KEY Project Descriptions

Sculpting the Performing Arts at the University of Rochester: A Plan for Annual Musical Theater Productions

Daniel Israel MUS 2006

With the goal of creating greater appreciation and increased audiences for art music in live performance, Dan will develop a plan for educational programs and performing arts at the University of Rochester. These events will reach out beyond the walls of conservatories and music schools to target non-music students, particularly students who do not normally attend concerts.

The Seeds of Organic Leadership

Patrick Brennan PHL 2006

Originally, Patrick was going to start an organic produce market within the University’s dining system. The current focus of his project has extended to include sustainability reforms to the entire dining system, including that of Aramark, the company that manages our dining system. The organic produce market has become just a piece of an overall plan to integrate local and organic foods into the whole dining program.

Women and Entrepreneurship

Darcey Jacobs ME 2006

Why are there fewer female entrepreneurs? What is it about entrepreneurship that attracts men to the challenge, but discourages women from taking part? Is the reasoning embedded in our culture, or are men simply more inclined to pursue self-management? Darcey spent a year studying human behavior and the inner workings of entrepreneurship to find answers to some of these questions. While her proposed program will never transform into a fiscal enterprise, she believes that developing an understanding for the reasoning behind the lack of female entrepreneurs is valuable information. With the experience gained from spending the Summer of 2005 studying data on female entrepreneurs at the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, her work will open doors to the possibility of creating courses to motivate and inspire future University of Rochester students, especially women, to successfully pursue self-management and entrepreneurship.

Investigating Integrated Health Care Systems

Jung Kim BNS/PSY 2007

Entrepreneurship and medicine both struggle to satisfy the customer whether he or she is buying a product or seeking health care. As with a business, people in the health field can utilize entrepreneurial processes to find new solutions to social issues, for example, the issues of health care accessibility and insurance. The United States utilizes both socialized health care and private health insurance, and she believes that the benefits of each system can be integrated to provide a better system. Therefore, Jung has proposed to dive into a full year of research investigating newly developing health care systems. This research will culminate with a focus on Rochester’s health care system to study how the theories she investigated can be applied locally.

CampusCurrent: Solving the Campus Organizational Crisis

David Ganzhorn CSC 2007

Allison Rosenberg LIN 2007

Michael Rotondo CSC 2007

Dan Nice NSC 2007

CampusCurrent is a web service which connects college students to opportunities on and around campus. The opportunities will be created by the users of the service. Students can then log in to the service to find everything they can do on campus, with recommendations to help them find what they need. A team of four KEY students is working together to program and develop the service; market the product; and develop relationships with business and University contacts. After establishing a connected campus at the University of Rochester, the team plans to network with other local colleges to supply this service to them.

An Alternative Approach to Innovation and Public Policy

Mlen-Too Wesley PSC 2008

The Republic of Ghana may be on the verge of positioning itself within the middle to upper range of developing nations during the next half-century. Through his hands-on study of entrepreneurship and its contribution to the growth and development of Ghana’s economy since 1990 as well as the future of entrepreneurship in Ghana, M-T plans to research the answers to these questions:

•If that happens, what must be done?

•What political moves have been or need to be made?

•What economic conditions need to exist?

•What role does entrepreneurship play in the growth and development of nations?

Upon his return from Ghana, M-T is committed to creating opportunities for other UR students to experience entrepreneurship within a realistic international setting such as Ghana, and to working with his adviser to create a new course studying the politics surrounding entrepreneurship.

Designing for Web 2.0: The Creation of a User-Driven Online Business

Christopher Tice CSC/MTH 2008

This proposal aims to create a start-up online company whose goal is to provide a medium for exchanging computer deals through user-submitted content in addition to generating revenue through advertising. The company will act as a facilitator for other users to spread the news about any type of deal that they find online. Deals will also be monitored by the users through a voting scheme so that better deals will be most visible on the site.

From Worship to Performance: Transforming SS. Peter and Paul's

Andrew Slominiski ECO/PSC 2008

The future of an important Rochester landmark, SS. Peter and Paul’s Parish, is in danger of being lost, and Andrew has devised an idea that will ensure it remains a positive influence within the surrounding neighborhood. This beautiful Romanesque church, which is slated to be closed by the Catholic diocese and sold, would make an excellent performance hall and arts center. Andrew’s interests in Italian art and culture and contemporary American urban problems form the nexus that drives his desire to study the problems of preservation and urban revitalization. Along the way, he hopes to learn about politics, community activism, social problems, art and architecture, and historic preservation.

Connecting the Notes: The Development of Music Therapy in the Rochester Community

Aedan Coffey SP/PSC 2008
Glenn Goldman PSY 2008

In the presence of the sick, can music decrease anxiety caused by surgery and later, shorten the recovery time? Is there a chemical change that occurs among subjects who feel more “relaxed” when listening to a certain type of music? Aedan Coffey and Glenn Goldman are interested in understanding music’s impact on psychological health and development, and as such, plan to work to increase the awareness of opportunities in the study, research and practical application of music therapy at the University of Rochester. Their goal is to build the lasting foundations for a Music and Medicine Program at Strong Hostpital.

Marketing Manual for Campus Events

Nicole Schaeffer BCS/PSY 2008

Through classes and internship in marketing, entrepreneurship and media analysis, Nicole plans to develop a manual and training module that outlines effective procedures for publicizing events that come to the University of Rochester campus. The manual and training sessions will outline different marketing strategies classified according to size and type of event, available funds, resources and manpower. Through the KEY Program, Nicole hopes to transform the need for expanded promotion on campus to an effective model for groups to consult when planning publicity for their events.

