8th Annual
Undergraduate Research
SYMPOSIUM April 17, 2015
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Greetings! The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith proudly welcomes you to the 8th 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, thank you for your participation. I invite you to engage the presenters during the question-andanswer segments of their presentations. Your active involvement ensures that UAFS remains a dynamic learning community.
Dr. Georgia Hale Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Acknowledgements Bonnie Harmon Institutional Assistant, Provost’s Office Coletta Furner Facilities Coordinator Linda Maness Duplication John Post Director of Public Information Jessica Martin Marketing & Communications Coordinator Peter Cullum Senior Graphic Designer Carl Hulsey Interim Director - Marketing & Communications Jo Donna Collins and the A/V group 2015 Undergraduate Research Symposium Committee Paula Abbott Sandhya Baviskar Heath Cady Sara Davis Casey Harmon Brandon Hutchison Kevin Jones Matt McCoy Joe Peng Noel Sagullo Linus Yu
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Schedule/Table of Contents Room 1 – Presentations in Organizational Leadership – Health Science 120 2:00
The Effects of Self-Efficacy on Student Success.................................................................................................10
2:30
Readiness for College, Influenced by a Gap Year, Promotes Academic Success..................................................11
3:00
Gap Year Used as an Academic Tool for University Scholastic Success...............................................................12
3:30
Lost Souls in the Nursing Home..........................................................................................................................13
Room 2 – Presentations in Applied Science and Organizational Leadership – Health Science 121 2:00
Benefits of Performing an Energy Audit..............................................................................................................16
2:30
Solar Power: Energy Worth the Effort...................................................................................................................17
3:00
Student Veterans Support System.......................................................................................................................18
3:30
Project Compassion and Its Impact on a Nursing Home.....................................................................................19
Room 3 – Presentations in Music, Art History and Animation Technology – Health Science 124 2:00
Side Bar: A Comparison of Performance Practices in Vietnamese Buddhist Chant and Gregorian Chant...........22
2:30
Hiram Powers: Proserpine...................................................................................................................................23
3:00
The Glass for Which to See: A Reflection of Inner Humanity Through Art.............................................................24
3:30
Utilization of Motion Capture Across Multiple Fields of Study.............................................................................24
Room 4 – Presentations in History – Health Science 222 2:00
Good Whig Hunting.............................................................................................................................................26
2:30
Wealth, Slaves, and John Drennen: A Look at an Antebellum Businessman........................................................26
3:00
The Minority Report: Engaging Otherness in Public History.................................................................................27
3:30
Susan Unchained................................................................................................................................................27
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Room 5 – Presentations in History – Health Science 223 2:00
Forgotten Men of the New Deal: The Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union and its Socialist Influences.....................30
2:30
“Dutchmen” in the Ozarks: The Role of German Immigrants in Securing Missouri and Northern Arkansas
in the Civil War...................................................................................................................................................31
3:00
Greek Geometry and the Question of Geometric Algebra.....................................................................................31
3:30
The Journey from Edo Bay 1853 to Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941....................................................................32
Room 6 – Presentations in History and Psychology – Health Science 227 2:00
1960s and Second-Wave Feminism....................................................................................................................34
2:30
Guns Prohibited Signage as a Predictor of Aggressive Behavior.........................................................................34
3:00
Epigenetic Effects of Developmental Alcohol - A Pilot Study...............................................................................35
3:30
Correlations Between Free Throw Routines and Performance..............................................................................36
Room 7 – Presentations in Dental Hygiene – Health Science 314 2:00
LINK IN with IPE: The Need for Interprofessional Education................................................................................38
2:30
Guard Your Smile................................................................................................................................................39
3:00
It’s Greek to Me! The Changing Face of Dentistry................................................................................................40
3:30
Just Vapor? A Look into the “Safe Alternative”....................................................................................................41
Room 8 – Presentations in Rhetoric & Writing and English – Health Science 318
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2:00
A Critical Analysis of Frederick Douglass............................................................................................................44
2:30
Rhetoric Studies and the Variables Situated Within the Historic Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln.........44
3:00
The Right to Shut Up...........................................................................................................................................45
3:30
Brontian Pastiche in Post-Suffrage South Riding...............................................................................................45
4:00
Popular Law: Critical Conversations in John Grisham’s The Chamber.................................................................46
Undergraduate Research Symposium Room 9 – Presentations in English – Health Science 321 2:00
Vampires, Sexuality and the New Woman............................................................................................................48
2:30
The Real Matriarchs of Patriarchy: An Analysis of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park..........49
3:00
Empire and Masculinity in Sherlock Holmes.......................................................................................................50
3:30
Worldly Bitches and Playing Rakes: Victorian Character Types in the 21st Century..............................................51
4:00
Teaching Dystopian Literature in Society Today...................................................................................................52
Room 10 – Presentations in English and Media Communication – Health Science 325 2:00
Two Crazy Ladies: Causation of Insanity in The Yellow Wallpaper and A Rose for Emily......................................54
2:30
Differences Between Agendas Set in Mainstream and Nonmainstream News.....................................................55
3:00
Rape: An International Dilemma.........................................................................................................................55
3:30
“Books Must be Read as Deliberately and Reservedly as They Were Written” – Henry David Thoreau;
Does the Format of Access Affect Comprehension of the Written Word?..............................................................56
Room 11 – Presentations in Media Communication – Health Science 326 2:00
The Fabulous Life You are Missing: Does the Fear of Missing Out Motivate Social Media Saturation?................58
2:30
Applying Two-Step Flow to Player Behavior Within the League of Legends Community.......................................58
3:00
Social Stratification and Celebrity......................................................................................................................59
3:30
The Advertisers’ Challenge: Branding the College Student in the Digital Age.....................................................59
Room 12 – Presentations in Information Technology and Engineering – Library 203 2:00
An Insight into the Big Data Model Versus the Relational Model.........................................................................62
2:30
Toward Resource-Efficient Big Data Platforms Through Cloud Services..............................................................63
3:00
SPWM Motor Drive for an Electric Vehicle (BEVs)................................................................................................63
3:30
WIFI Guidance of a Mars Rover...........................................................................................................................64
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Room 13 – Presentations in Education – Library 206 2:00
Aspiring Female Adolescent Mathematicians Becoming Scarce.........................................................................66
2:30
Learning Style Inventories for Struggling Students.............................................................................................66
3:00
How to Encourage the Motivation of a Native Spanish Speaker..........................................................................67
3:30
In What Ways Can a Student with Dysgraphia Improve Comprehension and Achievement in Math Class
by Improving His Handwriting?...........................................................................................................................68
Room 14 – Presentations in Finance, Accounting and Math – Library 209
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2:00
Going on Holiday in the Natural State: An Analysis of the Impact of Sales Tax Holidays.....................................70
2:30
Should the United States Adopt IFRS?................................................................................................................70
3:00
Kinship Analysis Using Graph Theory..................................................................................................................71
3:30
Online vs. On-Campus........................................................................................................................................71
Undergraduate Research Symposium Poster Presentations - Boreham Library 129 - 2-4 p.m. Table 1 – Biology:
Effects of Blue Light and Caffeine on the Development of Soil Amoeba..............................................................74
Table 2 – Chemistry:
Experimental Development and Optimization of the Inorganic Chemistry Lab Curriculum..................................75
Table 3 – Chemistry:
Treating Cancer with Cisplatin and Its Analogs..................................................................................................76
Table 4 – Chemistry:
Beginning Analysis of Heavy Metal Pollution in Fort Smith Via Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy........................77
Table 5 – Chemistry:
Generation of Biodiesel Fuel from Seeds.............................................................................................................77
Table 6 – Nursing:
Benefits of Nursing Education on Patient Outcomes...........................................................................................78
Table 7 – Nursing:
Alternative Medicine for Pediatric Chemotherapy Side Effects............................................................................79
Table 8 – Nursing:
Reducing Absenteeism in School........................................................................................................................80
Table 9 – Chemistry:
Titration of Commercial Cleaning Products.........................................................................................................81
Table 10 – Chemistry:
Towards the Synthesis and Characterization of the Planar-Chiral (PS)-1-Isocyano-2-Methylcymantrene Ligand.....................................................................................................81
Table 11 – Chemistry:
Ferrocene Derivatives of Tamoxifen as Potential Anticancer Drugs.....................................................................82
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Table 12 – Geology:
Building an Affordable Desktop Shake Table for Earthquake Education and Outreach.......................................83
Table 13 – Chemistry:
Synthesis of Santacruzamate A Derivatives as Potential Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors....................................83
Table 14 – Nursing:
Aspartame Toxicity..............................................................................................................................................84
Table 15 – Biology:
A Natural Approach to Combating Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria..................................................................85
Table 16 – Biology:
The Effects of the City of Fort Smith on the Water Quality of the Arkansas River................................................86
Table 17 – Biology:
Stopover Foraging Ecology of Swainson’s Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) During Spring Passage Migration Through Arkansas.....................................................................................................87
Table 18 – Organizational Leadership:
Forgotten Warriors...............................................................................................................................................88
Table 19 – Animation Technology:
The Future of Virtual Reality and Its General Uses..............................................................................................89
Table 20 – Nursing:
Promoting Vaccination in School-Aged Children.................................................................................................90
Table 21 – Nursing:
Diabetes and Gum Disease.................................................................................................................................91
Table 22 – Nursing:
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The Effect of Exercise on Fatigue Among Adult Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment.....................................92
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 1
Presentations in Organizational Leadership Health Science 120
2:00 Group Presentation: Corey Waldrep, Zachary Grant, Jason Huffmaster, Esther Hope
2:30 Group Presentation: Logan Barham, Matthew Avlos, Bryce Perryman
3:00 Group Presentation: Lachelle Rolandelli, Hayden Phillips, Macy Hamon, Shay Boyd
3:30 Group Presentation: Dominique Raney, Kori Wilkinson, Alicia Patterson, Makayla Jackson, Zach Ladd
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Effects of Self-Efficacy on Student Success Presented by Corey Waldrep, Zachary Grant, Jason Huffmaster and Esther Hope
Many students enter college with an uncertainty of what they would like to pursue as a career. Students with strong efficacy are more likely to challenge themselves with difficult tasks and be intrinsically motivated (Karin Kirk, N.D.). Students with poor self-efficacy have low aspirations that may result in disappointing academic performances becoming part of a self-fulfilling feedback cycle (Karin Kirk, N.D.). A lower self-efficacy places a higher degree of anxiety, which can result in lower grades in addition to degree-plan changes, and potentially dropping out. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs shows that when a person reaches self-actualization that person will be living at their highest potential (Fowler, 2014). An online questionnaire containing fifty-eight questions developed by century labelled researcher Dr. Guglielmino, whose instrument was designed in 1977 and was used in ninety-nine dissertations oriented towards the exploration and understanding of self-efficacy, was used for the study. This study will examine how a students’ self-efficacy and hierarchy of needs are interwoven in a students’ success as well as the negative impact that lower self-efficacy promotes, which can lead to a higher level of anxiety. This high-level anxiety can lead to a lower overall success rate for the student body as well as additional financial burdens.
Corey Waldrep grew up in Fort Smith and joined the military after two years of college, serving in the Marine Corps infantry from 2007-2011. He served as a squad leader completing successful missions in Afghanistan. Upon separation from the military he returned to school for the organizational leadership program to enhance the foundation laid out by the military. He wishes to attend graduate school to earn a JD/MBA dual degree. His goal is to become a productive member on a board of executives and help lead a company into consecutive quarters where the company beats the stock market by a minimum of ten percent each quarter. Zachary Grant, 23, was raised in Tulsa, Okla., and attended Tulsa Community College before transferring to UAFS in 2013 as an education major. After discovering a passion for leadership in the hospitality field, he changed his major to organizational leadership. He is also a member of the Campus Activities Board and is a Cub Camp chair. He hopes to use his knowledge gained through his studies to work in the development team for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. Jason Huffmaster graduated from Lavaca High School in 1999 and worked at Whirlpool until 2005. He then joined the United States Navy in late 2005 through 2013. He spends his free time with his wife and five kids relaxing at home on the weekends. He completed his associate degree in general studies during the summer of 2014 and is now going for his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership. He plans to work for a prestigious company in the near future. He is also a member of the Student Veterans Organization since spring 2015. He truly enjoys being a student at UAFS. Esther Hope was 17 when she first attended college. Like many students she changed her major after a year and a half and eventually dropped out. She has held managerial positions and was the credit manager/procurement agent at a large furniture company. Esther started working at a young age, developing a great work ethic and communication skills. She returned to school in 2010, receiving an associate degree in business administration/medical billing and coding. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership with a minor in history, and has made the dean’s list for the past seven semesters. She currently has a 3.7 in-course GPA, will graduate in December 2015 and is a member of the Honor Society.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Readiness for College, Influenced by a Gap Year, Promotes Academic Success Presented by Logan Barham, Matthew Avlos, and Bryce Perryman
High school students are expected to focus on preparing themselves for the future. But in our society, the general “future goal” for post-graduation is college. College is expected to be the time in your life that you learn the skills and knowledge needed to accomplish that great career where you will work for the rest of your life. This is an amazing concept and anyone that has the opportunity to succeed is fortunate. But why aren’t we considering the age and/or maturity of graduating high school seniors? Are they ready to face the responsibility of getting things done in a timely manner without helicopter parents hovering over them? Have they made the decision to put the books before social gatherings? And most importantly, are they confident at the age of 17, 18, or 19, that their time, dedication, money, and heart is being poured into a field that they want to stick with for the rest of their life? It’s a great deal to ask of someone that was just focused on prom and their first heartbreak. This study hopes to survey UAFS students regarding their readiness for college and to determine their opinions about a gap year used as a successful means of college readiness. This research project will use an online, electronic instrument to survey college students about their readiness for the rigor of college academia. This project hopes to contribute to the success of college students by identifying their readiness levels to scholastically accommodate the rigor required by university classes.
Logan Barham graduated with honors from Greenwood High School. He is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership. He is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and hopes to use his degree to become a useful and successful leader of an organization in the medical field. Matt Avlos is from Fort Smith originally, but graduated from Edmond North High School in Edmond, Okla. He is currently working toward a Bachelor of Science - Organizational Leadership degree at UAFS. He aspires to use this degree to further his career with his current employer. Bryce Perryman graduated from Southside High School in 2012. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and pursuing a career as a university admissions recruiter. His research interests include political history, government history such as complex and simple governments and U.S. history. He also enjoys researching wars from the Civil War to presentday. He is the vice president of a fraternity on campus, which helps him understand how politics work and what it takes to run an organization effectively.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Gap Year Used as an Academic Tool for University Scholastic Success Presented by Lachelle Rolandelli, Hayden Phillips, Macy Hamon and Shay Boyd
Libraries are dominated by research theories about attempting to understand students’ most successful methodology for academic success. However, university students still own dropout rates and change degree plans multiple times causing costly tuition, delayed graduation, and loss of motivation. Theories regarding readiness appear in the literature to explain how students accept change and plan a course for future direction. Readiness can be defined as “the quality or state of being ready; prepared or available for service or action; mentally disposed; willing; liable or about to do something” (Morris, 1979, p.1085). Hoder and Randye (2014) propose the concept of a Gap Year whereby students delay college for one year during the critical time of learning in a nontraditional manner by reflecting critically on experiences and link their learnings with professionally valuable outcomes. Andragogy encourages learning through experiences and interests while considering past experiences, readiness levels, orientations, and personalized learning styles. The Readiness Theory created by Lucy M. Guglielmino (1977) theorizes that students will only learn when they are emotionally, physically, and mentally ready. If they are not ready to learn, they will not/cannot learn. Guglielmino (1977) developed an online questionnaire that probes students with 58 questions that indicate the student’s readiness. This research will strive to identify the college readiness factors that contribute to student success while considering the scholastic attributes of a gap year. The purpose of this research hopes to contribute to the successful process of a scholastic, timely and financially-economical graduation.
Lachelle Rolandelli graduated from Uxbridge High School, Massachusetts, in 2010. She has been living in Fort Smith for five years and plans to graduate from UAFS in the fall of 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership. Her hobbies are photography and traveling the United States. Lachelle is a full-time student and is also working hard at her two jobs in Fort Smith. She enjoys snowboarding, hiking, climbing and almost anything outdoors. Hayden Phillips graduated from Charleston High School. He is already a well-established business owner and is currently pursuing a degree in organizational leadership with a minor in history. His research interests include how people are mentally geared and how this correlates to maturity and developmental readiness. Hayden plans on taking a few years after graduation to settle down before returning to college to obtain a degree in history while pursuing his teacher licensure along with a coaching endorsement. Macy Hamon graduated from Southside High School in Fort Smith. She aspires to a career of helping others and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership. Her personal interests include photography, serving at her church and helping out in her community. Shay Boyd is a graduate of Mansfield High School and is entering the BSOL program. He currently works at TGI Fridays in Fort Smith and is excited to graduate in the fall. Shay’s post-graduation plans are to further his education with a physical therapy assistant program. He hopes to either be an occupation or physical therapist. He hopes in the future to use his research experience in the medical field to create more beneficial practices for physical or occupational therapists.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Lost Souls in the Nursing Homes
Presented by Dominique Raney, Kori Wilkinson, Alicia Patterson, Makayla Jackson and Zach Ladd This paper aims to look into the lonely elderly in nursing homes and how Project Compassion, a Fort Smith nonprofit organization focused on helping the elderly in nursing homes, helps with residents’ loneliness. We read research on loneliness and the elderly, along with methods to help alleviate said loneliness, those being Pet and Music Therapy – both of which are shown to help with agitation and depressive symptoms. One piece of research details the detrimental effects of loneliness on the elderly, along with why loneliness affects the elderly more than it does others. We also found a report from Grace Point Elderly Care Ministry, a nonprofit that assists the elderly, offering statistics showing that the nursing home elderly are rarely visited by family or friends. Our group also visited the Crawford Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, where we interviewed a sample of its residents. We theorize that our visit and interview will support our research.
