Thomas
Jefferson, Family, and Republican Education
Courtney
Bailey
Student’s Major: Political Science
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Michael Schwarz, History
Leaders of America’s Founding generation
acknowledged the precariousness of their republican experiment and worked to
ensure its preservation, but none thought more seriously about the importance
of education in shaping republican citizens than did Thomas Jefferson. A prolific writer, Jefferson often emphasized
the relationship between education and liberty.
His devotion to republicanism and his lifelong efforts on behalf of public
and liberal education have been well chronicled. His view of the critical role families played
in the education of young republicans, on the other hand, has received less
attention. In my talk I will focus on
Jefferson as a father and uncle and explain how his guidance was essential to the
education of the children under his care.
For instance, by the time he turned forty years old Jefferson was a
widower charged not only with the education of his young daughters but also
with that of his nephews, who had lost their father at a young age. When absent from Monticello, Jefferson often
sent these children written instructions on how best to organize study time,
what books to read, and when to report back to him on their progress. What mattered, therefore, was not the precise
structure of Jefferson’s family but the degree of his involvement with all
those whose educations depended on him.
In short, I will argue that Jefferson’s understanding of a family’s
responsibility to ensure that children receive a republican education proved
significant in his time and should continue to resonate in ours.
Blocking the
Expression of Zebrafish αA-crystallin
to Determine Its Role in Lens Development and Cataract Prevention
Kelly Murray
Student’s Major:
Biology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Mason Posner, Biology
The protein αA-crystallin is a major component of the lens,
helping to produce its transparency and focusing light on the retina. Alpha crystallins also function as small heat
shock proteins (sHSPs), preventing damaged or ageing proteins from
aggregating. αA-crystallin is expressed outside the lens as well,
where it may play a protective role by acting as a sHSP. Several diseases have
been linked to altered alpha crystallin expression, including Alzheimer’s,
Parkinson’s, and cataract. Blocking the
production of αA-crystallin
could help to characterize its possible roles in both the lens and
non-lenticular tissues. Currently, the
most promising method of halting expression of a gene is through the use of the
CRISPR-Cas system, first described in 2013. We hypothesized that preventing the
production of αA-crystallin
would lead to cataract as zebrafish age. To test this hypothesis, we have
started to use the CRISPR-Cas approach to successfully disable the alpha
crystallin gene. Zebrafish embryos were
injected with Cas9 protein and guide RNA targeting a site located in the αA-crystallin coding region. An assay for detecting gene modification
showed that approximately 10% of injected embryos contained an altered αA-crystallin gene. Further use
of this method could lead to the generation of a line of zebrafish lacking a
functional αA-crystallin
protein and could facilitate a broad range of further research on the activity
of this protein and its effects on development and ageing.
Amanda Mayes
Student’s Major: Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Diane B. V. Bonfiglio,
Psychology
Affective
forecasting is the process of estimating how a person will feel in a future
situation. When engaging in affective forecasting, people have a tendency to
overestimate how they badly they will feel when confronted with a negative
personal situation (Gilbert, Pinel, Wilson, Blumberg, & Wheatly,
1998). The actual experiencing of that
same event is associated with higher positive affect than is forecasted
(Buehler & McFarland, 2001). The
present study used a novel negative experience manipulation to compare positive
and negative affect between a group of people who actually experienced a
negative event and another group that was asked to imagine the same event
happening to them. Seventy-six participants were asked to spend ten minutes
drawing something that held emotional meaning for them. They were told that the drawing was going to
be submitted to a competition where the winner would receive a fifteen dollar
gift card for the bookstore.
Participants randomly assigned to the experiencing group were told that
their drawings were unacceptable, and the drawings were torn up. Participants in the forecasting group were
asked to imagine how they would feel if this happened to them. The participants completed a demographic
questionnaire and a questionnaire designed to measure positive and negative
affect. The results show that affective
forecasters reported more negative affect, t(75)
= 4.188, p < 0.001, and less
positive affect, t(75) = -5.659, p < 0.001, than did the
experiencers. These results are consistent
with previous research on affective forecasting.
Chris Beisel
Student’s Major: Digital Media Production
Faculty Sponsor: Steve Suess, Journalism &
Digital Media
Live radio
broadcasts occur every day throughout the country. Interestingly, the time of
day that announcers speak on the air is directly related to their popularity.
The most popular moments for listeners to tune in to a radio station are known
as the “Drive-Times.” These times consist of the early morning hours and the
evening hours—the times when listeners go to and from work. Knowing this, as
the Program Director of Ashland University’s radio station 88.9 WRDL, I wanted
to implement a programming structure that met listener tendencies to tune in.
With this goal came WRDL’s first morning talk show, “The Early Bird’s Word,”
which started in 2013. The morning show consists of conversational talk,
featured interviews, and planned music breaks. In this presentation, I
want to explain how Ashland’s only
live & local morning radio talk show was started. Through examples of my
work and discussion of the creative process used to create the show, I will
show how what started as an idea turned into a weekday morning routine. This
presentation will also include a description of the show’s programming clock, looking even
further at how the clock started and evolved over time. Finally, I will discuss
how the show implemented the scheduling of weekly interviews—including both
consistent returner interviews with weekly guests and unique interviews that
occur only once.
“The ‘L’ Train”
Garrison Stima
Student’s Major: Creative Writing and Religion
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Joe Mackall, English
Throughout
the year 2012, I’d been going through a particularly rough patch in my
Christian faith. However, while on a Mission Trip to Chicago, Illinois, during
that summer, I experienced a powerful moment in my life that showed to me, what
I believe to be, the true heart of God. Prior to this event, I’d had a hard
time feeling anything related to an emotion, let alone God. This short chapter
of my life opened me up to an understanding of God that I’d never had before,
but it came from an unexpected place and from a broken stranger I briefly
interacted with on the "L" train. In this essay, I explore how I was
inspired by this moment because of the life-changing ramifications it had on my
life, from how I see people, how I look at the world, and how I view the God
who loves it all.
“A
Portrait of Humanity”- Classical Ballet and the American Democratic Regime
September
M. Long
Student’s
Majors: Political Science and History
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Jeff Sikkenga, History/Political Science
Classical ballet is a fairly new
art form for America. The art was transported to the United States at the turn
of the twentieth century when the Russian ballet company Ballet Russe toured the west. Ballet was initially perceived as a
strange and foreign art which was in no way compatible with the interests of
the average American. With aristocratic forms embedded in the very nature of
ballet, it was rejected by many Americans who viewed it as a peculiar European
art with no element of entertainment to offer. It seemed as though ballet, an
art which seeks to present beauty and harmony in the most elegant way possible,
would never win over the hearts of the American people. Beginning roughly in
the Cold War era, the situation changed greatly for ballet. A combination of
unusual circumstances and individuals paved the way for ballet’s road to
success. I will attempt to answer the question: “how and why did ballet succeed
in America?” This talk will focus on what manner ballet transitioned from a
spectacle at local side-shows to a serious and important art form. In order to
understand this transition, we must also consider the nature of the democratic
regime and why our love of equality initially caused us to reject ballet. I
will briefly discuss the individuals who were responsible for cultivating ballet
in America and how they were able to make this art acceptable and interesting
to the American audience.
