Matthew A. Prince, a junior at Florida State University (FSU) pursuing a dual degree in Public Relations and English Studies, with minors in Social Work and Business, presented Oct. 1 in the annual Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence.

This event took place in the FSU Turnbull Conference Center, where all students, staff, and faculty were invited to attend.  It was co-sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) and the Office of National Fellowships (ONF).  The mission of the OUR is to promote and support the engagement of FSU undergraduates in research and creative projects with the supervision or collaboration of faculty.  The ONF seeks to benefit the development of student excellence, and to ensure success for qualified applicants, as well as for the personal growth of individuals whose efforts and contributions benefit the entire University.

The Showcase celebrates outstanding undergraduate research accomplishments of young scholars every year and is the conclusion of their Summer Research Award experience.  The presentations were by student winners of the

• 2013 Undergraduate Research Creative Activity Awards (URCAA),
• Mentored Research and Creative Endeavor Awards (MRCE),
• Public Service Research Fellowships (PSRF), or the
• Social Work Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Award (SWURCAA).

The URCAA and MRCE Awards fund students to conduct a summer research project or creative activity under the direction of a faculty mentor.  The PSRF is provided for research or creative projects conducted in partnership with a community-based organization.

These awards and fellowships are a reflection of FSU’s commitment to developing undergraduates as scholars and innovators.  The students who completed and presented projects have enhanced their undergrad experience by conducting research and creative activity under the supervision and mentorship of FSU’s distinguished faculty.  Their work supports the University’s mission of encouraging independent thinkers, who are learning to create solutions that enrich both our campus and larger communities.

Prince was one of 15 undergraduate students who showcased a formal presentation of his research project at this Showcase.  He was the only one completing a major (Public Relations) in the College of Communication & Information (CCI).

Prince was the sole undergraduate student to earn two awards this past year to fund his international research and internship endeavors.  He was the recipient of the PSRF and the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) Travel Awards Stipends.  This past summer, Prince traveled abroad to Urubamba, Perú to conduct research and commit to a full-time internship.

During Prince’s summer stay in Perú, he investigated the relationship between the sale and promotion of goods made by a women’s artisan collective, which is supported by the non-profit organization, ProWorld.  While working with ProWorld-Perú, his research attempted to improve the marketing of products created by two local women’s artisan groups, Ricchariy Warmi and Maquiwan Ruwaska, (meaning “rise up woman” and “made by hand” in Quechua).  They were made up of women who live in the mountains with rigorous home-work lives and use this group as an outlet for bonding and hopefully additional income for their families.

Supervised by the CCI Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and John H. Phipps Professor of Communication, Dr. Stephen McDowell, Prince researched various aspects of Hispanic marketing specifically related to a community development program.  He observed various aspects in the daily lives of the women who created these works of art and learned about their culture to find the most effective ways to display the richness of their culture in their handcrafted artisan work

McDowell remarked, “Prince proposed the topic and I helped him develop an academic structure that would support his creative research endeavor with ProWorld-Perú.  He was very proactive in putting this project together, and his focus on presenting the lives and work of these craftswomen is a useful model for assisting many other non-profit organizations.”

The presentation at the Showcase by Prince, titled “Women’s Empowerment through Marketing”, examined efforts for an artisan collective in Perú to see how cross-cultural communications acted, in a non-profit business context.  The project focused on communications, as it relates to cross-cultural mediums and various target audiences, and the business-marketing field, as Prince studied how to create effective promotional materials for a non-profit agency.  His research aimed to:

• positively impact the sale of their products,
• share the stories and lives of the women artisan creators, and
• communicate the culture in their methods of making clothes and Alpaca material used, which is exclusive to the Andean region.

Throughout his investigation, Prince was able to determine what objectives a non-profit organization might have regarding promotions, and how this can help guide those who work to produce such materials.  He was able to explore how to increase the effectiveness of advertising a non-profit, as well as how to create methods specifically appealing more to tourists, the most likely buyers of these artisan goods.  His research resulted in the creation of materials with three main goals:

• connect the community to potential consumers of the products
• highlight the quality of the goods being produced
• document and share about the women’s lives as creators

Prince feels he was positively impacted by his research experiences contributing towards the improvement of the Peruvian artisan local business.  He reflected that, “I was able to successfully produce more than just a catalog that marketed their products, but also contribute towards a supportive shop environment where the sales of products were also a glimpse into the lives of these hard-working women.”

Prince is a participant in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), Global Scholars, and the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE).   He was recently appointed as an Undergraduate Research Ambassador and serves on the CCI Student Leadership Council.  In addition, Prince works part-time at the FSU School of Communication and Office of Admissions, as well as volunteering as a PR assistant with the CCI Communications Team.

The success of Prince and his peers at this event transformed the Undergraduate Research Showcase into one that FSU President, Dr. Eric Barron, would like to personally endorse earning a new title for subsequent years, the Presidential Undergraduate Research Showcase.  The awards featured in the presentations allowed their recipients to explore their academic interests while simultaneously inspiring fellow students to consider pursuing this unique opportunity.  The Summer 2014 Undergraduate Research Awards application can be found online at https://cre.fsu.edu/.