Dominique Raney graduated from Putnam City High School. He aspires to play professional basketball overseas and is currently pursuing a degree in organizational leadership. Kori Wilkinson graduated from Van Buren High School. She has a strong passion and respect for all animals and is hoping to one day open an animal sanctuary. Her research shows the effects of animal’s visits to nursing home residents. Alicia Patterson graduated from Paris High School in 1999. She has three daughters and hopes to obtain a career with a local corporation. Her research interests include finding a solution to loneliness in the nursing home environment. Makayla Jackson graduated from Muldow High School. She aspires to enter into the business and marketing field as a fashion merchandiser for a large corporation. Zach Ladd is a graduate of Alma High School with an interest in loneliness in nursing homes.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 2
Presentations in Applied Science and Organizational Leadership Health Science 121
2:00 Group Presentation: Brendon Dilbeck, Geovany Castro, Joel Presson, Wendy Swenson
2:30 Group Presentation: Justin Kazy, Matt Kimes, Sabin Hice
3:00 Group Presentation: Armando Castro, Kenneth Lyon, Benita Williams, Dale McKellip, Jordan Hammer
3:30 Group Presentation: Tosha Moore, Jake Hindman, Rachel Davenport, Shirley Carter, Shakendra Mumphrey
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Benefits of Performing an Energy Audit
Presented by Brendon Dilbeck, Geovany Castro, Joel Presson and Wendy Swenson
It is common knowledge that greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change. Twenty-one percent of all greenhouse gases come from buildings, including residential homes. By 2004, one half of all the world’s fossil fuels had been used. With the growing middle classes in China and India, there is an explosive use of fossil fuels for electricity, goods production and transportation to market, as well as the building and heating of all those new homes. Wiser uses of these resources (along with green energy source development) enables limited fossil fuel resources to be available for all. A home owner can significantly reduce their greenhouse gases, energy bills, and combustible gases from appliances by following through with the recommendations per a home energy audit. OG&E now offers $3000 in reimbursements for any improvements the home owner makes per the audit, as well as reimbursing for the audit expense. This presentation will show the shadowing of one home audit in the Fort Smith area, the audit results and the improvements the home owner chose and why. The audit includes inspection of the building envelope, lighting systems, HVAC and duct systems, review of utility bills, history of utility use, and appliance safety testing. Discussion will also include how the recommendations reduce energy usage. It is our hope that this information will encourage you to schedule your own audit. Contact information will be provided to get you started.
Brendon Dilbeck graduated from McGehee High School in 2009. He will graduate from UAFS in December 2015. In 2012 he received an associate degree in electronic technologies. He enjoys PLC coding and troubleshooting electrical components. Geovany Castro graduated from Van Buren High School in 2009 and will graduate from UAFS in May 2016. His research interests include robotics and circuit components. Joel Presson will graduate from UAFS in May 2015. His research interests include generating clean energy and becoming more efficient with energy usage. Wendy Swenson graduated from the University of Missouri - St. Louis in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. In 2009 she became very interested in green building and green technology and has been looking for training in this field since. She looks forward to being an energy auditor and educating her region in energy savings.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Solar Power: Energy Worth the Effort Presented by Justin Kazy, Matt Kimes and Sabin Hice
People around the world are concerned with the well being of this planet, and for good reason. We have learned as a population that mismanagement of our resources can have devastating effects. We teach our children to reduce, reuse, and recycle, but it is our responsibility to set the example by practicing these concepts ourselves. Through “green” technologies and a broad range of conservation attempts we can save this planet for generations to come. This research will look at how generating clean electrons through solar power generation can drastically offset the energy consumptions of the average household, and thereby the same practices can be scaled up for larger commercial, institutional, and industrial applications that are advantageous for these entities. No changes can be made through upgrades, modifications, and conservation separately that will decrease energy consumption by 100 percent, rather we intend to show how a combination of generating clean electrons through solar applications along with conservation and modifications to existing structures can show a dramatic decrease in one’s carbon footprint. We will examine these four areas: • Installation, residential cost versus commercial cost • Practical application, residential versus commercial (available spaces) • Energy consumption versus energy production • Scaling applications up and down
Justin Kazy is a graduate of the Arkansas GED program. Since acquiring his GED in 1994 he has spent the majority of his time as part of the local workforce. Starting in 1994 at the Press Argus-Courier, he worked his way up the ladder from a part-time mail room worker to distribution manager. During this twenty-year period, he has helped his wife raise three beautiful daughters Courtney, Nicole and Zoe - as productive members of society. He has always been fascinated with technology and science, and now life has provided him with an opportunity to pursue his dream of working in these fields. Although this is only his freshman year, he hopes this is just the beginning of a long collegiate research career. Matt Kimes is currently finishing up his degrees in electronics technology, industrial controls and robotics technology. He plans to continue his education with a bachelor’s in electronics technology engineering. His primary research interest is the economic effects of green energy. Sabin Hice graduated from Van Buren High School. He is pursuing a degree in electronics technology and plans to graduate in May 2015. His research interests include renewable energy, robotics and industrial automation. He is a recipient of the Weldon, Williams and Lick Scholarship for Technical Programs.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Student Veteran Support Systems
Presented by Armando Castro, Benita Williams, Dale McKellip, Jordan Hammer and Kenneth Lyon “Support Our Troops� is a slogan that has been used for years to express the obligation we, as United States citizens, have to those who served in defense of our freedoms. All too often that expression of loyalty is forgotten once our soldiers have completed their military service. The reality is our service members face a challenging transition when returning to civilian life, a transition made all the more difficult when faced with a lack of sufficient support and services to mitigate their hardships. To address this potential need within our own campus we have conducted a survey identifying the overall state of services as considered by current student veterans. The survey consisted of eighteen multiple choice questions (eleven demographical, three dichotomous, three rank order scaling) and 5 open ended questions. The data will be analyzed in search for statistical frequencies and open ended answers will be composited and incorporated to find equivalent meanings and ideas. The outcome of this research hopes to determine and improve opportunities and processes needed to give the student veterans of UAFS an improved chance to successfully transition from military to civilian life; consecutively help them finish their degree.
Armando Castro graduated from Northside High School in 2001 and started attending UAFS in 2002. He is a senior in organizational leadership with a minor in math. He is the founder and current president of the Student Veterans Organization at UAFS. Benita Williams is a non-traditional student who has reached a milestone in her life, graduating in May 2015. A single mother of three children and four grandchildren, she was displaced due to Hurricane Katrina and arrived in Fort Chaffee on Labor Day 2005. She is blessed to say she has made Arkansas her home and plans to give back to the community. Dale McKellip graduated from Southside High School in 2011. He plans on getting his degree before going overseas to teach English in Korea and other Asian countries. Jordan Hammer graduated from Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Okla. He is a senior and plays on the UAFS baseball team. After he graduates next December, he plans on trying to become a firefighter, his dream since he was little. He will graduate with a degree in organizational leadership in the fall of 2015. Kenneth Lyon has been with his family’s business - SPMI - for the last half-decade and is currently completing a degree in organizational leadership to complement his future aspirations there. He is also a partial owner of two other businesses, one providing temporary-to-permanent employment services and another selling a business software suite he programmed to the payroll-provider niche market. His free time is often utilized pursuing his hobbies of studying and applying all things relating to food science.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Project Compassion and Its Effect on a Nursing Home
Presented by Tosha Moore, Rachel Davenport, Jake Hindman, Shirley Carter and Shakendra Mumphrey Nursing homes are commonly known as being a place of boredom and a place where the elderly go to pass. Through volunteering with Project Compassion, our group was shown how false this misconception is. We learned that the staff is what makes or breaks a care facility. The energy that the staff displays will be spread throughout the atmosphere of the nursing home, and will either help make it a place of comfort and pleasure or a place that many see as being depressing. From visiting Chapel Ridge, we also learned that the elderly citizens need interaction to maintain a healthy life. As we walked in, smiles began to welcome us and it was evident that having young adults volunteer not only was appreciated, but it also gave a new kind of excitement to the room. Volunteering at a nursing home is a huge blessing for the residents that are affected. It is also a blessing for the volunteer, as he/ she gets to experience valuable life lessons through stories of different people.
Tosha Moore graduated from Bentonville High School in 2009. She is currently a senior at UAFS, graduating in December 2015 with a degree in organizational leadership. Jake Hindman graduated from Greenwood High School in 2009. He is majoring in organizational leadership and will graduate in December 2015. Rachel Davenport graduated with honors from Charleston High School in 2010. She is a senior at UAFS, graduating in May 2015 with a degree in organizational leadership. Shirley Carter graduated in December 2013 with an associate degree in administrative professional and office technology. She will graduate in December 2015 with a Bachelor of Applied Science. Shakendra Mumphrey graduated from John Tyler High School (Tyler, Texas) in 2011 and transferred to UAFS from Trinity Valley Community College. She will graduate in December 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 3
Presentations in Music, Art History and Animation Technology Health Science 124
2:00 Christopher Ha
2:30 Jarrod Cluck
3:00 Anna Pharr
3:30 Ostie Hobbs
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Side Bar: A Comparison of Performance Practices in Vietnamese Buddhist Chant and Gregorian Chant Presented by Christopher Ha
For many spoken languages, changing the intonation or inflection of a word does not necessarily alter the meaning of that word. One can witness this in the performance of Gregorian chant where the changing or addition of notes across various chant traditions of the same song carries essentially the same textual message. In fact, added ornamentation (melismas) are considered expressions of glorification, penitence, and faith in certain Gregorian chant traditions. By contrast, eight diacritics and six forms of intonation in the Vietnamese language strictly dictate how Buddhist chant is to be performed. Adding even a single note, singing a wrong note, or inflecting improperly can completely change the meaning of a word, and thus alter the message. The purpose of this research project is to compare a representative Vietnamese Buddhist chant with a representative Gregorian chant in order to explain basic differences between the two traditions. After recording a service performed at “Pho Minh Vietnamese Buddhist Temple” located in Fort Smith, and transcribing it into modern notation, the Vietnamese chant will be analyzed for its characteristic musical-linguistic aspects and then compared with samples of representative Gregorian chant from the Roman Catholic Liber Usualis. The differences between the two traditions will be compared to elucidate the differences between these two venerable traditions for use as a “side bar” in a music appreciation or general humanities textbook.
Christopher Ha graduated from Northside High School and is currently a junior pursuing an instrumental degree in music education. He is actively involved in many UAFS musical ensembles including the UAFS Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble and Flute Choir and is also the president of the local chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, an honorary band service fraternity. After graduating with his music education degree, he hopes to continue his education through a graduate-level conducting program by earning a graduate assistantship position. He is a recipient of the Foundation Music Scholarship and is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Hiram Powers: Proserpine Presented by Jarrod Cluck
This paper focuses on Hiram Powers’ marble bust, Proserpine (1841-45) in the collection of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Powers’ Neoclassical approach uses spirituality as a platform to define truth in beauty. Hiram Powers’ diverse interests included myth, Phrenology, and Swedenborgianism. Proserpine, (Latin for Persephone) Goddess of Spring and the Underworld, is an archetype: timeless and universal. Phrenology (belief that the shape and proportions of one’s features determine the personality) also interested Powers. Although his letters demonstrate an interest in Phrenology when he was young, the ideal facial proportions as advocated in Phrenology do not match the features of Proserpine. The spiritual and philosophical works of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) had the most significant influence on Powers. Through Swedenborg, Powers made a connection to Plato’s philosophy of ideal forms. In Plato’s dialogue of Parmenides, it is said that there is but one true form: “The all is one.” This dialogue best explains the Greek ideal. Powers’ way of thinking is derived from Swedenborg, whose ideal is a direct manifestation of this transcendent, ultimate reality. Powers’ Proserpine interprets the ideal from Swedenborg, and from Swedenborg to Plato. The two views align. Proserpine is the ideal. Powers’ ideal sculptures exemplify truth through the experience of beauty. Invoking Swedenborg, Proserpine’s beauty is a manifestation of the Divine. Proserpine, frozen in time, represents the eternal. This is Plato’s one true form: goodness. Powers states, “The human form is infinite. It is the image of God.”
Jarrod Cluck is an artist who grew up surrounded by nature, where he continues to dwell, think and create. When he was a child, he would spend whole days in the forest, learning from playful observation. He is interested in art, philosophy and the context which history provides. Passion drives his motivation to ask hard questions. Love is behind his work. Family is important to him, as is integrity, humility and humor. His favorite color changes with the seasons. He drinks his coffee with cream and sugar and despises olives with every fiber of his being. He truly dislikes olives.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Glass for Which to See: A Reflection of Inner Humanity Through Art Presented by Anna Pharr
“The Glass for Which to See: A Reflection of Inner Humanity through Art” was a comparative research paper assignment from the Modern Art History class. We were asked to compare the work of an artist exhibited in the “State of the Art Exhibition” at Crystal Bridges of American Art Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas, and the work of an artist from the past. I chose Celestia Morgan (b. 1981) and her photography collection, Broken (2011), and Edvard Munch (1863-1944) and his painting, The Sick Girl (1885-86). My goal in this paper is to explore how both artists drew upon personal experiences to influence their artwork. This paper discusses how human emotion, primarily suffering, evokes a connection between the artist, the subject matter, and the viewer. Additionally, it analyzes how art is used to depict the reflections of the subconscious mind and the explorations of the inner self. Moreover, it exposes the perspective and intentions of the artists in relation to their artwork. By comparing these works, we can discover how the process of capturing suffering provided an outlet of healing for the artists themselves.
Anna Pharr graduated from the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton with an associate degree in visual communications. She transferred to UAFS, where she plans on getting her bachelor’s degree in animation technology. She would like to pursue a career working for a production studio - possibly Disney - designing character concepts. Anna has been involved with art and writing from a very young age and has talent in both areas. Her dream is to see her characters come to life, ideally through the progression of initial sketching to finalized animation. She is passionate about art and aims to be well-rounded in the world of visual storytelling.
Utilization of Motion Capture Across Multiple Fields of Study Presented by Ostie Hobbs
This Research Symposium project will focus on motion capture and how the technology can be used across different fields of study in order to convey, through video footage, ideas, instruction, presentation and efficient methods of visualizing those qualities to the audience. The presentation will consist of a section showing the research process and the programs utilized in order to create the motion capture in its production phase, followed by a walk-through of the animation process to produce the final product. The fields of study that are covered will range from medical, film, instructional videos and game development. There will also be a question and answer portion of the presentation once all the footage and points of the presentation have been addressed. Followed by a setup of an actual motion-capture area where the audience can participate and have their motions captured and displayed on a screen.
Ostie Hobbs is a young man with big dreams of making it big in the game industry. During his time at UAFS, he has studied in the AAS and BSAT programs and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in animation technology. His desire to further his education led him to participate in the Research Symposium under the guidance of professor Heath Cady as a chance to research a subject that would be beneficial to both himself and future generations of animation students who will come after.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 4
Presentations in History Health Science 222
2:00 Jerry Allen Wing
2:30 Katie Dunn
3:00 Erin Langford
3:30 Jacquelynn Rupp
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Good Whig Hunting Presented by Jerry Allen Wing
In the early nineteenth-century, a political career often rose and fell with success or failure of one’s political party. While those issuing patronage jobs might attempt to place qualified people into appointment positions, this consideration was second to fulfilling party promises made during the course of a political campaign. John Drennen’s career with the Department of Indian Affairs is a prime example of this system. John Drennen was a prominent businessman and politician. During the course of his life, he served as mayor of the city of Van Buren, Arkansas, co-chairman of the Arkansas constitutional convention, and ran a number of successful businesses. On a federal level, he concurrently served as acting director of the Southern District of the Department of Indian Affairs. The rise and fall of his career with the Department of Indian Affairs has been shrouded as to detail and is thus somewhat a mystery. Drennen, a member of the Whig Party, received his appointment during the presidential administration of fellow Whig, Zachary Taylor. Drennen was relieved of his post four years later upon the election of Franklin Pierce, a Democrat, with no explanation given of why he was removed from his post. In this ambiguity lies this author’s thesis: Drennen’s rise and fall with the Indian Affairs was a result of the “spoils system.” John Drennen’s career with the Department of Indian Affairs started because of his involvement with the Whig party and his removal from his position was due to the Democrats regaining control of the government, and not to personal or ethical failing on his part.
Jerry Wing is a senior at UAFS pursuing a history degree with a minor in resource interpretation. He graduated from homeschool in 2011. Jerry is planning to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to pursue a master’s degree in divinity before pursuing a doctorate. He is currently employed as a part-time sales associate at LifeWay Christian Bookstore in Fort Smith. Jerry lives with his parents, three brothers, and two very eccentric dogs.
Wealth, Slaves, and John Drennen: A Look at an Antebellum Businessman Presented by Katie Dunn
Slavery existed in the United States well into the 19th century, ending with the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. While the ethical issues of slavery and its long-lasting societal influences have been researched and documented, in order to fully understand the impact of slavery, the historian must take into account the economic importance of the business of slaves. Was slave ownership vital to success and wealth for all individuals in the South? Other economic pursuits, such as mercantile stores and banking resulted in economic success for some individuals. And then there were still others whose wealth stemmed from a combination of traditional business pursuits and slaveholding. Such is the case of John Drennen, an early Arkansas entrepreneur. One of the key founders of Van Buren, Arkansas, Drennen served in the state legislature, was appointed as Federal Indian Agent for the Choctaw, and had interest in or held positions in many businesses, one of which was a working plantation that ran on slave labor. By examining the life and economic pursuits of John Drennen, this research will focus on the importance of slaves as a component of Drennen’s financial success.
Katie Dunn graduated from Mulberry High School. She is a senior pursuing a history degree with a concentration in historical interpretation and a minor in biology. She plans to attend graduate school in the fall. She is a recipient of the Sherri and Jimmy Bell Scholarship and is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Minority Report: Engaging Otherness in Public History Presented by Erin Langford
The purpose of this paper is to examine the need for history museums or historical sites to embrace the true history of a place; answering tough or unsettling question by being inclusive of all ethnic groups in an area as they relate to a specific museum message or exhibit theme. The paper also touches briefly on methods that can be used to reach out to minority groups. A specific area of Miami-Dade County, Florida was an inspiration and starting point for this research comprised primarily of interviews and conversations. These interviews help point out a perceived lack of representation of African-Americans and Afro-Caribbean Hispanics in local museums, despite being a major force in shaping Miami and the surrounding communities. The reality is that under-represented groups are least likely to feel welcomed in or to utilize facilities, become core audiences, donors, or stewards if they feel marginalized. While this is slowly changing, especially with the creation of the Cuban Refugee museum and the proposed African-American history museum, several generations of Miami residents have been left feeling as if their history is unimportant.
