6th Annual
Undergraduate Research
SYMPOSIUM April 19, 2013
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Schedule/Table of Contents Greetings............................................................................................................................................................................9 Acknowledgement............................................................................................................................................................10 Room 1 – Presentations in Languages and Communication – Vines 235 2:00
The Ethics Of Annoyance: Trolling In Cyberbullying Legislation...........................................................................12
2:30
P2P File Sharing in 2012....................................................................................................................................13
3:00
Copying the Real World: Copyright and Infringement Issues within Second Life.................................................14
3:30
Understanding Piracy.........................................................................................................................................15
4:00
A New Soap Opera...............................................................................................................................................16
Room 2 – Presentations in Languages and Communication – Vines 234 2:00
Albanian Sworn Virgins: Culture Trumps Gender.................................................................................................18
2:30
1st Amendment Applied to Journalism................................................................................................................19
3:00
Early History of African American Fraternities and Their Status as Microcultures Within Predominately White Fraternities and Universities..............................................................................................20
3:30
How Are We Being Censored?..............................................................................................................................21
4:00
Defining the Differences in India’s Marriage Practices and Breaking the Stereotype That “All Indians are Hindu”...............................................................................................................................22
Room 3 – Presentations in Languages and Communication – Vines 233 2:00
Individualism in Japan.......................................................................................................................................24
2:30
Trust, Family, Arranged Marriages: High Context Cultures in India.....................................................................25
3:00
Advertising in Brazil: A Reflection of a Masculine Culture..................................................................................26
3:30
Amish Industrialism – Changes in Amish Identity..............................................................................................27
4:00
The Uncertainty Avoidance of Spain....................................................................................................................28
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Room 4 – Presentations in Languages and Communication – Vines 227 2:00
Analysis of the Spanish of a Bilingual Speaker of Spanish and Tzotsil...............................................................30
2:30
How Harry Helps Opens Books.............................................................................................................................31
3:00
Poetry of Body: The Very Sexual Revolutions of H.D.’s Feet..................................................................................32
3:30
The Romantic Nature of Modern Madness...........................................................................................................33
4:00
Rasta Ray: Signs of the Rastafarian Religion in Home to Harlem.......................................................................34
4:30
Harlem: Then and Now........................................................................................................................................35
Room 5 – Presentations in Languages and Communication – Vines 201 2:00
Grotesque Reality: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Corruption of the American Dream.........................................................37
2:30
Female Heroes are Damsels in Distress: Why Women are not True Heroes...........................................................38
3:00
Dickens Twitter Project: “Our Mutual Friend”......................................................................................................39
3:30
When Life Gives You Lemonism, Complain Fruitfully: An Examination of 30 Rock’s Third Wave Feminism and its Critics.....................................................................................................................................40
4:00
Show Me the (Gilmore) Money: Class Influences on the Education of Children in Single Parent Homes..............41
Room 6 – Presentations in Business – Health Sciences 318 2:00
Does It Pay To Be A Champion?...........................................................................................................................43
2:30
Professional Sports: Is Money Everything When It Comes To Winning?................................................................44
3:00
Fitness or Focus..................................................................................................................................................45
3:30
The Cost of College Athletics..............................................................................................................................46
4:00
“If You Build It, They Will Come” – The Field of Dreams Effect...........................................................................47
4:30
There’s No Friend Like An Old Friend...................................................................................................................48
Room 7 – Presentations in Business – Health Sciences 321 2:00
To Punt, Or Not To Punt?......................................................................................................................................50
2:30
What’s In A Name................................................................................................................................................51
3:00
Points For Profit..................................................................................................................................................52
3:30
America: The Land of Energy...............................................................................................................................53
4:00
Fort Smith’s Competitive Advantage: An Analysis of Industrial Clusters Comprising the Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area.............................................................................................................54
4:30
From Rags to Riches...........................................................................................................................................55
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Room 8 – Presentations in Humanities and Social Sciences – Health Sciences 325 2:00
The Condemnation of Andre Serrano’s Piss Christ...............................................................................................57
2:30
Extreme Object Attachment and its Correlation to Personality Traits in Musicians.............................................58
3:00
Factors Influencing Attitudes Toward Torture......................................................................................................59
3:30
Correlational Study of Ethnic Identity, Culture, and Language Among Generations of Hispanic Immigrants......60
4:00
Musically Inclined Behavior: A Study of Music, its Correlation to Emotional Arousal,
and How it Affects Adults Physiologically...........................................................................................................61
Room 9 – Presentations in Humanities and Social Sciences – Health Sciences 326 2:00
A Whole New World..............................................................................................................................................63
2:30
The Impact of the Flapper on Industry, Advertising, and Women’s Independence...............................................64
3:00
Drop The Needle, Have A Drink: The Effect of Prohibition on Jazz and Its Artists.................................................65
3:30
Historical Perspectives on the Techniques and Literature of Fretted Instruments Since the Renaissance:
Transcribing Renaissance Lute Tablatures for the Modern Guitar.......................................................................66
4:00
Revolve: An Innovation in UAFS Theatre Design..................................................................................................67
4:30
Adagio: Nontraditional Storytelling.....................................................................................................................68
Room 10 – Presentations in Applied Science, CADD, IT, and Biology – Health Sciences 222 2:00
Saving Our Planet: An Energy Audit to Help Reduce Customers’ Utility Costs.....................................................70
2:30
Applying Principles and Learning Outcomes From the Bachelor of Applied Science Program to
Manufacturing of Guitars...................................................................................................................................71
3:00
The Fort in Unity: A Virtual Tour of The First Fort in a Gaming Environment........................................................72
3:30
Data Mining – Digging For The Truth..................................................................................................................73
4:00
A Comparison of Database Management System Performance...........................................................................74
4:30
Tackling Food Insecurity Through Sustainable Integrated Food Solution.............................................................75
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Room 11 – Presentations in Information Technology – Health Sciences 223 2:00
Aggressiveness and Grouping of Agents in Action-based Games.......................................................................77
2:30
Location-Prediction for Smart Building...............................................................................................................78
3:00
Video Games From The Ground Up......................................................................................................................79
3:30
USB 3.0: Are Their Variations In Transfer Speed Attributable To Media?..............................................................80
4:00
RDMBS Performance Tuning And The Scalability of NoSQL Systems...................................................................81
Room 12 – Presentations in Engineering, Mathematics, and Education – Health Sciences 227 2:00
Second Generation Battery Electric Vehicle.........................................................................................................83
2:30
The “Drømnium” Stage Revolver.........................................................................................................................84
3:00
Mars Rover Project..............................................................................................................................................85
3:30
How Teaching Style Impacts AP Exam Scores for Calculus A/B...........................................................................86
4:00
Counting Structural Matrix Rings.......................................................................................................................87
4:30
Time Complexity Classes of Certain Integer Functions........................................................................................88
Room 13 – Presentations in Education – Health Sciences 124 2:00
The Effects of Classroom Procedures and Arrangements on Student Learning...................................................90
2:30
Cooperative Learning Strategies Improve Student Engagement in Middle Schools.............................................91
3:00
Accommodating Learning Differences to Improve Education for All Students.....................................................92
3:30
To Assign Homework or Not: Environmental Influences on Homework Completion...............................................93
4:00
Recognizing Dysgraphia and Assisting Students in Reaching Their Full Potential..............................................94
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster Presentations - Health Sciences - Weidman Conference Center Table 1 – Dental Hygiene:
Synthetic Hormones: Effects On The Oral Cavity.................................................................................................96
Modified Tensionless Gingival Grafting...............................................................................................................97
Table 2 – Dental Hygiene:
What is Teledentistry?.........................................................................................................................................98
HIV Testing In The Dental Office..........................................................................................................................99
Table 3 – Surgical Technology and Nursing:
Benefits and Limitations of Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery...................................................................100
Therapy Dogs in Patient Recovery.....................................................................................................................101
Table 4 – Nursing:
Cultural Competence in Nursing.......................................................................................................................102
Hunger and its Lasting Effects on Children in Ecuador....................................................................................103
Table 5 – Nursing:
The Role of Music Therapy in Nursing...............................................................................................................104
Stress Factors Related to Professional Nursing and Their Effects on Patient Care...........................................105
Table 6 – Nursing:
The Golden Rule................................................................................................................................................106
Nurse Led Conservative Insulin Protocol...........................................................................................................107
Table 7 – Nursing:
Lateral Violence in the Nursing Field: Are We Contributing to the Nursing Shortage?.......................................108
Preventing the “VAP”........................................................................................................................................109
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Table 8 – Nursing:
The Adverse Effects of Overtime in Nursing......................................................................................................110
Healthy Nurses Create Healthy Clients..............................................................................................................111
Table 9 – Applied Science and Mathematics:
Applying Defined Problem Solving Steps to a Real World Problem.....................................................................112
Alcohol Consumption: Dull, Dizzy, or Dead?.......................................................................................................113
Table 10 – Biology:
A Comparison of Bacterial Numbers on Eyeglasses Worn by Different Age Groups and Gender........................114
Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli.......................................................................................115
Table 11 – Biology:
Effects of Aeration Systems on Fecal Coliform Levels in Sewage Treatment.....................................................116
Amoeba: The World’s Smallest Farmer..............................................................................................................117
Table 12 – Biology and Graphic Design:
Indirect Mate Choice Influences in Callosobruchus maculatus.........................................................................118
Fort Smith Citizen’s Police Academy Rebranding..............................................................................................119
Table 13 – Graphic Design:
Blue Bell Ice Cream Rebranding.......................................................................................................................120
The Sack Lunch Program Branding...................................................................................................................121
Table 14 – Graphic Design and Earth Science:
Rebranding of TRESemmé Smooth and Curly Product Lines.............................................................................122
Comparison of Different Methods Used To Teach College Students How To Analyze Mineral Cleavage..............123
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Table 15 – Mechanical Engineering and Psychology:
High Frequency Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting...............................................................................................124
Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Weapon Primes on Aggressive Cognitions.......................................................125
Table 16 – Psychology:
Sex Education: Bridging the Gap......................................................................................................................126
Evolution of Human Imaging............................................................................................................................127
Table 17 – Communication:
Analyzing Culture Shock in Cameroon...............................................................................................................128
Dimensions of Intercultural Relationships in India...........................................................................................129
Table 18 – Communication and English:
Japan’s Use of Anime to Establish Intercultural Relationships with the World..................................................130
Twenty-first Century Female Comedians: The Use of Comedy to Breakout from the Traditional Feminine Gender Role.....................................................................................................................131
Table 19 – Chemistry:
The Photo-induction of the Ireland-Claisen Rearrangement.............................................................................132
Electrolyte-induced Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles is Modulated by Carbon Size.......................................133
Table 20 – Chemistry:
Femtochemistry and Attophysics: The New Frontier for Chemical Analysis.......................................................134
Quantum Theory................................................................................................................................................135
Table 21 - Chemistry and Theater:
Novel Synthesis of Uvaridacols from Monosaccharides.....................................................................................136
Preparation for a Professional World.................................................................................................................137
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster Presentations - Health Sciences Room 116 Table 22 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting:
SolidWorks and Inventor Comparison................................................................................................................139
History of a Pocket Knife...................................................................................................................................140
Table 23 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting::
America’s Sports Car.........................................................................................................................................141
Small Homes and Use of Space........................................................................................................................142
Table 24 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting:
Adobe After Effects: Before and After................................................................................................................143
History of Pokémon...........................................................................................................................................144
Table 25 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting:
History of Video Games.....................................................................................................................................145
The Importance of Low Polygon Modeling..........................................................................................................146
Table 26 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting:
Motion Capture Animation of the Future...........................................................................................................147
Earthen Home Technology.................................................................................................................................148
Table 27 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting:
The Falling Water House....................................................................................................................................149
The History of Animated Films..........................................................................................................................150
Table 28 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting:
Facial Animation and How They Affect Your Animation.....................................................................................151
A Glimpse into the Advances of Character Modeling.........................................................................................152
Table 29 – Computer-Aided Design and Drafting:
The Works of Monty Oum...................................................................................................................................153
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Greetings! The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith proudly welcomes you to the Sixth Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Our faculty and staff are committed to fostering an environment that promotes not only learning but also enlightenment. As you will see in today’s presentations, our students have accepted the challenge, explored unique areas of research, and synthesized their results in the form of lectures, studio art, demonstrations, posters, and performances. These presentations represent the academic diversity of UAFS’s programs and the intellectual excellence of our students. On their behalf, I would like to thank you for your participation and invite you to engage the presenters in the question-and-answer sessions throughout the afternoon. Your active involvement ensures that the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith remains a dynamic learning community.
Dr. Ray Wallace Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Acknowledgements Bonnie Harmon Sr. Executive Assistant, Provost’s Office Coletta Furner Facilities Coordinator Linda Maness Duplication Chris Elrod Marketing & Communications Intern Deirdre Corbell Marketing & Communications Intern Jeff Harmon Director, Marketing & Communications Jessica Martin Marketing & Communications Coordinator Peter Cullum Sr. Graphic Designer Carl Hulsey Graphic Designer Jo Donna Collins and the A/V group 2013 Undergraduate Research Symposium Committee Paula Abbott Sandhya Baviskar Brandon Hutchison Kevin Jones Robert Lowrey Phillip Russell Noel Sagullo Lois Yocum Linus Yu
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 1
Presentations in Languages and Communication Vines 235
2:00 James Bradford
2:30 Casey Frizzell
3:00 Renee Conley
3:30 Evan Daniel
4:00 Chelsea Jenson
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Ethics Of Annoyance: Trolling In Cyberbullying Legislation Presented by James Bradford
There has been a hard push in the last few years for stronger prosecution against online harassment more commonly known as “cyberbullying”. The punishment of offenders that libel, insult, and threaten others through media such as Facebook and Twitter has been used for everything from invasion of privacy claims, hate crimes, and involuntary manslaughter charges. With the growing boom of social media it has gotten progressively easier to torment others through their phones and computers. There have been recorded cases of young people even going as far as committing suicide to escape this harassment. Ironically, this has also lead to a thriving culture of online harassment known collectively as “trolling”. Trolling is a rather all-encompassing term for acts such as flooding message boards with offensive and inappropriate subject matter, producing social media pages dedicated to defaming people, and jokingly promoting illegal behavior and actions. The “art” of trolling has garnered quite a fan base, with web sites and YouTube channels dedicated to these questionable electronic pranks. The boundary between those acts, that could be viewed as harmless attempts to get a rise out of people taking something far too seriously, and the more hurtful acts of people, that have driven others to acts of violence and self destruction, are blurry at best and completely undefined at worst. Does this count as electronic libel? Or does the concept of “it seemed funny at the time” remove that fundamental aspect of malice that is the keystone of deliberate written malfeasance? In this paper, I plan to explore the various legal aspects of internet trolling as well as contrast these aspects with the malicious nature of cyberbullying, with a look at growing legislation that may be having trouble keeping pace with the technology that transmits it. James Bradford is in his third year of scholarship at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith for a degree in Media Communication. At 36, James is a Fort Smith native. Previously, he worked three years as an Overnight Programming Supervisor for a former local Fox affiliate.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium P2P File Sharing in 2012 Presented by Casey Frizzell
Illegally downloading P2P files, such as major cinema releases, the latest videogame, or the new hit single from an artist breaking into the billboard charts, is as easy as a click away if you know where to look. Piracy has gained momentum over the last decade thanks to Napster, which led the way for major torrent download programs like Limewire and Bearshare, and ultimately to file hosting websites like Megaupload. Major production companies hate you for using these methods to get their work, but is the consumer to blame? Entertainment media is being produced at a higher pace than ever before because more eyes are glued to the screen than in the past. If a consumer is given the choice between spending full price (for electronic property that is quickly outdated) and getting the same for free, which is the better decision for them? Artist and producers are picking up on this and are beginning to release their material for free themselves; trusting that if their work is truly appreciated, they will find a way to make a profit. Hollywood isn’t taking this matter lying down though; some individuals have been sued for hundreds of thousands of dollars by the RIAA for illegally downloading songs. And today, government officials have been pressured into passing bills like SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) to severely punish copyright infringing websites, hosts, and consumers. Should courts be able to charge citizens absurd amounts of money for file sharing and can government disrupt the flow of internet just to keep Hollywood safe? It is an extremely intriguing time to be a consumer online. The Internet wars have begun; and it’s all over how intellectual property will be handed in the ever-expanding digital age. Casey Frizzell graduated from Lavaca High School in Lavaca, Ark. After graduation he attended the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Ark. for two years, where he was enrolled in the digital filmmaking program. In December 2012, Casey moved back home to the Fort Smith area to pursue a degree in Media Communication at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Copying the Real World: Copyright and Infringement Issues within Second Life Presented by Renee Conley
Virtual worlds are digital communities that allow users to build, create, use objects and interact with each other. One of the largest virtual worlds is called Second Life. Second Life’s popularity comes from the residents’ ability to create and use items within the world. These creations come from the imagination of the creator and encompass all aspects of living, from the avatars’ homes they live in to the wardrobe they wear. As in real life, these creations are considered property. Property that results from original creative thoughts can be further defined as intellectual property. Should virtual creations, like homes, cars, shoes, hair, pets and skins, be the intellectual property of the users who created them within the virtual world? Outside the virtual world, what rights to intellectual property do the virtual world creators have? Does real world law view the items in Second Life as intellectual property? This paper will discuss intellectual property rights and how they apply to Second Life by examining past issues involving copyright and trademark infringement within the game. Renee Conley graduated from Beebe High School in Beebe, Ark. She aspires to work in many different fields of media such as: radio, television, internet and gaming. She is currently pursuing a degree in Media Communication with a minor in Rhetoric and Writing. She has interned for Clear Channel Radio and is a member of Gamma Phi Beta and the National Broadcast Society.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Understanding Piracy Presented by Evan Daniel
Today, our technology has brought us to the age of the Internet. Anything and everything can be found on the web: movies, books, songs, articles, games, etc. The Internet has made viewing videos and listening to songs almost effortless. To view or listen to content all one needs to do is look it up on a search engine or website that has rights to play the desired content. The Internet has also opened up the world of piracy. Piracy is simply defined as the creation of duplicate unauthenticated copies of some copyright protected item. The item can be a sound file, video file like movies, PC games, software or even hardware utilities. But the piracy of audio-video files is a much developed and penetrated crime as compared to another sort of piracies. Piracy is a special crime categorized under sections of copyright violations; it is in fact severely detrimental for growing music and video industries. (What is Piracy?, 2012) The biggest stand against piracy was introduced in October 2011 known as SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act). This act called for the expansion of law enforcement to fight online trafficking of copyrighted material. The Stop Online Piracy Act has caused tremendous amounts of political controversy, with claims that the act violates the First Amendment. Many believe that SOPA would have a negative impact in online communities. User-generated content websites could potentially be shut down because of a single comment or blog post. The bill is certainly a red flag for power abuse. The Internet has made file sharing very easy for users. Viacom sued social networking and video sharing sites such as YouTube, for $1 billion because users were posting thousands of videos containing copyrighted material. YouTube won the case in Viacom Int’l Inc. v. YouTube. YouTube qualified for DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) “safe harbor” protection. What this means is that YouTube immediately took off copyrighted material on their website. Piracy would seem to affect the entertainment industry the most, but skeptics wonder how much damage the socalled “crime” actually causes. The stealing of copyrighted material is wrong, but some believe the penalties for this are too harsh. When looking at the media industry today, it seems to be doing better than most other industries. So is the opposition to piracy really worth the attention it has received? Has file sharing caused any kind of suffering for an individual? Evan Daniel graduated from Southside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. He is currently a junior Media Communication major and a member of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Tennis team. After graduation, he plans to find a career in the commercial production industry.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Cameras in the Courtroom Presented by Chelsea Jenson
The case Tennessee v Scopes, also referred to as the Scopes Monkey Trials, which started in 1925, has been controversial on whether cameras should be allowed in the courtroom during civil and criminal hearings. Since the first recorded case, many other suits, including, but not limited to, California v Simpson and Stern v Marshall, have become national headlines for the media. But, when does the media interfere with the proceedings? This research paper discusses how sketch artist renditions of those in the courtrooms shaped the opinions of viewers nationwide in previous cases compared to how viewers opinions have changed with being able to view actual live footage from the courtrooms. It includes recent implemented codes, such as Court Operating Rule 16 and Cameras in the Courtroom Act of 2011, and discusses if cameras should be allowed in the courtrooms and, ultimately, in the supreme courts. An Alma native, Chelsea Jenson is currently a senior at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith obtaining a degree in Media Communication with a minor in Speech. Along with college, she balances two jobs, family, and friends.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 2
Presentations in Languages and Communication Vines 234
2:00 Amber Breazzeal
2:30 Abby Whittemore
3:00 Brooke A. Boyd
3:30 Corey Woodard
4:00 Crystal Wolgamott
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Albanian Sworn Virgins: Culture Trumps Gender Presented by Amber Breazzeal
It is believed that Albania has been inhabited for at least 100,000 years and its various occupants introduced many cultures that eventually coalesced into the Albanian culture we see today. From Illyrians to Romans to Turks, Albania has been occupied by ancient populations and, in more modern times, by power-hungry dictators like Mussolini, Hitler, and Hoxha (history, n.d.). Regardless of the seemingly endless turmoil, the Albanian people have clung to their culture and its traditions; a culture that has given us the tradition of the Albanian Sworn Virgin. Although it is a tradition that is quickly fading away, with approximately 80 surviving sworn virgins, we are still able to learn about this fading co-culture from those immersed in it (Lanchin, 2008). Albanian Sworn Virgins tell us their stories using all of the news mediums – print, broadcast, and internet. And using all of those mediums, this paper will be a thorough examination of the tradition of the Albanian Sworn Virgin, focusing on how a tradition spawned by a culture can produce a co-culture and how that culture within a culture naturally progresses. Amber is continuing her higher education to ascertain a degree that will enable her to fulfill her goal of making a positive impact on her community and country. She has a number of goals that her writing degree will help her meet, such as writing political speeches, writing grants for non-profit organizations, and writing articles covering social issues inside and outside of the US. Amber is most concerned with making the world a better place for future generations, especially for her loved ones. She feels that her love for writing can be used as a tool for change and is dedicated to ensuring that the US continues moving forward politically and socially.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium 1st Amendment Applied to Journalism Presented by Abby Whittemore
This research will cover different aspects of the First Amendment as applied to journalism rights. Much of the text will thread throughout the information from the textbook, Communication Law, Practice Applications in the Digital Degree. The paper will present the Value of Free Expression, Discovery of the Truth, Democracy, Stability of Society, Self-Fulfillment, First Amendment Restricting Government Action, and other aspects of the amendment that apply to media law and to me as a journalist. These broad topics will be narrowed down into specific cases for examples, and be further explained beyond the textbook definition. Chapter 2 represents that individuals’ rights can only go so far before infringing on others’ rights. It is all about maintaining a fair system for all, but even with all the effort from the government, there will always be a First Amendment issue that not all parties can agree on. This research ranges from false advertising and public figures trying to control the press’s rights, to flag burning, new sources of media, and religious freedom. In conclusion, all of these different parts of the First Amendment will apply to me as a journalist. All of the information will tie in at the end of the research to apply to my individual rights in journalism. Abby Whittemore is from McAllen, Texas and originally came to Fort Smith to play on the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith tennis team. She is a senior Media Communication major with a minor in Rhetoric and Writing. She is an aspiring broadcaster and has a strong passion for media and journalism.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Early History of African American Fraternities and Their Status as Microcultures Within Predominately White Fraternities and Universities Presented by Brooke A. Boyd
