2017 Lander University Student Academic Symposium

The Lander University Student Academic Symposium

2017 Proceedings

The Prodeedings of the 2017 Lander University Student Academic Symposium April 12-14, 2017 abstracts page

Wednesday, April 12, 2017 (Lois Grier Room, GC 358) • 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm—HISTORY PANEL • 2:00-3:15 pm—Interdisciplinary Session: CONNECTING TO EDUCATION • 3:30-5:00 pm—COMPUTER SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS PANEL

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Thursday, April 13, 2017 (Cultural Center/Grier Center) • 8:30-9:30 am: Honors Session: SOUTHERN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE 6 • 12:30-2:00 pm: VISUAL ART PANEL (CC 250) 9 • 3:00-5:00 pm: Interdisciplinary Session: RESEARCH ACROSS THE SCIENCES BIOLOGY 10 CHEMISTRY 21 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE 22 PSYCHOLOGY 24 Friday, April 14, 2017 (Lois Grier Room, CC 358) • 10:00-am-Noon—SOCIOLOGY PANEL

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Thanks to the faculty mentors who supervised this research and the session coordinators who organized these events: Deb Acorn, Farha Ali, Sean Barnette, Jon Bassett, Lisa Brodhacker, Linda Carson, Lillie Craton, Christopher Duncan, Barbara Ervin, Robert Figuiera, Kerry Hansknecht, Gilliean Lee, Jason Lee, Pedro Lopes, Jennifer Maze, TD Maze, Doug McAbee, Elizabeth McDonald, Marie Nix, Dan Pardieck, Emily Prince, Bill Ramsey, Franklin Rausch, Asma Nazim-Starnes, Elizabeth Snipes-Rochester, Shana Southard-Dobbs Proceedings Editors: Lillie Craton, Elizabeth McDonald, & Kerry Kansknecht

Proceedings: April 12, 2017 HISTORY PANEL Hillary J. Dunbar—“Congressman Leo Ryan Goes to Jonestown” A letter that began with the greeting “Dear Rev. Jones” was the beginning of a tragedy for the ages. The letter was written by U.S. Congressman Leo J. Ryan to inform the Reverend Jim Jones of Ryan’s intention to visit the People’s Temple in Jonestown, Guyana. Relatives of temple members expressed concerned about their well-being to Congressman Ryan, who agreed to investigate their concerns and informed Jones by letter of his decision to visit. The letter instructed Jones to respond to Ambassador John R. Burke at the American Embassy in Georgetown. How would Jim Jones and the People’s Temple respond to the news? Usually visiting outsiders caused Jim Jones and temple members to be overcome with anxiety, but as this outsider was a United States Congressman on a fact-finding mission, anxiety turned to panic. The survival of the People’s Temple was at stake and Jones could afford to leave nothing to chance. Jim Jones controlled Leo Ryan’s visit with the same tactics he used to control members of the People’s Temple: infiltration, scripted behavior and speech, and as a last resort, violence.

Hillary Dunbar graduated from North Augusta High School in North Augusta, SC. She is a currently a senior history major.

Michael T. Jasso-Kelly—“Lyman Abbot and US Imperialism in the Philippines” This project examines Lyman Abbot, the Liberal Protestant Christian and clergyman, and discusses how he justified the acquisition of the Philippines after the Spanish American War. Abbot was active both as a minister in the Plymouth Church and as editor-in-chief of The Outlook. Lyman actively advocated for both social and theological reform and is the author of theological works which focus on Christianity and social issues. This presentation will provide examples on how Abbot justified US imperialism and give viewers a clearer understanding one how Liberal Protestants like Abbot viewed imperialism.

Michael Jasso-Kelly graduated from Marion High School in 2013 and is currently a double major in history and Spanish. Michael has worked as a peer tutor and as an administrative assistant at Student Support Services. He has travelled extensively and spent a semester studying abroad in Madrid.

Rebecca Watford—“The Phoenix Riot of 1898 in Greenwood SC” The Phoenix Riot of 1898, in Greenwood, S.C., is often forgotten and eclipsed by the Wilmington, North Carolina Riot that occurred a few days after. However, the Phoenix Riot is intriguing, and this presentation explores its causes and effects. We have hardly any firsthand recollections of the event, as most people attempted to cover it up or forget about it completely. Many African-Americans actually left the state after it was over. There are several possible reasons it occurred, including economic and racial inequality.

Rebecca Watford graduated from Greenwood High School and is currently a junior in history. She has been a peer tutor, presented a paper presentation at the Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference, and volunteered with the Greenwood Museums.

Interdisciplinary Session: Education, English, and Spanish

CONNECTING to EDUCATION Breanna Butler—“Dialectal Impacts on Standardized Test Scores: 'Taking the Linguistic Bull by the Horns'” This research investigates the impact of dialectal differences on standardized test scores. The project focuses on the grammatical and contextual comprehension sections of two standardized tests, SAT and TOEFL. Both tests are written in American English, only differing slightly from British English, and are required before admittance into American university. The TOEFL test, also known as the Test of English as Foreign Language, is only required for international students with a non-English primary language.

This research provides an in-depth data analysis via a questionnaire comparing American, British, and other international student scores on 2015 practice versions of the above test sections.

Breanna Butler graduated from Emerald High School and is currently a sophomore English secondary education major and a member of the Honors College. She has worked as a peer tutor on and off campus, worked in the English Department, and studied abroad at the University of Winchester, England where this data analysis took place.

Terri Cearley—“The Use of the Montessori Method with Special Needs Students” This presentation looks at the educational philosophy of Maria Montessori. Montessori broke through every barrier society placed in front of her. She started off as Italy’s first woman to graduate medical school and, through her research, discovered a passion for education. Montessori created a “Scientific Pedagogy” for teaching and spread her method throughout the world. Traditional schools have found accommodations or modifications for people with disabilities, but the Montessori Method doesn’t need to change to help those students. The entire method stems from Montessori’s work with special needs children; it includes them in a community and environment conducive to learning. This presentation specifically analyzes the use of the Montessori Method with special needs students.

Terri Cearley, a sophomore and member of the Honors College, is seeking a degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis on the Montessori Method. Terri was a preschool teacher for one year in Stamford, CT before coming to Lander. Terri is on the LU Equestrian Team and volunteers with Lander’s Therapeutic Horsemanship, offering therapy through horseback riding for people with disabilities.

Miranda Cox—“Keep Calm and Learn On: The US and UK Education System” America’s schools often state that they are preparing 21st century learners for the future, creating students who have the skills to work collaboratively, use technology, think critically, and problem solve.

However, some students struggle to gain these skills or lack the resources to do so. How do other countries, specifically the United Kingdom, compare in development of these same learners? This project considers key similarities and differences in American and British education systems, specifically goals and expectations for students, curriculum, and school funding. This poster presents interviews from American and British teachers as well as images from my experience in a school in Fareham, UK. Miranda Cox is a senior in elementary education from Lexington, South Carolina. After studying abroad for a semester in sophomore year, Miranda returned to the University of Winchester in March 2017 to work in a school in Fareham, England where she has gained an inside look of the British education system. She hopes to find an elementary teaching position near her home after graduation in May.

Nathaniel Lagrone—“Thinking Your Thoughts for You: A Rhetorical Analysis of New Media” Researchers have demonstrated younger Americans’ pronounced preference for news-getting through social networks rather than through more traditional means. Symbiotic to this preference is the emergence of news content specifically designed to thrive on the internet. Broadly described as new media, such reporting is distinctive for its visual, moral, and intellectual simplicity. Though these characteristics are arguably necessary for media to survive on social media, it is clear that they are also utilized actively for their persuasive power. This paper explains how some examples of new media (e.g., Buzzfeed, Upworthy, NowThis) aim to influence rather than inform their viewers through a variety of rhetorical techniques.

Nathaniel Lagrone is a senior English major with an emphasis in secondary education. He has served as a tutor, research assistant, and resident assistant, and is currently student teaching at Greenwood High School.

Maria Morales and Ariana Trejo—“The Life of a Dreamer: DACA and Undocumented Students” Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, is an executive order that protects undocumented youth who meet certain criteria from deportation and gives them permission to work. Unfortunately, not everyone qualifies for DACA, which leaves many undocumented people in the shadows. Undocumented students are those who entered the United States without inspection or overstayed their visas. In South Carolina, DACA and undocumented students face challenges that make attending college almost impossible. They are not eligible for federal financial aid and do not receive in-state tuition. Despite such obstacles, DACA and undocumented students are determined to achieve their goals and prosper in life.

Because every student deserves access to higher education, this presentation focuses on the struggles DACA and undocumented students face and the ways we can help them achieve their dreams.

Maria Morales graduated from Greenwood High School. She is a junior majoring in elementary education, a member of the Honors College, and the vice-president of Somos LU, the first Latino Organization on campus. Maria tutors at the Academic Success Center and Greenwood County Library, and she is also an interpreter for the Greenwood School District 50. Maria is a DACA student, and her goal is to educate and empower the immigrant community.

Ariana Trejo is from Union, South Carolina majoring in Spanish and business administration with an emphasis in healthcare management. She is the president of Somos LU, and currently works at La Clinica Gratis, The Free Clinic, here in Greenwood where most of the patients are Hispanic. Her plan after college is to work in migrant health and continue to work with the immigrant community.

COMPUTER SCIENCE and MATHEMATICS Shawn Bunnells, Blake Hughes, Colby Turner and Ken Yawah—“Cloud Atlas” The project is to develop an infrastructure for IoT (Internet of Things) devices, where deployed sensors can be registered and maintained, and the sensor data can be stored and analyzed on the website.

Shawn Bunnells is a senior computer information systems major. His emphasis is in networking.

Blake Hughes is a senior computer information systems student with an emphasis in networking.

Colby Turner is a senior computer information systems major. His emphasis is in networking.

Ken Yawah is a junior computer information systems student with an emphasis in networking.

Paul Cuenin, Devin Leon, and Kamren Mangrum—“Development of Point of Sale System for Lexington County Blowfish Stadium” This presentation details the development of the Lexington County’s Blowfish Stadium Point of Sale System. Currently Blowfish Stadium uses paper to track all transactions and inventory levels—a system that is inefficient and prone to mistakes. The programming team’s goal was to create a computerized system for Blowfish Stadium to improve efficiency of transactions and accuracy of sales information.