Erin Langford was raised in Carol City, Fla., a neighborhood in then-unincorporated Dade County, and has now lived in Arkansas for 15 years. She is a history major with minors in resource interpretation and anthropology and is currently interning at Chaffee Museum of History. When not working or studying she enjoys going to museums, adding to her already extensive line of Fancy Cat creations and spending time with her family.
Susan Unchained
Presented by Jacquelynn Rupp In 1850, Van Buren, Arkansas, resident John Drennen traveled with his wife and Susan, their 14-year-old slave, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there, Susan, possibly aided by local antislavery forces, managed to escape from Drennen and flee to Canada. Susan’s act of emancipation, one week before the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, helped to highlight the contentious atmosphere between free and slave states. By viewing this issue through the dual lenses of national expansion and local sentiment, this paper helps to explain the complexities surrounding fugitive slaves during the mid-nineteenth-century. In most standard U.S. history texts, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 is typically viewed and discussed on a national level. This paper, however, allows for the evaluation of the Fugitive Slave Act on a local and personal level, demonstrating the impact of the act on a single individual; in this instance John Drennen.
Jacquelynn Rupp was born and raised in Mountainburg, Arkansas. She graduated from Mountainburg High School in 2011 and now attends UAFS. She will graduate in May 2015 with a degree in history with a concentration in resources interpretation. Beginning in the summer of 2015, she will start an internship at Lake Fort Smith State Park north of Mountainburg. While not engaged in her studies or working, Jacquelynn likes to play music. She is a recipient of the Lucia Leigh Hawkins Memorial Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 5
Presentations in History Health Science 223
2:00 Taylor Gilbreth
2:30 Tyler Nolan
3:00 Jeff Jamell
3:30 Jennifer Charter
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Forgotten Men of the New Deal: The Southern Tenant Farmer’s Union and its Socialist Influences Presented by Taylor Gilbreth
This research analyzes the significant differences between the leaders and the rank and file of the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union (STFU). Socialist organizers and poor sharecroppers formed the STFU in 1934 in Tyronza, Arkansas. The organization has been praised by historians for its integrationist approaches, implementation of non-violence, and its solidification through religious songs and prayer. However, the reality of its methods were more conflicting and unorganized. Organizers held on to radical longterm goals, while the lower ranks sought assistance with basic necessities and at some point their own land. This internal conflict contributed to a decentralized focus that hampered development. Analysis of the backgrounds of those involved and the actions that took place reveals that the STFU was mostly a failure. Mechanization, violent backlash, and lack of support from the government on all levels forced the STFU to transition from 30,000 members calling for federal attention to an organization that helped only by finding sharecroppers employment in urban areas during World War II. Had these hardships not occurred, the distant separation between the leadership and membership mindsets would have still created a downfall for the group. That being said, the story of the STFU is still a fascinating one in which many risked their lives to raise awareness of the plight of the sharecropper.
Taylor Gilbreth graduated from Greenwood High School in 2009. He has been in the history program at UAFS since June 2011 and will graduate in May 2015 with a B.A. in history with an interpretation concentration and a minor in Spanish. After graduation Taylor will be training and then teaching at a high-needs school with the Arkansas Teacher Corps. He aspires to one day get a Ph.D. in American or Latin American history.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium “Dutchmen” in the Ozarks: The Role of German Immigrants in Securing Missouri and Northern Arkansas in the Civil War Presented by Tyler Nolan
“‘Dutchmen’ in the Ozarks: The Role of German Immigrants in Securing Missouri and Northern Arkansas in the Civil War” analyzes the presence of Germans in Missouri during the nineteenth century and their role in fighting for the Union in Missouri and Arkansas during the Civil War. The essay covers the waves of immigrants from the volatile German states starting in the early nineteenth century to the “promised land” of Missouri, as well the ideologues that fled Europe, following the failure of the Revolution of 184849, and came to the United States hoping to find the Republican society that they wanted to create in Germany. The community life of the Germans is briefly covered, as well as a short biography of some of the “forty-eighters” who became well known leaders amongst the German American communities and important figures in American history. The Germans largely supported the Union and helped build up the Republican Party because of their hatred of slavery as well as the transposing of their belief in a unified Germany onto the United States. They left Germany because of their hatred of the aristocracy and they did not like the Confederacy, whose slaveholders they considered a form of aristocrats. Union militia, composed heavily of German immigrants, stopped a Confederate attempt to seize St. Louis, and fought at the Battle of Pea Ridge, which was important in neutralizing the Confederate army’s presence in Missouri and the northern part of Arkansas.
Tyler Nolan graduated from Cedarville High School. His aspiration is to go to graduate school to earn advanced degrees in history and anthropology. His research interests include world history throughout time and studying groups of people.
Greek Geometry and the Question of Geometric Algebra Presented by Jeff Jamell
Classical Greek mathematics in the time of Euclid is most significant for its contributions to geometry. Unlike the other societies that preceded them, the Greek culture placed an emphasis on general mathematical proofs. The only accepted forms of proofs during this time were those using geometry. This fact has led to much debate among historians of mathematics as to whether or not classical Greek mathematicians were thinking algebraically. Advocates of such a view have coined the term “geometric algebra” when describing algebra done in geometric form by these classical Greek mathematicians. This study looks into the main arguments of the advocates and opponents to this geometric algebra interpretation and briefly into the classical Greek mathematical structure. As a result, I argue that the concept of geometric algebra has no historical basis. While classical Greek geometry has an analogous algebraic representation, their mathematical work is not algebraic to its core. One important component in the concept of geometric algebra is the need for the Greeks to be able to translate their arithmetical work into a geometric form. Even though classical Greek mathematical texts can be interpreted in terms of algebra, the Greek mathematical system that was in place was non-arithmetized; therefore, geometry and arithmetic were two different fields and the Greeks had no way to translate arithmetic into geometry as we do today.
Jeff Jamell graduated from Southside High School in Fort Smith. He aspires to enter the field of education and is currently pursuing a degree in mathematics. He will go on to get his master’s degree in secondary education at the University of Arkansas.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Journey from Edo Bay 1853 to Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 Presented by Jennifer Charter
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor resulted from decades of what the Japanese saw as oppression and interference by the American government. Pearl Harbor was chosen as the obvious target due to the American Pacific Fleet making the islands of Hawaii its home. As early as the 1850’s, American influence started a domino effect of civil wars and overthrown regimes that would culminate in the Pearl Harbor attack almost a hundred years later in 1941. From their ports being forced to open under threat of destruction to what they considered the Americans failing them during the Russo-Japanese War and during World War I, the Japanese saw the Americans as being too involved in their business, and too controlling over their interests. The Japanese government foresaw future interference if they tried to expand their empire, and wanted to stop that before it happened. Pearl Harbor was a logical choice for several reasons including it being the home port of the Pacific Fleet of the American Navy. Its location in the Pacific made it a threat to the Japanese who wished to expand throughout the Pacific region for various reasons. The existing Japanese population on the islands, and the lack of protection against espionage on the American side, also made it an easy target. Espionage and years of preparation allowed what was regarded as an attack of vengeance by the Japanese people. It was intended to allow them to be able to expand their empire and take out their greatest threat in one blow.
Jennifer Charter graduated from Poteau (Okla.) High School and is currently in her senior year, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in historical interpretation with an anthropology minor. She plans to achieve a master’s in museum studies. Her research interests include all eras of history.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 6
Presentations in History and Psychology Health Science 227
2:00 Venessa Arthur
2:30 Meagan Crosby
3:00 Group Presentation: Trenten Foust, Megan Jordan
3:30 Joshua Tomlinson
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Undergraduate Research Symposium 1960s and Second-Wave Feminism Presented by Venessa Arthur
During World War II, there was a societal shift toward married women working outside the home while the men were at war. After World War II, many women seemed happy with returning to the housewife role, but Betty Friedan’s work exposed an underlying dissatisfaction. Many women were asking, “Is that all there is?”. This study explored the impact of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique versus political activism such as the Presidents Commission on the Status of Women. By examining The Feminine Mystique and the social impact it had on women along with the findings of the President’s Commission this study found that it was the start of what became known as second-wave feminism, which was carried on into the 1970s and beyond.
Venessa Arthur is currently in her final year at UAFS working toward a degree in history. Upon graduation she will be going to graduate school at Arkansas Tech University to work toward a master’s in history. Venessa has an interest in early American history, English history (Plantagenet and Tudor dynasties and England from the 18th through the 20th centuries), and women’s history (women’s roles through history and women’s rights). She lives in Van Buren with her husband and two children and enjoys reading historical fiction and non-fiction books in her spare time.
Guns Prohibited Signage as a Predictor of Aggressive Behavior Presented by Meagan Crosby
Previous research has suggested that a weapons effect exists which may increase the accessibility of aggressive cognitions. Exposure to weapons or weapon images may lead to an increase in aggressive behavior due to this priming effect. Recent concern has been expressed in regard to weapon prohibited signage possibly increasing aggressive cognitions. This experiment examines weapons prohibited signage and the extent to which these images may prime and increase aggressive behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three types of priming stimuli (weapon, weapon prohibited, and neutral images) and were instructed to view their assigned image for one minute. They were then instructed to rate the image based on its visual appeal. After viewing the priming stimulus, the participants completed a 98 item word completion task. There was a significant effect between the priming condition and the number of aggressive words completed. Specific contrast analyses showed that participants in both the weapon and weapon prohibited conditions completed a significantly higher proportion of aggressive words than those in the neutral image condition. This research suggests that weapon prohibited signage may increase the accessibility of aggressive cognitions nearly as readily as actual weapons. This research may be beneficial in determining new policies and guidelines for posting weapon prohibited signs in public locations.
Meagan Crosby graduated from Charleston High School in 2012. She is a senior psychology student, graduating in Fall 2015. She plans on entering graduate school for social neuroscience in Fall 2016. Her research interests include aggression and the interactions between genes and neural circuits that may lead to the expression of aggressive behavior. She is also interested in the impacts of violent media exposure on neural processes such as emotional regulation.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Epigenetic Effects of Developmental Alcohol – A Pilot Study Presented by Trenten Foust and Megan Jordan
One of the most pervasive effects of developmental alcohol exposure in children includes impaired memory abilities that do not seem to disappear with age. Previous studies have used both human and animal models to examine these effects at the behavioral, anatomical, functional and genetic levels, but very few have examined developmental alcohol’s effect at the epigenetic level. For example, previous research in adolescent rats has documented a significant effect of neonatal alcohol exposure, equivalent to the 3rd trimester of human pregnancy, on heightened dna methylation in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (Otero et al., 2012). The current research is focused on further investigating this effect on gene expression in the hippocampus of rats exposed to 4.5G/kg alcohol on neonatal days 4 through 6. Rat subjects were grouped by gender (male and female), age (adolescent and older adults) and treatment (prenatal alcohol exposure and no prenatal alcohol exposure). The hippocampi were excised from each specimen and processed to observe level of dna methylation according to manufacturers’ protocols for dna isolation, digestion and methylation measurements. It is hypothesized that based on previous findings, rats exposed to developmental alcohol will show a significant difference on dna methylation measurement compared to that of their control counterparts, regardless of age and gender. These findings will show further evidence of developmental alcohol effects on the epigenome and serve as a stepping stone to further understanding the debilitating effects of developmental alcohol on the brain and behavior.
Trenten Foust graduated in the top 10 percent of his class at Roland High School. In high school he developed a strong desire to study psychology as a means to further leadership and emotional support skills. His career goal is to become a licensed therapist, and he is in the process of obtaining of bachelor’s degree in psychology and applying to graduate schools. He has previously conducted individual research into fear responses and anxiety disorders and has appeared on the UAFS dean’s list each year he has attended, making him a candidate for an academic excellence award in psychology. Trenten is also a philosophy minor and is treasurer of the UAFS Psychology Club. Megan Jordan will be graduating in May 2015 with a B.A. in psychology and minors in Spanish and biology. She studied Spanish in Salamanca, Spain, during the summer of 2013 and will be travelling to Belize in May to study vertebrates in diverse tropical environments. She also holds an internship at Arkansas Veterinary Clinic in Fort Smith where she observes and assists Dr. Hittner with his clients and in routine lab duties. Her other research interests include the effects of social deprivation in various mammal species and the ultrasonic vocalizations of rats. Megan intends to pursue a master’s degree and further specialize in behavioral psychology.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Correlations Between Free Throw Routines and Performance Presented by Joshua Tomlinson
Previous studies examining the effects of a pre-shot routine on free-throw shooting found that in competitive situations, both recreational and experienced basketball players score a significantly larger number of baskets in a pre-shot routine condition than without a routine. Such results support the theory of a pre-shot routine’s effectiveness on free-throw attempts, suggesting that pre-shot routines improve closed-skill athletic performance. Our current study seeks to understand the psychological effects of a pre-shot routine on athletic performance by determining the correlation between an individual’s pre-shot routine and their level of comfort in performance. Recreational basketball players were asked to perform a free throw attempt with and without a pre-shot routine. They were then instructed to complete a survey that asked about their comfort level both in the pre-shot and no pre-shot conditions. Preliminary results show a significant positive effect of the pre-shot routine free throw performance where 70% of participants indicated that they felt more comfortable shooting a free throw with a routine compared to 37.5% of participants who were comfortable without a routine. This study serves as further evidence of the positive effect of a pre-shot routine on performance and a stepping stone to studying the effects of pre-routines on relatable topics, such as coaching and academic performance.
Josh Tomlinson graduated from Lavaca High School. He is a transfer student from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, where he participated on the UAM golf team and studied for one year. He has finished his fourth and final year on the UAFS golf team and will graduate in the summer of 2015 with a degree in psychology. He aspires to become a professional golf coach and obtain level one PGA certification. He also aspires to go to graduate school in pursuit of a master’s degree in sports psychology. His research interests include anything pertaining to the field of sports psychology.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 7
Presentations in Dental Hygiene Health Science 314
2:00 Group Presentation: Patricia Taylor, Johni L. Smith, Kelsey Graham
2:30 Group Presentation: Jennifer Allen, Mercedes Munson, Cynthia Spencer, Marisa Vinson
3:00 Group Presentation: Myranda Christensen, Shasta Jones, Kyra Reames, Ana Caideron
3:30 Group Presentation: Stephanie Kightlinger, Jessie Woerpel, Shauna Ball, Lindsey Loughmiller
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Undergraduate Research Symposium LINK IN with IPE: The Need for Interprofessional Education Presented by Patricia Taylor, Johni L. Smith and Kelsey Graham
Within the past ten years, a link between overall health and oral health has emerged. Several studies conclude that individuals with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other systemic health conditions have greater difficulty managing their disease if they have advanced periodontitis. The general public and health care providers may be unaware of this connection. A twelve question convenience survey was distributed among 30 nursing students at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith to determine from the student’s perspective, the need for Interprofessional Education (IPE) within the nursing curriculum. This study looked at the correlation of dental health literacy among future health care providers on this campus and their ability to screen patients with oral diseases and make appropriate referrals. Participant response (n=30) showed the majority (83%) indicated there was a need for oral health education within the curriculum. The Institute of Medicine recommends implementation of IPE to improve overall patient health. Increasing IPE provides the opportunity to utilize a team-based approach. Students using an IPE approach are more likely to become collaborative interprofessional team members. Greater respect and a positive attitude among professionals can improve overall patient outcomes. While improvements in interdisciplinary education are evolving to address this need, our survey results demonstrate room for improvement among dentistry and medicine. This collaboration is fundamentally important in order to prevent and control oral diseases and improve the status of overall health.
Patricia Taylor graduated from Lavaca High School. She also graduated from UAFS with a Bachelor of Science in biology, which allowed her to continue her education. She will graduate again from UAFS in May 2015 with a degree in dental hygiene. She plans to continue to support interprofessional education among health care professionals upon graduation. Her passion is to encourage further research in this area in order to benefit the overall health of the community she serves. Johni Smith graduated from Winfield (Kan.) High School. She also graduated from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas with a degree in computer aided architectural drafting and will graduate with an additional degree in dental hygiene from UAFS in May 2015. She aspires to enter the medical field and has hopes of continuing her education. Johni enjoys outdoor sports, exercising, riding her bike and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Kelsey Graham graduated from Van Buren High School and also graduated with a degree in surgical technology from UAFS. She will graduate again in May 2015 with an additional degree in dental hygiene. Kelsey enjoys traveling and hopes to travel around the world after graduation. She also plans to continue her education and enjoys learning. Her passion is to increase awareness of the connection between oral and overall health between the medical and dental fields to benefit the overall health of her community. She is a recipient of the Robert and Verna Cargile Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Guard Your Smile
Presented by Jennifer Allen, Mercedes Munson, Cynthia Spencer and Marisa Vinson Dental injury is the most common type of sports related head and neck injury, accounting for over one third of all oral-facial injuries. While significant progress has been made in this area, dental professionals should do more to promote injury prevention for patients participating in a variety of sports. One way to reduce risk is to wear a mouth guard. The use of this oral appliance decreases the possibility of cranial and oral facial trauma. It is more than just chipping a tooth. A greater risk of injury to gingival tissues and supporting bone structure exists. Concussions and other neurologic injuries are an additional concern. Based on a review of current research, this presentation will address the nature of various injuries as well as the advantages and disadvantages of available appliances. Identified barriers to mouth guard use will be reported. In addition, our goal is to increase awareness within the medical and dental community and the general public about the need to recommend and comply with mouth guard use in sports. Conclusions from this research investigation highlight the value of increased mouth guard use as a means of decreasing the incidence and prevalence of orofacial or neurologic injury.
