Kailie Yuan Finds Success Outside the Classroom (and now understands hash functions!)

Kailie Yuan, Verrazano Honors Class of 2019, earned a major in Computer Science and a minor in Math (in just 2.5 years!)

When I first heard this capstone was a requirement to graduate with Verrazano, I instantly freaked out because never in a million years would I have imagined completing this.  There is no doubt this was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. At the time, I was scared to step out of my comfort zone to push myself to self-learn something and to disappoint a professor who is said to be amazing.  But I figured it would be similar to when I self-learn any of my other classes. It turns out, I was half right.

Kailie presenting at the Undergraduate Research Conference

Research for me started out with lots of reading on what hash functions were.  When I say lots, I mean reading that felt like 100+ pages. In addition to me disliking reading in general, I was living my worst nightmare because I didn’t know a lot of the words being used.  But, I somehow managed to get the reading done on time to discuss the research. Then, I had to understand code in another language to manipulate it for research purposes. And for the first time ever, I came across something I really couldn’t do.  I tried to use google for help and it let me down, and because this wasn’t a class thing, I couldn’t turn to any of my friends or peers for help. Even when my research professor gave me a link that he felt was perfectly written, I still couldn’t understand it.  

I was very discouraged at that point and once again considered to leave Verrazano because this was the one thing I couldn’t do.  I felt that I was letting myself and my professor down because I’ve been working on the research for so long. At the same time, I never gave up on anything without a good fight, and so, I decided to be honest with my research professor that I had no idea in what to do.  He then changed the research slightly to something much more doable. I instantly felt better because I saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

Of course, there were still minor bumps in the research, but I was able to learn how to deal with myself as a person.  Doing this research also taught me to rely on the web until you can’t, which in that case, you need to speak to whoever is in charge – even if it means they might be slightly disappointed.  I know this isn’t the typical happy and wonderful experience you hear from students who have done research, but hey, not everything in life is that way for everyone. And the most important thing is, even through those emotions, I was able to get this capstone done and graduate with Verrazano.

Big Data Analytics Tackle Tax Evasion

Erica Brogna, Verrazano Honors Class of 2019, is earning a degree in Accounting with minors in Business Marketing and Business Finance

Who really wants to write a 20 page paper on “math?” I have always been a hardworking student, and ever since I was young, my education was always my main focus. I love numbers and math; they just click. As a result, I decided to become an Accounting Major, with a minor in Business Finance and Business Marketing. As an Accounting Major, I dreaded completing the Capstone Project. Even as a lover of accounting, I can even say that accounting is not one of the most interesting topics to research. So over the past three years, I kept telling myself I had more time. Then, the scariest thing happened: senior year came. I had no idea how I would even begin to approach this project with schoolwork and extracurricular activities, like the Accounting Club, competing for my attention.

Erica putting the finishing touches on her capstone

Luckily, some of my fellow classmates had already written and presented their projects at the Undergraduate Research Conference, so I finally understood that it was possible to juggle both schoolwork and outside research at the same time. Being a member of the Verrazano Honors Program, I was also encouraged to obtain Departmental Honors in Accounting, my major. I had 20 pages to write in four months, along with the 5 classes I was taking, so I knew it was time to get to work. Picking a topic had to be one of the most stressful parts of the project, since accounting is a very broad topic. I decided to narrow it down to the materials I fully grasped. I understood Taxation, since I had gained hands-on experience by completing an internship preparing free tax returns for individuals who could not afford their own tax accountant. Taxation, however, was not enough for me; I needed more pizzazz. One of the classes I was taking was Accounting 422, an Auditing class, which drew my interest. I was also curious about the new up and coming technological advancements in accounting, also known as Big Data Analytics. I combined these topics to create my own theme: “Big Data Analytics Tackle Tax Evasion”.