At the turn of the twentieth century, African Americans were just beginning to attend predominately white colleges and universities and were only one generation removed from slavery (Roberts & Wooten, 2008). Many men who founded the first continuous intercollegiate fraternity of Alpha Phi Alpha worked in fraternity houses while they were students (McKenzie, 2005). However, they were never extended invitations. The fraternity was founded with the same organizational structure as the white Greek-letter organizations, but differed in that racial uplift and the ideal of equal opportunity for all African Americans was a primary goal for these fraternities and sororities (Butler, 2005). Many of the characteristics of these black Greek-letter organizations can be viewed as microcultures when compared to the dominant white culture on American campuses at this time. This research project explores this relationship within a microcultural dimension (Neuliep, 2012), and how these organizations still reflect the values and agendas of their founders. The experiences of these organizations’ founders ultimately shaped the future and overall culture of the “Divine Nine� fraternities and sororities. Brooke is a graduate of Mansfield High School. Her plans for the future include obtaining her graduate degree in order to begin a career in student affairs as a Fraternity/Sorority coordinator. She is currently studying studio art with a speech minor and works on campus in the Greek Life Office. After her first time attending the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values Conference, she learned about National Pan-Hellenic organizations. Her research interests include how these African American organizations were founded and differed from white fraternities and sororities at a time when members had very few rights as American citizens.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Global Mind of the People: Where Agenda’s and Censorship Collide Presented by Corey Woodard
My presentation and paper explore what lengths not only the American government and culture has gone to, but also what other governments and cultures have done to discourage and even destroy ideas of their people that contradict their own. One of the huge ideas that the American government has tried to destroy is Communism. Is it the government’s right to suppress this ideology, or does it violate our own rights? And where does censorship and propaganda play into all of this? Do governments use censorship to try and push an agenda on its people? Some would say that it is for national security. Others would beg to differ. Where does one draw the line? And how does all of this effect journalism? Also, how do cultural laws censor people, and is this something that we freely accept without realizing it? An example of this might be an up and coming political activist doesn’t consider any aspect of socialism when it comes to his political philosophies because, culturally, he was raised to believe that it is nothing more than a dictating government, which in turn, would censor his beliefs. The idea of forced patriotism would also fall under this category. A video of a LSU student attempting a peaceful demonstration of flag burning led me to want to explore the idea of a sense of forced national pride and its effects on those who reject it. Corey Woodard is a Junior Media Communication major at the University of Arkansas- Fort Smith. In his time here on campus, he has been involved with the Campus Activities Board, Baptist Collegiate Ministries, and the National Broadcasting Society. Corey is currently employed at Arkansas Best Freight, located in Fort Smith, where he works in Sales. He has been on international humanitarian trips to Haiti twice. Corey is due to graduate in May of 2014.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Defining the Differences in India’s Marriage Practices and Breaking the Stereotype That “All Indian’s are Hindu.” Presented by Crystal Wolgamott
To begin, this paper breaks down India’s culture by briefly discussing government, population, language, and geographic location. The practice of touching feet, joint family system, women and respect for elders, holy bathing, worship, and fasting are discussed. The next section covers the intercultural relationship dimension and how it ties into India’s different marriage practices. Intercultural relationships encompass comparisons of Eastern and Western cultural practices, the arrangement of marriages, mate selection, and intercultural and interracial relationships and marriages. Mate selection and arranged marriages vary between the more fantasy-oriented beliefs of love in the Western cultures to more historically oriented beliefs in Eastern cultures. In the analysis portion it will discuss the Eastern and Western cultural practices concerning marriage, the Indian bride and groom, and will discuss the different marriage practices of Teluga, Punjabi, Oryia, Nikaah, and Ananad, which are part of the religious practices of Hinduism, Islamism, and Sikhism. This paper will help break the stereotype that all Indians are Hindu, which shows neglect for the sheer diversity of religions and cultural practices that make India such a culturally diverse country. The paper also discusses the common misconception among US Americans that all Indian weddings are celebrated in the Punjabi style. Breaking this misconception by further defining the different groups and religious marriage practices will allow others to learn about the diversity of India’s cultural and religious practices. Crystal Wolgamott graduated from Alma High School in 2010. She recently graduated with an Associate’s Degree of the Arts. She is currently pursuing a degree in Organizational Leadership and aspires to enter the cruise industry, In the hopes of becoming an Activities Director. Her research interests include working with the disabled, learning about Asian culture, medieval history, and Elizabethan history, history of prostitution throughout all cultures/time periods, photography, nature, and the study of animals and insects. She has traveled throughout the United States and has been to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 3
Presentations in Languages and Communication Vines 233
2:00 Aaron Hodges
2:30 Constance Lee
3:00 Garret Copeland
3:30 Shael P. McDonald
4:00 Micah Savage
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Individualism in Japan Presented by Aaron Hodges
Individualism versus collectivism is one of several dimensions used to describe a culture. In an individualist culture such as the United States, a person is able to separate him or herself from others and is guided in life by his or her personal, unique goals. Those living in a collectivist culture, which is more commonly found in Eastern Asia, are inclined to observe their context within the whole. The nation of Japan is historically a collectivist culture. Two social constructs have long been placed at the utmost importance: community and family. The common theme in these two constructs is the presence of a hierarchical structure that has long been valued by the Japanese. The paradigm has gradually shifted over the past decades as the people of Japan have become more individualistic. Modernization and Westernization are two of many theories that could potentially explain why the Japanese people have gravitated toward individualism. Aaron Hodges graduated from Van Buren High School. He is currently a senior and is studying Media Communications. Aaron has served as the president of the UAFS chapter of National Broadcasting Society. As president, he represented the university with Nick Kyrouac at the NBS National Convention and submitted a video project that qualified for national competition. His research interests range from media theory to the way different cultures communicate. After he graduates, he would like to pursue a job in social or digital media.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Trust, Family, Arranged Marriages: High Context Cultures in India Presented by Constance Lee
India is a high context culture in which emphasis is placed on interpersonal relationships. This research paper includes the background of India and information of high context cultures with some contrast of low context cultures. High Context is my cultural dimension. In a business environment the people of India hold each other to standards according to their high context culture, and trust plays a critical role in this. In building relationships trust figures prominently because high context countries believe in long lasting relationships that build more slowly. Since relationships are so important, family is important also. Marriage comes into play with the trust and family of India and so my research includes arranged marriage that take place. My research paper will conclude by tying each of these topics into the culture of India. Constance Lee graduated from Benton High School in 2010. She is set to graduate from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in 2014 with a degree in Media Communications. She hopes to go on to attain a career based on communication and the public. She currently works at Arvest Bank as a teller. She is part of a junior marketing team at Arvest and hopes to apply what she has learned to her future. Last semester she made the deans list and hopes to do the same this semester. This summer she will be working as an intern at the Convention Center in Fort Smith and is very excited for the opportunity.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Advertising in Brazil: A Reflection of a Masculine Culture Presented by Garret Copeland
Brazil is the most populated country in Latin America and the fifth most populated country in the world. Its 190 million people come from very diverse backgrounds and cultures ranging from Middle Eastern, European, and Asian influences. This variety has produced interesting cultural dimensions, one in particular being its masculinity and femininity. Geert Hofstede, the pioneer of cultural dimension studies, describes masculinity and femininity as “the distribution of emotional roles between the genders” (Hofstede, p. 251, 1998). Countries identified as masculine cultures value competitiveness, assertiveness, and individualism. In contrast, feminine cultures tend to value relationships, quality of life, and collectivism. Though research tends to label Brazil as an equally masculine and feminine culture, advertisements in this country may point to a more distinct label. Advertising is a relatively new industry in Brazil and has never been bigger than it is today. Advertising firms’ uses of images and competitive marketing strategies, advertisements suggest a more masculine culture. A country that is growing more democratic and corporate by the year is, in turn, growing more masculine and is reflected in the way they market and sell their products. Garrett is a graduate of Greenwood High School and will be graduating from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith this May. He is a Media Communications major with a minor in Speech. His main interests in Communications are Public Relations and Advertising. He currently interns at the Fort Smith Convention Center where he helps to generate interest and revenue via social media and other advertising strategies. After graduating with is Bachelor’s Degree, he hopes to find a career in consumer research for an advertising firm.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Amish Industrialism – Changes in Amish Identity Presented by Shael P. McDonald
This article provides a brief overview of the Amish history, language, location, and population, along with an analysis of recent changes among the Amish will be discussed in terms of technology and chronemics. The Amish, as a microculture, live separate from the majority culture (United States) and have done so since the eighteen and early nineteenth centuries. It is the belief of the Amish that the traditions of the majority culture would be detrimental to their way of life. In recent years, the Amish have experienced an encroachment of urban areas on their farmlands and economic fluctuations in real estate. At this time, nearly 90% of Amish families now depend on sources of income other than farming (Young Center, 2012). For those Amish who continue to farm, these changes have spurred ingenious new technological alterations to current machinery for larger farms; for those Amish no longer farming for economic means, there has been a visible shift to home-based businesses and factories. These changes affect the technology and chronemics of the Amish microculture and serve to transition from a Luddite approach to technology to a more industrial perspective. Shael is in her final semester pursuing a degree in Rhetoric and Writing, and it is her desire to graduate summa cum laude. Shael is a member of many organizations at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and the following honors societies: Sigma Tau Delta, Alpha Epsilon Rho, and Pinnacle. She is also co-editor of The Lions’ Chronicle, a staff member of Applause, and was the recipient of the 2013 Academic Excellence Award in Rhetoric. Additionally, Shael volunteers within the Fort Smith community as a Trustee of Park Partners of Fort Smith, Inc. and a member of Beautify Fort Smith. Shael aspires to continue her education towards a juris doctorate degree.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Research on Uncertainty Avoidance in Spain Presented by Micah Savage
This paper takes us on a cultural journey through the country of Spain. Discussing the geography, government, language, history, traditions and even the religion of festive Spain, this paper will be a thorough investigation of Spanish culture. From a cultural perspective, it discusses the meaning of the cultural dimension known as Uncertainty Avoidance (UA) in Spain. UA deals with a society’s tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity; it ultimately refers to the search for truth. What is the role of UA within societies? How do the people of Spain prepare for the unknown of the future? We will investigate the answers to those questions and effectively illustrate UA in the Spanish culture by explaining how the UA index was envisioned and dissected down into three main parts; we will then apply that index to this cultural study. The three components of UA are rule orientation (RO), employment stability (ES), and stress (Hofstede, 2001). Using the aforementioned components, this paper will be an in-depth examination of UA within the Spanish culture. Micah graduated from Alma High School in 2009. She is an outgoing young woman who was voted Miss AHS that same year. Micah is now attending the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, where she will major in studio arts and minor in speech. It is her hope that she will learn how to communicate, and teach, her own perception of art. The mediums Micah is proficient in are as follows: charcoal, pencil, oil paints, acrylic, and screen inks. Upon graduating college, Micah desires to get a job as an elementary art teacher. She will also consider enrollment in grad school. Overall, Micah wishes to expand the scope of fine arts and to impart her vast artistic knowledge to future generations.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 4
Presentations in Languages and Communication Vines 227
2:00 Cody Keith
2:30 Rhiannon Corley (Group Presentation)
3:00 Jessica Weisenfels
3:30 Deirdre Corbell
4:00 Crystal Eckles
4:30 Caroline Cross
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Analysis of the Spanish of a bilingual speaker of Spanish and Tzotsil Presented by Cody Keith
The purpose of this project is to analyze the linguistic features of the speech of a Hispanic male from an indigenous population in Chiapas, Mexico. Ernesto is a young adult who grew up in an indigenous community in southern Chiapas, speaking Tzotsil only. He did not learn Spanish until he was eight. This affects his Spanish in the way he pronounces it and in his use of vocabulary. In this presentation, I introduce the concepts of language and dialect in relation to their phonology, syntax, and social aspects. I do this through the analysis of Ernesto’s speech. From the perspective of phonology I discuss how his pronunciation differs from that of standard Mexican Spanish. Concerning syntax, I analyze how the interviewee uses code switching. Code switching is the alternation between two or more languages in which a person is fluent. In the case of Ernesto I analyze the use of Tzotsil in his everyday Spanish. Using sociolinguistics, I study the relationship between his social status, education, traditions, and his use of the Spanish language. His Spanish differs from that of standard Mexican Spanish in intonation, lexicon, and complexity. This research shows the importance of phonology, syntax and sociolinguistics aspects in analyzing the speech of an individual. Cody graduated from Stigler High School. He aspires to enter the education field as a high school Spanish teacher. His research interest include the study of linguistics to determine why individuals speak the way they do. This includes the analysis of phonology, syntax, and sociolinguistics in the everyday speech of individuals. Cody first became interested in this research after taking Spanish Linguistics in the spring of 2012. He has continued his study of Spanish and linguistics since and is very close to realizing his goal of being a teacher.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium How Harry Helps Open Books
Presented by Rhiannon Corley and Shawna Mason Beginning in 1997, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone convinced many reluctant readers to crack open a book and read. Rowling’s series persuaded young adults to read not one book, not two, but in many cases, the entire series of seven full-length novels. The Harry Potter novels serve as a gateway for novice readers to enter other book series in the youth genre. The Harry Potter Series empower the readers through their textual journey and create an engaging educational atmosphere for the educator to open the discussion to a variety of themes. For the purpose of this presentation, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, serves as the context for exploring themed teaching opportunities with Rowling’s use of feminism and gender roles as the example. The group presentation will include both a guided discussion and a sample lesson plan for classroom use. The guided discussion will examine the extent Rowling presents gendered stereotypes and its impact on character development. Through the use of a SATDO handout, the presenters will demonstrate how students can practice supporting their character assertions with textual evidence. With students’ willingness to read Harry Potter novels, the educational applications are numerous and the presentation, “How Harry Opens Books” offers not only an example of application but also promotes the discussion of further classroom opportunities with Harry Potter. Rhiannon Corley is a Non-Traditional student who is active in many organizations on campus. She is current President of Pinnacle Honor Society for Non-Traditional Students and Secretary for Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society. She is currently studying to receive her Bachelor of Arts in English with a Minor in Creative Writing. While she enjoys many areas of studies she is especially partial to English and Welsh folklore. She lives in Fort Smith with her husband Joseph and their three beautiful children; Krystabella, Jolseff, and Joshuel. Shawna Mason is a pursuing a degree in English and is a poet and writer. She is an International Program tutor and is employed by the Fort Smith Public Library. She is active in Sigma Tau Delta and has held the posts of vice-president and president. In addition, she was chosen to present at the society’s 2013 international convention. The area of research she finds most interesting is the study of literature in conjunction with history, as well the examination of interdisciplinary connections. She lives in Van Buren with her husband and three daughters. Her interests include the outdoors, reading, and photography.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Poetry of Body: The Very Sexual Revolutions of H.D.’s Feet Presented by Jessica Weisenfels
Though perhaps a gendered view of metrical feet is counterproductive in a postmodern society, there is something to be said for the aspect of gender performativity in metrical compositions using the sexed foot. The idea of gendering the trochee as a “feminine” ending –because it ends in a weaker stress—is, of course, somewhat offensive. Poetry, however, does not exist in a vacuum. Within the western canon, the weaker stress is inextricably linked to the feminine aspect of gendered performance; and so the metered foot must be considered in these terms. There is perhaps no better poem in which to examine gender performativity in the context of the metered foot and its use to deconstruct masculine and feminine behavioral expectations than H.D.’s “Huntress.” H.D. manages to attach the full weight of the myth of Artemis through direct allusion in her title and in the narrative of the decidedly lyrical poem. Though Artemis—virginal goddess of the hunt and twin of Apollo—presents a gender construction that is undeniably that of traditional masculine performance, the composition of the lines speaks to the theory of a new literature for the female that provides some method of dissolution for the mind/body split, while the weight of the myth and the discussion of non-heteronormative gender performance leads to a reading wherein the poem stands as an interrogation of patriarchal privilege and the place of women in wider society, especially with regard to fertility and historically rooted “masculine” behavior. Jessica B. Weisenfels is an English major with a minor in creative writing. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, she intends to continue her education either by pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing or a Masters in English. Regardless of the type of program, she plans to continue the habit developed in her undergraduate years of focusing largely on critical theory. She is a poet, and brings the highly tuned ear and attention to language developed in her poetic endeavors to every close reading of literature she pursues. Her research interests include gender theory, Marxist theory, deconstruction, fat studies, and trauma studies. She is also terribly interested in meter.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Romantic Nature of Modern Madness Presented by Deirdre Corbell
Madness within today’s young adult factions drips with sexuality and angst, thus causing a shift of fandom from small underground cults devoted to films directed by Tim Burton to a remarkably sensationalized and public following of anything pertaining to the concept of lunacy. An immense amount of our values as a culture can be traced back to eighteenth century British culture, specifically the idea of introspection or looking into one’s own self. Introspection, as well as other Romantic properties, is crucial to the explanation of the young adult culture’s fascination with madness. From Ellen Hopkin’s slew of banned young adult novels, including Crank and Impulse, to Rugrats, there is a wealth of research material available concerning this phenomenon. Beginning with Michel Foucault’s “A History of Madness” and Roy Porter’s “Flesh in the Age of Reason”, I will bring forth and meld together the vital trends directly connecting our culture to 18th century British society. Furthermore, I will analyze why such connections matter and what they say about our history, human tendencies, and the young adult crowds of today. Deirdre Corbell graduated from Alma High School in May of 2009. This spring, she is completing her final semester of her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Creative Writing. Deirdre lives in Alma with her fiancé, Josh, and their seven-month-old chocolate Labrador, Roscoe. She currently works part-time, interns on campus, and serves as a private tutor during the week. When she has the time, and even when she doesn’t, Deirdre can be found underneath her large piles of young adult fiction she has bought, received, or borrowed.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Rasta Ray: Signs of the Rastafarian Religion in Home to Harlem Presented by Crystal Eckles
The Harlem Renaissance era was a time of expression, a time that African Americans’ voices began to be heard through: literature, art, music, and plays. Important to the movement were people like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Billie Holiday, Chick Webb, and Florance Mills; furthermore we cannot forget artists like Aaron Douglas and Lois Mailou Jones. The Harlem Renaissance gave a voice, a voice that was not yet heard – the real voices of the African American culture. Home to Harlem by Claude McKay was the first book from the Harlem Renaissance to make the best sellers list, but it caused a wide controversy. McKay’s book disturbed many people among the black community including famous author W.E.B DuBois. DuBois is quoted saying after reading Home to Harlem, “I felt in need of a bath.” Though DuBois did not believe that the white community could portray what an African American was, he did not want African Americans portraying their own race as anything else but perfect. While McKay may have reinforced what white people of that time already believed to be true about black people, he also complicated stereotypes with Rastafarian religion. Readers can easily get caught up in McKay’s exceptional use of imagery, failing to see the true richness of the novel. Crystal Eckles graduated from Northside High School. She is now a senior at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She aspires to graduate in Fall 2013 with a teaching degree in secondary English. She is a devoted church member at Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church, where she is youth director and a Sunday school teacher. She hopes to return to her alma mater to teach English.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Harlem: Then and Now Presented by Caroline Cross
The mere mention of the name evokes vibrant images in one’s mind. Perhaps one envisions a bustling neighborhood, filled with bright lights and swinging music. Perhaps a ghetto, filled with graffiti painted buildings and broken down cars. Whatever response one has to it, the name Harlem is recognized worldwide. Harlem is an important part of New York City that has risen, fallen and is rising again. What makes this relatively small section of New York so vibrant and full of life? Throughout all its highs and lows, Harlem has remained an iconic locale. Many celebrate the Harlem Renaissance, but few it seems, can account for its end and the subsequent decline of both the cultural movement and the neighborhood whose name it bore. Now, as Harlem enjoys its latest resurgence, it is interesting to look back on its history. How and why has Harlem changed from the turn of the last century to this new millennium? “Harlem: Then and Now” looks at the transition of this neighborhood into a Mecca of black arts and entertainment , the subsequent fall into poverty and despair, and its latest rebirth into a multi-cultural gentrified section of an ever-changing city. Caroline is a non-traditional student who has been attending the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith for the past two years. She earned a B.A. in English and French from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and is currently completing her B.S. in English Education. After several years travelling across much of the country as a Health Care Consultant, she relocated to this area about ten years ago. Caroline currently lives with her daughter in Fort Smith and hopes to find a teaching position here when she graduates in December. Originally from New York City, the topic of Harlem and its history held special interest for her.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 5
Presentations in Languages and Communication Vines 201
2:00 Megan McGee
2:30 Madison Macklin
3:00 Kimberly Allen (Group Presentation)
3:30 Carol Ann Seahorn
4:00 Angela Stout
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Grotesque Reality: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Corruption of the American Dream Presented by Megan McGee
Lavish parties, reckless abandonment, nostalgic passion, carefree summer nights in Long Island – the roaring twenties of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby comprises what can be considered as the great American novel. On the surface, Nick Carraway’s summer in West Egg seems to paint a picture of the quintessential American dream: success, achievement, wealth, relationships. But does that American dream really exist? Through Fitzgerald’s creation of the characters in the novel - Nick Carraway, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson, Jordan Baker, and Jay Gatsby aspects of the American dream are personified. In the progression of each character, we see a growth in the corruption of the American dream. Daisy and Tom Buchanan and Jordan Baker know the pleasures of wealth, and they work to maintain it while showing no regard for anyone else. Myrtle Wilson just wants a fleeting moment of happiness – regardless of what that means for her husband. Jay Gatsby is perhaps the true personification of the American dream, coming from obscurity to luxury, but at what cost? And Nick Carraway, as narrator, sits back and watches all that seems bright, beautiful, and luxurious fall apart. Through the mystery that is Jay Gatsby and the corruption of Long Island’s elite, F. Scott Fitzgerald is challenging the existence and ideal of the American dream. Megan McGee graduated from Lavaca High School in Lavaca, Ark. She is currently a senior at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, pursuing a degree in Rhetoric and Writing. Upon graduating in May, she plans to earn a master’s degree in library sciences. Her research interests include literary analysis and criticism and film adaptation.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Female Heroes are Damsels in Distress: Why Women are not True Heroes Presented by Madison Macklin
The first season of Heroes originally aired from September 2006 until May 2007. It completed three more seasons before its unexpected cancellation in 2010. During the first season, we saw several accounts of people who thought they were ordinary, but developed supernatural abilities, or powers. To build a connection between viewers and characters, viewers see the heroes before their supernatural abilities developed completely. This builds a compelling storyline, which intrigues viewers to watch every episode. Of the recent surplus in superhero movies, Black Widow from Iron Man is the only adult female superhero seen in present day films and shows. The first season of Heroes has two female heroes, Claire and Niki. Their abilities are more unique than the male characters. Claire’s super healing powers keep her from dying in a fire and falls from buildings. Niki’s second persona, Jessica, has super strength allowing her to kill several men with her bare hands. Despite their powers, these female characters are portrayed differently than male characters. The females are always in situations where they need someone to rescue them while male characters rarely need help and viewers don’t find them in dependable situations as often as women. I suggest this show had the opportunity to give female viewers strong characters to admire, but failed. Instead the writers portrayed them as females are in other shows, damsels in distress. Madison Macklin graduated from Greenwood High School in 2009. She aspires to enter the communications field and is currently pursuing a degree in Media Communication. Her research interests include social media, music, feminism, energy resources, and game studies.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Dickens Twitter Project: “Our Mutual Friend” Presented by Kimberly Allen, Dustin Hilliar, and Emily Pearce
The serial novel dominated the nineteenth-century landscape, allowing readers to encounter a text via part-issue, in magazine installments, in bound volumes of a magazine, in three-volume novels, and in one-volume editions. Using Victorian serialization practices, this project aspires to open Charles Dickens’s novel, Our Mutual Friend, to a contemporary audience and open his book to a new interpretation and medium, as well as, allowing the audience and participants to help determine the outcome of the narrative. This group presentation will introduce our ongoing, multimedia adaptation of Dickens’s Our Mutual Friend. In this presentation, we will discuss our use of Twitter, including adaptation strategies from other Twitter adaptation performances, live-blogging practices, and radio plays. We will also discuss the design of the project, including the structure of character portrayal and narrative sectioning, the creative control of the actors, and audience feedback, all of which allow us to highlight the open boundaries of literature. Like the serial novel, this update will run over a long period of time, and episodes will be formatted in text-blocks released in real time to create a realistic narrative through the micro-blogging reading experience. Each set of tweets will stand alone as a narrative, but they will also be part of the larger tale. The purpose of this project is to generate discussion about the adaptation of literary texts into multimedia platforms, as well as to gather feedback from potential readers. Kimberly Allen graduated from Ozark High School. She will be graduating this spring with a BA in English and minor in History. She has been accepted to attend the English Masters program at the University of Tulsa. Her research interests include: disability studies, gender studies, periodical studies, and 19th Century British Literature. Dustin HIlliard served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and worked as a singer/songwriter before enrolling at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in the spring of 2010. He graduates in May with a BA in English and a minor in Rhetoric and Writing. His research interests include Pop Culture, Queer Theory, and Feminist Studies. Emily Pearce graduated from Bryan Adams High School in Dallas, Texas. Emily is an English Major and Biology Minor. She’s currently Vice President of Administration for the Upsilon Beta chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi. Emily is also an intern for Campus Entertainment, Student Supervisor for Intramurals, and member of the Sigma Tau Delta International Honor Society. She will graduate in the spring of 2014, and she plans on attending graduate school for either English or marketing and technology. Her research interests include Victorian literature, serialization practices, digital humanities, and technology.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium When Life Gives You Lemonism, Complain Fruitfully: An Examination of 30 Rock’s Third Wave Feminism and its Critics Presented by Carol Ann Seahorn
Created by Tina Fey, 30 Rock aims to elucidate the happenings of working for a sketch comedy show like SNL. 30 Rock premiered in the fall of 2006 and has since finished its seventh and final season. The show revolves around Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) as head writer for the “TJS with Tracy Jordan” sketch comedy. As the first season began, Lemon identifies herself as being a third wave feminist. This claim evolves into her own form of feminism, Lemonism, which takes on a mix of third wave and post feminism. Lemonism is ill received by television critics as well as scholarly critics. Though the show should be taken at face value as a comedy, some episodes do confidently depict parts of feminism. “TGS Hates Women” takes on the performance of a woman and questioning the motivation of such a performance. “Rosemary’s Baby” comments on second wave feminism and the blatant sexism that still remains currently. The criticism arises from the show’s continual refusal to take a side or conclude with an answer to the multiple issues brought up. Disapproval in having Tina Fey as “Hollywood’s Feminist” is another target taken by critics. Tina Fey never claimed this title, and these critics seem to miss the function of her comedy. I argue that 30 Rock is a comedy, not a descriptive stance on one issue. 30 Rock acts as a comedy should regarding controversial feminist issues, showing multiple viewpoints on the topic as a reflector to society not a show positing solutions. Carol Ann Seahorn graduated with honors at Southside High School in 2010. She is striving to attain a BA in English and will pursue graduate school afterwards. She enjoys focusing on gender and sexuality studies as research topics. She has high hopes of teaching at college or university level after attaining her doctorate, preferably as teaching Cultural or Women’s Studies class. Recently, Carol Ann has been accepted into Sigma Tau Delta. She also contributes to her sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, by serving on the Leadership Council as Chapter Treasurer.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Show Me the (Gilmore) Money: Class Influences on the Education of Children in Single Parent Homes Presented by Angela Stout
Gilmore Girls is about a single mother who is raising her daughter in a small, quirky town in Connecticut. Their life appears to be a normal middle class one except Rory’s (Alexis Bledel) dream of an Ivy League education, which is reinforced by her mother, Lorelai (Lauren Graham). While a Columbia University study shows that children of fatherabsent homes have dramatically lower SAT scores, Rory excels academically and remains at the top of her class. I argue that class influences the education of children in single parent homes in respect to the money that determines ones position. Most single American women do not have the endless supply of funds that Lorelai has access to through her parents, Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop) Gilmore, who definitely qualify as part of the infamous “one percent”. Working from Raymond William’s argument that culture is ordinary and Ayanna Thompson’s work on “the real”, I look at the variety of “ordinary” and “every man” moments in Gilmore Girls. However, the ordinary ceases when it comes to the education of Rory, who gets into an expensive, upper class college prep school and then Yale University, all of which is made available to her by Gilmore money - the money and lifestyle that Lorelai ran from as a teenage mother. I also argue that even though one of the unique qualities of Gilmore Girls is the writers’ incorporation of “real” throughout the series, the reality, however, of American life for single parent children is that they are less likely to attend and finish college than children in homes with both parents. I argue that if the producers of Gilmore Girls would have taken the time to explore the social and historical context of a middle class home, particularly a single-parent one, there would have been more work and less finances available to the characters represented. Angela Stout is a non-traditional student who returned to the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith to pursue a degree in English with teacher licensure. She is the Site Director for the Cedarville Senior Citizens Center, a wife, mother and provides community service through her local church. Her research interests include cultural studies on class position, especially in relation to education. Her goal after graduation is to attend graduate school and eventually aid in educating underprivileged students, not only in the United States but overseas as well.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 6
Presentations in Business Health Sciences 318
2:00 Jessica White (Group Presentation)
2:30 Patrick Sullivan (Group Presentation)
3:00 Eric Barnes (Group Presentation)
3:30 Summer Lang (Group Presentation)
4:00 Matt Dillman (Group Presentation)
4:30 Joe Shackelford (Group Presentation)
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Does it Pay to Be a Champion?