Jenny Allen was born and raised in Shawnee, Okla. She enjoys running, cooking, attending University of Oklahoma football games, and spending time with her family and friends. She completed pre-requisite courses at Oklahoma State University before being accepted into the dental hygiene program at UAFS in 2013. Jenny will graduate from UAFS in May 2015 and plans to return to Oklahoma to work as a dental hygienist in private practice. She also plans to take part in volunteer work during her career. Mercedes Munson grew up in Alma. She attended Alma schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. She graduated from Alma High School in 2012 and has attended UAFS since 2012. While in high school she worked at several different retail stores in Fort Smith. Her hobbies include activities outdoors such as camping, kayaking and hiking. Her plans after graduating from UAFS are to move to Austin, Texas, and work as a full-time clinical dental hygienist in a private practice. She is also interested in providing increased access to dental care to the underserved. It is with high hopes that she will one day be able to travel overseas to provide education on dental and oral health to other countries. She is a recipient of the Alma High School 1950s Alumni Scholarship. Cindy Spencer grew up in Van Buren, graduating from Van Buren High School in 2009. She currently attends UAFS, working toward a degree in dental hygiene. She plans to graduate in May of 2015. Cindy has worked for a chiropractic clinic, a dance studio and most recently a dental office. Her plans after graduation are to work for that same dental office in Stilwell, Okla., as a clinical dental hygienist. She also hopes to be involved with volunteer work and community projects as she continues to further her career. Marisa Vinson grew up in Farmington, graduating from Farmington High School and completing pre-requisites at the University of Arkansas before attending dental hygiene school at UAFS. Marisa has worked as a dental assistant for a private dental office in Prairie Grove. Her hobbies include hiking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. Her aspirations after graduation are to practice dental hygiene in Northwest Arkansas while being involved in community and volunteer events. She also hopes to be able to continue her involvement with the students and faculty at the Dental Hygiene Clinic in Fort Smith.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium It’s Greek to Me! The Changing Face of Dentistry Presented by Myranda Christensen, Shasta Jones, Kyra Reames and Ana Calderon
Cultural competency is the capability to understand and communicate with people of different ethnicities or backgrounds. With increasingly diverse populations, we as health care professionals recognize a need for improvement in the area of cultural competency. The dental field is no exception. A seven question survey was used to gain insight into the effects this matter has on local dental professionals and the population they serve. Participants were selected using a convenience sample of 15 dental professionals and 38 people within the community. Survey results concluded that 93% of dental professionals considered their office to be culturally competent, while only 68% of the population were in agreement. These percentages indicate that dental professionals overestimate the level of cultural competence in their office. As dental healthcare professionals, we are responsible for developing the skills, knowledge, and resources to effectively treat people of different cultures or ethnicities. Criteria defining a culturally competent dental office could include educational materials and patient treatment forms in different languages as well as resources for language interpretation. Additional barriers to overcome are related to transportation availability and financial assistance. Incorporating these strategies into the dental office would ensure patient satisfaction, increase overall compliance, and ultimately result in better oral health for the culturally diverse population. This presentation will explore strategies to build trust, minimize dental anxiety, and reduce oral health disparities. Dental professionals must increase cultural awareness and strive to adapt to the realities of today’s global society.
Myranda Christensen graduated with honors from Booneville High School. She knew for many years that she wanted to be a registered dental hygienist. She is currently enrolled in the UAFS dental hygiene program and has enjoyed every step of her college career. Some of her favorite subjects in the dental hygiene program include local anesthesia and periodontology. Upon graduating from college this spring she desires to use her knowledge to help improve the community’s oral and overall health. She is also an advocate for volunteering in her community. She is a recipient of the Fort Smith Dental Association Hygiene Instrument Scholarship. Shasta Jones graduated from Keota (Okla.) High School. She is a senior Dental Hygiene student at UAFS and upon graduation would like to further her education while working as a registered dental hygienist at her local dental office. Her interest in the dental field comes from her desire to help people attain a beautiful, healthy smile. She also enjoys having the opportunity to educate patients on the connection between oral health and overall health. Kyra Reames graduated from Charleston High School and is currently seeking a degree in dental hygiene at UAFS. Kyra aspires to use her degree to further her education as a registered dental hygienist in the field of pediatric dentistry. She is excited to use her exceptional communication skills from previous employment and experiences of becoming a new mother in helping improve the oral health of children in her community. Ana Calderon attended Springdale High School from 2001 to 2004. After several years of work experience in customer service in different settings, she decided to go back to school in 2011 to pursue a career in dental hygiene. Ana knew she had found her true calling after shadowing different hygienists while they treated patients. She will graduate from UAFS in May 2015 with her degree in dental hygiene and looks forward to moving back to Northwest Arkansas and working as a dental hygienist. In her free time Ana enjoys cooking and spending time with her pet-son, Bengy.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Just Vapor? A Look into the “Safe Alternative”
Presented by Stephanie Kightlinger, Jessie Woerpel, Shauna Ball and Lindsey Loughmiller Electronic cigarettes, or “E-cigs,” are a relatively new phenomenon in the United States. Recently, they have been marketed as a “safe alternative” to replace traditional tobacco cigarettes. The controversial nature of electronic cigarettes and the adverse effects they could potentially cause to the oral tissues make them a hot topic in the health care community. Little research has been conducted exploring the long term effects on the tissues of the body and oral cavity. Nicotine, a well-known addictive and carcinogenic substance, is found in most vapors. It has negative effects on bone health, tissues of the oral cavity and has been linked to the initiation and progression of periodontal disease. The nicotine content is unregulated in the United States making it a major concern for this cigarette alternative. Many toxic substances, carcinogens, and non-desirable ingredients have been identified in the vapors. Health care providers are obligated to consider the implications of electronic cigarette delivery and its relationship to the body and oral cavity. By staying informed of the most recent evidence-based research information, practitioners will be better able to provide standard of care treatment for the community they serve. This presentation will provide information collected through a comprehensive review of current literature concerning the common misconceptions, negative effects on bone health, safety, design, ingredients, and ongoing research studies of electronic cigarettes.
Stephanie Kightlinger lives in Roland, Okla. She is fulfilling her career aspirations of becoming a registered dental hygienist and will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in dental hygiene in May 2015. She is passionate about community outreach and is eager to bring patient care and education to the area. Stephanie plans to remain in the River Valley and enter private practice as a dental hygienist. She enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, kayaking and hammocking with her family and friends. Jessie Woerpel will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in dental hygiene in May 2015. She is from Hot Springs and graduated from Lake Hamilton High School in 2009. She has always aspired to become a registered dental hygienist. After graduation Jessie plans to return to the Hot Springs area and work in private practice. She is thrilled to help her community with oral health education programs. Jessie enjoys spending time outdoors with her friends and family. She loves hiking, sunny lake days and rock-crawling adventures. Shauna Ball is from Fort Smith and will graduate in May with a degree in dental hygiene. After becoming an RDH, she plans to further her passion of awareness of oral health care and prevention of oral diseases in the community. Shauna will stay in the River Valley area and work in private practice while still volunteering for the Community Dental Clinic and Arkansas Mission of Mercy. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family. She loves traveling to different places, going to the lake, fourwheeling, hiking and exploring new things. Lindsey Loughmiller is from Poteau, Okla. She has been an active member in the UAFS Chorale, UAFS Jazz Catz, and was crowned Miss University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in 2009. She will graduate in May 2015 with a degree in dental hygiene. After graduation she plans on moving to Oklahoma City, working in private practice and continuing to help educate others on the importance of oral health care. In her spare time she enjoys perfecting her yoga practice, traveling, hiking and spending time with her three “children” - her dogs.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 8
Presentations in Rhetoric & Writing and English Health Science 318
2:00 Michel LaCrue
2:30 Katrina Howard
3:00 Lauren Miller
3:30 Matthew Farrar
4:00 Christy Neu
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Undergraduate Research Symposium A Critical Analysis of Frederick Douglass Presented by Michel LaCrue
This research project was a multi-layered probe and critical analysis of a Frederick Douglass speech delivered at the Fourth of July celebrations in Rochester, New York, in 1852, that examines in detail what made Douglass an affective rhetor. I used different probes not only to deconstruct the speech in order to study Douglass’s rhetoric but also to analyze how and why he used certain elements within his speech. By using the Toulmin Method, I was able to approach the major claims made by Douglass in this speech and conclude that Douglass tailored the speech to fit his rhetorical needs. Looking at rhetor variables, pacing, imagery, terms, topics, and judgments, I was able to discover that Douglass used several different techniques in order to deliver his message. My research also includes data collection which supports an analysis of recurring themes showing that Douglass’s use of movement was an important factor in his ability to communicate effectively. This critical analysis helps expand the knowledge of Frederick Douglass as a great orator and rhetor, while also informing the audience of the importance of effective communication.
Michel LaCrue graduated summa cum laude from UAFS in Fall 2014 with a degree in rhetoric and writing. She will start graduate school at the University of Arkansas in the spring of 2016. Michel would like to eventually get her Ph.D. and go on to teach or in some way be involved in education. Michel has two children, a daughter studying computer science at the University of Oklahoma and a son in high school, and has been married for 20 years.
Rhetoric Studies and the Variables Situated Within the Historic Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln Presented by Katrina Howard
This spring I intend to work on a rhetorical project. I will be explaining, in depth, the sections of the Gettysburg Address and how it can be split into rhetorical parts. There are 7 variables that I will be using throughout this process in order to break this speech down. I will also be touching on the length of the Gettysburg Address and how that adds or detracts from the rhetorical aspect of the speech and the affect it had upon the audience. For this project I will be consulting the third chapter of the book Modern Rhetorical Criticism. I will also be exploring the Gettysburg Address itself in depth using the web; and also each rhetorical variable located within Chapter 3 of Modern Rhetorical Criticism. At the end of this project my readers will be able to have a clear perception of how to break down context into different rhetorical concepts. I hope that it will also be apparent that no matter what artifact a person chooses to investigate, there is always a rhetorical context or meaning behind it. I also hope this proves to others that no matter what the time frame is, rhetoric is all around us, has always been all around us, and most of all that rhetoric is very important no matter the length of the piece.
Katrina Howard graduated from Mansfield High School in 2011. She will be graduating this May from UAFS with a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric and writing and a minor in creative writing. After graduating Katrina wishes to pursue a career in writing or editing for a local newsroom or newspaper.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Right to Shut UP Presented by Lauren Miller
The internet is considered by many to be a public utility, not only for the purposes of information gathering, but also for self expression as well as a meeting ground for many parties to come together. Yet through the telling of personal experience as well as witnesses in the form of famous scientists and research projects, disturbing information was made apparent in the form of antifemale environs within the confines of computer browsers. Focusing upon the harassment of BBC presenter and archaeologist Mary Beard, as well as statistics presented by the University of Maryland, we take a closer look at the issues faced by the fairer sex upon the internet. My research brought with it this question: does the anonymity of the internet allow for a more hostile environment? Is what makes women a target for online harassment the steady increase of women into traditionally male territories, or is it related to the growing feminist movement? What does this mean for the future of the internet and for women aspiring to defy traditional gender roles? The rise of confrontation is typically a signifier of change and conflicting views. Through a bevy of threats and bullying, we investigate similarities in cases and what the aggressions of assailants may stem from.
Lauren was born in Fayetteville, graduated from Haas Hall Academy in 2011 and is a non-traditional biology major. She hopes to pursue a graduate program beyond UAFS and seeks to study ornithology. Her interests in this field range from the study of raptors to a recent interest in corvids. She hopes to focus her efforts in areas of research and rehabilitation.
Brontian Pastiche in Post-Suffrage South Riding Presented by Matthew Farrar
Pastiche has become an increasingly popular way of developing relevant contemporary works of literature that fit within the understandable everyday individuals, or at least those who have read the original work that is being replicated. Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre is a particularly well-known part of the literary canon, and has been continually replicated and recreated; however, many of the recreations are set in the period that Jane Eyre was written, both in literary and media terms, with very little attached literary commentary of different time periods. Pastiche is unique in that it has a basis in a previous work without being a direct replication, and tends to include dissimilar environmental factors to the original work. The novel, South Riding, by Winifred Holtby is a particularly intriguing pastiche on Jane Eyre as a feminist novel set in a post-suffrage environment. There are shared concepts of masculine dominance, particularly focused on male rape, or the threat thereof, matriarchal power structures in education, and strong female characters. These aspects create a new but familiar pretense by which one may analyze the transformation in English society, and the role feminism has in altering the society’s and the novel’s structure.
Matthew Farrar is a senior English major with a double minor in history and teaching English as a second language. Throughout most of his undergraduate work he has focused on different aspects of cultural studies, ranging from gender/women’s studies to minority and post-colonial studies. He has recently been accepted into the Master of the Arts in Cultural Studies program at the University of Sydney (Australia) where he hopes to continue his work in this field before returning to the United States to complete his Ph.D. and eventually pursue a career as a professor of English. He is a recipient of the Dr. Ted and Betty Skokos Scholarship and is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Popular Law: Critical Conversations in John Grisham’s The Chamber Presented by Christy Neu
Grisham uses the historical context of our nation to provide gripping stories of injustices, miscalculations, greed, and hypocrisy, encouraging his readers to ponder the laws of our nation. His stories undeniably educate readers on important concepts and views of our legal system. These socio-political dilemmas and the calls to action it incurs provide particular merit to Grisham studies. It is undeniable that much of fiction (popular or no) speaks of the historical injustices of a nation. The Chamber makes use of many major contradictions, problems, and debates that occur within the death penalty just as The Grapes of Wrath makes use of grotesque poverty to highlight the tragedies of the 1930’s great migration. Author of John Grisham’s Law, Jennifer Rubin, writes, “For 20 years now, Grisham has taken readers and movie audiences by the hand and pointed out to them exactly how dark and sinister forces translate into legal liability, and what they can do about it” (58). Why, then, should we discount the contributions Grisham has made to literature because of his best-selling status? This paper discusses the underlying conversations surrounding the death penalty in John Grisham’s The Chamber. An in-depth view of the characters within The Chamber and the facets of the capital punishment debate which they represent provide a fuller meaning within Grisham’s writing. By close-reading analysis, Grisham’s contributions to popular fiction and the ways we view it are made apparent.
Christy Neu graduated from Muldrow (Okla.) High School in 2006. She will graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in rhetoric. After graduation she plans to teach English abroad for a year while pursuing further opportunities both at home and overseas. Her areas of interest include international communications and culture, literacy and agriculture with a focus on sustainable resources and the farm-to-table movement.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 9
Presentations in English Health Science 321
2:00 Sara Tomlin
2:30 Allison Reeves
3:00 Janelle Cox
3:30 Group Presentation: Callie Craig, Kristen Cox
4:00 Meagan Gooch
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Vampires, Sexuality and the New Woman Presented by Sara Tomlin
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we are presented with many issues of eroticism that delve deeper than sparkly vampires and love triangles. Vamping is an erotic experience, often coded as being between men, but cannot take place without the woman acting as a portal of sorts. I am going to explore the homoerotic overtones that are evident in Dracula. There are other vampire stories such as Carmilla that also feature homosexuality and thusly function the same way. It seems that both of these vampire tales were a bit progressive as far as sexuality goes for their time period. What is it about the structure vampire texts that allow for such a progressive, provocative approach to sexuality? Through synthesis of Dracula and Carmilla and thorough research, I will explore sexuality and gender roles in these vampire stories through a queer theory lens. I will also explore the binary and unity of good and evil and the way this plays into both the ways that female and male sexuality are presented in the novel and how homosexuality functions through the sexuality of the woman. Each story also contains elements of female sexuality that deems that women don’t always have to be the submissive to the man. Thus, I will also discuss the function of the New Woman and Lucy’s rejection of that role.
Sara Tomlin graduated from Booneville High School and is currently a junior at UAFS pursuing a degree in secondary English teaching. In high school she was a cheerleader, honors graduate, member of the Beta Club and president of the Library Club. She has always enjoyed reading and the environment of the library and hopes to continue her education and complete graduate school to get a Master of Library Science with an emphasis on special collections. Her interests include reading, writing, traveling, cooking, and furthering her education. Sara spends her free time with her family and friends. She is a recipient of the Robert M.
and Janice H. Powell Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Real Matriarchs of Patriarchy: An Analysis of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park Presented by Allison Reeves
In her article “Sense and Sensibility: Opinions Too Common and Too Dangerous,” scholar Claudia Johnson considers how the “benevolizing institutions of order—property, marriage, and family—actually enforce avarice, shiftlessness, and oppressive mediocrity” in Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility. Part of her research focuses on the position of female matriarchs within the text. Looking at the characters of Mrs. Ferrars, Mrs. Smith, and Mrs. Dashwood, Johnson examines their roles within the text as they help to either enforce or defy socials norms in a patriarchal society. The greatest aspect of Jane Austen’s novels in which we see matriarchs wield power amongst patriarchal ideals is in the area of courtship and marriage. Expanding along this vein of thought, this essay examines matriarchs in two of Jane Austen’s novels – Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park – to determine their roles within a patriarchal society. Analyzing the characters of Mrs. Bennet and Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Pride and Prejudice) and Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Rushworth (Mansfield Park), this article pulls specific textual examples from the novels to establish ways in which these female characters promote and/or challenge those “too common and too dangerous” ideas of a patriarchal society (Johnson). In present society, numerous advancements have been made to promote and develop equality among the sexes. However, society remains entrenched in a patriarchal mindset and we continue to see patriarchy take on a level of importance that is, in many ways, equal to that which Austen wrote about in her novels. This essay reviews the above-mentioned novels through the 21st century feminist theory lens to examine ways society continues to encourage the patriarchal ideals that remain in place over two hundred years after Austen wrote Sense and Sensibility.
Allison Reeves graduated from Northside High School in 2005. She began taking classes at UAFS in the fall of 2005, but took some time off to take care of her family. She returned to UAFS in the spring of 2012 and will graduate this May with a B.A. in English and a minor in sociology. She plans to attend graduate school next year to earn her M.A. in sociology. Her research interests include feminist theory, gender theory and application and childhood development. She is a recipient of the Gordon Kelley Language Study Scholarship and the Mollie Wilson Women’s Financial Series Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Empire and Masculinity in Sherlock Holmes Presented by Janelle Cox
Victorian era sensationalist writings offer a clear record of the transformation of what it meant to be British and a British man. While early and mid-era novels showcase the initial breakdown of England’s domestic front—the very defining structure of England— it is fin-de-siècle novels that reflect the struggle British society had with Imperialist evolution of values and identity amidst the anxiety of social reform and reverse colonization. One way to characterize the re-structuring of England’s identity is to study the effect that changing values in domesticity had on the arc of masculinity in end of the century narratives. Within the context of British Victorian literature the synonymous natures of England and domesticity, Empire and masculinity, reflect Imperialism as a framing narrative to which domestic evolution and roles of masculinity react directly. This phenomenon is evident in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s cases of Sherlock Holmes. At a moment when the British Empire is perched at the edge of the end of its climax, the Sherlock Holmes stories expose varying roles of masculinity in a moment of fluidity – a moment when defined masculinity occupies more than one state of consciousness reflecting the teetering values of Imperialism. This paper draws on the Sherlock Holmes novellas, The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles, to expose the relationship between Empire and England’s man, exposing the process of domestic disruption and then distinguishing the role Imperialism had in congruently defining and re-defining masculinity in the end of the century literature.
