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| Kofi Adumata |
Kofi Adumata, a systems engineer working on his Ph.D. in Applied Management and Decision Sciences with a specialization in Information Systems Management, was animatedly discussing his research into how a person’s walk pattern can be used to identify that person at a distance and also how mood affects the way we walk.
As he explained his theories, visitors crowded in to view the display behind him that showed striking images of human figures in walking and striding positions. As another onlooker stepped in, Adumata would enthusiastically explain again.
Adumata was one of 50 Walden University graduate students and faculty who shared their research on everything from psychopathic behavior to seat belts at the poster session held during the July 2008 residency in Minneapolis.
Conversation About Research
What is a research poster?
“It’s a visual aid for a face-to-face conversation about research,” explains Dr. George Smeaton, executive director of Walden’s Center for Research Support.
Poster sessions, held twice a year at residencies, offer students and faculty a friendly and supportive environment in which to present their research, one that allows for long, informal conversations and plenty of constructive feedback, Smeaton says.
With that feedback, he adds, beginning students can still change the design of their studies before all data are collected, while advanced students or faculty can fine-tune their work for publication and also serve as role models to newer students.
The hope is that students will become better prepared to present their research findings at professional conferences, he says.
Helping to Define Methodology
April Roseman, left, describes her research.
“I'm looking at the impact of that on the women and the children,” says Roseman, who has three small children and who transitioned from a career in the military to that of a business consultant in organizational psychology.
Her dissertation will focus on how some women can never escape because even after a divorce, the abusers maintain contact through custody and visitation. She plans to explore the possibilities of screening for narcissism and psychopathy as predictors of intimate partner violence
Publishing a Journal Article
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| Bart Green |
Bart Green, a chiropractor working on his Ph.D. in Public Health with a specialization in Epidemiology, described how a literature review uncovered the story of the humble inventor of the shoulder-harness seat belt who prevented decades’ worth of disability and death.
He said that he “tripped upon something that had not actually been published in a peer-reviewed journal” and that he has already turned his work into a scholarly article for publication.
Finding His Research Niche
For Adumata, his interest in biometrics led him to study a new area in the field of human gait identification—mood change. He’s says he’s working on “interpolating the difference between the normal gait pattern, which is the baseline, and the difference due to mood change.”
He hopes his work will eventually be helpful in criminal investigations.
‘A Tremendous Opportunity’
Afterward, these three participants highly recommended the poster session to other students.
“It will serve as a tremendous opportunity to reshape and enhance your research subject,” Adumata says. The suggestions and feedback he received at the poster session gave him confidence that his research can have an impact on social change, he adds.
Roseman says she “got a lot of great ideas” and even found volunteer research participants.
“You do not have to have a picture-perfect product” at this stage, she says. “The idea is to gather support and ideas from your peers.”
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