Presented by Jessica White, Dale Williams, and Jacob Davidson In 1984, on a nationally televised game against the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes, Boston College’s quarterback Doug Flutie completed a successful last second Hail Mary pass to win the game. The following year, Boston College received a significant increase in applications for admission (Economist 2007). Do Division I universities increase admission by having national championship teams? We have examined the most popular Division I sports for men, football, and women, basketball, for the past 15 years to identify whether or not national championship titles are the Hail Mary of admissions applications. We seek to show not only how a national championships can influence the attendance like the Hail Mary pass did for Boston College, but also if the effect is different for enrollments among men and women. Jessica White graduated from Van Buren High School in 2009 with high honors and she is currently working towards achieving her Bachelors in Business Administration majoring in Business Admin. Jessica is currently a senior and she will be graduating this May of 2013. She hopes to find a career in the management field upon graduation. Jessica is a member of Phi Beta Lambda and has been on the Dean’s List for all seven semesters of her college career. Dale Williams is a non-traditional student achieving my bachelors in Business Administration but will switch to the International Business degree when it becomes available. Dale is currently a junior and plans on graduating in December of 2014. He hopes to obtain a career in a different country and to travel with his position. He graduated from high school in 2004 from Southside High School in Fort Smith. He also would like to continue his education and achieve a master degree either in economics or international business. Jacob Davidson is a graduate of Greenwood High School. He is 22 years old and is pursuing a degree in Business Administration. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and is a very passionate sports fan. He is a full time college student, as well as a part time employee of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. When he’s not at work or school, Jacob likes to spend time outdoors with his niece and nephew.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Professional Sports: Is Money Everything When it Comes to Winning? Presented by Patrick Sullivan, Colton Clark, Houston Harrison, and Tucker Holder
In life, it seems that people love money, but hate people who have lots of it. This seems to translate to baseball as well. The New York Yankees are one of, if not the most despised team in Major League Baseball. The Yankees are also notorious for spending far more money than any other team in Major League Baseball. Countless articles report that across the four main American Sports, (the NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA) teams that spend the most money are also the teams with the highest winning percentages. This raises the question can you buy a winning record? In this paper, we evaluate which sports benefit most when spending an extra one million dollars on talent. We hypothesize that the extra money will most greatly affect sports that have fewer players impacting the game. For example, basketball has 7-9 players that impact the final result of the game compared to hockey or football, which typically has between 15-50 players impacting its final outcome. We also look at owners who outspend their counterparts over a long time span to see if they make the playoffs more frequently than those with short term or no noticeable change in investment. Finally we consider leagues with high variations in payroll to see if the variation in the quality of team and winning percentages coincide with years with higher salary allowances. Patrick Sullivan is from Bentonville, Arkansas. He graduated from Bentonville High School in May of 2009 and entered the University of Arkansas Fort Smith in the Fall of 2009. He will be graduating from UAFS in May 2013 with honors and a degree in Marketing. He will be taking a position at the Walmart home office in Bentonville, Arkansas in the Merchant Leadership Program in hopes of eventually becoming a buyer. Colton Clark graduated from Springdale High School. He hopes to graduate with honors from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith College of Business. His degree focus is primarily in finance and investment and he plans on graduating in Spring of 2014. He has been a highly involved student having experience in Sigma Nu Fraternity, Collegiate Ambassador Board, Student Government Association, and Den Council. Houston Harrison Graduated from Bentonville High School in 2009 and is now in his senior year hear at UAFS. He is a proud member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and swam with the dolphins once and enjoyed it. He is currently employed at ABF in the Expedited Solutions department and plans on continuing his career there after graduation. Tucker Holder is a year 2009 graduate from West Memphis High School, now a senior, with plans to achieve an accounting degree from the college of business of the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. He plans to sit for the CPA exam and exercise his options in the accounting field centering on auditing. Other than business, his main interest in studying music and music composition with fellow musicians. Other interests include an array of outdoor activities that range from fishing and disc golf to attending music festivals.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Fitness or Focus
Presented by Eric Barnes, Hannah Pressley, and Patrick Willey Most people think that bigger, faster, stronger always leads to optimum performance, but golf may be very different. Some golfers believe that things like focus, coordination, and practicing can lead to better outcomes than time spent in the gym. The Professional Golf Association (PGA) consists of hundreds of skilled professionals with varying body types. This collection of highly paid athletes has a variety of attitudes and habits concerning their fitness. For example, Tiger Woods works out 5-6 days a week for 3 hours a day even while on tour and has one of the most successful PGA careers. While at the same time Carl Pettersson found that a healthier lifestyle of working out led to a 30 lb. decline in his weight, and a decline in his golf game as well. This research examines whether golfers who have dedicated themselves to overall fitness will have greater yearly earning than those who have focused on other parts of their game. Using the top one hundred players ranked from 2012, we calculate a common measure of overall health: the Body Mass Index (BMI). Is golf like every other sport where being the biggest, fastest and strongest often earn the most money or does spending more time on the course focusing on your game rather than in the gym leads to greater earnings? Eric Barnes was born and raised in Fort Smith, Ark. and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing. He holds a position as the director of marketing and public relations within the Phi Beta Lambda chapter for the state of Arkansas as well as the Treasurer for the UAFS chapter. Eric is currently employed with Freight Value Incorporated and hopes to excel within the company or pursue sales at some point in his career. Eric considers himself an outdoorsman and enjoys the simple things in life. He’s always got his eye on the future as he dedicates himself to fulfilling his dreams. Hannah Pressley is completing a double major in Accounting and Business Administration. She graduated from Southside High School and continued onto college at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Before pursuing accounting she had interests in biology but quickly realized it wasn’t for her and found her future in the College of Business. Hannah loves to read and travel in her spare time. She hopes to have a business of her own in the future, but will settle for a job at a local CPA firm after graduation. Her ambition never lets her give up and that is why we know that the road ahead in Hannah’s future is shining bright. Patrick Willey is an avid golfer and a great student as well. He won the science fair in high school, and later studied biology for 2 years in college. He has attended the University of Central Arkansas, which is where he is from. He transferred to the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in 2010. He plans to go into sales. Patrick can be described as a “Happy go Lucky” individual and his close friends know that he pushes himself to be the best person he can be. With such a big heart, he is sure to go far in whichever career path he pursues.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Cost of College Athletics Summer Lang and Ashley Robertson
Do college athletic programs turn a profit? Most of the general public would probably answer this question with a resounding yes, however, many research articles stress the enormous losses incurred by college athletic programs every year. If this is truly the case, it leaves one questioning why do colleges continue athletic endeavors? Is there any truth to these so-called “losses”? Typically men’s football and basketball programs at large universities (Possibly say Division 1 instead of large) are cited to be the only college sports programs that yield a profit. (Fulks 2010). Yet 1,759 universities boast expansive athletic programs beyond football and men’s basketball. These programs do not generate enough revenue through ticket sales, sponsorships, and media revenue to cover the cost incurred by the university. This finding leads us to believe that there must be other benefits or sources of revenue that college athletic programs generate. By looking further in depth at athletics at University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, we investigate the “revenue” and “costs” associated with athletic programs. Summer Lang is a senior business major. She graduated high school from Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Ark. in 2009. She graduates with her baccalaureate degree from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith this May. She will start Law School at the University of Arkansas in August where she received a merit scholarship to attend. She has been on the Dean’s list every semester. After graduating, Summer plans to join the Air guard as a JAG officer. She also plans to be employed full time as a corporate lawyer. Ultimately, she would love to be in politics; serving as a Supreme Court Justice would be a dream come true. Ashley Robertson graduated from Van Buren High School in May 2007. She is a business administration major and plans on graduating with a bachelor’s degree in May 2013. She worked as a FSR/Teller throughout her college career and fell in love with banking. She hopes to pursue a career in banking after she graduates. Ashley is currently a full time mom to her son, which has been the biggest accomplishment in her life.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium “If You Build It, They Will Come“ – The Field of Dreams Effect Presented by Matt Dillman, Irvin Rodriquez, and Jeff Westfall
In 1989, a popular movie premised “If you build it, they will come.” We know this movie to be “Field of Dreams” and of course, a baseball diamond carved out of an Iowa cornfield becomes a great stadium after being on the brink of bankruptcy. Does this apply to current professional sports teams? If you build a new stadium, will more fans come? We apply what we call the “Field of Dreams Effect” to teams that have built new stadiums since 1990 – which is approximately 75% of all NFL, MLB, and NBA teams. We believe that teams that have built new stadiums since 1990 will show an increase in attendance due only to the fact new stadiums were built. In turn, ticket prices increase solely due to fans willingness to pay more for the luxury found in new stadiums. This phenomenon is referred to as the honeymoon effect. In order to measure the honeymoon effect, we compare attendance trends and capacity percentage from the last 5 years in the old stadium to the first 5 years in the new stadium then we relate those numbers to salaries, ticket prices, and winning percentage over the same period to negate any variables of attendance that could have occurred from a teams improved win-loss record or “fair weather fans.” Matt Dillman is a senior in the business administration major. After many years of managing many different restaurants, he decided to return to college to earn the education needed to successfully own and operate his own restaurant. Matt is supported in his educational endeavor at home by his wife LaDawna, a teacher at Northside High School, and his nine year-old daughter, Katherine. Matt graduated high school from Russellville High School in 2000. His areas of interest in his field are Operations Management, Organizational Behavior, Economics, Investments, Human Resources Management, and E-Marketing. Irvin Rodriguez is currently a junior at the University of Arkansas –Fort Smith with his major being in accounting. His plan after earning his bachelor’s degree from the College of Business at UAFS is to move to Fayetteville and attend the University of Arkansas in order to pursue a master’s degree in Operations Management. Irvin is a member of PBL, and has been named a member of the Dean’s list since his freshman year. Irvin graduated from Van Buren High School in 2010. His interests in the business field include Accounting, Operations Management, Economics, and Entrepreneurship. Jeff Westfall is currently a junior at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith pursuing a degree in business administration. He is on the leadership team at the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on campus and an active member of PBL. He also serves as a Youth Pastor at South Side Baptist Church. A few of Jeff’s interests in business are accounting, operations management, organizational behavior, economics, and communication. Jeff graduated from Van Buren High School in 2010. A few of his other interests outside of business are hiking, camping, and biking.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium There’s No Friend like an Old Friend
Presented by Joe Shackelford, Christian Allen, and Ryan Pongonis What do the “Billy Goat” curse of 1945, the black cat collapse in 1969, Buckner’s batting glove, Steve Bartman, and Sammy Sosa’s home run record all have in common? They are all part of the history of Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley Field was built in 1914 and home to the Cubs ever since. The Cubs are one of the oldest major league teams and have earned the nickname “lovable losers” having not won a World Series since 1908. Despite the less than successful win-loss record, the Cubs have some of the most devoted fans by drawing more than 3 million fans annually. This paper seeks to examine whether teams like the Cubs, which have long histories in a single place, have more loyal fans than teams that have recently moved or just began. Rottenberg (1956) found that fans want teams to win and play competitive games; therefore winning will increase fans willingness to pay thus increasing a team’s revenue. He ignores the role of history in fan’s willingness to pay. This research examines the impact remaining in one location has on total annual revenue, winning percentage, ticket prices, playoff appearances, as well as World Series titles. We expect to find that long tenured teams perform better compared to new or recently relocated teams. Joe Shackelford is currently a senior at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. Joe is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration and expects to graduate in December 2013. Upon graduation, he wishes to work in manufacturing in the Fort Smith region. His experience includes work with an offshore drilling company in the Gulf of Mexico. Joe began his collegiate career at UAFS in 2006 while working full time, going to classes at night, and taking care of a family at home. His first 72 credit hours were self-financed. Since then, he has earned a scholarship to pay for upper level courses, is on the Dean’s list of honors, a member of Sigma Beta Delta (International Honor Society for Business students), and has been nominated for Outstanding Business Administration Major at UAFS. Christian Allen currently is finishing his bachelor’s degree in business administration, with plans to attend graduate school at the University of Arkansas in the Fall, where he plans to get a masters in sports management. Christian’s career plan to be a collegiate baseball coach. Christian is currently a member of University of Arkansas-Fort Smith baseball team. He has been a four-year starter for the Lions and plays first base. Christian has two younger brothers and a younger sister. His hobbies include sports, card collecting, and hanging out with friends and family. Ryan Pongonis is an accounting and business administration major in his senior year of work at the University of Arkansas- Fort Smith. Ryan is a graduate of Springdale Har-Ber High School and is currently part of the University of Arkansas- Fort Smith Lions Baseball team. After college, he hopes to work in his brother’s law business out of Tulsa, Okla. Ryan is the youngest of his siblings, which include his older sister, Kara and his older brother, Victor. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys playing video games, attending sporting events, and hanging out with friends.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 7
Presentations in Business Health Sciences 321
2:00 Chris Elrod
2:30 Monika Sapphire Finney (Group Presentation)
3:00 Kendall Beller (Group Presentation)
3:30 Curtis B. Adams III (Group Presentation)
4:00 Shayna Gatzke
4:30 Jessica Thomas (Group Presentation)
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Undergraduate Research Symposium To Punt, Or Not To Punt? Presented by Chris Elrod
In spite of America’s recent economic issues and continually rising ticket prices, the National Football League’s yearly revenue is approaching $10 billion per year - with a total fan attendance averaging more than 17 million. One of the most exciting aspects of the game is a coach’s decision on whether he should “go for it” on 4th down or essentially give the ball back to the other team by means of punting (or kicking) the ball further down the field. “First and ten” are words all football coaches love to hear while on offense; “fourth and fifteen”, however, sends coaches across the league into the age-old conundrum: to punt, or not to punt? The use, or waste, of this 4th and final down, has been the topic of debate for years – the most notable of which is David Romer’s “Do Firms Maximize?” (UC-Berkley) which sought to analyze the different payoffs associated with ‘going for it’ or punting the ball. With Romer’s inspiration, this paper will further seek to explain a coach’s decision in 4th down situations by attributing his thought process, and ultimately his frequency of non-punt play attempts, to his specific leadership style – authoritative or participative. The research will seek out any possible correlation between the frequency of non-punt attempts and a coach’s leadership style, as well as determine whether the frequency is higher in one style over the other. Chris Elrod is a sophomore Media Communications major at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, with a minor in Business Management. Following graduation from Van Buren High School, he spent 4 summers on tour with Drum Corps International’s Memphis Sound from Memphis, Tenn., and 5 years in the workforce, before returning to finish his bachelor’s degree. He serves as a member of The Lions’ Chronicle publication staff, a College of Languages and Communication Representative for the Student Government Association, and spent the spring semester as an intern with the University’s Marketing & Communication Department. In his role with The Chronicle, Chris oversees the social media platform of the student newspaper and its coverage of campus athletics. Following graduation, he hopes to combine his interest for media and the sports industry into a viable career.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium What’s In A Name Presented by Kefah Daas
Do team nicknames make a difference to fans? Raiders, Crusaders, Eagles, Braves, Rams, or Lions? Will the team mascot influence your decision to support a team? Typically, universities derive their names from their history. For example, Wichita State’s team name the “Shockers” comes from when their students used to earn money by harvesting the wheat fields or “shocking.” There are also names that are held deep in the hearts of alumni, such as the” Fighting Sioux”. For years North Dakota has had to defend this name, even though the school’s alumni, administrators, and fans support the team name. One such supporter, North Dakota Alum Ralph Englestad, agreed to donate 110 million dollars for a new stadium, but only if the name remained the same indefinitely. Although the stadium was built, the NCAA sent a letter to North Dakota telling them they could no longer use the name due to its “racist” connotation. Names based on ethnical, religious, or social characteristics that some people may still find derogatory are still found through college athletics, although the NCAA has attempted to eradicate these names. We found 22 universities whose names most would find derogatory and 22 others that would be considered neutral. In this paper we examine the overall popularity of the team based on two statistics: (1) The average game attendance to a sporting event and (2) the school enrollment growth from 2009-2011. If the names are what many individuals find to be derogatory, then the numbers should show lower attendance than schools with neutral names. Monika Finney graduated from Union Christian Academy in 2009. She will be graduating in May with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and she will be attending graduate school for linguistics in the fall. Having both experience in business and linguistics, she hopes to have a unique insight into the world around her and prosper from it. After graduate school, she hopes to work for the FBI as a linguist. Eventually she wants to move to a more academic career as a college professor where she will foster the aspirations of her students while continuing her research. Emily Carter joined the Arkansas National Guard in 2005, before graduating from Northside High School in 2006. Following graduation, she finished her Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and reported to 1/206th FA for military training before being deployed to Camp Liberty, Iraq. Since 2009, she has been at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith studying towards her bachelor’s degree in accounting. She is currently a senior with a 3.53 overall GPA. Emily aspires to complete her master’s degree in financial management and get a job in the finance industry. Her perfectionist personality thrives when it comes to finance and accounting.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Points For Profit
Presented by Kendall Beller and Tyler Moffette Which game would you rather attend: a low scoring shutout or a high scoring thriller that comes right down to the buzzer? As we see in almost every sport today, offense seems to be the driving force for any sports team. Over the years, rules have been added constantly. Things in the NBA such as the block/charge arc in 1997, hand check fouls in 2004-2005, and clear path fouls in 2006-2007; in the NFL, rules such as no horse collar tackling in 2007 or no helmet-to-helmet in 2010 are all significant rules to support our hypothesis. Is defense being taken out of the game completely? From an economic point of view, the sports industry may encourage more scoring among their teams at the cost of defense. We expect to find teams spending more money paying players playing on the offensive side of the part compared to the defense. Examining the data, we will see exactly what affects revenue. We assume that the more points a team scores, the more profit they will have. However, there may be other areas that contribute to this as well. So, we will also see if revenue is driven by win/loss percentage or even if the big name stars is what make higher revenues possible. Derrick Kendall Todd Beller graduated from Mountainburg High School in 2009 and is currently a business administration major at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He has many hobbies - fixing old cars, going to concerts or sporting events, and shooting skeet - but kayaking is his favorite activity. He has an extensive work history with Walmart, Mac Steel, Bekhaaert, but currently works at the family business at D Beller Construction. He has traveled to nearly all of America, just Alaska to go, and hopes to see the rest of the world before it’s all said and done. Born in Fort Smith and raised in the Booneville area, Tyler Moffett graduated from Booneville High School in 2007. He is a business administration major and will graduate in May of this year. He wants to join a company that he can show what he learned from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and actually be someone other than another face in an office. He enjoys anything from hunting/fishing to just kicking back and watching sports or TV, so a job shouldn’t be hard to find.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium America: The Land Of Energy
Presented by Curtis B. Adams III and Brad Andrews For decades the United States has consumed more oil and power than what it generated, ultimately peaking in 2005. While American’s constitute only 5% of the world’s population, we consume nearly a quarter of the world’s oil. We quench this thirst by importing from various countries all over the world; some of these countries are relatively stable, while others cause us to worry. Oil is the lifeblood of the American economy. Our way of life, international leadership, and economic strength depend on an uninterrupted flow of oil that is accessible and affordable. For years there has been debate concerning America’s energy policy. Recently, we have seen technological advances which will be our key to energy independence. This paper is intended to explain how America will become energy independent in the near future. This independence will be achieved through exploration of alternative sources of energy and new oil, which is becoming accessible for the first time ever; along with infrastructure changes here at home. Energy independence is the key to America’s continued strength and security. This paper is a result of our research into how America will become energy independent and how we can sustain this independence for future generations. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma May 30th 1992 to Curtis & Kimberley Adams, Curtis Burnett Adams III is a graduate of Southside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. Currently, Curtis is a junior business administration major at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and plans to graduate in May 2014 with a Bachelors of Administration in Business Administration. On campus Curtis is a founding father of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, and Student Body Vice President. During his first two years of college Curtis was able to visit China, and Japan. Gaining valuable insight in business and globalization. After graduation Curtis is looking at several different possibilities, which include the Peace Corps, Grad School, or possibly moving right into a career in the business world. Born in Fort Carson, Colorado October 7th 1991 son of Richard B. and H. Lynn Andrews, Bradley M. Andrews is a 2010 Honors Graduate of Roland High School currently in his junior year at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. Bradley is a Recipient of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council Scholarship, Founding President of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, current Public Relations Committee Chairman and College of Business Representative for the UAFS Student Government. While attending UAFS Bradley has received the Chancellor’s Spirit Award for outstanding leadership and commitment to UAFS, as well as placing on the Dean’s list for multiple semesters. In addition to this Bradley has had the opportunity to travel abroad to Japan to gain valuable knowledge of foreign culture and business. After Graduation Bradley has many possibilities that include graduate school, community involvement, and possibly moving right into a career in Business.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Fort Smith’s Competitive Advantage: An Analysis of Industrial Clusters Comprising the Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area Presented by Shayna Gatzke
Since Michael Porter coined the term “cluster” in 1980, economists, governments, and business leaders the world over have used cluster analysis to identify the industrial clusters that form the basis for competitive advantage within cities, regions, and nations. Porter defined clusters as “groups of interconnected firms, suppliers, related industries, and specialized institutions in particular fields that are present in particular locations.” Clusters are an important source of competitive advantage because geographic proximity of related firms increases the productivity with which all firms in the cluster compete. While a number of methods for identifying clusters exist, location quotients, shift-share analysis, and growth-share matrices are three commonly used and interrelated methods for defining industrial clusters and analyzing the strength of those clusters. Input-output analysis provides a means of linking industries together into clusters based on the natural value chain present within sector activities. The current study uses location quotients, shift-share analysis, growth matrices and input-output analysis to identify revenue-generating and rapid-growth industrial clusters in the Fort Smith Metropolitan Statistical Area to provide a foundation for further study and future economic development initiatives in the region. Shayna Gatzke is from Greenwood, Ark. where she lives with her husband and two teenage sons. She is sole proprietor of a successful pet industry business and graduates from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in May. Shayna plans to pursue a graduate degree in Economics at the University of Arkansas. Her career goals include research and teaching at the post-secondary level. Her areas of interest include Game Theory, Industrial Cluster Analysis, International Trade, and Economic Development Policy.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium From Rags to Riches
Presented by Jessica Thomas and James Chaney Today the National Basketball Association is a multibillion-dollar industry with 30 teams, and players boasting being the highest paid professional sportsmen in the world. This is a drastic change from its meager beginnings in 1946. The NBA managed to merge with another league and eventually gain popularity over other independent leagues, but the wild success story of the NBA did not happen overnight. The league had steady expansion through the last few decades, and with that expansion, came a dramatic rise in the price of NBA franchises. For example, in 1968 a new franchise entering the NBA was valued at $12.6 million, which was lower than the value of a new NHL team (Fort 2011). Currently the Sacramento Kings is expected to sell for around $550 million while the NHL’s St. Louis Blues are only valued at $130 million. In this paper, we examine the Cinderella story of the NBA. We look back on the past 50 years to try to identify what has spurred such a huge jump in franchise values and live national media coverage. Prior research has shown fans need a league to have competitive balance because while fans prefer their team to win, they want to watch games with close outcomes. (Rottenberg 1956). Keeping this is mind, we investigate to find factors leading the NBA to become more competitive such as: the change to lottery style drafts in 1985, the balance among the East and West conferences, and the distribution of teams making the playoffs and winning championships. Jessica Thomas graduated from Southside High School in Fort Smith and is majoring in marketing at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She loves movies and aspires to work in the marketing department of a film production company. Jessica’s favorite pastimes include reading, eating, laughing, and sleeping. She hopes to travel all over the world and experience many different cultures. She currently works for the Malco Mall Trio as an assistant manager. One thing Jessica hopes to accomplish within the next year is to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, as she loves the Harry Potter series. James Chaney graduated from Northside High School in Fort Smith and is majoring in business administration at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He enjoys listening to music and aspires to be a successful business owner. James is a proud veteran of the U S Army. He served in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 1991. James is a former employee at whirlpool. He worked for whirlpool for thirteen years. James’s favorite pastimes include traveling, playing sports, and spending time with friends and family. One thing James hopes to accomplish within the next few years is to pay off his house he has lived in for thirteen years.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 8
Presentations in Humanities and Social Sciences Health Sciences 325
2:00 Danaye Amon
2:30 Alicia Banks
3:00 Sara Oelke (Group Presentation)
3:30 Jennifer Verkamp
4:00 Alicia Banks (Group Presentation)
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Condemnation of Andre Serrano’s Piss Christ Presented by Danaye Amon
Andre Serrano’s Piss Christ has been a highly controversial work of art since its creation in 1987. The debate has focused on questions of decency, tolerance, and artistic freedom. In fact, it got personal; Senator Jesse Helms declared from the Senate Floor that Andre Serrano “is not an artist. He is a jerk.” Indeed, the storm surrounding this work continues. In 2011, it was attacked and destroyed while on exhibition in a gallery in Avignon, France. I propose to review the nature of the controversy over Serrano’s Piss Christ (including its effect on funding for the National Endowment of the Arts) and contextualize the arguments of both Serrano’s proponents and his detractors. Finally, I will argue that the Piss Christ is a subversive work of art that explores spirituality and is not a blasphemous message. Rather than degrade this potent Christian symbol, I believe Serrano is commenting on the commercialization and cheapening of Christian symbols in contemporary culture. It pushes the viewer to question the boundaries between the sacred and profane and to confront our own comfort level between one’s own body and one’s own God. It is a work steeped in both mysticism and beauty. Art critic Lucy Lippard described the piece perfectly in 1990 she stated, “[It’s a] darkly beautiful photographic image...the small wood and plastic crucifix becomes virtually monumental as it floats, photographically enlarged, in a deep rosy glow that is both ominous and glorious.” Danaye Amon is a non-traditional student who has attended the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith full time since 2009. Danaye graduated with honors from Northside High School in Fort Smith in 1994. She aspires to enter the advertising or media field and is currently pursuing a degree in Graphic Design. Her research interests stem from a desire to understand and explore fundamental aspects of art and design. These fundamental aspects include the relationship of art and the complexity of interpretation. Danaye studies these aspects in order to understand broader themes such as life, society and human nature.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Extreme Object Attachment and its Correlation to Personality Traits in Musicians Presented by Alicia Banks
We seek to determine whether there is a specific personality trait that correlates with musicians who are determined as overly attached to their instruments. The research could potentially identify possible personality traits that are related to object attachment and bring to light some important factors that play a part in object attachment. We intend to find that musicians deemed as overly attached to their instruments will correlate with a specific personality trait. Expected participants will be recruited from psychology courses from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith through hard copy surveys. There will be at least 50 participants, half will be in the control group labeled non-musicians and the other half will be in the experimental group labeled musicians. Many of the participants will be college-aged students, 18-24 years old, single, and Caucasian. Participants will take either a survey for musicians or a survey for non-musicians, these surveys will assess if they have an extreme attachment and if they have specific personality traits. We predict that results will show that musicians who are overly attached to their instruments will correlate with neuroticism, musicians who are not overly attached to their instruments will be more agreeable. Those that are attached to a favorite possession will tend to show the neuroticism as well, and those that do not have a favorite possession will tend to be extraverted. Alicia Banks graduated from Broken Arrow High School. She aspires to earn a degree in Counseling Psychology and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her research interests include aggression and hostility, music and its physiological effects, personality traits, object attachment, and human sexuality. Currently, she is an intern at the ARC and works with individuals who are diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her life-long goals are to earn a doctorate degree and become an LPC, eventually have a practice, and to work with children and families as well as those with disabilities.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Factors Influencing Attitudes Toward Torture Presented by Sara Oelke and Joshua Evans
The use of torture – or enhanced interrogation methods – has been an on-going source of debate since the previous decade (see, e.g., McCoy, 2006). In particular, the debate has centered on whether or not it is an effective means of extracting vital information from detainees (McCoy, 2006). In the present study we intended to demonstrate that the way the media portrays the occurrence of enhanced interrogation methods affects the level to which the public viewers accept or reject the use those methods. We hypothesized that if the media portrays the use of enhanced interrogation methods as ones that were necessary for the success of the mission, then public viewers are more likely to accept the use of those methods; whereas, if the media portrays the enhanced interrogation methods as extreme and harsh ones when the mission could successfully be conducted after only the use of conventional interrogation methods, the viewers are more likely to reject the use of enhanced methods. Sara Oelke graduated from Harrison High School in 2010 as seventh in her class. She has been attending the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith since the Fall of 2010. Here she is pursuing a major in psychology and a minor is sociology. She is planning on furthering her education by attending graduate school immediately following graduation, which she will accomplish in May of 2014. Her ultimate aspiration is to become a counseling psychologist, with a specialization in child psychology. Joshua Evans graduated from Lincoln High School in 2010 within the top 10% of his class with high honors. He has been attending the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith since the fall of 2010 and graduated in the fall 2012 with his Bachelor’s in Psychology. He is continuing his education at UAFS until he begins Graduate school, potentially, this fall 2013. His primary interest is in research/clinical psychology. He wishes to research the causation of alcohol use disorders and other addictive disorders such as comorbidity of alcohol use in those with disorder eating behavior among males and females (adults and adolescents).