Paul Cuenin is a second degree student with a prior BS in graphic communications from Clemson. He is currently a senior in computer information systems with software development emphasis. His experiences include graphic design, web warketing, social media marketing, and print production.

Devin Leon graduated from Swansea High School. He is currently a senior dual major in computer information systems-software development, and business administration-marketing and management.

He has worked as a peer tutor on campus, served as president of the Lander Programming Club for 20162017, and been selected multiple times to present in the annual CIS Symposium.

Kamren Mangrum is a graduate from J.L Mann High School. He is a senior with a major in computer information systems-software development and a minor in business administration. He has worked on multiple programming teams spanning several different projects while at Lander.

Paul Cuenin and Kamren Mangrum—“Development of System Dynamics Modeling and Simulation Software: DSSIM 2.0” This presentation will explore the development of DSSIM, a system dynamics modeling and simulation software. System dynamics modeling and simulation is important to computational science education, and it requires a computer program. There have been free alternatives but with complex user interfaces, and there is no assurance that the programs will remain free of charge in the future. DSSIM is a free, open-source computer program that allows a user to create and simulate system dynamics models. It provides a simple user interface to create a model, and it is capable of approximating the solution using various numerical methods. After running the simulation, DSSIM generates graphical and numerical results that present the system interactions.

Paul Cuenin is a second degree student with a prior BS in graphic communications from Clemson. He is currently a senior in computer information systems with software development emphasis. His experiences include graphic design, web warketing, social media marketing, and print production.

Kamren Mangrum is a graduate from J.L Mann High School. He is a senior with a major in computer information systems-software development and a minor in business administration. He has worked on multiple programming teams spanning several different projects while at Lander.

Samantha Langley, Austin Norryce, and Sergio Smith—“KnewTek Website Analytic Tool” This outlines a capstone project sponsored by KnewTek, a company formed solely by Lander alumni. Our goals were to construct a website that will be used by KnewTek's staff to view detailed information about server performance, develop an application that runs in the background and sends information to the website through a server, and present the information dynamically to the webpage that the user is viewing. This presentation showcases the technical details as well as an overview of why and what we did for our clients at KnewTek. Samantha Langley graduated from Chester Senior High School. She is currently a senior majoring in computer information systems-networking. She is also minoring in both philosophy and mathematics.

She became a student worker for TRACS in her junior year to put her computer skills to work and learn more things about the IT world.

Austin Norryce is a graduate of Abbeville High School. He is a senior majoring in computer information systems-software development and a minor in mathematics. Austin served as a CIS and math tutor at the Academic Success Center and presented at the William & Mary Symposium on Pilgrim Studies. He has also worked as a database developer and database administrator for Capsugel.

Sergio Smith graduated from Woodland High School. He is currently a senior majoring in computer information systems-networking and minoring in business. Sergio is a member of Lander University’s basketball team and a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

Austin Norryce—“SensorHub: Interweaving Connections for Data Collection and Visualization” The SensorHub project aims to develop a framework for connecting devices of varying computing and communication capability with the World Wide Web. Most low cost microcontroller-based sensing devices, with the exception of few proprietary ones, lack capability of forwarding data to the Web because of the lack of ability to use the existing TCP/IP network model and supportive API’s for HTTP communication. This project builds a framework of network communication based on Bluetooth and HTTP protocols. Using the low cost Bluetooth modules, sensing devices send data to a mobile device, where the device converts the received data into HTTP message and forwards it to a web server. The results of this project show that data can be sent through devices using Bluetooth communication to the web and can be visualized in multiple formats.

Austin Norryce is a graduate of Abbeville High School. He is a senior majoring in computer information systems-software development and a minor in mathematics. Austin served as a CIS and math tutor at the Academic Success Center and presented at the William & Mary Symposium on Pilgrim Studies. He has also worked as a database developer and database administrator for Capsugel.

Proceedings: April 13, 2017 Honors College Special Session:

SOUTHERN LANGUAGE & CULTURE Stephanie Conley—“Let's Talk Charleston: Slang Used by Charlestonians” Scholars have noted variations in the language across the South and many have pointed out that Charlestonians have a speech distinct from other locations, including rest of the Coastal Plains where Charleston lies. While scholars have noted this difference, they have primarily focused on phonetic variations between Southern regions. In order to better understand the language of Charlestonians, this poster examines the different lexicon of Charlestonian speech: the slang of Charleston.

Stephanie Conley is a senior English major. She is a member of the Honors Collegel, Blue Key National Honor Society, and Alpha Chi National Honor Society. Stephanie traveled to Guatemala with the education program to teach Mayan students for two weeks, and she studied abroad for a semester in Greece as a Global Scholar. After graduation, she plans to become certified to teach high school English.

Kendra LaGreca—“So Southern: A Study of Cotton in So Undercover" This project examines the portrayal of the Southern character Cotton in So Undercover to learn how token Southerners are often portrayed in films. Many times in literature, television, and film, Southern characters are misrepresented as unintelligent and unconcerned about things that actually matter. To fully understand how Cotton is presented, I focus on three major questions: what the audience is supposed to think about Cotton, how other characters react to her, and how she acts as a Southerner.

Kendra LaGreca graduated from Abbeville High School. She is currently a senior English major with an emphasis on professional writing. When not at school, Kendra spends her time at her internship, at her job at Cold Spring Cafe, or with her husband.

Mia Spires—“How Women with Southern Accents in Positions of Power are Portrayed in Pop Culture” This project looks at two popular culture television shows to analyze how women with southern accents, particularly those who hold high-level jobs, are portrayed. It focuses on the character Jo Bennett from The Office and Jessica Wicks from Parks and Recreation. The two shows take place in outside the South and cast women as CEOs. Both women are also the only characters in the shows to have Southern accents. By looking at research of women in the workplace and how Southern accents are perceived, I theorize how these characters would be perceived in real life by applying methods used in similar research topics, assessing characters’ respective friendliness, wealth, intelligence, social perception of health, and attractiveness. This project considers the meta-discourse surrounding these two characters—including their roles in the workplace, effectiveness of leading, and other characters’ responses to them—to argue that employees and colleagues respect these women despite their Southern accents.

Mia Spires graduated from Brookland-Cayce High School in 2015. She is a sophomore English major. She plans to attend USC Law School and to work as a defense attorney.

Sarah Elle Floyd—“The Lake City Accent: An Exploration of a Unique South Carolina Dialect” This poster is a new exploration of a dialect used by a small group of people – the people of Lake City, SC - in the context of Southern linguistics. Lake City is a small, rural, agricultural community in the low country. Some people have described its uniqe accent as “redneck,” “country,” “uneducated,” “hometown,” and above all, “extremely Southern.” My goal is to describe it better via the actual phonological, syntactical, lexical, and morphological makeup of the Lake City accent, and see it for what it is in context of other Southern dialects. I focus on vowel pronunciation, rules for negation, word blending, distinctive word uses, unique expressions, copula dropping, use of reflexive and demonstrative pronouns, lack of distinction in /I/ and /Ɛ/ before nasals, R-dropping and R-adding, final consonant deletion, L-deletion before approximates, irregular past tense forms, use of double modals, and of course the /aj/ monophthong. I propose that the Lake City accent is not just an exaggerated version of a Southern accent, but in fact a dialect unique to the area, with unique vocabulary and word blends that let it stand alone, loud and proud, as a Southern dialect.

Sarah Floyd is a freshman who graduated in 2016 as valedictorian of GCSHEA. She is now an Honors College member and English major with an emphasis in professional writing. She is currently writing website content for the McCravy, Newlon, and Sturkie Law Firm and plans to study abroad in Seville, Spain this fall.

Luke Harris—“Analyzing the Political Rhetoric of Southern American Politicians” Among the things that makes the United States so unique are its political culture and governmental structure. Southerners have played a pivotal role in American politics since the beginning of the Republic. Although much research has been conducted on the topics of political rhetoric and Southern language, very little research has been done that merges the topics to analyze Southern political speech specifically. This poster examines the Inaugural speeches of three Southern presidents (Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) in order to analyze the development of Southern political rhetoric over the last five decades. It analyzes both pronunciation and lexicography to draw conclusions about the development of the political language used by Southerners.

Luke Harris is a senior political science major and member of the Honors College. He is also an ROTC cadet and completed an internship with the office of Congressman Trey Gowdy in Washington, DC. Luke also presented at prior symposia and at the Southern Regional Honors Council Conference in Asheville.

Donna Knight—“Regional Language of Late 18th and early 19th Century South Carolina: Cultural Influence and Progressive Changes in Old Ninety-Six District.”

The Old Ninety-Six District was well settled by the mid-1700’s. English, Irish, Scots-Irish, and German settlers made up the population of the town of Ninety-Six. Established in the early 1700’s, it became a popular trading route because of its crossroads between Charlestown, Augusta, and the Saluda River via Island Ford Road. By 1772, a jail house, and later a courthouse, were erected in town. The first seating judges were British, appointed by England. Before the Revolutionary War, Britain had much influence on the government of Ninety-Six. Did it also influence its language? What cultural influence did the mix of immigrants have on each other’s language? Did the vernacular of the upper class influence the speech of those considered lower or middle class of the inhabitants of Ninety-Six? Existing 17th and 18th century transcripts, testimonies, diaries, and documents are primary examples of the features and syntax of the regional language. This study analyzes regional features of the verb syntaxes and word usage in mid17th and 18th century documents to determine the history of the regional language, what influenced it, and how it may or may not have changed over a century.

Donna Knight is Administrative Specialist for the Department of English and Foreign Languages and the Department of History and Philosophy at Lander. She graduated from Lander in 2012 with a B.A. in history and is currently completing her degree in English. She worked for the Teaching American History in the Lakelands grant program from 2010-14 and served as president of Phi Alpha Theta in 2011-12.

Caroline Powell—“Hey y'all: A look at singular y'all usage among English 102 students at Lander” This poster discusses the results of a survey conducted at Lander University to discover whether or not the use of singular “y’all” is acceptable. Forty-four students enrolled in English 102 were surveyed for this project. Questions of several types gathered student reactions to Southern language, along with general demographic questions to pinpoint trends in their answers.

