Portrayal of the LGBTQ community in animated children's films

Brian Spagnoli, a Communications--Media Studies major in the Verrazano Honors Class of 2018, talks about how research impacted his life.

My time at CSI was turbulent to say the least. There were moments of pure excitement inspired by professors and the people I’ve met at the school, but the research project in which I worked with Professor David Gerstner and my great friend Lauren McKenna led to the culmination of some of my favorite people and work. If you had asked me when I had first started my academic career at CSI, I would have never thought I would have even begin to openly identify under the LGBTQ umbrella nor would I have thought I would have invested a significant part of my time as a student researching and studying so many social issues in America.

Brian posing after being told to "look like a smart person."

In fact, I never entirely intended on pursuing this research myself. It was a day like any other when Lauren had come up to me and said “I put your name down to work on a research project with me and Professor Gerstner.” At the time I had spoke to Dr. Gerstner maybe once or twice, but I didn’t have any idea of what I was getting in to. I just said “sure.” That sort of became my identity over my last two years at CSI -- saying yes to the little projects and endeavors that people had asked me to get involved in. This “little project” turned out to be a bit more than that.

We didn’t have a clear thesis from the get-go. All I knew, is that Lauren and I were in similar situations with how we were sexually identifying, and being able to invest our time into researching why LGBTQ people have certain stigmas and stereotypes was something that tied incredibly well into our interests. Eventually, after literally weeks of deliberation on what our thesis should be -- and a few times being rejected by Dr. Gerstner for being “too broad” -- we settled on researching how animated films have perpetuated gay stereotypes. Specifically, we examined children’s films, because people are socialized at a very young age on what to expect from the greater society. We spent nearly two months researching LGBTQ history and watching animated Disney films highlighting when LGBTQ stereotypes could be construed by an audience and how that influences other films and audiences. The expectations for where gay people were “allowed” to be in films became clear as patterns and trends began to form.

It was almost exciting to find real ideas and concepts related to the grander scheme of LGBTQ representation that weren’t exactly uncovered in the way we were uncovering them. It felt new, and while our research was preceded by others, we found new ways to integrate these concepts with other concepts. This was the only undergraduate research project I had gotten involved in, and part of me even regrets not doing more of them. I got closer with Dr. Gerstner and Lauren because of it, and gave me life-long academically-inclined friends that shared many common interests with me.

Looking at the science behind marketing

Joanna Karpen, a business marketing major in the Verrazano Honors Class of 2018, is intrigued by the intersection of psychology, technology, and marketing.

Joanna Karpen earns Honors in her major!

My name is Joanna Karpen, I am a fourth year Verrazano student, from the Class of 2018. Upon starting my capstone, I was confident I knew exactly where my research would lead me. It seemed so simple. Psychology of Advertising? There was a whole class dedicated to it only a couple years ago! I figured it would be straight forward and a piece of cake. Then I started researching. Then I was lucky enough to take the Verrazano Capstone class. This is where my research really began to develop and change into what it has finally become. Within the class, the other students would share ideas in their respective majors. I, being a business major, am not as computer savvy or knowledgeable in science as some of my peers are. I learned so many new things I never even thought about before. Together, we learned about the “Internet of Things” from a fellow Verrazano student, I didn’t know it at the time, but by learning about this new form of technology, would help shape and move my research into a direction that can influence and change the way the advertising industry functions. My faculty mentor is a seasoned professor as well as professional in the marketing industry. The advantages of having him as a mentor led to insight on the workings of an advertiser and how an advertisement is really made. The amazing thing is how little advertising has changed in the last couple of decades. Have you ever watched Mad Men? That show encapsulates the true renaissance of modern day advertising. Today’s Era is beginning to change all that we as advertisers have learned and mastered. The Internet of Things is what is transforming advertising! It takes someone who understands this complicated new technology to understand how it will affect advertising. If it weren’t for learning about the Internet of Things from my fellow Verrazano students, I would have overlooked this great development. Products that are now becoming common in the American household such as Amazon’s Alexa, are having a huge impact on how company’s reach their consumer as well as how a consumer purchases products. This will create a whole new approach for advertisers.

It is so important, as a marketer, to understand these devices and how they are used. By being on the cutting edge along with the Internet of Things, the advertiser whom develops with the technology will hold the upper hand, for the consumer won’t even know what hit them. It’s amazing how everyday a new piece of technology is released with such great impact on our lives. To be honest, after doing my research technology scares me a little, it’s wild how much these devices learn about us in such short periods of time and without our conscious knowledge of it! My advice from all this: technology is good; as long as you understand it! Learn about it! It’s pretty interesting what you will find out when you do.

Making Hospitals Safer

Amanda Jacovino (RN), a nursing major in Verrazano Honors' Class of 2018, examines how to prevent patient falls in a hospital setting.

            My experience of completing my Verrazano Honors Capstone was beyond successful and personally fulfilling.  As a nursing major I chose to title my project “A Quality Improvement Proposal on Fall Prevention in Health Care Settings.”  Not only did I chose a topic that was interesting to me, but one that is also extremely relevant in today’s health care system.  By completing this research I was able to gain better insight and acquire a great understanding on the issue of fall prevention in health care settings.  As a professional registered nurse it is my duty and desire to advocate and care for all patients.  Improving the quality of care I can provide while maintaining each patients safety is something I strive for as a nurse.  After researching causes of the high percentage of fall rates within numerous organizations I was able to develop a quality improvement proposal in attempts to decrease these rates and increase quality care and patient safety. 