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Correlational Study of Ethnic Identity, Culture, and Language Among Generations of Hispanic Immigrants� Presented by Jennifer Verkamp
Evidence from previous literature suggests that Hispanic immigrants struggle with adjustment issues involving identity, language, and culture. There can be many different types of adjustment issues depending on several factors of the immigrant, especially how long the immigrant has lived in the United States, how old they were when they came to the United States, and to what generation he or she belongs. Therefore, we predict that Hispanic immigrants will identify themselves differently with respect to ethnic identity, language, and culture depending upon which generation they belong , i.e., 1st generation, generation 1.5, or the 2nd generation. Surveys were delivered via hardcopy or electronically at www.instant.ly . Sixty-one Hispanics currently living in the United States responded. When the results were analyzed it showed that those in the generation 1.5 and the 2nd generation were more bilingual, the longer Hispanics live in the USA the more likely they were to identify themselves as American or hyphenate their identity with their country of origin and American. Jennifer Verkamp graduated from Charleston High School. She will graduate this May 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Spanish and Psychology and aspires to obtain a Master’s in Social Work. She has been the president of the UAFS Catholic Campus Ministry for 3 years, is involved in advocacy for the DREAM Act at the state level, and is helping to start a scholarship program for young girls in Esquipulas, Guatemala. She has become interested in researching identity issues among Hispanic immigrants because of her travels to Central America and working with her Hispanic colleagues at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith toward the passage of the state level DREAM Act.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Musically Inclined Behavior: A Study of Music, its Correlation to Emotional Arousal, and How it Affects Adults Physiologically Presented by Alicia Banks and Madison Serratt
We intend to show how strongly music can affect a person by examining the correlation between music and emotional arousal and how emotional arousal affects one’s behaviors, as well as how emotional arousal correlates with physiological measurements. We predict that the subjects that like music that tend to have more explicit lyrics towards sex, drugs, and violence will be more aggressive than those who like classical or relaxing music, those that like more upbeat music will be happier and more calm in situations, music with a slower tempo will generate negative feelings like sadness, and music with a faster tempo will generate positive feelings like happiness. Also, that the musical excerpts that convey emotions such as sadness and happiness, and will steady or even decrease the participants BP, heart rate, and oxygen level. Musical excerpts that convey emotions such as anger, fear, or excitement will speed up or increase these physiological measurements. Thirty- two participants listened to 9 musical excerpts from different genres of music and took surveys after each excerpt over how the music made them feel. The results show that music with explicit lyrics correlate with more aggressive behavior than calm/relaxing music and positive music. The selections with slower tempo correlate with more negative feelings and the music with fast tempo correlate with more positive feelings. Heart rate was shown to increase and/or decrease at least once for each excerpt. For the most part, the results correlated with previous research and with our hypotheses. Alicia Banks graduated from Broken Arrow High School. She aspires to earn a degree in Counseling Psychology and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her research interests include aggression and hostility, music and its physiological effects, personality traits, object attachment, and human sexuality. Currently, she is an intern at the ARC and works with individuals who are diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her life-long goals are to earn a doctorate degree and become an LPC, eventually have a practice, and to work with children and families as well as those with disabilities.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 9
Presentations in Humanities and Social Sciences Health Sciences 326
2:00 Jerry Wing
2:30 Robyn Slagle
3:00 Brian Bailey
3:30 David Holland
4:00 Amber Wright (Group Presentation)
4:30 Aron Long
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Undergraduate Research Symposium A Whole New World Presented by Jerry Wing
There are numerous examples of people groups adapting their traditions to face new challenges in their environment. This is true not only of the ways people gather food and build shelter, but also in how they protect their existence through war. These changes can be due to either the influence of a newly discovered technology, or to interaction with a previously unknown people group. In this paper, Mr. Wing makes the argument that warfare in New England underwent a transformation when the English colonists demonstrated European-style warfare to the Native American tribes during the Pequot War in 1637, and in King Phillip’s War, in 1675. The paper discusses these two wars, and describes how Native American ritualistic warfare and European total warfare differ. In King Phillip’s War, the Native American warriors showed behavior that was decidedly different from their traditional war-making methods. The evolution of a style of total warfare by the English settlers and Native Americans in New England unleashed a ferocious plague of horrific destruction that would consume not only the Indians, but the colonists , for a century to come through the later colonial wars between France and Great Britain. The Pequot War and King Phillips’s War set important precedents for how wars would be conducted in the northeastern corner of North America. Jerry Wing is a sophomore at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. He was homeschooled for most of his school experience. His academic passion is history, and he is pursuing a degree in History, with a concentration in Historical Interpretation. Jerry is interested in pursuing a secondary degree after graduating from the University of Arkansas -Fort Smith, but he is currently undecided as to the focus of study that he will take. Jerry is the son of Tom and Renee Wing and has three brothers.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Impact of the Flapper on Industry, Advertising, and Women’s Independence Presented by Robyn Slagle
This paper focused on the influences that the flapper had on advertising, industry, and the American female youth culture. Flapperdom transformed the diffident Gibson Girl of the late nineteenth century to the fun loving and uninhibited young woman of the early twentieth century. Women of the Victorian era lived in a separate sphere where they were expected to remain subservient to the male population. As women became more prominent through the women’s suffrage movement, scholarly pursuits, and active participation in the workforce, they also became more visible in the genres of motion pictures, literature, and advertisements in popular magazines. The image of the flapper, the woman of the 1920s, who wore make-up, cut her long hair into a short bob, and wore loose, anatomically ambiguous clothing, became an American icon. This new “modern” woman broke free of societal restraints – she drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and danced freely in public and would become the example for which most young and collegiate-aged women strove to emulate. This paper proved that the desire of young women to copy the image of the fashionable, spontaneous, and unconstrained flapper they saw in advertisements, watched on the movie screen, and read about in popular books created industries, stimulated economies, and started a revolution that freed women from the restraints that had confined women in a separate sphere during the Victorian era. Robyn Slagle is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. She became a resident of Arkansas upon her marriage to David Slagle in August 2005. Robyn decided to pursue a history degree when she returned to school in 2009. She intends to further her degree in the fall of 2013 when she enters graduate school. She plans to teach history at Rich Mountain Community College, where she began her pursuit of higher education. Her historical interests include Renaissance England and late 19th to early 20th century American history. Robyn is a devoted wife and mother. In addition to being an avid reader, Robyn enjoys cooking, and gardening.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Drop The Needle, Have A Drink: The Effect of Prohibition on Jazz and Its Artists Presented by Brian Bailey
This research paper focuses on a brief history of the events that lead to prohibition in 1920 and its effects on jazz, some of its musicians and the general population. It explores the rolls of the American gangster in relation to music and how they were the necessary patrons of the art in order to have a cover for their illicit underground dealings. It also brings to light the government’s position on how they thought their country should act by lacing industrial strength alcohol with even more dangerous chemicals to deter people from drinking. This of course had the opposite effect. This paper not only looks at how jazz was affected by the political and social climates but how these affected one musician in particular, Bix Biederbecke, a famed cornetist of the era. It brings about his struggles with alcohol and how its dangerously high caustic nature would eventually lead to his death. Brian Bailey graduated from John Marshall High School in San Antonio, Texas and was brought to the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith by Charles L. Booker, Jr., Associate Professor of Theory and Composition, on a music scholarship. When not in classes, Brian is in various ensembles including symphonic band, jazz band, Jazz Catz, percussion ensemble, and athletic band. Outside of school he is in multiple jazz combos, and a Cake cover band, Fake. He hopes to continue on to a graduate program to study jazz more ardently, in hopes of spreading the word of one of this country’s greatest art forms.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Transcribing Renaissance Lute Tablatures for the Modern Guitarist: Gaining an Historical Perspective on the Techniques and Literature of Fretted Instruments since the Renaissance Presented by David Holland
As the inheritor of the lutenist’s mantle, it is important for the classical guitarist to acquire an understanding of the history and literature of the lute, along with its direct and indirect influence on the development of the modern guitar, its technique, and its literature. An important step in gaining such a perspective is, of course, to study on the original instrument from original printings or manuscripts. However, cost and availability of period-correct lutes, and limited access to manuscripts or original editions resign most modern fretted instrument students (and instructors) to the study of modern editions of lute pieces which have been transcribed, fingered, and edited for the modern guitar. Experienced students (and teachers) would be well-served by gaining the ability to translate ancient graphic intabulations into modern musical notation. First, the ancient system must be translated, deciphering not only the meanings of the written system’s symbology (spatial orientation, rhythmic indications, fingerings, agrément, etc.,) but also of the unwritten aspects—posture, hand positions, and most importantly, the reference tuning of the strings. Second, the translator must transcribe the information gained from one medium (lute) into another (guitar) by equating elements of the archaic mechanical/graphic system into its counterparts in the pitch-specific system of modern notation. Lastly, the transcriber should edit the translated and transcribed material into a consumable form applicable to the techniques and performance practices observed by the modern guitarist. Details of this process will be documented and illustrated by the performance of excerpts from “Fantasie” by French lutenist, Julien Belin (published 1556, Paris,) on both the renaissance tenor lute and the modern guitar. David Holland graduated from Van Buren High School, attended Westark Community College, and spent 4 years at the University of Miami studying classical guitar with Maestro Juan Mercadal. Currently pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Jazz Performance, David is a professional musician who teaches, performs, writes and arranges. He also runs a recording studio and hosts a weekly radio show that spotlights the music of local artists. David is a faculty member of the UAFS Jazz Camps, where he serves as guitar coach and he volunteers regularly with the FSPS orchestra program as guest orchestrator and performer. He is currently studying jazz guitar and renaissance lute.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Revolve: An innovation in UAFS Theatre Design Presented by Amber Wright and Jason Smith
Drømnium was a devised theatrical piece involving the efforts of UAFS students and faculty. As such, we will present the research required to construct and the actual application of the theatrical revolve through our collective endeavor on behalf of all those involved. After deciding to set the play in a train station we began considering what the world of the train station was like. We became fascinated with the idea of a train turntable and this became the basis for the creation of the revolve. While researching train stations and turntables we began to develop a sense of what life would be like in a busy train station full of travelers. We had to find a way to build this as part of our set that could be both functional and portable. We started with layouts, measuring, cutting out and assembling platforms. We attached casters to the bottoms of the platforms and connected them by layering pieces of plywood. This form of construction allowed us to assemble and deconstruct in an organized manner, which also helped with the touring of our show to various venues. With the assistance of the UAFS Engineering department we were able to make the revolve operational. We manipulated the revolve’s speed as well as its use during the play to highlight moments as opposed to overusing it. Amber Wright graduated from West Fork High School. She aspires to enter into the film industry and is currently pursuing a degree in theatre and she is currently finishing her junior year. Her research interests include acting as well as medical information specifically anatomy which was her favorite class while she had a brief run as a Radiology Major. After obtaining her degree she plans to move to the Los Angeles area where she will continue her acting education as well as auditioning and participating in local projects. Jason Smith graduated from Sallisaw High School. He aspires to enter the acting and film industry and is currently a senior finishing up his Theater degree. He is graduating this spring and will be moving out to Los Angeles to use his knowledge that he acquired at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. His Skills includes Acting, clowning, juggling, directing, stage managing, carpentry, welding, masonry, scenic design, lighting design, costume design, makeup design, and scenic painting.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Adagio: Nontraditional Storytelling Presented by Aron Long
The goal of this project is to create and tell a story in an unorthodox manner to enhance its experience to the audience. At the collegiate level, students are constantly searching for unique and exciting techniques to apply to their craft. Through the use of physical theater, traditional narrative dialogue transforms into acrobatic dance with nonverbal acting. Limitations and creativity present themselves abundantly during this process of research and performance. In order to demonstrate the goal of creating movement-based storytelling, one will have to begin with the process of research, being physical as well as traditional. Secondly, the research needs to be translated and collaborated with performers into loose choreography. Finally, additional moments of acting link the choreography to the storytelling and complete the process. Aron Long, of Northeast Arkansas, will graduate from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith this semester with a Bachelor’s degree in Theater, with an emphasis in acting and directing. His most recent work at the university includes a devised physical piece titled Drømnium, which has been recognized by the Kennedy Center. Not only a performer, he also had the privilege to assist in choreography and directing, which has been recognized by the Kennedy Center for the only Outstanding Choreography award in the United States. After graduation, he plans to continue pursuing and studying theater in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 10
Presentations in Applied Science, CADD, IT, and Biology Health Sciences 222
2:00 Odis Stephens (Group Presentation)
2:30 Alec Justice (Group Presentation)
3:00 Benjamin Scott
3:30 Nathan Boen
4:00 Mac Buchanan
4:30 James Brandli
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Saving Our Planet: An Energy Audit to Help Reduce Customers’ Utility Costs Presented by Odis Stephens, Bruce Inthavong, Eric McClesky, and Charles Flemming
Oklahoma Gas and Electric Energy Corporation (OG&EEC) serves an area covering approximately 30,000 miles in Oklahoma and Western Arkansas, providing electrical service to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. OG&EEC acquires electricity from electrical power generation, coal fired plants, and wind generation. To reduce the cost of electricity, the company performs energy audits to locate areas where energy is leaking from a building, and makes recommendations of measures to stop the leaks. These audits help OG&EEC insure a high level of service reliability, and serve the needs of OG&EEC’s customers in a cost-efficient manner. Four students, currently completing a course in Sustainable Conservation, will work with OGE to conduct an in-depth energy audit on an existing Fort Smith residence chosen by OGE technicians. Follow-up improvements will be scheduled by these technicians and observed by the student team. This presentation will discuss the energy audit they helped conduct – to include the methodologies employed – as well as the results of research on affordable and effective energy improvements that can be implemented on residences. UAFS faculty, students, OGE personnel, and the general public are invited to the presentation. Odis Stephens graduated from Northside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. in 1965. He served three years in the Navy after graduation; after his discharge, he got married and started a family. He still had a dream to become an Electrical Technician. After retiring, he returned to school and graduated in the Electronics Technology field. He is seeking a Bachelor of Applied Science degree, and is looking into Energy Conservation and ways of saving our world. Bruce Inthavong graduated from Cedarville High School in 2001. After attending Spartan School of Aeronautics for a short amount of time, he decided to join the Arkansas Air National Guard in 2003. He returned to college in the fall of 2005 at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He has always been inspired to enter the Electronics field, and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science. His research interests include energy auditing and trying to determine ways to lower the energy cost of residential homes. Eric McCleskey went to Wickes High School in Wickes, Ark. He moved to Fort Smith in 1999 and began working for Southern Steel and Wire as a Set-up, where he was employed for 9 years. In 2008, Eric took advantage of an employment opportunity and began working for Baldor Electric in Fort Smith as a Maintenance Technician, a position he currently holds. He began attending college at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in the fall of 2009 and earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electronics Technology. He is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Applied Science. Charles Flemming graduated from Northside High School in 1988. After graduation, he attended the University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff. Upon completing a year of study, and becoming a new father, he decided to move back home. While in Fort Smith, he was employed at Gerber, Planters, and Riverside - where he spent 12 years as a Finish Supervisor. Riverside eventually moved their production to China, which allowed him to take advantage of the Trade Adjustment and Retraining Act and return to school. Charles has always been interested in electronics/electricity and graduated in 2012 with an Associates of Applied Science in Electronics Technology. He is now pursuing a Bachelors of Applied Science.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Applying Principles and Learning Outcomes From the Bachelor of Applied Science Program to Manufacturing of Guitars Presented by Alec Justice, Eli Young, Mark Lennon, and Dustin Sisco
Using the principles and lessons we have learned in the Bachelor of Applied Science classes to include project management, production planning and scheduling and the STEM guitar class. We will be modeling the steps that need to be taken to start a guitar manufacturing facility here in Fort Smith. Using different techniques and manufacturing processes we plan to explore the most cost effective solution to starting a guitar manufacturing facility, and additionally we will consider adding two additional lines of linear ascending quality. We will take into account the different steps of assembly, such as setting sculpting and polishing frets, shaping the wood of the body and the neck, building the electronics, and other small steps like sealing, staining or applying a polyurethane finish to the wood. We will use various vendors to supply varying quality choices for the consumer. We will cover the cost of equipment and tooling, as many of the equipment and tools needed are guitar specific. We will also cover the cost of woods, along with defining the legal standards for wood, and the shipping of the other parts from various suppliers. For higher end marketing, we will take use of pre-manufactured necks and bodies; this will ensure a standard of quality control unequaled by our total self-made budget line. Further benefits include faster assembly, which will help to offset the additional expense of labor, which will then be able to be transferred to the product consumers. Alec Justice is a senior at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. He was raised in Arkansas and went to Van Buren High School. Alec completed his Associate of Electronics Technology degree in 2011, and is set to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in December of this year. Alec hopes to work in photography and video for overseas humanitarian organizations against human trafficking, and with other non-profit organizations. He is currently employed at Grand Avenue Baptist Church as a Media Intern, doing video and graphic design work. Alec’s hobbies include music, video games, and reading. A life differing from normality, Eli Young has been home schooled all throughout his grade/high school years. He tried attending college right out of high school, but found he was not ready to decide what to do with his life. After a year and a half he joined the United States Navy and dedicated 5 years to becoming the best electrician for C-2A Greyhounds he could be. His hard work paid off and he became an almost unheard of Collateral Duty Inspector for the corrosion shop as well as the electricians. He left service as a Petty Officer Third Class and is now continuing his education. He holds an Associate of Applied Science in Applied Technology and is working towards a Bachelor of Applied Science. Mark Lennon is currently an automotive instructor for the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He has 29 years experience as an automotive technician specializing in electrical and electronics. He holds an associate degree in biblical studies from Andersonville Theological Seminary, and an Associate of Applied Science degree in General Technology from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He is currently a senior working toward his Bachelor of Applied Science. Mark enjoys running audio and helping with multimedia at Abbot Baptist Church. In his free time, Mark likes to do computer repair, designing and constructing electronic circuits, and building home improvement projects. Mark and his wife have been foster parents here in Arkansas for 3 years.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Fort in Unity: A Virtual Tour of the First Fort in a Gaming Environment Presented by Benjamin Scott
The objective of this research project was to determine if a video game software engine could be used as a vehicle for interactively exploring reconstructed historic sites or events. The future applications of this process could include the virtual examination of historic battles, conflicts, understanding complex systems such as the ancient aqueducts of Rome, or simply being able to walk through long destroyed cities. This process could be used for presenting the true scale of structures, battles or cultural artifacts especially to those too young to fully understand such without significant visual clues. While the scale of this project only reflects architectural elements one could easily see how this concept could be applied to assist in a variety of virtual environments such as training doctors in the use of camera scope. The process of producing this virtual historic interactive walk-through was completed in two parts. The first portion was to create an accurately modeled virtual replica of the First Fort of Fort Smith, Arkansas. This original fort was built in 1819 before the invention of cameras and so therefore there is no photographic representation. This part of the project was completed using the Building Information Model software, Revit, by former students in the Spring of 2012. The second step of the process was to import the Revit model of the accurate reconstruction of the First Fort into additional software products that allowed the file to be imported into the game engine software. The program, Unity, was selected for this purpose based on its ability to easily explore options in the virtual environment. While this version of the game engine is not considered the final product it is capable of showing how game engine software can be used for the objective of interactively examining historic sites. Ben Scott is a 17 year old, 11th grade student at Lavaca High School, as well as, a WATC student at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. He plans to complete his associates’ degree in Digital Design at UAFS in May of 2014. His research interests include animation design as well as incorporating gaming software with the recreation of nonexistent historical sites. Ben enjoys building powerful computers able to handle the needs of the extreme software products in Technical Computer Graphics.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Mining – Digging for the Truth Presented by Nathan Boen
Before the 2008 primaries, President Barack Obama hired a department of analysts to discover ways to accumulate votes. This worked so well for him; two years before the 2012 election he built an analytics department five times the size of that he had in 2008. This helped him go on to win the 2012 presidential election against Governor Mitt Romney. This use of data mining is just one example of many different ways that it may be taken advantage. This method of prediction is part of the data mining spectrum, but it also encompasses so much more. In today’s pop culture, data mining is thrown around loosely as a way to predict the future. Data mining, also known as predictive analytics has also been heard by experts to describe effects of global warming, the economy, sports, and disease outbreaks. But what is data mining, and do these experts actually believe these predictions they make? What goes into making such prediction? And can they actually be relied upon to predict the future? President Obama used a form of data mining known as affinity analysis. In addition, there are other methods of data mining: classification and prediction. These concepts will be included in more detail later. The process to develop these methods is rather complex and can be very rigorous. The product of this process is a model. This model can then be applied to unknown data and used to discover trends with some degree of accuracy. This paper will help break down and explain the process and parts of a model that is used in data mining. Accompanying real world examples, a simpler more practical example will be used to help understand what data mining really is and the focus of this paper, how it is created. The paper will be broken down accordingly. Section I will further introduce the topic. Reasons why, and what people and organizations use data mining will be covered in Section II. Section III takes a more in-depth look at what makes up data mining and what goes into building a model. A brief history and a look at the future of data mining will be included in Section IV. And Section V will be a conclusion of the topic. Nathan Boen was born and raised in Van Buren, Arkansas. He is an IT major with an emphasis in Database Management. In what very little free time he has, reading books and spending time with friends and family keeps him busy; with a little bit of television. In the future, he wishes to spend more time traveling, international travel when possible. After graduation, for instance, he will be partaking on the China/South Korea Maymester sponsored by the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Within a year or two after graduating, he plans on returning to school to pursue a master’s degree.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium A Comparison of Database Management System Performance Presented by Mac Buchanan
This paper presents a comparison between installing Oracle 11g database on a Windows machine and a Linux machine. It also presents another comparison between the use of Oracle 10g and 11g. This paper attempts to discover what is the best Oracle database setup for superior database performance. There is an introduction to Performance Tuning and a brief look at the various aspects of Performance tuning. Also, there is an introduction to Oracle software and the various editions and supported Operating Systems. In this paper, some of the tools and differences between the two Oracle Databases and Operating Systems will be introduced and discussed based on research findings in various articles and Web sites. In addition, physical research was performed by creating three separate database systems, (1) using Oracle Linux and Oracle 11g, (2) using Windows XP and Oracle 11g, and(3) using Windows XP and Oracle10g. The three systems were installed on identical Virtual Machines and used an identical script that created a database with three tables, two with twenty thousand rows and one with two million rows, for the purpose of testing and determining which system might have the best performance. Mac Buchanan is from Poteau, Oklahoma and is studying Database Management in the Information Technology field at the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. He enjoys programming, auto mechanics, and woodworking. After graduation in May 2013, he looks forward to beginning a new career in the Information Technology field and raising his three young children. In his spare time Mac is planning to work on his 1997 Pontiac Firebird project car, build and sell toy boxes, cat towers, and book cases, and fish the lakes of Oklahoma with his children. He is also hoping to write software and set up web sites for small businesses.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Tackling Food Insecurity through Sustainable Integrated Food Solution Presented by James Brandli
This research seeks to further develop and improve the most advanced and sustainable food production technique of aquaponics, which merges traditional aquaculture and hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. With the global population set to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, a situation compounded by growing urbanization, there is a need for increased food production using sustainable methods. Besides the usual fish and vegetables produced in aquaponics, this system has added a component of poultry and rabbit production. This project builds upon previous research on aquaponics, but adds scalability in food production and ability to easily control and predict food production outputs. Additionally, it maximizes sustainability in food production by reusing by-products and waste to limit the amount of energy needed to drive the system. This system enhances productivity considerably compared to terrestrial farming. In addition to enhanced fish, poultry and rabbit production, it increases food crop production from the average of 0.2443 pounds per square foot in terrestrial farming to an average of 3.67 pounds per square foot. This massive increase in productivity is achieved despite the fact that the system functions on less than 10% of the water needed in traditional farming methods. Not only does this project help address the global challenge of food insecurity by using a sustainable food production technique, but it also allows for food production in areas with scarce arable land and in regions with limited water resources for terrestrial farming or traditional aquaculture practices. This project is both business and environmental friendly. James returned to school after nearly two decades as a contractor. He will graduate in May 2013. In the fall of 2013, James will begin his Master’s degree at Green Mountain College in Vermont where he plans to earn the MSFS (Masters of Science in Sustainable Food Systems). James plans to begin working on his PhD upon completion of the MSFS. The pursuit of the most sustainable food production system with the highest possible yields will be his focus throughout his career.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 11
Presentations in Information Technology Health Sciences 223
2:00 Keith Westphal
2:30 Josh Schumacher
3:00 Sebastian Bossarte
3:30 Jacob Huffstetler
4:00 Jonathan Freeman
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Aggressiveness and Grouping of Agents in Action-based Games Presented by Keith Westphal
Non-player characters (NPC’s) within a single-player action-based game have typically been easy to kill. These NPC’s in general will stand in one spot and try to kill the player without any thought to their environment and they are generally scattered about. Additionally, these NPC’s often do not work as a team to overwhelm the players. This research proposes that these agents should have adjustable behavior parameters that allow them to adapt to the behaviors of their opponents. In particular, this research proposes these NPC’s have an adjustable aggressiveness towards the player giving them an option on whether to hide or to attack. Also, it examines the utility of agents that attempt to attack together and work in a group using simple decision making rather than being individuals. We developed a simulation that gathers information regarding the win percentages of teams of agents that have various behavior combinations versus different types of opponents. Behavior parameters examined include individuality versus teamwork and aggressive posture versus defensive posture. Results showed that certain behavior combinations have significant utility when the behavior of the opposing team is identified. Keith is from Springdale, Arkansas. He is finishing his degree in Information Technology (Programming track) and plans to continue on to graduate school.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Location Prediction for Smart Buildings Josh Schumacher
Location prediction is a recent area of study that uses intermittent user location data to predict future and important locations. The technology is based on using Geo-Fences and mobile devices to collect user data. This data can be analyzed to identify important locations and patterns. The locations and patterns identified can then be used in systems applications, advertising and social media. The use case that the algorithm was applied to was the A/C of a simulated smart building. The simulation used generalized formulas to generate the building’s thermodynamics while ignoring external forces. The simulation also only focused on a simple two dimensional, single level, large space. The algorithm produced comparable results to previous studies on accuracy and showed a decrease on overall activity based. The problem with the proposed algorithm is the amount of historical data that it requires for accurate predictions. If the locations of users in a business can be accurately predicted then the A/C system can better adjust itself to reduce waste while maintaining comfort levels. Josh Schumacher graduated from Arkansas School for the Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts in 2008. His primary interest is applications of Machine Learning to solve complex and human related problems. His academic interests include Bayesian statistical inference, Euclidean Geometry, and remote sensor networks.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Video Games from the Ground Up Presented by Sebastian Bossarte
The modern game developer has a wide selection of frameworks available to them to produce video games with, each of which are designed to simplify the development process. Some developers choose to forego using these tools for a number of reasons, be it licensing, cost, usability, etc. These developers may choose to build their own framework to use in their development of games. It is possible for a framework to be developed for a specific game, but usually a framework is designed with a number of games in mind. A framework’s design can be what makes a framework more suitable for certain kinds of games and less suitable for others. Choosing what to support within a framework, and how it shall be supported are thus important to consider when determining what a framework’s intended use shall be. For this research, a game framework was designed, implemented, and evaluated for the purpose of determining what it takes to develop a framework from a set of one or more low-level APIs. The purpose of creating this framework is that existing frameworks make assumptions and thus have restrictions and limits on what a developer can do with them. A primary goal of the framework is to reduce or eliminate the amount and impact of assumptions made. Some of the main subsystems involved in the framework are the composition of game objects, communication among game objects, saving and loading of game objects, and synchronization of game objects over a network. Each of these subsystems has an entire development process and reasoning behind why it became the way it was in the final framework. After moving to Arkansas in 2008, Sebastian Bossarte graduated with honors from Van Buren High School in 2010. Throughout his pursuit of an IT – Programming degree, he has spent much of his free time honing his skills in the field of game development. Becoming a game programmer is his life goal, and he is determined to do everything he can during his time at UAFS to help achieve that goal. He enjoys playing games as much as he does making them, and is also an avid collector of anything dragon-related.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium USB 3.0: Are Their Variations In Transfer Speed Attributable To Media? Presented by Jacob Huffstetler
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0, also known as USB SuperSpeed, is the newest version of USB transfer technologies. Its theoretical maximum transfer rate is 5 gigabits per second (Gbps). That is 10 times the speed of its predecessor, USB 2.0, which is rated at 480 megabits per second (Mbps) however, the typical speeds reached using USB SuperSpeed when transferring data to and from a compatible USB 3.0 external hard drive is significantly slower than the theoretical speeds claimed. Like USB SuperSpeed, solid state drives (SSD) are also becoming a more prevalent technology. An SSD, as opposed to a mechanical hard drive (HDD), does not have any moving parts and for this reason they do not get as hot; in electronics, heat adds resistance which hinders performance in circuits. This research uses experimentation to discover if a user is able to get closer to USB SuperSpeed theoretical maximum speeds of 5Gbps by using SSDs. The validity of this research lies in that USB SuperSpeed technology now comes standard on most currently sold personal computers using the Windows Operating System. According to current data compiled by netapplications.com, 93% of all users operate some form of a Windows Operating System therefore this will affect most users at some point if it has not already. While SSDs are not standard in most new computers, their price continues to drop so it is possible that soon it may become standard for computers to be distributed with factory-installed SSDs. Jacob Huffstetler is a non-traditional student. Two weeks after graduating High School from Van Buren High School he left for Basic Military Training. He was a member of the Arkansas Air National Guard for five years, specifically the 188th Fighter Wing. While there, he held two positions; power production, involving operating and maintaining diesel powered generators, and Meteorology, involving observing and forecasting. During and after this he worked in several blue-collar positions before meeting his wife and desiring to become educated. He aspires to work in cyber security for the United States government.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium RDBMS performance tuning and the scalability of NoSQL systems Jonathan Freeman
This paper looks at the architecture of the traditional Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) and provides proven ways to optimize performance. The paper focuses primarily on query and storage optimization as the focus for performance tuning. In addition, it addresses the potential scaling problems of the traditional RDBMS and look at the new NoSQL paradigm as a potential solution. NoSQL disregards many of the ideas the traditional RDBMS have used for decades for better scalability and performance. Through my research I identify situations where NoSQL is more beneficial to use over RDBMS and vice versa. Jonathan Freeman is from Oklahoma City and graduated from Westmoore High School. He aspires to be a great computer scientist and work on great projects. After attending Oklahoma University for Computer Science, he moved with his family to Fort Smith, Arkansas. He then decided to attend the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith. There he had the option of studying Database Management in the Information Technology curriculum. His previous programming knowledge helped him excel in the IT Database curriculum. Today, he continues to learn more about databases and their critical roles in today’s economy.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 12
Presentations in Engineering, Mathematics, and Education Health Sciences 223
2:00 Kevin Tran
2:30 Clayton Lincoln (Group Presentation)
3:00 Andrew Binder
3:30 Nathan Ashley
4:00 Greg Stephens
4:30 Brianne Fox
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Second Generation Battery Electric Vehicle Presented by Kevin Tran
This presentation will discuss the design and construction of a second generation Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). The second generation BEV incorporates a standard 5-speed transmission and an 108 cell Lithium Ion (LI) battery operating at 345 V. Calculations covered in the presentation will show an 8 horsepower 3-phase induction motor will be a sufficient prime mover for this BEV. The standard transmission allows proper acceleration and hill climbing capabilities as needed in a passenger vehicle. Measured torque versus speed data will be presented which clearly indicates the 8 horsepower motor is capable of producing the desired torque. LI Battery data detailing the voltage sag as the motor exerts more torque at various speeds will be included. The presentation will provide details of a new automotive motor drive under development; this drive will be physically smaller and lighter than the one currently being used while improving vehicle efficiency and performance. Additionally, a DC boost circuit needed to increase 240 V (rms) to 350 V (DC) will be discussed; the boost circuit will allow drive testing using house power. Kevin graduated from Southside High School. He is currently in his senior year of college pursuing his bachelor degree in electrical engineering. His research includes how to make a more efficient battery electric vehicle. Currently he is working on making a boost circuit to create a 350-volt direct current from a 240-volt alternating current source.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The “Drømnium” Stage Revolver Presented by Clayton Lincoln and Daniel Schwartz
The original and award winning play “Drømnium” was presented for the first time in October 2012 on the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (UAFS) campus. This play was written and directed by UAFS students as part of their education. As part of the play, a 24 foot, 3500 pound stage revolves at 3 rpm carrying up to 30 actors with a 250 pound set resting on it. In order for a 2 horsepower electric motor to turn the stage, a 60:1 right angle gearbox was incorporated to decrease the shaft speed and increase the output torque. The gearbox shaft was connected to an 8 inch pneumatic tire providing a frictional contact point controllable slip. The 2 horsepower motor and the controller used to construct this stage revolver were donated by the ABB Baldor Corporation of Fort Smith. This presentation provides details of how the stage revolver was designed and constructed. Data used for the stage revolver design will be presented to provide a more complete understanding of the project. Clayton Lincoln graduated from El Dorado High School in 2010. He is currently enrolled at UAFS pursing a bachelor’s degree in applied science with Electronics Technology. He is currently an intern at Monty’s TV and Electronics in Fort Smith, AR. His interests lay in home theater, television repair, car audio, graphic design, and serving his local church. Daniel Schwartz graduated from Southside High School with honors. He received the Baldor engineering scholarship and has a 4.0 going into his second semester of college. He hopes to maintain this GPA and graduate in May of 2016. His research interests include computers and microprocessors. After completing the degree, he aspires to enter the engineering field with new ideas to help shape the future of Electrical Engineering and computer design.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Mars Rover Project Presented by Andrew Binder
A joint research project between Harding University and the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (UAFS) to design and construct a Mars rover capable of scanning large areas for biogases began summer 2012. The rover project is broken into four areas of design: mechanical systems, electrical systems, instrumentation (IR Spectrometer, etc.), and programming. The Harding University team is responsible for mechanical systems and instrumentation while the UAFS team is responsible for electrical systems and programming. This presentation will discuss the design and construction of the motor speed control circuits, +/- 15 V power supplies used by onboard instrumentation such as the IR spectrometer, and programming allowing autonomous rover guidance. This rover design relies on a single 12 V Lithium Ion (LI) battery forcing efficient use of energy. The presentation will also include rover power demand data for payload testing and hill climbing. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of expected next steps in rover design which include incorporation of wireless communications, cameras for pattern recognition, and a motorized arm that can pick up and place a portable retroreflector needed for IR spectroscopy. Andrew Binder spent most of his life on Guam and graduated High School as a homeschool student. He aspires to work in the field of design engineering and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. His research interests include analog and digital circuitry design as well as prototype design work and it’s applications. Andrew graduates with his B.S.E.E in December of 2013 and is pursuing an entry-level job in design engineering or electrical engineering.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium How Teaching Style Impacts AP Exam Scores for Calculus A/B Presented by Nathan Ashley
This research project is a study I conducted with the cooperation of several area schools to determine the impact teaching style has on student performance on the AP exam for Calculus A/B. The participating schools were Charleston High School, Lavaca High School, Northside High School, Southside High School, and Van Buren High School. These schools were chosen to provide a variety of demographics and school size. I developed a set of questions and then conducted an interview with each of the cooperating Calculus A/B teachers. Initially I was interested in how the use of technology in the classroom impacted the students’ AP exam scores; however, finding that the technologies were being used in similar manners in all the schools, I adjusted the focus of the project to concentrate on the use of different teaching styles – namely constructivists versus behaviorists. I visited each teacher’s classroom during his or her calculus class for two main reasons, to observe the dynamics of the classroom and to verify the information gathered from the interview with that teacher. Three years of test data were used in the analysis, which is consistent with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) protocol. This presentation correlates the various teaching styles with their respective test results. Nathan Ashley graduated valedictorian from Charleston High School. He began his college career as a mechanical engineering student; however, having always loved mathematics, he now aspires to be a high school mathematics teacher. In high school, Nathan was recognized for his exceptional performance in mathematics, and recently ETS (Educational Testing Service) awarded him “ETS Recognition of Excellence” for his Praxis II mathematics content score. Nathan has been a member of the Math Club since spring 2012 and has attended a Mathematical Association of America (MAA) conference at Henderson State University (Arkadelphia, Arkansas October 2012) as well as the MidSouth Undergraduate Research Conference at Southern Arkansas University (Magnolia, Arkansas April 2012). Nathan also volunteers at his church.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Counting Structural Matrix Rings Presented by Greg Stephens
A structural matrix ring is a subset of matrices determined by zeros in specific entries and other entries unrestricted. This project investigates the question of how many such subsets form a ring. It can be shown that the only property that needs to be checked is the closure of multiplication. A computer algorithm can be used to do this but the length of time to check matrices greater than 5x5 becomes too great to be practical. Properties equivalent to the closure of multiplication in these subsets are found, and applied to the question. Also, a connection to transitive relations is made and provides more results to bear. Additional questions still exist for structural matrices with particular properties with applications to transitive relations. Greg Stephens is a 2006 graduate of Southside High School. He is expected to graduate in December 2013 and most recently attended the Arkansas Curriculum Conference this past November in Little Rock, Ark.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Time Complexity Classes of Certain Integer Functions Presented by Brianne Fox
Factoring an integer into its prime number divisors is one of the most difficult tasks for a computer to perform in terms of the time required to complete the task. So impractical in fact that the foundation of internet security rests on this premise. In this project, we consider how difficult it is, in terms of time requirement, for a theoretical computer, a Turing Machine, to compute the output of familiar integer functions like n!, n^2, and 2^n. We define the notion of time complexity class and determine to which class these integer functions belong. Anticipated to graduate in May 2013, Brianne is a senior Mathematics major with a minor in IT Web Development. She is a member of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Math Club.
