Centenary Research Conference 2022

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Each year Centenary students and faculty present their best works of exploration and invention at our annual Research Conference. A community event for over 30 years, the Research Conference is modeled on long-standing academic traditions of conference-based information sharing and feedback.

The 2022 Research Conference is sponsored by the Douglas F. and Marion S. Attaway Foundation, and is made possible with the support of Centenary’s Convocation Committee, the Office of the Provost, Campus Activities Board, and the Student Government Association.

This year’s Research Conference was organized by Dr. Scott Chirhart (Biology), Dr. Jeanne Hamming (English), Dr. Cory Wikan (Music), and Dr. Jessica Alexander (Psychology). Special thanks to Jeremy Johnson for his graphic design skills, Candace Metoyer for her web skills, and to Connie Whittington for her unwavering support of our students.

Generous thanks to our judges: •

Trek Presentations: Valerie Breashears, Devin Bureau, Sarah McCall, Patrick Morgan

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Poster Presentations: Jeffery Evans, Joshua Lawrence, Jarret Richardson

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Humanities Oral Presentations: Michelle Glaros and Edward Ragan

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Social Science Oral Presentations: Amy Friesenhahn and Amy Hammond

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Natural Science Oral Presentations: David Bieler, Skippy Jennings, Kathrine Weeks

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Visual Arts: Emily Hamann and Shannon Palmer

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Creative Writing: Jeff Hendricks, Bellee Jones-Pierce, Emily Leithauser, Alan Lenhoff, and Margaret Sanders

Winners from this year’s Research Conference will be presented with awards at the Annual Honors Convocation, Friday, May 7 at 5:15pm in the Gold Dome.

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Quick View 8:00-11:00: Trek 116 Presentations A. Professors Hamming and Chakraborty (Mickle 114) B. Professors Ciocchetti, Hicks, and Demerath (Kilpatrick) C. Professors Hawkins, Jones-Pierce, and Laffey (Whited) D. Professors Leithauser and Sanders (Hurley 201) 8:00-9:00 SESSION 1 1A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) 1B. Humanities (Centenary Room) 1C. Social Sciences (Jackson 304) 9:15-10:15 SESSION 2 2A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) 2B. Humanities (Centenary Room) 2C. Social Sciences (Jackson 304) 10:30-11:30 SESSION 3 3A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) 3B. Humanities (Centenary Room) 3C. Social Sciences (Jackson 304) 3D. Social Sciences (Mickle 114) 12:30-1:30 SESSION 4 4A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) 4B. Humanities (Whited) 4C. Social Sciences (Kilpatrick) 1:45-2:45 SESSION 5 5A. Natural Sciences (Mickle 114) 5B. Humanities (Whited) 5C. Social Sciences (Kilpatrick) 3:00-4:00 SESSION 6 6A. Natural Sciences (Mickle 114) 6B. Humanities (Whited) 6C. Social Sciences (Kilpatrick) 4:15-5:30 SESSION 7 7A. Creative Writing and Visual Arts (Whited) 7B. Social Sciences (Kilpatrick) 5:30-7:00 Dinner in Lot 1 sponsored by C.A.B. and Sodexo

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Full Program 8:00-11:00: Trek 116 Presentations A. Professors Hamming and Chakraborty Moderator: Jeanne Hamming Location: Mickle 114 8:00-8:50: Reimagining Nature and Technology through Public Art Research Advisors: Jeanne Hamming (and Jessica Hawkins) Presenters: Maggie Jenkins, Theo Soliz, Barrett Steward, Tyler Herrera, Mary Large, Dylan Miller, Marina Rodriguez, Nathaniel Batiste, Michael Cedeno, Carson Harris, Maxwell Rivera, Nolan Sims Throughout the semester, students in our class explored such issues as the politics of climate change, the social, physical, and mental impacts of technology, and the role of consumerism in shaping American values and our environment. In response to these explorations students worked in teams to create thoughtfully researched and critically reflective works of public art that encourage audiences to engage the problems and promises of our shared future.

The Looking Mirror (Maggie Jenkins, Theo Soliz, Barrett Stewart) The Looking Mirror is a public art installation that engages William Cronon’s The Trouble With The Wilderness, where he writes, “As we gaze into the mirror it holds up for us, we too easily imagine that what we behold is Nature when in fact we see the reflection of our own unexamined longings and desires(1).” The mirror affords viewers the opportunity to literally reflect on their own hopes and desires and how those interact with the untamed landscape. This will present an image of a mirror and the longings and desires we hold when looking into nature.

Slam Dunk the Junk (Tyler Herrera, Mary Large, Dylan Miller, Marina Rodriguez) Slam Dunk the Junk is a social experiment in which we explore how Centenary students react to trash build up. Daily, we placed empty plastic water bottles near trash cans in residence halls and allowed this trash to increase exponentially in order to measure how long it takes for students to notice and take action. We captured the various reactions with images and a scannable QR code with an attached survey to get a more in depth look at their reactions. We believe our research study will show how the Centenary community cares about pollution being scattered on campus.

The Crime of the Oblivious Consumer (Nathaniel Batiste, Michael Cedeno, Carson Harris, Maxwell Rivera, Nolan Sims) When taking into consideration massive environmental and moral crises caused by large scale multinational corporations it's easy for us consumers to feel powerless in our efforts to combat such issues. In The Crime of the Oblivious Consumer we use the medium of a detective crime board in order to emphasize the power of the consumer dollar, and how we as consumers actually hold accountability in the success of these companies. We may not be as “powerless” as we think.

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9:00-9:50 Judge the Nudge! Designing behavioral nudges for better outcomes Research Advisor: Priyanka Chakraborty Presenters: Dylan Allred, Sebastian Avellaneda, Jacob Bennett, Scott Bumpas, Glay Collier, Dymon Drumgo, Filmon Gazae, Alana Jones, Tyler Jones, Blaine Miller, Katelyn Simon, Chase Stanley, Nia Stewart, Olivia Williams Recent advances in behavioral sciences have helped us move beyond conventional economic policy solutions (e.g., taxes, incentives, regulation) to new ideas like harnessing the power of nudges. Nudge theory suggests that if a particular unfortunate decision-making pattern is the result of cognitive boundaries, biases, or habits, this pattern may be “nudged” toward a better option by integrating insights about the very same kind of boundaries, biases, and habits into the choice architecture surrounding the behavior in ways that promote a more preferred behavior rather than obstruct it. Our class has formed four “nudge units” to identify research questions and will present their innovative nudges to promote better outcomes on campus, in the local community, and at national and global levels.

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Nudge unit on recycling: Dylan Allred, Sebastian Avellaneda, Chase Stanley, Filmon Gazae.

Nudge unit on reducing food waste: Jacob Bennett, Scott Bumpas, Katelyn Simon, Olivia Williams.

Nudge unit on increasing usage of alternative sources of energy: Glay Collier, Tyler Jones, Blaine Miller.

Nudging black and minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds into nonstereotypical fields of career: Alana Jones, Dymon Drumgo, Nia Stewart.

10:00: Students are free to attend other sessions.

B. Professors Ciocchetti, Hicks, and Demerath Moderator: Chris Ciocchetti Location: Kilpatrick Auditorium (Smith Building) 8:00-8:50: Educating a City Afraid of Itself Research Advisor: Chris Ciocchetti Presenters: Calvin Crabb, Madison Ersoff, Izabella Fountain, Kaeleigh Graham, Mary Leday, Kiaira Lockhart, McKayla Merrow, Aubrey Salazar, Caroline Simpson, G’Colby Spivey, Mackenzie Williams Racism seems permanent. We have explored the racial divides within different parts of our Shreveport community as a part of our Trek 116 class, Bloody Caddo. Longstanding misinformation and a lack of education about minority groups within areas of the White majority cause the current gap between the different communities to widen. We have chosen to place books by Black authors about Black experiences in the free little libraries around Shreveport.

The libraries are in primarily White areas of town which provides education and learning opportunities to those who need it the most. Placing numerous books around Shreveport does not completely fix the racial divide in this city. Together we must continue to take steps to eliminate racism.

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9:00-9:50 Doing Race Research Advisor: Michael Hicks Presenters: Emily Moreno, Gage Botts, Angelo Nucal, Marissa Stokes, Andrea Kay This presentation will expose prevailing issues regarding the educational system in the United States. These issues include, but are not limited to, resource inequalities within low-funded school districts, inadequately prepared teachers, and the disproportionate negative effects on students of color. We will also focus on larger-scaled issues such as the achievement gap and the school-to-prison pipeline and how these both impact students in marginalized communities.

We will use areas of California and Chicago as examples to show how these issues have surfaced and been brought to light more than ever before.

10:00-10:50: How Everything Evolves According to Principles of Information Processing Research Advisor: Loren Demerath Presenters: Aurora Allen, Drew Bennett, Antonio Cormier, Mackenzie Doss, Josie Hodges, Tim Hoffman, C.J. Jarmon, Kiara Liedy, Cameron Thomas, Jae Tuggle Recent advances in the study of complex systems in fields as diverse as physics, ecology, neuroscience, economics, sociology, and philosophy, have led to a new kind of theory that can explain how anything organically emerges and evolves. In this course, students have learned that information-processing perspective and applied it to diverse topics of their own choice.