Caroline Powell is a junior English major with minors in psychology and international studies. She is a tutor at the Academic Success Center and she works with at-risk children at Greenwood County Library.

Maria A. Reid—“Southern Tagalog” This presentation focuses on how living in the South (especially Greenwood and surrounding counties) has affected the dialect and vocabulary of Filipinos. This presentation shows how they view their dialect and seeks to identify changes in their vocabulary since moving here. I interviewed and observed two

Filipinos who moved from the Philippines to the South and two second-generation Filipinos born in South Carolina to discover if they have observed changes in how they communicate with each other, how adapting/growing up with Southern English has impacted their life, and whether they perceive losses of their Filipino heritage and values since being in South Carolina.

Maria Reid is a senior from Greenwood, South Carolina majoring in English with an emphasis in professional writing. She is hoping to work as an event planner after graduation.

Matthew Shea—“Second Language Acquisition of Southern Dialects” Have you ever wondered how much influence Southern dialects have on non-Southerners who are immersed into them? This presentation focuses on the unintentional adoption of Southern dialects as a form of second language acquisition. The study sampled a dozen individuals who are not originally from the South but have lived at least 5 years of their post-adolescent life in an area dominated by Southern dialects. Each participant created a video that was uploaded to a social media server, in which they read through a list of words and phrases that would indicate if features of Southern dialects had taken place.

The results of this study show correlations in the data collected form the participants, and draws conclusions about the adoptable nature of certain Southern dialect features.

Matthew Shea is a senior English major originally from Abbeville, SC. Matt is passionate about teaching and writing and hopes to pursue both post-graduation. He spends his free time outdoors, reading, and playing volleyball with friends.

Sarah Williams-Shealy—“Saluda, South Carolina: A Dialect Study” This poster explores linguistic aspects of Saluda, South Carolina, including common vowel shifts and patterns in word pronunciations, such as armadillo versus armɘdɪlɘ, how ᶇ# shifts to n#, and how ir# shifts to iɘr:#.

Sarah Williams-Shealy is from Saluda, SC. She is currently a sophomore English-secondary education major, a member of the Honors College, and a Teaching Fellow. Her experiences include tutoring, receiving the President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence, Palmetto Fellows Award, and South Carolina Academic Honors Award. Her work has been published in Writing South Carolina: Selections from the Third High School Writing Contest.

VISUAL ART PANEL Shauna Fletcher and Molly Ott—“Interdisciplinary Sculpture” This interdisciplinary project combines biology with sculpture by accentuating the artistry of anatomy through a public sculptural installation. Shauna Fletcher (Biology) and Molly Ott (Visual Art) alternated the role of educator and student as they exchanged information from their specialties. They hoped to combine the subjects they are passionate about to expand their understanding of what defines each discipline. The product of this work has been two sculptures. Shauna is continuing her education in dental school and her sculpture explored the evolution of human teeth by experimenting with plaster casting of dental molds. Molly plans to pursue an MFA and has worked to expand her visual vocabulary by her passion for science in a sculpture that includes the anatomical preparation of mammals.

Shauna Fletcher is a biology major with a minor in chemistry. She will be attending the LECOM School of Dental Medicine and will serve as a health professional in the United States Air Force.

Molly Ott is a visual art and Spanish major and will be continuing her studies beginning with an international artist residency in July. Shauna and Molly have been roommates since freshman year.

Chelsea Miller—“Figuring it Out” This presentation is about me finding myself as a painter. I am working with the indirect method, painting from a photographic image source,from which I am creating a complete underpainting. This underpainting consists of fully developing an image in black and white oil paint. Then I add many translucent glazed layers on top of it. While doing this, I have fallen in love with the way that the image can transform from black and white grisaille into a multilayered colorful image filled with life.

Chelsea Miller graduated from Manning High School. She is a junior working on her B.S. in visual arts and a minor in history. She is the secretary of the Art Alliance and works at the Jackson Library. She plans on pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching at USC Columbia and becoming an art teacher.

Lindsay Soto—“Wayfaring” This presentation is about my love of travel and how I incorporate it into my artwork. Since I was little I have always been on the road, whether for soccer, camping with my family, or vacations in the US and abroad. In my endeavors to combine my passions for both graphic design and photography, I created the project “Wayfaring.” This design project was featured in the Germany Switzerland ‘Mia San Mia’ show at Oktoberfest in Uptown Greenwood and won an award at the Spring 2017 Juried Student Art Show. The design combines pictures that I took in Germany and Switzerland reconceived in Photoshop.

Lindsay Soto graduated from Eastside High School. She is currently a senior in visual art with a graphic design emphasis. She works at the Monsanto Fine Art Gallery where she helps install the exhibits and designs the posters and postcards for each show.

Interdisciplinary Session: Research Across the Sciences

BIOLOGY Misti Alexander and Melissa Beggs—“Do you like your flies like your fries—Crispy?”

This presentation will exhibit data gathered from experimentation with the genetic inheritance of Drosophila melanogaster, or the common fruit fly, specifically in relation to the dark-body crispy mutation. This poster will detail the three experiments performed, which include a monohybrid cross between crispy and wildtype flies, a dihybrid cross between crispy and dark-eyed blackhole flies, and a cross between crispy and abnormal-winged smashdros flies to observe genetic linkage. These crosses were performed to support previously established models of genetic inheritance, to observe inheritance patterns, and to determine map distance from the crispy locus to the smashdros locus, which are both found on the second chromosome in this species.

Misti Alexander graduated from Silver Bluff high school. She is currently a junior biology major with a pre-med emphasis. She is a member of the American Chemical society and also works as a CNA. Melissa Beggs graduated from Greenwood Christian School. She is a junior biology major with an emphasis in genetics and a minor in professional writing. She is also a member of both the American Chemical Society and the Psi Theta chapter of the TriBeta Biological Honor Society.

Sergio Alvarez and Allie Kennedy—“The Fly Who Must Not Be Named” This project was designed to demonstrate the Mendelian principles of inheritance as well as testing gene linkage in Drosophila melanogaster. Three crosses were conducted: a monohybrid cross, a dihybrid cross, and a mapping cross. The monohybrid cross tested Mendel’s Law of Segregation, which was a cross between mutant (voldemort) flies and wild type flies. The dihybrid cross tested Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment, which was a cross between voldemort flies, which possessed a mutation affecting body color occurring on chromosome 3, and flaky mutants, which possessed a mutation affecting wings occurring on chromosome 2. The mapping cross determined the distance between two genes on a single chromosome where voldemort was crossed with eclipse, which is a mutation affecting eyes, and both mutations occur on chromosome 3.

Sergio Alvarez is a graduate of Emerald High School and is currently a second-year biology major with an emphasis in pre-physical therapy. He is the secretary and a founding father for the fraternity Delta Sigma Phi, and is also a member of Somos LU, the Environmental Science Student Organization and TriBeta Biological Honor Society.

Allie Kennedy graduated from Pelion High School and is currently a sophomore biology major and chemistry minor. She is on the path for pre-medicine to pursue a career as a doctor. Allie has interned at an urgent care center and is also a member of the Environmental Science Student Organization.

Taylor Baddeley—“Mammalian skeletal elements prepared for display” I present several skeletal structures that were prepared for permanent display and study. Among the specimens presented are the skull of a cat (Felis catus), the skull and long bones of a rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and a rat (Rattus norvegicus) skull embedded in clear plastic resin.

Taylor Baddeley graduated from Conway High School. She is currently a senior biology major with minors in chemistry and psychology. Her goal to pursue a career in animal rehabilitation.

Julia Burdette—“The Big Five Mass Extinctions” My presentation showcases “the Big Five” major extinctions in the history of life on Earth. “The Big Five” include the Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous extinctions. These events played a major role in evolutionary biology. After an extinction, surviving species have opportunities to thrive and take on new roles in their environment. Extinctions also pave the way for new species to evolve. The medium I have chosen to display my topic is a website. The website has five pages (excluding the home page), one for each mass extinction. Included on each page are my research findings in the form of articles as well as pictures and links to related content.

Julia Burdette graduated from Ware Shoals High School. She is a freshman psychology major and human services minor, as well as a member of the Honors College. After receiving an undergraduate degree from Lander, she plans to obtain a graduate degree and become a school psychologist.

Casie Chandler and Jessica Davis—“Blind Spot Mutation Studies” This poster illustrates the inheritance patterns studied in crosses of Drosophila melanogaster, commonly known as fruit flies. The mutation studied was blind spot, which results in a change in the pigment of the eye. The first cross was a cross of blind spot flies and wild type flies to study the law of segregation and

dominance patterns. The second cross was of blind spot flies and stubby mutants. These flies had a mutation on a different chromosome than the blind spot mutation, in order to study independent assortment. The third cross was of blind spot flies and flaky mutants. This cross was used to determine the map distance between the two chromosomes, blind spot and flaky, since the two mutations can be found on the same chromosome.

Casie Chandler is a sophomore biology major with a focus of physical therapy. She is also completing a health care management certificate and a minor in psychology. She is a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, ESSO, and Tribeta Honor Society. She works part time, shawdows physical therapists, and volunteers at the soup kitchen.

Jessica Davis graduated from Orangeburg Preparatory Schools. She is currently a junior biology student on the pre-veterinary medicine track. She has volunteered at the Orangeburg County SPCA, Possum Kingdom Kreamery in Belton, and shadowed a large animal veterinarian.

Hannah Daniel—“Just Wing It” Three experiments were performed to investigate the flaky gene in Drosophila melanogaster. The first experiment performed was a monohybrid cross between flaky females and wild type males. If Mendelian inheritance is present, the expected outcome should support Mendel’s Law of Segregation and establish dominance. The second experiment involved a dihybrid cross between flaky mutants and voldemort (dark bodied) mutants. The data obtained should support Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment. The third experiment performed was a mapping cross between flaky mutants and blind spot (dull red eyes) mutants, both located on chromosome 2. The expected data should allow for a map distance to be determined.