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Room 13
Presentations in Education Health Sciences 223
2:00 Hannah Crawford
2:30 Kent Elmore
3:00 Diane Humphrey
3:30 Sayuri Barnett
4:00 Clairessa Campbell
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Effects of Classroom Procedures and Arrangements on Student Learning Presented by Hannah Crawford
In order for students to learn, they must be actively engaged in the lesson at hand. It is difficult for that to happen when procedures are not consistently enforced or followed by the teacher and when there is a minimum of space in which students can move. A teacher can experiment with different seating arrangements and analyze their effectiveness in student engagement and participation. When students have the opportunity to collaborate in groups and to create rules, they take ownership in designing reasonable rules and procedures to be followed by all in the classroom. Additionally complicating and sometimes cluttering the classroom environment, many teachers face the difficulty of trying to fit many learning materials into a room with limited storage space. Along with this, the rules and procedures, whether student or teacher-designed, must be enforced for them to be effective. Observing in a small, rural classroom limited the observer’s ability to gauge the effectiveness of student-generated rules and procedures on a larger scale. To extend this research to include English Language Learners and special education students might suggest specific classroom rules that would lead to a safe and orderly learning environment in a heterogeneously grouped, inclusion classroom. Hannah Crawford graduated from James I. O’Neill High School in Highland Falls, New York. During her time there, she was a member of the National Honors Society, JROTC, worked after school at a local elementary school for Homework Help Club, and participated in the band and chorus programs. She is currently enrolled as a Middle Level Education major with emphasis in mathematics and science along with a minor in mathematics. She is the secretary of the UAFS Math Club and a member of CMLA. After graduation, she plans to wed, move to where her husband works, and find a teaching position there.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Cooperative Learning Strategies Improve Student Engagement in Middle Schools Presented by Kent Elmore
Today’s middle school students respond positively and engage actively in learning when their teachers use a variety of learning strategies. Oftentimes, teachers find themselves struggling to keep students engaged. Integrating curriculum is becoming common in middle grades (4-8) classrooms , but as teachers prepare their lessons, they sometimes forget about the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical changes their students are experiencing. At the middle level, students are maturing rapidly, and educational theories suggest that there are effective ways to engage these students at the highest levels. When teachers neglect to change their learning strategies, students disengage quickly. Cooperative learning is a best practice teaching strategy that, according to research, will improve student engagement dramatically. Allowing the students to explore with their classmates and work together motivates them to reach higher order thinking skills (HOTS). Teachers must encourage students to be independent and facilitate active participation in cooperative learning groups if early adolescents are to become individually accountable and interdependent when working with their peers. There are many ways to group students; however, teachers must ultimately decide the most effective ways to organize their students in learning collaboratively. Research offers many recommendations for teachers, and they can combine research with their own professional knowledge backgrounds to be more effective in facilitating cooperative learning groups. Kent Elmore graduated from Mansfield High School. He aspires to continue his education after undergraduate school and achieve his Master’s in Sports Management. He is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Middle Level Education Mathematics/Science with a minor in Mathematics. His research interests include using cooperative learning strategies effectively and combining a variety of cooperative learning techniques with the Understanding by Design curriculum model that advocates that teachers “being with the end in mind.”
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Accommodating Learning Differences to Improve Education for All Students Presented by Diane Humphrey
Recent news in the field of education reflects a growing discontent by parents of boys who are not earning the grades their standardized test scores indicate they are capable of achieving. Scholars have attributed this misalignment to differences in non-cognitive skills, such as attentiveness, persistence, eagerness to learn, the ability to sit still and work independently. Studies indicate that teachers sometimes factor good behavior into grades, and research suggests that the grades of boys might be affected by their more slowly developing social skills that affect their behavior? Educators must find ways to engage these learners and assist them in reaching their full potential while they are in the regular, inclusive classroom. Evidence found in educational research indicates that accommodating different learning styles will benefit all learners, not just the special needs of boys. Teachers must investigate instructional methods that accommodate a variety of learning styles and energy levels such as project-based learning, authentic tasks which provide real-life connections and kinesthetic learning opportunities, or simply letting students choose topics that appeal to them for reading and writing assignments. This research includes the use of scholarly journals, educational textbook recommendations, and classroom observations. Specific teaching strategies identified through educational research such as facilitating equitable involvement of all students in the regular classroom will be the focus of the project. The results of this research can help educators searching for ways to help their students to best develop their abilities, allowing them to focus on methods of instruction that can be used across the content areas and/or in the integrated classroom to engage students in the learning process, regardless of the gender of the student. Returning to the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in 2010 as a non-traditional student, Diane Humphrey anticipates graduating in May 2013 with a degree in Middle Level Education with an Emphasis in Language Arts and Social Studies. She plans to begin teaching and working on her master’s degree in the fall of 2013. Her research interests include strategies for instruction to accommodate different learning styles which will benefit all learners, and she hopes to publish in an educational, peer-reviewed journal. In her spare time, Diane enjoys working on various homeimprovement projects and watching her children play baseball and run cross-country races, and she aspires to one day run 5K races with them.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium To Assign Homework or Not: Environmental Influences on Homework Completion Presented by Sayuri Barnett
Students at the secondary level usually fall into one of two categories: the ones who complete homework and ones who do not. Studies suggest that there are three factors that will determine if students will complete assignments: students’ self-efficacy, parent encouragement, and the degree of interest in the actual assignments. Self-efficacy correlates positively with high academic achievement. If a student believes in his or her ability to finish the academic task, then he or she will usually succeed in completing that task. Parents also influence students’ performance on homework. Studies indicate that students with authoritative parents develop self-regulatory behaviors that are key factors in their success. Surveys from students indicate that they want homework that is relevant to the lessons that they are learning and that they enjoy a variety of different types of assignments. Teachers should not assign homework that will not help the students learn the content, and they should not use the same type of homework every time. By helping students reach high levels of self-efficacy, getting parents involved in their children’s academic careers, and differentiating homework assignments, teachers will be able to motivate students to complete their assignments. Sayuri Barnett graduated from North Little Rock’s Northeast High School with honors in 1987. She attended the University of Central Arkansas and graduated from its Radiologic Technology program in 1994. She worked as a registered radiologic technologist in the medical field for nine years before becoming a full time stay at home mom. Sayuri has always had an interest in teaching and went back to college in 2011 to earn her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with teacher licensure. Sayuri will graduate from the University of Fort Smith in the spring of 2014.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Recognizing Dysgraphia and Assisting Students in Reaching Their Full Potential Presented by Clairessa Campbell
Due to the lack of a clear-cut definition of dysgraphia and its effects, diagnosing this learning disability and determining its effects are difficult, resulting in many children never being diagnosed at all. Some of the problems that can stem from this disability relate to a lack of everyday competencies in basic skills such as spelling, writing, using silverware, and buttoning and zipping clothing. These deficiencies can cause students who are exceedingly bright to appear lazy when it comes to these areas when the truth is that they have neurological conditions that prevent them from being able to complete their work in acceptable ways. Without a definitive diagnosis, it is difficult for teachers to determine if what they are observing in students is actually dysgraphia. Many teachers have limited experience in helping these students because they do not realize the nature of their problems, or they do not know how to help these children succeed in the classroom. For example, encouraging the dysgraphic student to give oral responses when he or she cannot express him or herself with pen/pencil and paper may be an accommodation that could lead to academic success in the classroom. Clairessa Campbell was raised in Ozark, Arkansas, the oldest of seven children. She has three boys ages 6, 8, and 9 and has been married for nine years. She was homeschooled growing up, and at the age of 25 she decided to go to college. After taking her GED, she started school in 2008, entering a classroom for the first time. After subbing at many of the local schools, she changed her major from Early Childhood Education to History with Secondary Education Licensure. She is interested in research that can help children and adolescents thrive in school.
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Poster Presentations Health Sciences Weidman Conference Center
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Synthetic Hormones: Effects on the Oral Cavity
Presented by Yesenia Rosas, Hannah Hayden, Kristie Rapert, and Cara Clotfelter Table 1 Periodontal disease is a process involving destruction of the periodontium causing inflammation and in extreme cases, loss of dentition. Several factors can contribute to the inflammation, tissue and bone destruction involved in this disease, one factor being hormonal fluctuations. Increased plasma levels of estrogen and progesterone cause an accumulation of these hormones in the gingival tissues and are associated with a dilation of gingival capillaries that can create increased permeability resulting in exudate, edema and accumulation of inflammatory cells. Estrogen and progesterone also serve as bacterial nutrients and if combined with poor plaque control exacerbate gingivitis in the oral cavity. In studies involving periodontal disease, women, rather than men, are considered more susceptible to this disease due to the constant hormonal changes they experience in their body. In addition to normal fluctuations, women are commonly prescribed medications containing synthetic hormones to help regulate the changes that occur in their bodies through menstruation and menopause. The synthetic hormones found in oral contraceptives, injections, and hormone replacement therapies, contain estrogen and progesterone and are associated with adverse effects on the oral periodontium. These include an increase in attachment loss, bleeding on probing, higher plaque scores, and destruction of periosteum and epithelial tissues. Educating the patient on the effects that additional synthetic hormones can have on the oral cavity is essential to prevent destruction of the periodontal tissues that can lead to loss of the dentition. Yesenia Rosas is from Santa Maria, California. She relocated to Arkansas in 2011 with her husband and son to enroll in the dental hygiene program at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She attended Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria where she earned an Associate of Applied Science. Yesenia has extensive dental experience as an expanded function assistant and has been able to use this expertise as a student in the dental hygiene .program She is a recipient of the Lauri Pendergraft Mason Scholarship and the Fort Smith Dental Association Scholarship. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester while attending UAFS and will graduate in May 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. She hopes to obtain a position as a registered dental hygienist in private practice where she can utilize her bilingual capabilities. Hannah Hayden is a student in the College of Health Sciences Dental Hygiene Program and will graduate in May of 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. She is the recipient of the Lauri Pendergraft Mason Scholarship and the Arkansas State Dental Hygiene Association Scholarship. Hannah has been on the Dean’s list while attending UAFS. Hannah enjoys volunteering at the local community dental clinic, as well as educating patients on the importance of oral health. She plans to return to Northwest Arkansas to work as a Registered Dental Hygienist and will reside in Farmington, Arkansas. Kristi Rapert graduated from Southside High School in 2009. She is a student in the dental hygiene program at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith and will graduate in May 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. She is a recipient of the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship, Academic Distinction Scholarship, and the J.D. Jordan Memorial Foundation Endowment. She enjoys community service events such as Paint the Park Pink and volunteering at the Community Dental Clinic. She enjoys running and participates in various 5K runs. Kristi plans to reside in the Fort Smith area and work in private practice as a dental hygienist. Cara Clotfelter is second year student in the dental hygiene program at UAFS. She will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene in May 2013. She is President of the Elevation student organization on campus. Cara graduated from Van Buren High School in 2009 and hopes to remain in the Fort Smith/Van Buren area. She plans to work in private practice as a dental hygienist. She enjoys tennis, softball and hunting in her spare time.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Modified Tensionless Gingival Grafting
Presented by Jamie Gray, Beth Eden, Laura Williams, and Kinsey Coffey Table 1 Mucogingival surgery may be necessary for patients that have recession. It includes a variety of procedures that can augment the thickness of the keratinized gingival tissues and improve gingival esthetics by covering the exposed root surface. Recession is a contributing factor for sensitivity, esthetic issues, root caries, periodontitis and cervical abrasion. Localized factors that can contribute to gingival recession include toothbrush trauma, parafunctional habits, poor plaque control or aggressive orthodontic treatment. Systemic factors must also be considered prior to the initiation of any surgical procedure to repair mucogingival defects. Healing can be compromised for patients that have uncontrolled disease states such as diabetes or use tobacco. Considering localized and systemic factors, it is important for oral health professionals to understand the different techniques that can be used to repair gingival deficiencies. These include free-gingival grafts, coronally advanced flaps, sub-epithelial grafts, and acellular dermal matrix. These techniques have been considered the gold standard for many years with regard to repair of these defects. A new technique referred to as modified tensionless grafting is now being used and demonstrates a high rate of success and patient compliance. This new technique focuses on the anchoring, stretching, tailoring, and securing of the acellular dermal matrix material to improve the overall esthetics. Understanding the new technique and how it compares to the other procedures provides the dental hygienist with the knowledge to educate the patient prior, during and after the procedure for a successful outcome. Jamie Gray will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene in May 2013. She is a recipient of the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship and University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Transfer Scholarship. She attended Bergman High School where she graduated with high honors. She attended North Arkansas College prior to enrolling at UAFS and graduated with an Associate of Arts from North Arkansas College. She is looking forward to moving back to Harrison where she plans to work in private practice. She plans to further her education and will pursue a bachelor of science to open other career opportunities in the future. Beth Eden will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene in May of 2013. She went to Springdale High School where she was involved in the International Baccalaureate Program and graduated with honors. She has received the Academic Excellence Scholarship and the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship. Beth is an energetic learner and has a passion for community service and helping others. She is involved with her church and a college ministry in Fort Smith and enjoys fellowship with people. She plans to move back to Northwest Arkansas and work as a full- time Dental Hygienist. Beth wants to continue her education and will pursue a bachelor of science in the future. Laura Elizabeth Williams resides in Muldrow, Oklahoma. She will graduate in May 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. She is the wife of a minister who pastors at East Side Free Will Baptist Church in Muldrow where they have lived with their two children for eleven years. She has two sons, Logan and Ashton, who are ages twelve and eight. She is very involved in her church working in the Father’s Closet Ministry that is associated with the church. She plans to stay in Oklahoma and work in private practice when she graduates. Kinsey Coffey is a resident of Talihina, Oklahoma. She will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene in May of 2013. Kinsey enjoys volunteering and community service. She is the recipient of the Lauri Pendergraft Mason Scholarship. Her hobbies include spending time with her daughter, enjoying the outdoors, knitting, and reading. She is looking forward to working in the state of Oklahoma as a registered dental hygienist.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium What is Teledentistry?
Presented by Jennifer Crawford, Amanda Smith, John Longinotti, and Rachel Curtner Table 2 Teledentistry, or dental informatics, is a relatively new field that has significant potential for supporting clinical care. It is a developing area of dentistry that integrates electronic health records, telecommunications technology, digital imaging, and the Internet to link dental providers and their patients. With the growing emphasis on creating access to care for the underserved populations, the ability to utilize teledentistry will expand the scope of practice for mid-level health providers that include dental hygienists. With better utilization of registered dental hygienists practicing to the extent of their education, teledentistry will be a powerful force in ensuring that all Americans have access to dental care. Collaborative practice is becoming a popular venue for allowing dental hygienists to deliver care to patients that would otherwise not be able to access oral health care due to financial constraints, lack of transportation, or lack of oral health care providers in their area. Teledentistry brings the dental hygienist to the patient and with the use of technology the off-site dentist provides input and collaborates with the dental hygienist on patient treatment. The dental hygienist is responsible for providing quality assessments for the dentist to utilize for developing a diagnosis and treatment plan. Through the use of telecommunication and computer technologies, it is possible to provide interactive access to a specialist’s opinion that is not limited by the constraints of either space or time. As teledentistry evolves, it will offer new opportunities to improve the level of patient care and reshape current business models. Jennifer Crawford is a second year dental hygiene student from Van Buren, Arkansas and will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene in May 2013. She graduated Cum Laude from Lyon College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Jennifer is the Student American Dental Hygiene Association class president for 20122013. She is also a newlywed and loves to walk her English bulldog, Roxi, play golf, travel, and looks forward to her career as a dental hygienist. Jennifer will be moving to Conway to be with her husband, who is studying to complete his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Amanda Smith is from Fort Smith, Arkansas. She will be graduating in May 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. She is a recipient of the Lauri Pendergraft Mason Scholarship, the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship, and the UAFS Academic Distinction Award. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester since starting college in the fall of 2010. She enjoys participating in outreach programs as part of her community service. Amanda plans to enter private practice as a dental hygienist following her graduation. John Longinotti is from Fort Smith, Arkansas. He will graduate in May 2013 from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith College of Health Sciences with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. He currently holds a Bachelor in Emergency Administration and Management from Arkansas Tech University. He has been on the Dean’s List at both institutions and received the Lauri Pendergraft Mason Scholarship as well as the Fort Smith Dental Association scholarship during his time at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. In his free time, he enjoys riding his motorcycle, fishing, and playing his guitars. Rachel Curtner is from Stuttgart, Arkansas and is currently living in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She will graduate from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in May 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. Rachel and her husband, Robert, were married during her first year of school on December 17, 2011. He is a Physical Therapist at Trinity Rehab in Fayetteville. She enjoys participating in community service, watching sports, especially the Arkansas Razorbacks, working out, and traveling. Rachel plans to practice dental hygiene in Northwest Arkansas after graduation.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium HIV Testing in the Dental Office
Presented by Taylor Rogers, Chelsea Holder, and Montana Duncan Table 2 In 2006, the CDC released revised recommendations stating that all areas of healthcare should offer routine and voluntary screenings for HIV. Research indicates that prevention efforts that include early screening and detection is critical because of the growing population of people living with HIV and AIDS. It is imperative that everyone with HIV knows their status to ensure that HIV-infected individuals avoid transmission to others. An estimated 3.6 million Americans report a significant HIV risk, yet have never been tested and receive no preventative medical care from any source. However, three quarters of these people at a high risk for HIV infection reported that they have seen a dentist within the last two years. Therefore, dental offices could provide an excellent opportunity for early screening and detection for at risk individuals who otherwise might have no access to other health care settings that offer HIV testing. Dentistry is currently experiencing a growing use of salivary-based diagnostic tools to screen for systemic diseases as the standard of care for patients. The FDA approved rapid screening test consists of an oral swab to obtain oral fluids and yields results within 20 minutes. This HIV screening test could easily be incorporated into routine dental examinations to provide a reliable and highly sensitive test for early detection. Dental personnel could be trained to interpret accurate results for referral for further testing and counseling. HIV screening tests in the dental office has the potential to create a major breakthrough in public health that could benefit patients with earlier detection and help reduce the incidence of HIV. Taylor Virginia Rogers will graduate from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in May 2013 with an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. She graduated from Alma High School in 2009 where she completed advanced placement courses and played three years on the high school tennis team. She is a recipient of the Academic Excellence Scholarship, the Gordon and Beth Watson Scholarship and the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship. After graduation, Taylor plans to begin her career in private practice in the Fort Smith/Fayetteville area. Taylor hopes to continue her education by pursuing a bachelor of science with aspirations to eventually teach in a dental hygiene program or to pursue additional career opportunities in public health settings. Chelsea Holdren graduated from Van Buren High School in 2008. She is pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene and will graduate in May of 2013. She plans to stay in the Van Buren/Fort Smith area when she graduates and work in private practice as a dental hygienist. She enjoys traveling and is an avid animal lover. In her spare time, she volunteers at the local humane society. Montana Duncan graduated from Heavener High School and attended Carl Albert State College where she completed an Associate of Allied Health. She was awarded the leadership scholarship as well as a cheerleading scholarship while attending Carl Albert. She transferred to the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith to continue her education and will be graduating in 2013 with an Associate in Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. After graduation, she plans to work in private practice and continue her education, seeking a bachelor of science. She hopes to one-day work as an Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner. Montana’s hobbies include reading, crafting, exercising and spending time with her animals.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Benefits and Limitations of Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery Presented by Bruce Griffey Table 3
Objective: To review and evaluate the benefits and limitations of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Background: In 1994 the U.S. Food and Drug administration approved the first robotic surgical device. Since that time robotics has been applied for a variety of laparoscopic procedures. Robotic surgery is a quickly evolving field still in its infancy, its niche not yet well defined. The expanding use of robotic surgery may be driven by the manufacturers and not the result of evidence-based benefits. This study evaluates the benefits and limitations of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery as opposed to conventional laparoscopic or open surgery. Methods: A review of literature was undertaken using Medline, Medscape, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, Healthy Living article by Dr. Vijay Kumar Soni, American Medical News, and Annals of Surgery. Results: The benefits of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery are three-dimensional vision, improved dexterity, seven degrees of freedom, elimination of fulcrum effect, elimination of physiologic tremors, ability to scale motions, micro-anastomoses possible, tele-surgery capability, and ergonomic position for the surgeon. The limitations for robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery are absence of haptic or touch sensation, very expensive, high start-up costs, may require extra staff to operate, new technology, unproven benefit, rapidly changing field, and steep learning curve. Conclusions: Two local hospitals offer robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Most studies show that robotic surgery is feasible, with excellent outcomes, but with robotic surgery just evolving there is a paucity of credible data regarding benefits over conventional techniques. Bruce Griffey graduated from Booneville High School. He is going into the medical field and is pursuing an AAS in Surgical Technology. He is interested in the field of robotics in surgery. Bruce plans to work as a Certified Surgical Technology and continue his education leading to a Certified First Assistant.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Therapy Dogs in Patient Recovery
Presented by Shayna Pierce, Kristina Taylor, and Casey Pruitt Table 3 Medical science shows that interactions with a therapy dog (TD) have a profound impact on healing and recovery. TD interaction can reduce blood pressure (BP), promote physical healing, reduce anxiety, fatigue and depression, and provide emotional support. They increase feelings of safety in patients, helping them feel less lonely and depressed. People are more active and responsive both during, and after, a visit with a therapy dog. Clinical research shows that a TD not only has medical benefits, but also provides a sense of comfort, confidence, and companionship. In a hospital setting, a TD might visit patients in pediatrics, oncology, or even hospice centers. Sometimes a hospital will invite a TD to visit the emergency room (ER) because of the calming effect on patients, doctors, nurses, and staff members working in the high – stress environment. Clinical research showed common themes arising from TD that included overall program satisfaction, enjoyable physical and emotional interaction, distraction from pain or discomfort, dogs’ assistance in therapy goals, and suggestions for program continuation. TD offers important possibilities for providing holistic care that extends not only to clients, but also to family members and staff, and to the pets themselves. Despite supportive research evidence, the adoption of such TD may have been restricted by the belief that client safety could be compromised by an increase in the risk of infection acquired from animals, allergic response, and bites. However, the risk of animal to human transmission is minimal. Shayna graduated as Saludatorian of her class from Booneville High School in 2011. She is in the process of obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Upon graduating from the University of Arkansas -Fort Smith, she aspires to become a Nurse Anesthetist. Her research interests include topics on improving the nursing environment in hospitals and new ways to improve the healthcare of patients. Kristina graduated from Duarte, California in 2004 with honors. She is currently in the Carolyn McKelvey School of Nursing BSN program at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. After graduation she inspires to pursue her master’s degree as a nurse anesthetist. . Her research interests include topics on improving the nursing environment in hospitals and new ways to improve the healthcare of patients. Casey graduated from Lavaca High School with honors in 2005. She is currently in the BSN program at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. After graduating she wants to pursue a degree as a nurse Anesthetist. Her research interests include topics on improving the nursing environment in hospitals and new ways to improve the healthcare of patients.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Cultural Competence in Nursing
Presented by Lidiana Quezada, Pricilla Her, and Adriana Vargas Table 4 Demographic projections show a rapid growth of the minority populations that is affecting the medical field. Different multicultural diversities have become an immense challenge for nurses to provide the most efficient care possible. Therefore the need for nurses to be more culturally competent is on demand. Nursing schools are left with the responsibility to teach their students about cultural competence in any way they see fit. The student’s education on cultural competence starts within the faculty itself. Different studies have shown that many nurses do not feel culturally competent when they graduate from nursing school. This lack of education is causing nurses to feel uncomfortable when providing care, to be unable to address the patient’s needs, and to compromise the patients care. For this reason, nurses need to be further educated about cultural competence at a student level in order for them to be more competent. We also propose for cultural competence to be promoted in different health facilities in order to improve the cultural competence of every nurse practicing in the medical field. Different studies in ways to improve cultural competence are being done but many cannot be compared due to the use of different definitions in each of them. A proposal with national recognition to a cultural competence definition would allow us to better compare studies and eventually apply the best one into practice. In the end if nurses would be more culturally competent they would be able to deliver high-quality patient care, which is the goal a nurse wishes to achieve. Lidiana Quezada graduated with honors from Northside High school on May of 2011. She has always been passionate about helping others and decided to pursue a career in the medical field. She is currently in the BSN-RN nursing program and is a full-time student at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Lidiana has 6 siblings, 2 of which are also attending UAFS with her. Lidiana likes to go to the movies, hang out with her family and friends, and help others on her spare time. She is very excited to go thru the nursing program and has set high expectations for her future. Priscilla Her was born in Providence, Rhode Island. She graduated from Johnson County Westside High School in 2010. Priscilla graduated high school as salutatorian of her class and an honor Graduate. She is now a full time student pursuing a degree in nursing at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Priscilla plans to further her education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock for her master degree. During her spare time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with families and friends, and helping out around the community. She hopes for a bright future in the field of nursing. Adriana Vargas graduated from Northside High School on May of 2010. Her biggest passion has been helping others, which has brought her to the Nursing field where she is pursuing BSN-RN degree in Nursing at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She is a full time student in her sophomore year in nursing school. Adriana is currently the first generation in the family to attend college. In her spare time she dedicates time to activities at church and the community and likes to hang out with his family and friends. Adriana is looking forward to taking the best of her and applying it to her passion, which is nursing.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Hunger and its Lasting Effects on Children in Ecuador Presented by Jacob Malone, Ashley Mayfield, and Kathy Tull Table 4
The effect of malnutrition on the growth of children has been studied numerous times. We traveled to Quito, Ecuador to conduct a study along these same lines. We also wanted to see if there was a correlation with malnourishment and diabetes in these same children. We spent 5 days traveling to eight different marketplaces. These were daily produce markets where the indigenous people sell produce in order to provide for their families. The children who are not old enough or educated enough to attend school (kindergarten requires an entrance exam) are left to their own devices while the parents run the stall. The families might spend 12 to 14 hours a day in these markets. Meals consist of whatever can be brought from home and eaten cold or if they have enough money, what can be purchased there at the market. Representatives from UBECI (United to Benefit Ecuadorian Children, International) would collect the children from their family stalls and bring them to a designated area. We measured their height and weight, asked their age, and tested them for diabetes. What we found is that this particular group of children tends to be on the lower end of the growth charts for their ages. However, there is no predominant increase in the incidence of diabetes in this population when compared to the other children of Ecuador. Jacob, Ashley and Kathy are senior level nursing students in the BSN program here at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. They traveled to Ecuador this past May 2012 conducting mobile, market-based medical clinics for the pediatric population. There he was able to assess children for parasites, conduct height and weight checks screening for malnutrition, and blood glucose checks determining risks for diabetes. Over 1,400 children and adults were seen in Ecuador by Jake and through the interpretation of a translator, he was able to instruct the parents on healthy lifestyle modifications, signs and symptoms of parasitic infections to monitor for in their children, as well as more conscious decisions on diets to prevent diabetes.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Role of Music Therapy In Nursing
Jessica Glover, John Scharf, Yvette Cilio, and Alma Hernandez Table 5 Research Problem: We all have a song or songs that remind us of happy times in our lives. When one hears certain songs, it brings them a sense of peace and brings them back to a happy time. Music therapy is a branch of health care dedicated to the use of music for emotional, physical, functional, and educational improvement in a broad range of settings and conditions. While music therapy has been used informally in health care settings, this proposed study emphasizes evidence-based practice of musical therapy. Research Purpose: The aim of this proposed study is to look at the effects of music therapy on patient outcomes. Research indicated there was a positive relationship between music and better physiological results in: decreasing heart rate, blood pressure, reduced anxiety and stress, and decreased use of pain medication. Psycho-social results included decreased stress and anxiety, and increased rest through sleep. Those included in the studies were patients and caregivers across the nursing spectrum. The findings provided evidence for nurses to use soothing music as a research-based nursing intervention for stress reduction. Jessica graduated from Sallisaw high school in 2008 and will be graduating from University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in May with a bachelor of science in nursing degree. She hopes to work as a nurse in Tulsa or Fort Smith. Her research interests include improvements in nursing care and patient outcomes. John, originally a native of Ashtabula, Ohio, is an honorably discharged Marine Corps veteran. He will be graduating this spring from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. He anticipates completing further nursing research, as he advances professionally through eventual nursing graduate studies. Yvette graduated from Skyline highs school and will graduate from the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in May with a bachelor of science in nursing degree. She hopes to work in Fayetteville, Ark. as a labor and delivery nurse. She hopes to further her research interests as she gains experience in the field. Alma graduated from Gravette High School in 2008 and will be graduating from the University of Arkansas- Fort Smith with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing Degree in May 2013. She hopes to work in Texas at a Children’s Hospital and further her research in improving Nursing Care and patient outcomes.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Stress Factors Related to Professional Nursing and Their Effects on Patient Care Presented by Andrea Shelly, Sarah Smith, April Wise, Tayler Smith, and Kelli Lovell Table 5
