an
d

UNDERGRADUATE

research conference

GRADUATE

spring 2021

16TH ANNUAL
CELEBRATION OF

excellence
SERIES

Abstracts
Draghiciu, L., and Miller, M. Department of Management and Marketing. Cross-Cultural Research on National
Park Tourism.
Annual vacations are standard for families in the United States. Understanding what influences tourist
decisions across different cultures is important for marketing. According to nps.gov, the National Park
Service received over 327.5 million recreation visits in 2019. In an effort to retain those consumers as
markets continue to grow and adapt, understanding different cultures with different values and beliefs
is essential, especially when working with foreign marketplaces. Cross-cultural research is vital in
understanding international visitor needs to successfully promote national/state parks. Finding differences among tourist preferences will improve overall travel experiences. This study evaluates variables
which make travelers feel comfortable and whether they are more apprehensive about traveling to
certain areas. Understanding what entices people and what influences the decision-making process is
key to marketing. This study will focus on profiling travelers based on demographic and psychographic
characteristics. Important questions that this research will answer include what attracts tourists to
national parks, what these tourists want to hear about in their guided tours and how to promote
national parks to tourists. The results of this study will help marketers and policy makers in the United
States to understand prospective tourists and their needs to develop appropriate policies and strategies
to promote national/state parks to visitors from regions and cultures of the world.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nripendra Singh
Kirkpatrick, J., and Singh, N. Department of Management and Marketing. Experiences in the State Park
Setting Can Improve Mental Health and Overall Well-being and Encourage Re-visits.
There has been much research done on improving nature-based solutions in an urban environment in
order to increase tourism and promote urban beautification. In the times of COVID-19, the tourism of the
urban areas has decreased drastically due to the restrictions on social distancing and quarantining. Since
March 2020, people have had to find other ways to entertain themselves, reduce stress and just get out
to get fresh air and sunshine. These things are all good for the soul and the health of each individual.
COVID-19 has been challenging for many individuals, not only physically but also mentally. The rate of
stress, anxiety and depression have increased among individuals everywhere. The summer of 2020, many
people ventured to state parks in order to meet this need. In Pennsylvania, the state park numbers have
increased significantly in June 2020 vs June 2019. Nationally, the numbers have increased by up to
one million visitors each summer month of 2020, compared to 2019. The more people can get out and
experience the outdoors during this time, the less mental health issues there will be. The focus of this
paper will be how we will keep visitation up in Pennsylvania state parks with the consideration of state
parks as nature-based solutions. State parks are a prime example of nature-based solutions, so the goal
of this paper will focus on looking into the following questions: Can the number of state park visitors in
Pennsylvania can be maintained or increased from what the number is currently?, How can nature-based
solutions in a state park environment be marketed in order to maintain the number of visitors at state
parks?, How is the number of visitors in state parks different in the summer versus the winter? and
Will visitors return to the state park if they are satisfied and have an overall positive experience?
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nripendra Singh

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Martino, A. Department of Social Sciences (History). Marketing Tactics used by Pennsylvanian Suffragists.
From the mid-19th century until the early 20th century, women throughout the United States of America
worked toward achieving the right to vote. Campaigning for women’s suffrage would occur all throughout the nation and the state of Pennsylvania was no exception. According to Pennsylvania voting records,
there was greater support for women’s suffrage in the western region of the state in comparison to the
eastern region. Unfortunately, there has been little effort to examine western, rural counties in Pennsylvania
that had voted in support of women’s suffrage. Upon analyzing primary sources for Clarion, Jefferson and
Indiana counties, it was clear that concepts such as gender, femininity and social stability were the main
focus surrounding debates around women’s suffrage. When suffragists campaigned in those regions, they
incorporated specific marketing tactics to address those issues and concerns in their favor.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Marc Sanko and Dr. Jeffrey Diamond
McCanna, B., and Singh, N. Department of Management and Marketing. Nature-based Solutions:
The Role of Green Environment Affecting Tourists’ Well-being and Mental Health.
This study depicts a great deal of significance with concern on the climate and the population.
A mental health crisis, along with climate change in this modern era, makes it important to find out how
much nature-based solutions can become part of the solution. The responsibility of the green environment
for affecting the tourists’ health and well-being from nature-based solutions is a relatively new study in
modern society. The research on this newly discovered topic is limited, but not to the extent in which it
scarcely exists. In this process, it is necessary to find out what exactly are the aspects of the environment
that affect the health and well-being of tourists. The method executed includes a qualitative research
approach, using secondary data to help build the framework for a quantitative study in the future.
This study is unique in that it is conducted in the context of state parks for the first time. Concept development could induce high awareness to the subject of NBS as state parks could get more visitors which,
in turn, would produce more results. After executing this process, tourists will be better understood as
the sustainability of the environment from state parks will continue to rise at the same time.
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Nripendra Singh
Miller, M. Department of Management and Marketing. Cross-Cultural Research on National Park Tourism.
See Draghiciu, L.
Singh, N. Department of Management and Marketing. Experiences in the State Park Setting Can Improve
Mental Health and Overall Well-being and Encourage Re-visits.
See Kirkpatrick, J.
Singh, N. Department of Management and Marketing. Nature-Based Solutions: The Role of Green
Environment Affecting Tourists’ Well-being and Mental Health.
See McCanna, B.

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