Graduate Research

Jul 6, 2016

‘A Lee Chip’ Captures the Sound of an Island

When Caroline Myrick first went to the Caribbean island of Saba in 2012, she had no idea that she’d be publishing a dictionary on the native language four years later. 

Jun 27, 2016

Twitter: A More Timely Way to Measure Neighborhood Trends?

Researchers have historically measured gentrification through the U.S. Census and other official tallies. However because the Census operates on a 10-year cycle, some changes may not be apparent in the data until long after they have occurred. NC State doctoral student Desiree Dighton thinks social media may provide a more timely observation of gentrification. On Twitter, for instance, she said the conversation is constant and ongoing. 

Jun 7, 2016

Research Explores How Hurricane Warnings Reach the Public

NC State graduate student Laura Zdanski studies how hurricane warnings are communicated to the public. As part of a recent literature review of public perception and response to hurricane flooding, Zdanski explored the flow of technical information from experts to those at risk (the public) and those responsible for mitigating risk (governmental agencies). 

May 2, 2016

Doctoral Student Helps Recreate Historic King Speech

Bringing the words of a 1960 speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to life has been the work of doctoral student Keon Pettiway, a digital humanist and research assistant with NC State’s Virtual MLK Project (vMLK). And as he completes his Ph.D. in communication, rhetoric and digital media, he and the vMLK team are preparing for a September event at NC State University that will draw attention to King’s involvement in North Carolina during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. 

Apr 18, 2016

Eco Apps: A Guide to Going Green

After spending the past four years researching how to increase public engagement through environmental communication, Eli Typhina believes one solution may lie in the palms of more and more people’s hands: mobile phones. 

Apr 5, 2016

Class Project Leads to New Research on Spanish in North Carolina

For professor Jim Michnowicz and his students, what started as a class experiment is now producing intriguing research findings that will be published in a new book on language diversity. Their work, which provides further insight into the evolution of Spanish in North Carolina, also serves as a clear example of the kind of purposeful, community-based research that can be carried out by undergraduates. 

Dec 10, 2015

Psychologists ask: What motivates older adults to stay active?

As we age, it can be harder to do what’s good for the mind. While research shows that regularly exercising the brain, for instance, can help older adults mitigate normal declines in cognition, that effort comes with costs — such as mental fatigue — that typically increase as we get older. Psychologists at NC State University want to know how those increased costs affect our motivation to engage in cognitively-rewarding tasks. 

Dec 7, 2015

Study: Mental Health Courts Reduce Repeat Offenses, Jail Time

Research from NC State psychologists shows that mental health courts can reduce repeat offending, and limit related jail time, for people with mental health problems — especially those who also have substance use problems. 

Dec 3, 2015

Research seeks answers to black lung resurgence

For some, the words “black lung” may stir thoughts of an antiquated disease. However, after cases among miners dropped from nearly 30 percent to 3 percent between 1969 and 1999, recent research shows that trend reversing in central Appalachia. NC State doctoral student Aysha Bodenhamer aims to find out what’s led to the resurgence and what miners, their families and the industry are doing about it. 

Oct 1, 2015

Grad student, Boren Fellow seeks answers to youth unemployment in Morocco

As a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Boren Fellowship, NC State graduate student Mary Sloan is spending 10 months studying in Morocco, researching what’s keeping young people from finding employment in the region.