As with any profession, rules and guidelines are established in order to maintain quality and safety. This is especially true in regards to professional nursing. Nurses are required to apply skills and knowledge and to think critically. Human error has been defined as a failure of a planned action or a sequence of mental or physical actions to be completed as intended, or the use of a wrong plan to achieve an outcome. (Hughes 2008) Stress can be a major contributor to human error; therefore it is imperative to identify specific causes of stress for professional nurses, as the effect on the patient could be monumental. Patient safety and quality care reflect directly on the nurse’s ability to make logical and accurate decisions at any given point in time. A nurse’s stress can cause fatigue, emotions, decreased attention span, and put the nurse in a foggy cognitive state. Stress can also lead to physical symptoms. Whether the nurse is experiencing physical or emotional symptoms of stress, their problem-solving abilities can become impaired. There are certain factors that are known to be major contributors to stress for healthcare professionals. These factors include the hospital or clinic being under staffed, nurses being overworked, medication errors which can lead to sicker patients with longer hospital stays, and not enough supplies in the healthcare setting due to costs. Medication errors are among the highest in health care errors. Nurses are not only responsible for administering medications, but are also responsible for intercepting physician ordered inconsistencies. Administering medications can take up to 40% of a nurse’s work time, and errors have been found to be due to a lack of concentration, distractions, increased workloads, all of which can be attributed to stress. (Hughes 2008) Nurses should have a more influential role in the delivery of health services. They have great potential to influence changes in the work setting by playing active roles in management decisions and policy making, as well as being involved in support groups within their work place. (Ness 1982) Professional nurses should recognize potential stressors, and take appropriate measures to reduce them. Andrea Shelly is a 24-year-old nursing student who graduated from Greenwood High School in 2006. She is married with two children, a boy who is four years old and a girl who is two. After college she intends to become a Flight Nurse or work in an Emergency Department. Sarah Smith is a twenty-six year old nursing student attending University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She graduated from the Adult Education Center in 2005 after attending Pocola High School. She has been married for four years and has three sons. After graduating, she aspires to be a pediatric nurse specialist. April Wise is a 43-year-old nursing student who attends the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She has a license in nursing from West Ark Community College in 1993. She has return to school to further her education and expand her job opportunities. She is a mother of three children and has been married for nineteen years. Tayler Smith is a twenty-year-old nursing student that attends the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She graduated from Van Buren in 2009 with her GED. Her future plans are to further her education to be a CRNA. She is a mother to a beautiful three-year-old girl named Lyrik. Kelli Lovell is a thirty-year-old nursing student that attends the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She was an honor graduate from Greenwood High School in 2000, and shortly after joined the United States Air Force as an optometry technician. She is married and has two children. She works part-time at Shelter Insurance. Kelli’s plans for the future include earning her BSN degree, and then exploring the many fields of professional nursing to find the best fit for her.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Golden Rule
Presented by Vanessa Urquilla, Amber Cooper, Jada Danyeur, and Teresa Wagner Table 6 Communication, as a whole, is a vital component to the best and effective nursing care for all kinds of patients with a goal towards healing. Many nurses now days forget how communicating properly can actually enhance healing. We can actually apply Maslow’s theory and the Leary model to support this statement because what you put into your practice, you will get out; in other words, you reap what you sow. When we join these two effective models together we have patients that are cooperative, understanding and speak up so that we can offer better care, not to mention they are delighted by our presence and open up to us because we have gained their trust. By this, we mean that if we were to treat our patients with love, kindness, respect and fulfill their basic physical needs, we can get them to a state of being where they want to get better and are promoted to do so by our verbal and nonverbal communication; Our communication will show them we do care. If all nurse could see how a smile, an act of kindness, or taking out time of your busy day to explain why they are on a restricted diet, then healing could be accomplished at a faster rate. If they were in a critical state, then we could communicate empathy and care by being there every step of the way. Vanessa Urquilla is a 22-year-old female that graduated from Van Buren High School in 2009. She is an active member of new Life Church where she is part of the children’s ministry leaders. She aspires to enter the medical field as an RN and plans to further her education with a Masters in Nurse Practitioner. Vanessa is currently pursuing her degree in the bachelor’s science of nursing and is in her first semester of nursing school at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Her research interests include new diseases, cures or solutions, and discovering evidence based practice articles. Amber Cooper is 20 years old, and she was raised in Van Buren, Arkansas. She graduated from there in 2010. She is currently in the BSN program in the hope of becoming a Registered Nurse (RN), and furthering her career as a Nurse Practitioner. She is very passionate about becoming a nurse. She feels as if it is her mission in life to help others. She is extremely serious about education and feels very blessed to be able to be receiving one. Amber loves Jesus, her family, and her friends. They are the most important aspects in her life. Although she spends the majority of her time studying and/or working, she enjoys swimming, reading, watching movies, and fishing. Overall, she is excited to see what the future holds for her. Jada Danyeur is 33 years old and was born and raised in Dothan, Alabama. She graduated from Dothan High School in 1997. She has lived in Greenwood, Ark. for the past eight years with her husband and two dogs. Jada is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and plans on a specialty of geriatrics. Jada describes herself as always having a heart for senior citizens and she hopes to apply her education to being able to make a difference in someone else’s life. Teresa Wagner is a nontraditional student that graduated from Alma, Ark. in 1986. She has been married to her husband for 26 years, and they are the proud parents of two daughters. Teresa and her husband pastor a small church in Alma where she leads praise and worship, and teaches the preschool Sunday school class. Currently, Teresa is a full-time student at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Although she has not decided upon her specialty, she believes it to be either obstetrics or neonatology. Teresa enjoys serving people and is extremely excited to be entering a field that centers its beliefs on caring for others with a whole heart.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Nurse Led Conservative Insulin Protocol
Presented by Stacy Kennigseder, Xuan-My Pham, Rebeccah Casteel, Brittney Lee, and Swapna Godavarthi Table 6 The purpose of this review is to research the methods and outcomes in the Nurse-Led Implementation of a Safe and Effective Intravenous Insulin Protocol in a Medical Intensive Care Unit. Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are common phenomenon in critically ill patients including those without a history of diabetes mellitus. Recent evidence has linked strict glucose control to unfavorable patient outcomes among the adult population in intensive care units. (Khalaila, et al., 2011) The objective was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a nurse-led insulin protocol with the intention of conservative blood glucose management in the adult population of intensive care patients. Methods included enrollment of the adult population admitted to the intensive care unit requiring an insulin infusion for the study. The conservative insulin protocol was developed with a blood glucose target of (110-149 mg/dL). Hypoglycemia was defined as a blood glucose level (< 70 mg/dL). Hyperglycemia was defined as a blood glucose level (> 200 mg/ dL). Blood glucose levels of the enrolled patients were compared with levels in 153 historical control patients admitted to the intensive care unit in the 12 months prior to initiation of the protocol. Results concluded that of the ninety-six patients enrolled in the study and treated with the protocol, more patients experienced less hypoglycemia as well as less hyperglycemia and stayed within the target glucose range than the control group. Upon evaluation of the nurse-led conservative insulin protocol implemented in the intensive care unit, the protocol has proven safe. Stacy was working as a community service specialist when she decided she needed a change. Wanting to continue helping others and her community inspired Stacy to seek her Bachelorette degree in the science of nursing. Stacy is a mother of four and passionate about helping our youth for a better tomorrow. She is interested in going into critical care, the emergency department, or oncology. Stacy is looking forward to graduating and impacting our community in a positive way. Xuan-My Pham is a graduate from Southside High School. The calling of holistic health care inspires her to pursue a Bachelorette in Science of Nursing. Although she has been exposed to different fields of nursing, her areas of interest include oncology, psychiatric health, intensive critical care, geriatrics, and hospice nursing. Her true passion is end of life care where she can care for patients going through the final transition. Xuan-My believes two of the nurse’s greatest duties are being patient’s advocate and participating evidence-based research in order to offer the clients safe, quality care. As a young girl Rebeccah had a strong desire to help those in need. Seeing the joy that her grandmother found caring for patients as an RN inspired Rebeccah to pursue her Bachelorette degree in the science of nursing. Rebeccah is interesting in a career in home health to reach those in the community. She is also interested in oncology and the emergency department. Brittney was born in Newport, Arkansas. She graduated in 2008 from Watson Chapel High School. After high school her dream was to first complete her Bachelor’s in nursing. After this accomplishment, she plans to further her education and specialize in emergency care or geriatrics. Swapna graduated from JNTU University in India with a Bachelor in Engineering. Her desire to work in the medical field drove her to peruse a second bachelor’s in nursing. Her research interests include gathering information and observing how it can be implemented. She is very excited to participate the research symposium.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Lateral Violence in the Nursing Field: Are We Contributing to the Nursing Shortage? Presented by Christopher Doyel, Mindy Webb, Kimberly Almendariz, Jessie Kelley, Oluyemisi Adelusimo Table 7
Horizontal and lateral violence are terms used for unwanted abuse and hostility in the workplace (Becher, J., & Visovsky, C., 2012). The nursing profession has been greatly affected by this and, as a result, has negatively impacted the profession and the people that are in it. Lateral violence causes nurses who have experienced it to either consider leaving or actually leaving the profession, which contributes to the nursing shortage (Becher, J., & Visovsky, C., 2012). Research shows that the majority of new nurses will change jobs within the first year and that quite a few leave the profession all together (Hippeli, F, 2009). This is a major cost factor for the hospital. Training new nurses takes months and the hospital spends a lot of money to train, so if the turnover rate is increased so is the orientation of new nurses (Harter, N., & Moody, C., 2010). We, as nurses, need to be accountable and own up to this problem so we can fix it. If we can decrease lateral violence in the work place we can increase self-esteem, decrease burnout, decrease stress and anxiety, decrease turnover rate, thus ultimately creating better patient outcomes. Chris is originally from Porterville, CA where he joined the Army at 23, after two tours overseas he took up residence in Portland, OR and joined the Army Reserves. While attending a course in San Antonio, Texas he met his now wife who was born and raised in Fort Smith, Ark. and together they have one son. Chris is in his final semester of the BSN program and is looking to go to work at Mercy Ft. Smith in one of the critical care departments and hopes to further his education and career as a Nurse Anesthetist. Mindy is currently in her final semester of the BSN program. She works as a Medical Assistant at a rural clinic and also as a Medic in the Air National Guard. Mindy has continued drive to further her knowledge in the nursing profession and appreciates the process of research to review and guide her into becoming a nurse leader one day. She is interested in the critical care areas as she plans to continue her professional growth in the nursing career field to obtain her Nurse Practitioner license. Kimberly Almendariz is currently in her final semester of the BSN program at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She is originally from Oklahoma City and currently resides in Spiro, Okla. Kimberly has changed her major from education to psychology to special education to, finally, nursing where she feels like she should be. She has strived to learn more about the nursing profession every day and is interested in the research process because it is the basis of what nurses do. She is interested in critical care and hopes to advance in the career field and obtain a Nurse Practitioner License. Jessie Kelley graduated from Roland High School. She is currently in her final semester of the BSN program at the University Arkansas - Fort Smith. Jessie currently resides in Greenwood with her husband and two daughters. She has another daughter in the Air Force. She is interested in critical care and is planning to continue her education in hopes to advance her career in the field of nursing and eventually becoming a nurse practitioner. Oluyemisi (Olu) Adelusimo is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Degree at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. For Olu, pursuing a Nursing Degree was a total change because she earned a bachelor degree in computer science in 1998. She is a mother of three and also co-pastors a church with her husband in Northwest Arkansas. Oluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lifelong desire is to help people from all walks of life to live pain-free lives. Her innate desire for fulfillment informed her decision to earn a BSN degree. Olu will continue to live and work in NW Arkansas after graduation in May 2103.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Preventing the “VAP”
Presented by Monica Corral, Jill Morphew, and Justine Pugh Table 7 Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a nosocomial infection of the lungs that is linked to the use of endotrachial tubes during mechanical ventilation. Patients who acquired VAP showed prolonged stays in the ICU and increased mortality rates, which in turn increase hospital costs up to $30,000 per patient. Not only is VAP costly to the facility, because it is often not covered by insurance groups due to being a secondary infection, but it is costly to the patient in terms of loss of time and unnecessary suffering. Techniques to prevention have been shown to decrease the occurrence of Ventilator Associated Pneumonia, therefore decreasing healthcare costs while increasing positive patient outcomes. A group of evidence based practices for the prevention of VAP has been accepted as standard protocol and is commonly referred to as the Ventilator Care Bundle (VCB). The VCB practices include; keeping the head of the patients’ bed elevated at least thirty degrees, the prevention of peptic ulcers through medication use, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis through antiembolytic therapy and/or devices and by interrupting patient sedation on a daily basis along with the assessment for readiness to wean from the ventilator. New studies have suggested the use of additional practices such as regular oral care, routine hand washing by the healthcare team and subglottic suctioning can aid in the prevention of VAP. Through the use of established and emerging techniques the rate of VAP is rapidly decreasing in incidence thus decreasing length of hospital stays and increasing patient well being. Monica graduated from Southside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. She currently lives in Fort Smith with her husband and two sons. Monica will be graduating in May with a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. She would like to begin her career as a nurse working with critical care patients. She will be pursuing her employment in texas. She plans to continue her education and receive a degree in forensic nursing. Jill lives in Greenwood and is a wife, mother of three boys and a full time student. She aspires to be a nurse in obstetrics or pediatrics. She is graduating in may, with a bachelors degree in nursing, although her interests lie with women’s care she is also interested in geriatrics, critical care and surgery. Her future goal is to continue her education and earn her doctorate in nursing. Justine lives in Greenwood with her husband and three kids. She is originally from California and has lived in the Fort Smith area for ten years. She is graduating in May with her bachelors in nursing. She would like to have a career in trauma and emergency care nursing because of the fast paced, high energy environment that is ever changing.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Adverse Effects of Overtime in Nursing
Presented by Krysta Davis, Kathleen Dixon, Kyle Kanze, Alicia Schlesier, and Diana Juarez Table 8 The effects of overtime in the profession of nursing not only adversely affect nurses but patients as well. Overtime can be described as working over 40 hours in a week or more than 12 hours in a day. In the clinical setting, overtime can be voluntary or mandatory and oftentimes is used as a staffing technique when there are insufficient employees to manage the facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patient census. Extended periods of wake and work can lead to being fatigued, which in turn results in deteriorated physiological performance. This deterioration in performance is translated to errors and injuries in the clinical setting. Overtime, in addition to activities outside of the work environment, can cause fatigue and result in errors that may potentially harm the nurse or patient. Needlestick injuries, falls, medication errors, hospital acquired infections, musculoskeletal injuries, and even death can result from errors that could have been prevented. Several studies have been performed and show that with every hour worked overtime results in a continual increase of errors and injuries. Some states have restrictions while several others have laws regulating the use of mandatory overtime. Several organizations such as ANA, AORN, and AACN all recognize the dangers of working while fatigued and discourage doing so. Nurses have an obligation to care for their patients, being well rested and avoiding fatigue is key to ensuring patient safety. Kathleen is a Non-traditional Adult student returning to college to obtain her degree in Nursing and will graduate in May, 2013 with a BSN degree. Her research interests include Psychiatric Mental Health Care Nursing with a focus on children and adolescents. Diana currently works in the health department as a patient care assistant. She loves her job and was aspires to enter in to the nursing program to help other. She is currently pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Science in nursing. She will be graduation May 2013. She loves her critical care rotation and will love to be an ICU nurse when she graduates.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Healthy Nurses Create Healthy Clients
Presented by Kylie Blazic, Lindsey France, and Kayla Freeman Table 8 There is a significant difference in providing healthcare between nurses that live a healthy lifestyle and those who do not. Nurses who have a healthy self-concept prove to be more focused on their work and they positively affect patient care. Nurses that live a healthy lifestyle are less likely to be stressed or overwhelmed with daily responsibilities. One of the main responsibilities of nurses is to promote health to their patients through example and their own lifestyle choices. However, a majority of nurses contradict themselves by not following their own healthy advice. Many nurses possess unhealthy habits such as: drinking alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise, and obesity. As healthcare providers, nurses know about the harms of smoking and the benefits of healthy eating and exercise, but some nurses continue to practice these unhealthy behaviors. There are consequences associated with providing healthcare with nurses who do not live a healthy lifestyle including medical errors and unwillingness of patients to cooperate. To better provide care nurses who have unhealthy habits should modify their lifestyle to improve patient outcomes. To ensure that nurses are participating in daily healthy activity, hospitals should provide opportunities to promote healthy behavior. Providing exercise rooms in all hospitals at reduced rates for employees would allow convenient access to all employees. Hospitals should provide free nicotine patches for all employees to encourage the cessation of smoking. Benefits of implementing these solutions include a decrease in absent days and could result in an increase in self-esteem and work performance. Healthy nurses can create healthy clients by displaying healthy behaviors and being role models for their patients. Kylie Alexandra Blazic was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. She graduated from Southside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. in 2011. She is recently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science nursing program at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She just started her first semester in spring 2013. She hopes to earn her degree in nursing and apply her skills learned once she enters the medical facility. She also wants to continue her education to become a nurse anesthetist. Kylie has always had a big heart for caring for people when they are hurting and is always trying to offer the best advice to help. Her research interests include learning about healthy behaviors that nurses represent while they are working. Lindsey Nicole Thi France was born in Fort Smith, Ark. and is half Asian, half Caucasian. She graduated from Greenwood High School in 2011 and is now attending the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She is currently in the first semester of nursing school and plans to earn her bachelors in the science of nursing. She is interested in researching how healthier nurses can create healthier clients through following their own health habit advice. She has always wanted to be a nurse because she has a passion to care for others. One day she hopes to get her masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree and continue her education to become a Nurse Practitioner. Lindsey loves to help others and hopes to better the lives of her patients in the future. Kayla Renee Freeman graduated from Greenwood High School in 2011. She is now in her first semester of the BSN program at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. After she graduates she hopes to become a nurse practitioner. Kayla has wanted to be a nurse since the eighth grade. She has always had compassion for those in need which make her a great candidate for the profession of nursing. She believes that research is a responsibility as well as an opportunity for all nurses. She thinks that we should use all the resources available in order to find the best nursing research to provide better patient outcomes and optimum care.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Applying Defined Problem Solving Steps to a Real World Problem
Presented by Carter Honea, Thomas Poe, Jason Hoyt, Rocky Ward, Lauren Hendricks, and Grant Dorsey Table 9 The UAFS Fitness Center has presented a problem to the students of Dr. Taber’s Critical Thinking and Problem Solving course. This class has taught us the four-step problem solving technique of analyzing, brainstorming, judging, and implementation. We will use these steps to address the problem of “how to increase the health and fitness of the campus community”. We will gather information about the general feeling towards health and fitness. We will then use this information to start the brainstorming of ideas. We will use the criteria provided to us to determine the best solution to the problem. The solution will need to fit within certain criteria that were provided by the Director of the Fitness Center. These criteria are: stay within the budget of $500-$1000, can be implemented by the fall of 2013, and no increase in headcount. The outcome of this process is to show that by following the steps outlined in the class, a better solution can be developed. The poster presentation will show the steps taken to come up with the solution that will be presented at the end of the class to the Director of the Fitness Center and to the Medical Director of IMWELL. Carter Honea graduated from Northside High School in 2009. She is currently captain of the UAFS Cheer team and a member of the Delta Gamma sorority on campus. Carter completed the Surgical Technology Program with an Associate of Applied Science in May 2012 and will graduate this spring 2013 with a Bachelor of Applied Science. Every Wednesday night she attends the college student program REACH at Grand Avenue Baptist Church. Her personal life goal is to complete all the items on her bucket list. Thomas Poe graduated from home in 2008. He went to college in the fall of 2008 at Arkansas State University - Newport for his Associate of Applied Science. He then started working for Arkansas Valley Electric as a high voltage lineman. He is currently completing his Bachelor of Applied Science with UAFS, while still holding his position at AVE. He is a member of Friendship P.B. Church in Scranton, Ark. and resides in Fort Smith. He aspires to get into management with AVE with his BAS. Jason Hoyt was born, raised, and graduated from high school in Muldrow, Okla. He is a veteran of the United States Army and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2006-2008. In 2011, Jason graduated the University of Arkansas Surgical Technology Program and successfully achieved an Associate of Applied Science in Surgical Technology. Currently, Jason works as a Certified Surgical Assistant at a local clinic while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and is expected to graduate in May 2013. He intends to utilize his knowledge, skills, and ability to help improve the health and well-being of patients in unfortunate areas - nationally and worldwide. Rocky moved to Fort Smith from Wickes, Ark. at the age of 19. After gaining his GED, he worked various jobs; the latest being a 10 year career with Whirlpool Corporation as a Line Lead in the Fort Smith production plant. When he was laid-off from Whirlpool, he chose to attend the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith to further his education and open an opportunity to enrich his life with a new career path. He has achieved an Associate of Applied Science in CADD Digital Design and is currently due to graduate with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree this semester. Lauren Hendricks graduated in 2006 from Fort Smith’s Southside High School. She attended half of her undergrad courses in St. Louis, Mo. before transferring back to Fort Smith to finish her BSOL degree. She is active in two non-profit organizations and plans to center her career around non-profits. She enjoys playing with her animals and helping others. Grant Madison Dorsey is finishing his Bachelor of Applied Science degree with an emphasis in welding and he is looking back as he closes the door on this chapter of life. He thinks back over the accomplishments he has had here at UAFS: obtaining his Associate of Applied Science in General Technology in December 2009, having articles published in “The Lions’ Chronicle” last spring 2012 and becoming certified in CPR. All the while working around his learning problems, which consist of Attention Deficient Disorder, Central Processing Disorder, and several forms of Dyslexia.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Alcohol Consumption: Dull, Dizzy, or Dead? Presented by Gage Rice and Tessa Galarza Table 9
How does alcohol consumption affect people in different scenarios? This project is aimed at examining the different factors that go into determining a person’s state of drunkenness. These factors include the person’s gender, weight, number of drinks, if the person consumes the alcohol at one time and stops or is drinking continuously, and if the person is eating a meal while drinking. By using various techniques of solving differential equations and Matlab’s built in differential equation solver, it is possible to find the effective bal(blood alcohol level) in a person’s gi-tract and in their bloodstream. A specially written Matlab script can also find the amount of alcohol a person can consume per hour and remain under the legal limit. Gage Rice graduated from Lead Hill High School in 2010, and entered the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in the fall of 2010 on the Chancellor’s Leadership Council Scholarship. He is currently a junior level mathematics major with a concentration in programming. After graduating with his BS degree, Gage aims to continue on to graduate school where he will pursue his PhD in mathematics. He received the award for Outstanding Early Undergraduate Mathematics Major for the 2010-2011 school year, and his hobbies include playing guitar and watching movies. Tessa Galarza graduated from Dardanelle High School and returned as a non-traditional student in Fall 2012. She is pursuing a B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in Business Administration. Tessa is a married mother of one son and enjoys spending time with her family.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium A Comparison of Bacertial Numbers on Eyeglasses Worn by Different Age Groups and Gender Presented by Brittany Cox and Gabriella Sandoval Table 10
The number of bacteria present on the nose pad and earpiece of eyeglasses of various ages and both genders were examined. One hundred and sixty two samples were taken from the nose pad (n=81) and earpiece (n=81) of 81 eyeglasses using sterile cotton swabs. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant difference in the amount of bacterial growth found among different age groups, genders, and contamination sites. Colonies were gram-stained and the bacteria were classified. Both cocci (spherical) and/or bacilli (rod shaped) bacteria were found. Bacteria were found in 99 of the 162 samples with approximately half being from each sample site. A chi-square test was performed and the results indicated that there was a significant difference in bacterial growth among the age groups and contamination sites. However, the hypothesis that there was a significant difference between genders was rejected. The correlation among age groups was attributed to many factors. Factors include: the lack of proper hygiene routines in younger children as compared with older age groups; the ability of middle aged individuals to appropriately take care of themselves due to their better mental and physical capacity (compared to the elderly and young children); the decline in hygiene practices in the elderly due to possible health issues. Brittany Cox graduated from Greenwood High School in Greenwood, Ark. She is currently pursuing a degree in Biology from the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith and plans to attend pharmacy school after graduation. She has been employed at the Fort Smith Eye Clinic for 5 years as an optometric assistant. Brittany is a member of the Biology Club and the Student Pre-Medical Association. Her motivation to attend pharmacy school stems from her desire to help others. Her hobbies include traveling, cooking, spending time with family and cheering on the Arkansas Razorbacks. Gabriela Sandoval graduated from Muldrow High School in Muldrow, Okla. She aspires to enter the medical field and is currently pursuing a degree in Biology from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She is a member of the Biology Club, Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society, and the Student Pre-Medical Association. She devotes part of her time to the Donald W. Reynolds Cancer Support House, which sparked her interest in the field of oncology. Another research field of interest for Gabriela includes diabetes treatment and prevention through an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. She participates in fitness programs at the University and the surrounding community. She devotes the remainder of her time to her job and her two-year-old son.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance in Escherichia coli Presented by Heather Hickman, Candace Taylor, and Kenneth Massey Table 10
Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem with the advent of MRSA in the late 80’s and, more recently, multipleantibiotic resistant tuberculosis. Antibiotics have been prescribed to patients and have saved many lives since penicillin was discovered. Unfortunately, because of over-prescribing due to pressure from patients and misdiagnosis by prescribers, many times antibiotics get prescribed to patients unnecessarily or for viral infections upon which antibiotics have no effect. In our experiment, we have set out to expose cultures of Escherichia coli to antibiotics in order to observe if the cultures became more or less susceptible to the antibiotics in successive generations within the timeframe of a semester. After applying antibiotic discs, we measured the zone of inhibition at the end of each growth cycle (24 hours at 37°C) and re-plated the culture after measurement. In successive generations, we found that the zones of inhibition decreased or disappeared entirely in some cases. As a continuation of the first semester’s experiment, three of the strongest antibiotics were selected to observe changes in resistance by adding an alternate environmental pressure to induce mutagenesis: ultraviolet radiation. Before the application of the antibiotic disks, we exposed the bacteria to ultraviolet radiation for 40 seconds. Research such as ours could lead to increased knowledge on how resistant strands of other types of bacteria can develop over time with repeated exposure, and hopefully make steps in the direction of a solution to the problem that we call, “antibiotic resistance”. Heather Hickman completed high school by homeschooling in 2009. She will finish her Bachelor of Science in Biology as of December 2013. After graduation, she hopes to continue her education at the University of Arkansas For Medical Sciences in order to achieve a degree in the medical field either as a Physician Assistant or an M.D. Her interest in genetics and interactions of bacteria with current medical treatment has led her to participate in research for the last two semesters. Candace Taylor graduated in 2010 from Lockesburg High School. She is currently a junior working towards her Bachelor of Science in Biology. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she wants to attend pharmacy school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is interested in researching antibiotic resistance in different microorganisms. Kenneth Massey is a senior biology major at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. He currently lives in Booneville, Ark. with his wife Cassie, dog Max, cat Mrs. Kitty, and is expecting a new addition to the family in September. Kenneth hopes to continue his education by earning a higher degree in the medical field. Kenneth’s multi-year experience in the pharmaceutical field led him to have a desire to perform experiments related to pharmacy. A two-semester long project on antibiotic resistance was the perfect experiment to complement his pharmacy experience.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Effects of Aeration Systems on Fecal Coliform Levels in Sewage Treatment Presented by Alison Shelton and Tracie Weaver Table 11
The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of a sewage aeration system in reducing fecal coliform levels. The samples were taken over a two-month period from the sewage aeration system that serves Lavaca, Arkansas. This system is an aerated, three pond, continuous discharge lagoon. To measure the fecal coliform levels, a vacuum filtration system was used to capture the bacteria on a cellulose nitrate filter. The samples were then grown in mFC broth with rosilic acid. This medium only supports the growth of fecal coliforms. It is also a differential medium in that fecal coliform colonies growing on the filter have a bluish color that makes them easier to identify and count. The results of this research indicate that the sewage aeration system was effective in reducing fecal coliform levels. The number of fecal coliforms was reduced as the sewage moved from the intake pond (Pond 3) to Pond 2. The bacterial numbers found in Pond 1 (polishing pond) at the output drain met the required environmental standards (less than 200 fecal coliforms per 100 milliliter sample) as set by the Environmental Protection Agency for recreational water. Alison graduated from Southside High School and the University of Alabama. She aspires to be a high school teacher and is currently pursuing a degree in Biology with teacher licensure. Her research interests include physical and earth science. Tracie graduated from Lavaca High School. She aspires to be a high school Biology teacher, and after completing her degree this May, she will be pursuing a Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at the University of Arkansas. Her research focus is on environmental microbiology.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Amoeba: The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Smallest Farmer Presented by Jill Campbell Table 11
Agriculture is common in many animal species including ants, termites, snails, and beetles. But scientists never thought that a microscopic amoeba could do farming. Brock et al. (2011) found that certain strains of Dictyostelium discoideum (amoeba) are involved in dispersal and harvesting of bacteria. Dictyostelium amoebae live in moist soil and feed on bacteria. When bacteria are available, these unicellular amoebae eat bacteria and live solitary life. But depletion of food (bacteria) causes tens and thousands of starving amoebae to aggregate to form multicellular fruiting bodies. Each fruiting body consists of a spore and stalk. The spore cells are dispersed at new locations and can grow into new amoebae, if food is available. The researchers found that out of thirty five wild type clones of D. discoideum, 36% were farmers, while the other 64% were non-farmers. Unlike non-farmers, the farmer strains do not consume all the bacteria but incorporate some bacteria in their spores. During spore dispersal, the bacteria are seeded at new locations and harvested by the growing population of amoebae. This discovery that Dictyostelium discoideum has a primitive farming symbiosis, has raised several interesting questions such as what are the genetic differences between Dictyostelium farmers, and non-farmers? Which small molecules are involved in Dictyostelium-bacteria symbiosis? What are the costs and benefits to the farmer strains in this symbiotic relationship? Jill Campbell graduated from Northside High School in 1998. She holds an Associate of Arts degree in Psychology. She is currently biology major, with plans to go to graduate school to study Conservation Biology and Science Education. She aspires to teach biology at the college level and would try to make the environment a safer and healthier place for all living creatures.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Indirect Mate Choice Influences in Callosobruchus maculatus Presented by Rachel Goff Table 12
