Mining and Marketing Diamonds

Nikolozi Davlianidze, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in International Business 

 

During my research about diamonds and the diamond industry, I discovered negative and positive factors which have influenced societies and economies in the past few hundred years. The diamond industry has been one of the most mysterious business segments, and it is a fascinating marketing example.

Diamond is composed of carbon, and the bonding of the atoms makes it the hardest single element. They are formed under pressure many miles below the earth's mantle and are ejected to the earth’s surface through vertical structures called kimberlite pipes in the oldest parts of the world. Explorers and scientists discovered these kimberlite mines in India, Brazil, Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Russia.

Diamonds created a specific market for the royal elite who were interested in owning a jewel for the aesthetics of their presentation. For example, Queen Elizabeth of England has a 530-carat diamond mounted on her crown. This diamond is the largest pear-shaped stone, and is known as the Great Star of Africa.

Mining diamonds is a controversial issue due to forced labor and human rights, which has happening for decades. According to experts, governments have used conflict diamond trade money to finance wars. In 2002, approximately thirty-seven countries adopted a diamond trade transparency process, also known as the Kimberley Process (KB) which reduces the flow of conflict diamonds.  

Diamond processing companies create opportunities for the local communities, which increases their living standards in developing countries. For example, a story I was told of a diamond polisher who works for Tiffany & Co is very touching because it allows to her earn a wage to take care of her family in Cambodia.

Today, many people can afford to own and wear some diamonds in their jewelry. 

Self Confidence and Humility Gained from Research

 Kathleen Preis, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Business Management with minors in ASL and Biology 

I began the venture with my capstone project in the first semester of my sophomore year. This was a very uncertain time for me personally, since I was going through a lot of personal hardships as well as thinking of changing my degree. It seemed like everything was not going my way, and this took a huge toll on my self-esteem and confidence. I think you could see where this is going….

I decided to change my major and take on two minors. I started my degree in Business Management and began figuring out my new life vision. At the same time, I started a new position as an intern in Human Resources. During my employment, I met a lot of great people and really started to grow as a person. I decided after many conversations with my boss, that I wanted to pursue a career in Human Resources. With hers and Cheryl Craddock’s guidance, I went into the next semester with my head held high.

I realized a lot of new things about myself during this time: I enjoy helping other people, I enjoy group work, and I am capable of more than what I lead myself to believe. I realized that I really was my own worst critic and was not giving myself enough credit. These revelations really helped me grow and develop as a person and allowed me to better myself for the upcoming semesters.

Although there were a lot of personal things happening at that time, I got to meet a lot of great instructors such as Professor Passarello, who helped me with my capstone project. Alongside many other professors who I have met in this new endeavor, I continued to grow as a person. In fact, my self-esteem skyrocketed, I was more confident than I ever was before, and my mentality changed. This got me thinking about my projected new career as a Human Resource professional, or even just a manager in general: how can these new characteristics that I found in myself affect my professionalism and career?

I began to ask many questions to my professors, and even the bosses I met along the way. I asked them how confidence helped them in their careers. However, as I was speaking to my boss regarding my possible thesis, she brought up the aspect of having humility as a manager. While having a long conversation during our one-hour break, I had a self-revelation. Using the humility I always had in myself combined with my newly found confidence, I could grow in my professionalism and so could others. As I previously mentioned, I love helping others. Therefore, when I got the idea to make this my capstone project, I started right away.

Research is my first love, and so I started finding different books, articles, and websites that showed the proven statistics of confidence and humility in leaders, but it was not enough for me. My conversations with Professor Passarello, other instructors, my boss, and of course my mother helped me come to my final project idea: the balancing act of humility and confidence in leaders.

Throughout my time researching, reading, interviewing, and even trying to incorporate some of the knowledge that I have gained in the timespan, I truly think that it has helped me develop my professionalism and even myself. Using these tactics and stressing the characteristics and aspects of my paper has helped me to become a better manager, worker, and individual. I believe that it can have the same, or at least similar, effects on fellow students like me or even newly promoted managers.

Researching the Effects of Alcohol Use Disorder

Fanny Liao, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Nursing

My project was titled “The Effects Precipitated by Alcohol Use Disorder”. I worked in conjunction with Professor Schiano from the Nursing Department. From the moment I first contacted her with my mentorship request to finishing the capstone and departmental honors thesis, it was much like a roller coaster ride. There were ups, there were downs, and there were loops taking me back to where I was before. Without a doubt, I am absolutely relieved that I made it to the end successfully. 

I learned so many things during this journey. I learned that I should not procrastinate and with the correct time management, I could balance the multiple aspects of the capstone and departmental honors projects (yes, plural) with my classes, my job searching, and my personal life. I learned that I am capable of so much if I put in the time and dedication. I managed to create a thesis paper, have it reviewed with the Writing Center, create a poster, a presentation powerpoint, a video, and present at both the Undergraduate Research Conference and in an AAS psychiatric nursing class. 

My research on alcohol use disorder and its effects took a great deal of time and I value each morsel of knowledge. Alcohol use disorder has so many effects and if left unaddressed, it will continue to cycle through the lives of the vulnerable. Their affected lives will have effects on the individuals, families, and communities around them.

The goal of my project was to educate nursing students and others about those effects and what they could do to help lessen their impact. The takeaway message that I want people to know is that support for alcoholic individuals and their families is so important if we want to protect the children in their lives who will eventually grow up one day to futures that have been greatly influenced by the traumas they experienced as children. Children are our future and their futures are in our hands.

If I ever continue researching this project, I envision looking more into how culture affects alcohol use disorder and how culture mediates the disorder’s effects. For example, would cultures who use more alcohol be more supportive of those with alcohol use disorder?

This project was a success and I owe many thanks to Professor Barbara Schiano for her patience and support, and to the CSI Writing Center for their wonderful advice.  

Researching Infants Developmental Abilities

 Haley Essig, Verrazzano Class of 2022, completed major in Psychology and minor in ASL 

I've always been interested in research as a Psychology major. During my junior year, I worked as a research assistant in the Child Development Lab with Dr. Berger, who supported and guided me throughout my journey. With my interest in psychology and desire to work with children, I thought this would be ideal. We were curious to see if and how an infants' ability to sit affected their ability to focus their attention because they mastered both abilities throughout the second half of their first year.

To accomplish this, we observed multiple 6–8-month old infants as they explored toys, either supported (in a high-chair) or independently (while sitting on the floor). This study was carried out online, with parents using a webcam or phone camera to record their children's focused attention and sitting ability. We instructed the parent to give three toys to the infant for 90 seconds at a time and observe how they explored. 

For the first two semesters, we collected data and coded it for interpretation. During the third semester, I collaborated with graduate students on the manuscript and worked on my capstone project. This project was difficult at times, but I believe the payoff was well worth it. I'd previously studied motor development in my psychology classes but becoming a participant in that study was a whole different experience. I thought it would be a good idea to include these ideas into my capstone project, as I was already drafting the manuscript alongside a fellow graduate student. 

Finding a means to explain the facts and make it understandable to an outside audience was the most challenging aspect of the capstone, and I am grateful for the increased knowledge and experience I gained. My mentors and classmates were supportive and helpful in the process of guiding me through my research and writing my capstone. I had many moments of doubt, worry, and fear about whether I would be able to complete this task. Despite all these difficult emotions, this project is one of the things I am most proud of from my undergraduate years. It piqued my interest and curiosity, taught me perseverance, and helped me gain knowledge in the fields of psychology and motor development.