Patterns of Doubt, Practices of Resistance: A Mixed-Method Analysis of Vaccine Hesitancy in Public Talk
This project examines vaccine hesitancy as a socially organized communicative phenomenon rather than a stable set of individual beliefs. Drawing on a mixed-method design, it combines large-scale topic modeling of public vaccine discourse with fine-grained interactional analysis of naturally occurring talk. Topic modeling is used to identify recurring patterns of concern, doubt, and alignment across extensive digital data, while interaction studies examine how these patterns are enacted, negotiated, and transformed in real-time interaction. Together, the analyses show how vaccine hesitancy is accomplished through everyday communicative practices that shape trust, authority, and public engagement with health expertise.
Requirements: Major: Pre-health, public health, health humanities etc.
Faculty: Wan Wei and Lichen Zhen
Material and Meaning in Digital Fabrication
This 3-semester research project explores material and meaning in digital fabrication, investigating how 3D printed objects can expand beyond the visual and tactile expectations of extruded plastic. Through experimentation with alternative and composite filaments, electroplating, surface treatments, and post-processing techniques, the project examines how material choices shape perception, emotion, and cultural interpretation. Drawing from traditions in art, architecture, and design, the research asks how digitally fabricated objects can communicate weight, value, permanence, or luxury through material expression. The goal is to expand the expressive and conceptual vocabulary of 3D printing, positioning it as a medium capable of richer symbolic and experiential meaning.
Requirements: Preference is given to students who demonstrate advanced skill in 3D printing, any major.
Faculty: William Robb Cromar
Supply Chain Analysis 1945-1991
Our ACURA project proposes a historical analysis of the evolution of the supply chains from the beginning to the end of the Cold War (1945–1991). This period marked a critical transition from physical distribution to the larger concept of Supply Chain Management . Supply chains evolved from the 1950s focus on military logistics utilizing shipping containers to the 1960s-1970s which saw the first use of computerization of inventory and the integration of logistics. In the 1980's Supply Chain Management became a discipline utilizing the end-to-end flow of goods and information which set the stage for globalization.
Road Endangered: Route 66 in the 21st Century
E. Connor and I will trace the fabled Route 66’s decline in the 21st Century. Officially decommissioned on June 27, 1985, America’s Main Street has been endangered since the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System stole traffic off the “Blue Roads” of the United States. Despite the efforts of many states and small towns to preserve and maintain the historic places on Route 66, many restaurants, gas stations, mom-and-pop stores, and motels have been demolished. E. and I will catalog what remains on the road and what places face the most danger of being destroyed.
Faculty: Jimmy Pack
The Evolution of Disaster Messaging
Grace Iyawe will research the development and evolution of disaster messaging via technological advances, starting with the creation of Civil Defense and the use of television, radio, newspapers, and direct mailing in 1950 all the way to our current culture where civil defense has evolved into Federal Emergency Management, which utilizes digital technology.
Faculty: Jimmy Pack
The Financial Underpinnings of Cold War Era Civil Defense
The anthology Operation Panic: Cold War Stories of the Atomic Bomb holds short fiction that reflects the public’s pervasive fear of nuclear war during the Cold War era. It details the "duck and cover" drills, the construction of fallout shelters, and the stockpiling of canned goods. While these stories highlight a society on edge, they often overshadow a crucial, less-visible element: the significant financial system that underpinned this culture of preparedness. All these measures, from the mundane to the monumental, required immense financial investment. In this project, Jiayu will study civil defense from a financial perspective. Civil defense was not only about safety; it also required very large financial spending by the U.S. government. Billions of dollars went into programs such as shelters, training, and underground facilities to protect the public, civic leaders, and maintain an economy. Jiayu will analyze the governmental spending from the creation of Civil Defense in 1950 to FEMA’s spending today, since the U.S. government still spends heavily on public safety and emergency preparedness, such as disaster relief and homeland security. By looking at both the Cold War and modern times, Jiayu will show how financial investment has always been a key tool for managing fear and protecting stability.
Faculty: Jimmy Pack
Editing Margaret Cavendish's Poems and Fancies
Scholars all over the world are turning their attention to the works of seventeenth-century poet, playwright, novelist, and philosopher Margaret Cavendish. This project will focus on editing a section of her 1653 poetic debut, Poems and Fancies, for a new edition of her complete works.
Requirements: This project is not seeking students.
Faculty: Marissa Nicosia
Past and Present: Revisiting the Events of Summer 1957 in Levittown, PA to Learn About Our Current Society
I am researching the history of Levittown, PA in terms of the specific events of August 1957, when the first Black family moved into town and were met with violent resistance from a large number of white people. This event became a national focus point for the biggest proponents of racism and racial justice. That area’s history of racism and segregation will be compared with contemporary demographics and testimonies from people living in the Dogwood Hollow neighborhood. It is a photography-based project and will result in creative artistic output of digital photo collages and eventually an exhibition.
Requirements: Art, history, social sciences, or English majors preferred. Interest in history, racism, and social justice.
Faculty: Daniel Oliva
Brick-making techniques and applications
This project will explore various techniques for creating bricks, including digging and processing local clay, as well as pressing and firing them. Students will also use alternative processes, from making concrete bricks from oyster shells to growing mycelium bricks. Students will learn mold making as well as a variety of applications for the use of the bricks. This project will culminate with a display of the finished pieces at The Moravian Pottery and Tileworks in Doylestown, PA.
Requirements: Enthusiasm and a willingness to get dirty and think creatively.
Faculty: Chris Bonner
The Short Stories of Yusif Kanan
A short collection of short stories.
Requirements: Sophomore or higher.
Faculty: Jimmy J. Pack Jr. ([email protected])
Tentative: The Demise of the Motel
A research project on the decline of the Motor Hotel, also known as the motel.
Requirements: Sophomore or higher.
Faculty: Jimmy J. Pack Jr. ([email protected])