Each student will describe how a phenomenon has changed, drawing on academic research, as well as their own pilot studies that use internet searches of popular discourse. They will also describe how those changes can be explained by physical and social information processing principles. Those principles include how the energy dispersion described by the Second Law of Thermodynamics provides needed diversity and novel information, how social "echo effects" sort and preserve shared information, and how too much imposition of certain shared information by dominant actors can be unhealthy for the larger system. Seeing these concepts applied across a range of phenomena allows us to have some common insights, among them: systems evolve in unexpected ways, and not always for the better, and a balance between shared and novel information is essential for the information processing that motivates all kinds of evolution. The students who will be presenting and their topics are as follows: • • • • • • • • • • •

Aurora Allen - classical music Drew Bennett - golf Connor Buche - home construction Antonio Cormier - building designs Mackenzie Doss - music applications Josie Hodges - chickens Tim Hoffman - real estate C.J. Jarmon - body building Kiara Liedy - the general practitioner Cameron Thomas - artificial intelligence Jae Tuggle - anime video games

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C Professors Hawkins, Jones-Pierce, and Laffey Moderator: Jessica Hawkins Location: Whited Room (Bynum Commons) 8:00-8:50: Reimagining Nature and Technology through Public Art Research Advisors: Jessica Hawkins (and Jeanne Hamming) Presenters: Alyssa Akers, Hailey Chiasson, Joel Cardenas-Lopez, Abigail Phelan, Jackson Williams, Brittany Lee, Sophie Lewis, Marcus Pasha, Preston Ragsdale, Hunter Roberts, Abby Day, Colin Gardner, Cade Labruyere, Lawson Wallang Throughout the semester, students in our class explored such issues as the politics of climate change, the social, physical, and mental impacts of technology, and the role of consumerism in shaping American values and our environment. In response to these explorations students worked in teams to create thoughtfully researched and critically reflective works of public art that encourage audiences to engage the problems and promises of our shared future.

Mother Media (Alyssa Akers, Hailey Chiasson, Joel Cardenas-Lopez, Abigail Phelan, Jackson Williams) Who knows you best, your mom or your phone? Through our project, Mother Media, we portray the maternal role that technology takes on in the modern home and the effects it has on the family unit. By sculpting a compelling art piece using recycled e-waste, we encourage viewers to re-examine their relationship with technology.

Plug into Nature (Brittany Lee, Sophie Lewis, Marcus Pasha, Preston Ragsdale, Hunter Roberts) How much time do you spend looking at your phone? Do you spend the same amount of time immersed in nature? To get you to look away from your phone and apps like Instagram, an Insta account has been created to help promote you to look away from your phone and spend some time in nature. Studies show that spending time in nature benefits both physical and mental health. We posted captivating photos of nature and technology and put a coordinate for the caption for people to find a word at said coordinate; the words will make up a phrase that hopefully will stick with you and lead you to spend more time away from your phone.

Trash or Treasure (Abby Day, Colin Gardner, Cade Labruyere, Lawson Wallang) Trash or Treasure engages creators and viewers with the reality of their own waste. Our artistic sculpture is made completely out of our own trash, which has been collected over the duration of the project. We use photography to document every piece of trash and where it came from.

Upcycling allows us to take something used and display the story of our trash through a standing sculpture. Artists like HA Schult, Khalil Chishti, and Ptolemy Elrington inspire our work, whose figural sculptures made with waste address the environmental and ecological issues we face today. Our main idea for this project is to show the amount of trash people can produce on a weekly basis and the issue it can cause in the long run.

9:00-9:50 Monstrous Variety: Views on Monsters and Outcasts Research Advisors: Bellee Jones-Pierce (and Emily Leithauser) Presenters: Briana Aguirre, Brennan Amato, Gabriel Aragon, Dominick Benedetto, Sara Boudreaux, Avery Cauley, Cash Coats, Kaitlyn Dickey, Ashlyn Eizel, Katlyn Eubanks, Isabelle Giglio, Deandre Gonzales, Emma Greer, Grayson Gulley, Channing Hall, Kobe Hamilton, Emani Jones, Alexandria McQuat, Manisha Menon, Katelyn Moss, Mackenzie Olinger, Collin Pomirko,

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Viviana Rivero, Riana Seidenberg, Serena Sellers, Kiley Smith, Jaylin St. Martin, and Madeline Vacula How do cultures decide what is “acceptable” or “normal?” This semester, students have explored what we can learn by investigating what cultures often deem most undesirable: monsters and outcasts. Because literature both creates and reflects cultural messages—about beauty, humanity, monstrosity, ability and disability, how societies are shaped, and what behaviors we will tolerate—students first focused on depictions of monstrosity in literary texts.

Building on these literary examinations, students have expanded their research to representations of monsters and outcasts in film, television, news coverage, and popular culture. Students will present on a wide range of time periods, media, and genres. Topics include how Greek myths dramatize the effects of ostracism and exile; how current American myths and stigmas surrounding mental illness transform people into outcasts; how America’s culture of bullying in particular transforms children into outcasts through isolation; how individuals with mental illness are outcasted in the American prison industrial complex; how a “monstrous” hypermasculinity reveals failures intrinsic to patriarchy in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water; how horror/monster films use satire, slapstick, parody, and dark humor as means of providing safe spaces for fear; and how monsters in the Harry Potter franchise not only propel the plot forward, but offer critical lessons for the main characters. Presenters will connect concepts from monster studies and their chosen texts to our lives, our bodies, and our present cultural moment.

10:00-10:50: Innovation Instructor: Michael Laffey Presenters: Chloe Armentor, Alirez Moosavi Behbahani, Henry Bennet, Pierce Collier, Tarif Islam, Emma Lavelle, Carissa Martinez, Ring Riak, and Brooke Sandefur Question: Do our best ideas come in a flash? Does a light bulb suddenly pop on and illuminate the darkness? Answer: Not so fast.

Our course has spent the semester engaging with the argumentative strategies and tactics deployed in two 21st century books by Steven Johnson. Johnson is an American popular science author and media theorist whose work explores, examines, and explains the fundamental characteristics and roles that innovation plays both in natural history and in human cultural development. In the first of these texts, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation, students were challenged to think differently about many of the “common sense” and “commonly accepted” everyday descriptions and explanations about creativity and invention. With Johnson’s second text, How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World, students were presented with unfamiliar stories behind six things we take for granted in our everyday lives: glass, cold, sound, clean, time, and light. Students were assigned to conduct further research and produce arguments concerning the unexpected and unfamiliar roles played by that which we often overlook • • • • •

Chloe Armentor & Brooke Sandefur "Focus on Clean" Henry Bennet "Focus on Clean" Pierce Collier & Ring Riak "Focus on Glass" Tarif Islam & Alirez Moosavi Behbahani "Focus on Cold" Emma Lavelle & Carissa Martinez "Focus on Light"

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D. Professors Leithauser and Sanders Moderator: Emily Leithauser Location: Hurley 201 8:00-8:50: Monstrous Variety: Views on Monsters and Outcasts Research Advisors: Emily Leithauser (and Bellee Jones-Pierce) Presenters: Briana Aguirre, Brennan Amato, Gabriel Aragon, Dominick Benedetto, Sara Boudreaux, Avery Cauley, Cash Coats, Kaitlyn Dickey, Ashlyn Eizel, Katlyn Eubanks, Isabelle Giglio, Deandre Gonzales, Emma Greer, Grayson Gulley, Channing Hall, Kobe Hamilton, Emani Jones, Alexandria McQuat, Manisha Menon, Katelyn Moss, Mackenzie Olinger, Collin Pomirko, Viviana Rivero, Riana Seidenberg, Serena Sellers, Kiley Smith, Jaylin St. Martin, and Madeline Vacula How do cultures decide what is “acceptable” or “normal?” This semester, students have explored what we can learn by investigating what cultures often deem most undesirable: monsters and outcasts. Because literature both creates and reflects cultural messages—about beauty, humanity, monstrosity, ability and disability, how societies are shaped, and what behaviors we will tolerate—students first focused on depictions of monstrosity in literary texts.

Building on these literary examinations, students have expanded their research to representations of monsters and outcasts in film, television, news coverage, and popular culture. Students will present on a wide range of time periods, media, and genres. Topics include how Greek myths dramatize the effects of ostracism and exile; how current American myths and stigmas surrounding mental illness transform people into outcasts; how America’s culture of bullying in particular transforms children into outcasts through isolation; how individuals with mental illness are outcasted in the American prison industrial complex; how a “monstrous” hypermasculinity reveals failures intrinsic to patriarchy in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water; how horror/monster films use satire, slapstick, parody, and dark humor as means of providing safe spaces for fear; and how monsters in the Harry Potter franchise not only propel the plot forward, but offer critical lessons for the main characters. Presenters will connect concepts from monster studies and their chosen texts to our lives, our bodies, and our present cultural moment.

9:00-9:50 Mythology Research Advisor: Margaret Sanders Presenters: Rachael Ayres, Summer Faust, Emma Foster, Anna Scarbrock, Madison McKnight, Caitlin Tran, Emma Oertling, Kylie Bates, Debra Brown, Kaleb Coates, Kaitlyn Bordelon, Allana Scott-Daniels, Ethan Davis When and how does myth influence reality? What can myths tell us about culture? How does myth inspire personal growth? Overall, how is myth still relevant to today’s audience? Although myths have a reputation for being ahistorical, they continue to shape and expose modern conceptions of cultural and personal reality (or realities). Students will present topics on religious myth, pop culture, propaganda, differences in and insights into cultural mythologies and values, the Hero’s Journey, and myth’s relation to transforming personal experiences.

Goal of research: To show how, by educating oneself with mythology, a person can enrich their life.

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Significance of findings: Through the research performed, students have shown that a study of mythology can reveal valuable information about people and their cultures as much as (or more than) what is revealed by historical facts.

10:00: Students are free to attend other sessions.

8:00-9:00 SESSION 1 SESSION 1A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) Moderator: Scott Chirhart 1. Screening for Candidate Genes with Implications for Calcifying Properties and the Investigation of the genetic determinants governing calcification in B. subtilis and E. coli Presenters: Jaycie Proctor, Rose Deshler, and Tori Ligman Research Advisor: Dr. Skippy Jennings Biology The emission of greenhouse gasses into our atmosphere is a long-term problem that remains unsolved. Production of cement is one of the top emitters of carbon dioxide, emitting ~0.5 tons of CO2 per ton of cement produced. We are trying to use microbes to mitigate emissions by cement, by facilitating the production of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Calcium carbonate can be used to repair cement, and thus extend its functional lifespan. Furthermore, these microbes can also be used to help remove carbon from the atmosphere, converting it into inert minerals. In order to improve calcification, we have to understand the microbes at a cellular level. We screened a library of Escherichia coli knockout strains to identify which genes, when missing, made an impact on calcification. After the screening process, we identified several genes for transformation into E.coli. We chose the gene yrbG, which codes for a calcium carbonate transporter. During the experiment, plasmids (small circular strands of DNA) were inserted into competent cells and the gene in the plasmid were turned on and off with an inducer.