With the help of my faculty advisor, an auditor herself, I delve into the research of how the ever-changing, cost effective technology tools, otherwise known as Big Data Analytics, are being applied in order to enhance auditors’ detection of tax fraud and taxpayer identity theft. This project brought to my attention information that is often hidden from the public: modern day auditors are encountering monumental obstacles, including the fact that they are dealing with thousands of tax evading employees, yet investigators are equipped with limited resources and obsolete learning strategies that have become ineffective. However, due to the creation of Big Data Analytics, auditors have begun to use new and improved software suites and applications, such as the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) and Microsoft Excel, in order to efficiently manage and review enormous amounts of data. I do not work well with computers; however, learning how to use SAS and Microsoft Excel was a breeze, making these applications advantageous to use due to their easy to read instructions and controls.

An Accounting Club meeting reviewing CPA studying techniques with Mansour Farhat, an educational YouTuber

No one ever said writing this paper would be easy, but it was worth all of the exhausting hours. I learned more than I ever would have just simply sitting in a classroom! I am very grateful for all of the knowledge I can use toward my future career. I am also very thankful for my faculty advisor who pushed me to my limits; she helped to give me a feeling of satisfaction when I completed the project. Lastly, I am beyond thankful for the Verrazano Honors School for all of the amazing opportunities and wonderful memories.  

As for one last word of advice: never wait until the last minute!

Uncovering Pica During Pregnancy

Joshua Allas (RN), Verrazano Honors Class of 2019, earned a nursing degree at CSI.

Josh presenting his work on pica

The experiences I had while conducting my Verrazano Honors Capstone were enlightening and worthwhile. My Capstone project is titled “The Incidence and Prevalence of Pica During Pregnancy.” Pica is the consumption of non-nutritive substances that is not appropriate for one’s developmental age and is not considered as a culturally sanctioned practice. As a nursing major, the topic of pica really sparked my interest as I was interested to see what would provoke a pregnant mother to participate in such practices and how pica would affect the mother/fetus.

Conducting this project was truly eye-opening. I've learned about the importance of a holistic approach to nursing care as pica may be caused by numerous factors, including underlying physiological disorders, mental status, and cultural implications. Moreover, pica is an understated disorder in healthcare and may be overlooked when gathering patient information. I plan to carry out the knowledge and experiences I’ve obtained during this project and apply it to future practice as a registered nurse, improving the quality of care that I will be providing for all my patients.

The early stages of the Capstone project seemed daunting at first; having to reach certain deadlines, reaching out to possible mentors, and managing the time to work on the project between studying/completing term papers was very overwhelming. However, with the help and support of my fellow Verrazano peers, my mentor, and my Verrazano advisors, the project soon became almost effortless. Regardless of the project's hardships, I have gained invaluable knowledge, experiences, and relationships that I can carry with me throughout future research endeavors and my future career in nursing.

Making Video Games Your Research

Louis Pisicolo, Verrazano Honors Class of 2018, earned a major in Computer Science


Greetings! My name is Louis Pisicolo and I am a computer science student at the College of Staten Island.  Thank you for taking the time to experience the fantastic journey that is my Capstone project.  My whole life I have played and enjoyed video games aspiring to one day create them as well.  It wasn’t until my senior year of High School that I was introduced to computer programming.  Through multiple courses involving Java and C#, I learned the basics of coding.  The final project in the C# class was to code and create a video game.  This was a major team-oriented, collaborative experience.  Together, our group designed and fully developed a comprehensive video game.  After graduating High School I knew that I wanted to major and pursue my aspirations in computer science.  As I advanced through the computer science curriculum, I learned that there were many other interesting subjects aside from the creation of video games.  I learned about developing websites, creating and modifying databases, hacking and securing computers, applying logical algorithms, and also about computer operating systems.  In my junior year of college, I took an elective concerning serious game development.  The class introduced me to Dr. Sturm, who taught us how to design and develop a game that serves another purpose, one that educates the player.   