Janelle Cox graduated from Spiro (Okla.) High School. She is married and a mother of two as well as a youth leader and drama director at Unite Church. Janelle also works as a private tutor, substitute teacher and grader at a local peach orchard. She aspires to be a high school English teacher and is currently in her senior year pursuing a degree in English with teacher licensure. Her research interests include education, writing, and American and British literature with a focus on the Victorian Era. Janelle is a member of Sigma Tau Delta and Pinnacle Honor Society.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Worldly Bitches and Playing Rakes: Victorian Character Types in the 21st Century Presented by Callie Craig and Kristen Cox
Whether reading a book, watching television, or sitting in a movie theater, it is easy to identify a character as a particular character type. This is especially true for Georgian and Victorian character types. In Georgian and Victorian literature, there are many diverse ways to characterize males and females. Two of the most compelling character types of these eras are the worldly woman and the rake. Operating as fluid staples in Georgian and Victorian literature, these characters were experienced, outspoken, and unconfined by societal standards. The worldly woman and the rake existed in fractured forms prior to the Georgian and Victorian eras; however, it is in these eras that these character types became distinct and concrete. With time, the worldly woman and the rake have become recognizable character types that still exist in the twenty-first century. By comparing characters found in Georgian and Victorian literature (such as Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park) to characters from contemporary television shows (such as Doctor Who), this project takes the worldly woman and rake character types and observes their evolution into the titles ‘bitch’ and ‘player’ used in the modern day lexicon.
Callie Craig is an English major in her final semester at UAFS. She will be pursuing her master’s degree in English this fall at the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests center around Victorian literature studies, cultural studies and gender theory. Eventually she hopes to obtain a doctorate in Victorian literature with an emphasis in Victorian gothic. She is a recipient of the Mollie Wilson Women’s Financial Series Scholarship. Kristen Cox graduated from UAFS in the fall of 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in political science. She plans on continuing her education in law school. Her interests include American literature, gender studies and cultural studies.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Teaching Dystopian Literature in Society Today Presented by Meagan Gooch
A dystopian society describes a society that tries to pass themselves off as a Utopia but in actuality they are dehumanizing and unpleasant. In past years dystopian fiction has been overlooked because people truly believed that their worlds would never become corrupt, never become a dystopia. In today’s time though with the issues found within the government and politics of our society the Utopian frame of mind has now become more realistic and the thought of a dystopian society has become more prominent and studied. Dystopian literature is important to teach because of the lessons that can be learned, the issues that it dictates, and the connections that can be made. A classic form of literature that is classified as a dystopian novel would be The Giver by Lois Lowry and a contemporary form would be Divergent by Veronica Roth. Both of these novels will be broken down to determine why they are good examples of dystopian literature and what benefits could be reaped by teaching them within the schools. Another issue looked at will be how to teach dystopian literature and helping students to understand the concepts and ideas formed. Pedagogy is an important concept within the education world and it is something that all teachers need to consider daily. The definition of pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching. Different pedagogical methods will be discussed to determine accurate ways to help the instruction within the classroom. Looking at dystopian fiction and some examples of it paired with various pedagogical methods will help in shedding light upon the uses and benefits of dystopian fiction and how best to incorporate it within a classroom.
Meagan Gooch graduated from Southside High School in 2011. She will graduate in the spring of 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in English with teacher licensure. After graduation she plans to find a job teaching English within the seventh or eighth grade range while continuing online studies for a Spanish language minor. Her areas of interest include aspects of British and Victorian literature, contemporary literature, cultural studies and foreign language, mainly Spanish.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 10
Presentations in English and Media Communication Health Science 325
2:00 Laura Sanders
2:30 Averie Warren
3:00 Hayley Howard
3:30 Heather Deere
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Two Crazy Ladies: Causation of Insanity in The Yellow Wallpaper and A Rose for Emily Presented by Laura Sanders
The authors of the short stories “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “A Rose for Emily” have different genders and backgrounds but the similarities between these two works written by Charlotte Gilman Perkins and William Faulkner are almost inherently similar. The two female protagonists live in a world long past, a world where a woman is almost nothing but property to a man. Their lives are controlled by patriarchy and therefore their difficulties and struggles cannot even begin to compare to that of the man’s. One woman becomes free from the male figure in her life through his death and the other becomes free through a mental break. Discussing their paths to freedom and inadvertently their insanity is critical in understanding the works themselves as well as the era in which they were written. The paths they take once they are free from their oppressor are unalike yet what happens to them says something about the protagonist and perhaps the author that will also need to be understood. These two short stories are simple when first read, but when one goes into depth to really understand the story, that is when one starts to uncover bits and pieces of the work that was previously looked over or missed altogether.
Laura Sanders graduated from Clarksville High School in 2012. She aspires to continue her education and eventually receive her master’s and Ph.D. She is currently pursuing a degree in English with a minor in business administration. Her research interests include gender studies, cultural studies and women’s studies. She hopes to one day teach a course on one of these fields as a professor at a university.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Differences Between Agendas Set in Mainstream and Nonmainstream News Presented by Averie Warren
People depend on the media for information on current events in the world, and many specifically gather their information from the Internet. Mainstream media is what a majority of people use to obtain current news. Mainstream media includes the news outlets that are distributed via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter (Chomsky, 1997). Since people are dependent on the media for news, mainstream news is the most popular form, and mainstream media outlets are similar in the news stories they cover, one can assume that the media sets an agenda for the issues people discuss and think about in everyday life. This is known as the agenda-setting theory, the process whereby mass media determine the topics that individual discuss and perceive as news (McCombs & Shaw, 1972). The goal of this study is to prove that mainstream news does not cover events accurately and that the news does not set the most impactful event as its most covered story. This research study will use content analysis of three news websites and cross-compare treatment of specific news stories in terms of the following units of analysis: alignment with mainstream news, placement on website, and interpretation of the event.
Averie Warren graduated from Poteau (Okla.) High School. She plans to obtain a master’s in communication and become a producer for a live morning show. She is a member of Delta Gamma and is a co-editor for the Lions’ Chronicle. She is fascinated by Agenda-Setting Theory from communication and psychological aspects. She is also minoring in psychology. She is a recipient of the Griffin Family Scholarship and is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council.
Rape: An International Dilemma Presented by Hayley Howard
This paper seeks to discover how women are represented in rape cases within the media in two drastically diverse cultures. This paper will examine the representation of female victims in rape cases within the United States versus rape cases in India and the corresponding differences between the two cultures. The goal of this paper is to identify the similarities and differences across cultures in regards to media involvement and social constructs surrounding rape. The statistics of rape reports made in each country versus reports made for each country that had convictions along with the frequency of media coverage will be used to display the distinct cultural differences. In 2012 there were 706 reported rape cases in New Delhi and only one conviction was made (Rao, 2013). A case study of the 2012 New Delhi gang rape in India will be used to examine media coverage and why this particular case gained so much publicity. Ultimately this study seeks to determine if the rape statistics and social beliefs surrounding rape in India are similar to the United States despite the differing customs, cultures, and belief systems within each country.
Hayley Howard graduated from Van Buren High School. She is a sophomore media communications major with a minor in Spanish. Hayley aspires to obtain a master’s degree in college student personnel and enter the field of higher education in student affairs. Her research interests include international communication and the study of micro-expressions and their meanings.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium “Books Must be Read as Deliberately and Reservedly as They Were Written” - Henry David Thoreau; Does the Format of Access Affect Comprehension of the Written Word? Presented by Heather Deere
With an increase in media consumption via tablet, smart phone, or other digital device it is now important to study the affect these devices have on comprehension versus their traditional printed media format. According to the literature, the qualities of print media (magazines, books, newspapers, etc.) are positive characteristics that enhance a reader’s experience. On the other hand, content accessed by digital media and screens are accompanied by the many features these devices have to offer (such as search, hyperlinks, dictionary, etc.). Millennials, or those who reached young adulthood around the year 2000, have been found to prefer the digital media formats vs. traditional print. Following the literature, the researcher will seek to answer whether comprehension is affected by format choice (screen vs. print) in college students aged 18-24. A post-test control group experimental design will be used to answer this question. Subjects for the experiment will be taken from a nonprobability convenience sample which will be randomized prior to assigning subjects to experimental and control groups. The sample will be drawn from college students currently enrolled in classes at UAFS, during spring 2015. Results are expected to provide more information as to the relationship, if any, between format choice and demographics of the sample.
Heather Deere graduated from Muldrow (Okla.) High School. She aspires to attend graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in higher education administration with an emphasis in student affairs. She is currently pursuing a degree in media communications with a minor in English. Heather’s research interests include literary arts and the learning habits of students.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 11
Presentations in Media Communication Health Science 326
2:00 Payton E. Allen
2:30 Woodrow S. Pender
3:00 Tony Jones
3:30 Zach Paget
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Fabulous Life You are Missing: Does the Fear of Missing Out Motivate Social Media Saturation? Presented by Payton E. Allen
This study will investigate the presence of a relatively new phenomenon known in social media networks as the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), which is defined as an emotional response to a perceived lack of participation in a social media experience. This research will present the correlation between FoMO and its impact on social media users. The impact of FoMO has a multitude of possible effects on the social media population due to the variety of characteristics in each social media user. Primarily, FoMO appears to be experienced through emotional attachment to the media; fear and anxiety are the most common emotions associated in FoMO. The second most salient concept that characterized a correlation with FoMO was in the perception of photographs. When media users felt they had experienced FoMO the most was when they were looking at pictures, more so than simple word posts. Because of the emotional interaction, FoMO experience peaks when the users were concerned with the amount of “likes� or comments the picture posted would receive. Thirdly, FoMO appears to be the motivation behind posting any form of content in social media. This study will employ a mixed methods approach by using a survey as well as follow up focus groups in order to triangulate the data. Results may indicate new knowledge as to the degrees of FoMO on a personal level in terms of the intensity of its emotional experience, but more specifically what a person views online when they experience FoMO and the reason for FoMO.
Payton Allen is an Alma High School graduate. She aspires to create documentary films and is currently pursuing a degree in media communication with a minor in biology. Her research includes a separate but equal interest in biological studies and sociological studies. She plans to continue her education in a graduate program of journalism and more biological studies after she graduates from UAFS in 2016. Payton loves to spend her free time hiking and kayaking. She also notably loves her pets and farm animals very much.
Applying Two-Step Flow to Player Behavior Within the League of Legends Community Presented by Woodrow S. Pender
Since its launch in 2009, the online team-based video game League of Legends has become explosively popular, becoming one of the most played video games of all time and launching eSports towards mainstream media. It has, however, become well known for its unwelcoming, mean-spirited, and uncooperative community. As the popularity of League of Legends has gone hand-in-hand with the rise of video game streaming, this study seeks to apply two-step flow theory to see if it is possible that toxic behavior is learned, emulated, or reinforced through viewing the most popular players streaming the game. This hypothesis is tested through an observation of the five most followed and watched streamers of League of Legends on the website Twitch.tv to quantify the number of incidents of toxic behavior. The purpose of this hypothesis is to establish a potential correlation between toxic behavior being demonstrated by popular members of the League of Legends community and the high number of viewers observing them. Establishment of a correlation hopefully provides a springboard for further research into learned counter-behavior in online gaming communities. Solon Pender’s research interests include examining gaming cultures and communities, critical analyses of games as an expanding medium and the application of games for academia.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Social Stratification and Celebrity Presented by Tony Jones
The goal of this study is to examine social stratification, and specifically to explore the phenomenon of fame and celebrity (Rijt, Shor, Ward, & Skiena, 2013). For as long as humanity has existed there have been those within society who have risen to fame. This is by either a result of their extraordinary abilities, their talents, or their contributions to the world. Fame seeking behavior has been defined as the “Fame Motive” (Brim, 2009). Brim explores the motives behind fame as it relates to human behavior, and aims at discovering the cause for individuals striving to achieve social distinction (Carey, 2006). A survey will be sent out to a sample of UAFS students, and will include questions that gauge students’ perception of desires to become famous and whether their beliefs hold that society elevates the status of celebrity. Following the survey will be a series of interviews with individuals identified as local celebrities within the media. These interviews will be done to identify the parameters by which the local community views celebrities in the Northwest Arkansas region. Additionally, the interviews will gather information as to their perspective on their own place within the local community as well as their rise in celebrity.
Tony Jones is a 2012 graduate of Southside High School and a junior media communication major. Once finished with his undergraduate degree, Tony hopes to go on to law school and enter a career of public service. He prides himself on staying involved in activities throughout the community. His research interests include politics, communications and human behavior. He is a recipient of the Farrell-Cooper Mining Scholarship and is a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council.
The Advertisers’ Challenge: Branding the College Student in the Digital Age Presented by Zach Paget
Volkswagen’s 2011 commercial “The Force” forever changed advertisers’ beliefs on pre-releasing Super Bowl advertisements. Advertisers strive to reach target markets and audiences through social media, online, print, and television advertisements. Advertising has changed because of the the advancement of technology. The literature shows how advertisers try to reach Super Bowl viewers. The researcher’s goal is to decipher the most effective advertising methods to reach college students and if advertisers should pre-release advertisement to enhance their brand. According to a study by Beard (2003) college students influence the purchasing decisions of their peers and parents, they establish brand loyalties that last long after university, and they attain a higher standard of living after graduation. The National Retail Federation’s survey also showed that 22.8% of 18-to-24year-olds say the most important part of the game is the commercials. The research study will use a focus group to analyze college students’ outlook on advertising and how effective advertisements are today. The researcher will also use a quantitative survey to receive a larger sample size to test how advertisements affect college students. Results may indicate that the more exposure to advertisements a college student has the more likely they are to purchase the product being advertised.
Zach Paget is a graduate of Juan Diego High School in Draper, Utah. He will be a UAFS graduate in May 2015. He aspires to work in the communications field exploring the uses of social media in the workplace. He currently coaches basketball and football at Trinity Junior High in Fort Smith and hopes to eventually coach basketball at the collegiate level. Zach’s interests include working out, sports and staying active.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
60
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 12
Presentations in Information Technology and Engineering Library 203
2:00 Group Presentation: Sokear Manithong, Jennifer Lord
2:30 Jinpeng Li
3:00 Osman A. Martinez
3:30 Daniel H. Schwartz
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Undergraduate Research Symposium An Insight into the Big Data Model Versus the Relational Model Presented by Sokear Manithong and Jennifer Lord
Big data offers a vast amount of benefits to companies, such as expanding their knowledge of customers and improving their business process and operations. Big data has led companies to hire data scientists, data analysts, and data miners that allow them to focus on analyzing the vast amount of data being collected. Big data is the future for understanding consumer behavior and providing insights. Along with benefits, there are challenges to implementing and utilizing the technology needed for big data. The most widely used database management systems are relational. The traditional relational database management systems (RDBMS) differ greatly from big data systems. While some organizations may benefit from the use of big data platforms, other organizations may be better off with continuing the use of the relational model. Discussions will revolve around the differences, challenges, and solutions of the traditional RDBMS and big data systems in relation to database administration. To better understand the differences between the platforms, we will utilize Oracle’s RDBMS versus Hadoop and Cassandra as examples of big data databases to evaluate the differences in data models and performance using a large data set. The results will help determine if and why an organization should continue to operate using a relational model or utilize a big data platform.
Sokear Manithong resides in Fort Smith and is currently pursuing a degree in IT-database management. Jennifer Lord is a resident of Fort Smith and is currently pursuing a degree in IT-database management.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Toward Resource-Efficient Big Data Platforms Through Cloud Services Presented by Jinpeng Li
Big data is a very popular research topic for the Computer Science field. This has been demonstrated by the volume of academic research that has appeared in the last several years covering this topic. In addition to this, there has been significant interest in the cloud computing area as well for both academia and industry as the demand for improved hardware that reduces data center energy costs increases in parallel with systems that can cope with a growing data field. This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of resource-efficient big data services running in cloud configurations for on-demand scalability. Through the configurations presented here, organizations have the ability to leverage services efficiently and on-demand as needed without having the overhead attached to resources being underutilized. The model presented in this work also reduces the costs attributed to these systems through the implementation of open source platforms and applications, including the Linux operating system, Hadoop framework and Java programming language. These workloads are easily bound by I/O, CPU or memory bottlenecks. Furthermore, the activities originating from HDFS can also be overly sensitive to network performance. By using the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), cloud services, and commodity servers, a comprehensive big data platform is established and evaluated for the effectiveness of this environment while supporting scalability and resource efficiency to increase the speed and throughput of the tasks that would otherwise be difficult in a non-distributed environment.
Jinpeng Li comes from China. He aspires to enter the computer science field and is currently working toward his IT-networking degree in the department of computer and information science. His research includes big data platforms, enterprise database performance tuning and statistical methods for data analysis. He received his associate degree in China and later moved to UAFS to further his education in the computing field in 2012. His experience includes a year as a software developer for a company that provided applications to firms in both China and Singapore. He has also worked for his university’s networking department. He will graduate in December 2015 at which time he will further his education in a graduate computer science program.
SPWM Motor Drive for an Electric Vehicle (BEVs) Presented by Osman A. Martinez
This presentation will review progress being made on designing and building a motor drive suited for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) using 3-phase induction motors. Commercially available motor drives used to control conveyor belts and air handlers do not respond well to abrupt changes encountered while driving an electric vehicle. The motor drive design best suited for our BEV will be powered by a 108 cell, 19 kW Lithium Ion (LI) battery with a nominal 360 V output. This motor drive will accept the DC battery output and produce 3-phase AC voltage which is proportional to the driver’s accelerator pedal position. A prototype ½ horsepower drive was designed and tested during the summer of 2014 using Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation (SPWM) and an Arduino microcontroller with limited success. Remedies for these shortcomings will be addressed during this presentation with a preview of future applications of this technology to lightweight robots as well as BEVs.