Characterization of the Bacteriophage AUEF3 Nucleotides
Mack Reece
Student’s Majors: Biology and Biochemistry
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Paul Hyman, Biology
The isolation and initial
characterization of the novel bacteriophage AUEF3 that infects Enterococcus faecalis was presented last
year. The host bacterium has emerged as a healthcare associated infection,
especially with the use of IV’s and catheters. Typically, antibacterial agents
must be used to control the pathogen. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that
infect bacteria and have proven to show antimicrobial activity against host
bacteria, a method called phage therapy. When compared to other antimicrobial
activity, bacteriophages have no serious side effects to humans. In this study,
a novel bacteriophage that successfully infects E. faecalis was isolated. Results show this phage, AUEF3, grows by
breaking open host cells after about an hour after infection, releasing progeny
bacteriophages. Electron microscopy revealed that AUEF3 has an icosahedral head
and a long flexible tail. DNA was also isolated and sequenced with a genome of
a total size of 41,157 base pairs. Most recently, nucleotides that make up the
DNA genome of the virus have been analyzed using high performance liquid
chromatography (HPLC). Two of the
nucleotides are chemically modified by the bacteriophage. This is often seen in bacteriophages to adapt
to bacterial defense mechanisms. Current
studies are analyzing the nucleotides of AUEF3 further to identify the chemical
modifications.
Islamic
Government and Footholds for Democracy
Brandon
Cook
Student’s
Majors: History and Political Science
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. David Foster, History/Political Science
The political tension between many Muslim
countries of the Middle East and the democratic West has intensified in the
last generation. One side derives its political ideas from a religion whose
holy book, The Koran, sometimes acts as their constitution and where God’s Law
(Sharia) is absolute. The other side champions democracy, and in the United
States the Constitution is derived from the people. This profound difference
has prompted many political thinkers, Muslim and American alike, to wonder whether
democracy can be incorporated into Islamic government. In this presentation, I
will consider this question by examining the political thought of the Ayatollah
Khomeini, the former Supreme Leader of Iran.
I will argue that despite its reliance upon the authority of the Koran,
Khomeini’s thought is open to some democratic ideals, especially if we consider
certain silences in Islamic Law. In Khomeini’s view, a ruler is necessary, yet
the Koran makes no explicit rules as to who that ruler shall be. Khomeini’s solution
is to fill the seat with any person who has knowledge of Islamic law and
justice. It is well known in Islam that any Muslim is capable of this
knowledge, which essentially means that any Muslim man could be ruler. That
fact is remarkably democratic. Yet the commands of the Koran and Sharia set
limits to how far democracy can progress. Khomeini’s thought allows for
democratic elements in some areas, but not the liberal form of democracy with
which the United States is familiar.
The Wisdom and Faith of King Solomon
Johnathon Case
Student’s Majors: Political Science, History,
and Philosophy
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Louis Mancha, Jr.,
Philosophy
This paper
explores the Biblical account of King Solomon’s life to understand how a man
that the Bible itself calls the “wisest of all men” ultimately turns from God.
Solomon, as portrayed through the narrative of his life and his own works,
seems to show that wisdom and faith are meant to complement one another, but do
not necessarily do so. As a youth, Solomon is entirely obedient to David and
faithful to God. Throughout Proverbs, Solomon extols wisdom and discipline,
implying that there is no wisdom outside of the Law and its tradition. After
receiving the gift of wisdom, Solomon seems to live happily fulfilling God’s
instructions and applying the Law to the people of Israel. However, as the
king, Solomon encounters certain situations that seem to call for wisdom beyond
the law – for example, in understanding how to deal with political opponents,
diplomacy with foreign nations, and moral disputes between Israelites. In those
situations, which are only faced by the king, his own wisdom seems to be
necessary because the Law is not sufficient to determine the right course of
action. Solomon very likely saw the incompleteness of the Mosaic Law in dealing
with political necessities as sufficient grounds to believe he was wiser than
the Law itself, and so, he could easily have come to believe himself above the
Mosaic Law. The Mosaic Law, though, was a law of men, and so, even directed by
God, it must be general and limited; it must be imperfect. Solomon’s own wisdom
in the particulars may have possessed wisdom that the Mosaic Law did not, but
what Solomon seems to have missed is that the wise, yet imperfect, Mosaic Law
was directed by God through a higher law: the wise and perfect Divine Law.
Garrett Tresch
Student’s Majors: Mathematics and Actuarial Science
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.Maduka
Rupasinghe, Mathematics
Time
Series deals with observing a variable—interest rates, exchange rates,
rainfall, etc.—at regular intervals of time. The main objectives of Time Series
analysis are to understand the underlying processes and effects of external
variables in order to predict future values. Time Series methodologies have
wide applications in the fields of business in which mathematics is necessary.
The Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasic (GARCH) models are
extensively used in finance and econometrics to model empirical time series in
which the current variation, known as volatility, of an observation is
depending upon the past observations and past variations. Some of the drawbacks
of the existing methods for obtaining prediction intervals include the
assumption that the orders associated with the GARCH process are known and the
heavy computational time involved in fitting numerous GARCH processes. This
paper proposes a novel and computationally efficient method using the Sieve
Bootstrap, a promising procedure for Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA)
processes, for computing prediction intervals for the returns as well as the
volatilities of GARCH processes while also avoiding extensive computations. Our
Monte Carlo simulation study shows that the proposed method works very well
under normal, exponential and t-distributed errors.
Emily Cardwell
Student’s Majors: English and History
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Hilary Donatini, English
Throughout
Frances Burney’s 1778 novel Evelina,
the female characters provide varied depictions of femininity and a woman’s
role in society. One character whose gender expression is especially
problematic is Mrs. Selwyn, the temporary guardian of the novel’s protagonist,
Evelina. Critic John Richetti asserts that Burney meant for Mrs. Selwyn to
serve as a negative, comic, and secondary character in the text, but my reading
suggests that Mrs. Selwyn plays a much more constructive role. Although Evelina
often shows Mrs. Selwyn in a negative light, giving her correspondents detailed
accounts of Mrs. Selwyn’s lack of graces, Burney maintains a more approving
view of Mrs. Selwyn than her main character, characterizing Mrs. Selwyn with a
sharp intellect and providing her with numerous opportunities to shame
antagonistic male characters by exposing their foolishness. This presentation
argues that although Mrs. Selwyn’s particular manner and style of expressing
her intellectual superiority are not necessarily appropriate for a woman of her
time period, her intellectual abilities enable her to function as an agent of
satire throughout the novel, allowing Burney to explore the possibilities for
rebelling against the social constraints of womanhood. I compare Mrs. Selwyn’s
character with the “ideal woman” described in A Father’s Legacy to His Daughters (1774), an eighteenth-century
conduct book written by John Gregory. Burney mainly endorses this code of
conduct by pointedly illustrating Mrs. Selwyn’s lack of decorum but rejects its
encouragement of women’s intellectual inferiority by lavishing the character
with dazzling intellect and wit, reflecting Burney’s own genius.
Ashley
Keres
Student’s
Major: Psychology major
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Christopher R. Chartier, Psychology
Perceived
trustworthiness and facial structure are directly related (Rule et al., 2012).
This experiment tested the hypothesis that environmental context can have a
similar effect on perceived trustworthiness. Participants were placed at
individual computer stations with a PowerPoint presentation set to advance
slides on a timer. Each slide contained a random face that was rated in the
Rule and colleagues study as being trustworthy or untrustworthy. The face
appeared on a background with a high socioeconomic class home, a low-income
home, or no home (control). This resulted in a 2 (face: trustworthy or
untrustworthy) X 3 (context: high, low, or control) within-subjects design. As
they worked through the photos, participants rated each face on a 1-7 scale on
various traits including trustworthiness, aggressiveness, and attractiveness.
We predicted that the faces on the low-income home background would be rated as
less trustworthy than those on the high socioeconomic class home background,
regardless of the actual pre-rated trustworthiness of the individual in the
photo. Rule et al.’s previous findings were
replicated and extended. There was a main effect of both facial trustworthiness
F(1,52) = 71.50, p < 0.001
and background F(2,104) = 16.296, p
< 0.001. Trustworthy faces seen in a high-class background were rated as
more trustworthy (M = 23.55, S = 8.85) than those same faces seen in
a low trustworthy background (M = 19.13,
SD = 5.53). Both the structure of
one’s face and the context in which the face is seen appear to impact
perceptions of trustworthiness.
