|
Contents
A Note from the Collaborative Director
Undergraduate Research: Adjusting to Life at a Liberal Arts College
2012-2013 McNair Scholars
Fall-Summer Collaborative Grants
Convention Spotlight
NCUR
AACR
- Kaela Gedda
- Jens Paasen
- Gretchen Panzer
- Hannah Schmitt
- Luanne Spence
- Sarah Titus
Collaborative Research Stories
Important Dates
May 4, 2012 Student Academic Travel Grant and Attendee Grant applications due
|
National Conference on Undergraduate Research
Reflection on NCUR Experience
Steven Garza
The National Conference for Undergraduate Research took
place at Weber State University in beautiful Ogden, Utah. The university boasts wonderful mountain
scenery, which quickly sets wondering academic minds at ease. I spent three days in total at the NCUR
conference. During this time, I enjoyed
listening to various presentation sessions pertaining to International
Studies. Students lectured on topics
from Mongolian social changes to effective measures against corruption. This conference was an excellent opportunity
for myself as well as other St. Norbert students to meet some of the brightest
minds the nation has to offer. In
addition to meeting wonderful fellow students in our respective fields of
study, the NCUR conference was an excellent opportunity for networking. I personally met with various professors
hailing from prestigious graduate schools.
Finally, the 2012 NCUR conference presented a unique opportunity to show
the strength of St. Norbert academics and research on a national stage. Through my own presentation and the
presentations of other students, I was reassured that St. Norbert College as an
institution manifests strong research, mentors, and an academic curriculum that
rivals that of any world-renowned university.
Overall, the NCUR 2012 conference was a pristine opportunity to showcase
the true reputation and potential of St. Norbert College—conferences like this
only seek to spread the positive reputation that St. Norbert maintains.
For my own research, I presented on identifying quantified
variables to explain human trafficking.
I gave a 15-minute power point presentation and fielded 5 minutes for
questions. This presentation helped
prepare me for future graduate-school level work, as well as gave me excellent
experience inside the academic conference world. After evaluating my overall experience of the
conference, it is my sincerest hope that the St. Norbert College continues to
send outstanding researchers to present their work at the annual NCUR
conference. Below is a complete abstract
of my submitted research to the NCUR 2012 conference:
“The proliferation of human trafficking is a global issue
that threatens national security, encourages organized crime, and destroys
innocent lives. Extensive research
exists on the grave global dilemma of human trafficking; however, the majority
of this research utilizes a qualitative examination. This research paper specifically focuses on
the United States’ international standards to eliminate human trafficking and
subsequent international compliance. The
research question addressed is: do national characteristics determine a
country’s international compliance to end human trafficking? To measure the dependent variable,
international compliance, the research utilizes the U.S. Department of State’s
tier ranking system, produced annually in the Trafficking In Persons report
(TIP). Such tier ranking evaluates a
nation’s efforts to prevent and prosecute human trafficking, as well as the
protection of victims (U.S. Department of State 2011). The independent variables, country
characteristics, used in this research are the percentage national political
leadership positions held by women, per capita GDP, the Free and Open Society
Index, and the Perceived Corruption Index.
Current literature pertaining to human trafficking discusses the causes
using an economic model or corruption model.
For example, Wheaton (2010) and Bertone (2000) emphasize the supply and
demand economic factors that drive the human trafficking market. Additionally, Gamet (2011) and Kendall (2011)
identify government corruption as a key cause to the proliferation of human
trafficking. Moreover, Gramegna (2003)
and Laczko (2005) argue current literature lacks extensive quantified variables
to explain human trafficking compliance.
Because human trafficking is an illegal activity, precise numbers to
measure the quantity of humans beings trafficked are difficult. However, it is possible to quantify a
nation’s efforts to eliminate human trafficking, as compiled by the TIP
report. The research expects to find
correlation between corruption and international compliance since nations with
high corruption cannot maintain border security to stop human trafficking. Additionally, the per capita GPD will likely
emerge as an economical indicator to a nation’s fiscal ability to implement
anti-human trafficking programs. Finally, the research expects to find a correlation
between the Free and Open Society Index and international compliance since
nations that do not embrace freedom likely do not embrace eliminating human
trafficking. Overall, this research
seeks to identify key variables that could be improved upon by nations in order
to better eliminate human trafficking.”
|
