Festival of Excellence Distinguished Student Projects

CREATIVE EXPRESSION AND ANALYSIS

THUNDERGROUND: TURNING A CRAZY IDEA INTO A REALITY

BILLY CLOUSE, ORAL PRESENTATION, ED 102, 9 A.M. — After resigning from the position of Editor-in-Chief of the University Journal, the current EIC of Thunderground toyed with the idea of starting his own media organization. Through months of planning and a lot of caffeine, he was able to do what he thought was impossible, which included writing 75 articles and designing 162 magazine pages in one semester.

ATLAS

PARKER HESS, PERFORMANCE, THORLEY MUSIC CENTER, 9 A.M. — I was interested in creating a work that allowed me to play with the tool of time and duration. I had a great deal of exploration in establishing movement that was slow while inputting quick phrases. As I traveled down this path, I began to think about the continuous flow of time and the realistic observation of people... As everything consistently changes we, as people, may only move forward. The completion of this work echoes these thoughts how we perceived time to last and become faster and faster with moments passing us by until the end.

CLASSIFYING SCHUR RINGS OVER THE INTEGERS

NICHOLAS BASTIAN, ORAL PRESENTATION, ED 102, 10 A.M. — ...Past research has provided a classification of Schur rings over finite cyclic groups. We will provide an extension of this classification to Schur rings over infinite cyclic groups.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

ASSESSING THE QUEER COMMUNITY NEEDS FOR SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY

SETH YORK, POSTER PRESENTATION, LIB READING ROOM, 9 A.M. — The assessment on the LGBTQIA+ community asked questions about the resource needs, infrastructure and community support at SUU.

WHY SHOULD AMERICA CARE ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE MARSHALL ISLANDS?

DAMON SWAIN, ORAL PRESENTATION, BU 101, 3 P.M. — ...Since World War II, the U.S. has had a presence in the Marshall Islands, from orchestrating 67 nuclear tests during the Cold War to the ever-presence of the army base on Kwajalein Atoll... These people will most likely be among the first climate refugees.

INNOVATION IN SPECIALIZED DISCIPLINES

CONSERVATION GENETICS OF BLACK BEARS IN SOUTHWESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE

KAETLYN REVELS, POSTER PRESENTATION, LIB READING ROOM, 9 A.M. — ...The main objectives of our study are to estimate the rate of multiple paternity in black bear litters in southwestern New Hampshire, estimate the relatedness of the male population in the study area, describe the population genetic structure of the black bear population in the study area and provide evidence for twinning in the black bear...

SUSPICIOUS PATTERNING: AESTHETIC IMPLICATIONS IN MARGARET CAVENDISH’S NATURE

TESSA BRUNNENMEYER, ORAL PRESENTATION, ED 215, 10 A.M. — The Early Modern Period of Philosophy, though in the thick of the classical Baroque period, is severely lacking in popular aesthetic theory... I think that we can employ the account of nature and causation of Margaret Cavendish in her Observations on Experimental Philosophy to piece together an account of aesthetics in the Early Modern Period...

IS THERE A GENDER PAY GAP AMONG FACULTY AT SUU?

JESSICA MANCUSO, ORAL PRESENTATION, BU 103, 11 A.M. — This paper provides an analysis on salaries for female and male faculty members at Southern Utah University. Given all the attention that gender pay gap has gotten in the last years, I have decided to respond to the question if Southern Utah University, the university where I study, has a gender pay gap among faculty members. After gathering information on SUU’s faculty education, job position, age and salary, I used a linear regression model to answer this question. The results of the study suggest that there is not enough evidence to prove that there is a gender pay gap among SUU faculty, probably because the data set is limited to the year 2016.

STRIPPING SUPPORTED LIPID BILAYERS

MICHAEL ORNSTEAD, ORAL PRESENTATION, LIB 002, 2 P.M. — ...Membrane proteins have multiple functions in lipid bilayers, but their purification and characterization is problematic due to the difficulty of keeping membrane proteins in their native state during the purification process... Our work focuses on the retrieval of membrane proteins (after a separation has taken place) by stripping the supported lipid bilayer from its solid support and repackaging the lipid bilayer, including any proteins, as lipid vesicles. This stripping and repackaging is achieved by a high buffer flow above a supported lipid bilayer.

“THE HANDMAID’S TALE” AND “HERLAND”: ANALYZING GENDER THROUGH DYSTOPIA AND UTOPIA

HANNA DAWSON, ORAL PRESENTATION, ED 102, 3 P.M. — ...Both novels are heavily influenced by sex and gender and contain many themes that reflect what the social structure was like during the time periods in which they were written. By analyzing and comparing the two novels, much can be found about the representation of women and their role in society throughout history.

SCIENCE MATTERS

MEGAN ABEL, ORAL PRESENTATION, ED 102, 3:20 P.M. — This paper is a defense of science and an examination of the issues surrounding the recent loss of respect for and lack of faith in science... the three main focuses of this defense of science are the need for inclusion of science and greater diversity within science, a look at the conflict between the EPA and the Trump administration, and the need for effective communication between the scientific community and the public...

RESEARCH ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING

ART AND AGGRESSION

ASHLYN JUDD, POSTER PRESENTATION, LIB READING ROOM, 9 A.M. — ... This paper investigates the potential of utilizing art therapy for treatment of aggressive children with a review of current literature on the theories and treatment of aggression, as well as the literature on art therapy...

THE EFFECT OF THE TIMING AND DURATION OF PAIN, AND PERSONALITY ON VISUAL MEMORY

GIOVANNA DEL SORDO, POSTER PRESENTATION, LIB READING ROOM, 9 A.M. — Pain is a sensory, cognitive and emotional experience that is often associated with the exposure to a noxious stimulus... This study investigated the effect of experimentally-induced acute pain on visual recall and recognition memory. We manipulated the timing and duration of pain, and assessed the contributory effects of neuroticism and optimism on visual memory. Previous pain studies used somewhat artificial means to induce pain (e.g. ice water). We used a pressure stimulus (algometer) in the present study to increase ecological validity.

THE RELIABILITY OF THE STANDING LONG JUMP IN NCAA TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES

CORRINA REID, ORAL PRESENTATION, ED 202, 10 A.M. — Many athletes require lower body power for their sports, such as track and field athletes. When determining this particular attribute in athletes, it is vital that the reliability of the test is determined for the particular athletic group... Thirteen NCAA Division I track and field athletes participated in three trials of the SLJ. After completing a dynamic warm-up, the trials of the SLJ were executed... Within the parameters of this study, it was found that the SLJ is a highly reliable field test of horizontal muscular power for collegiate track and field athletes.