Synthesis of
Four-Armed Star Block Copolymers for Potential Drug-Delivery Applications
Kylee Bogner
Student’s Major:
Chemistry
Faculty Sponsor:
Dr. Perry Corbin, Chemistry
Polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer
(i.e., a plastic) that is beginning to be used for various functions; among
these are drug-delivery applications.
When polyethylene glycol (PEG), a different polymer, is attached to the
end of PLA, linear molecules that aggregate in water to form a drug-delivery
transport are produced. This transport may allow trapped medicinal molecules to
slowly release in the body; however, such transports have been shown to
prematurely disassemble. My research is focused on the production of a PLA/PEG
star block copolymer—a polymer containing a central molecular core with
attached polymer arms. These molecules
are hypothesized to work better than previously created linear polymers for
drug-delivery transports. Multiple polymer chains are already tied together in
star-shaped polymers, which should create more stable transports. The core of
the star is a calixarene containing four locations for attaching PLA. Reactions
to form the PLA star polymer have been developed along with modifications to
facilitate attachment of PEG to the PLA arms. Subsequent reactions to attach
PEG to PLA have been successful, as determined by gel-permeation chromatography
and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The optimal amount of
catalyst and PEG needed for the reaction is being determined on a small scale
using No-deuterium (No-D) NMR spectroscopy. Details of the synthesis of these
new molecules will be described in my presentation. Future research will investigate
the potential of the star-shaped polymers to function as stable drug-delivery
transports.
Impact of Reward on Helping Behavior
Melissa
Smith and Sara Amato
Students’ Majors: Psychology and Criminal Justice (both students)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Christopher R. Chartier
Helping
behavior is an important domain in social psychology. Many studies have
measured different variables’ effects on helping behavior, such as personal
norms (Schwarts, 1973), social responsibility norms (Berkowitz & Daniels,
1964), and social class (Berkowitz & Friedman, 1967). The current study
investigated the effect of losing a potential reward on whether the participant
would help a person in need. There were three different conditions across which
the importance of the individual’s task was manipulated (no reward, small
reward, and large reward). For each word found in a word search, the small
reward group received an entry into a drawing for a $5 AU Bookstore giftcard,
while the large reward group received an entry into a drawing for a $25 AU
Bookstore giftcard. During the timed task, a researcher knocked over a cup of
pencils and measured whether or not the participant helped. If the participant
did help, how many pencils they picked up was measured. We predicted that a
higher proportion of participants in the no and small reward conditions would
help compared to the large reward group. However, the results of this study
were surprising, with only one person out of 65 helping. The results did not
indicate a significant effect of reward on helping behavior, c2(65)
= 1.985, p = 0.3706. This lack of
helping behavior may be caused by the fact that helping had no perceived
benefit for participants, regardless of the reward condition.
Hannah
J. Baumann
Student’s Major: Toxicology
Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Douglas Dawson, Biology/Toxicology &
Dr. Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry
Concerns
about toxicity of commercial cleaning products have prompted development of
several environmentally friendly cleaners that include natural oils that kill
bacteria. One such cleaner known to contain components of thyme, lemongrass and
oregano essential oils was analyzed for toxicity and to quantify chemical
content. The study correlated the toxicity of essential oil components to the
toxicity of the cleaner using analytical chemistry. Several monoterpenes
commonly found in the oils, including thymol, p-cymene, geraniol, carvacrol, terpinene, borneol and linalool,
were analyzed for antibacterial properties through single chemical and mixture
toxicity tests using the Microtox® bioassay which measures toxicity
based on the decreased luminescence of the bacterium Vibrio fischeri. Terpenes were removed from a known amount of
cleaner through evaporation followed by heating under vacuum. The remaining
surfactants were tested for toxicity and used to prepare aqueous standard
solutions of thymol, geraniol, linalool, p-cymene,
terpinene, borneol, eucalyptol, carene, camphene, pinene and caryophyllene at
10 to 40 mg/L. Chemical analysis of the cleaner was carried out using solid
phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Camphor was used as an internal
standard. Response factors were then
used to quantify the components in the soap: thymol 367 mg/L, geraniol 18.4
mg/L, linalool 32.4 mg/L, p-cymene
0.0491 mg/L, terpinene 0.0110 mg/L, borneol 6.17 mg/L, camphene 0.113 mg/L,
pinene 0.0266 mg/L and caryophyllene 0.120 mg/L. This study revealed that
thymol, linalool, geraniol and borneol were the primary antibacterial agents in
the cleaner and in mixtures they were dose additive with each other.
Edie
Henthorne
Student’s
Majors: Psychology and Business Administration
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Christopher R. Chartier, Psychology
Current research on consumer behavior focuses
largely on packaging and food labels (Aday & Yener, 2014; Schuldt, 2013).
However, there is little if any research on the impact of “no” labels. Example of “no” labels are: “0% Sulfates”,
“Gluten Free”, or “Lead Not Included.”
We hypothesized that “no” labels on products would influence
participants to choose the product with the “no” label. They were exposed to 12
sets of products. Two products (with and without the “no” label) were presented
at a time. First, the number of times participants chose a “no” label product
was determined. Secondly, open ended
responses were examined to determine if the “no” label was the reason for
choosing the “no” label product. Fifty-eight students participated which
resulted in 580 responses of product choice.
A chi-squared analysis was used to determine whether or not participants
chose enough of the products with the “no” label to show a significant
preference. This hypothesis was not
supported, c2(N = 580) = 1.99, p = .16. For the second hypothesis, 109 of the open ended responses
included a “no” label as an explanation for choosing a product. The results of the chi-squared test was
significant, c2(N=109) = 54.39, p < .001, which suggests that when participants mentioned the
“no” label in their response they were strongly inclined to choose the “no”
label product. These results suggest an increase in product favorability as a
result of the “no” label.
Chemical and Petrographic Analysis Indicates Differences in the
Origin for Granitic Gneisses Within the Popple Hill Gneiss in the Adirondack
Lowlands, New York
Mackenzie Taylor
Student’s Major: Geology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Michael Hudson, Geology
This
study examined hand samples, microscopic sections, and chemical analyses from
diverse granitic gneisses intimately interwoven with the Popple Hill Gneiss
(PHG) in the Adirondack Lowlands to study their petrogenesis. These granitic gneisses occur as regionally
concordant, discontinuous layers and lenticular bodies, range from a few meters
to 100s of meters in width and up to kilometers in length, and occupy as much
as 35-50% of exposures of PHG. Some
bodies have been designated as Hermon Granite (HG), a microcline megacrystic,
well-foliated, calc-alkaline intrusive emplaced within PHG and subsequently
deformed during the Shawinigan orogeny.
Relict igneous textures are pervasive, perthite and myrmekite are
common, and strain is evident in bent twin lamellae, lenticulation, and tension
gashes. Geochemical results from this
study match those published by Peck, et al. (2013), supporting their hypothesis
that the HG may have been derived from melting of metasomatized mantle during
collision of the Lowlands and Frontenac terrane. However, the majority of granitic gneiss
components of the PHG are more heterogeneous in their color, texture, and
composition. Ranging from white to pink,
most are inequigranular (fine- to coarse-grained, but lack megacrysts), many
are only weakly foliated, and microcline and quartz are ubiquitous. Geochemically they constitute a calc-alkaline
suite that is indistinguishable from the PHG on a variety of chemical and
tectonic discrimination diagrams.