For Whom the Bell Tolls: The Revival of the Hopeman Memorial Carillon

Jeffrey Le MUS 2008

In 1930, the University installed a set of 17 bells in the Rush Rhees Library Tower, which were replaced by a set of 50 bells in 1973. Throughout the years, the Hopeman Memorial Carillon has continuously added to the ambiance of University life: we used to have a resident university carilloneur who played for all university occasions, gave several non-time concerts each week, taught carillon lessons, and advised a student carillon society. Recently, due to our cold, unforgiving winters, several bells could not stand the pressure and snapped, causing the music to cease.

Jeff proposes to research the history and use of the carillon at the University of Rochester, the function and functioning of carillons at other institutions of higher education in the US, the financial support for the carillon, past student and alumni involvement and support, possible areas of cooperation between the College Music Department and the Eastman School of Music’s organ department with respect to the carillon, and the national organizations and musical repertory dedicated to the instrument.

The University of Rochester Virtual Institute for Energy (URVIE)

Mario Dal Col PHY/MTH 2008
Kenneth Lotito CHM 2008
Patrick McLaughlin PHY 2008

The supply of secure, clean sustainable energy is arguably the most important scientific, political, and social challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. This team of students would like to see the University of Rochester join the small number of universities that have dedicated themselves to formulating a comprehensive solution to this problem. As such, URVIE will lay the groundwork for a subsequent, larger initiative by centralizing and cultivating existing faculty research interests in energy in order to offer faculty members a convenient way of reviewing the energy-specific research interests of their colleagues students a list of energy-related, faculty-sponsored projects.

To create URVIE, these students will create a searchable website to present information compiled from a faculty survey, obtain a source of funding for faculty and student research projects, and create an annual colloquium, speaker series and other events. At year’s end, a report of the group’s accomplishments and recommendations will be submitted to the appropriate University office(s).

Planning the Restoration of the Pipe Organ in Strong Auditorium

Jonathan Ortloff APM/ES 2009

Jonathan will spend the next three years working as the project director and developer of a plan to restore the pipe organ in Strong Auditorium. This organ is one of the most historically important instruments in the United States and, as such, should unquestionably be restored as a living historical document and prized possession of the University. Jonathan will be responsible for the publicity, research, fundraising, and grant writing, as well as for contacting experts in the fields of organ restoration and room acoustics to solicit expertise in crafting a plan for the restoration of the instrument. If time, funds, and conditions surrounding the renovation of the auditorium permit, the plan would then be executed.

Taking a Deeper Look: Rochester's Museums and College Students

Caitlin Powalski HIS 2009

Caitlin will study the place of the Rochester Museum and Science Center and the University of
Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery in the Rochester community by examining the relationship between the museums and a college aged audience. By documenting the institutional and public perceptions of the museum, and by conducting background analyses of the museums’ mission statements and growth over time, Caitlin hopes to identify why these museums fail to sustain a large college audience. Her work with these Rochester museums will be further enhanced by participating in a museum internship on London, England for a full semester. This should enable her to provide a basis for comparisons between European and American museums, as well as museums in a moderate sized city and a large metropolis.

Bridging the Gap: Connecting UR Students with their Surrounding Community

Zachary Kozick PHY 2009
Jordan Parker PHY 2009
Jordan Webster MTH/PHY 2009

This group of three students have proposed a KEY project that addresses the issue of the isolation of the UR student body from the greater-Rochester community. Such a feat will inspire a mixing of cultures and ideas that will ultimately benefit both the students and Rochester locals. They plan to achieve this goal by organizing and hosting a lasting series of visual and performing arts events at unique locations within the city, with the intent of attracting broad audiences from both campus and the city. Artistic input will be sought from the UR, RIT, Eastman School of Music, and local Rochester organizations such as RoCo and ARTWalk.

Connecting Communities: Creating a Bridge Between UR and the Businesses in Sector 4

Christelle Domercant ANT 2009

This project involves connecting and fostering a growing relationship between the University of Rochester community and the businesses on Genesee Street. More specifically, the two students organizing this project are hoping to make the neighborhoods surrounding the University more college- friendly by offering more options in terms of off-campus dining services to incoming freshmen and students living in Sector 4. They intend to reach this goal by incorporating interested businesses in Sector 4 into the UROS Program and marketing them along with current participating businesses to UR students

Sports, Service, Ethics and Academics: A Multifaceted Approach to Youth Enpowerment

Mollie Foust HIS/ANT 2009

Sports have the power to provide kids with innumerable skills including teamwork, personal
achievement communication, focus, behavior management, and empowerment. The Rochester Alliance of Youth Sports (RAYS) will become a youth development program created by this KEY student that integrates education, athletics, community service and ethics to empower Rochester City School District youth (grades 1-3) and support them through many different aspects of their lives. RAYS will use sports as the mobilizing force to bring youth together, however athletics will not be the primary focus of the program.

The Crossover Project: A Plan for Popular Music Performance in Collegiate Music Education

Joshua Reed IPA 2009
David LeBlanc PSC/MUS 2009

The goal of this KEY project is to research and develop a guide for introducing a popular music
performance program into collegiate music curricula. Through a combination of coursework, workshops, ensemble performances, and interviews with representatives from music schools and professional organizations, these two students will investigate methods of integrating musicians ranging in style and instrument into a pop music ensemble. During their KEY year, they will gather inforation on the growth of pop music in American culture and its stylistic developments. They will determine the general conditions necessary for this type of program to be successful, and explore the application of their ideas at Rochester while observing any issues that arise which could lead to failure of the program. From there, they will attempt to create a model for a lasting pop music performance program that could be established at a variety of music schools ad organizations.