Interdisciplinary Studies and Global International Studies students present at the 2024 University Undergraduate Research Awards Forum

April 24, 2024 - Patti McDonald

Interdisciplinary studies and global international studies students presented their research along with hundreds of other students from 12 colleges at Michigan State University’s University Undergraduate Awards Forum (UURAF) on April 12 th at the Breslin Center.   

Isabella Guerrazzi, a junior and interdisciplinary studies in social science major, presented her research “Will Politics Ruin Relationships: What the News Does Not Tell You,” a project that stemmed from her SSC 495 class that she took with Associate Professor Dr. Eddie Boucher.  

“As an interdisciplinarian, we look at social issues in terms of multiple academic disciplines, so I looked at my project in terms of psychology, sociology, and political science,” she said.   

For the project, Guerrazzi said she also conducted multiple interviews and media observations, and compared different news outlets like CNN and FOX news to determine any level of media bias that contributes to political polarization.   

“I think it is so important to realize how politics are impacting us and impacting our relationships and how the media is influencing us. It’s sad that politics have caused so much of a divide in our relationships with others.”  

Sophomore and global and international studies major Riley Gailey presented her research project “Speech Understanding in Difficult Listening Conditions: Role of To-Be Ignored Background Rhythm.”  

According to the project’s abstract, “The ability to understand speech when there are difficult background noises present is vital to everyday life. There are many factors that impact an individual's ability to perceive speech in noise - one is rhythm.”  

Gailey said her research project is interdisciplinary and relevant because it focuses on real life situations where someone might be having a difficult time listening to someone in a loud environment and what can be done to improve one’s listening in such conditions.  

“We train our attention to a target speaker in difficult listening conditions, especially loud public events like UURAF, and we explored how if the background rhythm condition is different than the target rhythm, it makes our attention to the target speaker easier.”  

Riley said presenting her research at UURAF helped give her more confidence when speaking about her research in public.   

“It's a cool experience where I have been able to learn a lot of things, like presenting and conducting research while strengthening my public speaking skills.”