Therefore, observations from this study strongly suggest that these
granitic gneisses represent locally derived (anatexis of lower PHG)
synorogenic, possibly polychromic, transposed migmatitic intrusions and should
not be designated as HG.
Aluminum Cookware
is a Potential Source of Lead Exposure in Developing Countries
Peter Kobunski and Alison Biro
Students’ Majors: Biochemistry (PK); Toxicology (AB)
Faculty Sponsors: Dr.
Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry and Dr. Rebecca Corbin, Chemistry
Heavy
metal toxicity, especially from lead, is a global health problem. Lead exposure
accounts for 674,000 deaths annually.
Lead poisoning can lead to severe neurological dysfunction, particularly
in children. Even trace amounts of lead
can cause significant health issues such as attention-related and behavioral
effects, learning disabilities, and criminal behavior. A previous investigation
of inexpensive aluminum cookware from Cameroon found that many samples released
lead, with estimated exposures as high as 260 micrograms (mcg) per
serving. Our objective was to determine
whether cookware from other developing countries leached unsafe levels of lead
during conditions simulating cooking. Samples (3-5 per country) were obtained
from India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Nepal, Guatemala, Tanzania and
the Ivory Coast. Each cookware sample was tested by boiling 4% acetic acid
within the vessel for 2 hours. The resulting leachate solution was tested for
lead and other metals including cadmium, arsenic and aluminum by inductively
coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP) analysis.
Of the 31 samples tested thus far, nine leached significant levels of
lead. Measureable levels of cadmium have
been detected from nineteen pots, and one released a large amount of
potentially toxic thallium. All pots
released very high levels of aluminum.
Estimated lead exposures ranging from <1 to 170 micrograms (mcg) per
serving. According to the US Centers for
Disease Control, there is no level of lead exposure without harmful effects to
children. Our results confirm that
inexpensive aluminum cookware may be a significant source of lead poisoning in
the developing world.
Nicole Brigham
and James Lentine
Students’
Majors: Psychology (NB); Psychology (JL)
Faculty
Sponsors: Dr. Mitchell Metzger & Dr. Diane B. V. Bonfiglio, Psychology
Fosnaugh,
Geers, and Willman (2009) found that by getting individuals to think about
positive future life events one can temporarily increase the individual’s level
of optimism. In this study, we primed optimism in participants to examine the
effects of priming optimism on memory for positive and neutral stimuli. We
predicted that participants primed to be optimistic would show enhanced recall.
Forty-four participants were randomly assigned to either the priming or control
condition. In the priming condition,
participants completed a future-thinking questionnaire to induce a temporary
optimistic state. Then, they were exposed to a list of positive and neutral
words and were immediately asked to recall as many words as they could. They then completed a measure of optimism and
a demographics questionnaire. Participants in the control condition completed
all of the same procedures except the future-thinking questionnaire. Across
both positive and neutral words, we found that the mean number of memorized
words was 8.93 for the primed group and 8.13 for the control group. These means
were not statistically significantly different (t(42) = 0.874, p =
0.387).These data suggest that priming optimism does not seem to have an effect
on memorization of words in general. We hope to extend this work to examine
specific effects of priming optimism on memory for positive words.
Then
and Now: The Kardiac Kids
Courtney Troyer and Haley Pittman
Students’ Majors: Sport Communication and
Public Relations (CT); Sport Communication, Public Relations, and Health and
Risk Communication (HP)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Dariela
Rodriguez, Communication
The
1980 Cleveland Browns, commonly known as the Kardiac Kids, was a team to
remember for the dedicated fans of Cleveland.
Giving fans a last minute victory was a reason enough to go into
“kardiac” arrest, quickly to earn the respectable name. This nerve-wracking but victorious team
directly connects to the concept of a sports hero in mythology and how people
treat this concept as if it is their religion.
The concept of mythology dates back to the age of the ancient Greeks. In Greek mythology, heroes were seen to be
bigger than the average man, achieving historic accomplishments,
victories. In the world of sport, the
sport heroes were created in the same manner. Although many sports heroes may
not be victorious with every move they make, they will always be looked back upon
and be remembered as legendary because of their accomplishments. Without the product of the media in today’s
society, these sport legends would not be as recognizable and made to be who
they are today. As we move forward from
1980 away from the Kardiac Kids, statistics show that the “Kardiac Kids 2.0”
are on the rise in the Brown’s 2014 NFL season. In preparation for our analysis
of this topic, we researched old articles and stories that were written about
the 1980 Browns team. We then continued
to search for articles that were written during the 2014 season about this
years’ Cleveland Browns to show the comparisons that were being made between
the two teams.
Sehnsucht: Longing for “Home”
Cecelia
Maxwell
Student’s
Major: Fine Arts (Digital Art and Printmaking)
Faculty
Sponsors: Prof. Keith Dull and Prof. Jessica Wascak, Art
The German concept of sehnsucht has been
characterized as a high degree of intense, recurring
desire for something, particularly if there is no hope to attain that
which is desired or
when its attainment is uncertain and still far away. As an artist,
I want to provide the viewer with an inside look into
what it feels like to have a longing for a place and remind them of when they
last felt such a desire. I have had the privilege of visiting Scotland multiple
times and each trip has influenced me greatly. The experiences I
had left me with a feeling of homesickness for a place that I have never even
lived. Therefore, a major component of my digital artwork is
self-portraiture. By breaking up these images and physically separating them on
the wall where they are displayed, I can emphasize the idea of distance and
create a sense of time that shows how far away the attainment of my goals feels.
The animals I incorporate draw upon a long-standing tradition in which
they have been used to represent human qualities, allowing me to show the true
characteristics that I find in the people around me as I progress toward my
goal of moving to Scotland. This body of
work explores my own personal experiences in relation to the idea of sehnsucht
while offering the audience a reminder of the last
time they faced a transition to the next step of their lives.
Ashley Keres and Emily Shrider
Students’ Majors: Psychology (AK); Psychology
(ES)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Christopher R. Chartier,
Psychology
Many
psychologists rely on undergraduate students as their primary source of
participants. Most frequently, the students themselves decide when to
participate, meaning that some students participate early on while others
participate towards the end of the semester. The idea is that earlier
students are more conscientious and diligent in their performance in research
tasks. Labs across the country administered a single protocol to assess 12
known psychological effects. At Ashland, 40 participants participated
during both the first and second halves of the fall 2014 semester. One
effect of particular importance was a test of clipboard weight on the
perception of issue importance. Previous studies suggest that holding
heavier objects indicates a weightier, more serious perception of a topic.
There were no main effects of either time of semester or weight of the
clipboard. Interestingly, there was a marginal interaction between the
two, F(1,81) = 3.88, p = .052. In the first half of the
semester the issue was rated marginally more important in the heavy condition (M
= 6.55, SD = 0.67) than the light condition (M = 6.05, SD
= 1.36), t(42) = 1.55, p =.065. This was descriptively reversed
in the second half of the semester where the issue was rated as more important
in the light condition (M = 6.57, SD = .51) than the heavy
condition (M = 6.15, SD = 1.46), t(39) = 1.25, p = .11.
This pattern provides moderate support for the idea that earlier
participants will behave in more predictable ways.
Alexander
Kaple
Student’s
Major: Biochemistry
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Jeffrey Weidenhamer, Chemistry
Wilted leaves of red maple (Acer rubrum) are toxic to horses,
causing death by oxidation of hemoglobin and inducing anemia. Previous research
in our lab suggested that a novel chemical component is present in red maple
leaves after wilting, and focused on identification of the suspected novel
compound. The objective of this project was
to identify and characterize chemical compounds in the foliage extracts of red
maple that are associated with the observed toxicity to horses. Fresh and wilted extracts of red maple leaves
were qualitatively characterized by Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) and High
Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
No obvious differences in fresh and wilted chemistry were observed. HPLC analysis has confirmed that there is
both free and bound gallic acid, a known toxin, present in red maple
leaves. The concentration of gallic acid
in red maple has not previously been reported.
