Category Archive

Major and Classification Chemical Engineering Faculty Mentors Professor Victor Chang Department Chemical Engineering McNair Project “Rubber Reclamation from Spent Tires Through Biodegradation: Current Methods and Possible Improvements” Used tires have become an environmental hazard due to the inability of current recycling processes to fully degrade vulcanized rubber, the major component of tires. Moreover, many of those techniques are not environmentally …

Major and Classification Public Relations Faculty Mentors Professor Craig Carroll Department McNair Project “Understanding the President’s Portrayal as a Competent Leader Through Content Analysis of Four Major U.S. Newspapers” The research question addressed in this study is how the media’s coverage of President Bush’s actions concerning international relations affects his image in the media and his job approval rating. Through …

Major and Classification Occupational Therapy, Psychology Faculty Mentors Professor Florence Clark Department Occupational Therapy & Psychology McNair Project “Pressure Sore Management: Case Study of a Gang Member with Spinal Cord Injury” Pressure sores (decubitus ulcers) are injuries to the skin that pose a consistent threat to the quality of life of persons with spinal cord injuries. Pressure sores are not …

Major and Classification History, Political Science Faculty Mentors Professor Genevieve Giuliano Department History & Political Science McNair Project “Moving Forward: Strategies for Improving Public Transit in Los Angeles” Transportation in Los Angeles has often been regarded as automobile-focused to the exclusion of viable public transit alternatives such as busing. Strategies aimed at improving the bus system including use of multiple …

Major and Classification International Relations Faculty Mentors Professor Robert English Department McNair Project “Dissidents as Political Leaders: A Study in Adopting Transactional and Transformational Leadership Models to International Relations” Without strong leadership developing nations flounder and fall victim to corruption and chaos. However, those engaged in nation building and studying this phenomenon in international relations can only refer to limited …

Major and Classification Psychology Faculty Mentors Professor Thomas Lyon Department McNair Project “Cellmate Suicides: Factors Affecting Rehabilitation of Incarcerated Adolescents Through Behavior Modification Treatment Programs in Detention Facilities” This paper provides a double case-study of the suicides of two incarcerated adolescents at the California Youth Authority (CYA) in Ione, California. Drawing from information published in six privately-funded evaluative reports on …

Major and Classification Psychology Faculty Mentors Professor Joann Farver Department McNair Project “The Influence of Acculturation and Parental Stress on Literacy Outcomes for Low-Income Latino Preschool Children” While the risk of poor literacy outcomes for low-income and minority children has been well documented in the literature, the influence of ethnic difference on these outcome variables has not been thoroughly investigated. …

Major and Classification Psychology Faculty Mentors Professor Mitchell Earleywine Department McNair Project “The Effects of Dispositional Aggression and Alcohol Expectancies on Aggressive Behavioral Outcomes” The study measured the association between dispositional aggression, explicit and implicit expectancies, alcohol consumption and the reported aggressive behavioral outcomes. Individuals from the University of Southern California and surrounding community participated in the study, yielding a …

Major and Classification Psychology Faculty Mentors Professor Laura Baker Department McNair Project “Social Risk Factors for Externalizing Behavior in Children: Ethnic Differences Within a Community Sample” This study examined the social risk factors for externalizing behavior in children and how these relationships differ across ethnic groups. The participants included 550 male and female twin pairs aged 9-10 years and their …