Louis and his mentor, Dr. Sturm, at the Undergraduate Research Conference

It was with Dr. Sturm that I requested and began my capstone research.  Dr. Sturm has been working on a collaborative team concerning computer science and psychology, to create a game for individuals with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).  The goal of the game is to improve ASD individual’s collaboration skills, as well as their recognition of complex emotions.  It was an enlightening experience to be introduced to the team and learn about the project they had been working on.  I began by participating and play-testing the game, as well as observing and learning the games code.  Before long I began contributing to the coding process myself.  I began my research by implementing a coin system to the game.  The coin system was introduced to provide a visual representation of the player’s progression.  Players would receive coins for successfully putting a puzzle piece in the correct position.  The coins would accumulate and allow the player to spend their coins on the final reward level.  The reward level was a recommendation from a student in CSI’s REACH Program.  It involved the construction of a dragon using the same puzzle techniques used in the game.  I created a dragon scene in collaboration with the team and an artist who provided eight variations of dragon parts consisting of wings, arms, legs, heads, tails, and bodies.  This level acted as more than just a reward, but also as a test to see if efforts to train the collaborative skills of two ASD individuals would be a success.  Another concern in my research was player engagement.  The team had been charting on paper collaborative signs of the players, such as how many times they face each-other, and talk to each-other.  The team developed an engagement metric using face-point-cloud values to compute a player’s orientation.  This would allow for the automatic tracking and logging of player engagement whenever a player faces another player.  The engagement metric provided more accurate results than expected.  After comparing the computed logs to hand-coded logs, the computed logs were more accurate as they did not allow for human error.  
Experiencing a team environment involving video games again after so many years was both exciting and insightful.  This research not only enhanced my computing skills, but also exposed me to how two groups, computer science and psychology, communicate and resolve conflicts.  The conversations that arose reminded me of very real-world business conflicts that computer scientists must partake in.  Often computer scientists have to take the ideas of another party and explain what is wrong with it, what is right with it, as well as which parts of it can actually be implemented.  Both parties when conducting my research, did well to understand each-other, which led to very motivating and highly productive meetings.  
I’m very glad to be a part of the Verrazano Program, a program that promotes and emphasizes the importance of undergraduate research.   I’m truly thankful to Dr. Sturm for providing me with an amazing research experience, as well as lessons that I will apply through my entire career.  Thank you for reading and experiencing my research with me, I wish you well with your undergraduate research, careers, and futures!

Sonny Baialardo's Greek Experience

Sonny Baialardo, Verrazano Class of 2018, earned majors in Business Marketing with minors in Business Management and English--Writing.

Studying abroad is an experience in itself but, to my dream destination it was a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve wanted to explore Greece since I’ve been young and the College of Staten Island made this opportunity possible for me.

Studying abroad allowed me to challenge myself and the person I was daily. The hardest part was leaving my family for over three months. My family has been a huge part of my life since the day I was born and now I wouldn’t be celebrating my 20th birthday with them or seeing them every night for dinner. After shedding a few (okay maybe a lot) of tears in the airport I was on my way. Once I was thousands of feet up in the air the dream was closer then I could’ve imagined. Upon landing there was snow on the ground! That’s right, snow in Greece- unheard of for the last 40 years. That got things off to an interesting and unique start.

Thessaloniki became my new home immediately. The vacations became my three day weekend trips around the area. Making friends was quick and easy because the excitement is everywhere and the only people that know how you feel are the ones there with you. We booked trips to different areas of Greece such as Santorini, Athens, Meteora, Crete, etc. We also booked trips to nearby places including Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Cyprus, and Budapest. Each place welcoming us, offering a new experience and a new culture to completely emerge ourselves into.

Studying abroad sent me out of my comfort zone and taught me about myself in ways I wasn’t expecting. I learned in school as well as outside of school. Learning Greek, the way of the people, the culture, and seeing the architecture I could never forget. All my doubts about studying abroad have quickly been replaced with amazing memories.