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method is being developed
to confirm the quantity of gallic acid present in red maple and two other maple
species, silver maple (Acer saccharinum)
and sugar maple (Acer saccharum). Qualitative comparison of the chemistry of
red maple extracts with those of silver maple and sugar maple by HPLC shows
substantial differences, and these are being further investigated. Further separation of the bulk red maple
extract is being carried out using Sephadex LH-20 chromatography. Isolated compounds will be characterized by
NMR and mass spectroscopy.
Sara Lautzenhiser
Student’s Major: Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Christopher R. Chartier,
Psychology
Tacit
Coordination is critical to smoothly navigating social life (Kelley &
Thibaut, 1968). The process of tacit coordination requires complementary
alignment of decision making without direct communication. Research has focused
on the types of knowledge that allowed interacting parties to coordinate
successfully (Abele & Stasser, 2008; Chartier & Abele, under
review). This study examines how
successful dyads are at a changing locations task and attempts to identify
whether even very minimal social information enhances coordination.
Participants performed a coordination mismatching task that required the
members to make opposite decisions in order to succeed. Prior to the
experiment, the participants knew nothing about their partners. Before the
task, half of the dyads were given three minutes alone to communicate while the
other half were unable to communicate. Subsequently, all participants completed
a task that required one dyad member to “move” from a starting location and one
dyad member to “stay” in this location
An analysis of success frequencies revealed that dyads in the study succeeded
59% of the time, which was not significantly different from chance, c2
(N = 44), 1.46, p = .22. Pilot data suggests that dyads who do not see
each other before the interaction perform worse than chance, and more data is
being collected to see what, if any, benefit brief social interaction has on
tacit coordination in this setting. Communication is one of the ways that allows a
person to coordinate successfully, however, minor social information, such as
seeing the other person may help too.
The Effects of Posture on Persistence
Olivia Perna
Student’s Major: Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Christopher R. Chartier,
Psychology
Persistence
has been linked with physical movement.
Recent research has focused on whether
arm crossing
increases a person’s ability to persist on a cognitive task (Friedman &
Elliot, 2008). In this similar study we
are extending these results by adding a new condition. We hypothesized that a constricted posture,
may be counterproductive, and added a free choice posture condition allowing us
to examine how a participant sits when concentrating in a natural way. Forcing participants to take a certain
posture may cause ego depletion. Ego
depletion is a lack of self-regulatory energy for mental activities. Participants were asked to sit in one of
three postures; free, arms crossed and palms on their thighs. Next, they were instructed to solve three
anagrams in a maximum of six minutes.
Critically, the third of these anagrams was unsolvable. Participants also took two personality
scales, the Need for Cognition Scale and the Self-Efficacy Scale, after
completing the anagrams. A total of 57
students participated in this study. A
one way analysis of variance was not statistically significant, F(2,53) = 2.29 p = .11. The mean anagram times were 232.2 seconds (SD = 111.8) for
the free condition, 169.756 seconds (SD = 117.1) for arms crossed, and 164.4
seconds (SD = 97.51) for the palms on thighs condition. We continue to collect data this semester to
assess whether our small sample size prevented us from detecting an
effect. Further research would be
helpful in finding if persistence has a connection a specific posture.
Edie
Henthorne
Student’s
Majors: Psychology and Business Administration
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Curtis Ickes, Psychology
This study investigates the self-described
personality traits of online daters. Several
hypotheses were examined based on types of traits described, frequency, gender,
and age (20-30s vs. 50-60s). The first
hypothesis was supported indicating that self-descriptive dating profiles
contain more positive than negative traits, c2(N = 816)
= 663.843, p < .001. It was also
hypothesized that there would be no difference between the likelihood that
males and females would use more positive traits than negative traits to
describe themselves. This hypothesis was also supported as there were no
differences, c2(N = 816) = 0.24, p = 0.624. A third
hypothesis, predicting no difference in the number of positive traits by age
group, was also supported, c2(N = 816) = 0.643, p = 0.422. It was further hypothesized that some
personality traits appear more frequently in profiles than other traits. This
was confirmed by examining the frequency in which the traits occurred. Some traits such as caring, fun, and humorous
had high frequency counts while traits like sporty, spiritual, and
sophisticated only occurred one time. It was also hypothesized that gender
differences exist in frequency of the use of specific positive personality
traits to describe oneself. Calculated
percentages confirm that there was a difference in 10 traits. For example, men used the word “attractive”
0.975% of the time and women used it 4.098% of the time. Finally, age differences were found when
examining the top 10 most frequent and positive traits, c2(N = 397) = 48.953, p < .001. For example,
older women stated they were “loving” 35 times while young men only stated it
19 times.
Evidence for the
Effect of Pond Type and Hydroperiod on Fall Zooplankton Abundance in Diverse Small
Ponds at the Black Fork Wetlands Preserve
Rosalie Sepesy and
Olivia Macek
Students’ Majors:
Biology and Environmental Science (both students)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Patricia Saunders, Biology and Environmental Science
In the
Black Fork Wetlands, ponds adjacent to the river have various hydroperiods, or
durations of pooled water. More permanent ponds show year-round water
retention, and more temporary ponds typically have seasonal drying and filling.
Our previous study found that temporary ponds that dried out and then flooded
had greater abundance of zooplankton in fall than did the same ponds in a
relatively wet year. Zooplankton abundances in permanent ponds were greater and
more consistent every year. We predict that seasonal drying followed by
significant flooding is linked to stronger zooplankton population growth in
temporary ponds, but there are alternative hypotheses for how this may work.
For this study, we expanded our comparisons to four ponds and three years with
different dry-wet cycles. We quantified zooplankton (cladocerans, copepods and
their nauplius larva, ostracods) common to all ponds. In 2014, all ponds,
including more permanent ponds, were dry for the several weeks, and all basins
refilled gradually and without any flood event from October to December.
Preliminary counts for 2014 samples showed low population levels of cladocerans
and moderate copepods. This supports our original finding that years with dry
and wet periods in typically temporary ponds will stimulate greater
accumulation of zooplankton than in wet years. Knowing about the relationship
between hydroperiod and zooplankton abundance and the variety of pond food webs
is useful for ecologists in conservation areas such as the Black Fork Wetlands,
since zooplankton contribute to feeding different salamanders, fish, insects,
and other organisms in different ponds.
Obama
and ISIS
Lauren
Miller
Student’s
Major: Health and Risk Communication
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Dariela
Rodriguez, Communication
Through great events in time, the
media has adopted the techniques of media framing and agenda setting to
effectively report the news. These techniques allow the media to emphasize
topics and frame specific parts of a story. However, such framing often results
in a bias towards one party over the other. For example, news affiliates such
as NBC use agenda setting to downplay the actions of one political party by
highlighting specific quotes or phrases. Media framing has also been used as
effective tool drawing attention to specific parts of a story. In recent
months, an organization known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has
made its presence known to the world through wartime acts and plots intended to
bring harm to westerners. Agenda setting and media framing have been the key
components to how the media has portrayed and reported news about ISIS. A
content analysis of news stories garnered from news websites (e.a., Fox News,
CNN) indicated that Americans are at risk for being swayed in the direction of
the news source political affiliation.
Regardless of the media outlet, viewers only have a short segment to
which they can create their own opinion on the matter.
