Graduate Student Recognition Week
The week of April 23-27, 2007 has been set aside by the Division of Graduate Studies for special recognition of the approximately 2,000 master's and doctoral degree-seeking graduate students at Fresno State. Many of the students presented here will be at the 1st annual Graduate Student Expo and Reception on Wednesday, April 25 from 4 -6 pm in the University Business Center's Gottschalks Gallery. Please take advantage of this opportunity to meet the students and view their work. This event is free and open to everyone in the campus community and the general public.
Meet Some of Our Graduate Students
Bradley Adame (MA, Communication)
Mr. Adame's research centers on health communication issues. Of note is his interest in provider-patient interaction in highly specialized populations, including the disabled. He strives to find voice for underprivileged groups, occasionally using empirical research methods and other times using theory grounded in rhetorical criticism.
Nelson Bernal (MS, Geology)
Mr. Bernal's research involves a case study on the Big Sandy Creek watershed, a small watershed in the Prather-Auberry area northeast of Fresno. The purpose of the study is to understand the flow of ground water, its availability and how it is controlled by numerous fracture systems and networks. This study is vital due to the increase in population and land development activities and the pressure it has put on the local water supply in recent years. Understanding how ground water flows is essential for land use planning and future water management.
Alan Bontya (MA, Kinesiology)
Mr. Bontya participates in the community by devoting many hours as a youth baseball coach. As such he has become a role model for many since he is persistent in helping people and in reaching his goals. He has done volunteer work in such events as the Relay for Life and the March of Dimes. As a scholar athlete at a Division I University he showed himself to be honorable and dedicated. His thesis was done in a very controversial area of student athletes and the struggle to balance both sports and academics. This topic is of great interest nationally as Congress will begin an investigation into this area. Alan's work will be of great interest due to its timeliness.
Leslie Collins-Hester (MA, Communication)
Ms. Collins-Hester's research focuses on the role of women leaders in the Christian Church and her thesis explores the rhetorical functions of humor in the public discourse of 19th Century suffragist, Anna Howard Shaw. It is entitled, "The Rhetorical Functions of Humor in the Speeches of Anna Howard Shaw." Her scholarship reflects a commitment to understanding the voices and perspectives of those often underrepresented in society and our scholarship.
Timothy Denney (MS, Rehabilitation Counseling )
Mr. Denney's project involves the development of a training module to help rehabilitation counselors understand the manifestations and impact of common Cluster B personality disorder traits in the caseload as they relate to vocational functioning and the counseling relationship. The training program will assist counselors in identifying common personality and disorder traits and behavioral manifestations of them and suggest research-based self-management strategies for counselors; the program will also identify research-based strategies to help improve outcomes and functioning for clients.
Donnette Fernandez (MA, Education)
Ms. Fernandez's project involves working with English learners (EL) who are attending an after-school program. These students developed oral "walk-throughs" for video games such as Civilization , which upload as Podcasts for other non-gaming students to use as instructional devices. ELs then listen to these instructions, discuss ways to improve them, and provide feedback to the original walk-through creator. The creators then revise their oral walk-throughs for future use. During this process, the language development of these students is examined, and changes and improvements in vocabulary, expression, and usage are documented.
Laine Hendricks (MA, Mass Communication and Journalism)
Ms. Hendricks has been involved in the study of reality television, an entertainment genre that in recent years has received growing interest from viewers and researchers alike. Ms. Hendricks surveyed 353 students in an effort to determine motives for watching reality television and specific reality television subgenres, in addition to elements of reality television programming that appealed to different ages, sexes, and races of viewers.
Maria Elvira Hernandez (MA, Spanish)
Ms. Hernandez's thesis is deemed original and important as she researches the novelist, Concha Espina, who is considered to be the first professional woman writer in the history of Spanish literature and whose work has been largely neglected by critics for the last several decades, mostly due to the fact that she supported the fascists during and after the Spanish Civil War. Through her study of these novels, Maria Elvira presents and interpretation of Espina's work that is long overdue in Spanish letters and could easily be expanded into a book for publication.
Colleen Horn (MA, Kinesiology)
Ms. Horn's thesis research in implementing a sport psychology curriculum with community college softball players continues the UNIFORM line of research directed by Dr. Jenelle N. Gilbert. She first developed the intervention and field tested a number of the activities. She is currently in data collection during the spring 2007 semester, and the results so far look very positive. This study has the potential to make a significant contribution because the community college has such a unique context and this competition level has been neglected in the research literature. The underlying practical and theoretical frameworks being used in her study will also contribute greatly to the sport psychology field.
Phil Johnson (MA, Art)
Mr. Johnson shines with regard to his research in Art History (currently he is involved in writing a catalogue with Ray Reichert and several other graduate students in African Art) as well as service to the department. Last year, Phil agreed to teach Art History 10 for the department at the last minute. He was given very little time to prepare and ended up succeeding with flying colors. As a lecturer, Phil is outstanding, engaging. He easily holds the attention of the students in his large survey courses, and has an excellent command of the wide range of information being covered in class. Phil is a meticulous researcher and writer. He is pro-active in his approach to learning, and will no doubt make excellent contributions to the field of art history.