Calcification was compared between cultures grown with or without the inducer, and there was no significant difference between the calcifications observed on the two medias. However, there are many other significant calcium targets that remain to be tested, and could be involved in the calcification phenotype.

2. Overexpression of cynT and citT in Escherichia coli increases production of CaCO3 Presenter: Brian O’Hart Research Advisor: Dr. Skippy Jennings Biology Escherichia coli and other types of bacteria can facilitate production of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystal deposits in a process called calcification. These calcium deposits might prove useful in industrial applications, including self-healing paint or concrete. The E. coli strain K-12 was used as a model organism to study the basic genes which regulate calcification. Bacterial strains were screened to determine target genes which might play a role in calcification. This experiment chose two target genes: cynT and citT. The gene cynT encodes a carbonic

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anhydrase. Carbonic anhydrase can be used to increase the concentration of carbonate ions in solution. The gene citT is a citrate transporter which brings citrate into the cell for growth. We cloned each gene into a plasmid, and then introduced the plasmid into E. coli in a process called transformation. Microscopy was then used to determine if calcification was affected by the over-expression of these two genes. Initial results found that expression of CynT appears to increase calcification. In addition, expression of CitT produced calcification on media where Cacitrate was the calcium salt. To further analyze these results, E. coli were grown in liquid culture to quantify calcium deposits. Our results show that overexpression of these genes leads to an increase in calcification by E. coli on our calcification media.

3. Parasitic Infection Dynamics in Animal Shelters Presenter: Colin Dixon Research Advisor: Dr. Bethany Hansen Biology A major challenge animal shelters face is managing parasitic infections in their residents. This is time-consuming and expensive, and many parasites in companion animals can be passed to humans, further compounding the problem. Advances in computer modeling and programming provide novel means for understanding patterns of parasitic infections in shelters. Using the programming language Python, I analyzed data from the Desoto Parish Animal Shelter to build a “Susceptible, Infectious, Recovered” (SIR) model to predict infection rates and routes of transmission for specific parasites. The results of my study provide valuable information to a local shelter, allowing it to make more informed decisions about animal care. The model I created can serve as a template for use at similar organizations and has the potential to benefit both companion animal and human health.

4. Anatomical Models and Implicit Biases Presenter: Jazmine Carroll Research Advisor: Dr. Anna Leal Biology As an advocate for more diversity in health and STEM fields, it is imperative to create more inclusive lab spaces for students. It is well-documented that underrepresented minorities, women, first-generation college students, members of the LGBTQ community, and students with disabilities have lower representation and retention rates in STEM classrooms. Further, students who learn in more “welcoming,” diverse classrooms have higher workplace satisfaction and greater civic engagement and are more willing to collaborate with colleagues of different backgrounds. Unfortunately, most anatomical models of the human body are represented as young, lean, white, and male. This limited representation not only detrimentally affects students, but also patients who are not white, thin, young, and male. For example, women receive less bystander intervention CPR and people of color receive inadequate pain management in hospital settings. Therefore, in collaboration with Paul Kozak, B.S. at Dallas College EMS Department (Texas), anatomical models will be painted and altered to represent more diverse patients in order to combat implicit biases and ultimately promote greater health equity. By creating welcoming, inclusive environments for all students, we can reduce implicit biases and stereotypes that contribute to health disparities. These environments will also encourage more students of color and underrepresented minorities to pursue medical and allied health graduate degrees, which will increase the quality of healthcare for all patient populations and help us attain health equity. This project was inspired by Harvard University’s Addressing Bias in 10

Medical Education through Inclusive Anatomical Representation. Work will begin in the Spring 2022 semester and will involve 3 students (BIOL 491).

SESSION 1B. Humanities (Centenary Room) Moderator: Jama Grove History Panel: Creating Durable Ideologies – How Significant Movements are Formed Research Advisor: Dr. Jama Grove History 1. Reused, Not Recycled: Humanism and Re-representation in the Italian Renaissance Presenter: Emilie Adams In the 15th and 16th centuries, Italy saw an emergence of new ideas, beliefs, and practices that would impact the culture in various ways. From architecture to science to the introduction of a “new Humanism,” what came out of Italy during this time would draw the country out of the lingering Dark Ages. This new way of thinking looked to wellknown intellectuals from ancient times for inspiration in reforming society. Humanism had a remarkable impact on all aspects of life in renaissance Italy- from government to the arts. When the era was over, the results never disappeared, but rather the opposite.

The discoveries made left a mark on the world that never seems to fade. Humanism was the educational and intellectual movement of that time. Established on Latin and Greek literature, it developed first in Italy in the middle of the fourteenth century and then spread to the rest of Europe by the late fifteenth century. This main goal of this movement, called the studia humanitatis, was to teach citizens the morals needed for them to live an active and honorable life. These beliefs, however, contrasted with the meditative life of the monks and scholars of the time. Humanism was a system born in the city and made for the citizen. Although scholars in earlier centuries had embraced classical learning and looked for new ways to think and understand, humanists rediscovered lost texts and read through them with a secular eye. Through this they built a new mentality that shaped Italian and European society from the mid-14th to the mid-17th centuries.

2. Bind Us Together: Cohesion and Identity in the American Revolution Presenter: Collier Cloinger American colonists could have regarded war with Great Britain as suicide. The American Revolution offers an underdog story on par with the “Miracle Mets” of 1969.

No other underdog story is greater than the thirteen colonies against impressive Great Britain. While being ruled by Great Britain meant security, the individuals of the thirteen colonies realized how much they could get done by just standing up to fight because they wanted freedom. The success of the American Revolution meant liberty and freedom, which was something worth dying over. This project examines the personal and ideological origins of cohesion in the American Revolution to determine how 11

patriots struggled to balance power and liberty and ultimately defeated Great Britain’s military might.

3. Tracing the Rise of Right-Wing Ideology in America Presenter: Rachel Helm The modern American conservative movement finds its roots in the Reagan agenda of the 1980s. The election of Nixon in 1968 ended the Democratic party’s string of presidential victories, but the election of Reagan in 1980 reinvigorated the conservative ideology of the Republican party. A new focus was placed on small government and ‘family values’ in the administration’s policies. A rise of right-wing policies in response to the Civil Rights movement, the ongoing ‘War on Drugs,’ the HIV/AIDS epidemic and push for gay rights, as well as several other issues became the norm for the Republican party, and conservatives in general. Policy decisions made from the 1980s on by the Republican party represent this shift away from the center towards the far-right, and ultimately make the election of Trump in 2016, while still jarring, seem like a more natural conclusion to the growing number of Americans who believe in far-right ideology. Through continuing to research how the Reagan administration changed the Republican party, and how the conservative movement has led to a so-called ‘silent majority’ in the South who deny the existence of discriminatory policies which continually allow the Republican party to maintain power, I plan on using this project to examine how the modern Republican party and the conservative movement began shifting towards right-wing ideology.

SESSION 1C. Social Sciences (Jackson 304) Moderator: Jessica Alexander 1. The Communicative Value of Emojis Presenters: Riley Seeton, Lacey Wedge, Kennedy Stephens Research Advisor: Dr. Jessica Alexander Psychology The movement towards technology over the past decade has allowed for the use of emojis to provide emotional context. In today’s society, one of the main forms of communication is texting.

For this experiment participants will read ten sentences presented with emojis at the end of the sentence and make ratings on the emoji. The emotional connotations of the emojis will be examined.

2. The impact of mask-wearing on attention and memory in a classroom setting Presenters: Colbee Duke, Nia Passman, Emma Grace Lemoine, Dylan Scott, Lauren Hall

Research Advisor: Dr. Jessica Alexander Psychology Masks have quickly become a prevalent, and controversial, part of society for the past two years. To limit the spread of coronavirus, masks have been used to cover the mouth and nose of individuals in public settings, including academic environments. The present study will

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address the question of whether masks affect attention and/or retention in the classroom. To fulfill this objective, we will divide participants randomly into two groups and designate a speaker to read a predetermined story to each group while being masked in one and unmasked in the other. Attention will be measured through recording of eye diversion, and retention will be measured through the scoring of a quiz given two days after the study. The implication of this study is that being masked could negatively affect a speaker’s ability to retain the attention of listeners and could subsequently negatively affect the participants’ ability to remember details.

This could result in poor academic performance in a classroom setting.

3. Linguistic Prejudice and the Implications of Code-Switching Presenters: SaDonté Miles, Coleman Guidry, Xian Baumgartner, Sarah Thompson, and Jayla Washington

Research Advisor: Dr. Jessica Alexander Psychology In the national conversation about systemic racism, an important element that should not be overlooked is linguistic prejudice. African American English (AAE) is a dialect with a deep history and culture, yet centuries of bias against AAE speakers have profound effects on employment, education, social mobility, etc. The present study addresses how speakers of AAE are perceived in terms of credibility and status. One male and one female speaker that exhibits clear bidialectism will state same sentences in each dialect—AAE and Southern American English (SAE), and then participants will take a short survey about their assumptions about the person speaking. The three areas being measured are: assumptions about identity, trustworthiness, and competence. The implications of the present study will uncover explicit biases based on dialect and uncover the ramifications of bidialectism for individuals that codeswitch between AAE and SAE.

9:15-10:15 SESSION 2 SESSION 2A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) Moderator: Scott Chirhart 1. Time transgression of basaltic magmatism on the Yellowstone-Snake River Plain: evidence from whole rock geochemistry and phase mineral compositions of the WO2 core hole at the Idaho National Laboratory.