Face and
Object Memory Tests: Introverts and Extroverts with Anxiety Condition
Emily
Embrescia
Student’s
Major: Psychology
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Christopher R. Chartier, Psychology
The purpose of this study is to assess whether
introverts or extroverts perform better on face memory tests. We were
specifically interested in evaluating if an anxiety inducing condition leads
one personality type to excel or suffer. For this face and object memory study
we had two conditions, an anxiety condition—where the participant was
watched—and a non-anxiety condition—where the participant was not watched. If a
participant was in the watched condition, the researcher would sit about two feet
away from them and watch them complete the memory tests. Participants completed two memory tests:
objects (trees) and faces. The first
phase of each memory test required participants to see 20 objects or faces
appear on the screen for 3 seconds each. The second phase required participants
to pick out the 20 objects or faces they previously saw out of 40 objects or
faces. Other measures included an anxiety questionnaire and an
introvert/extrovert questionnaire. Data was collected from 72 participants. We
discovered that there was a significant interaction between anxiety condition
and extroversion on the face test, F(1,59)
= 5.608, p = .021. Introverts
recognized fewer faces when being watched, M
= 23.864, SD = 4.43, than when they
were not watched, M = 26.575, SD = 3.06. Extroverts did not differ on
their performance based on condition, M
= 25.778, SD = 1.93 (watched), M = 24.857, SD = 4.67 (not watched). These results suggest that introverts are
not as proficient in recognizing faces while being watched as extroverts are.
Synthesis
of 2-alkoxy Ether Substituents of Niclosamide Analogs for SAR Study of
Anti-tumor Activity
CJ Hassmann
Student’s Major: Biochemistry
Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Rebecca Corbin,
Chemistry and Dr. Nick Regan, Chemistry
The drug niclosamide,
5-chloro-N-(2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl)-2 hydroxybenzamide, is an FDA approved
anti-worm drug used to treat parasitic infections. Studies have shown that
niclosamide exhibits activity in the inhibition of cancer cell
proliferation. A number of Sn2 reactions
were conducted by coupling alkyl halides with the 2-hydroxy group of
niclosamide. A similar reaction scheme was used to make urea by use of
potassium cyanide. These reactions resulted in three alkoxy analogs and a
carbonate analog that were characterized by means of melting point, 1HNMR,
13CNMR, and infrared spectroscopy. Once characterized, the compounds were
subject to a biological assay to determine their activity against cancer cell
proliferation. All analogues, with the exception of carbonate, showed no
activity, verifying that a hydrogen bond donor at the 2 position of niclosamide
is necessary for activity.
The
Fantasy Inside Reality
Danielle
Rhonemus
Student’s
Major: Art Education and Fine Arts (Printmaking)
Faculty
Sponsor: Prof. Keith Dull, Art
My artwork is a visual representation of the unrealistic
longing for fantasized relationships depicted in fairytales. I use different
visual symbols to allude to the desire to find one’s prince charming and happy
ending. There is a current psychological problem known as the “princess syndrome.” This term is used to
describe young girls having unrealistic expectations of the world after
watching modern interpretations of fairytales. It can often make adolescents
feel inadequate in comparison to these beautiful girls who live happily ever
after. By using precious wooden boxes as physical representations of the body,
I can conceal feelings and fears inside to represent them being thoughts that
are often kept secret. The etched female portrait on the top of each box
further pushes the idea of it representing
the human body. This is important in allowing the viewer to make the connection
that what is inside is meant to be a physical depiction of the individual’s
hopes and desires. Inside of the box is a figure in a fantastical space
inspired by a specific fairytale related to the female’s dreams for the future.
Together, the outer, more direct imagery, combined with the more imaginative
scene on the inside, reveal an inner desire for something that cannot be wholly
found in the world in which we live. Yet, despite knowing that the girl might
never really find everything she imagines, she still
holds on to the hope that one day she will find her perfect happy ending.
“Little
Red Riding Hood” by Seymour Barab
Abigale
Brady, Fatima Imani-Smith, Deric Dove
Student’s
Majors: Music and Psychology (AB); Music (FI); Music Education (DD)
Sponsor: Prof. Stephanie Sikora, Music
Seymour Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood is a delightful
adaptation of the fairy tale classic, in which the scary wolf is transformed
into a comic character, and Little Red learns why she should have listened to
her mother. In this setting, children are reminded about hygiene, nutrition,
good manners, honesty, respect for their elders, and particularly safety. Before the opera can truly come to life, the
performers have plenty of preparation and practice ahead of them. They must apply all the skills learned in
solfeggio, aural training, and advanced music theory, due to non-tonal
intervals and unpredictable leaps. Vocal lessons are crucial in order to
solidify the demanding technique for these roles. Additional significant challenges are: singing with and sometimes against the piano accompaniment, recognizing
and identifying various chord structures to help find the pitch and centered
intonation, meter and tempo changes, rhythmic speaking/singing, and use of
extended vocal ranges. Throughout this
process much musical and vocal growth has taken place, ensuring a strong
foundation that will result in successful characterization and overall
performance.
Comparing Feature Extraction and Feature Selection Algorithms in
Pattern Recognition
Paul Pernici
Student’s Majors: Computer Science and Mathematics
Dr. Paul Cao, Computer Science
Pattern
recognition is the science of discovering the inherent properties of large sets
of data. A popular approach uses an artificial neural network (ANN), which is a
biologically inspired machine learning model capable of mimicking human
cognitive functions. Each ANN consists of a set of neurons and weighted
connections, or synapses, between those neurons. The weight of a connection
between two neurons represents the strength of their relationship, and is
updated during the network's training. Training may use various approaches, but
all seek to minimize the errors the network makes on a set of training
examples. In the end, the ANN is tested on a new set of data different from the
training set. In order for an ANN to recognize handwritten digits, the images
used in training must undergo dimension reduction. This reduces each image's
noisiness and speeds up the ANN's training, which is quite important in
real-world applications. Two general methods of dimension reduction exist:
feature selection and feature extraction. Feature selection algorithms choose a
subset of pixels from the image based on some criteria, but leave them
unchanged. Feature extraction transforms the entire image and in the process
achieves dimension reduction. We chose one algorithm of each type: singular
value decomposition, a feature extraction algorithm based on matrix algebra,
and the Fischer Discriminant Ratio, a feature selection algorithm employing
statistical methods. A large scale simulation was carried out which showed that
feature extraction algorithms provide better accuracy and robustness, though
they tend to involve more calculations.
Anglo-Indian Women and Competing Gender Roles in E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India
Megan Scarberry
Student’s Major: English
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Sharleen Mondal, English
In 1857,
Indians rebelled against British colonial rule in a revolt called the Indian
Mutiny. In response, the English crafted a cultural narrative in which English
men had to protect English women from “violent” Indian men, giving rise to the
stereotype that Indian men would assault English women at any opportunity.
While traditional norms dictated that English women should marry, have
children, and be subservient to their husbands, there was simultaneously in
England a movement for gender equality. English women living in India
(Anglo-Indian women) were expected to maintain traditional norms to preserve imperial power. E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India (1924) depicts
Anglo-Indian women stuck between traditional norms and a desire to pursue
changing expectations. In particular, Adela Quested rebels against traditional
roles, showing that she would rather take on the traditionally masculine role
of colonial explorer. She travels to India to observe Ronny, to whom she
becomes engaged despite her doubts. Adela accuses an Indian man, Aziz, of rape,
which she then begins to doubt, and later retracts at trial, causing Ronny to
break their engagement. In these actions, Adela deviates from the Anglo-Indian
woman’s role, violating both expectations for marriage and for upholding the
Mutiny narrative. Through close reading of the novel in its social and
historical context and responding to literary criticism, I argue that Adela’s
desire to be a colonial explorer stems from the loss of autonomy women suffer
in marriage and the power imbalance that existed between a husband and wife at
this time.
