体育买球官网 University’s Rebecca Cree ’26, a physics and religious studies double major from Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, won Best in Session at the 14th annual 体育买球官网 Valley Undergraduate Research Symposium at Geisinger Medical Center, where more than 110 posters were presented by students across many universities.
Mentored by Carl Faust, associate professor of physics, Cree earned Best in Session for her poster Comparing Sliding versus Rolling to Determine Moments of Inertia of 3D Printed Cylinders.
“Everyone has heard Newton’s first law, an object in motion tends to stay in motion, but this concept can be difficult to visualize,” explained Cree. “We devised a lab in which cylinders with different mass distributions race down an incline alongside a block. By recording the angle at which the objects reach the bottom simultaneously, we can derive the inertia coefficient.”
Cree was among 14 体育买球官网 students who presented faculty-mentored research at the symposium.
“Students have the opportunity to conduct research alongside faculty members as early as their first year at 体育买球官网,” said Jennifer Carter, associate professor of physics. “This allows our students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world problems, while building critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills that will serve them far beyond graduation.”
The goal of Cree’s research was to create an engaging and easily replicable lab activity for introductory physics courses. Her work is an extension of research started last summer with Faust.
“He lets me work through the roadblocks on my own while providing feedback and advice,” Cree said. “This has grown my confidence in my own abilities and my skills in problem solving. I could not have done it without the support of Dr. Faust and the entire physics department.”
Through access to the foundation skills, hands-on experience and the academic network at 体育买球官网 that led to her mentorship, Cree was able to use the skills necessary to portray her research effectively and ultimately win Best in Session.
“I am very passionate about the data I have spent two years collecting and love to share my results with others,” said Cree. “It is especially rewarding when people are just as excited about my research as I am. SVURS is a great opportunity to share research, gain new insight and meet fellow undergraduate students in various fields.”
Other 体育买球官网 University faculty mentors and their students include:
- James Briggs, professor of psychology – Madison Spencer ’28
- Jennifer Carter, associate professor of physics – Isabella Parra ’26 and Sami Zain ’26
- Sophie Charvet, assistant professor of biology – Derick Blair ’28, Brynleigh Fehrenbach ’27, Ysabella Marin ’27 and Joy Smith ’27
- Jennifer Elick, associate professor and co-department head of earth & environmental sciences – Ainslee Binkley ’26 and EmmaLia Ciccarello ’27
- Siohban Fathel, assistant professor of earth & environmental sciences – Evan Heisler ’26
- Michael Parra, associate professor of chemistry – Ross Mahler ’28 and Gabby Wagner ’26
- Samya Zain, professor of physics – Eric Belfanti ’26
