Photos by Ralph Freso
From loyalty, to the effects of COVID-19, to women’s leadership, the eighth annual Kevin McClean Research Colloquium sparked stimulating discussion.
“It is important that you see what kind of research is going on at your university and what the opportunities are, and what you might want to do,” McClean told students and researchers on Monday at a packed lecture hall in Grand Canyon University's Colangelo College of Business.
Faculty and student research fascinated McClean, who was stunned there was no research platform or culture when he arrived on campus in 2002.
After McClean spoke to colleagues, he started the colloquium in 2007. It has gradually grown, with Dr. Moronke Oke taking over after McClean’s retirement as a business professor in 2016. The Eta Chi Chapter of international business honor society Delta Mu Delta brings the event together.
"They have worked so hard," said Department of Online Teaching and Learning assistant professor Dr. Helen Hammond, one the chapter's advisors. Eta Chi Chapter members planned the program and flyers and put together a strategy to encourage online students to engage and attend the event.
McClean recalled the first colloquium, when six researchers presented their work.
On Monday, participants made seven presentations of their scholarly research findings in person, while several were given virtually – six synchronous and six asynchronous.
“Hopefully, this will inspire some of you,” GCU Provost Dr. Randy Gibb said. “Everyone can relate to health, fitness, diet, and this brings it to life.”
Each presenter maximized an elastic seven-minute limit, followed by a three-minute question-and-answer session.
The zenith of the COVID-19 pandemic was nearly five years ago, but exercise science professor Dr. Zachary Zeigler revisited it in the form of “Beyond the Pandemic: Leveraging COVID-19 Insights."
Zeigler shot down one theory about weight gain during the pandemic.
“If you listened to the news, it seemed everyone gained 15 pounds during COVID, because that’s what sells,” Zeigler said. “That is not the reality.”
Zeigler and his team of researchers surveyed 173 students and found nearly 60% experienced weight stability during the pandemic, with slightly more than 10% reporting a weight increase of 5-10 pounds.
His research also shined light on predictors of pandemic-related weight gain, looked into the effects of exercise with face coverings, and suggested evidenced-based guidance for public health strategies for future pandemics.
Predictors of weight gain included being overweight or obese, working from home, and “the snacking trifecta.” Fifty-two participants admitted they snacked more frequently, and snack foods available during COVID-19 self-quarantine shifted to foods that didn’t spoil.
“If you snack, you don’t eat more in the next meal. That’s a lie,” Zeigler said.
Professor Evelyn Racette’s presentation on “Addressing Food Deserts to Enhance Economic Mobility” revealed how poor food access negatively impacts health, education, financial stability and local economic growth.
Racette said nine out of 10 children born in the 1940s out-earned their parents, compared to only four of 10 children born in the 1980s out-earning their parents.
It's her contention that economic mobility is a justice issue. According to biblical justice, all people should be treated with fairness, stewardship and compassion. Also, the oppressed should be defended (Isaiah 1:17) and the needy supported (Proverbs 31:8-9).
The long-term answers, she said, should empower communities and endorse self-sufficiency.
Secular justice, which focuses on fairness, equal opportunity and systemic reform, and biblical justice each push to knock down obstacles, create equitable opportunities and ensure success, which should be decided by access, not birth.
Food deserts are communities where citizens have limited access to fresh food. Racette cited the lack of enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act, a federal law passed in the Great Depression that prevents price discrimination and other anticompetitive business practices. Because the law wasn't enforced, monopolies formed in the 1980s that caused the demise of mom-and-pop stores.
She added that more than 5,000 children in the Maryvale and Alhambra communities qualify for food stamps, but not every farmers market accepts them.
Biological sciences professor Dr. Randall Ordovich-Clarkson, meanwhile, presented “Loyalty: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding Loyalty and Pro-Social Behaviors.
“You have to have loyalty to be able to establish trust in individuals so you can have that type of group dynamic so that individuals can work together,” said Ordovich-Clarkson, whose research surveyed 900 students.
Loyalty, Ordovich-Clarkson said, spans from utter betrayal to fanaticism, in which people are overly dedicated to a group that doesn’t have human flourishing at heart.
Furthermore, “You need to have group cohesiveness to allow for a sense of belonging. ... If an individual gets rejected from the group and gets cast out of an organization, evolutionarily speaking, those individuals don’t survive very long.”
College of Natural Sciences professor Dr. Daisy Savarirajan’s presentation on “Beyond Scientific Inquiry and Empirical Observation: An Experiment with Introducing the Gospels in the Science Classroom” centered around GCU’s “15 for 15” series during fall 2024.
Of the 361 students surveyed, 326 said their faith was strengthened by the "15 for 15" series.
Dr. Kelly R. Maguire, who teaches in the College of Doctoral Studies, presented “Insights on Effective Teaching from Educators in Doctoral Programs." Her data revealed that effective teachers display a knack for rapport, communication and passion.
Economics associate professor Dr. Kathy Archer’s presentation on “Gender Matters: How a Woman’s Mentor Affects Her Leadership Style” examined an uneven playing field for women in the workforce.
And student Jessica Neamtu discussed her findings on “Euthanasia: Malevolence Masquerading as Mercy."
GCU senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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