2008 Pollak Library Prize
for Undergraduate Research Papers and Projects

 
Honorable Mention Deann Helton, Michelle Blokzyl, and Joey Ayala
Major Health Science
Paper University students’ perceptions of risk and alcohol consumption
Course Health Science 475
Supporting Faculty Dr. DiStephano

Deann, Michelle, and Joey investigate university students' perception of risk and alcohol use. They collected their own data and conducted sophisticated statistical analysis. Their study found that those students who reported a high perception did not drink.

Comments from Dr. Sean Hogan's support letter: 

“The semester-long research project was a large undertaking, involving every step in a public health research study, including specification of research questions and specific aims, operationalization of variables from a testable theory, development of original data collection instruments, collection of qualitative and quantitative data, [and] analysis of these data..."