Presenters: Sydney Bascomb, Sara Clement, Ian Veserra, Tripp Montgomery Research Advisor: Dr. Scott Vetter Geology The Yellowstone-Snake River Plain volcanic province is a modern example of a timetransgressive hotspot track on continental crust. Core from a 1524 m deep drill hole at the Idaho National Laboratory site preserves a record of near continuous volcanism over the last 4 million years at a single location. We report here the results of detailed petrologic, petrographic, phase chemistry, and whole rock geochemical studies of 22 samples from the WO2 core. Major and trace elements define a limited range in composition, with MgO ≈ 11.5-7.1 wt.%, tholeiitic iron enrichment trends and olivine normative chemistry. Trace element concentrations are generally

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similar to ocean island basalts, with enriched LREE/HREE ratios, high TiO2 and high field strength element (HFSE) concentrations, and low fluid-mobile element concentrations.

Based on petrographic analysis, a majority of the samples were fresh, and aphanitic with microphenocrysts of olivine. Samples that show alterations had little to no unaltered olivine. The groundmass is equigranular consisting of olivine, plagioclase, pyroxene, and oxides. Oxides included spinel, titanium magnetite, and ilmenite. The phase chemistry-based SEM data showed high forsterite olivine phenocrysts typically having Cr-spinel inclusions.

Melting models based on major element and trace element geochemistry show that these basalts were derived by ≈7-15% melting of E-MORD source mantle in the relatively shallow spinel lherzolite facies (<1.5 GPa or 45 km depth). This lies within a sublithospheric conduit defined by seismic refraction studies.

2. Inflammatory Responses Provide Critical Support for Neurogenesis and Functional Recovery Following Cerebral Ischemia Presenter: Daniel Hernandez Research Advisors: Drs. Boudreaux1, Simpson1, and Rodgers.1,2 Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy1 and Department of Neurology2 Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Replacement of dead neurons following ischemia, either via enhanced endogenous neurogenesis or stem cell therapy, has been highly sought, but the low survival rate of newly generated neurons has left doubt about the therapeutic potential of adult neurogenesis.

However, stroke in the young, injured brain reveals a greater degree of plasticity and capacity for repair, along with enhanced post-ischemic functional outcomes compared to the adult. Our findings suggest that a possible mechanism is the immune response in the acute phase of stroke, which has a powerful age-related influence on neurogenesis and functional recovery.

Our preliminary studies reveal an anti-inflammatory microglial signature during the acute phase of stroke in juveniles and proinflammatory in adults. While microglial responses have been shown to be both neuroprotective and neurodegenerative following brain injury, it has been generally accepted that activation of microglia during the acute response to stroke is detrimental for neurogenesis and neuronal replacement. However, our findings indicate that early microglial responses are key to survival of newborn neurons in juveniles.

3. Influence of the Nck Adaptor Protein on Production of Reactive Oxygen Species after Hypoxia Presenter: Milla Reddick Research Advisor: Dr. Mabruka Alfaidi Department of Pathology Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Reperfusion—the restoration of blood flow to tissue that has been deprived of oxygen—after vascular occlusion during strokes is associated with endothelial cell activation, which involves changes in the permeability of the endothelium, increased leukocyte activity, and the upregulation of proinflammatory molecules, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). All of these processes can contribute to neuroinflammation and eventual cell death. Previous studies indicate that forms of the non-catalytic region of tyrosine kinase (Nck) adaptor protein, namely Nck1 and Nck2, can reduce expression of proinflammatory genes, decrease endothelial

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permeability, and generally help minimize reperfusion injuries. The purpose of this study is to observe whether Nck1 and Nck2 reduce the creation of ROS, thereby limiting neuroinflammation. To assess the influence of the Nck adaptor protein on the production of ROS, human brain microvascular endothelial cells were transfected with either Nck1 or Nck2, and these cell populations, along with untreated controls, were exposed to hypoxic or normoxic environments before the resultant levels of ROS in the samples were compared. Cells expressing Nck1 that were exposed to hypoxic conditions displayed lower levels of ROS than control cells exposed to the same conditions. Further investigation into the role of Nck in limiting production of ROS could lead to treatments that minimize reperfusion injuries and improve health outcomes after strokes.

4. Can Diallyl Trisulfide Radiosenstize Glioblastoma Cells?

Presenter: Camila Weber Research Advisor: Dr. Lynn Harrison Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most prevalent forms of brain cancer, and it is accompanied by devasting survival prognoses. One treatment known to improve median survival is radiation therapy; however, this increases the risk of radiation necrosis and damage to cerebral blood vessels, complicating the comprehensive benefits of radiotherapy treatments.

The solution to this problem may lie in developing radiosensitizing agents. Previous research by the Harrison lab demonstrated that sodium sulfide (a hydrogen sulfide donor) successfully radiosensitizes GBM (T98G cells), while also sparing normal human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3 cells).

This current study investigates the potential of diallyl trisulfide (DATS), another hydrogen sulfide donor, as a radiosenstization agent. Initial studies examined the killing effects of DATs alone on GBM cells (LN18 and T98G cell lines) in culture using a clonogenic assay. Treatments of 0 - 20 µM and treatment times of 4 and 24 hours demonstrated that DATs does reduce GBM cell survival. A 5 µM dose after 4 or 24 hrs reduces survival to ~30%. This dose was selected to test whether DATs could enhance GBM cell killing by ionizing radiation using the clonogenic assay.

With the optimal dose of DATS established, T98G cells were plated in flasks and treated with ± 5μM DATS for 4 hours. During the fourth hour of DATS treatment, the T98G cells were irradiated with 0-8 Gy ionizing radiation. Interestingly, DATS-treated T98G cells displayed higher survival compared to the controls at 2 and 4 Gy. This is relevant as radiation is delivered in 2 Gy fractions to patients to treat cancer. Unlike sodium sulfide, DATs did not radiosensitize the T98G cells. The current data suggests DATS protects GBM from ionizing radiation. Further studies will be performed to determine whether DATs can protect normal human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells from ionizing radiation, and we will investigate whether DATs alters DNA damage induction and repair in cells following treatment with ionizing radiation.

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This work was supported by an NCI grant R15CA231341 in Dr. Lynn Harrison’s laboratory, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

SESSION 2B. Humanities (Centenary Room) Moderator: Jama Grove History Panel: Unequal Protection Under the Law Research Advisor: Dr. Jama Grove History 1. Levers of Power: Race, Class, and Politics in the American South Presenter: Mari Deutsch Racism is the wedge issue used by the capitalist class in the American south to forestall poor and working-class white people from opposing political policies that have substantial economic repercussions for the working class. Following the end of the institution of chattel slavery, the plantation class used a combination of terrorist violence, political disenfranchisement, and criminalization of black people to paint a black face on societal ills. Convincing poor and working class white people that their interests lay in opposite directions from black interests, the capitalist class thus entrenched the identities of poor and working-class whites with white supremacy rather than in class solidarity. This lever of power exists not only in the past, and not only in the south, but persists through the Lost Cause narrative and is being exported across the rural United States to poor and working-class white people who feel they have been “left behind” by a federal government that appears to have forgotten them.

2. The Second: Unequal Rights in the United States Presenter: Mathias Andreasen November 22, 2018, Emantic Bradford Jr., an African American man, was shot and killed by police officers, after reports of a mass shooting in a mall in Hoover, Alabama.

As it turns out, Bradford wasn’t the killer they were after. When he was shot by police, he was armed because Alabama is a state where open carry is allowed without a permit, which consequently meant that Bradford, by law, was allowed to carry his gun and protect himself from the shooter in the mall. This is only one of the instances of hypocrisy where people of color are racially profiled and treated as enemies in the eyes of police officers, simply because they chose to express their constitutional right to bear arms.

3. Education or Incarceration?: The School to Prison Pipeline Presenter: Tori Sparks In the 1960s, recreational drug use began to heighten, leading President Richard Nixon to officially declare the “War on Drugs,” in the early 1970s. Nixon declared drug use to be “public enemy number one,” and increased federal funding for agencies to have the

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resources, in order to help eliminate drug usage. Nixon believed that imposing harsher penalties and longer sentences for drug crimes would help eradicate illegal drug usage.

Nixon’s heavy focus on the increase of criminal punishment eventually led to mass incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses. The War on Drugs expanded in the early 1980s with the heightened fear of the “crack epidemic,” that was largely forced by the media. This led to the United States Congress passing the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which established mandatory minimum sentences for different drug offenses. This was great in theory, however, there were large gaps in the sentencing of each drug. For example, five (5) grams of crack, approximately 80% of crack users were African American, had a mandatory five-year sentence, yet cocaine, primarily used by white people, had a mandatory five-year sentence if it was 500 grams. Due to huge gaps such as the one mentioned above, these mandatory minimum sentences led to a stark increase of mass incarceration in African American communities. Mass incarceration, race, and how the “War on Drugs,” systematically oppressed Black Americans and created lasting, and often underrecognized, consequences in today’s era of the New Jim Crow.

SESSION 2C. Social Sciences (Jackson 304) Moderator: Jessica Alexander 1. Swearing and Perceptions of Professionalism in an Academic Environment Presenters: Hannah Mitchell, Haley Puckett, Matthew Carey Research Advisor: Dr. Jessica Alexander Psychology Previous research has investigated the relationship between swearing and professionalism.

Overall, swearing is seen as improper, but how do curse words affect academia? The purpose of our study is to determine the correlation of gender and race on influencing student perception levels of professors due to the use of swear words. Our subjects are college students participating in randomized treatment groups consisting of sections of a mock-lecture accompanied by the educational credentials of a professor and, in half of the groups, a headshot. “Professors” consist of 4 male and 4 female presenting individuals with half identifying as white and the other as African-American. Subjects will be prompted to read each piece of lecture and observe the accompanying documents. After their completion of the 4 passages, participants will complete a survey documenting personal attributes and their perception of each professor. We will use the results to look further into the implications of gender and race on the perceived level of professionalism of academic instructors.