Hannah Daniel graduated from Greenwood High School. She is currently a junior biology major and chemistry minor. She is a member of Phi Mu and Tribeta Biological Honor Society. She volunteers for local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the soup kitchen and the Human Society.

Shauna Fletcher—“Anatomical Preparations” This presentation exhibits the anatomical preparations of various organisms. There are two preparations of the species Rattus norvegicus which include air-dried lungs and a midsagittal cross section of the skull. A fully articulated rabbit skull is exhibited. All bone preparations were completed by using warm dimethyl chloride for degreasing as well as hydrogen peroxide for bleaching. Alongside the rabbit skull are two appendicular long bones of the rabbit, which include the humerus and femur. For comparative purposes, the humerus of a fox is also included. A cleared mouse is also presented and was achieved by the use of glycerin. All major structures of each preparation are labeled. Overall, this exhibit serves to show the final products that I am most proud of from BIOL 470- Anatomical Preparations.

Shauna Fletcher graduated from Pinewood Preparatory School. She is a senior biology major and chemistry minor. Her love for science and healthcare influenced her passion for dentistry, and this summer she begins her journey to become a dentist at LECOM School of Dentistry in Bradenton, FL.

Shauna Fletcher—“The Art of Evolutionary Prediction” This poster presentation with accompanying 3D models will explore the evolution of hominins within the narrow scope of dental characteristics. By tracing the progress from early hominins to present human and then applying the artistic concepts used in anatomical modeling, I will present a hypothesis about the future evolution of human teeth. Overall, I hope to convey the importance of each evolutionary stepping-stone throughout mankind’s progress here on earth.

Shauna Fletcher graduated from Pinewood Preparatory School. She is a senior biology major and chemistry minor. Her love for science and healthcare influenced her passion for dentistry, and this summer she begins her journey to become a dentist at LECOM School of Dentistry in Bradenton, FL. Ivey Gibbs—“Evolutionary Scientists” The five evolutionary scientists who are featured in this presentation span different specialties and different time periods. It is important to know about the past evolutionary scientists; if one just looks at modern evolutionary theories it is hard to understand how they came about. However, by looking back at some of the first theories one can see how the ideas have changed over time. As a history major these men encourage me to look deeper into their pasts as well as the way that their ideas and theories are looked upon now. This presentation shows the ways in which each scientist cultivated their love of evolution and the ways in which they supported their theories.

Ivey Gibbs graduated from First Baptist High School in 2015. Now a sophomore history major in the Honors College, Ivey is a member of Phi Mu Fraternity and has given many speeches as Grand Worthy Advisor of SCIORG. Hannah Girardeau and Hannah Vickery—“Mendelian Inheritance and Mapping in ‘kumba’ ” Using Drosophila melanogaster, experiments were performed to determine if the mutation kumba, which causes the flies to have a dark body, follows Mendelian inheritance using a monohybrid cross with the kumba flies and wild type flies and a dihybrid cross with the kumba flies and the flyecia flies, which is a mutation that causes the optic nerve of the flies to not develop. The monohybrid cross involves the law of segregation which states that alleles segregate during gamete formation and randomly unite at fertilization. The dihybrid cross involves the law of independent assortment, stating that each trait has an equal opportunity of occurring. A mapping experiment was performed to determine the map distance between the kumba mutation and black hole mutation, which causes the flies to have a darker red eye.

Hannah Girardeau graduated from Wade Hampton High School. She is a junior biology major with prephysical therapy focus. She plans to get her doctorate and hopes to work as a pediatric physical therapist.

Hannah Vickery graduated from Palmetto High School. She is a junior Biology major focusing on being a physician’s assistant. She would love to work in a pediatric office once she gets her degree and has been babysitting in a daycare to enhance her experience with children.

Dalton Hagen—“The Effect of β-Methylamino-L-alanine on Brain Development of Chicken Embryos and its Possible Role in the Induction of Alzheimer’s disease” β-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a neurotoxin produced by a cycad plant that is thought to induce Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, chicken embryos were supplemented with either 4 µM or 8 µM BMAA on day 2 of development, while controls received 0.9% saline. Brains were collected on embryonic days 8, 14, 18, and 20 from each group and checked for morphological differences. The morphological analysis showed treated embryos had separated cerebral hemispheres and blood pooling in the hypothalamic and cerebral regions, compared to normal development and no blood pooling in the brains of the controls. These malformations and blood pooling suggest that BMAA could be an environmental trigger for Alzheimer’s disease. Further research is being conducted on the expression of Choline Acetyltransferase (ChAT), Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP), enzymes responsible for synapses of signal conduction between neurons.

Dalton Hagen graduated from Ware Shoals High School. He is currently a senior biology major with minors in both chemistry and psychology. His experiences include being a member of Blue Key, and active TriBeta Biological Honors Society, and the Lander Arboretum Committee.

Blair Harmon—“The effect of 5-hour Energy® on metabolic rate and activity in mice” Caffeine has been shown to increase heart rate and activity; 5-hour Energy® is an energy supplement that relies on caffeine. It was hypothesized that mice given 5-hour Energy® would have a greater metabolic rate and activity level. The effect of 100 to 200 µL on mice metabolism and activity were observed once a week for four weeks by measuring the number of rodent wheel rotations, O2 consumption and CO2 release. 5-hour Energy® did not significantly increase the average number of wheel rotations, O2 consumption or CO2 release in male mice; however, there was a tendency for the low treatment group to have increased wheel rotations (p=.07). A baroreflex in the body may act against the caffeine in 5-hour Energy® to restore homeostasis, resulting in insignificant changes to the metabolic rate and activity level.

Blair Harmon graduated from Saluda High School. She is a junior biology major with minors in chemistry and psychology. She is has been a resident assistant at Lander for two years. Blair is a member of Environmental Science Student Organization and Tri-Beta, where she serves as vice president.

Daniel Hutto—“MC1R Polymorphisms in the Determination of Pigmentation in Nerodia clarkii compressicauda” MC1R is known to be a regulator of pigmentation in vertebrates. This study aims to determine if this gene is responsible for two color morphs in Nerodia clarkii compressicauda, aquatic snakes native to parts of Southern Florida and Northern Cuba. The coding region of the MC1R locus has been amplified

by PCR from genomic DNA of selected individuals in a captive colony of N.c. compressicauda. These PCR products are currently being sequenced to build a model for genetic determination of pigmentation in this species. After initial sequence analysis, other individuals’ MC1R loci will be sequenced to test the model.

Daniel Hutto graduated from J.L Mann High School in 2014. He is a junior pursuing a BS in biology with emphasis in genetics, as well as minors in psychology and chemistry. Daniel plans to pursue a graduate degree in genetics in order to teach biology/genetics at a university.

Phillip Jones—“The effects of competition on microcystin synthetase gene expression in the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa” Microcystis aeruginosa is a species of cyanobacteria known for its ability to create a particular family of hepatotoxins called microcystins. Found around the world, M. aeruginosa is a subject of much study due to the effects that microcystin has on organisms in the environment, ranging from herbicidal effects on plants to the inhibition of phospholipases in animals. As such, it is important that we understand what circumstances cause an increase in microcystin production. In this study a trigger for the production of the enzymes responsible for the production of microcystin, microcystin synthetases, was tested. We exposed M. aeruginosa cultures to filtrate from cultures of the competing green alga, Scenedesmus acuminatus, in order to determine whether microcystin synthetase production increased in response to chemical cues from this competitor. In this experiment, we used three groups: a control group not exposed to the competitor’s filtrate, a low treatment group that received a moderate amount of the S. acuminatus filtrate and a high treatment group that received a high amount of the S. acuminatus filtrate. After exposing the groups to filtrate for 1 week, we collected samples from the 6 cultures of each group on filter paper, counted the number of cells in each culture, and tested the photosynthetic efficiency of each culture. Using primers specific for a gene coding for a microcystin synthetase protein, it is possible to evaluate the levels of microcystin production in terms of the transcription of mRNA responsible for the translation of the target synthetase proteins. Transcription levels will be quantified through Q-PCR using cDNA generated from the RNA extracted from the samples. Our working hypothesis is that as the exposure to the competitive chemicals increases, so will the transcriptional levels that indicate increased microcystin production.

Phillip Jones graduated from Buford High School. He is currently a senior in biology with an emphasis in genetics. His experience includes in-lab work time and he plans to continue his education in grad school.

Hannah Leister—“Natural Selection: discovering the mechanism behind evolution” The website compares and contrasts Charles Darwin and Sir Alfred Wallace’s ideas regarding natural selection, the mechanism behind evolution. The two men developed their ideas around the same time, but most only study Darwin’s version of natural selection. Their ideas are similar because they read work by many of the same authors, and the two of them communicated with each other through letters. The information in the five products of the website provides answers as to why we accept Darwin’s idea of natural selection over that of Wallace.

Hannah Leister graduated from Cambridge Academy. She is currently a sophomore majoring in business administration-marketing/management and minoring in international business. Activities include tutoring for the Academic Success Center and working for the Dept. of English and Foreign Languages.

Haley Loggins and ShaKera Williams—“May The Dark Gene Be With You” A series of three experiments were conducted to observe how crossing a series of fruit flies can produce different outcomes as well as testing their linkage. The mutation studied caused a darker body color in fruit flies, which was named dark vader. The first cross between mutant and wild-type flies tested Mendel’s Law of Segregation and established dominance. The second cross was between dark vader and eclipse which are on separate chromosomes and it tested Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment.

The third cross was between dark vader and blind spot which are on the same chromosome to the determine map distance between the two.

Haley Loggins graduated from Greenwood High School. She is currently a sophomore in biology with an emphasis in pre-vet. She is also a member of ESSO, Somos LU, and TriBeta Biological Honor Society.

ShaKera Williams attended South Aiken High School. She is currently a junior at Lander majoring in biology with minors in both chemistry and mathematics.

Rachel Marrah—“Evolutionary changes in antibiotic resistance” This presentation will discuss the changes of bacteria due to the use of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance goes hand-in-hand with evolution. It is constantly changing to survive against its environment. Bacteria can mutate without the help of human interference. Imagine the increase of the bacteria's resistance when people take broad-spectrum antibiotics, expose antibiotics to their environment, and take antibiotics for viruses. This causes a great increase in over all bacteria resistance. Bacteria is constantly evolving to fight against antibiotics.