Lisa Janzen Leininger (MA, Kinesiology)
Ms. Leininger's master's thesis addressed the increasing physical inactivity problem nationwide and investigated traditional and nontraditional forms of exercise. Lisa's thesis compared rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and enjoyment between exergaming and treadmill walking. She found that not only did subjects enjoy exergaming more than treadmill sessions, reaction and movement time were both improved after exergaming. Further, improvements of reaction and movement time have the ability to transfer over to real life situations, as well as improve sport performance. These results are very encouraging because exercise enjoyment is an important factor in exercise adherence. Given the relevance of these results, Lisa's work should be commended and recognized
Brittany Loney (MA, Kinesiology)
Ms. Loney's thesis examined a sport psychology intervention with high school athletes from an inner city school in the Fresno area. First designing the intervention and pilot test, she then implemented this 12-week program in her third semester. Her results showed that the student-athletes learned the sport psychology skills and applied select skills in practice and competition. Her thesis will make both a practical and theoretical contribution due to the innovative UNIFORM approach used in the intervention and the use of the Trans-theoretical Model as the underlying theory.
Leslie MacLaggan (MPT, Physical Therapy)
Ms. MacLaggan's research over the past three years has involved faculty and students from the Department of Physical Therapy, as well as partners from the greater medical community. 
Her work through a grant funded by Sierra Pacific Orthopedic Center (SPOC) of Fresno allowed her to develop and pilot clinical tools and procedures to implement a long-term prospective study, describing functional outcomes in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Partnered with multiple graduate students, Leslie carried primary responsibilities for all data collection and tabulation tasks with relation to this study. To date, 49 subjects have been entered into the study, with over one half successfully followed for a one-year period. Leslie has chosen to independently continue data collection needs through the summer and to continue the project with a new student partner through the 2006-07 academic year. At least two submissions from her work will be submitted to national meetings this spring, with at least two manuscripts prepared for submission to peer reviewed journals
Megan McCullough (MBt, Biotechnology)
Ms. McCullough's thesis is a qualitative and quantitative assay of the effects of environmental stress on Bt toxin genes in Widestrike® (Dow AgroSciences, Indianapolis, IN) and Bollgard II® (Monsanto, St. Louis, MO) brand of transgenic cotton. The project will study the effect on toxin production and efficacy as a result of light, nitrogen, and moisture stress. Megan is one of the first students at California State University, Fresno to complete a Master's in Biotechnology and the first student to complete the degree with a thesis.
Paul Michaelson, Robert Moorhead, and Jesus Pelayo (MBA, Business Administration)
This team's award winning project entitled "Food Services Facility and Services Replacement Superior Services Inc. Business Plan," was utilized by the company to submit a bid to privatize food services at a U.S. Army training installation in Fort Lee, VA. The contract is worth $10 million and the business plan developed by these students has allowed the company to be among the final bidders. The contract has not yet been awarded.
Ryan Nyberg (MA, Music)
Mr. Nyberg has been a composition student of Dr. Kenneth Froelich's since Fall of 2005 and will be graduating in Spring 2007. According to Dr. Froelich, Ryan has been consistently one of his "best and brightest" students, as demonstrated by the high quality and diversity of his compositions. Ryan is currently a member of the Fresno State flute Ensemble and the Early Music Ensemble. Ryan has also performed in the New Music Ensemble. His recital on March 15, 2007 featured his original compositions including a piano concerto, a flute ensemble piece, a cello and piano duet, a two piano duet, a chamber quintet, and a piece for Women's chorus.
Christine Park (MA, Mass Communication and Journalism)
Ms. Park is the Consumer and Morning Reporter for ABC 30 Action News. She won an Emmy for her reporting on AM Live. She is excited and honored to be doing the job of her dreams so close to home. She went to high school at Clovis West and graduated with honors from UC Berkeley. Out of college, she was hired as a Production Assistant and Newsroom Trainee at KRON-TV in San Francisco. Prior to her current position at ABC-30, she was the Special Projects Producer and Weekend Assignment Editor. Christine taught broadcast writing and reporting to undergraduate students at Fresno State and was honored with the Outstanding Graduate Award, as the top graduate student in the Mass Communication and Journalism department.
Lindsey Peltier (MA, Art)
Ms. Peltier is an incredibly prolific artist, and is known for her experimentation with non-traditional materials in painting, and has achieved incredible effects with these materials in her highly expressive paintings. She is a student who is completely dedicated to her artistic/creative growth and development. A single mother with a young child, Lindsey has managed to maintain excellence in our program, exhibit her work often (including a solo exhibition in 2006 at the Warner Theater in Fresno). As an artist, she recognizes the importance of research used to inform and strengthen her art work. Lindsey is very well-versed in contemporary art and theory, and will no doubt make an impact as a contemporary artist.