Osman Martinez is a junior electrical engineering student and a graduate of Northside High School. He is interested in designing motor drives and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Osman will be working this summer at Johnson Space Center in Houston as an engineering intern. He is currently planning to attend graduate school. He is a recipient of the John and Kim McFarland Engineering Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium WIFI Guidance of a Mars Rover Presented by Daniel H. Schwartz
A joint research project to design and construct a Mars rover between the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (UAFS) and Harding University started summer 2012 after receiving funding from the NASA Collaborative Research Program grant and both universities, respectively. The constructed rover is powered by a 20 Ah, 12 V Lithium Ion (LI) battery pack and controlled by a Raspberry PI minicomputer and Arduino microcontroller. The Raspberry PI computer allows a user to access an on-board HD camera and drive the rover via a WIFI connection. Additionally, a robotic arm has been mounted on the rover capable of lifting up to 8 pounds while fully extended. Plans to increase the size and capabilities of this 100 pound rover to carry one adult astronaut will be discussed during this presentation.
Daniel Schwartz is a junior electrical engineering student and a graduate of Southside High School. He is interested in Mars rovers and autonomous guidance systems. Daniel will be working this summer at Johnson Space Center in Houston as an engineering intern. He is currently planning to attend graduate school. He is a recipient of the Roland S. Boreham Jr. Engineering Housing and Engineering scholarships.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 13
Presentations in Education Library 206
2:00 Maggie C. Weeks
2:30 Shane Hale
3:00 Alex Nolan
3:30 Tracie McCarver
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Aspiring Female Adolescent Mathematicians Becoming Scarce Presented by Maggie C. Weeks
In the field of mathematics education, intelligent young female adolescents are being neglected. Girls in grades 5-8 are testing at advanced levels, but few register for upper level mathematics courses. The trend in gender differences indicates that young adolescent males are advancing through upper level mathematics courses while females are more reluctant to compete. Observations in a middle level mathematics classroom indicate that one female student in a gifted and talented program did not register for upper mathematics courses while another female student who is not in the program for high achieving students participated in upper level math courses at a highly proficient level. This paper investigates reasons why young girls are unwilling to stand out in male dominated areas and why they refuse to take challenging math courses. Research suggests that females achieve less highly in mathematics due to low expectations from their instructors. Three specific instructional practices can assist teachers in leading females to accept their intelligence and pursue upper level mathematic courses: teachers must develop positive teacher-student relationships with both genders, instill high expectations for achievement in all students, and develop a repertoire of diverse instructional strategies or practices that motivate both young adolescent girls and boys.
Maggie Weeks graduated from Northside High School and aspires to be a middle level education teacher with an emphasis in mathematics and science. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society in the School of Education.
Learning Style Inventories for Struggling Students Presented by Shane Hale
In today’s world of education, there are many students with special needs or unique characteristics that define how they learn. It is not uncommon to see a classroom composed of many variations of individuals ranging from those who suffer with Attention Deficit Disorder to those characterized as Gifted and Talented. There are special resources allocated to school districts in the United States to benefit students with 504 plans, Individual Education Plans (IEP)s and gifted abilities, but what about struggling students who have not been identified with plans? This research paper explores methods for teaching these individuals. A case study focuses on a plan to identify students’ learning styles, whether audio, visual, or kinesthetic, and incorporating specific learning preferences into the lesson plan. It is the purpose of this study to provide evidence that struggling learners without IEPs can benefit from the utilization of specific teaching strategies. After taking a learning style inventory, students were placed in groups and presented a lesson formatted with the style with which they identified. Upon completion of the lesson, each group was given an assessment with the same questions. The method by which the students completed the assessment identified their learning styles. Their course work was evaluated and compared to previous assignments given in the traditional learning environment. This assessment process assisted in determining whether material aligned with the learning style benefited them more than previous types of teaching they had experienced. Students’ scores improved when diverse instructional practices were implemented.
Shane graduated from Waldron High School on May 17, 2013. He is a member of the UAFS School of Education and the International Honors Program. He is currently pursuing a degree in middle level education with a focus on language arts and social studies. His goals include becoming a history teacher, football coach and school administrator. His research interests include studying correlations between learning styles and student performance.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium How to Encourage the Motivation of a Native Spanish Speaker Presented by Alex Nolan
Many native level Spanish speakers have difficulty maintaining interest in the Spanish classroom. The problem relates to the fact that most of what is learned in a high school Spanish class is vocabulary. All native Spanish speakers have knowledge of Spanish vocabulary, but they tend to have difficulty when trying to answer grammar questions. Most English speakers do not know the rules in English, but they have developed an innate sense instead of a conscious knowledge of English grammar. This research paper discusses ways to improve native level Spanish speakers’ motivation and interest in the Spanish classroom. By modifying classroom instruction and changing the way that the material is presented, a teacher can inspire most of the students in the Spanish class to be equally challenged by the information that needs to be learned. By modifying the teaching materials to focus on grammar while including vocabulary, native level Spanish speakers become more interested and challenged by the learning material. The foreseeable limitations of the study involve not having enough Spanish speakers to properly research the outcome of a new teaching direction and not being able to definitively pinpoint the true cause of the native speakers’ lack of participation or success in the classroom. Future research could include having multiple classrooms organized with different percentages of native Spanish speakers. Research suggests that the teachers and the lesson plans both play equally valuable roles in the education of the students in all classrooms.
Alex Nolan graduated from Cedarville High School and has been working to become a high school Spanish teacher. He began his interest in teaching the Spanish language by first being interested in Spanish art. After taking many Spanish classes, his goal is to earn a doctorate in linguistics. He plans to teach for a few years while completing his doctorate and then become a Spanish professor in a local college. He has been teaching English as a second language to Spanish speakers at the Literacy Council of Western Arkansas in Fort Smith while completing his practicum hours to become a licensed Spanish teacher.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium In What Ways can a Student with Dysgraphia Improve Comprehension and Achievement in Math Class by Improving his Handwriting? Presented by Tracie McCarver
The purpose of this research project was to determine whether a sixth grade student could accelerate his achievement in math class by improving his handwriting. The focus of the study was a young man with diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This student also experienced difficulty with cursive writing. Handwriting problems are very common in people with ADHD. In some instances, this inability to write legibly is considered Dysgraphia, a learning disability that affects writing, which requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills. Dysgraphia makes the act of writing difficult. It can lead to problems with spelling, poor penmanship, and articulating thoughts on paper. During the course of this research, several interventions were attempted to assist this student with improvement of his handwriting. Three interventions were attempted with low technology tools such as pencil grips, graphic organizers, and a slant board. A pencil grip assisted with the problem of poor pencil grasp. Graphic organizers were visual instructional tools utilized to structure information. A slant board assisted the student with positioning of hand, wrist, and arm and encouraged better posture. The student was resistant to the accommodations, and there was no conclusive evidence that the interventions were effective in this case. However, research suggests that if improvements were made in his handwriting, he would also improve his academic achievement across the curriculum.
Tracie McCarver earned a marketing degree and worked in management and real estate before changing her career goals after moving to Chester in 2010. She now aspires to be a middle school science teacher. Ms. McCarver knows that her personality is well suited to teaching middle level students in grades four through eight, and she would like to help them see that they are capable of whatever goals they set for themselves.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Room 14
Presentations in Finance, Accounting and Math Library 209
2:00 Andrew Haught
2:30 Kaitlyn Schoeppey
3:00 Garin Bean
3:30 Shelby Ellison
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Going on Holiday in the Natural State: An Analysis of the Impact of Sales Tax Holidays Presented by Andrew Haught
Over the past 20 years, a growing number of states have introduced a “Tax Free Weekend” typically just a few weeks before the start of a new school year. The state governments have introduced legislation exempting sales tax on a specified day(s) to benefit consumers, specifically low-income consumers, to save money. Focusing on the state of Arkansas, we examine this practice to determine the benefits to the consumers as well as businesses. This research focuses on possible savings on school supplies and clothing purchases over the course of a one month time period to identify prices before, during, and after “Tax Free Weekend.”
Andrew Haught graduated from Siloam Springs and is currently a sophomore finance major. He aspires to obtain his master’s degree in economics and work in the treasuries department of a large global retailer. His research interests include tax policy, incentives, monetary policy and individual liberties. He is a recipient of the Chris Whitt Scholarship and a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council.
Should the United States Adopt IFRS? Presented by Kaitlyn Schoeppey
Accounting is a byproduct of its environment. It takes information and transmits it for users that are both internal and external to the company. These environment factors have caused different accounting standards to develop in different countries. The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) were developed to address the differences in accounting standards worldwide. However, problems persist with IFRS. Comparability even within countries that use IFRS is not perfect. Many countries use a local variation of IFRS. In addition, the European Union has a formal endorsement process for every IFRS standard published by the IASB to decide if the EU will adopt the standard. In addition to the political pressure this causes, it could cause further problems with comparability in the future. The United States has been working to converge with IFRS since the Norwalk Agreement in 2002. Better accounting standards for both GAAP and IFRS have developed and the standards have become much more similar. In addition, the SEC no longer requires foreign issuers to prepare 20-F forms to reconcile their financial statements from IFRS as published by the IASB to GAAP. However, the convergence project did not reach completion. The United States retained its competitiveness in the world’s capital market despite the financial scandals and cost to comply with GAAP and Sarbanes-Oxley. This reduced the pressure on the FASB to converge with IFRS in order to lessen the costs for foreign issuers. In addition, the fundamental rules vs. principles debate and the cost of conversion to IFRS for U.S. companies were barriers to the convergence project. Many of the benefits of converging fully with IFRS have already been realized. The marginal cost of completing the convergence project far exceeds the marginal benefit.
Kaitlyn Schoeppey graduated from Mena High School and is currently pursuing a degree in accounting. She aspires to earn a master’s in accounting and become a certified public accountant. She decided she wants to be an accountant after enjoying an introductory accounting class in high school. She is a member of the Honors International Studies Program, the College of Business Student Leadership Council and Beta Alpha Psi. In her spare time she enjoys reading and hanging out with friends. Her research interests include the effect of international accounting standards on the global economy.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Kinship Analysis Using Graph Theory Presented by Garin Bean
This paper explores the relationship between cultural anthropology and mathematics, specifically kinship systems and descent as related to graph theory. It also explores kinship systems using statistics to make viable inferences about specific kinship groups. One goal is to determine how individuals in a kinship system relate to other individuals within their group and individuals who belong to another kinship system. Another goal was to analyze kinship systems as a whole for viable comparisons. Some of the methods used in this paper are comparable to the methods used by sociologists when analyzing social networks. These methods rely heavily on inferential statistics and graph theory, a relatively new sub-discipline of mathematics. Some kinship systems were found to be denser, or more connected, than others. Certain individuals within kinships were also found to be more connected or central than other individuals in their kinship systems. These concepts can be interpreted as that individual being more powerful in that kinship system. Using ideas and concepts in graph theory, some individuals were viewed as being equivalent, or as certain individuals playing similar roles within their kinship group.
Garin Bean graduated from Van Buren High School and is currently interning at VBHS Freshman Academy. He will graduate in May 2015 with a bachelor’s in mathematics with teacher licensure. He is happily married, ladies.
Online vs. On-Campus Presented by Shelby Ellison
Being able to take the online classes is fairly new and therefore there is less information about the effectiveness of online classes. However, it is important to show whether or not students are having as much success in the online classes compared to on-campus face-to-face classes. The research could reassure students that it is just as good of a choice to take online classes as on-campus. Also, this paper might give an insight to possibly needing improvements in the online classes. The data was collected and given by the UAFS administration. To keep students and teachers anonymous, the data collected were only the numbers of A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s, F’s, and W’s, and the discipline of each class. Also, we know the level of each course and will be able to tell if there are significant differences in grades based on course level. The data collected had to be both online and on-campus classes that were taught by the same teacher in the same semester in fall semesters between 2010 and 2014. Twenty-four hundred courses were collected which gives a lot more weight to the research. Significant differences in the grades between the online and on-campus classes were looked for by the chi-square test by using a statistical package of IBM SPSS Statistics 21 and Microsoft Excel. Different groupings of the data such as same discipline, level of courses, and withdrawal rates will be looked at and discussed during the presentation.
Shelby Ellison graduated from Decatur High School before earning an Associate of Liberal Studies from National Park Community College in Hot Springs. He aspires to enter the teaching field and is pursuing a degree in mathematics. Shelby has worked for UAFS with the Academy of the Arts for two-and-a-half years. He has also been tutoring students in mathematics for two-and-a-half years. Shelby has been married for four years to his wonderful wife, Brittany. He was born in Hot Springs and is now a resident of Fort Smith. After graduation Shelby plans on becoming a teacher, having children and buying a house.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
Poster Presentations Boreham Library Room 129
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Effects of Blue Light and Caffeine on the Development of Soil Amoeba Presented by Annsley Garner, Seth Laster and Taylor Thompson Table 1
Soil amoeba, Dictyostelium discoideum, is recognized by NIH (National Institute of Health) and biologists all over the world as a model organism to study various cellular, molecular, developmental, ecological, behavioral and evolutionary processes because its life cycle is simple, genome size is small and it is found in every corner of the world. Dictyostelium discoideum live in moist soil and feed on bacteria. Depletion of food (bacteria) causes thousands of starving unicellular amoebae to aggregate and form a migratory slug, which searches for a new feeding ground, and then culminates into a multicellular fruiting body consisting of a spore and stalk. The spores from the fruiting body are released and hatch into unicellular amoebae, thus starting the life cycle again. We know that aggregation of amoebae upon starvation is due to extracellular release of chemical signal, cyclic AMP (cAMP) by the starving amoebae. What would happen if cyclic AMP levels are disrupted during aggregation? In the cells of higher organisms, caffeine and theophylline cause intracellular increase in cAMP levels. How would Dictyostelium cells respond to caffeine? We know that the slug stage of Dictyostelium migrate toward light. How would the migratory slug respond to different wavelengths of light? Answers to these relevant and interesting questions pertaining to the development of D. discoideum will be presented at the 2015 undergraduate research symposium.
Annsley Garner is a graduate of Greenwood High School. She has recently been accepted into medical school at UAMS and plans to start in the fall. Annsley serves as the student body president and was also crowned homecoming queen. Seth Laster graduated from Union Christian Academy. He is currently pursuing a degree in biology and has been accepted into Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry. His research interests include the effect of light on the development of Dictyostelium discoideum. He is also a member of the UAFS men’s tennis team. He is a recipient of the Gene and Margaret Graham Scholarship. Taylor Thompson graduated from Greenwood High School. He s currently pursuing a degree in biology and aspires to enter the medical field. His research interests include the effect of light on the development of Dictyostelium discoideum.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Experimental Development and Optimization of the Inorganic Chemistry Lab Curriculum Presented by Andrew Curley Table 2
The Physical Science department at UAFS offers quality degree options for undergraduate students, where one such option is a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. UAFS chemistry majors enroll in numerous chemistry courses throughout their undergraduate careers, such as organic chemistry and analytical chemistry. A class that chemistry majors elect to take in their junior or senior year is inorganic chemistry lecture and lab. Inorganic chemistry is the study of the synthesis and properties of inorganic compounds. Where organic chemistry primarily focuses on the study of carbon-based compounds, inorganic chemistry focuses on all other types of compounds. This field is quite important and interdisciplinary. For example, many inorganic compounds have been used as dyes, catalysts, and medicines. It is important to showcase this fascinating and invaluable field to chemistry majors, and one way to accomplish this is through quality lab instruction. This poster will feature several experiments that are being planned for the Fall 2015 semester. The presenter has worked to optimize and further develop the procedures for all of the experiments presented in this presentation. Some of the experiments featured are the synthesis of a quadruple bonded dimolybdenum complex, synthesis of a thermochromic copper complex, and the catalytic substitution of carbonyl ligands.
Andrew Curley will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from UAFS in the fall of 2015. He aspires to attend medical school following the completion of his undergraduate career. He is a recipient of the Bill and Marjorie Stewart Dixon Memorial Scholarship and the Pendleton Nancarrow Family Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Treating Cancer with Cisplatin and its Analogs Presented by Angel Shavalier, Marlee Buchanan and Audra White Table 3
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Reducing cancer fatalities has become a major area of research within the past few decades. Such research can be very expensive, as can be the treatment of cancer. This has led scientists to create the cheapest and most effective type of drug therapy. One of the oldest therapy drugs, Cisplatin, falls into this category. Cisplatin serves as a lead drug for designing new compounds to treat cancer, and hopefully cure it. The cis conformation has shown to be the effective conformation of the platinum-based compound. The derivatives of Cisplatin that have been used previously all include the platinum center, and a cis conformation. Using derivatives of Cisplatin battle resistance to the drug during treatment and some show a higher efficacy. The goal of our poster is to showcase the mode of action of cisplatin and to express the importance of drug conformation.
Angel Shavalier graduated from Van Buren High School and is currently studying at UAFS through the Honors International Studies Program, seeking a degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. Her future plans include attending medical school and studying emergency medicine. Having graduated from Lake Hamilton High School, Marlee Buchanan is currently studying at UAFS where she is part of the Honors International Studies Program, Alpha Epsilon Delta and Alpha Lambda Delta. She is seeking a degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. Her future plans include traveling to Europe and attending pharmacy school. Audra White graduated from Charleston High School and is currently studying at UAFS seeking a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry and a minor in mathematics. Her future plans include attending graduate school to study stem cell and cancer cell biology.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Beginning Analysis of Heavy Metal Pollution in Fort Smith Via Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Presented by Quinn Little Table 4
Environmental contamination is a cause for some concern in Fort Smith. Manufacturing is a common source of heavy metal pollutants such as chromium, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury. The presence of manufacturing industries in Fort Smith has raised questions about possible heavy metal contamination at some sites around the city. The Buck Scientific 210 VGP Atomic Absorption Spectrometer is an instrument owned by the department that is capable of analyzing Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn and other metals in solution. Prior to this semester, the instrument had not been used in several years. Over the semester, the instrument was brought back into working order and the user manual for it was rewritten. The AAS works by dissolving the sample of interest (mud, sediment, etc.) into aqueous solution, then nebulized and atomized by a flame. A light of a specific wavelength is then passed through the flame and the characteristic absorbances of the metals in the sample can be used to analyze its metal content, where the absorbance is proportional to the concentration of the element. The instrument was tested using standards of lead nitrate, prepared by diluting a stock solution to 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 ppm. These standards produced a calibration curve with a high degree of accuracy in the 1-50 ppm range, which is a range of interest in environmental metal content studies. The next step for this project is to collect and analyze soil and mud samples from possible sites of environmental contamination in the Fort Smith area.
Quinn Little graduated from Southside High School and is currently in his senior year pursuing a degree in chemistry. He aspires to enter graduate school to study inorganic or organic chemistry with the intention of doing research in one of these fields.