Rachel Marrah graduated from Travelers Rest High School and is now a sophomore nursing major. She is a part of the both the Women's Rugby team and the Honor College.

Alexandra Martin—“The Evolution of Bacteria: Harmless to Resistant” This website is an educational tool for the public that is presented using easy to understand terms.

Exploring the different disease processes of resistant bacteria and the side effects of the antibiotics that must be used to heal these infections shows the seriousness of this topic. Bacteria are evolving to become resistant to the effects of antibiotics and antimicrobials. A large contributing factor to this resistance is the misuse of antibiotics. This may be related to a lack of education about how antibiotic resistant bacteria can affect humans. Countless people are exposed to resistant bacteria and then are required to take harmful measures to get rid of dangerous infections. There will come a point where the amount of available treatments will be small, and bacteria could be totally resistant to antibiotics. This website provides short educational pages that include general education about bacteria and antibiotics and explores different types of resistant bacteria and some diseases that they can cause in humans.

Although some patients may never listen to what their prescriber says, perhaps additional education will decrease the misuse of antibiotics.

Alexandra Martin graduated from Richland Northeast High School. She is a junior nursing major who is also a peer tutor, a part of the Honors College, a member of Dentsville Assembly SCIORG in Columbia, in which she participates in service projects to better the community.

Ryan Messenger—“Preserved preparations of skeletal structures and visceral organs” In this presentation, multiple specimens preserved by different techniques to show as permanent displays are exhibited. These include air-dried rabbit lungs, a beaver skull, and a whole mouse with removed skin and cleared musculature that was stained to show cartilage and bone elements of the skeletal system.

Ryan Messenger graduated from Loris High School. He is currently a senior in biology with a pre-vet emphasis. He plans to attend veterinary school in fall of 2018 after a gap year.

Ryan Messenger—“Leeuwenhoek Microscope” This presentation will explore the works of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek. Leeuwenhoek is known commonly as “the Father of Microbiology.” He was recognized for observing and accurately depicting bacteria. He was also known to be a skilled microscopist, and he designed and built many of his own microscopes. This presentation will include a display of a van Leeuwenhoek microscope replica. The process of constructing this microscope was chronicled on a blog via http://avleeuwenhoekmicroscope.blogspot.com.

Ryan Messenger graduated from Loris High School. He is currently a senior in biology with a pre-vet emphasis. He plans to attend veterinary school in fall of 2018 after a gap year.

Amanda Neuman and Ravon House—“Bye Flyecia, Catch Ya Later” This poster will explore Mendelian Genetics and focus on different genes that are passed down from parents to offspring in various ways using Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies). The main mutation focused on out throughout this experiment is flyecia, who has affected eye pigment. Three different experiments were performed that analyzed offspring phenotypes from one monohybrid and two dihybrid crosses that will determine: if the flyecia allele is dominant or recessive; if the inheritance of the flyecia allele obeys the law of segregation with the wild type allele and the law of independent assortment with the kumba allele; and allow for a calculation of the map distance between the flyecia locus and the smashdros locus which lies on the same chromosome. This entire experiment is testing these specific mutations of the flies to see if they support Mendel’s theories of the law of segregation and independent assortment.

Amanda Neuman is a graduate from Lexington High School and is currently a senior exercise science major and chemistry minor. Her experiences include interning with at NHC and Digestive Disease Group.

She plans to attend Physician’s Assistant school and specialize in orthopedic surgery.

Ravon House graduated from Laurens District 55 High School. She is currently a sophomore biology major with minors in environmental science and chemistry, and plans to pursue a masters in conservation or wildlife biology. She has served as President of the Environmental Science Student Organization, a research member for a biodiesel project with the Blue Tower Chemists, a member of the American Chemical Society, and a member of the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society.

Suzie Pace, Liam Roos, and Katie Whiten—“A Study of Fun Size Wing ‘Stubby’ Mutation in Drosophila melanogaster” The purpose of this study is to determine the dominance, segregation ratios, independent assortment ratios, and chromosome location of the stubby allele, a recessive sex linked mutation in Drosophila melanogaster. The stubby mutation causes the fruit flies to have shorter wings than wild type flies.

Firstly, a monohybrid cross between stubby females and wild type males was performed to determine the dominance and the phenotypic segregation ratio of the stubby allele. Secondly, a dihybrid cross between stubby females and blind spot (a recessive autosomal mutation) males was performed to determine the independent assortment ratios of the two mutant alleles. Thirdly, a mapping cross between two X-linked mutations, stubby females and four eyes males, was performed to determine the genetic linkage distance between these two genes. Then, the data of all the crosses were analyzed by a

chi square statistical test. The results of this research should support that the stubby allele is a recessive sex linked mutation.

Suzie Pace is a junior in the Honors College majoring in biology with a genetics emphasis and minoring in chemistry. She has presentated her research at the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative in Charlotte and Portland. Suzie is currently conducting research and presented at the USC Upstate Research Symposium. Suzie interned at the Greenwood Genetic Center and Medical Experience Academy. She is a member of Alpha Chi Honor Society, Student Government Association, Student Support Service, MedEx Ambassadors, Blue Key Honor Society, and Self Regional Liaison Program.

Liam Roos is a sophomore biology major with a minor in chemistry. He is a part of the Tri Beta Biological Honor Society. Liam went to high school in the Netherlands where he graduated with a VWO degree. As a high school student he was also granted the LOOT-talent status and was accepted into the biology program at the University of Amsterdam. Liam is also part of LU’s nationally ranked varsity tennis team.

Katie Whiten is a sophomore biology major with emphasis in pre-physician assistant. Katie is a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority, Animal Advocates, and the Tri Beta Biological Honors Society. Katie has experience volunteering with animals at the Humane Society of Greenwood and other shelters. Katie has been an officer within her sorority; she is also a longtime member of the Medical Experience Academy at GHS and enters Tier 3 of the program this summer. Katie also works in the biology department.

Suzie Pace—“The Art of Anatomical Preservation and Preparation” This project showcases the products of preservation and preparation of different animal organs in order to promote the art of anatomical preparation techniques and the comprehension of animal anatomy.

The first preparation is a display of lateral and medial views of a Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) skull displayed in two different media. The second preparation is a wet specimen of an adult house mouse (Mus musculus) whose bone and cartilage were stained and organs cleared. The third preparation is a display of the air-dried lung of Norway rat. The last preparation is a wet specimen of a preserved sheep brain that had its gray matter stained with Prussian blue.

Suzie Pace is a junior in the Honors College majoring in biology with a genetics emphasis and minoring in chemistry. She has presentated her research at the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative in Charlotte and Portland. Suzie is currently conducting research and presented at the USC Upstate Research Symposium. Suzie interned at the Greenwood Genetic Center and Medical Experience Academy. She is a member of Alpha Chi Honor Society, Student Government Association, Student Support Service, MedEx Ambassadors, Blue Key Honor Society, and Self Regional Liaison Program.

Suzie Pace—“The Role of Leptin, mTOR, and Kisspeptin in Activating GnRH Neurons during the Pubertal Transition in Female Rats” Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) is secreted by the hypothalamus to regulate vertebrate reproduction including onset of puberty. The up-stream signals that stimulate the GnRH secretion are not well known. Nonetheless, there is strong evidence that metabolic status influences GnRH secretion during the onset of puberty. Leptin, mTOR, and kisspeptin have all been hypothesized to be up-stream candidates regulating GnRH during the pubertal transition in female rats. Quantitative PCR was used to examine the gene expression of the leptin receptor, mTOR, kisspeptin, and GnRH in the hypothalami of female rats in ten-day intervals starting at postnatal day-10 to postnatal day-60. An elevation in mTOR

gene expression at day 40 might stimulate the increase in kisspeptin gene expression at day 50. An elevation in leptin receptor and kisspeptin at day 60 correlated with increase in the expression in GnRH. The outcome suggests that leptin, mTOR, and kisspeptin might play a crucial role in mediating the onset of puberty in mammals supporting the relationship between nutritional status and function of GnRH neurons. Understanding the reproductive pathways as well as the signaling intermediates for GnRH secretion could play an essential role in finding a treatment and prevention of precocious puberty and infertility in humans.

Suzie Pace is a junior in the Honors College majoring in biology with a genetics emphasis and minoring in chemistry. She has presentated her research at the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative in Charlotte and Portland. Suzie is currently conducting research and presented at the USC Upstate Research Symposium. Suzie interned at the Greenwood Genetic Center and Medical Experience Academy. She is a member of Alpha Chi Honor Society, Student Government Association, Student Support Service, MedEx Ambassadors, Blue Key Honor Society, and Self Regional Liaison Program.

Anna Reeps—“Permanent Preparations of Anatomical Specimens” My presentation will include specimens that are products of the techniques used to prepare permanent, preserved displays of anatomical structures. The specimens presented will include a rat skull, a cat skull, and rabbit lungs.

Anna Reeps graduated from Mauldin High School in Mauldin, SC. She is currently a senior in biology with minors in chemistry and psychology. Her experiences include working as a peer tutor on campus, being the student body president and being a sister of Zeta Tau Alpha. Upon graduation she will be attending Greenville Technical College to pursue a career as an Occupational Therapy Assistant.

Kate Schwartz—“Caffeine and the serotonergic pathway: The effect of caffeine on TPH2 expression in the brains of chick embryos” Maternal caffeine intake has not been demonstrated as teratogenic, but research suggests that it may influence serotonin synthesis in the developing and subsequently the adult brain. TPH2 is a known enzyme that plays a key role in the serotonergic pathway. In this study, chick embryos from embryonic day (E) 0-5 were injected with 10µM, 15µM, and 20µM concentrations of caffeine. It was expected that TPH2 would show an increase in expression with increasing caffeine concentration in the brains of E10, E13, and E18 chicks. Preliminary results show that the data are trending towards an increase in expression as caffeine concentration as well as the developmental age increase.

Kate Schwartz graduated from Greenwood High School. She is currently a senior in biology with minors in mathematics and chemistry. Her experiences include giving poster presentations on both the works of Leonardo da Vinci and experiments with a mutation in fruit flies at the 2015 Lander Academic Symposium.