2. Text and Communication: How Different Relationships Affect Perceived Meaning Presenters: Erin Lewis, Ashley Hunter, Abigail Cruice Research Advisor: Dr. Jessica Alexander Psychology When it comes to text messages there are many influential factors that can alter the interpretation of the message. The present study addresses interpersonal relationships and their effects on text messages. In addition to relationships, the study will examine how punctuation or lack thereof in a text message alters the meaning of the message. Participants are asked to read 6 short text messages then rate how each message makes them feel. Depending on the 17

interpersonal relationship with either their partner, friend, or parent will determine how the participant views the message. The participants will also rate how the use of punctuation affects a message. This study is impactful when it comes to the miscommunication between text messages. There is so much that can be interpreted in a text message. Learning how individuals view a message depending on interpersonal relationships and how people perceive punctuation can add more clarity to text messages.

10:30-11:30 SESSION 3 SESSION 3A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) Moderator: Scott Chirhart 1. Deprenyl requires CED-9 to delay development in Ceanorhabditis elegans Presenters: Connor Wellman and Payton Lii Research Advisor: Dr. Kathrine Weeks Chemistry Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that involves aberrant apoptosis of dopaminergic cells. Deprenyl (Selegiline) is a compound used to treat PD by inhibiting the metabolism of dopamine, prolonging its stability at the synapse. Recent studies demonstrate that deprenyl can also prevent apoptosis of cultured human cells by activating BCL-2, an antiapoptotic protein. However, there are no published studies demonstrating deprenyl’s antiapoptotic activity in patients or other model organisms. When treated with 1.0 mM deprenyl, the model organism C. elegans experiences a delay in its development, a process that requires precisely timed apoptosis. We reasoned that the deprenyl-induced delay in development may require activity of C. elegans’ BCL-2 homolog CED-9. C. elegans with a gain-of-function mutation in CED-9 experience a significantly delayed developmental timing, which is consistent with our reasoning that deprenyl increases CED-9 activity. CED-9 is an essential gene in C. elegans, so to test our hypothesis, we utilized RNA interference to reduce CED-9 expression in C. elegans and exposed these animals to 1.0 mM deprenyl. We also exposed C. elegans CED9 gain-of-function mutants to 1.0 mM deprenyl. In both experiments, animals’ rate of development and onset of egg-laying were scored. The deprenyl-induced delay in development was significantly reduced in animals with reduced CED-9 activity indicating that deprenyl requires CED-9 activity to delay development in C. elegans. Furthermore, the combination of CED-9(gf) and 1.0 mM deprenyl treatment had a synergistic effect on delaying C. elegans’ development.

2. ICP-MS analysis of contaminants in local tap and natural waters Presenter: Colbee Duke Research Advisor: Dr. Ruipu Mu Department of Chemistry University of Health Science and Pharmacy in St. Louis.

Over the past decade, studies have shown an increased concentration of contaminants in bodies of water. This contamination is a result residential and industrial waste that has gradually increased the toxicity and carcinogenicity of tap water and natural waters in the Shreveport and

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Bossier City area of Louisiana. Heavy metals, such as Mercury (Hg), Cadmium (Cd), Lead (Pb), Arsenic (As), and Copper (Cu), contribute to the noxious effects of the bodies of water.

Collection and analysis of the heavy metals was done using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Thirty water samples from both tap and natural water sources were collected from various Shreveport and Bossier City locations. About four percent of the samples exceeded the heavy metal concentrations limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The complete results for all water samples will be presented.

3. Vascular Contributions to Processing Speed Deficits in Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease Presenter: Brianna Callicoatte Research Advisor: Elizabeth Disbrow Department of Neurology Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Certain cardiovascular deficiencies, such as chronic hypertension, can be indicative in the microvascular burden present in cognitive diseases. Microvascular disease occurs when there is a reduction of oxygen to the brain, thus the reason it is found in dementia and parkinsonism.

Defects present in pathological aging can be implicated by structural changes in the brain, known as white matter hyperintensities (WMH). Such changes can be associated with a decrease in processing speed, or a person’s ability to take in and manipulate information over a a given period. It was hypothesized that WMH volume would have an inverse relationship with processing speed. To investigate this, subjects were used including those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD), Parkinson’s Disease, and a control group.

Data was collected by obtaining brain images from MRI scans and quantifying processing speed by administering the Symbol Digit Modalities Test. It was concluded that WMH volume is associated with processing speed deficits, most significantly in the ADRD group. In conclusion, this data supports the idea that chronic vascular burden, like diabetes, could be a major contributor to cognitive deficits in subjects suffering from ADRD. 4. The Effects of Sulfide-Releasing Pharmaceutical Drugs on Xanthine Oxidase Dependent Nitrite Reduction to Nitric Oxide Presenter: Caymen Hawkins Research Advisor: Dr. Chris Kevil Department of Pathology Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Xanthine oxidase (XO) is an enzyme that helps to mediate the process of reduction of nitrite (NO2-) to nitric oxide (NO) in hypoxic conditions. NO, in turn, is used in vasodilation and vascular remodeling in endothelial cells, leading to effects on blood flow in the cardiovascular system.

Sulfide and other sulfide-releasing products in the past have been shown to induce the XOmediated of NO2- reduction to NO in hypoxia. Being that patients of cardiovascular diseases are often in a state of ischemia (and therefore hypoxia) and lack sufficient levels of NO2-, NO, and sulfide, a potential treatment that would increase sulfide levels would lead to NO being produced – and as a result, blood flow improving.

This project looked to see if sulfide pro-drugs – including, both, FDA-approved and experimental – would release sulfide and mediate XO-induced NO2- reduction to NO. This was done using 4 models: cell-free chemiluminescent models NO release, with experiments preformed in the sparger detection system; cell culture chemiluminescent models testing NO release using

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mouse endothelial cells, including trials with inhibitors of the different components of NO2reduction to NO; mice models testing the drug’s sulfide release; and immunofluorescence models, in which MAECs cultures were stained for detection of sulfide levels. The samples used to test these models were sodium sulfide and diallyl sulfide (DATS) as controls, and an FDA approved drug and two experimental compounds – one being sulfide releasing and the other, not. From the results of these experiments, it was seen that there wasn’t any data to support the release of NO by the drugs according to the chemiluminescent models; however, the FDAapproved drug saw sulfide release in both cell culture and mice models.

SESSION 3B. Humanities (Centenary Room) Moderator: Jama Grove History Panel: Racial Terrorism – Personal, Political, and Persistent Research Advisor: Dr. Jama Grove History 1. Lost Families Torn Apart: African Americans Search for Family Presenter: Barrett Keene Following the end of the Civil War, families separated by enslavement mounted heroic efforts to reconnect with loved ones. This project examines newspaper accounts of lost loved ones in order to reconstruction and analyze the tactics that Black families used to reconnect in freedom.

2. The Effects of Lynching in America Presenter: Brady Robinson This project will examine the prevalence of lynching in the United States and the ongoing consequences of racial terrorism in America.

3. The Unspoken Past Behind Lynching Presenter: Collier Cloinger Following the Civil War, even though African Americans were freed, they were not free.

The chains were much more than slavery. Many white men believed they needed to keep the social pyramid of race in order. Lynching was seen as a sport, and when lynching was going to happen, it was announced. Sadly, in most pictures, the white (most often men) individuals were seen with giant smiles as if they had killed an exotic animal.They believed lynchings were excellent ways to control African Americans by inducing fear into individuals. Lynching was America’s national crime, which brought about decades of discrimination and unjust action against people of color.

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4. Children and Racism Presenter: Rafly Marzuq The aim of this project is to use current psychological knowledge of human development and implement them in the Jim Crow era. Adult white southerners used multiple different ways to maintain control over African Americans, including passing on the ideas of racial supremacy to their children. For example, white southerners would use lynching an African American as a show of power and celebration, telling their children that lynching is a fun event to attend with photographs and souvenirs. This showed the children how to act and when children observe people behaving immorally, they are likely to imitate their actions. Adult white southerners also influenced their children in their homes, having conversations in relation to their racial identity to proactively avert potential “misbehavior.” This education rested heavily on gendered stereotypes, with boys conditioned to be strong enforcers of white supremacy and girls playing the role of innocent prizes that the boys must protect.

SESSION 3C. Social Sciences 1 (Jackson 304) Moderator: Barbara Davis Student Managed Investment Fund Research Advisor: Barbara Davis Business/Finance/Economics The purpose of the Centenary College Student Managed Investment Fund is to facilitate the academic objective of teaching the theory and practice of managing long-term investment portfolios with annual spending objectives through a real-world environment within the Frost School of Business. During the course of their working careers, many Centenary business school graduates will accept the obligation to serve in a fiduciary capacity with responsibility for the administration of endowment or pension funds. Accordingly, this fund is used to expose Centenary finance students to investment policy development, asset allocation strategy analysis, investment manager selection and evaluation, and investment performance measurement.

The SMIF began operations on April 23, 2004 with an initial contribution by a Centenary College donor of $100,000. The SMIF operates under guidelines of a written Investment Policy Statement with a “Spending Rule” of 5.5%. The SMIF is viewed as a separate investment manager within the Centenary College of Louisiana Endowment and Investment Fund. The blended benchmark for the SMIF is: 55% S&P500 / 15% MSCI-EAFE / 30% Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond Index.

Since inception, there have been $151,581 tax deductible, contributions into the SMIF and $99,419 investment policy directed distributions to Centenary College. As of December 31, 2021, the ending market value was $262,411 and the dollar gain since inception has been $210,249. Since the beginning of operations, the annual compound rate of return has been 7.69% and SMIF blended benchmark return has been 8.03%.

Student presenters will focus on the 2021 returns for the large cap, mid to small cap, international equity, alternative asset categories, and fixed income investment components of 21

the portfolio. Comparisons of the actual returns to the designated benchmarks will be made and explained.