For any species, an individual must survive to reproduce and pass on their genetic information to future offspring. In indirect sexual selection, it is believed that some behavior is taking place between the female and her mating partners, which causes an increase in the likelihood that the female will mate with the superior partner more often than others. This experiment tested mechanisms of indirect sexual selection in the mating habits of bean beetles. Observations of virgin females presented with two males in mating experiments were used to identify the first male that mounted the female, who was termed the “winner.” It was hypothesized that females who mate with the winner of the mating pair will go on to produce more viable offspring than females mated with the loser of the mating pair. There was no significant relationship found between the total number of eggs laid between the winner and loser groups. No significant relationship was found between the total number of viable offspring between the winner and loser groups. There was a relationship trend between overall success rates of producing viable offspring for one of the experimental groups; however, the association was not quite statistically significant. The trend indicates that winner groups were more unsuccessful at producing viable offspring. The results obtained indicate that there is no clear evidence that indirect mate choice was present in this experiment. It is possible that if indirect mate choice is present, it may be a more subtle influence to detect than originally believed. Rachel Goff a senior Biology student at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She has a BA in Psychology from Arkansas Tech University and a MS in Counseling from John Brown University. She is a counseling therapist for adolescents in an inpatient psychiatric hospital where her primary responsibilities are doing individual, family, and group counseling with patients. Rachel’s ultimate goal is to continue her career and educational goals by enrolling in medical school after graduation, and to obtain a specialty in Psychiatry.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Fort Smith Citizen’s Police Academy Rebranding
Presented by Jessica Wooden, Kelby Franklin, Zane Kaiser, and Steven Barker Table 12 The Fort Smith Citizens Police Academy is a wonderful way for non-law enforcement individuals to gain an accurate understanding of, and appreciation for the Fort Smith Police Department. Without a unique brand identity or effective promotional materials for the program, however, the Police Department has been hard pressed to raise awareness and elevate the Academy in the eyes of a young, modern generation. In addition, the Police Department has desired to engender a sense of honor associated with being a graduate of the Academy in order to encourage greater participation in the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association. To solve these problems, a team of students at UAFS first interviewed with a Citizens Police Academy liaison to determine what branding elements and promotional materials were needed. Multiple logo designs were drafted and submitted for group review, and one was selected. Poster artwork was also key in creating a recognizable look. A package of branding and promotional items were created and accepted by the Fort Smith Police Department showcasing the talent of the UAFS Graphic Design Program. Jessica is a 2009 graduate of Union Christian Academy. For Jessica, designing is not just considered work or something to do in class, it is a passionate hobby that she loves. She currently works as the in-house graphic design for Trilennium Financial In May 2013, she will graduate and continue on with her career as a graphic designer. Kelby Franklin is a senior at The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She is graduating May of 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design. Franklin is from Mansfield, AR and graduated High School in 2009. She currently resides in the Fort Smith area but plans to move to Dallas, TX to pursue a career in graphic design. Zane Kaiser is a Senior level student at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in the field of Graphic Design. Since childhood Zane passion has been to create, whether it be drawing, painting, music, building or any other form of creative expression. Zane’s inclination toward creative expression and natural problem solving personality have proved to be useful tools in his education and will aid him in his further pursuit of success in the field of professional design. Steven Barker is a homeschooled graduate, a senior-year student at UAFS, and is preparing to graduate in May, 2013 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design. Steven commutes to the University from his hometown of Alma, Arkansas. He grew up there sketching imaginary creatures, Bible story scenes, and science fiction spacecrafts. His dream of a career using his drawing skills is coming true as he works as a Cooperative Office Education employee with Arkansas Best Corporation, designing both internal and external company materials between his college classes.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Blue Bell Ice Cream Rebranding
Presented by Jeremy Teff, Cheyenne Grabe, Lance Scruggs, and Mai Thao Table 13 As one of the largest names in Ice Cream, Blue Bell is an established brand that has been around for over a century. However, their packaging has failed to keep up with today’s newer trends. This could cause a potential loss of new customers to other ice cream competitors who do have attractive updated looks. A team of UAFS Graphic Design students decided to take on this issue and give Blue Bell Ice Cream a new unique brand identity to help catch the eye of new consumers. The students were faced with the challenge of upholding the traditional “Blue Bell” image but with a modern update that will appeal to a younger generation. The team collaborated to create 3 concepts that were then surveyed by the general public. Research from that survey found one design most effective and allowed the team to further that concept into an attractive new brand. Jeremy Teff is a senior at the University of Arkansas pursuing a degree in Graphic Design. He will graduate in May of 2013 and hopes to establish a career in the local Design Industry. Cheyenne Grabe is a 2008 graduate of Central High School in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith and plans to graduate in May 2013. Some of her interest include digital photography, spending time with family and being outdoors. After graduation she plans to stay local in finding a job in the graphic design field while continuing her work as a free lance designer. Lance Scruggs is a senior at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, graduating in the fall of 2013 with a Bachelor’s in Graphic Design. Upon graduation Lance plans to move to Colorado and continue his work as a freelance designer. Maiya Thao is a 2009 Cassville High graduate attending the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith and pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. After graduation, Thao plans to move out of state to continue her education in Graphic Design or pursue a degree in Illustration while looking for a job in the graphic design field.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Sack Lunch Program Branding
Presented by Caryn Price, Stephanie Rodden, Daniel Wiggins, William Barnes Table 13 The Sack Lunch Program is an all-volunteer organization, whose goal is to serve Ft. Smith’s hungry. Originally, the program was called the St. John’s Lunch Program and began more than 25 years ago by Mary Wise of St. John’s Episcopal Church. Through volunteers, St. John’s gives away thousands of sack lunches every year. This ministry serves a critical need for those who are poorest and most vulnerable in our community. The goal of this project was to give The Sack Lunch Program a strong identity to pull in donations. We got inspiration from key concepts like nutrition, barrier-free environment, and an all-volunteer program to emphasize why people should donate. From experience, we have learned that the imagery to use for a program like this should be inviting and of a positive nature. Caryn Price graduated from Southside High School in 2009. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design, and is graduating in May 2013. Her research interests include illustration, design, and book making. Although you can usually find her on the computer doing design work, she also enjoys sewing and cross-stitching in her spare time. Some of her accomplishments include winning two silver Addy Awards for a gig poster and a Dyslexia Awareness Ad. Stephanie graduated from Elkins High School in 2008. Her research interests include letterpress, book making and the use of bold color in design and advertising. She will graduate in December of 2013 with a Bachelor Degree in Graphic Design. Daniel graduated from Cedarville High School. A non-traditional student, he returned to school to obtain a Bachelor degree in Graphic Design. He aspires to become a versatile designer in a constantly evolving field. His research interests include illustration, design, and digital photomontage. His hobbies are painting, video games, movies, photography, travel, and nature. William Barnes is a 22-year-old Graphic Design major at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith attending his senior year. His research interests are innovative illustration techniques and marketing specifics. Every day he is trying to strengthen his abilities in illustration and conceptual art. Last year, he won a bronze medal in the Brass Ring Awards, a national competition.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Rebranding of TRESemmé Smooth and Curly Product Lines Presented by Becky Dailey, Heather Swaim, Stanley Soultaire, and Sam Broom Table 14
TRESemmé is a brand of hair care products originally manufactured by Godefroy Manufacturing Company in St. Louis, Missouri in 1947. The product line was initially marketed only to salons. Current advertisement campaigns market the product as being professional and affordable. TRESemmé’s current branding is outdated and is currently directed toward an older demographic. The goal of our rebranding is to update the company’s current identity and packaging for the Smooth and Curly product lines giving the products a more youthful and edgy look. Three versions of packaging designs will be posted on surveymonkey.com and marketing surveys will be conducted for 3 weeks. After which, the results will be analyzed and recorded. Becky graduated with honors from Mountain Home High School. Her research interests include the effectiveness of typography in design and the effects of color on the human brain. She is currently working as a freelance designer with clients including the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum. Becky plans to graduate in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. Her accomplishments include a Brass Ring Award for logo design, a silver ADDY Award and a Special Judges ADDY Award for poster design. Heather Swaim graduated from Van Buren High School in 2007. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. Her research interests include illustration and creative logo design. One of her passions is figure and portrait drawing. Accomplishments include winning two silver Addy Awards for a gig poster and children’s book series. Stanley Soultaire is a 25-year-old Graphic Design major at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in his final semester of his Senior year. His research interests include tactile and interactive print design. While growing as a designer and preparing for the professional world he strives to be the best, and to progress every day. In 2013, Stanley won a bronze Addy Award for illustration. Sam was homeschooled in high school and graduated in 2009. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith and plans to graduate in May of 2013. His interests include art, design, photography, music, and writing. Sam enjoys doing freelance design work in addition to his studies and hopes to become a full time graphic designer upon graduation.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Comparison of Different Methods Used to Teach College Students How to Analyze Mineral Cleavage Presented by Stephanie Duboise and Bradley Hancock Table 14
The objective of this research was to compare the efficacy of two different methods used to teach college students how to analyze mineral cleavage. Both methods were administered to the same population of fifty introductory Earth Science students at the University of Arkansas, Fort Smith. In the hand sample method, students analyzed mineral cleavage in large (4 to 8 cm) samples. In the microscope method, students analyzed cleaved mineral fragments under a binocular microscope. Both methods used the same seven minerals: gypsum, calcite, quartz, plagioclase, fluorite, hornblende, and garnet. A home-made device was used to cleave the minerals into fragments for the microscope method. For both methods, students recorded whether the mineral fractured or cleaved, and if cleaved, the number and relative angles of cleavage surfaces. The difference between the results of the two methods was significant, with 92 % of students doing better with hand samples [t (49) =8.73, p<0.001]. The probability of better results with hand samples was near 100% for all minerals except quartz (91 %) and garnet (59 %). We suspect that the results were skewed in favor of the hand sample method because 1) most students lacked experience with microscopes 2) different instructional interventions were used for the two methods. These factors need to be accounted for in the experimental design of future investigations. Stephanie graduated from Southside High school in Fort Smith, Ark. She is a biology major aspiring to be a teacher. Her teacher certification, which she will obtain from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, will allow her to teach grades 7-12. Before last year, she had no idea that she liked science. She took a biology course and fell in love with it. She was amazed by how exciting and important science is; she wants to learn everything that she can! She canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to share her passion and her love for science with other students. Brad graduated from Southside High School in 1999 and went into the Army two weeks after graduation. He is currently a disabled veteran going to school under a VA program. Brad aspires to be a science teacher in secondary education. He originally started out as a history major but after having taken some general education classes, he found how much he enjoys being in the science labs. Brad is also hoping to graduate with honors.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium High Frequency Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Presented by Ralph Huneycutt Table 15
Piezoelectric materials generate electric voltage when undergoing mechanical deformation. One potential application of such effect is to generate energy to power a structural health monitoring system of an aircraft. This project, funded through a grant from NASA via the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium, is to investigate an onboard structural health monitoring system that is self-powered via piezoelectric effects. Working in collaboration with the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Little Rock, we are investigating the role of frequency in the generation of power from piezoelectric materials. A cantilever beam has been mounted with a piezoelectric generator and tested with a sinusoidal frequency range of 2-100 Hz. While most piezoelectric applications design the generator at the system natural frequency, the goal of this project is to see how the piezo generator responds at a range of frequencies. The results can be used to evaluate the power production of piezos at frequencies other than their designed frequency. Ralph graduated from Southside High School in Fort Smith, Ark. He is a junior pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering. After college he aspires to either go to graduate school to study Industrial or Mechanical engineering or get a job related to the mechanical engineering field. His interests in research include thermodynamics, fluids, heat transfer, vibrations, mechanics, composites, and controls. Some of the job fields he is interested in are HVAC, manufactory, and consulting.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Weapon Primes on Aggressive Cognitions Presented by Tammy Dunn Table 15
Psychologists have researched the relationship between a variety of stimuli and aggressive behavior for decades. Among those stimuli are weapons. Since the Berkowitz and Page (1967) first demonstrated the weapons effect, a number of experiments have shown that weapons and images of weapons prime aggressive behavior. Of interest to social psychologists is why weapons prime aggressive behavior. One hypothesis is that weapons prime aggressive thoughts, which in turn triggers an aggressive response (Anderson, Benjamin, & Bartholow, 1998). In other words, the mere presence of weapons or even pictures of weapons should prime people to think and behave more aggressively (Anderson, Benjaminn, & Bartholow, 1998). The role of priming plays an important part in this concept but the priming explanation has been largely untested until recently. Once the initial priming has taken place, it is thought that cognitive and affective processes increase aggressive behavior. The purpose of this research is to test, through metaanalysis, if weapons and images of weapons prime aggressive thoughts, thus giving us some insight into why weapons appear to trigger aggressive behavioral responses. Tammy is a senior at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. She is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology and a minor is sociology. She aspires to become a part of a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree program in Industrial Organizational Psychology at the University of Tulsa.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Sex Education: Bridging the Gap Presented by Jennifer Glanton and Alicia Banks Table 16
For decades there has been much discussion about forms, curriculum, and age appropriateness of sex education in the United States. The Literature reflects that there is much influence and discussion stemming from organizations and institutions of religious persuasion. This proposal suggests that sex education should be viewed in terms of human development specific to cognition and physical functioning. It is proposed that considerations should be specifically made pertaining to a child, an adolescent and an adult’s ability to process, understand and relate to issues of sexuality. Specifically, it is proposed that children should be directly and formally taught concepts of appropriate sexuality beginning at ages beginning at age 7 and through age 9. These teachings should emphasize visual presentations. Fifth and second grades ages 10- 11 Changes: What is going on with me? (5th-6th grade), The “Love Triangle” (7th grade), Are we having sex yet? (8th-9th grade), and Babies and Sexual Identity (10th grade). Our course incorporates Piaget’s stages of cognitive development in order for successful competence and understanding in students. Our programs implement various materials such as: videos, group interaction discussions, writing exercises, and interactive devices for real world application. The research question suggests that sex education is best facilitated through a view of lifespan human development and specific cognitive stages of development. The implementation of this proposed curriculum is predicted to reduce teenage pregnancy, reduce incidents of sexual abuse and an increase in knowledge of students’ knowledge concerning sexual behavior, understanding of healthy relationship, safe sexual practices and sexual abuse. We also intend to see an increase in students’ knowledge concerning sexual behavior, understanding relationships, and safe sexual practices. Jennifer grew up in Hope, Arkansas. She attended school in Spring Hill, Arkansas for seventeen years of her life; however, she graduated from Van Buren High School. She aspires to enter the occupational therapy field and is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in biology. Her research interests include human sexuality, conditioning, personalities, and learning. She has worked at Bost in Fort Smith for over three years as a rehabilitation aide working one-on-one with individuals diagnosed intellectually and physically disabled. Jennifer enjoys volunteering at the Gregory Kisler Center, Arc, Reynolds Cancer House, and Next Step Day Room. She is also the current psychology club president at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. Alicia graduated from Broken Arrow High School. She aspires to earn a degree in Counseling Psychology and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her research interests include aggression and hostility, music and its physiological effects, personality traits, object attachment, and human sexuality. Currently, she is an intern at the ARC and works with individuals who are diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her life-long goals are to earn a doctorate degree and become an LPC, eventually have a practice, and to work with children and families as well as those with disabilities.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Evolution of Human Imaging Presented by Colton Vollmer Table 16
The research I have provided shows the history of human imaging up to the point we are at now, and to where it is headed to in the future. Human Imaging began as an exploration into physics by William Roentgen. The field of Physics at that time didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much to do with medical treatments or medical understanding. It was physics that lead to the newfound technology that would greatly enhance the medical field and the understanding of the human body. Unknown to the medical hazards of this technology, many scientists died from radiation poisoning or adverse effects from radiation. With this new technology called the X-Ray, medical doctors were able help save many lives from just having the ability to see where problems were at inside of the body. Many of these doctors, however, would suffer the same fate as the scientists from the radiation exposure. This is a problem, in that the technology helping our medicine is also killing because of the lack of understanding. Understanding takes time and with that time new technology, with the goal of being safer, was already underway. It is important to realize that without the advancements in technology, our medical advancements will slow and come to a halt and vice versa. Colton graduated from Van Buren High School with 40 college credit hours already under his belt. He is working on his Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Psychology with a minor in Database Technology. Colton is also attempting to acquire two Associate Degrees in the technology field before graduating. His research includes a mixture of the Medical and Technology fields. He enjoys both fields, as both are equally important in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society. His goals for his degree will be to help people on a professional level as a clinical psychologist and help soldiers or families in need.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Analyzing Culture Shock in Cameroon Presented by Landon Harwell Table 17
This paper explores research describing the culture of Cameroon and how culture shock affects the citizens. The culture in Cameroon has been one of the root causes in most, if not all, conflicts that have existed and continue to exist. There are over two-hundred and fifty different ethnic groups in the country. It is also worth mentioning the scarce amount of natural resources within Cameroon. Fomotar (2006) describes culture shock as the main challenge to peace in Cameroon. In order to understand why culture shock is a source of conflict in Cameroon, the use of the sources and an interview will allow me to describe why it is such major challenge. In the interview with my Aunt, she stressed the difference in culture and how traveling to nearby countries was a shock. It makes you appreciate the smallest things we take for granted in the states (Bramlett, 2013). The interview is going to be the biggest section in my paper to help describe how the citizens react to different cultures when leaving the country of Cameroon. Culture shock in Cameroon will allow a further look into why this causes most of the violence in the country. Landon graduated from Gentry High School in 2009. He aspires to receive a Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in Media communication and go to graduate school at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. His goal is to become a sports analyst, writer, or broadcaster. Following completion of graduate school, Landon hopes to get a job at a broadcasting company, specifically at ESPN or another sports broadcasting company. Future goals include becoming a big name broadcaster, writer, or commentator. If all else fails, Landon will become a writer for a big name newspaper.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Dimensions of Intercultural Relationships in India Presented by Danielle Beckham Table 17
India is considered to be a collectivist culture whose people rely primarily on family ties to maintain their intercultural relationships. India’s collectivist culture is consistent with its values of everyday life such as conformity to family traditions. Collectivist cultures value “loyalty, devotion, and conformity” as a hierarchy for maintaining the culture (Hofstede, 1991). Arranged marriages in India represent a tradition which involves dowries, matchmakers, and family formed alliances. The use of caste systems plays a major role in the formation of these arrangements, and allows the families to maintain a level of status in the community (Monger, 2004). Through collectivism, the culture represents a bond that may not be broken or disobeyed. An arranged marriage is one level of control the culture conforms to in order to distinguish the various levels of class and caste systems. Danielle Beckham is receiving her bachelor’s degree in December 2013. She has been actively involved in the National Broadcasting Society throughout her time at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, having been named President for the Spring 2013 semester, and has been working on improving the club’s involvement. Danielle wishes to pursue a career in public relations or marketing after graduation.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Japan’s Use of Anime to Establish Intercultural Relationships with the World Presented by Justin Trobaugh Table 18
Since the end of World War II, Japan’s influence on the world has significantly increased thanks to the exportation of anime. The Japanese culture is injected within shows, which are then distributed throughout the world. Certain aspects and animation styles of Western cultures are also integrated into the production of anime shows and films creating a sense of global community where animators from opposite ends of the planet inspire each other with their technique and cultural influences. These cross-cultural influences create a sense of globalization that allows each culture’s media industry to seem less alien to outside viewers. Recently, the two cultures began to marry the distinct styles of each culture’s animation. The rapid spread of anime has created its own sub-culture of fans that create varying impacts within their respective regions. The growing popularity and expanding worldwide influence of anime establishes more direct links to and strengthens understanding of between cultures. Justin graduated from Union Christian Academy. He aspires to build his own entertainment website and is pursuing a degree in Media Communications. His research interests include the media and its constantly changing nature as well as its effects on society. He also enjoys studying past and present cultural phenomena. He enjoys learning and experiencing every aspect of media. He is a self-proclaimed expert in video games and video game culture. He enjoys music and has been playing drums off and on for eight years. He was on his high school bowling team. His highest score was a 233.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Twenty-first Century Female Comedians: The Use of Comedy to Breakout from the Traditional Feminine Gender Role Presented by Jordan Pickett Table 18
The traditional feminine gender role is a way for the hegemonic society to keep women less empowered than their male counterparts. Women will continue to be treated as the less important sex if these gender characteristics are in place. Women comedians have used and continue to use comedy to challenge that feminine gender role. The possibilities for women to use obscenities, suburbanite jokes, parodies on government, and extreme satire on all levels of society through comedy are instrumental in helping define a new femininity. This study examines memoirs Tina Fey’s Bossypants, Ellen Degeneres’ Seriously...I’m Kidding, the movie Baby Mama, and the work of viral comedian Jenna as evidence of gender role rejection. While many in Hollywood continue to struggle with women employing non-feminine characteristics, critics argue that paradoxically masculine humor is aiding the female gender role in escaping its box of binary oppositions. It is this lack of traditional femininity that has made these comedians successful. However, their success comes from self-employment mostly, implying that in order to be in a role of controlling capacity the work has to be written by women casting women in a central role. Comedy allows for conversation on topics not openly discussed by people not generally listened to. If more women are willing to control discourse through comedy, then a new more empowering feminine will exist in society. Jordan graduated from Temple High School. She plays volleyball here at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. Jordan plans to graduate with a BS in English with a teacher licensure. She plans on attending graduate school with a possible graduate assistantship for the school’s volleyball team. With a Masters in English or Education, which has been decided, she will teach at the secondary or undergraduate level. She is minor in studio art so that the opportunity of teaching secondary art is possible as well. In addition to literature and art, her research interests include gender studies and specifically women’s literature.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Photo-induction of the Ireland-Claisen Rearrangement Presented by Margie Hoke and Trang Nguyen Table 19
The Ireland-Claisen rearrangement is a well-understood process that is widely applied in the synthesis of complex organic molecules. This rearrangement is a net isomerization. The standard procedure uses a strong base, lithium diisopropyl amide (LDA), and a silyl (TMS) protecting group at -78. The addition of these reagents makes the net isomerization atom inefficient. In an effort to improve the atom efficiency, an alternative approach to initiating this rearrangement without implementing the necessary reagents is being examined. Our hypothesis utilizes UV light to photoinduce the Ireland-Claisen rearrangement transforming it into an atom efficient process. To investigate our hypothesis, an allylic ester and allyl amide are being synthesized. Once these compounds are formed with appropriate yield, testing of the proposal that an Ireland-Claisen rearrangement can be initiated photochemically will commence. Margie Hoke graduated from Gravette High School and will graduate from the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith with Chemistry with Concentration in Biochemistry Bachelor of Science degree in May, 2013. Her research interests include biochemistry, organic chemistry, nanotechnology, neurology and cardiology. She aspires to further her education in medical school and has applied for fall 2013 admission. Margie has been involved in UAFS extracurricular activities such as Cub Camp, Gamma Eta Sorority, Inc., and Lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Community Outreach Day. Trang Nguyen was born and raised in Vietnam. She immigrated to the United States in 2005, attended and graduated from Van Buren High School. Currently, she is a senior at the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith seeking the Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Her interests lie in the applied aspects of science and she aspires to pursue interdisciplinary research in the field of materials chemistry. For that, she plans to attend a graduate institution studying advanced chemistry.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Electrolyte-induced Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles is Modulated by Cation Size Presented by Alice Tholen Table 19
Interest in aggregated nanoparticle systems has increased in recent years due to unique properties that emerge in the aggregated state that differ drastically from both the isolated nanoparticle and bulk material states. Aggregated nanoparticles have enhanced electronic properties, including providing surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)enhancement, serving as optical limiters, and providing colorimetric detection in biological sensing applications. Here we report the controlled aggregation of aqueous gold nanoparticles using multiple electrolytic salts that vary in charge and size. By changing the nature of the salt, we demonstrate that we can reproducibly change the spacing between neighboring particles, by observing shifts in the absorption maximum, which we predict will ultimately have a direct effect on the electronic properties of the overall aggregate assembly. Alice Tholen graduated from Edmond Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Oklahoma. She is a senior mechanical engineering student at both the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith and the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fayetteville. In addition to being an outstanding student, she is the president of the UAFS chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and volunteers for the BEST Robotics Competition. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in materials engineering and become a professor in the future.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Femtochemistry and Attophysics: The New Frontier for Chemical Analysis Presented by Robert Wells Table 20
Scientists have used lasers to examine chemical reactions since the 1960s. With this, and other technologies, scientists have been precise in the measurement of electron behavior, in how to view the phases of chemical reactions, and in how to better understand other phenomena that occur within a given system. Lasers have been instrumental in the understanding of chemical processes, but there have been limitations with their use. As a result, femtochemistry and attophysics were developed to better understand what is happening at the molecular level in chemical reactions. These fields have ushered in many important findings in the dynamics of bond breakage, electron and proton transfer, transition states, condensed phase reactions, and many other areas. In this paper, we provide a literature overview. We will look at how the two fields began, the preliminary findings and technological advances that had to take place before these disciplines of chemistry and physics could be conceived, and how modern experiments in these fields are allowing for scientists to view chemical processes at was once perceived to be unimaginable. Rob Wells graduated from Union Christian Academy in 2009. He will graduate from the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith with a BS degree in Chemistry and a minor in Mathematics in May 2014. He plans on attending graduate school and aspires to receive a doctorate in Physical Chemistry. Rob is currently a tutor for the Academic Success Center on the UAFS campus.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Quantum Theory
Presented by Joshua Briggs, Joshua Parham, Robert Wells, Heidi Luks, Anh Tran and Thanh Tran Table 20 The development of quantum theory originated in the last two decades of the 19th century in response to apparently unconnected and unexplained phenomena such as the photoelectric effect, the ultraviolet catastrophe, and Îą-particle nuclear decay. At this point in time, quantum theory (henceforth referred to as the old quantum theory) was more a collection of results that did not fit with classical physics than a fully structured self-contained theory. The development of quantum theory from its origins in the 19th century to the modern version of Quantum Mechanics (QM) by Paul Dirac in 1926 (which is fully consistent with Einsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theory of special relativity, unlike the old quantum theory) will be explored, along with several modern applications of QM, with special emphasis on the role of quantum tunneling and entanglement. Understanding and designing modern solar cells, lasers, MRI machines, scanning tunneling electron microscopes (STEM), and discrete semiconductor device such as Josephson Junctions would not be possible without a thorough understanding of QM. Objections and controversies surrounding the most commonly held and accepted interpretations of QM, such as the Copenhagen Interpretation, Hidden Variable Model, and Universal Wave Function Models will be explored. Along with these theoretical disputes, there are currently under development a number of theoretical offshoots from quantum theory including quantum information theory and the theory of quantum teleportation which are in the process of being applied to future devices and technologies.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Novel Synthesis of Uvaridacols from Monosaccharides Presented by Joshua Parham Table 21
Uvaridacols are a recently discovered class of compounds found in the stems of Uvaria dac, a tree of Southeast Asia. These compounds exhibit interesting biological activity, namely their potential cytotoxic properties against PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells while not being harmful to healthy cells . Though the structures of these compounds have been determined, a proposal of their synthesis has failed to surface. Thus, a retrosynthetic analysis for the novel synthesis of uvaridacols is presented here employing monosaccharides as relatively inexpensive and practical starting materials. The stereochemistry of the desired compound determines which sugar should be used and influences the method of attaching the final functional groups to the molecule. The rational of each synthetic step will be discussed, and the progress in the synthesis of uvaridacols will also be presented. Joshua Parham is from Paris, Ark. and will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith in May 2013. After graduation, Joshua plans on taking a job or internship in chemistry while preparing for graduate school. In graduate school, he looks to pursue a Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemistry, specializing in synthetic organic chemistry. His current research interests include natural product synthesis and medicinal chemistry.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Makeup Design: Preparation for a Professional World Presented by Megan King Table 21
The primary objective of this project is to take knowledge from the classroom and make it applicable in the professional world. The goal of any college student, in any major, is not simply to acquire knowledge but to use that knowledge and ultimately form a career that will allow for the student to acquire a livelihood. As a student in the theatre arts, or any other form of art, this seems a particularly daunting task however, with persistence, research, and creativity this is more than possible. In order to apply and demonstrate this objective the realm of makeup design will be explored and broken down into a process in which one takes the knowledge learned from class, applies it to an actual production, and presents it to professionals in the field. First, the process of design and the research behind said design will be presented. Next, the synthesized research, coalesced into the overall production, is examined. Finally, the work of the designer is presented to professionals in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industry and the results, changes and the rewards of this examination are provided. Megan King, of central Arkansas, will graduate from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in June with her Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Theatre Performance. Her most recent work includes a full length devised physical production, Drømnium, which was recently reviewed by a national panel from the Kennedy Center, and is now competing for awards on the national level along with seven other productions from the United States. She not only performed in this work but had the opportunity to design the makeup as well. She received a meritorious award for her makeup design and a scholarship to the Stage Craft Institute of Las Vegas for a seminar in the summer. She looks forward to continuing her theatrical pursuits and will be moving to Cleveland with a full scholarship and stipend to the CWRU-CPH MFA Program accompanied by her significant other Aron Long.
