Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations
RCAS URSCI Committee 2011-2012

The Committee on Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations (URSCI) is a standing RCAS Committee with the following responsibilities. The Committee

  • Reviews and approves URSCI grants for URSCI programs/initiatives submitted by faculty and students.
  • Establishes policies and procedures for current and new URSCI programs/initiatives.
  • Provides guidance and assistance to the director for the URSCI Expo.
  • Provides mentoring to faculty and students applying for URSCI programs/initiatives.
  • Develops and promotes URSCI initiatives and programs.

Martha A. Jacob, Ph.D., is Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations.  Dr. Jacob is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and coordinator of the gerontology specialization within the sociology major.  Her research interests include the effects of discrimination on women in retirement and other issues surrounding age, race and gender.

Michael Wesolowski, a senior at Dominican majoring in Biology- Chemistry, is the student assistant to the Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations. Michael helps the Director by handling applications and evaluations for the various URSCI initiatives, organizing and updating participants for the URSCI Expo and performing other clerical tasks to organize and prepare for the URSCI Expo.

URSCI Committee Members for 2011-2012

Paul Anderson is an undergraduate student in Dominican's Rosary College of Arts and Sciences studying Communications and Graphic Design.  Going into his senior year, Paul is the Marketing and Public Relations coordinator for the Campus Activities Board, a performer in Curtain Call's No Scripts Attached improv group and a Hall Representative for Centennial Hall.

Megan Graves is a Sophomore, majoring in Pastoral Ministry and minoring in Theology and Social Justice and Civic Engagement. Megan is a Resident Assistant in the dormitories at Dominican, and she is actively involved in University Ministry as core area leader of the Student Leaders and Ministers group in the University Ministry, as well as being part of the Liturgical Choir, and Students for Peace and Justice.

David Aron, Ph.D., is an Exelon Research Fellow and Associate Professor of Marketing, Brennan School of Business. Dr. Aron's current research focuses on consumer behavior satisfaction as well as the incorporation of client-based service learning in the classroom.

Tracy Caldwell, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Psychology.  Her two major lines of research are in personality assessment and on the social psychology of humor.  She is currently studying perceptions of women who use homor and sex differences in attracting potential mates.

William George, Ph.D., is Director of the Core Curriculum.  Dr. George is a Professor of Theology whose research interests include theological ethics, Catholic social thought, war and peace, and the relationship between theology and international law.

Alexis Howe, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Spanish. Dr. Howe's research interests involve the intersection of Latin American literature and human rights. Her most recent work focuses on the representation of psychic trauma and memory in Chilean post-coup texts (those produced since the 1973 coup d'etat).

Ellen McManus, Ph.D., is a Professor of English .  Her research and teaching interests include 19th century British literature, academic writing and the nature of disciplinary knowledge, and approaches to literary study that draw on insights from cognitive and evolutionary science.  Dr. McManus is also the faculty advisor to The Constellation: A Journal of Undergraduate Research.

Kathleen Mullaney, Ph.D., is the Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects.  Her responsibilities included working with faculty members to prepare proposals for funded research projects and serving as administrator to the IRB (Institutional Review Board).  She also teaches part-time in the Honors Program in Rosary College.

Mickey Sweeney, Ph.D., is a Professor of English and Visiting Derek Brewer Fellow, Cambridge University (2009- ).  Her research interests rest in 14th century English medieval poetry and Christianity.  Dr. Sweeney is also the Co-Director of Dominican's Honors Program and Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee.

Marion Weedermann, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Mathematics. Her research interests include mathematical modeling and differential equations. She has worked with a number of students on projects such as the analysis of fractals, finding the optimal strategy for a game, as well as an abstract study on semigroups. She also serves as the Director for the Joint Engineering Program with Illinois Institute of Technology and the Mathematics Department Chair. .

Tama Weisman, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy.  Her research interests include environmental philosophy and environmental justice.  She is currently working on a project concerned with environmental justice.

Ning Zou, MIS-HCI and MLS, is Instruction Coordinator for the Rebecca Crown Library.  Ms. Zou's research interests include team-lbasaed learning and using rubric and research mapping diaries to assess students' information literacy skills.