Lauren Seacrist—“Defensive Strategies & Mechanisms Exhibited in Nature” In the field of biology, there is a process known as convergent evolution, which is described as the independent development of similar characteristics in different, distantly related species of organisms.

Although two species may not be closely related to one another, they have come to evolve a shared feature as the result of similar environmental pressures. One such example is predation, which prompts

animals to develop different strategies and mechanisms in order to defend themselves. The success of a single defense mechanism is reflected by the fact that different species of organisms have come to evolve it independently. I have worked quite closely with wild animals for a number of years in a wildlife rehab center and have observed first hand various forms of defense. In this project, I explored five methods of defense exhibited by multiple species in the animal kingdom: defensive vomiting, thanatosis, mutualism, chemical defense, and coloration. For each of these topics, I wrote an article describing the mechanism and providing several cases in which they are exhibited by species. I will be presenting the blog website on which these articles are written.

Lauren Seacrist is a senior biology major at Lander University. She is a member of Lander's Honors College and TriBeta Biology Honor Society. She plans on pursuing a career in wildlife conservation biology after graduating.

Lauren Seacrist—“The Anatomical Preparations of Multiple Species” A useful tool in the study of biology is the ability to maintain the anatomical features of collected specimens. Doing so creates preserved samples that can be used for years to aid in the study of the anatomy and physiology of these organisms. Last semester, my fellow classmates and I were taught a number of anatomical preparation techniques by Dr. Kerry Hansknecht, Associate Professor of Biology.

Using these methods, I prepared a number of anatomical specimens, some of which will be available on display for viewing. These include the heart, lungs, and forelimb of a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus); the sectioned brain of a sheep (Ovis aries); the skull of a domestic cat (Felis catus); and the skull of a brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). The heart of the deer is preserved whole in a jar of ethanol solution. The lungs of the same specimen are displayed hanging inside of an acrylic box having been mounted to the top by the attached larynx. The right lung has been sectioned to allow examination of the lung’s interior structure. The humerus, radius, and ulna of a white-tailed deer are displayed in an acrylic display case. Three cross sections (anterior, middle, and posterior) of the brain of a sheep dyed using Prussian blue stain are displayed in a jar of ethanol solution. The whole skull of a domestic cat is displayed in an acrylic box. The left side of a rat’s skull is displayed encased in a polyester resin block.

Lauren Seacrist is a senior biology major at Lander University. She is a member of Lander's Honors College and TriBeta Biology Honor Society. She plans on pursuing a career in wildlife conservation biology after graduating.

Mia Spires—“Sexual Selection” The website I will be presenting goes into detail of five very different examples of sexual selection. Each page includes an example of sexual selection in a particular species, pictures of the animal, as well as links to related content. Sexual selection is when natural selection arises through preference by one sex for certain characteristics in individuals of the opposite sex. This website is meant to be informative as well as fun.

Mia Spires graduated from Brookland-Cayce High School in 2015. She is a sophomore English major. She plans to attend USC Law School and work as a defense attorney.

Danielle Surette—“Four-Eyes; Can You See Me Now?” This poster presentation will explore Gregor Mendel’s laws of segregation and independent assortment, and develop a genetic map using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. This will be done by using data from one experiment involving a monohybrid cross and two experiments involving dihybrid crosses. The crosses focused on the four-eyes mutation which is located on the sex chromosome and has a phenotype of white eyes. Additional mutations included in some experimentation where voldemort, which is located on an autosomal chromosome and has a darker body color, and stubby, another mutant on the sex chromosome, which has shorter wings.

Danielle Surette graduated from Dutch Fork High School in 2014. She is currently a junior majoring in biology. She plans to work as a veterinary assistant once she graduates,then specialize in exotic animals to work at a zoo or an exotic vet. She has worked as a stable hand and groomer for horses and at the River Banks Zoo as a camp counselor for two years.

Interdisciplinary Session: Research Across the Sciences

CHEMISTRY Rossana Cubillan—“Synthesis and Characterization of Iron Oxide Magnetic Nanoparticles for ShapeMemory Epoxy Telescope Mirrors” Epoxy telescope mirrors have greater advantages over glass mirrors such as they are lighter in weight, lower cost and lower production time. In order to improve the optical quality of previous epoxy mirrors, shape memory polymers are being investigated. Shape memory polymers can be manipulated under certain stimuli to alter their shape. We have chosen to pursue a thermally induced shape-memory and magnetic effect by raising the temperature above the glass transition temperature of the polymer.

Above the glass transition temperature, the epoxy mirror enters a soft, rubbery state which allows the mirror to be manipulated. In order for the polymer to act upon exposure of a magnetic field, the polymer must contain magnetic components. This research concentrates on the synthesis and characterization of functionalized magnetic iron nanoparticles (5-10 nm) and their dispersion in the epoxy polymer. Details of the synthesis as well as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images, Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-vis) and Infrared (IR) Spectroscopy data will be given.

Rossana Cubillan is originally from Venezuela. She is currently a senior chemistry major and presented this research at the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS) in 2016. Rossana is currently a student worker at the Office of Orientation in which she answers questions and helps prospective students have a smooth transition into Lander's environment.

Kendrick Kinard and Brittany Weston—“The synthesis, purification and use of ionic liquids in preparing flat epoxy optical surfaces” Optical flats have uses in testing the plane surfaces of lenses, prisms or mirrors. They also have many uses in telescopes, various imaging systems and laser applications. In addition, since they take less time and are less time-consuming than spin-casting epoxy parabolic mirrors, we can use this technique to gauge how well new additives will affect the parabolic mirrors.

However, due to surface tension and viscosity affects, it is difficult to achieve a flat optical surface made out of epoxy unless a precise mold is used which is expensive. We have chosen to investigate the use of ionic liquids as a substrate for the polymerization of the epoxy.

1-methyl-3-hexyl imidazolium bromide and 1-methyl-3-hexyl imidazolium chloride were synthesized in our lab and purified before using with the epoxy. All other ionic liquids were purchased. Details of the ionic liquid synthesis and the epoxy polymerization results will be discussed in this presentation.

Kendrick Kinard graduated from Greenville Senior High School. He is a senior in chemistry and a member of the American Chemical Society. He is currently an RA for Lander’s Department of Housing and Residence Life as well as a Presidential Ambassador.

Brittany Weston graduated from Dreher High School. She is a senior chemistry major and serves as secretary for the Lander Chapter of the American Chemical Society.

Lori Smith—“Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Epoxy/Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane Nanocomposites Reinforced with Functionalized Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes” Spin-cast epoxy mirrors may become more desirable than traditional telescope mirrors, because of the tremendous advantages such as their lighter weight, lower cost, and increased durability. Aluminum molds have shown the greatest potential for a stiff mirror, but the aluminum and epoxy shrink at different rates resulting in major cracks in the mirror. If the molds were of materials with a similar coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) as the epoxy, this problem would not occur. Unfortunately, epoxy alone is not strong enough and tends to bend under its own weight, especially as a mirror gets larger.

Incorporating Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) and carbon nanotubes into the epoxy-amine mixture will improve the strength and CTE for the mirrors. Samples with varying amounts of POSS, varying types of POSS, and MWCNTs (1% and 3%) were made. Results of their CTEs, glass transition temperatures, and moduli will be given.

Lori Smith graduated from Greenwood High School. She is a junior majoring in chemistry with emphasis in pre-pharmacy. She is also a member of the American Chemical Society, Lander’s Blue Tower Chemist organization, and the Honors College, and is secretary of the Lander Animal Advocates Club.

Interdisciplinary Session: Research Across the Sciences

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Blake Boland, Chad Kicklighter, Andrew Savage, and Justin Suber—“Heavy Metal Assessment of Camp Branch Creek” Sediment from Camp Branch Creek, a stream that feeds into Lake Greenwood which is the major water supply to the City of Greenwood, was tested for heavy metals, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solids, and pH. The heavy metals that are being tested for are zinc, lead, copper, selenium, cadmium, and cobalt. Camp Branch Creek has a stone quarry upstream from the testing site, which could be a source of contamination. The results of each test were compared to the EPA’s guidelines in order to see if there is any contamination of concern. An atomic adsorption instrument was used to test for heavy metals, where vacuum filtration was used for TSS and a TDS probe was used to measure the TDS

content. A digital pH probe was used in order to determine the pH. If high concentrations of anything were observed, attempts to determine sources will be made, although that may require future work, depending on available time and resources.

Blake Boland graduated from Greenwood High School. He is currently a senior studying environmental Science with a minor in chemistry. He has been part of a research project that conducted water quality analysis of the Saluda and Reedy River. Also, he is currently employed at L & L Environmental, primarily working in the lab.

Chad Kicklighter graduated from Aiken Academy in Aiken, SC. He is currently a junior studying environmental science. His past experiences include an associates degree in health science and bachelors degree in criminal justice, and completing an emergency medical technician program and a licensed practical nurse program graduate. He is also conducting research on an Arboretum project at Lander.

Andrew Savage graduated from Greenwood High School. He is currently a junior in environmental science. After graduation, he plans to pursue a career in conservation.

Justin Suber graduated from Newberry Academy. He is currently a junior majoring in environmental science and minoring in chemistry. His experience includes lifeguarding at YMCA and working at BI-LO. Hadley Coleman, Ravon House, and Padgett Mitchell—“Water Quality Testing of Grace Street Park” Water quality research was done at Grace Street Park’s pond, at two separate points where the bank meets the water at the edges of the pond, with concerns to pH value, total iron levels, nitrate levels, phosphate levels, temperature, total suspended solids, turbidity, potential coliforms (E. coli), and other possible contaminants like the herbicide glyphosate. Testing was conducted to determine whether there was a measurable water quality impact due to the location’s diverse history and to investigate whether sunny or shady areas result in major differences in concentration of selected constituents in the pond.

Hadley Coleman graduated from Mars Area High School in Mars, Pennsylvania. She is currently a sophomore in environmental science. She is a member of the Environmental Science Student Organization and plans to gain more field experience in future summer internships.

