#Adulting—it's a trending term among 20-somethings referencing their attempts to take on adult responsibilities. When asked, "do you think you are an adult?" most college students answered “yes and no," according to research from Dana Palmisano ’19 CLAS. Dana is interested in personality psychology and did research on the transition period between adolescence and adulthood under the guidance of her faculty mentor, John Kurtz, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. In this episode, Dr. Kurtz and Dana talk about the results of Dana’s research and the possibility for further research on psychological maturity and understanding this critical developmental period.

Research that Resonates

Youth and Identity: #Adulting, Understanding the Transition

There is a lot of literature on the challenges of being a first-generation college student, but not as much on the strengths of first-gen students. Researchers Stacey Havlik, PhD, and Krista Malott, PhD, both assistant professors of Education and Counseling, created an eight-session counseling curriculum designed to better prepare first-gen students for college and piloted the study in a Philadelphia high school in 2017. In this episode, Dr. Havlik, Dr. Malott and Jose Diaz ’19 MA, a first-generation student himself, talk about facilitating the program and its potential as an evidence-based practice.

Youth and Identity: Strengths and Struggles, First-gen Students Persist

Activism is a powerful tool for people to elevate their concerns and spur systemic change, but it also has a personal impact on the activist. When activists come together to discuss their shared visions and strategies, they connect with their identities and gain a better understanding of other identities. In this episode, Jerusha Conner, PhD, associate professor, Education and Counseling, and Hwa Pyung Yoo ’19 CLAS talk about the research they did with self-identifying college student activists and the surprising results they found.

Youth and Identity: Students Speak Up

Scholarship takes the stage with Villanova’s “Youth”—a play about a young church community wrestling with issues of identity, sexuality and faith. Award-winning playwright James Ijames, MFA, associate professor of Theatre, worked with dramaturg Adrena Williams ’19 MA to put on Villanova Theatre’s recent production of the show. In this episode, Professor Ijames and Adrena explain the collaborative research and scholarship that went into writing, editing and producing this new play.

Youth and Identity: Scholarship Takes the Stage

Photosynthesis seems to be a beautiful, natural process where plants harness the sun’s energy and make fuel. Jared Paul, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, is interested in understanding what’s happening at the chemical level during this process. In this episode, Dr. Paul and his students Claire Teahan '19 CLAS, Diane Isaacs '19 MS explain how their research could lead to developing alternative fuels sources.

Sustainability: Alternative Fuel Sources

Mangroves are forests that line the coasts, primarily in tropical climates like Florida. They provide flood protection and other important benefits to the environment, but as a result of the earth’s warming temperatures, these mangroves are moving northward. Seemingly, the mangroves are adapting to climate change. Samantha Chapman, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Biology, along with students Libby O’Brien '19 CLAS and Emily Geoghegan '19 MS explain the implications of this phenomenon.

Sustainability: Can Nature Adapt? The Phenomenon of Mangroves

Coastal wetlands are sometimes called the kidneys of Earth’s ecosystems because of their ability to filter out pollutants, but increasingly they are coping with two major risk factors—rising sea levels and land use change. Nathaniel Weston, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment, along with students Lloyd Willis ’20 CLAS and Kristen Jezycki ’19 MS talk about how coastal wetlands are responding to a changing world.

Sustainability: Caring for Coastal Ecosystems

Research that Resonates is a podcast from Villanova University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that takes listeners inside labs and classrooms to learn about important research our students are conducting alongside faculty mentors. For our first miniseries, we focused on sustainability. Villanova teams are researching some of the most critical issues affecting the planet today, including renewable energy, rising sea levels and climate change.

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Research that Resonates

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