A
Union Worthy of the Saving
Samuel
Mariscal
Student’s
Major: History, Political Science
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Chris Burkett, History and Political Science
The arguments between Abraham
Lincoln and Stephen Douglas on the justice or injustice of slavery allow us to
question which of the two is the true statesman. Using passages from Lincoln’s
Repeal of the Missouri Compromise speech at Peoria, Illinois, I will show that
both Lincoln and Douglas both want to save the Union. Though Douglas wants to
save the Union through the Kansas-Nebraska Act, his policy of popular sovereignty
mistakenly disorders the Union’s soul by reducing slavery from a moral question
to a mere democratic preference. Lincoln wants to reorder the Union soul toward
fulfilling the principles of the American founding-especially the principle of
equal liberty for all. Douglas wants to save the Union; Lincoln wants to make
the Union worth saving. Lincoln’s statesmanship is best revealed in his
arguments for restoring the Missouri Compromise, and by so doing, restoring the
Union to its righteous path toward ending slavery.
The Golden Periodical
Hallie Carrino, Halee Heironimus, and Kate
Siefert
Students’ Majors: Political Science and
History (HC); Digital Media Journalism and Sport Communication (HH); Digital
Media Journalism and Sport Communication (KS)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. David McCoy, Journalism
and Digital Media
As new
media technologies continue to arise, it is important for society to be
informed about how to use these technologies as news sources. Our goal was to
show the transition from print media to web-based media. We aimed to create a
website that provided news stories, videos, and audio pieces that transported
our targeted audience past the borders of Ashland county. We titled our website The Golden Periodical:
gold to correlate with AU on the periodic table; periodical as another name for
a news source and also a play on words. Our targeted audience members were the
Ashland community, including the university, city, and county. This project
required both individual work and collaborative teamwork. We delegated stories
for each individual to compose, focused on the layout and design of the
website, and narrowed down what stories were the most intriguing to viewers of
our webpage. Within our research experience, we generated story ideas and constructed
articles that we thought would capture our targeted audience. The articles
required archival research about the subject, the access of primary sources,
and multiple interviews. In our oral presentation, we will share the important
elements of the website, including story research, writing, and recording, that
will enlighten the audience and encourage them to appreciate new media
technologies.
A
Paragon of Proslavery Thought: The Forgotten Influence of Thomas Roderick Dew
Joey
Barretta
Student’s
Majors: International Political Studies, Political Science, and History
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Michael Schwarz, History
During the first half-century
of America’s existence as an independent republic, no statesman or writer of
consequence attempted to justify African slavery on principle. In the
second quarter of the nineteenth century, however, a number of southern writers
began crafting complex arguments in defense of slavery. Some, like South
Carolina’s John C. Calhoun, even called slavery a “positive good.” In my
talk, I will discuss one of the more thoughtful and influential proslavery
writers of the 1830s, Virginia’s Thomas Roderick Dew, professor and later
president at the College of William and Mary. Dew wrote that slavery was
necessary, practical, and beneficial for master and slave alike. If freed, he
argued, former slaves were likely to incite a violent rebellion as retribution
for their previous condition. Dew cited statistical evidence showing, among
other things, that free blacks were a large proportion of convicts in the North
even though they represented a small portion of the overall population.
In short, I will explain how slavery came to be advocated not only by
plantation owners but by southern intellectuals such as Dew, how they used
empirical evidence to support their claims, and why they thought themselves
morally correct.
The
Effects of Essay Topic, Gender, and Education Level on Peer Grading
Mary
Moeller
Student’s Major: Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Diane B. V. Bonfiglio,
Psychology
This study
examined whether subject matter, essayist gender, and essayist level of
education influenced grading of an essay. In order to examine this, 70
participants were randomly assigned to read an essay with either a
stereotypically female topic (about an author’s collected works) or a
stereotypically male topic (about politics in sports). Within those conditions,
participants were also randomly assigned to be told either that the essay was
written by a male essayist or female essayist. Finally, participants were
randomly assigned to be told either that the essay was written by a high school
student or a graduate student. Participants were then asked to grade the essay
they were given according to the SAT grading rubric, which was printed out and
provided for them. Results indicated
there is a statistically significant main effect of education, meaning that
those who were told the essays were written by graduate students graded the
essays higher than those who were told the essays were written by high school
students (F(1, 69) = 5.150, p = 0.031). The hypothesized effects for essay subject
matter and gender of essayist did not approach statistical significance, nor
did any of the examined interaction effects; it is clear from the data that
graders are more likely to grade an essay as better if they believe the essay
was written by someone with a higher level of education.
Kristen
Herrick
Student’s
Major: English
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Hilary Donatini, English
Frances Burney’s novel Evelina, or the
History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778) portrays the life
of a young British girl and her experiences as she grows and learns about the
world. Evelina’s decisions concerning her appearance at her first ball in
London, her private ride with the predatory Sir Clement Willoughby in his
chariot, and her encounter with two prostitutes in a public garden have the
potential to ruin her reputation as a sexually naïve, yet well-bred and
civilized young woman and affect her value in the eighteenth century marriage
market. I engage with two critics who discuss the constraints placed on Evelina
and other women during the eighteenth century. Judith Newton shows how Burney
portrays the limitations of eighteenth-century women’s lives in the novel.
Lynette Eckersley discusses gender roles and the expected proper conduct of a
young woman during Evelina’s time as well, claiming that Burney challenges
gender ideology and “undermines female gender identity.” The critics,
however, neglect to analyze Evelina’s behavior toward potential suitors in the
context of their historical research. Although I draw on their research and
build on their arguments, I address specific examples in the text that these
critics do not. I claim, through an analysis of specific scenes, that although
Evelina’s numerous social blunders tarnish her sexual reputation and impede her
opportunities for marriage, her ultimate match Lord Orville sees beyond social
convention to her true moral foundation.
Hallie Carrino
Student’s Majors: Political Science and
History Major
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Rene Paddags,
History/Political Science
“Do I want a salad or a burger for lunch?” This question, along with many
others similar to it, filter through the minds of Americans each day. What may
seem as a choice left to the individual, outside entities such as television
advertisements and governmentally backed dietary guidelines help to influence
what foods Americans should eat that are necessary to live a healthy lifestyle.
Even with these influences, the effects of obesity and chronic illnesses such
as heart disease still ail U.S. citizens. With these ailments heavily prevalent
in our society today, the question must be asked as to why individuals are
still making these poor food choices. In my presentation, I will be providing
an alternative reason as to why Americans do not eat good food: their innate
desire for freedom. French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville examines
within his book Democracy in America the different characteristics and
values that allow Americans to thrive democratically. One of these is their
desire for self-government. Another is their natural draw towards all things
easy and convenient. I will thus be juxtaposing the democratic
individual’s desire for self-government, as described by Tocqueville, to
the democratic individual’s ability to choose for themselves what foods they
should consume. With this comparison, I will be working to show why
governmental organizations and the marketing strategies of food industry giants
cannot fully succeed in convincing Americans on what they should eat because of
their desire for the freedom to choose for themselves.
Joseph Scott Glorioso
Student’s Majors:
Mathematics and Chemistry
Faculty Sponsor: Dr.
Gordon Swain, Mathematics
The problem examined was whether
it is more beneficial to run 5000 meters at constant speed or at constant
effort while minimizing the time. In
order to determine this, a model was developed to calculate the oxygen used (VO2)
due to running itself, to varying winds, and to varying inclines for an average
sized runner. The model, based on human
data from literature, takes an input of runner’s speed, wind speed, and incline
and gives an output of volume of oxygen consumed. Using a simple conversion, VO2 was
then converted to Calories expended. Starting with a baseline Calorie target at
each of several wind speeds, comparing the runner’s time while running at
constant effort and constant speed led to the conclusion that energy can be
used more efficiently running at constant effort for a distance of 5000
meters. Varying the incline has very
little effect on the results and does not alter the overall outcome that it is
more efficient to run at constant effort.