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Poster Presentations Health Sciences 116
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Solid Works and Inventor Comparison Presented by Frank Juarez Table 22
Due to high competition in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business, it is important to choose a tool that is suitable for product design and development as well as to try to minimize the cost of processing. SolidWorks and AutoCad Inventor are tools that can help reduce the cost of the product right through the systematic achievement of 3D modeling design. The development of software technology has given us the tools to be able to design and produce new products using realistic threedimensional (3D) prototypes. AutoCad has remained on the market since 1982 and is the most used software by Architects, Engineers, as well as other professions. Many businesses choose to continue with Autodesk, Inc., the company that produced AutoCad Inventor. However, others choose to go with Bassault Systemes S.A. who produced SolidWorks. This paper compares AutoCad Inventor and SolidWorks, which are programs used worldwide by a great number of businesses to develop and improve their products. The paper will explore which software is easier to use, which does a better job, and some advantages and disadvantages on each. Frank Juarez was born on February 4, 1966 in Guatemala City. He graduated from the Technical Institute of Construction (Drafting) in 1985. In 1988, he moved with his wife and daughter to the San Fernando Valley in California, where he obtained his GED from Los Angeles Unified School District in 1991. In 1998, he completed a certified program in Computer Application Software from North Valley Occupational Center in San Fernando, California. He worked in the restaurant business as an Assistant Manager for over 10 years, and he also worked for an electronics company performing incoming inspection of electronic parts. In 2005, Frank and his family relocated to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he worked for Allens Inc. from 2006 to 2010 managing a 1.5 Million budget for repairs and processing invoices and purchase orders in the Accounting Department. In 2010, he worked for Whirlpool for nine months. After he was dislocated, he decided to go back to school. He is working for an Associate Degree in CADD-Mechanical at UAFS. He works part-time at Baldor Electric Company, processing custom orders and engineering change requests, creating and maintaining drawings and bill of material using AutoCad, SolidWorks and SAP. He will graduate in May 2013. After Frank graduates, he would love to work full-time at Baldor. He is the father of four girls. His favorite hobby is to spend time with his family. He loves to read. He speaks English and Spanish fluently.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium History of a Pocket Knife Presented by Troye Edwards Table 22
This is a brief history of the art of knife making, including the formation of W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Company. The knives are handcrafted and handed down from generation to generation. The original knife patterns and carefully crafted handles are a huge part of the brands popularity and collectability. This project will include the manufacturing of a knife blade by hand, which consists of profiling, stock removal, shaping, hardening and tempering of the blade. The handle of the blade will be formed from a found piece of wood. The project will demonstrate the creativity and craftsmanship necessary to produce a knife. Knife making has a rich history, dating back to caveman using chipped stones to cut into animal flesh. Most knives, by the 1900’s, were produced in factories. This fact has made the art of hand fashioning a knife a vanishing art. During the 1950’s and 60’s, knife-smiths mostly went away due to lack of demand. New technology has created a fresh interest in the stock removal method of creating knife blades. This method is the removal of excess stock from a piece of steel to produce a profile of the blade. The profile is then sanded to produce an edge. The sanded knife blade is then tempered and hardened using extreme heat. This step allows the blade to hold an edge without becoming dull rapidly. The final phase of the process, fitting a handle the finished knife blade. Handles are made from a variety of materials, including wood, plastic, bone, and antler. Troyce Edwards is a student at the University Of Arkansas - Fort Smith, having returned to college after working sixteen years at Hiram Walker. A graduate of Southside High School, she attended Westark Community College after graduation in 1989. She entered the workforce full time in 1992 but continued to take college courses, earning a Certificate of Proficiency in 1999, while working at Hiram Walker. In 2010, Troyce Edwards was given the opportunity to leave Hiram Walker and enter college full time. Working diligently, she is striving to finish the Mechanical Engineering Degree/CADD program by the year 2013.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium America’s Sports Car Presented by Eric Ness Table 23
The research topic I have chosen essentially covers the history of the Dodge Viper sports car. I briefly illustrate the history of American automotive racing and performance cars to show where the inspiration for the Viper came from. I’ll tell the story of how a farmer from Texas, an engine-less sports car from England, and cheap, fire-breathing, go-fast machines from the 1960’s helped to develop this amazing symbol of performance. The Dodge Viper has become one of the most iconic performance cars in automotive history. Its silhouette can be identified by millions all around the globe. Dodge brings back their well-known performance heritage from the muscle car era and gives it a light, sleek body design to help it cut through the air and past the competition. It costs half the price of its exotic “supercar” rivals from Italy and Germany and will still pull away from most of these giants in a drag race. I will describe each stage of the Viper, starting with the concept, to see what changes have been made to improve it. The horsepower, torque, and suspension are all modified over the years of building the Viper. The key to unlock the unlimited potential of the car, however, is the power-to-weight ratio. I will describe the newest Viper design and briefly tell what they did to make the car even lighter and quicker than the previous models. This brief historical account of the Dodge Viper will help to give the reader a better understanding of the car and its roots. Eric Ness grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas and graduated from Northside High School in 2005. He then saved money to serve a two-year mission for his church in the state of Alaska. After returning he worked for a year to save some money before registering for college. Eric spent the first few semesters taking the required basics and trying to find a field he would want to pursue. He signed up for Welding/Blueprint Reading which involved drafting. After enjoying the drafting portion of the class, he switched majors to the CADD program in which he is currently enrolled. Eric plans to use his schooling to get into the automotive field, designing cars and/or car parts.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Small Homes and Use of Space Presented by Carla Jones Table 23
Small homes have become more popular in architecture since the economic down fall. Designers and architects are incredibly creative in their designs and materials they use to construct these homes. The homes are designed in a large variety of styles, shapes and sizes that originate from the homeowner or architect. The design process is more difficult because of the small shapes and sizes. Foundations, framing, roofing, and interiors have to be adjusted to function efficiently with the home. Use of space becomes a large part of the design process. For a smaller home, the design has to be planned ahead for the use of space and the storage space needed. The builder needs to know if the home is going to be used for a temporary guesthouse or a small permanent home. A small permanent home will need more storage space for everyday use items. It may also require larger appliances to be used on an everyday basis. My guesthouse design is based on permanent living and is less than one thousand square feet. It is hexagon shaped with upstairs attic storage space as well as a lot of shelving and storage type furniture. It has a one room open floor plan design to give the illusion of more space. The home is designed with a lot of windows and two large French style entry and exit doors, which allow a lot of light to enter the home for an open, bright feel in the room. The restroom is combined with the laundry to save space in the living areas. The kitchen is designed with cabinets in an L-shape, with a half wall that opens to the office/work area. The upstairs space above the restroom will be used for extra storage space. Carla Jones spent three years working as an administrative assistant for a real estate agent, before making the decision to attend the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith. She is currently seeking an Associate of Applied Science in General Computer Aided Drafting and anticipates graduation in May of 2014. Following graduation, Carla would like to work for Baldor Electric and do contract residential drafting in her spare time. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, photography, horseback riding, hiking and swimming. Carla is hopeful that a degree in CADD will help her to achieve the goals she has set for herself and provide her with a secure life and future.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Adobe After Effects: Before and After Presented by Chelsae Young Table 24
The post-production process is an important part of any project. Whether the undertaking is large or small, simple or complex, none would be truly complete without the aid of editing software. There are many such programs that can be used for two-dimensional or three-dimensional works, some even utilizing both. Be it an image or a video, there is software available to clean up, stitch together, or enhance your project. Though there are other great editing programs out there, the focus of this research will be placed on Adobe After Effects, as it is the software the presenter, Chelsae Young, is most comfortable and familiar with using. Adobe After Effects is a program that allows its users to create visual effects and motion graphics in a 2D and 3D space. In the two decades since its inception, After Effects has rapidly evolved into something more than editing software; it is the jumpstart to the careers of many. The capabilities of After Effects go beyond simple editing. Touching up and/or removing parts of a project is only a small part of the tools available. With this software one can string together individual video clips to create one seamless file, add visual effects to sequences to reduce render time for other programs, and even create original projects. Examples of a few of these will be shown, including a before and after shot, so that one may have a better understanding of what this video editing software has to offer. Chelsae Young was born at the tail end of the year of 1991 to the town of Fort Smith, Arkansas. She graduated from Van Buren High School in the summer of 2010 and enrolled in the University of Arkansas Fort Smith shortly after. Chelsae is working to receive an associate of applied science degree in computer-aided drafting and design so she may pursue a degree in the Bachelor of Science in Animation Technology. Her current research interest involves computer software that aid in the post-production process; After Effects being the most notable as it is the program she has the most experience using.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium History of Pokémon Presented by Matthew Tetrick Table 24
This poster is about the history of Pokémon. You will read about how Satoshi Tajiri, creator of Pokémon, came up with the idea of Pokémon and hear about the trials Pokémon went through before it became what is now known as Pokémon. Finally, you will find out about the spin-offs, main games, the card game, and the manga. Pokémon is still growing and expanding to the giant series it is now. Matthew Tetrick graduated from Har-Ber High School in 2010. He aspires to create video games and is currently pursuing a degree in CADD. He is interested in researching the origins of popular games and game companies. His current interests are expanding his gaming experience and game creation.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium History of Video Games Presented by Brett Sutton Table 25
Video games have been improved greatly in nearly every way, from how the graphics have been improved from lines and large pixels to todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photorealistic games. The lines of code have also increased from a few hundred to in the millions. One thing that has not changed with technology is the way creators use the games, which is to make a fun and interactive way of storytelling or just to pass the time. Either way, video games have been around for a long time and can only continue to advance and become something that can be enjoyed by everyone. I will be presenting information and insight into the level design of games from the days where they had to have low polygon counts, and also a render of an environment made with todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s technology and higher polygon counts. I will also show the importance of textures and how they can make something that seems to have very little detail have enough detail to make it nearly photorealistic. I will be showing the low-poly environment through the unity game engine, and allow for viewers to walk through it just like a game. The high-poly environment will be rendered still pictures and a video walk through to show the benefits of high poly modeling. Brett Sutton started attending the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith during his junior year in high school. After this semester he will obtain five certifications in varying CADD programs. He has competed in Skills USA at the state level and won gold. He also had the chance to compete at nationals and placed 27th. Brett is very dedicated to work in the 3D field and wishes to get a career working for the company Valve.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Importance of Low Polygon Modeling Presented by Morgan Godfrey Table 25
The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of low polygon modeling. We will look at the advantages and disadvantages in this topic. An advantage of low polygon modeling is a clean model look with a high polygon count. This is done through the active use of techniques such as normal mapping. We will also look at the versatility of a model that has a lower polygon count. Looking back, we will see what leading experts in the past have said and what ideas were put forward to advance the technology in use. We will look at how these pieces of technology are used today, what todaysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 3D animators use, and what the future might hold for polygons in 3D modeling. This paper will show why modelers are taught to stay under polygon budgets and how these modelers achieve this objective. Morgan Godfrey graduated from Godfrey Home School. He aspires to enter the 3D animation field and is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Animation Technology. His research interests include photography, video editing, video commentary, 3D modeling, and animation. Morgan is looking to work locally with companies interested in 3D design, as well as local drafting companies. He has recently worked with the University of Arkansas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fort Smith in a 3D animation project for Macsteel. He aspires to work for an established game production studio after he obtains his bachelorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; degree.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Motion Capture Animation of the Future Presented by Eric Bogner Table 26
Animation has come a long way since the creation of this entertaining art, from flipbook cartoons to computer animation. Where will it take us next? Motion capture is the next step in the evolution of animation, but what is it? “Motion capture is the process or technique of recording patterns of movement digitally, especially the recording of an actor’s movements for the purpose of animating a digital character in a film or computer game” (oxforddictionaries. com). This is a basic overview of motion capture: how motion capture can be used, the different types, and why choose motion capture over traditional animation. Eric Bogner was born in Odessa, Texas but he moved around a little bit due to his father’s job. He eventually ended up in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Eric has been playing video games all his life, which is what lead him to choose Animation Technology as his major in college. Eric’s goal is to become a character designer, animator, and concept artist for a gaming company. There are many gaming companies he would like to work for such as Riot Games, Bungie, Bioware, 343 Studios and Blizzard. These gaming companies have a place in his heart for their products made wonderful memories and loads of fun with his friends and family.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Earthen Home Technology Presented by Austin Israel Table 26
Earthen Home Technology is a technology that requires the use of the earth itself. An earth house is built with concrete walls and insulation. This is an architectural style characterized by the use of natural terrain to help form the walls of the house. Earthen homes usually set partially into the ground covered with thin growth. This new technology is producing great, new, useable commodities in the modern world today. Earthen Home Technology is an architectural practice that uses earth against building walls for external thermal mass. Earth sheltering is popular in modern times among advocates of passive solar and sustainable architecture, but has been around for nearly as long as humans have been constructing their own shelter. Unlike standard residential homes built on the ground, the earthen home is built into the ground. They can be built into mountains, hillsides, and any other form of terrain. The earthen home is a very safe, economical, and stable housing technology. This technology has existed since humans began building shelter, but has become more modernized. It has also become very â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenâ&#x20AC;? or earth friendly. The structural engineering of the home creates an organic design requiring spatial sense and creativity. Earthen Home Architecture brings to mind habitable sculptures, incorporating artistic claim and sculptural quality. Earthen home technology has proven to be a sustainable way of living and will continue to improve over time. Austin graduated from Greenwood High School. He is attending UAFS in hopes of becoming an architect one day. He is currently focusing on an Associates of CADD-Architectural, but he would like to continue with the Bachelors of Animation Technology. At a young age, Austin had decided design was what he wanted to do. He enjoyed working with his hands. The architectural field is exactly what Austin is interested in because he has a need to design and make buildings for the future. Hopefully, his presentation will create an exciting reaction from his audience.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Falling Water House Presented by Joseph Martinez Table 27
If you were to ask someone, including yourself, if they have ever heard of the Falling Water House, most would say “no”. This is sad but true. This paper will explain the “The Falling Water House” design and how it became one of the most famous American landmarks. The incredible man behind the idea of the Falling Water House, Frank Lloyd Wright, became an architectural genius. He was way ahead of his time. As a world landmark, the Falling Water House has been referred to “as a place you must see before you die.” Joseph Martinez graduated from Northside High School in 2008. He aspires to design houses and is currently pursuing a degree in CADD Architectural. He is interested in designs by many architects; especially Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect who designed Fallingwater.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The History of Animated Films Presented by Zain Garrett Table 27
My research paper topic is the history of computer animation. It will cover the different history making films as well as the awards they have won. Some animated films set world records for their outstanding effects and graphics. Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film to receive an Oscar nomination. The paper will also cover a timeline of the programs used for animated films from the simplicity of the first animated short to the complexity of the films today. Animated films began with animators drawing each shot by hand, which took a long time. Walt Disney began his animation career by creating the characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse for a couple of animated short films. Disney used the cell animation technique for years before they switched to computers. They are currently fully computerized and sometimes use motion capture of the actors. The graphics have become more amazing and visually appealing as the technology has improved. Animated characters have also become more complex and they can now be made to look like real people, including the actors that voice the characters. For example, Tom Hanksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; character in Polar Express looked almost identical to him, as well as Sigourney Weaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Avatar looking like her. It will also cover the way live action films use computer-animated technology to make their films have unreal creatures and better visual appeal. Jurassic Park and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are examples of this. This paper will also tell how long some of the films took to be created. Zain Garrett graduated from Wister High School in Oklahoma in 2011. He was concurrently enrolled at Carl Albert State College his Junior and Senior year and completed 44 hours before transferring to the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in the fall of 2011. Zain started college as a Chemistry major but switched to CADD and Computer Animation after he transferred to UAFS. He plans to graduate in the fall of 2014 with a Bachelors of Computer Animation. Zain hopes to get a job working for an animation company making animated films or get a job creating characters for video games.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Facial Animation and How They Affect Your Animation Presented by David Havel Table 28
The ability to bring realism and a level of emotion to a character is completely in the hands of the animator. Adding facial animation is a very important detail in a character. Facial expressions can display to the audience the emotion of a scene and provide a much more realistic feel to any character animation that is being developed. This animation can be the difference between an average, if done poorly, or amazing, if done correctly, clip. The ways an animator can do facial expressions can vary from using simple morph targets and blend shapes, all the way to using advance motion capture software to capture the expression on an actor’s face. Knowing which to use to get the result wanted is important. If an animator uses the wrong method, he could end up with unexpected and unwanted results. As animation keeps pushing toward realism and powerful imagery, an animator’s task becomes more difficult. David Havel’s interest in animation grew when he decided to come to WATC at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. He was still attending Greenwood High School. Through the CADD program, David found his passion for becoming a 3D artist and animator. In the spring of 2012, David went to the state competition for Skills USA. Winning Gold and placing 1st, David went on to compete at the nation level. He didn’t win but the experience from competing at this level only made David a better animator and 3D artist. David is now currently attending University of Arkansas - Fort Smith as a full time student pushing himself to become the best 3D artist and animator he can become.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium A Glimpse into the Advances of Character Modeling Presented by Zacharye Watts Table 28
In order to fully understand the advances of character modeling from the last twenty years, this paper will discuss some of the key differences between games and movies from twenty years ago and games and movies that have come out recently or are part of a series that have changed over time. This paper will analyze the amount of polygons a computer can handle, the changes in the amount of textures character models have, and how facial animation has changed due to technology such as motion capture. The project will consist of an animation rendered made in Autodesk® 3DS Max® and maybe be edited in Adobe® After Effects®. The animation itself will be of a character performing some sort of action. Throughout the action, the character will change to accommodate the advances in character modeling as described in the paper. The multiple stages of the character will include: a planar gif representation, a low-poly representation that has neither lips or eyes as actual parts of the model, another low-poly that is slightly higher in polygonal count than the last and has eyes and lips as parts of the model, a medium-poly representation indicative of current video games, and an extremely high-poly representation indicative of movies. The texturing of the model will accommodate the arguments in the paper. After the character as completed the action, a render of the models on turntables in the default T-Pose will follow said clip. After the turntable, a comparison render of the facial animation (without motion capture) will follow the turn table clip. Zacharye graduated from Greenwood High School. As he grew up, his aspirations changed constantly. He wanted to be a teacher one week and an artist the next. It was not until he decided to attend the University of Arkansas: Fort Smith’s WATC program, did he finally cement want he wanted to do for the rest of his life. After the WATC program, Zacharye was able to attend the University of Arkansas: Fort Smith. He is currently pursuing an associate’s degree in CADD – Digital Design and will continue on to get his bachelors of applied science in animation technology.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Works of Monty Oum Presented by Nick Marchese Table 29
This paper will provide information on an animator named Monty Oum. The presentation will describe how Oum began his successful career as the lead animator and director of his own show, as well as the methods he uses to animate. It is important to present a person like Monty Oum to expose the abilities one can develop if they spend the required time and effort to achieve one’s goals. The presentation will talk about Oum’s unique style and the importance for any new animator to play with multiple styles to find the one that suits them best. For instance, I plan on creating an animation using a style similar to Mr. Oum’s, but I may find that I am naturally drawn to high poly modeling or creating realistically lit scenes. One of the beautiful things about being an animator is that one person could create a short movie that is not only entertaining to the individual, but also to millions of other potential fans. I will go into detail on what content he has created in the past and briefly touch on his influences. I will also be explaining why he is so influential to me in particular. Nick graduated from Southside High School. He originally wanted to be a video game designer, but has recently realized all of the opportunities that animating has to offer. He has spent much of his own time looking up tutorials on the internet to learn more about the 3D programs used in today’s industry. He aspires to create his own content, although he is willing to work on a team to work towards a common goal. Nick has always been interested in the character and level art in video games and Japanese animation. He is excited to move forward and see what he can bring to the world.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Student Index Aaron Hodges..................................24 Abby Whittemore.............................19 Adriana Vargas.............................102 Alec Justice.....................................71 Alice Tholen...................................133 Alicia Banks......................58, 61, 126 Alicia Schlesier.............................110 Alison Shelton...............................116 Alma Hernandez............................104 Amanda Smith................................98 Amber Breazzeal.............................18 Amber Cooper................................106 Amber Wright..................................67 Andrea Shelly................................105 Andrew Binder.................................85 Angela Stout...................................41 Anh Tran........................................135 April Wise......................................105 Aron Long........................................68 Ashley Mayfield.............................103 Ashley Robertson.............................46 Austin Israel..................................148 Becky Dailey..................................122 Benjamin Scott...............................72 Beth Eden.......................................97 Brad Andrews..................................53 Bradley Hancock...........................123 Brett Sutton..................................145 Brian Bailey....................................65 Brianne Fox.....................................88 Brittany Cox..................................114 Brittney Lee...................................107
Brooke A. Boyd................................20 Bruce Griffey.................................100 Bruce Inthavong..............................70 Candace Taylor..............................115 Cara Clotfelter................................96 Carla Jones...................................142 Carol Ann Seahorn..........................40 Caroline Cross.................................35 Carter Honea.................................112 Caryn Price....................................121 Casey Frizzell..................................13 Casey Pruitt..................................101 Charles Flemming...........................70 Chelsae Young..............................143 Chelsea Holder................................99 Chelsea Jenson...............................16 Cheyenne Grabe............................120 Chris Elrod......................................50 Christian Allen................................48 Christopher Doyel..........................108 Clairessa Campbell.........................94 Clayton Lincoln...............................84 Cody Keith.......................................30 Colton Clark....................................44 Colton Vollmer...............................127 Constance Lee.................................25 Corey Woodard ................................21 Crystal Eckles.................................34 Crystal Wolgamott...........................22 Curtis B. Adams III..........................53 Dale Williams..................................43 Danaye Amon..................................57
Daniel Schwartz..............................84 Daniel Wiggins..............................121 Danielle Beckham.........................129 David Havel...................................151 David Holland.................................66 Deirdre Corbell................................33 Diana Juarez.................................110 Diane Humphrey..............................92 Dustin Hilliar...................................39 Dustin Sisco....................................71 Eli Young.........................................71 Emily Pearce...................................39 Eric Barnes.....................................45 Eric Bogner...................................147 Eric McClesky..................................70 Eric Ness.......................................141 Evan Daniel.....................................15 Frank Juarez..................................139 Gabriella Sandoval........................114 Gage Rice......................................113 Garret Copeland..............................26 Grant Dorsey.................................112 Greg Stephens.................................87 Hannah Crawford............................90 Hannah Hayden...............................96 Hannah Pressley.............................45 Heather Hickman..........................115 Heather Swaim..............................122 Heidi Luks.....................................135 Houston Harrison............................44 Irvin Rodriquez................................47 Jacob Davidson...............................43
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Student Index Jacob Huffstetler.............................80 Jacob Malone................................103 Jada Danyeur................................106 James Bradford...............................12 James Brandli.................................75 James Chaney.................................55 Jamie Gray......................................97 Jason Hoyt.....................................112 Jason Smith....................................67 Jeff Westfall....................................47 Jennifer Crawford............................98 Jennifer Glanton............................126 Jennifer Verkamp.............................60 Jeremy Teff....................................120 Jerry Wing........................................63 Jessica Glover...............................104 Jessica Thomas...............................55 Jessica Weisenfels...........................32 Jessica White..................................43 Jessica Wooden.............................119 Jessie Kelley..................................108 Jill Campbell.................................117 Jill Morphew..................................109 Joe Shackelford...............................48 John Longinotti................................98 John Scharf...................................104 Jonathan Freeman...........................81 Jordan Pickett...............................131 Joseph Martinez............................149 Josh Schumacher............................78 Joshua Briggs...............................135
Joshua Evans..................................59 Joshua Parham.....................135, 136 Justin Trobaugh.............................130 Justine Pugh.................................109 Kathleen Dixon..............................110 Kathy Tull......................................103 Kayla Freeman..............................111 Kefah Daas.....................................51 Keith Westphal................................77 Kelby Franklin...............................119 Kelli Lovell.....................................105 Kendall Beller..................................52 Kenneth Massey............................115 Kent Elmore.....................................91 Kevin Tran.......................................83 Kimberly Allen.................................39 Kimberly Almendariz.....................108 Kinsey Coffey...................................97 Kristie Rapert..................................96 Kristina Taylor...............................101 Krysta Davis..................................110 Kyle Kanze.....................................110 Kylie Blazic....................................111 Lance Scruggs..............................120 Landon Harwell.............................128 Laura Williams................................97 Lauren Hendricks..........................112 Lidiana Quezada...........................102 Lindsey France..............................111 Mac Buchanan................................74 Madison Macklin.............................38
Madison Serratt..............................61 Mai Thao.......................................120 Margie Hoke..................................132 Mark Lennon...................................71 Matt Dillman...................................47 Matthew Tetrick.............................144 Megan King...................................137 Megan McGee..................................37 Micah Savage.................................28 Mindy Webb...................................108 Monica Corral................................109 Montana Duncan.............................99 Morgan Godfrey.............................146 Nathan Ashley.................................86 Nathan Boen...................................73 Nick Marchese...............................153 Odis Stephens.................................70 Oluyemisi Adelusimo.....................108 Patrick Sullivan...............................44 Patrick Willey..................................45 Pricilla Her....................................102 Rachel Curtner................................98 Rachel Goff...................................118 Ralph Huneycutt...........................124 Rebeccah Casteel.........................107 Renee Conley...................................14 Rhiannon Corley..............................31 Robert Wells..................................134 Robert Wells..................................135 Robyn Slagle...................................64 Rocky Ward....................................112
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Student Index Ryan Pongonis................................48 Sam Broom...................................122 Sara Oelke.......................................59 Sarah Smith..................................105 Sayuri Barnett.................................93 Sebastian Bossarte.........................79 Shael P. McDonald...........................27 Shawna Mason................................31 Shayna Gatzke................................54 Shayna Pierce...............................101 Stacy Kennigseder.........................107 Stanley Soultaire...........................122 Stephanie Duboise........................123
Stephanie Rodden.........................121 Steven Barker................................119 Summer Lang..................................46 Swapna Godavarthi.......................107 Tammy Dunn.................................125 Tayler Smith..................................105 Taylor Rogers...................................99 Teresa Wagner...............................106 Tessa Galarza................................113 Thanh Tran....................................135 Thomas Poe...................................112 Tracie Weaver................................116 Trang Nguyen................................132
Troye Edwards...............................140 Tucker Holder..................................44 Tyler Moffette..................................52 Vanessa Urquilla...........................106 William Barnes..............................121 Xuan-My Pham..............................107 Yesenia Rosas.................................96 Yvette Cilio....................................104 Zacharye Watts.............................152 Zain Garrett..................................150 Zane Kaiser...................................119
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