The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Interpersonal Therapy on Treating Depression in Children

Martina Zakir, Verrazano Honors Class of 2018, majored in Psychology and minored in biology

From the beginning of my four-year undergraduate at the College of Staten Island, I knew I wanted to study the psychology of the mind in particularly, children. I wanted to primarily focus on children because I wanted to grasp as much knowledge to take along with me when studying medicine. For my capstone thesis, I chose to do in depth research about the prevalence rate of depression among children and adolescents and the effectiveness of two forms of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT). Over the course of this semester, I learned that the lifetime prevalence rate of depression ranges from 0.2-12.9 percent, which is alarmingly high among children and adolescents. Also, both CBT and IPT psychotherapy treatments are effective in their own unique way with a different targeted goal.

Martina (center) presents at the Undergraduate Research Conference

This capstone experience was challenging, yet rewarding. I was able to work alone with Dr. Lawrence, whom supported and guided me along the way during this entire journey. He allowed me to understand and study children from the eyes of a scholar, which has helped me grasp this study in a way I never have before. This project has met my expectations since it was a very detailed study, and targeted most of my curiosities as a Psychology major. This capstone has enriched me with a better understanding for an important modern topic that must not be ignored in our modern world. The two types of therapies I have studied have shown the importance and effectiveness they have on depression in children. I only hope in my future endeavors to be able to further study children so that I am able to become very successful in the medical field.
In the future, this study could be further developed by working hands on with children who have been faced with depression and see hands on how this study comes to life. As well as conducting a study to compare both treatments on children who are depressed. This approach would give this study an entire new meaning and it will help us to broaden our knowledge in the psychology field. Overall, spending the past four years in the Verrazano Program has encouraged me to expand my horizons, as well as using the knowledge I have gained so that I am a perfect candidate for medicine. 

Using Neural Networks to Automate Cell Counting

Shannon Milone, Verrazano Honors Class of 2018, earned a major in Computer Science.

My name is Shannon Milone and I am a senior at the College of Staten Island. I will be receiving my computer science bachelor’s degree this spring. From my freshman year, I always thought ahead to my senior year capstone project. I was nervous to write such an in depth paper and didn’t have much of an idea on what to do research on. As semesters passed and I became more immersed in my computer science degree, I became more excited to do research. I developed better relationships with friends and my professors, became the vice president of the Computer Science Club, and gained a confidence in the field of programming. There are many paths a computer scientist can take- from cyber security to web development. I had such a difficult time choosing a faculty member to conduct research with because I found all of their topics so interesting.

Shannon presenting at the Undergraduate Research Conference

I finally decided to do research with the chairperson of the computer science department, professor Shuqun Zhang. “Convolutional Neural Networks for Automatic Cell Counting in Microscopy Images” is the name of the project. This project uses image processing and deep learning to count the number of cells in an image. A skilled technician usually does this process, but that proves costly and has the possibility for human error. This research has the potential to help with many medical processes such as the counting of cancer cells in patients. It is much more accurate and less costly than previous techniques. Since cancer is such a prominent threat today, I was so driven to participate in this research. My contributions for this project included: creating a large image dataset for network training and testing, implementing deep learning techniques in a framework called Caffe, comparing the performance of different convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in cell counting, and optimizing CNN models for automatic cell counting.

All the computer science presenters at the Conference

Conducting research taught me about different computer science topics that I was not previously exposed to. It also taught me how to work with a professional on a real world topic that can impact the lives of others. I previously thought I would want to go into a web development career path, but after being exposed to image processing techniques, I know my choices are much broader. This research opened new doors for me and allowed me to explore the power of a computer science background.

I am very thankful to the Verrazano Honors Program and The College of Staten Island for placing a heavy emphasis on undergraduate research. I am also grateful to have received the CSI Undergraduate Research Stipend.