Is Disney Art?
Benjamin Isaiah
Black
Student’s Major: Theatre
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Teresa Durbin-Ames,
Theatre
There is no denying that the films released by the Walt Disney
Animation Studios have left an incredible impression on audiences all over the
world. Beginning with Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs (William Cottrell, 1937), these movies have given us memorable
stories, likeable characters, catchy songs, and impressive visuals. There are
certainly other largely successful movies the animation studio released, such
as Cinderella (Clyde Geronimi, 1950),
The Lion King (Roger Allers and Rob
Minkoff, 1994), and Frozen (Chris
Buck and Jennifer Lee, 2013). While these movies gained great commercial
success and are undeniably entertaining, are they artistic? Are these films
meant to evoke emotions, or to divert attention and amuse audiences? How strong
do the stories, characters, and animation represent the themes and messages of
these films? The purpose is to explain that while these films are entertaining,
they should also be seen as art. Defining both terms “entertainment” and “art,”
different Disney animated films will be examined in order to explain why they
are artistic. The animation creates a specific atmosphere and mood for each
film through its designs, and colors, and detailed backgrounds. The themes are
relatable to the human experience, thus making them empathetic to audiences.
These and other elements of Disney animated films give them an artistic edge.
Beatbox Flute: An Analysis of Greg Pattillo’s 3 Beats for Beatbox Flute
Don Roger Haught
Student’s Major:
Music Education
Faculty
Sponsors: Dr. Thomas Reed, Music and Prof. Jane Berkner, Music
In 2006,
Greg Pattillo’s “beatboxing flute” video went viral, making his rendition of
the theme from “Super Mario Brothers” famous. Pattillo’s style incorporates
traditional flute playing as well as the vocal imitation of other instruments,
particularly drums. In 2011, Pattillo was commissioned by the National Flute
Association to compose a work for their annual High School Competition,
entitled Three Beats for Beatbox Flute. The three-movement work for solo flute
features beatbox techniques and voice, making it one of the most revolutionary
21st century works written for the flute. The presentation will include a brief
overview of the flute’s extended techniques, a brief history of Greg Pattillo’s
“beatbox flute” style, an explanation of beatbox flute technique, and a
performance of Three Beats for Beatbox
Flute.
Rachel Yaeger, Hannah Thome, Shauna Spiez,
Dana Reed, Emily Minns, David Truesdell, and Kara Mewhinney
Students’ Majors: Art Education (RY); Art
Education (HT); Art Education and Fine Arts (SS); Art Education (DR); Art
Education (EM); Art Education (DT); Art Education (KM)
Faculty Sponsor: Prof. Priscilla Roggenkamp,
Art
We
researched the art of vanitas still lifes and the opportunity they present to
open up secondary classrooms to new types of pedagogy. In a typical art
classroom, a still life is set up as a tool to increase observational skills;
however, this method of instruction sometimes does not engage students on a personal
level. The seventeenth-century vanitas paintings combine symbology and religion
to teach morality through detailed compositions. In the art classroom, vanitas
paintings can be used to create personal connections between history and
content. Vanitas paintings present teachers with a great opportunity to
transform their classrooms into a student-centered learning environment through
inviting students to create compositions using their own symbols. Our research
suggests that content-laden art such as the vanitas paintings can also
encourage higher-level thinking skills. When presented with the opportunity to
take charge of their own education, students will readily push deeper into
their art and their works’ content. We will present the research gathered from
historical study as well as contemporary educational theories. This will
include both the significant elements of vanitas and benefits that stem from
having a student-centered classroom.
Sara Lautzenhiser
Student’s Major: Psychology
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Diane B. V. Bonfiglio,
Psychology
The
popularity of video games makes the subject an important topic for research,
especially since playing these games can have detrimental effects. Past
research has shown that violent video games can cause a great deal of stress on
the person playing the game (Hasan, Begue, & Bushman, 2013). While there
has been research on stress and video games before, there is limited literature
examining stress related to different play styles of video games. This study
compares first person versus third person perspective game styles in hopes to
give insight on whether one point of view is more physiologically distressing
than the other. Fifty participants completed a video game task and a
demographics sheet. During the task, participants were randomly assigned to
play the same video game level in either first or third person point of view.
Before and after the task, blood pressure was measured and a change score was
calculated by subtracting the pre-task blood pressure value from the post-task
blood pressure value. An independent samples t-test revealed no statistically
significant difference in systolic blood pressure change score between participants
who played in the first person compared to those who played in the third person
(t(45) = 1.13, p = 0.27). There was also no statistically significant difference
between groups in diastolic blood pressure change (t(45) = 1.04, p = 0.30).
Results from this study could be interesting to players who may wish to know
whether the play style they choose may have implications for their health.
“Always be
closing”: Really Existing Capitalism in Glengarry
Glenn Ross
Charlie
Michel
Student’s Major:
Mathematics
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. Maura Grady, English
Capitalism’s ability to compromise the
integrity and well-being of individuals across the economic spectrum has long
been a target for criticism by playwrights and filmmakers. My presentation will
examine the film Glengarry Glenn Ross (James
Foley, 1992), the cinematic adaption of David Mamet’s 1984 Pulitzer
Prize-winning play. Through an analysis of the dialogue and visual elements of
the film, I will be discussing its critique of the manner in which American
capitalism fosters an environment detrimental to the physical, emotional, and
moral well-being of individuals. Glengarry Glenn Ross is set in
a dingy real estate office that serves as a sort of microcosm of what Noam
Chomsky would call “really existing capitalism,” a largely oligopolistic
structure that exploits workers and consumers, snuffs out competition (often
with government assistance), and exercises undue political influence thereby
compromising the democratic process. Mamet and Foley challenge the myth
perpetuated by free-market idealists that American capitalism is defined by
freedom, opportunity, and fair competition. Foley’s cinematographic
contributions bring Mamet’s screenplay to life in a poignant portrayal of the
active suppression of opportunity and the irreparable emotional and moral
degradation of the film’s main characters who vie for advancement in the
company’s hierarchy. My claim is that the acting styles and visual presentation
of the film bring to the forefront the destructive human impulses that define
our economic system and must be restrained if we wish to achieve long-term
societal prosperity.
FDR’s
Dilemma: A Historical Documentary
Rachel
Ann Gollhardt
Student’s
Major: Journalism and Digital Media
Faculty
Sponsor: Dr. David McCoy, Journalism and Digital Media
During the Second World War,
President Franklin Roosevelt spared no effort in crushing the tyrannical Nazi
regime. However, liberation of the Jewish concentration and death camps appeared
to have been a lesser priority to him. Through historical research shown in a documentary
format, this study examined the decisions he made to help the Jews suffering under
the control of the Nazis. Historians argue that more could have been done to
help the Jews and end their suffering. Roosevelt did help in ways such as
instituting the war refugee board and concentrating on ending the war thereby
liberating the camps. In the presentation I will show a clip from the
documentary and talk about the recording, editing, and research processes. The
processes included contacting the National Holocaust Museum’s team of experts,
followed by traveling to Washington D.C. to conduct interviews as well as
recording video of national monuments and the Museum. Through the research
phase for the documentary, numerous archival videos, articles, photographs,
primary sources and secondary sources were collected. The Museum’s archives
were searched for primary source material of FDR speeches and wartime footage.
Historians and Holocaust experts from multiple universities were interviewed to
get their view on the topic.
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