Generation of Biodiesel Fuel from Seeds Presented by Nicholas Babb and Melissa Goncalves Table 5
Investigating how “green energy� can be generated from raw materials is an important aspect of chemistry. Agricultural energy sources can be directly converted into a mechanical energy source, such as biodiesel fuel. The initial step of this process is isolating triglycerides from natural sources that will be converted into biodiesels via a transesterification reaction, using potassium hydroxide in methanol. Our current focus is the isolation of triglycerides from a variety of seed sources that are being converted into biodiesel fuel. Nick Babb graduated from Greenwood High School. His research interests include immunology, organic chemistry and biochemistry. He is focusing on getting into graduate school at Texas A&M University in the medical sciences Ph.D. program. Mel Goncalves is originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where she graduated from high school. She is a transfer student from Frank Phillips Junior College. She plans on attending engineering graduate school in a chemical based program.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Benefits of Nursing Education on Patients Outcomes Presented by Cheryl Barnes, Shellie Lee, Stacy Mitchell and Joshua Meyers Table 6
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine if the education level of the bedside nurse has an effect on patient outcomes. Introduction: In the United States, errors in medical mismanagement cause between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths in hospitals each year (Leufer & Cleary-Holdforth, 2013). Nursing errors, including medication errors, account for a large portion of this estimate. Nurse education level is associated with poor patient outcomes. According to Aiken, increases in the proportion of bedside BSN nurses shows improved patient outcomes (Aiken, 2014). According to Insititute of Medicine report (2013), the percentage of baccalaureate-prepared nurses was 51 percent, which is a 2 percent increase from the orginal report in 2010. In order to decrease such errors and meet the complex needs of patients, IOM has made a recommendation that the proportion of baccalaureate prepared nurses within the workforce be increased to 80 percent by 2020 (Institute of Medicine, 2011). Method: An integrative review of primary research studies on the effect of nursing education level related to patient outcomes was conducted. All the studies were published after 2009. Eight studies were included in the review. Conclusion: This integrative review shows a lower occurrence of adverse patient outcomes when a baccalaureate prepared nurse is at the bedside; therefore it can be concluded that having a baccalaureate prepared nurse is beneficial to patients.
Cheryl Barnes is from San Diego and San Francisco. After graduation from Helix High School in La Mesa, Calif., she completed a B.A. in psychology from San Diego State University and enjoyed a successful career in management. She is now fulfilling a longtime dream by pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She moved to Lavaca and attends the UAFS Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing. After graduation she plans on working in critical care, including intensive care unit and emergency department. Shellie Lee is originally from Bakersfield, Calif., but moved at a young age to Oklahoma where she graduated from Muldrow High School. She currently lives in Paris, Ark., with her husband and two children. She is currently pursuing a B.S. in nursing and hopes to work in the intensive care unit or emergency department before advancing on for a nurse practitioner and DNP degrees. Being a nurse has been a dream of hers since she was a child. Helping others in their time of need has always been her driving motivation in her career choice. She is a recipient of the R. S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medical Center Nursing Scholarship. Stacy Mitchell is from Springdale where she graduated from Springdale High School. Prior to moving to Fort Smith in 2011, she worked in the corporate office setting for 10 years. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at UAFS. She hopes to obtain a position within the critical care field upon graduation. After gaining further experience in the nursing workforce, Stacy plans to further her education by obtaining a master’s degree in nursing. Stacy enjoys spending her free time with her husband and two young children. She is a recipient of the R. S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medical Center Nursing Scholarship. Joshua Meyers graduated from Poteau (Okla.) High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 2007 to 2011 and is a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this time he attended the University of Maryland University College, majoring in social sciences. Joshua joined the Arkansas Air National Guard in 2012 and is still an active member. He is now attending UAFS, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the Carolyn McKelvey Moore School of Nursing. Joshua plans on continuing his education and pursuing an advanced degree in the nursing field after graduating this December.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Alternative Medicine for Pediatric Chemotherapy Side Effects Presented by Tiffany Nance, Destiney Ellis, Katheryn Odell and Anna Walton Table 7
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) on the side effects of chemotherapy in pediatric patients. Introduction: It is estimated that 52% to 80% of pediatric patients experience unrelieved oral mucositis due to chemotherapy every year (Khurana, Pandey, Saksena, & Kumar, 2012). There are several side effects of chemotherapy including pain, nausea, vomiting, oral mucositis, fatigue, and anorexia. Occasionally, these effects are unrelieved by traditional pain relievers and antiemetic medication, leaving staff to find alternative routes of treatment (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, & Harding, 2014). CAM is an alternative non pharmacological group of therapies that can used for various disease states. CAM encompasses a wide range of treatments that usually are not a part of standard care. Methods: An integrative review of primary research studies on the effect of CAM on chemotherapy side effects among pediatric patients such as oral mucositis, nausea, vomiting, and pain was conducted. Eight studies that were published after 2008 were included in this review. Conclusion: Complementary and Alternative Therapies may improve quality of life in the pediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy (Thygeson, Hooke, Clapsaddle, Robbins, & Mosquist, 2010). This integrative review shows that the use of CAMs such as yoga, creative arts, vitamin E, computer games, massage, honey and mixture of beeswax, were effective in relieving specific side effects of chemotherapy.
Tiffany Nance graduated from Northside High School. She aspires to enter the medical field and is currently pursuing a degree in Nursing. Her research interests include complementary and alternative medicine and natural obstetric interventions. She has five children and one dachshund. Her love of nursing started at an early age when she started reading material from her grandmother’s nursing books. She started as a certifed nursing assistant and worked her way up to pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She hopes to one day work in the neonatal intensive care or maternity unit. Destiney Ellis graduated from Hot Springs High School in May 2008. She attended the University of Central Arkansas for a short time before moving to Fort Smith to pursue a career in the medical field with an emphasis in nursing. She has been a certified nursing assistant at Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith for two years now. This opportunity has groomed her to gain more knowledge with each opportunity while working on the floor outside of being in the classroom or clinical. Research has become a new personal interest of hers because research is always being done to improve evidence-based practice within nursing. She hopes to get the opportunity to be a traveling nursing after a year or two of working in the ICU or medical-surgical floor to gain the necessary skills. Katie Odell graduated from Lavaca High School in May 2011. She is a Senior in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She has been a waitress in Fort Smith for five years. This research opportunity gives more evidence-based knowledge that can be utilized in the future as a registered nurse. She is looking forward to using research knowledge in her future nursing career. In the future she wants to be a labor and delivery or pediatric nurse at a local hospital. Anna Walton graduated from Bentonville High School in 2010. She hopes to become a registered nurse after she graduates in December 2015. Her research interests include improved incorporation of complementary and alternative medicine into primary care, cultural diversity in the healthcare setting and psychiatric nursing. Despite, and perhaps due to, the rigorous education involved in nursing, she has found increasing fulfillment in pursuit of becoming a healthcare professional and anxiously awaits the day she may earn the title of BSN, RN.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Reducing Absenteeism in School
Presented by Thelma Holmes, Kira Seiser, Carla Medieta and Lily K. Laoinh Table 8 Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of hand hygiene which includes hand sanitizer and hand washing on reducing absenteeism among school-age children. Introduction: “School absenteeism because of infections is one of the most important problems facing both public and private primary schools” (American Journal of Infection Control, 2014). Absenteeism interferes with participating and obtaining knowledge in the education process among school-age children. Infectious diseases account for millions of school days lost each year in public schools in the United States (US). Children on average are absent from school 4.5 days out of the year. Nearly 22 million school days are lost each year due to colds alone with young children being the most at risk population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Infectious diseases are primarily transmitted by hand to hand contact. Methods: An integrative review of primary research studies on the effect of hand hygiene which includes hand sanitizer and hand washing on reducing absenteeism among school-age children were reviewed. All studies were published after 2008. Eight primary studies were included in the review. Conclusion: This integrative review shows that the proper technique and appropriate use of hand hygiene which includes the use of hand sanitizer and hand washing reduces school absenteeism among school-age children. Some studies show a reduction in absenteeism by as much as 52% (National Institutes of Health, 2011). This establishes hand hygiene to be a key intervention in preventing the transmission of infectious diseases that precede absenteeism in the school setting. Thelma Holmes graduated from Pocola High School in 1989. She is attending UAFS, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Thelma has one daughter who is 17 years old and will be graduating from Southside High School in May 2015. Thelma is looking forward to the graduation picture she will get to take with her daughter, especially since she will also be graduating from college in December 2015. After graduation, she plans on becoming a registered nurse in the Fort Smith area. Her research interests include topics pertaining to the medical field. She is a recipient of the R. S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medical Center Nursing Scholarship. Kira Seiser graduated from West Fork High School in spring of 2011. She is currently attending UAFS, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Kira’s greatest influences were her parents. Her mother a registered nurse (RN), and her father a firefighter/paramedic. Both of her parents encouraged her to pursue her dreams of college and enter the medical field. Kira plans on becoming a registered nurse in the Bentonville area and working in the emergency room. Her research interests include the study of nursing interventions and their impact on the patient population. She is a recipient of the Lauri Pendergraft Mason Scholarship. Carla Mendieta graduated from Villa Jardin High School in Lima, Peru, in December of 1990. She moved to the United States in April of 2000. She is currently attending UAFS, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in tnursing. Carla has two daughters, a 14 year old attending Trinity Junior High and a 9 year old attending Immaculate Conception Elementary. Carla’s husband is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology at the UAFS. Her research interests include improving patient care and preventing nosocomial infections. She is a recipient of the R.S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medical Center Nursing Scholarship. Lily Keomoukda Laoinh graduated from Wallace Rider Farrington High School in Honolulu in June 1998. She moved from Hawaii to attend college at UAFS, where she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Lily has one son who is 15 years old and plans to pursue a career in architecture. Lily’s mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness, which encouraged her to pursue a career in nursing. Lily believes she can make a difference in the lives of patients and their families during the terminal stages of life, which is why she wants to work in hospice care after graduation. Lily plans on becoming a registered nurse in the Fort Smith area. Her research interests include topics pertaining to end of life care and preparation.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Titration of Commercial Cleaning Products Presented by Bobby Hill and Henry Gutierrez Table 9
Numerous household cleaning products are on the market and are easily accessible by the public. Cleaning products are made of acids or bases, making them exceptional cleaning agents. For example, Liquid Plumr is composed of a base making it very efficient at unclogging sink drains. It is critical for companies to analyze the content of their cleaning products prior to being introduced to the market. This project will focus on how titrations can be used to determine the acid or base content of some commercial cleaning products. A comparison of experimental findings and the accepted acid/base content values of selected cleaning products will be presented. Cleaning products such as Clorox, Drano, and Easy Off oven cleaner will be investigated.
Bobby Hill graduated from Poteau High School and is currently pursuing a degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. Upon graduating from UAFS he plans to get his doctoral degree in dental surgery. His objective is to exponentially increase his knowledge base so that he may amplify the results of his passion, further his education, gain personal experience and contribute to the continual advancement of science and research. He is a recipient of the Richard and Barbara Hartigan Scholarship. Henry Gutierrez graduated from Cedarville High School in May 2013. His goals are to attend medical school, specializing in oncology. Currently Henry is pursuing his undergraduate degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. His research interests includes exploring the fields of both biology and chemistry research projects. He is a recipient of the Mont Echols, Jr. Scholarship and a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Council.
Towards the Synthesis and Characterization of the Planar-Chiral (PS)-1-Isocyano-2-Methylcymantrene Ligand Presented by Ciara Fleer Table 10
The goal of this project is to expand on the class of planar-chiral CmNC ligands, those that feature the cymantrene “piano stool” substituent. Such ligands feature a manganese (I) center coordinated to a cyclopentadienyl ring and three carbonyl groups. Our targeted ligand is expected to be redox active, thus, serving as a useful scaffold for asymmetric catalysis, materials chemistry, and nanotechnology. Preliminary findings from the planar-chiral cymantrene isocyanide ligand work and those from the first ever planar-chiral isocyanide (ferrocene-based) will be showcased in this poster presentation. Future direction of this yearlong project will also be discussed. This research is in collaboration with the University of Kansas and the presenter is an award recipient of the 2015 SURF grant.
Ciara Fleer is a homeschool graduate from Lavaca and a sophomore chemistry-biochemistry major. Upon graduation she plans on using her degree to apply to an occupational therapy doctorate program. Occupational therapy appeals to her because of its balance of science, interpersonal interaction and creativity. She will be spending the summer observing therapists at a local rehabilitation center and hopes to determine which type of setting she would like to pursue. She is a recipient of the Benning-Keller Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Ferrocene Derivatives of Tamoxifen as Potential Anticancer Drugs Presented by Pamela Rosales and Sarai Gonzalez Table 11
Approximately 2.8 million women in the U.S. currently have contracted breast cancer and it is estimated that 1 in 8 women will face this tragic odyssey in their lifetime. Current treatments, such as the drug Tamoxifen, are not efficient in targeting cellular elements, have difficulty in entering the cell, can be metabolized in the body, and can have severe side effects. The growing field of bioorganometallic chemistry, which is concerned with biochemically important compounds containing metal-carbon bonds, is revolutionizing the way cancer drugs work by enhancing their medicinal properties. One potentially important class of organometallic-based cancer drugs is ferrocifens, which are analogs of Tamoxifen with a ferrocene sandwich complex incorporated into the structure. Unlike current drugs on the market, ferrocifens have been found to have a diverse stereochemistry, have multiple routes of delivery to cancer cells, offer more control over hydrolysis reactions in the body, are kinetically stable, are permeable to cell membranes and can intercalate nuclear DNA, and have not been found to be toxic. Although there is still much research to be done, organometallic compounds such as ferrocifens have the potential to surpass what is being prescribed today and become leading chemotherapeutic agents.
Pamela Rosales is a 2012 graduate of Southside High School and will be completing her degree in biochemistry in spring 2016. Pamela aspires to attend medical school and practice medicine internationally. Her interests also include travel, volunteer work, reading, forensics and foreign languages. Sarai Gonzalez graduated from Van Buren High School in 2011. She is currently finishing her Bachelor of Science in chemistry and will graduate in spring 2015. She looks forward to seeing what the world has to offer in her field. Besides studying she enjoys nature and volunteering for her community. She is a recipient of the Ralph and Melanie Speer Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Building an Affordable Desktop Shake Table for Earthquake Education and Outreach Presented by Michael Gatewood Table 12
Shake tables have been used for over a century to simulate the various effects earthquakes have on buildings. Modern shake tables employ large hydraulic actuators to replicate the actual ground motions of historic earthquakes as recorded on seismograms. The largest tables can accommodate full-sized buildings up to several stories tall. Test buildings are anchored to the tables during shaking, and the results are used to improve building design. We designed and built a small, affordable shake table to be used in undergraduate geology laboratory experiments and outreach demonstrations. The table is constructed of plywood and aluminum and produces one-dimensional horizontal motion. Scaled-down model buildings are anchored to the table, which slides back and forth on linear ball bearings. The shake table is equipped with a 12-volt dc planetary-gear motor with a rated load of 3.2 kgf-cm and peak speed over 400 rpm, controlled by a digital manual speed controller. The table is capable of frequencies up to 6 Hz and amplitudes up to 7 cm. Real-time motion is monitored with two accelerometers capable of sensing up to 5 g. One accelerometer is mounted on the table and the other is mounted on the model building. The table will be used to study and demonstrate numerous concepts, including natural frequency of buildings, building resonance, variations in the seismic response of buildings as a function of height and orientation, base isolation, and the effect of design on the seismic response of buildings. Michael Gatewood graduated from Alma High School and is currently a chemistry major but is very interested in geology.
Synthesis of Santacruzamate A Derivatives as Potential Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Presented by Joyce Lee and Masa Podunavac Table 13
Santacruzamate A is a recently discovered natural product that is an active histone deacetylase inhibitor. The inhibition of this enzyme is an important target in the development of new drugs. The focus of our initial study is to synthesize a number of compounds that have slight structural differences than santacruzamate A. The second phase of this study will be to evaluate the biological activity of the compounds by testing their ability to inhibit histone deacetylase. Joyce Lee graduated from Charleston High School as the valedictorian of the 2012 class. She is currently a junior pursing a degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. Her aspiration is to enter the medical field to become a physician. Joyce is also a member of the UAFS Honors International Studies Program and the UAFS Symphonic Band. Masa Podunavac is currently a senior seeking a degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. She aspires to get a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. Her research interests include total synthesis and drug discovery. Masa comes from Serbia and has been on the UAFS tennis team for four years.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Aspartame Toxicity
Presented by Alison Martin and Jennie Bryant Table 14 The purpose of the research project is to weigh the benefits and harms associated with aspartame sweeteners. Aspartame is a drug that becomes addictive and toxic. Many consumers do not recognize it as being a potential problem. Simple everyday drinks and foods could contain aspartame as a replacement to natural sugars. These products are presented to the public as low or no calorie products in the hope that consumers will purchase them. Although it provides fewer calories, aspartame is made with methanol which breaks down in the process and turns into formic acid and formaldehyde. These are also the ingredients found in embalming fluid. The human body was not made to process these chemicals and they can generate deadly results when excessive amounts are consumed. This man-made sweetener is found under the brand names Equal and NutraSweet. Natural sugar substitutes for aspartame include the following: stevia, unprocessed sugar, brown rice sugar, honey, date sugar, barley malt, maple syrup, molasses and sorghum. We all need to feed ourselves, but if we don’t give our bodies the right fuel then they will cease to function properly which will lead to health problems and more visits to the doctor. At the conclusion of our presentation the audience will have new or re-established knowledge of how to maintain proper nutrition concerning the use or abuse of aspartame in foods and drinks.