A Chance Class, and the Rest is History

Mtthew Keegan, Verrazano Honors Class of 2018, earned a major in Economics and minor in Business Finance, Business Management, and History

 Whether it’s research, writing, editing, or dealing with faculty advisors, the capstone thesis can feel like an insurmountable obstacle for even the best of Verrazano students. While I’ve often been told to start early in order to prevent a catastrophe, many of my well-intended efforts were still thwarted by unforeseen circumstances. Despite taking seminar classes and writing about many interesting topics, I struggled to find inspiration. By the time senior year came, I thought all was lost before it began.

Matt presenting at a the SIEDC Conference

Nevertheless, almost by chance, the pieces began to fall in line. In order to complete my final general education classes, I enrolled in a Japanese history class. As someone who is fairly versed in world history, I thought the class would be a very shallow view of events. However, I was greatly mistaken and learned many things about the politics and economics of Japan that I never knew. Having reignited my passion for history, I decided to complete a history minor and took the Chinese history course with the same instructor, Professor Lufrano, the following year.

Too busy taking classes and going through the motions of college, I never stopped to fully contemplate my capstone until taking the Hon 301 seminar class with professor Miller. There I began researching a mock capstone to gather insight on what I might want to write about the following year. I spent time looking at economic boom and bust periods in the United States and Japan, ultimately being drawn into the field of economic history.

Although I found a field of interest, I had no one to work under. Most of my professors were either adjuncts or only focused on data analysis. Again, as luck would have it, my prayers were answered. What I first thought would be awful signing up for a Saturday class turned out extremely beneficial. Not only was Professor Wegge a great teacher, she explained to the class how she was an economic historian and explained some of her research. After summer break, I asked if she would be willing to work with me and agreed. Although I had originally planned to compare the history of the European with the Chinese economies, I ultimately decided to compare Chinese to Japanese economic history, with the West as an outside force.

As I began my research, I continually stayed in touch with Professor Wegge and Professor Lufrano, the East Asian history professor. Taking their classes for my major and minor, while simultaneously working on the capstone, allowed me to get quicker feedback on my ideas and reading materials. Overall, I would not call my thesis revolutionary, but I believe it to be a little outside the box and approachable by many disciplines.

As spring approached, deadlines grew closer. Although my paper was finished, the busy schedule of Professor Wegge as the department chair forced delays in my editing process. In the meantime, I was persuaded by the School of Business to present at the Staten Island Economic Development Council meeting. The event forced me to finish my poster early, but allowed me the opportunity to present for a distinguished panel of judges.

Despite numerous delays, deadline extensions, and unforeseen circumstances, I can say unequivocally that this journey was an eye opener and has helped influence my consideration for graduate school. This project taught me how official research is conducted and about the exciting areas of study for both history and economics. Overall, the best advice I can give for someone just starting the capstone, or venturing through the college experience, is to never fear the unknown because it might just be the most rewarding thing you’ve ever done. 

Pain Management in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia

Casey Wade, Verrazano Honors Class of 2018, earned a degree in Nursing. 

My name is Casey Wade and I am a Verrazano student in the graduating class of 2018.  I am a nursing major, so when it came time to start my capstone research project, I knew it would be based in that field.  The title of my project was Assessment and Management of Pain in Pediatric Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia.  The research focused on the meaning of pain, the differences between acute and chronic pain, sickle cell disease, assessment of pain in children, and appropriate ways to manage pain in children.  I chose this topic because I noticed how prevalent sickle cell disease was during my pediatric rotation, and was interested in how these children handle the constant pain. 

Casey with mentor, Professor Schiano

 While doing the research, I was pretty confident because I was able to find a lot of information and studies.  However, it was difficult to determine which studies were relevant to my topic and which were not.  My mentor was able to help me stay focus and organize my thoughts.  I really enjoyed doing the research paper because I wish to become a pediatric nurse, and was very invested in finding answers.  Presenting at the undergraduate research conference showed me that many people were interested in my topic, and were able to recognize the current problem for children in health care.  I think this research can contribute to the understanding of pain in children, possibly finding a way to appropriately care for an underserved population who cannot communicate well or advocate on behalf of themselves.