Amidst undergraduate students from around the UW System, UW-Stevens Point students Emily Gruber ’23 (accounting, finance) and Cassandra Ostertag ’20 (interior architecture) along with UW-Stevens Point at Wausau students Ana Capetillo ’24 and Kieran Talley ’22 shared their work with legislators, regents, faculty and fellow student researchers at the 17th annual Research in the Rotunda at the State Capitol in Madison March 11. [View Photos]
Studies show that undergraduate research leads to better job readiness, encompassing a broad range of student talents, interests and skills across academic disciplines. UW leaders believe broader participation in undergraduate research will provide students with the knowledge and skills they need for 21st century jobs, preparing graduates to succeed in a world that values innovation, problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration.
Posters in the Rotunda is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the exciting research going on throughout the state and to support Wisconsin students and faculty members who contribute to the state’s strong economic future. The University of Wisconsin System is a national leader in undergraduate research, which contributes to the state’s priorities, including retention, graduate rates, workforce and economic development.
“Hiring for Grit: How passion and perseverance are used to predict employee success in rural economies” by Emily E. Gruber and Prof. Nik Butz, School of Business and Economics
The purpose of this study was to explore how employers in rural economies take grit into consideration when hiring employees. Many rural economies experience the costly and unpredictable issue of employee turnover. Low unemployment and the draw of urban living have negatively impacted the rural labor pool. The Grit Scale can be used to help predict long-term employee success. A combination of passion and perseverance, the Grit Scale focuses on the important, yet overlooked attributes that many successful employees possess. This study extends upon the work started by Butz and his colleagues in 2015 by resurveying the initial sample to test if grit continues to affect employability years after the initial data were collected. The results confirmed that employee turnover and grit remain negatively correlated. As grit scores increase, employee turnover rates decrease. Furthermore, the results suggest that employers who focus on hiring for grit are more likely to reduce their employee turnover. Overall, further utilization of the Grit Scale may help reduce turnover rates, thus improving rural economies across the United States.
“Biophilic Design: Connecting Interiors with Health and Wellbeing” by Cassandra Ostertag and Prof. Nisha Fernando, Division of Interior Architecture
Biophilia is an important buzz word in the field of interior design today. Biophilic design is an extension of biophilia that integrates natural materials, vegetation, natural light, nature views and other experiences of the natural world into built environments. Research has shown that accurately executed biophilic design can have both psychological and physiological positive influences on people and their wellbeing as well as productivity. Good biophilic design improves cognitive function, reduces stress, increases productivity, creativity and good moods. This research study focused on two major contributors and advocates of biophilic design – Stephen R Kellert and Terrapin Bright Green – followed by a comparison between the two approaches. It outlined similarities and differences between the main concepts and principles of the two with a detailed analysis. The results of the research study were a purposeful, easy-to-use check list/ rating scale that an interior designer can use as a design tool on how and what biophilic design elements can be incorporated in to their designs. Additionally, the checklist can be used as another tool to evaluate and rate the success levels of an existing biophilic design. While many interior designers are now trying to implement biophilia in their designs, many do not do it correctly or effectively as they could. Therefore, this detailed research and the check list/rating scale as its product will greatly assist designers to correctly implement biophilic concepts and elements into their designs. The proposed poster will present the entire research process, outline the two approaches and describe the check list/rating scale tool in detail.
“Building Value and Increasing Engagement in Voluntary Employee Enrichment Programs” by Ana Capetillo, Kieran Talley and Prof. Scott Sybeldon, UW-Stevens Point at Wausau
This project was designed to aid Church Mutual Insurance Company in creating value and increasing participation in their voluntary enrichment programs. We initially met with the training and development team of Church Mutual to discuss their expectations and set parameters for our project. We were given access to a cross section of Church Mutual employees conducting in-person surveys and phone interviews with over forty employees. This project was conducted over a two-month period in fall 2019.
Throughout the research process, we identified two major opportunities for Church Mutual to improve their voluntary enrichment programs. Our surveys indicated that Church Mutual employees were reserved about attending the enrichment programs for two reasons. One impediment preventing employees from engaging in training was a perceived lack of relevance to their specific job. The second and most frequent deterrent was employee workload, and a feeling of lack of time to attend these enrichment programs.
After interviewing with the employees, listening to problems and suggestions they had, we determined that a training system that coordinates and categorizes an employee’s learning styles and interests would more effectively engage employees. First, a system that allows the employees to communicate their preferences would better allow the company to tailor programs with greater perceived value. Secondly, an incentive program that rewards employees for attending voluntary training sections is an effective way to encourage employee participation in voluntary trainings. Lastly, we also suggested the company mandate a minimum number of hours be allocated to personal development for each individual employee.
Our project culminated in a presentation, attended by members of Church Mutual and other stakeholders. Representatives from the company conveyed that they would take our information and suggestions, implementing some of them instantaneously, while ensuring that they would be working to input more of our ideas with their Learning and Development Team.