Student Research

 

		Bethany Boilard, Ithaca College, was selected by the Association for Geronotology in Higher Education (AGHE) to receive the prestigious AARP Andrus Foundation Founder's Scholar award for the 2002-2003 academic year. The annual national award honors an undergraduate-level student who exhibits a strong commitment to studying gerontology and plans to work in an aging-related career.
		Elyse Kantrowitz, Cornell 2000 graduate, will be continuing in the Design Department as a graduate student. She wrote her honor's thesis with Pathways data, Housing Quality and Positive Affect in Community-Dwelling Elderly," and she won the State Society on Aging Student Paper Award in October 1999 for her paper "There's No Place Like Home."
		Alyssa Slezak, MS '02 and Katie Krueger MS '02 won the 2001 State Society on Aging of New York Student Paper award for their research on the effects of grief in an older population. About their experience with research, Alyssa says, "Research isn't easy and we learned that lesson pretty quickly. Initially we had many ideas and planned to look at everything. We thought we could research one idea and move onto the next. Little did we know that it would take us 8 months to complete one paper!"
		Allison Lieberman, MS '02 and Anne Heitzman, MS '02, Ithaca College Physical Therapy students, presented their research and student working paper on marital harmony at the 2000 State Society on Aging conference. Allison Lieberman was elected Vice President of the Student Government Association at Ithaca College in 2000.
		Kelly Welsh, MS '02 assisted in data analysis and co-authored a chapter on health in the Pathways to Life Quality book. This past summer she traveled to the Dominican Republic for hands-on physical therapy work.
		Cornell student Francesca Balada talks to Longview residents about her experience with Pathways. Francesca wrote a paper on "The relationship between marital status and perceived health" which she presented at the Undergraduate Research Conference in Rochester in April, 1999. Francesca is pursing a Ph.D. in psychology.
		Jessica Stearns, MS '02 began working with the project as an undergraduate student. She's currently using the data for her master's thesis. Her research focuses on possible occupational therapy interventions for older adults who have experienced a fall.
		Ithaca College interviewer Megan Benoit '99 graduated to enter a graduate program at Emory University in Atlanta. Her paper, "Identification with important life roles and areas of life satisfaction among older adults" was presented at the October, 1998 State Society on Aging conference.
		A. J. Serafin, Ithaca College graduate who has joined the Air Force, describes apartment design to make "Room to Work," a project with Professor Carol Knight's Occupational Therapy class based on a Pathways to Life Quality spin-off project.
		Cornell Interviewer Meghan Gillen's work on "Three Musical Therapy Interventions in a Nursing Home" was based on work she did over the January break, supplemented with Pathways data.
		Cornell interviewer Lauren Nicholas presented her work on "Retirement: implications of age, work satisfaction, household income and decisional factors" at the Student State Society on Aging Conference in April 2000. She was also one of the recipients of the AARP Andrus Foundation scholarships (2000-01), which is designed to encourage undergraduate students to address the financial challenges facing the older population. Lauren is currently enrolled in the College of Human Ecology and is pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Policy Analysis and Management with a Consumer Economics Concentration. She is also working towards obtaining a Gerontology certificate.
		Shannon Lake '01 graduate of Ithaca College researched home based service use with ICGI Associate Director Pamela Mayberry. Shannon is currently attending Bloomsburg University for her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology.
		Naomi Solomon presented research at the Student State Society on Aging Conference in (date) entitled "Demoralization and Perceived Control in Moving Decisions."
		Mark Reardon '00 researched and wrote a paper on exercise in an older population. He found that there are physical and psychological benefits -- there is a strong relationship between exercise and energy ratings and positive mood. See student working paper #00-10. Catherine Ayers '00 worked on the study from 1997-2000 as a student interviewer, data entry person, and data analyst. She is currently a clinical psychology graduate student. Catherine writes, "Pathways taught me valuable research and interpersonal skills. It has been the most useful experience in helping me succeed in graduate school." Catherine's research results can be found in student working paper # 99-02.
		Jaime Dreyfus graduated Cornell in 2000. She presented her work on "Activity Participation and Older Women" at the August 1999 American Psychological Association Conference.

Pathways to Life Quality  
Gerontology Institute
Ithaca College
Center for Health Sciences
Ithaca, NY 14850

Phone: (607) 274-1965
Fax: (607) 274-1968

 

last updated 7/21/03