Jorge Rodriguez (MS, Industrial Technology)
Mr. Rodriguez's project involves working with Viticulture and Enology Research Center in image processing for wine grape yield estimation. He has also worked for the Center for Irrigation Technology.
Sivakumar Sachidhanantham (MS, Industrial Technology)
Mr. Sachidhanantham's thesis topic is Geo-spatial modeling and differential harvesting for precision viticulture. He is developing a collaborative research relationship between the departments of Industrial Technology and Viticulture and Enology within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
(Loren) Scott Scheufle (MS, Plant Science)
Mr. Scheufle's thesis work is focused on horseweed (Conyza Canadensis) and hairy fleabane (Conyza bonariensis) control with glyphosate, examining application timing and herbicide rate interactions, as well as sprayer nozzle and spray volume effects.
Adam Smith (MA, Kinesiology)
During his brief tenure as a graduate student Adam has co-authored a book chapter and has already co-authored seven conference presentations at state, regional, national, and even the international level. Adam is the current president of the Student Sport Psychology Club, has worked as a research assistant for the School-based Healthy Activity Program for Exercise (SHAPE), and has taught numerous courses in the department of Kinesiology. He is completing his thesis on body appearance and physical activity attitudes and behaviors of urban middle school youth,
a very important topic because a lack of physical activity is one of the main causes of the current health crisis in our nation
Tonantzin Soto (MPH, Public Health)
Ms. Soto's research with the Central Valley Health Policy Institute for the past two years has focused on maternal risk factors associated with prenatal care, and diabetes-obesity and health care access. In the summer of 2006, she was awarded an internship at the Harvard Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she spent three months examining cancer risk factors among low income housing residents. She has also worked for the UCSF Center for Reproductive Health Research Policy and the Central California Children's Institute. Tona has recently been accepted into medical school at the University of Chicago and to a Ph.D. program in Health Policy at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Sambo Srauy (MA, Mass Communication and Journalism)
For nearly a decade, Sam has worked as a technology consultant specializing in open source and emerging technology. He had also served as the Chief Technology Officer and Vice Chairman for an Internet company in Cambodia specializing in municipal wireless, Voice Over IP and new media. His experience with new technology naturally led him to study new media at Fresno State, where he received his master's degree with distinction in the summer of 2006. He also holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism and a certificate in peacebuilding and mediation. He plans to pursue his doctorate in the fall.
Stefanie Tacata (MA, History)
Ms. Tacata's thesis work involves research into the Cuban ideology of "Revolutionary Motherhood," which has shaped the nature and form of Cuban feminism since the Revolution. She has distinguished herself as a talented, dedicated historian in the area of the history of feminism in Latin America (particularly Cuban feminism). One of her advisors writes, "Stefanie is pushing the envelope of our understanding of women's political participation in moments of crisis, and I believe her work will prove influential for years to come."
Dan Tennant (MS, Physics)
Mr. Tennant's research project involves the interface between quantum mechanics and gravitational physics. He is studying Hawking radiation and related phenomena (e.g., Unruh radiation). In the mid 70s Stephen Hawking found that when one looked at quantum fields in general relativity (Einstein's theory of gravitation) that black holes turned out not to be entirely approximations, which while valid for large black holes, are not valid for smaller black holes. Dan is working on doing a calculation without using the approximation of the original. In this way he hopes to find something new about black hole radiation for black holes of any size (i.e., mass).
Mary-tyler Wahl (MA, Kinesiology)
Ms. Wahl's work as a sport psychology consultant with high school student-athletes reflects the university's commitment to community engagement and has also resulted in significant contributions to the revision of the UNIFORM approach, a mental skills training protocol for use with athletes at various levels of competition. Mary-tyler has been actively engaged in research completing not only an exceptional master's thesis, Spirituality and Sport Commitment, but is also co-author of Sport Psychology in an Urban High School: Overview of a Two-year Collaboration, a manuscript at which she collaborated with Dr. Jenelle N. Gilbert and other colleagues that is in press for the Journal of Education .
Erin Webster (MA, Art)
Ms. Webster has distinguished herself as an outstanding artist and has also been very successful teaching, working for the Fresno Art Museum, and raising a young child as a single mother while pursuing her M.A. in Art. Erin is teaching at Fresno City College, the Clovis Center, is a consultant for the Fresno Art Museum, and has designed the art curriculum for Fresno Parks and Recreation.
Kari Wilson (MS, Counseling)
Ms. Wilson's project targets at-risk adolescents in grades 9-12 who face challenges that include low self-esteem, poor interpersonal communication skills, and poor family support/ involvement, which can lead to low self-efficacy, low educational aspirations, poor academic achievement, and a limited sense of self-control. The Goal Builders Project provides these students with a multifaceted approach to removing these challenges by providing individuals with knowledge, skills, and experiences related to career development.