1. Large Capitalization Equity Funds Presenters: Gary Hewitt and Allie Moore 2. Mid to Small Capitalization Equity Funds Presenters: Richard Polan and Hayden Weber 3. International Equity Funds and Fixed Income Funds Presenters: Jules Reny and Mallory Stout

SESSION 3D. Social Sciences 2 (Mickle 114) Moderator: Amanda Donahoe Political Science Panel: Access and Resources in Louisiana Research Advisor: Dr. Amanda Donahoe 1. Social Programs & Political Education in Rural America Presenter: Brenylee Meaux Social programs created by the United States federal government serve a well-documented need in our society and have historically been a major instrument for improving the overall quality of life and health in our country. Yet, many families and individuals that could most benefit from these programs not only do not take advantage of these programs, but actively speak out against these programs and denigrate their value. Through analyzing why these individuals do not take advantage of these programs or have negative opinions of them, this study investigates the most effective ways to educate them on these programs’ purpose. This study focuses on the overlap between individuals who need social programs and those who are against them. Then, through analysis of educational concepts and past political education campaigns, the most effective ways to educate the wary on these programs and how often that correlates to changing their mind was revealed. The data revealed that needy families’ negative opinions of social programs came both from the news media they consumed, and social stigma shown in their community. The data shows personal conversations with a relatable educator are among the most efficient ways to connect and sway the opinion of those studied. This information is valuable both to the agencies in question, but also for potential candidates who have created a platform based on social programs and a social safety net.

2. At the Expense of The Socially Vulnerable Presenter: Tewanna Hawkins Hurricanes Betsy and Katrina caused approximately 81 and 1,836 deaths total, respectfully, along with billions of dollars’ worth of damage for the state of Louisiana. Rapid relief response is a vital part of beginning the reconstruction process of communities’ post disasters. The purpose of this research is to highlight the discrepancies within rapid relief response in socially vulnerable communities and to prove the necessity of progress within the process to ensure equal recovery access opportunities to all communities during this time. This research will analyze policies that were implemented after both hurricanes, interview recounts, and court

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cases to highlight the limits within rapid relief procedures to show the importance of full access relief for African Americans.

3. Between A Rock & A Hard Place Presenter: Divine Martin

In college, you quickly realize advantages and disadvantages of your reality. If you are a black college student, your reality is not the same as a white person. Historically, black college students have always fought their way into higher education, whether it was issues with finance, grades, or bias. If you grew up in a low-income area, finding a credible education was not easy. The education you received was based on how much money the area you lived in could afford to give you. For majority black low-income areas, the education was just as poor as the environment. Opposed to white college students, who didn’t have to face some of the hideous realities of a capitalist society.

Instead, they were given scholarships to attend university because of the well-funded education they received prior to college. While being fortunate enough to have the useful connections, they received grade A letters of recommendation to some of the finest and most rewarding institutions. All while black students are struggling to stay afloat in a community that was not designed for them. Never having equal benefits or a fair playing field, black students have been at a steep disadvantage in the college world. Poor funding, judgement, and leadership all was discovered studying this curselike reality facing black college students.

12:30-1:30 SESSION 4 SESSION 4A. Posters (Mickle 2nd floor) Moderator: Scott Chirhart 1. Neurogranin Expression in Microvascular Endothelial Cells Presenter: Jonathan Okereke Research Advisors: Drs. Ashton Jorgensen and Hyung Nam Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Neuroscience Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Although Neurogranin (Ng) has previously been considered a brain-specific protein, we have previously observed Ng expression in the endothelium of human arteries and human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Ng knockdown in HAECs causes a significant decrease in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression and activity. As such, we hypothesize that Ng is expressed in microvascular endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and is required for eNOS expression and activity. To study Ng-mediated eNOS regulation in the BBB, we cultured the human cerebral microvascular endothelial cell line, hCMEC/D3. Using cell culture, siRNA transfection, and western blot, we are the first to observe Ng expression in D3 cells and have successfully knocked down Ng expression using siRNA. Compared to the brain, Ng expression is very low in D3 cells. Interestingly, lack of Ng in D3 cells did not decrease eNOS signaling as in HAECs. Between the controls and siRNA transfected cells, no significant

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change in eNOS, P-eNOS (S1177), or P-eNOS (T495) expression was observed. As these D3 cells were static, it is critical to further study the relationship between Ng and eNOS in D3 cells in the presence of flow.

2. Identification and Functional Predictions of Long Non-coding RNAs in Sorghum bicolor, and Using HTP to Validate lncRNA Functional Predictions in Arabidopsis thaliana Presenter: Rose Deshler Research Advisors: Dr. Andrew Nelson1, Li’ang Yu1, Magdalena Julkowska1 and Dr. Rebecca Murphy2 Boyce Thompson Institute1 and Department of Biology Centenary College of Louisiana2 Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were once considered insignificant portions of eukaryotic genomes. However, the identification and functional annotation of lncRNAs has been a budding area of research due to their implications in mediating stress responses across eukaryotes.

Most of our functional understanding of lncRNAs comes from mammalian systems where they have been implicated in disease, aging, and cancer progression. On the other hand, lncRNAs have yet to be thoroughly annotated in plants. From the limited knowledge available in plants, we know that lncRNAs are typically expressed in a tissue-specific manner, assist in sensing environmental change, and mediate plant stress responses. In order to add to our current knowledge of lncRNAs in plants, we have been using existing RNA sequencing data and bioinformatic approaches to build a greater understanding of the transcriptome in Sorghum bicolor. In addition, we have been using high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) to validate functional predictions of previously identified lncRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana.

3. High-throughput Phenotyping of COBRA and DXO1 Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana Presenter: Holly Carter Research Advisors: Dr. Andrew Nelson1, Li’ang Yu1, Magdalena Julkowska1 and Dr. Rebecca Murphy2 Boyce Thompson Institute1 and Department of Biology Centenary College of Louisiana2 Improvements in phenotyping using computational methods can allow for more accurately collected and analyzed phenotypic data that plant scientist can use to study biological processes. Using two different types of mutants, one with possible subtle effects and another with possible great defects on growth rate, phenotypic tools were used to both confirm these effects and test the tools themselves. lncCOBRA1 is a part of the CONSERVED IN BRASSICA RAPA(COBRA) lncRNAs that are associated with plant growth. DXO1 is a protein that marks NAD+ mRNAs for degradation and null mutants of DXO1 have severely stunted plant growth.

The mutant genotypes include lnccobra1-1 (reduced expression of lncCOBRA1 created using TDNA), lnccobra1-2 (complete deletion of lncCOBRA1 created using CRISPR), and dxo1-2 (null mutant created using T-DNA). Arabidopsis control and mutant genotypes were grown for about three weeks. Phenotyping rigs developed by the Julkowska/Nelson labs with a Raspberry Pi camera module were used to collect images in 30-minute intervals. The images were analyzed using PlantCV, an open-source image software that can quantify plant phenotypes using jpg images, and further data analysis pipelines. lncCOBRA1 and DXO1 mutants’ growth rate were compared to their respective wildtypes. lncCOBRA1 mutants had subtle significant differences in growth rate while DXO1 mutants had great significant differences in growth rate. Further improvements on phenotyping will allow for a variety of different plant phenotypes that can be

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better analyzed and a more user-friendly interface to allow scientists to use the analytical pipeline.

4. Acoustic Properties of Elicited and Spontaneous Vocal Fry Presenters: Gracie Napier, Andrew Turner, and Xian Seamon-Baumgartner Research Advisor: Dr. Jessica Alexander Psychology Vocal fry is a quality of voice frequently used in everyday speech, but it is often associated with negative stereotypes of young women. Previous studies have obtained stimuli using actors. We obtained stimuli by asking speakers to read passages with no instructions about vocal fry. Then we recorded actors asking them to produce fry and to produce clear speech as in other studies.

The acoustic properties of spontaneous and elicited fry are compared to address potential differences in natural speech.

SESSION 4B. Humanities (Whited) Moderator: Jama Grove History Panel: Gender, Power, and Racial Hierarchy in the US South Research Advisor: Dr. Jama Grove History 1. How Rich White Socialites Created Their Own Version of American History Presenter: Camren Hahn Ta-Nehisi Coates’ opens We Were Eight Years in Power with an incredibly profound idea. It is not the symbols of “black recklessness,” the “black rioter,” or “the black gangster” that white supremacists fear most. Instead, it is the implementation of “Good Negro Government” (GNG). This project will use Coates’ framework of GNG to compare White backlash during Reconstruction to contemporary American politics. Coates would define Obama’s presidency as a period of this GNG. This by no means declares that he agreed with the actions of the Obama presidency, instead it means quite the opposite.

Obama was the proof that a Black man could be president and continue the American narrative without disruption. This is what white supremacists really feared, not someone who they could easily label as a disruptor of society, but someone who ran the government the same way they did and who, therefore, was impossible to dismiss with simple racist rhetoric.

2. Voices of the Silenced: Black Women’s Response to the UDC Presenter: Christine Goodman The history of the Modern South is often taught as linear events. One thing leads to the next, without further effect on anything else after that first immediate event. Starting with the end of the Civil War (that the Southern states had started) and the beginning of Reconstruction, the American government passed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to end the institution of slavery in the states as well as giving newly freed peoples their

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rights as citizens and to vote. The story continues that besides a “few” racist policies, laws, and people, at least Black Americans were now free. Those racist policies and tensions came to a head during the Civil Rights movements when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. seemingly ended racism. This is the story told to millions of school children across the country, but for some groups that are still living in oppression this narrative is insulting to historical research and damaging to real peoples’ current lives. This project highlights the histories that have been left out of the timeline and are still affecting lives today in the Modern South. The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is a group of women who have spread false historical narratives encompassing state-imposed poll taxes, literacy tests, Grandfather clauses, segregation, lynching, and property destruction. However, my research efforts are not about how they are wrong, but about the lives they affected with these false histories. Instead, this project focuses on the Black women who reacted to these false narratives and worked to prevent the UDC from cultivating an even larger army of Confederate sympathizers and slavery apologists.

3. The South's Impact on Black Women During the Civil Rights Movement Presenter: Jordan Fong In this presentation, I will discuss how the American South impacted Black women during the Civil Rights Movement. Because many Black people left the South during the Great Migration, I will be focusing on how the South impacted the women that were no longer living in the South but still affected by their roots. My main secondary source is The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson which tells the story of three different Black people that participated in the Great Migration. This topic is important because although men in the Civil Rights Movement are often known, women are not as remembered.