Ravon House graduated from Laurens District 55 High School. She is currently a sophomore biology major with minors in environmental science and chemistry, and plans to pursue a masters in conservation or wildlife biology. She has served as President of the Environmental Science Student Organization, a research member for a biodiesel project with the Blue Tower Chemists, a member of the American Chemical Society, and a member of the Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society.

Padgett Mitchell is from Irmo, SC. She is a junior majoring in environmental science and biology. She plans to take the MCAT and attend medical school to study to become an obstetrician/gynecologist. Her desire to help prospective mothers make decisions that will affect the health of their future newborns is one of many reasons why she chose the medical field.

Interdisciplinary Session: Research Across the Sciences

PSYCHOLOGY Hannah Bryant, Orlandia Finkley, Christina Franklin, Shamara Hinds, and Cicely Taylor —“What We Have in Common: Priming More Inclusive Self-Categorization Increases Identification with All Humanity” This study examines the possibility of priming individuals to more closely identify with all humanity.

Introductory psychology students at Lander University were given a baseline measurement of ethnocentrism before being randomly assigned to look at images of diverse groups of people or of puppies. They were instructed to focus on either the similarities or differences among the images. After viewing the images, participants complete the Identification with all Humanity Scale (IWAH; McFarland et al., 2012). Participants exposed to images of diverse people are expected to score higher on IWAH than those exposed to control images, but this effect is expected to be more pronounced among those who focused on similarities. This research offers potential insight into ways to reduce prejudice and resolve inter-group conflict among some people.

Hannah Bryant is a senior psychology major from Lincolnton, Georgia. She was a member of Senior Beta and lettered for four years in varsity spirit and competitive cheerleading. Currently, she is a member of Psi Chi. She plans to work in Human Resources and AU Health upon graduating in May. Orlandria Finkley is a senior psychology major who graduated from Blythewood High School. After graduating she plans to take a year off to travel and focus on interning before going back to school to get her Master’s in human sexuality and PhD in psychology in order to be a sex therapist.

Christina Franklin is from Canton, NC. She is a junior psychology major and has been treasurer of Psychology Club and Projects Coordinator of Chi Sigma Christian Sorority. She is also a part of Psi Chi and Alpha Chi honor societies. Christina plans to pursue a graduate degree in clinical psychology.

Shamara Hinds graduated from Edisto High School and is currently a senior psychology major. Her experiences include working part time, giving a presentation at the SC Psychological Association, and volunteering at Bower Rodgers children’s home. She plans to pursue graduate study in psychology.

Cicely Taylor graduated from Hillcrest High School. Cicely is a senior majoring in psychology. She plans to attend graduate school in the future to study counseling for children and adolescents.

Mel Bussard, TaKeyshia Carter, Ivanka Mocic, and Daniel White—“Religion, Morality, and Death Anxiety: An Empirical Test of Death Apprehension Theory” In their review of the literature, Ellis, Wahab, and Ratnasigan (2013) reported inconsistent patterns of relation between religion and death anxiety. Ellis et al. developed Death Apprehension Theory to explain how religiosity can be either a buffering or exacerbating factor in death anxiety depending on several factors. In the current study, 54 university students (44 women; M age = 19.4) completed measures of fear of death, frequency of immoral action, discrepancy between ideal and actual religious practices, strength of religious beliefs, views of God as punishing or forgiving, and the extent to which fate in the afterlife was perceived to be determined by behavior in this life. Less fear of death was associated with both stronger conviction in religious views and greater belief that fate in the afterlife could be

determined by behavior. Greater fear of death was associated with more punishing views of God. Among those with more punishing views of God, greater religious discrepancy was associated with more fear of death; whereas, the inverse was true among those with less punishing views of God. These results offer preliminary support for Death Apprehension Theory by showing how some religious variables reduce while others intensify fear of death.

Mel Bussard attended Chapin High School. He is a psychology major and a member of the Honors College. He plans to attend graduate school after graduation with the goal of becoming a college professor.

TaKeyshia Carter graduated from Dixie High School in 2012. She is a psychology major who plans to work in human services. Later she hopes to attend graduate school to receive her MAT in Elementary Education to become a second grade Language Arts teacher.

Ivanka Mocic comes from Split, Croatia. Ivanka is a psychology major and a member of Psi Chi International Honor Society and the Lander women's tennis team. She earned awards for outstanding achievement and ITA scholar athlete. Ivanka plans to attend graduate school in Europe with emphasis in counseling psychology.

Daniel White graduated from River Bluff High School. He is currently a sophomore psychology major who plans on going into law enforcement after graduation.

Hobson Chandler, Demee-Demia Garrison, Shamara Hinds, and Skyler Walker—“The Smartphone: A Cultural Metaphor for Millennials.”

Cultural psychology is the systematic and comparative study of the relationships between cultural context and the behavioral repertoire of individuals growing up in a particular culture (Berry, Poortinga, & Pandley, 1997). One tool used to gain a broad view into the underlying nature of these relationships is the cultural metaphor (Gannon, 2002). For our project, we used the smartphone as our metaphor to describe how the Technological Revolution has shaped the social and psychological behavior of Americans born after 1980, identified as Millennials (Pew Research Center, 2014).

Hobson Chandler, from Greenwood, SC, is a senior psychology major. He is currently employed at the Patrick B Harris Psychiatric Hospital and plans to pursue a graduate degree in social work.

Demee-Demia Garrison graduated from Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. She is currently a senior in psychology. Her experiences include volunteering in at the hospital and daycares, interning at First Steps of Greenwood and Abbeville County and the Sunshine House, and working as a peer tutor at Mellichamp Elementary. She plans to pursue graduate study in industrial-organizational psychology.

Shamara Hinds graduated from Edisto High School and is currently a senior psychology major. Her experiences include working part time, giving a presentation at the SC Psychological Association, and volunteering at Bower Rodgers children’s home. She plans to pursue graduate study in psychology.

Skyler Walker graduated from Pickens High School and is now a psychology major and member of Chi Sigma Christian Sorority. She hopes go on to graduate study in psychology. Her interest includes criminal psychology, forensic psychology, social influence, and behavior.

Alex Hatfield, Kathryn Spence, and Hanna Wilkerson—“Why Horror? Demographic and Personality Correlates of Enjoyment and Frequency of Viewing Horror Films” This study examined how demographic and personality variables predict the frequency and enjoyment of watching horror films. Participants were 190 Lander University students (146 women; M age = 18.79) who completed measures of frequency and enjoyment of watching horror movies as well as a battery of personality measures. There were no gender differences in frequency or enjoyment of watching horror, but men rated horror movies as slightly less scary than did women. Higher scores on the trait of sensation seeking were associated with greater frequency and enjoyment of watching horror.

Benevolent sexism was associated with greater liking of horror movies. Liking and frequency of watching horror movies was also associated with greater fear of death. Disgust sensitivity was associated with greater frequency but less enjoyment of horror viewing. Frequency of horror viewing was also associated with greater endorsement of paranormal beliefs. Implications for different theories of the appeal of horror and directions for future research are discussed.

Alex Hatfield attended Greenwood Christian School. She is a senior psychology major who has researched personality traits linked to responses to horror film. As part of a team, Alex was involved in development, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting results at the South Carolina Psychological Association.

Kathryn Spence is a third year psychology major in the Honors College. She plans to become a counselor after she gets her master’s degree in counseling. Kathryn recently joined Psi Chi. She has visited Ireland, Scotland, and the Czech Republic and will study in Greece this summer. Kathryn has researched the psychology of horror culminating in a presentation at the South Carolina Psychological Association.

Hanna Wilkerson graduated from York Comprehensive High Schools. She is a senior psychology major and has conducted research on why people like horror. As a research assistant, she has been involved in evaluating, analyzing, and recording data and presentated research at the South Carolina Psychological Association’s conference.

Nicholas Nowark—“Religiosity and Personal Support Systems as Indicators of Psychological Wellbeing” This study examined the relationship between an individual’s religiosity, his or her personal support systems, and psychological well-being. Past research has supported the idea that having a higher meaning in life results in individuals who are better adjusted. One study found that having a positive meaning in life benefits the overall level of mental health (Shiah, Chang, Chiang, Lin, & Tam, 2015) while another study found that while there is indeed a link between religiosity and meaning in life, this link can differ based on ethnicity (Holmes & Hardin, 2009). In the current study, participants will complete a set of validated psychological instruments to measure various aspects of religiosity, personal support systems, and psychological well-being in order to determine the relationships among these variables. It was hypothesized that participants who reported having strong personal support systems would also report higher levels of psychological well-being.

Nicholas Nowark is a senior psychology major with a philosophy minor. He is a member of both Alpha Chi and Phi Alpha Theta who has been conducting research for one year.

Nicholas Nowark and Kendra Tamaklo—“Violating or Confirming? Social Consequences of Racial Stereotype Deviation” This study was conducted to assess the amount of social distance participants intended to create between themselves and targets who did not act in line with racial stereotypes. It was hypothesized that participants would create more social distance between themselves and targets who were described in transtereotypic ways. For example, we expected that participants would create more social distance between themselves and Black targets who “acted White” than Black targets who “acted Black”. It was hypothesized that this would be particularly true for Black participants. The amount of social distance Black participants wished to create between themselves and Black targets who “acted White” was of particular interest because past research has indicated that behaviors of Black targets that are considered to be “acting White” are behaviors that are often positive (Saunders, 2013). The goal of the proposed study was to examine the phenomenon in which African Americans are sometimes accused of “acting White” when they fail to adhere to racial stereotypes.

Nicholas Nowark is a senior psychology major with a philosophy minor. He is a member of both Alpha Chi and Phi Alpha Theta who has been conducting research for one year.

Kendra Tamaklo is a senior psychology major who has worked as a Writing Center tutor and psychology teaching assistant. She is president of Alpha Chi and Psi Chi. Kendra presented her work at a prior Academic Symposium and the Georgia Undergraduate Research in Psychology Conference.

Ari-Elle West and Dezstiny Woodard—“The Pregnant Truth: Perceptions About Pregnant Managers in the Workplace.”

