resource. \u00a0In the process, he found he had to move out of his familiarity with writing specifically for bassoon, learning how to write in baroque concerto form.<\/p>\n

During his panel presentation, Kenneth showed us his early drafts, each subsequent draft moving toward becoming \u201cless imitative and more inventive\u201d.\u00a0 Of his process of composing, Kenneth said, \u201c\u2026I began twisting my baroque-influenced ideas into a more modern shape by playing with meter and introducing unexpected dissonances.\u201d He describes his work as moving toward \u201cVivaldi through a prism\u2014exploded and refracted.\u201d The concerti now completed, Kenneth was kind enough to share a video of their performance. Take a look below!<\/p>\n