SESSION 4C. Social Sciences 1 (Kilpatrick) Moderator: Michelle Wolkomir 1. From PATRIARCHY to PATRIarchy: Exploring Gender Transformations in Religious Ex-Cult Members Presenter: Mariposa Deutsch Research Advisor: Dr. Michelle Wolkomir Sociology Religious cults can spark intense fascination within dominant culture, particularly when they engage in deviant practices that appear outlandish or even “crazy.” Many religious cults, however, derive their ideologies and practices from mainstream culture, taking pieces of accepted religious doctrine and cultural ideology/practice and revising them to foster a new ideological framework and behavioral template. Religious cult leaders teach members this new framework, showing them how other belief structures are misguided, and situating these new ideas in the divine realm where they are insulated from human and cultural critique. (Berger 1967; Robbins and Lucas 2007; Bartkowski 2007). To begin exploring these questions, this study focuses on The Family International (TFI), a religious cult that originated in 1968. Because TFI’s religious doctrine advocated extreme patriarchy and recruited new members through feminine sexual seduction, this examination focuses on gender ideology and sexual behaviors.

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More specifically, this research asks how second-generation members socialized into such extreme gender hierarchy learn to reconceptualize gender and power as they adapt to mainstream culture?

2. Mission Impossible:The Revolutionary Movement of Blacks in Shreveport Fighting for an Equal Opportunity at Political Participation Presenter: Markiese Boykin Research Advisors: Drs.Amanda Donahoe and Michelle Wolkomir History, Political Science, and Sociology This project analyzes the former system of government in Shreveport, Louisiana— the commission form of government. It also details the political and social fight for change from 1969-1978 in removing the commission form of government to the mayor-council form of government. This fight for change was about African Americans having a fair and equal opportunity at political participation. Up until 1978, Shreveport, Louisiana operated under a system of government called a commission. This system of government diluted the voting strength that the black community had because of the at-large voting system. Instead of politicians being elected from their own districts, all voters cast ballots for every candidate. The top five candidates based on the number of votes would win a city council position. Black Americans were not winning any seats on city council because the number of registered white voters far exceeded the number of black registered voters. To combat this issue, in 1974, Attorney Hilry Huckaby filed a lawsuit under his organization B.U.L.L. (Blacks United for Lasting Leadership) with assistance from Citizen’s Leadership Conference of Louisiana Inc. against the city of Shreveport arguing that the current at large voting system diluted the black voting power, and therefore was unconstitutional. It ultimately resulted in the first black people being elected onto Shreveport’s City Council in 1978. Components of race, economics, and politics all played a hand in the push for change. Through a careful analysis of key events, influential organizations, and noteworthy individuals, we see why and how this movement for change manifested.

1:45-2:45 SESSION 5 SESSION 5A. Natural Sciences (Mickle 114) Moderator: Joshua Lawrence 1. Background automated systems effect on the efficiency within clinical trials Presenter: Elizabeth Matthews There are guidelines and procedures that must be sustained when conducting a clinical trial. Of which can include adverse events, abnormal laboratory test values, wellness examinations, scheduling etc. Monitoring and documenting such material are a meticulous workload that has no other alternative but to be accurate under a government funded investigation. Inaccurate or unaccounted for information can lead to erroneous conclusions due to its effects on the statistical analyst. The predominant issue is keeping track of individuals wellness based on where that individual is within the trial as test values are directly inputted and scheduling is highly structured in the visit log protocol. Creating a system that automates the predictive dates

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for contacting participants for wellness checks, capsule consumption, and adverse events to the researcher and that can also receive feedback and keep it in a log makes this process faster, more accurate, and more efficient. For a clinical trial with a sample size of one hundred and sixty-five volunteers, this cuts the time to track the participants by more than half. An initial email for the system to send dates to and a log of identifiers and their telephone numbers to scan through, configures the initial pieces needed for programing such a system. Secondly a detailed program will need to be coded in Python or Java Script to be able to scan, identify, and output results all while running in the background on a PC or desktop computer. Effectively Jarvis 81 was developed to automate the wellness examinations for the participants within any clinical trial. The total number of wellness exams that would need to be tracked and documented for the sample size of one hundred and sixty-five is greater than 600 logs and would take months to log by hand without error. Jarvis 81 can compute this same information in seconds, record the feedback log, and email the client the predictive dates to call the participants at random based on their previous visit.

2. Probing the mechanism of arene perfluoroalkylation with iron perfluoroalkyl reagents Presenter: Clarissa de Santiago Research Advisor: Dr. Joshua Lawrence Chemistry Although substrate-limited perfluoroalkylation of aromatic compounds has been accomplished in poor to good yields with a variety of reagents, the mechanism of this reaction is still poorly understood. This work will describe (1) the synthesis of CpFe(CO)2(C4F9) and Fe(CO)4(C4F9)(O2CR) compounds, (2) their suitability as perfluoroalkylation reagents, and (3) their attempted use in crossover experiments.

SESSION 5C. Social Sciences (Kilpatrick) Moderator: Pete Zunick 1. Examining Variations in Perceptions of Health Presenter: Iqra Jatoi Research Advisor: Dr. Bethany Hansen Biology Health disparities in the United States disadvantage many groups. Such disparities have existed for decades and are maintained due to factors including misconceptions about human biological variation and lack of awareness about interpersonal/systemic bias and ‘racial’ health disparities.

To help address this, we surveyed Centenary College undergraduates about their knowledge of biological variation and health disparities between Black and White Americans. Centenary College has a strong tradition of preparing students for careers in healthcare. As such, this study population allows us to examine whether factors such as racial identity or area of academic study correlate with knowledge of biological variation and health disparities. This survey is an important step towards raising awareness about health disparities and making healthcare in the U.S. more equitable. The results of this study can be used to guide undergraduate and health professional school course design an equity education.

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2. Confronting Prejudice: The Role of Attitudes and Self-Definition Presenter: Mallarie Mixon Research Advisor: Dr. Pete Zunich Psychology Previous research has focused on prejudice confrontation but not the impact of self-defining attitudes on prejudice confrontation. Attitudes are overall positive or negative evaluations of things, people, and ideas; those that are central to the self-concept are known as self-defining attitudes. How self-defining an attitude is influences how people think and behave (Zunick et al., 2017). While a very positive attitude toward gender equality should predict confrontation, selfdefinition should increase the likelihood further. This research investigated how an attitude’s self-definition can impact prejudice confrontation intentions, focusing on racism and sexism. I hypothesized that the extent to which an attitude was self-defining would predict people’s choice to confront a person who made a prejudiced remark, such that an extremely self-defining attitude would predict prejudice confrontation in a situation. I surveyed 68 undergraduate students participating in a psychology course. Participants read scenarios about racist or sexist remarks, and then they responded how likely they would be to confront in the situation. Multiple regression analyses revealed self-definition was a predictor of confrontation intentions, but other properties of the attitudes mattered more, like importance and morality. Specifically, for the gender scenario, importance (p = .001) and morality (p = .008) were also significant. For the race scenario, importance (p = .003) was the strongest predictor for confrontation intentions.

These results suggest that importance and morality may not be that distinct from self-definition.

Due to the complexity of attitudes and their properties, future research should continue to explore the role of attitudes in prejudice confrontation.

3. Black Student-Athletes: Mental Health Disparities and Challenges at Primarily White Institutions Presenter: Kaye Kelley Research Advisor: Dr. Amy Hammond Psychology Students and athletes often become overwhelmed with the obstacles they face while attending college. When combining the terms student and athlete, the challenges are multiplied exponentially as student-athletes (SA) learn to navigate through mentally, emotionally, and physically draining schedules and increased workloads. Student-athletes continuously have to find a healthy balance between their academic and athletic responsibilities, if not the stress can result in a decline in their mental health. Identifying as a Black student-athlete (BSA) creates a unique identity of thereness that introduces an additional variety of stressors that also have negative implications for mental health. The disadvantages associated with being a minority status in America heavily influence the experiences of BSAs and tend to exacerbate the challenges associated with the student-athlete identity. In addition, at primarily White institutions (PWI) BSAs have to deal with factors of limited opportunities, lack of representation, discrimination, and stereotypical ideologies. Therefore, Black student-athletes simultaneously have a greater risk of developing mental health disorders and limited ability to cope at PWIs.

3:00-4:00 SESSION 6

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SESSION 6A. Natural Sciences (Mickle 114) Moderator: Jessica Alexander Research Advisor: Dr. Jessica Alexander Cognitive Neuroscience The students of the Cognitive Neuroscience class investigated topics not covered in our class.

Each group will present on a topic of interest, the neural underpinnings of that system, and what current research is happening in the field. The focus of the topics will be on presenting complex neuroscience information to a general audience.

1. Alzheimer’s Disease Presenters: Marco Basteris, Avery Sanderson, Marichael Clarin-Jante, Liz Lowe 2. Bipolar Disorder Presenters: Djeneba Keita, Emily Reid, Natalie Taylor-Watkins, Addy Termie 3. Psychedelics and Sensation/Perception Presenters: Yosajandy Bouslog, Casey Swize, Mason Kelly, Sadie Self 4. Psychopathy/Antisocial Personality Disorder Presenters: Coleman Guidry, Stanley Melton, Gracie Napier 5. Sleep and Dreaming Presenters: Breana Coco-Serna, Jessica Cordova, Iqra Jatoi

SESSION 6B. Humanities (Whited) Moderator: Dana Kress 1. Unknown Creole Piano Compositions Rediscovered Presenter: Hannah Jordan Research Advisors: Dr. Dana Kress and Gay Grosz Foreign Language and Music Nineteenth-century New Orleans existed at the intersection of a myriad of contrasting ethnic traditions; African, Caribbean, Spanish, Latin-American, and French cultures intertwined in a tapestry of musical color. In the antebellum period, these groups each maintained a unique identity, which facilitated expression of their own unique musical heritages. The absence of Creole repertoire in the traditional canon of Western music is symptomatic of the racial tensions that pervaded Southern America during the Reconstruction period. After the Civil War, the rich ethnic fabric of New Orleans was reduced to merely “black” and “white” because of emerging segregation laws; after the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling in 1896, the distinct minority groups residing within New Orleans were all simply labeled “black,” and Creole and African traditions melded into what is now known as ragtime. The goal of this paper is to bring to light the preragtime piano compositions of Creole composers such as Edmond Dédé, François-MichelSamuel Snaer, Basile Barès, Charles Lucien Lambert, Sidney Lambert, and Victor-Eugène Macarty, as well as to trace their stylistic contribution to the development of ragtime.