Amanda at her pinning ceremony

At first thought I expected this capstone to be very challenging but I was mistaken.  I was taken back by how passionate I was about this subject and how useful it would be throughout my entire nursing career.  It took me by surprise that I was able to compose this proposal and be quite satisfied with the outcome.  It was also a wonderful experience to work with a nursing faculty advisor who helped me brainstorm, organize and look over my work.  We shared a common ground, our love for nursing and we both were intrigued by this topic.  Quality improvement is something that is always useful within our profession and is evidently the way we make advances within health care to better future care for all patients.  This capstone has both enlightened and encouraged me to look forward to completing any future research throughout my nursing career.

Doing research to lend a hand

Erica Villamar, psychology major and pre-occupational therapy student and Verrazano Honors' Class of 2018, investigates muscular contracture.

Ranges of hand movements

As a prospective occupational therapy student, the Verrazano capstone project was an opportunity to learn more about the field’s potential. Prior to the research, I had a pretty good understanding of occupational therapists’ contributions in restoring individuals to optimal levels of function and independence. Due to occupational therapy’s interdisciplinary and symbiotic practice, it consists of an extensive range of knowledge. To learn more, I volunteered in a nursing home, which is where I encountered my first contracture – the thickening and shortening of the muscle, tendons, or ligaments. The contractures of the hands, feet, and limbs appeared debilitating, stiff and painful; many patients helplessly whimpered and had limited mobility. To prevent and minimize the adverse effects of contractures, the therapists promoted range of motion (ROM) exercises and the use of splints. At times, it seemed impossible for the therapists to pry open and release the fingers into extension. I was flooded with questions. How much pressure is required to extend the residents’ fingers without injuring them? What sensations are felt when you can’t move your body in ways you normally would? How do you relieve the painful symptoms to return to normal activities of daily living (ADLs)?

Erica and her advisor, Dr. Peter Costa

My intention of the capstone was to better understand the causes and treatments of contractures, and more importantly to spread awareness of them. Contractures are much easier to prevent than to treat, so knowledge and early initiatives may resolve their prevalence. During my time in the nursing home, I witnessed and learned of techniques to counteract contractures. While development of contractures may be predisposed from diseases, the use of effective multimodal preventative treatments may minimize their complications. After reviewing the literature, I now understand movement’s role in the human body and in the prevention of contractures. Movement may take many forms, such as walking, running, dancing, stretching, or sports playing. Adding movement into daily routines will promote both an active body and mind. I often took health and all its benefits for granted, but from this capstone I hope to inspire myself and others to move and learn more about the wonders of the human body.

A Little Anxiety Can Go a Long Way

Katilin Russo, a psychology major and pre-physical therapy student in the Verrazano Honors class of 2018, finds that a little stress can be a good thing!

Kaitlin at work

My name is Kaitlin Russo and I am a Psychology major, pre-physical therapy student. This past semester, I conducted research with guidance from my mentor, Florette Cohen. Since I was able to choose a topic of my interest, I researched anxiety and its effects on athletic performance. In the beginning I was convinced this project would be extremely difficult and long, but I was able to relate to this topic well and it became fun. Being a soccer player, I have felt the effects of anxiety on my performance, which is the main reason I wanted to learn more about it. From personal experience, I believe that anxiety negatively impacts the way an athlete performs. It is extremely frustrating when anxiety puts worried thoughts in your head and messes with your game. Learning about various ways to ease anxiety is helpful because I can share these tips with my teammates, and hopefully help them control their pre-competitive anxiety as well.

Kaitlin at play

I hypothesized that anxiety would have a negative effect on performance, and most of the research I found supported this conclusion. Surprisingly, a certain level of anxiety actually helps athletes perform better, but any levels too low or too high disrupt performance. One technique I learned to help reduce anxiety is to create pre-competition routines. These routines help ease the effects of anxiety and distraction when extreme pressure is placed on the player.

One of the studies I researched focused on the effects of negative words on anxiety. It explained how negative sports words distract players, make them doubt themselves, and brings down their performance level. This study suggested for players to focus on positive words, and to have coaches try to speak in positive sports words rather than negative. This made me realize that over the years I have responded to negative and positive words in just the same way this study explained, so it must have some truth behind it. Being able to relate to the studies I researched only made the topic more personal and more important to me that I will have to share it with other athletes.

I hope to teach athletes more about anxiety and the effective ways to keep restraint over it. I feel this topic is pivotal for athletes and coaches to understand, and even become more educated about, because it would provide athletes with the means to perform at top levels mentally as well as physically. I felt accomplished after completing this project because it was a lengthy process, but I successfully made it through and ended up enjoying every bit of it. I was beyond excited to share my newfound knowledge with my friends, and even considered setting up future interviews and surveys to conduct my own experiment. Further research could be done on different team sports, as well as on individual sports to see if anxiety has the same effect.

CSI Dolphins Soccer Team