Pregnant females are stereotyped as being warm but incompetent in the workforce because of the stereotype that females are more emotional during pregnancy. In the current study, we are testing participants on how they view pregnant managers and non-pregnant managers in a job promotion scenario. Participants will receive a portfolio that includes a picture of a manager who is visibly pregnant or not pregnant, along with job descriptions of a store manager who makes a high salary or an assistant store manager who makes a low salary, the manager’s resume (which lists her job experience), and a reference letter from a previous employer. The participants will rate on the manager’s competence, warmth, and likelihood to be promoted within her job. We predict that the pregnant manager will be viewed as more warm, competent and less likely to be promoted compared to the nonpregnant manager for the assistant manager position. We also predict that the pregnant manager will be viewed as less competent, more warm, and less likely to be promoted within her job compared to the non-pregnant manager for the store manager position. We made these predictions based on the Masser, Grass, and Nesic (2007) research study on pregnant and non-pregnant professional women.

Ari-Elle West graduated from Emerald High School and is a senior psychology major with the intentions of attending graduate school for clinical mental health in the fall. She is currently a volunteer advocate for the local sexual trauma center Beyond Abuse and is president of the Lander Psychology Club.

Dezstiny Woodard graduated from Union County High School. She is currently a senior psychology major and plans to enter the field of human resources. She is interning with the Greenwood County Tax Collector semester. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc and Psi Chi Honor Society.

Meshelle L. Wright—“Stressful Life Events in Relation to Perceptions of Self and the World: Belief in a Just World, Perceived Injustice, Self-Blame and Event Centrality.”

This project-in-process will examine the correlations among the perceptions people have of themselves and the world in relation to a stressful life event. One of the variables that we will investigate in this poster is the belief in a just world; this is how strongly a person believes that the world is a just place, meaning people get what they deserve and deserve what they get. Another variable we will examine is event centrality, how strongly a person identifies with the stressful event that happened to him or her.

Having a high level of event centrality means a person views the event as part of their identity; having a low level of event centrality means a person sees the event as just another life event. We will also assess perceived injustice, the perception of the stressful event as difficult and unfair. Furthermore, we will assess self-blame, how strongly the person blames himself or herself for the stressful event. Finally, we will measure self-reported post traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Participants will complete a survey containing self-report measures of the aforementioned variables in addition to a trauma history. We predict that all of these variables will be positively correlated with one another. Additionally, we expect that some will correlate more strongly than others. We hypothesize that a) perceived injustice will strongly correlate with both belief in a just world and PTSS, b) belief in a just world will correlate strongly with self-blame, and c) event centrality will strongly correlate with PTSS. Meshelle Wright is a junior psychology major from Columbia, SC. She is the vice president of the Psychology Club. Meschelle is especially interested in how traumatic events affect people differently.

Proceedings: April 13, 2017 SOCIOLOGY PANEL Antonio Ashford—“Long Term Effects of Father Absence on the Family” This paper examines the relationship between incarcerated fathers and effects caused by the father’s absence. According to the National Fatherhood initiative in 2015, more than 20% of children in America were living in father-absent homes. A father’s role is substantial and dynamic in the home. Studies show that a father in the home can affect a child’s cognitive abilities, language, academic achievements, selfesteem, and social development. Getting fathers back into their homes is challenging with restrictions on the ex-offenders by state and federal laws, courts and law enforcement agencies, and stigmas in society. These restrictions place limits the choices offenders often have after being released, thus making it harder to provide for their families. Due to a lack of options and resources to assist them getting back on their feet, offenders tend to recidivate. Recidivism is one of the fundamental concepts in criminal justice that refer to the possibility of offenders relapsing back into criminal behavior. Closing the gap on recidivism is important because studies have shown about two thirds of prisoners being released will be rearrested within three years. By following Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson Routine Activity theory (Arelys, 2012) we can limit three key components that trigger the urge to recidivate, allowing fathers to be present in their home to aid their child’s social and cognitive skills.

Antonio Ashford graduated from Eau Claire High School. He is currently a senior in sociology with the emphasis in criminal justice. His experience includes interning with Greenwood County First Steps.

Kynshasha Brown—“Racial Profiling by Law Enforcement” Racial discrimination has been an issue in the US and law enforcement policy. Racial discrimination is the use of demographics, economics, race, and ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense. Law enforcement engage in racial profiling may not even realize they are doing so. Racial discrimination is strongly influencing many of Americans by distorting our shared conceptions of a just practice. While constitutional rights and laws should protect everyone, many blacks and other minorities do not feel as though they are provided with equal protection. This issue can be connected to the Critical Race Theory (Delgado and Stefancic, 2007). This theory supports the idea that law enforcement are influenced by racia bias, leading to unjust practice. Racial discrimination is embedded in society, a longstanding problem that continues to grow. The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate that racial profiling is an unjust practice and make a recommendations to reduce its usage within law enforcement. Prior findings have led to a conclusion that police departments should take initiative and punish law enforcement who use conduct this unjust practice.

Kynshasha Brown graduated from Belton-Honea Path High School. She is currently a senior in sociologycriminal justice and a minor in healthcare management. She has worked as a shift supervisor at CVS/ Pharmacy, a sales associate at Shoe Dept. Encore, and an intern at Greenwood Learning Center.

Cheyna E. Fore—“The Impact of the Institution of Politics on the Homeless Community: A Critical Realist Perspective” The purpose of this study is to explore the impact that the institution of politics has on the homeless community, and to explore socio-structural issues using a critical realist perspective. Roy Bhaskar’s (2010) critical realism theory focuses on the idea that homelessness is not only linked to personal decisions but also to societal weaknesses. Bhaskar (2010) discusses social structures as a material cause of societal issues and as defining factors in decision making and the production of change (Bhaskar & Hartwig, 2010). Critical realism theory works well when discussing the topic of homelessness and policy due to its combined focus on structural and personal causes. The respondents in the study linked their homelessness to structural issues and dysfunctional family life. A lack of stable social and family connections can contribute to and sustain homelessness (Leggatt-Cook & Chamberlain, 2015) Cheyna Fore graduated from Abbeville High School. She is currently a senior in sociology-criminal justice.

Her experiences include earning an associate’s degree from Piedmont Technical College, touring South Carolina Law Enforcement Division offices and Leath Correctional, and interning at Meg’s House.

Darius Gibson—“Case in Point: The Community at Risk” Community outreach programs to help at risk youth face many challenges. It is common that at-risk youth feel pressure to succeed without the necissary means to do so. This study looks into the community as both the problem and solution. Community outreach programs (COPs) are controlled by different factors that hinder their work. These factors include financial limitations, institutional racism, and community growth. Institutional racism is key because it affects the funding of a COP and how effort is distributed among various locations. Looking at rural community outreach, this study explores what works and what does not as pertains to the well-being of at-risk youth. Institutional racism is more

prevalent in rural areas because of the small size of the public eye on the community. Using Institutional Racism Theory, community outreach programs can more effectively deter crime by providing a program that helps at risk youth to get back on track academically and socially, and by providing alternatives to positively affect at risk youth. The conclusion is that participation in a COP contributes to helping at-risk youth diminish the stance on institutional racism. Can a COP help at-risk youth achieve success? That answer is yes, provided that COP has the capacity to overcome institutional racism and offer a targeted programming that meet the needs of rural youth.

Darius Gibson graduated from Cross High School. He is currently a senior sociology major with emphasis in criminal justice. His experiences include being a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, intering at Abbeville police department and the John De La Howe School, and perfoming as a church pianist.

Kyle Johnson—“Positives and Negatives of Police Body Cameras” In recent years, may police officers and other law enforcement agencies have been equipped with body cameras. This growth in body camera use has been sparked by controversial police shootings and protests like those in Ferguson. Such events make it clear that officers need body cameras. The “control theory” (Hirschi, 1969) helps to explain the positive and negatives of police body cameras by showing their impact. Positives include court evidence, training in response to mistakes, and protection for both the officer and community. However, challenges include funding, protection of privacy, need for new standards, and limited camera sight. For the most part it is a positive thing to have body cameras, and the control theory shows the difference between having and not having body cameras.

Kyle Johnson graduated from Lexington High School in 2013. He is currently a senior majoring in political science with a minor in criminal justice. He was in the Explore program with Lexington County Sheriffs Office during high school and is currently interning with the Newberry Police Department.

Holly Quinn—“Redefining Domestic Violence and its Impact on the Institution of Medicine” The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not redefining the term domestic violence would impact the sociological institution of medicine. Domestic violence is most commonly discussed as physical and sexual violence, but this research broadens that term to cover other areas of abuse, such as psychological, emotional, and economic/financial abuse. The work done by ecofeminist Carol J. Adams (1994) could help women and their healthcare providers detect domestic violence by elaborating on what constitutes violence. This research considers variables including (1) intervention/prevention, (2) training, (3) referral resources, (4) legal issues, (5) implementation of new policies and procedures, (6) education/knowledge (of healthcare professional and patient), (7) screening, (8) ethics, (9) beliefs, (10) disclosure, and (11) environment. If we can work on redefining domestic violence, then it can be assumed that healthcare professionals and patients dealing with domestic violence will benefit from this newfound knowledge and understanding of what constitutes as abuse or violence.

Holly Quinn graduated from Laurens District 55 High School. She is currently a senior in sociology with an emphasis on criminal justice. Her experience includes interning at The Safe Home, which is the domestic violence shelter for women in Abbeville, Laurens, and Saluda counties.

Samantha Zannis—“The Effects of the Timber Industry on the Environment” The environment is plagued by the poor management and practices of the timber industry. This paper will assess the detrimental effects of the timber industry on the environment with the goal to promote environmental stability. The Treadmill of Production Theory (Schnailberg, 1997) helps to explain how certain logging techniques promote sustainable environmental development. This research focuses on whether timber harvesting techniques such as clear cutting, thinning, or prescribed burning promote a healthy and sustainable environment. The treadmill of production theory helps to explain how the industry functions and impacts the environment, and how best to promote environmental sustainability within harvesting techniques.

Samantha Zannis graduated from James Island Charter High School. She is currently a senior major in sociology-criminal justice. Her experiences include interning at Paden Land and Timber, becoming a notary public for the state of South Carolina and working as a volunteer at Big Oaks Rescue Farm.

The 2017 Lander University Student Academic Symposium is sponsored by

The Honors College and

The College of Arts & Humanities