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2. Black Hole: The Evolving, but Never-Changing Black Experience Presenter: Xian Seamon-Baumgartner Research Advisor: Don Hooper Theatre Many artists such as play writers give us an earnest look into a shared experience, such as the black experience. Through an examination of plays from across American history—The Escape

by William Wells Brown (1858), A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (1959), and The Meeting by Jeff Stetson (1990)—we can see how prevalent these issues still are today. Each of these plays depicts the ever-evolving yet dark, stagnant black experience. From an enslaved man, a family, and social justice leaders we see that the black experience is both unique and shared throughout history.

SESSION 6C. Social Sciences (Kilpatrick) Moderator: Amanda Donahoe Political Science Panel: Identity and Beliefs of College Students Research Advisor: Dr. Amanda Donahoe 1. Perceptions Between Young Adult Latinos and Black/African-Americans: Similarities and Differences in Social and Political Struggles Presenter: Dario Garcia It is often said that Latino and Black communities share similar characteristics and go through similar struggles, but issues such as xenophobia in Latino communities and racism go hand in hand in discriminating against people with darker skin. In Black/African-American communities, there may be xenophobic tendencies due to economic competition and stress between the two communities, and a lack of support towards immigration policies that may benefit Latinos, creating a barrier towards alliance. This project is focused on using surveys, voting statistics, and other published articles to analyze and find out how and why young adult Latinos and African American minority groups in metropolitan areas view each other. This project asks whether these communities see each other as social and political allies in the fight against systemic oppression and racism. Another important factor of the project is to find out how these minority groups politically and socially act on their attitudes about each other, whether they act negatively to each other or not and why. A survey will be used to gauge a sample group’s responses to questions that measure the above goals and questions. The expected findings are that Latino communities and Black/African-American communities may not be overwhelmingly supportive of each others’ issues, even though many issues affect both communities due to fear of competition, want to take care of one’s racial group first, and xenophobic tendencies.

2. College, Support Systems, and Political Beliefs: Developing Latino Students’ Political Style Presenter: Itzel Sigaran

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This project focuses on the relationship between the support systems offered by college institutions such as Centenary College of Louisiana and the influence they have on Latino college students.With the Latino population growing amongst college campuses, looking at this relationship and how comfortable Latino students are with participating in campus political culture is important in shaping how they become active political participants. Through a series of interviews conducted on 10-20 self-identified Latinos, the study will find that students rely on other Latino students for support, and feel comfortable speaking about their political beliefs and ideology amongst themselves. It is expected students will state that they felt insufficiently supported on campus for their specific needs, but do not feel comfortable speaking out or asking for help. These findings will show the importance of having support systems for Latino college students since they are a vulnerable minority group within college institutions who develop their political styles during their time in college. Colleges should provide support by having student organization and resources which specially target Latino students, who deal with unique issues such as being first generation college students and sometimes Americans.

3. LGBTQ+ Issues are Not Black and White; College Students’ Perspectives on LGBTQ+ Community and Issues Presenter: Sierra Charles This research compares the attitudes of Black and White college students, ranging from 18-24 years old, towards the LGBTQ+ community and challenges the perception that the Black community is more homophobic than the White community. This study uses a survey of 19 questions on attitudes towards gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members of the LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+ issues along with two questions on the perception of homophobia within different races. This study tests four hypotheses: 1, that Black students will have a stronger tie to religion; 2, that there will not be a significant difference between Black and White students’ attitudes pointing to one race being more homophobic than the other; 3, that the predictor for increased homophobia will come from political ideology and not religion or race; and 4, that both Black and White students will have the perception that Black individuals are more homophobic. This research shows evidence that race and religion are not reliable predictors in a person’s level of homophobia and that despite the perception of increased homophobia within the Black community, there is no clear evidence that the Black community is less tolerant. This research has implications for larger discussions on identity and how that relates to intolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community.

4:15-5:30 SESSION 7

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SESSION 7A. Creative Writing and Visual Arts (Whited) Moderator: Emily Leithauser Creative Writing Finalists for Zeak Monroe Award for Creative Writing--Fiction and Prose Phoebe Cragon, “Empty Classrooms, Empty Sketchbooks: How the Pandemic Affected Art Education” Callie Fedd, “Where Did All the Children Go?” Lauren Warren, “Glided” Finalists for the Audrey M. Smith Poetry Award for Poetry Phoebe Cragon, “the dead cat text;” “Polar Night;” “SWORDS, 3-6;” “3.14.2021” Callie Fedd, “A Sonnet for Sainthood;” “yellow skirt of mourning doves;” “From a Foxhole, Korea 1952;” “Sunshower” Emma Greer, “Darling, Dearest, Doll”

Visual Arts 1. Frost Presenter: Riana Seidenberg Advisor: Shea Hembrey Art My art exhibit, Frost was open at the Meadows Art Museum from January 18th to Febuary 4th. Being a freshman, I had no idea that I would be able to exhibit so early in the museum, but the spot opened suddenly leaving me with only two months to prepare.

I worked with Professor Hembrey to come up with the concept for my exhibit and had only five days to install it during winter break. Using charcoal and pencil, I drew directly on the walls, covering three out of four of the walls, leaving one blank for my artist statement.

"For Women, stranger danger does not end when childhood does.

As a young woman, I have to remain vigilant to be safe.

It is tiring.

Is he following me?

Do I know him? - I better be nice just in case.

2. Portrait Series: Centenary Ladies Gymnastics Presenter: Kendall Knaps Advisor: Jessica Hawkins

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Centenary Gymnastics wants families in Shreveport/Bossier to experience the excitement of gymnastics in the Gold Dome. With the Portrait Series of Centenary Ladies Gymnastics, these families can take a quick glance at the dates and gymnasts they will root for when they attend a meet. This series highlights some of the gymnasts in the program, which allows for a sense of familiarity when families come to enjoy the competition. Each design in this series took meticulous time choosing and editing each photo to create a beautiful and strong campaign for the gymnastics team.

SESSION 7B. Social Sciences (Kilpatrick) Moderator: Amanda Donahoe Political Science Panel: Globalization and Advocacy Research Advisor: Dr. Amanda Donahoe The Effects of the Holocaust on Anti-Semitism: A Comparative Analysis Presenter: Tyler Welch Anti-Semitism grew to its most violent expression during the Holocaust. This paper compares Anti-Semitism before and after the Holocaust. Did Anti-Jewish sentiment get better after the Holocaust? Looking at multiple studies on Anti-Semitism in the countries of Denmark, Poland, Germany, and Austria from before and after the war this paper shows what effects the Holocaust had on Anti-Semitism. It was expected that Anti-Semitism would have a major decline after the mass murders. This paper compares crime records from before the war to opinion polls taken after the war to understand the amount of anti-Jewish sentiment that remained. Looking at public opinion about the Jews after the Holocaust will tell how strongly people will hold on to prejudice even after a catastrophe. It was found that anti-Semitism did not have a big decline after the war. Many people in those countries felt prejudice toward the Jewish people after the Holocaust. Because of the decline of the Jewish population and Jewish emigration, people were able to hold onto their Anti-Jewish prejudice. Without having to face the issue, it was not hard for people to still hold on to those beliefs.

Prostitution: Sex Work Reform in Louisiana Presenter: Victoria Sparks Sex work is illegal in the United States, except in Nevada, where regulated brothels are legalized. By criminalizing consensual adult sex in the form of sex work, policies are violating the human right to personal autonomy and sexual privacy. Sex workers are routinely denied basic rights, such as health care, and are more vulnerable to horrific violence, such as rape, assault, and murder, as they are unable to seek help within the justice system. The study is designed around policies within Nevada and Louisiana, statistics, case law, and attitudes/morals surrounding prostitution. This project finds that legalizing prostitution benefits both the state of Nevada and sex workers. In particular, sex workers are able to seek both healthcare and legal aid, and the economy in Nevada is thriving. While Nevada’s legalization is limited, it does address a number of the problems sex workers face in other jurisdictions. My findings lead me to believe that the same could be done within Louisiana. Louisiana has some of the same problems that Nevada was facing, before it legalized prostitution. By decriminalizing prostitution within Louisiana, there would be an increase in safety for sex workers and a much-needed economic boost.

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Human Trafficking in East Asia Presenter: LA Easley Since the U.S. State Department’s 2001 TIP Report, Japan’s ranking has primarily stayed Tier 2, which means they are making significant efforts to meet the U.S.’s minimum requirements for the prevention of human trafficking. Japan has a history of coverups and misinformation on their government conducted sexual slavery in the early 1900s. Not only has the state lacked in their acknowledgement and repatriations to the women and children that were subject to these practices, but they have not taken enough steps to ensure that these past actions do not continue into the modern day. Japan is one of the biggest destination states for human trafficking in East Asia. An overwhelming majority of victims trafficked into Japan are then exploited in the sex industry. Japan's sex trafficking exists as part of a larger system and so in order to understand the problems Japan faces on this issue this project will conduct case studies. These studies will focus on five East Asian states: China, Hong Kong SAR, North Korea, South Korea, and Japan. These case studies will focus on each state’s population pressures, visas, and international obligations to prevent human trafficking. Through this research, it is apparent that Japan and other East Asian states are not doing enough to prevent the inhuman practice of human trafficking because they will not admit to and move on from their past. More domestic laws should be put in place in order to stay in compliance with ASEAN, SAARC, and UN international obligations.

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centenary.edu/researchconference