Alison Martin is a fifth-semester BSN student. She declared a major in nursing after discovering a passion for helping people and an interest in the medical field. Her future goals include becoming a nurse who provides excellent care to her patients and is active in nursing research. In her spare time Alison enjoys working with children and helping with children activities at church. She loves learning and would like to continue her education after completing the BSN program. Jennie Bryant is a fourth-semester BSN student. Her ultimate goal is to become a registered nurse and improve the community by providing excellent health care. Nursing has always been her career of choice because of her family’s involvement in the medical field. With the help of her very supportive family she plans to graduate and be the best nurse she can be. Jennie has a passion for education and would like to continue her education following completion of the BSN program.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium A Natural Approach to Combating Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria Presented by Lillian Howerton Table 15
Antibiotic Resistance is a growing concern worldwide. The evolution of superbugs such as those recently seen at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA’s Ronald Reagan Medical Center have reemphasized the need for new antimicrobials. In this study the use of natural oil extracts demonstrated antibacterial properties similar to some antibiotics. The concentration and mixture of these oils yielded various results. The use of zinc (Zn) and oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare) yielded highest antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus epidermis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more resistant to zinc and oregano but more susceptible to White Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) extracts. The data show that S. aureus was highly susceptible to the antibiotics Bactrim and Chloromycetin. The natural alternative to these antibiotics Zn and Origanum vulgare alone and in combination inhibited the growth of S. aureus. S. epidermis was susceptible to the antibiotics Chloromycetin and Gentamicin. The natural alternatives clove (Eugenia caryophyllata) and Thymus vulgaris inhibited the growth of S. epidermis compared to these antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was of particular interest because of its ability to form biofilms, making it more resistant to antimicrobial agents. P. aeruginosa was resistant to all tested antibiotics with the exception of Polymyxin B which developed a small zone of inhibition on only some plates. Thymus vulgaris oil demonstrated more antimicrobial effects towards P. aeruginosa than the antibiotics. These data allow us to conclude that the natural alternatives used in this experiment worked as well as, or better than, the tested conventional antibiotics.
Lillian Howerton is a 23-year-old senior at UAFS, originally from Warren. She will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and after college plans to attend medical school in hopes of becoming a pediatrician. Lillian is an only child, the daughter of Cynthia Howerton and the late Jerry Howerton.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Effects of the City of Fort Smith on the Water Quality of the Arkansas River Presented by Charles French Table 16
Fort Smith is the second largest city in the state. In this study, samples from the Arkansas River were taken to see how its quality changes as it flows past the city. It is hypothesized that the quality of the water will decline as it flows around the city due to pollution. Several tests were performed to determine how the water’s quality changes as it flows through the Fort Smith area. The tests used were total suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand (COD), turbidity, most probable number, and total phosphorous. High readings on these tests indicate pollution and degradation of water quality. Data recorded from analyses has shown that counts of coliform bacteria, phosphorous, suspended solids, turbidity, and COD increases, then decreases as the river flows through the city. While further sets of data are needed to confirm this trend, it is possible that these values decrease as they pass through the final sample area because of Massard Creek, the largest tributary for the Arkansas River near Fort Smith. Aside from this, though an increase in these parameters was found, so far these increases have only been miniscule. As such, with the data collected thus far, it seems that the river is contaminated as it runs its course about the city, but this contamination is very small. It appears the dilution effect of Massard Creek is enough that the quality of water leaving Fort Smith is very similar to that coming in and is therefore not degraded significantly
Charles French graduated from Northside High School and is pursuing a degree in biology, aspiring to enter the field of environmental science. His interests in research include the effects of cities on their local environment as well as microbiology. He is a recipient of the June and Jim Alexander Scholarship.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Stopover Foraging Ecology of Swainson’s Thrushes (Catharus ustulatus) During Spring Passage Migration Through Arkansas Presented by Shannon Wiley Table 17
The stopover foraging ecology of Swainson’s thrushes on spring passage migration was studied in Western Arkansas in the spring of 2013 and 2014. Observations were made in two forested field sites, one of them urban and the other suburban. The former had a significantly higher woody stem area (cm2) than the latter. For each foraging observation, the following three parameters were noted: foraging stratum (ground, shrub, sapling, sub-canopy, and canopy); foraging substrate (ground/litter, herb, foliage, bark, and air); and foraging maneuver (glean, probe, dive/glean, hover, jump hover, and hawking). We tested the hypotheses that these foraging variables differed significantly between the urban and suburban sites, and between the two years. These hypotheses were rejected for all three parameters. The consolidated data from both the sites and years revealed that a significantly higher proportion (67 percent) of the observations were on the ground stratum, compared to the shrub (13.7 percent) and sapling strata (13 percent) (n=637 observations). Similarly, a significantly higher proportion (66%) of the foraging substrate used was ground/ litter, followed by foliage (16.7 percent) and bark (15.8 percent) (n=637 observations). Gleaning was the most common foraging maneuver used (71.5 percent), and was significantly higher than probing (12.3 percent) and dive gleaning (8.4 percent). The fact that the foraging tactics did not vary significantly between the two sites with significantly different vegetation structure suggests that Swainson’s thrushes are flexible in habitat choice during migration. Conservation efforts of this declining species should therefore be directed more on habitats in their breeding and wintering grounds than those on passage migration.
Shannon Wiley is a senior at UAFS majoring in math and minoring in biology. She aspires to pursue a Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas next fall.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Forgotten Warriors
Presented by Jamie VanScoy, Dierdre Williams, Hoai Pham, Chauntel Terry and Dannah Dix Table 18 According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), they estimate that there are 49,933 homeless veterans (National Coalition, 2014). While our group worked with a non-profit organization called Camp Hope for Heroes, we learned more about the struggles veterans face when coming home permanently from war. The name Camp Hope for Heroes speaks for itself, providing hope to our war heroes and their families. This organization is dear to our hearts as each of us has a family member or close friend in the military, as I’m sure you do also. We had the opportunity to raise donations and awareness for Camp Hope for Heroes and the veterans they serve. Many of our war veterans are blessed enough to return home from war, while some soldiers are fallen heroes and are laid to rest on the battle field. What are our veterans, our heroes, coming home to? No house, no job, and no support system are what many of these warriors have waiting for them once they return home. Some of our forgotten warriors don’t even come back with the same number of limbs that they left with. The same streets we walk down, drive on to go to work, or lay our heads to rest at night, are the same streets that these forgotten warriors are falling to sleeping on at night. Our country has been privileged with freedom and safety because of the sacrifices of our United States Armed forces, our warriors, our heroes. These men and women in uniform fought for us, for our freedom. It’s our duty to fight for them, for their future, so they do not become forgotten warriors.
Jamie VanScoy graduated from Pea Ridge High School. On the weekends she enjoys hiking, spending time with family and reading. She aspires to be a project manager after furthering her education. Her plans are to finish her bachelor’s degree in Fall 2015 and afterward look for an online master’s program. She has a very strong work ethic and believes the only way to succeed in life is to work hard and help the community. Her community involvement includes Camp Hope for Heroes, Samaritan House, Feed My Starving Children, church food pantry and Laundry Love. Hoai Pham is originally from Vietnam but moved to Fort Smith seven years ago. His hobbies are hiking, sightseeing, spending time with family and watching comedies. His biggest dream is to be a graduate student and become a good leader in the future. He has had a hard time pursuing his dreams as a foreign learner, but he strongly believes in the success of self discipline and hard work. Chauntel Terry is a 21-year-old junior from Pocola, Okla., majoring in organizational leadership. She plays basketball for UAFS and wants to move to Oklahoma City to be a college basketball coach. She enjoys singing, playing sports and doing things outdoors. She also likes to watch movies and hang out inside when it’s cold outside. But her favorite thing is to hang out with her teammates, whom she sees as family. She is the oldest of her three sisters and one brother. She would love to coach her old team, Northside High School, if college coaching doesn’t work out.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Dannah Dix is an Arkansas native, born and raised in Van Buren. She graduated from Van Buren High School in 2010 and is currently a senior at UAFS studying organizational leadership. She plans to graduate in May of 2015 and further her education in a graduate program. Dannah aspires to become an advancement coordinator or an executive director of a non-profit organization in her community. She has a passion for children and animals and hopes to one day add value to these areas of crisis through her non-profit work. Dannah’s community involvement includes the Children Emergency Shelter, the Van Buren Boys and Girls Club, Next Step Day Room, Sebastian County Humane Society and Camp Hope for Heroes. Deidre Williams has an Associate in Science from UAFS and graduated from Arkansas Tech University’s cardivascular/sonographer/ echocardiogram program. She is married to Dennis Williams, and they have four children: Lindsey, Kyla, Morgan and Derek. They also have a granddaughter, Mylia. Deidre is involved in several community organizations including Camp Hope for Heroes and CASA. She is currently in a group that is working to increase awareness and promote the arts program at UAFS. She plans to continue her education, with a master’s degree as her next goal.
The Future of Virtual Reality and Its General Uses Presented by Brett Sutton Table 19
The topics covered in this presentation will contain information pertaining to the advances in virtual reality technology. It will showcase this information by giving everyone a chance to experience the Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset, with examples ranging from of how the device can be used to aid doctors in the medical field, to how it can be used in the entertainment industry. The presentation will even show how the device can be used to enhance lessons in the classroom. I will also be presenting the Leap Motion Tracking Device, which will be used independently, and in conjunction with the Oculus, allowing the user to interact with the virtual simulation by tracking their hand movements, and transferring their real location to the simulation. The examples that I will be allowing everyone to interact with include the following: • • •
showing the leap motion’s abilities to track hand movements, a demonstration allowing people to explore a city I have created in 3D, and allowing participants to interact with objects inside the simulation.
While this action is ongoing, I will have a Poster board showcasing the advances made in VR technology and what advances we can expect the technology to make in the future. The poster board will showcase the many uses of Virtual Reality.
Brett Sutton is currently working toward a career in the field of game design. While at UAFS he has acquired his associate degree in CADD and is working his way toward a bachelor’s in animation technology. He has become very familiar with various 3D programs and has learned many of the techniques applied to these programs by game development companies. What led Brett to participate in the research symposium are emerging innovations in the field of virtual reality. Brett plans to introduce this technology to future students.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Promoting Vaccination in School-Aged Children Presented by Tanya Ruszczak, Madison Grube, Kayla Gitthens and Kyla Frizzell Table 20
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine vaccination of school-aged children (6-12 years old) and changes/exemptions requiring children to be vaccinated in order to enroll in school. Introduction: A current issue in the United States is the prevalence of recurring communicable diseases that were once eradicated and avoided through the use of vaccinations. Parents have chosen to decline childhood vaccinations due to lack of education, the results of a misdirected study, and media influence (Sadaf, Richards, Glanz, Salmon, & Omer, 2013). Methods: An integrative review of primary research studies regarding interventions to assist parents in making an informed decisions about vaccines, and reasons why parents are refusing the vaccines were examined. In our research, we focused on several vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for school-aged children including meningococcal polysaccharide-protein conjugate (MCV4); tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap); measles, mumps, rubella (MMR); human papillomavirus (HPV); annual influenza vaccine. Conclusion: Our extensive review of scholarly journal articles led us to an abundance of information in support of our purpose regarding the requirement for recommended vaccinations. Interventions that provided information about vaccinations to parents proved useful to increase the population of school-aged children who attained vaccinations. Tanya Ruszczak graduated from Grayslake (Ill.) Community High School and joined the Army in 2005. She currently has 10 years in service and has been studying at UAFS since the summer of 2011. She aspired to be a nurse from an early age and enjoys helping others during their time of need. Tanya is expected to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in December of 2015. Tanya enjoys spending time outdoors, hunting and fishing. She is a recipient of the R. S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medical Center Nursing Scholarship. Maddi Grube graduated from Elkins High School in 2010. Aspiring to work in the medical field, she decided to be a nurse upon entrance into UAFS. Currently in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program with a minor in psychology, she enjoys pediatrics, surgery and advanced care. Eventually she wants to be a traveling nurse. Her research interests include diabetes correlation with Alzheimer’s disease and immunizations of children in the school systems. In her spare time Maddi enjoys hiking, climbing, numerous adventures and running. Kayla Gitthens graduated from Greenwood High School in 2011. Aspiring to pursue an education and career in the health field, Kayla began studying at UAFS in 2011. Kayla is currently in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, expecting to graduate in December 2015. She is majoring in nursing and minoring in psychology. Kayla enjoys spending her spare time with her son. Her research interests include cystic fibrosis, childhood immunizations and psychological disorders. She is a recipient of the R. S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medical Center Nursing Scholarship. Kyla Frizzell graduated from Lavaca High School in 2008 and is currently in her fourth semester of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UAFS, expecting to graduate in December 2015. She is interested in becoming a NICU nurse and aspires to go to graduate school to obtain a Doctorate of Nursing Practice concentrating in neonatology. Her research interest include the effects of childhood immunizations.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium Diabetes and Gum Disease
Presented by Vanessa Urquilla, Chyanne Hawkins, Elisandra M. Bueno and Lexington Mathias Table 21 Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine awareness in poorly-controlled diabetic patients of increased risk for oral complications and the effects of routine oral care in the prevention of periodontal disease. Introduction: Diabetes is one of the most emerging diseases in the United States. Over 29.1 million people live with diabetes today and over 8.1 million cases have yet to be diagnosed (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Diabetic patients are three times more susceptible to developing periodontal disease as compared non diabetics (Eldarrat, 2011). Methods: This is an integrative review of primary research on the effects of routine oral care and maintenance of blood sugar control in prevention of periodontal disease. Studies aimed at providing knowledge to improve good oral health was reviewed. Eight studies were included in the review, all of which were published after 2010. Conclusion: This interrelated review shows that diabetics are found to have insufficient knowledge of their increased risk for oral diseases. We believe that the best approach is educating diabetic patients about the importance of controlling blood sugar and avoiding neglect of oral care to prevent further complications. With the appropriate health promotion, such as disease maintenance, home care and routine dental visits, a patient’s oral health-related quality of life can be improved.
Vanessa Urquilla is a 24-year-old, 2009 graduate of Van Buren High School. She is an active member of New Life Church, where she is part of the Praise and Worship team and helps lead student ministry. She aspires to enter the medical field as an RN and further her education in medical missions. She would like to one day attain a Master of Science in Nursing to teach future nurses. Vanessa is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science of Nursing and is in her fourth semester of nursing school at UAFS. Her research interests include new diseases, cures or treatments and discovering evidence based practice articles. Chyanne Hawkins is a 21-year-old, 2011 graduate of Greenwood High School. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is enrolled in her fourth semester of nursing school at UAFS. After graduating in December of 2015, she hopes to make a meaningful contribution in the medical field of nursing as an RN. She also plans to further her education with a master’s in nurse practitioner. Her research interests include rare or uncommon diseases, health promotion and discovering evidence-based practice articles that revolve around bettering the hospital experience for patients. She is a recipient of the Douglas W. Parker, Jr., M.D., Health Sciences Scholarship and the R. S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medical Center Nursing Scholarship. Elisandra M. Bueno is a 21-year-old, 2011 graduate of Northside High School. She is an active member in the Spanish Club at UAFS and is working on a Spanish minor. Elisandra is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene and is in her second semester in the dental hygiene program at UAFS. She plans to further her education in teaching dental hygiene. Her research consists of evidence based practice articles that are helpful use to educate patients to help with their oral care along with improvement in managing their diabetes. She considers self-discipline the key to success. Lexington Mathias is a 23-year-old, 2010 graduate of Greenland High School. She is an active member of the Pug Rescue Society of NWA and hopes to enter the medical field as a dental hygienist. Lexington is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene and is in her second semester of dental hygiene school at UAFS. Her research interests includes periodontal disease, caries risks, how to reduce caries risk, promoting oral hygiene, and cures or solutions.
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Undergraduate Research Symposium The Effect of Exercise on Fatigue Among Adult Cancer Patients Presented by Mikayl Hunsucker-Stafford, Mikinzi Rogers, Michelle Scott and Patric Brennan Table 22
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of exercise on adult patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Introduction: Fatigue is the most common side effect of cancer treatment and is considered the most debilitating symptom of patients with cancer undergoing treatment. Cancer treatment-related fatigue is reported in 96% of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Fatigue has a profoundly negative impact in all areas of function, including mood, physical function, work performance, social interaction, family care, cognitive performance, school work, community activities, and sense of self (National Cancer Institute, 2014) Methods: An integrative review of primary research studies on the effect of exercise as a conjunctive treatment for fatigue caused by cancer treatments. All studies were published after 2010. Eight studies were included in the review. Conclusion: This integrative review shows that a variety of exercise programs that were used in the studies were effective in helping participants achieve a stated lower level of fatigue and a better quality of life during their cancer treatment. The best overall approach to reduce fatigue associated with cancer treatment is to include aerobic exercise programs that are of interest to the patient and are of a moderate level of intensity. It is important to include patient preference in the plan of treatment.
Mikayl Hunsucker-Stafford graduated from Mansfield High School in 2011. She is a senior at UAFS pursuing a degree in nursing. She plans to continue her education to become a family nurse practitioner and is interested in working in community health and geriatric care. Her research interests include evidence-based practice, the progression and management of Alzheimer’s disease and exercise-based interventions on health. She enjoys mountain biking and hiking, which, along with her recent experience working on an oncology floor, led to her interest in the topic of exercise as a treatment for fatigue among cancer patients. She is a recipient of the R. S. Boreham and Sparks Regional Medial Center Nursing Scholarship. Mikinzi Rogers graduated from Southside High School in 2011. She is currently pursuing a degree in nursing and plans to further her education to become a nurse practitioner. She is also interested in working as a floor nurse for oncology patients and traveling to thirdworld countries to provide medical care to those to whom healthcare is not as readily available. Her research interests include mentalhealth nursing, psychology and exercise-based interventions on health. Her interests in yoga and holistic health, as well as working on the oncology floor, led her to the research proposal of how exercise affects symptoms of fatigue in cancer patients undergoing treatment. She is a recipient of the Lauri Pendergraft Mason Scholarship. Michelle Scott graduated from Poteau High School in 2004. She graduated from Carl Albert State College in 2007 with an A.A. in film studies and an A.A. in pre-journalism. She decided to go back to college after gaining an interest in the medical field and graduated from UAFS in 2009 with an A.S. in surgical technology. She has been working as a surgical technologist at Sparks Regional Medical Center for five-and-a-half years. Three years ago she decided to go into nursing to learn more about the medical field and obtain more options in her career. She is currently a BSN student at UAFS, scheduled to graduate in December 2015. She has a long-term goal of attending graduate school to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Patric Brennan graduated from Southside High School in 2009. He aspires to enter the medical field and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. After obtaining a BSN, Patric wants to work in a critical care unit, such as the intensive care unit or emergency department, to gain experience required to enter a nurse anesthetist program and ultimately become a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Patric’s research interests include nutrition, cardiac pathology, oncology, and the effects of exercise on disease recovery.
92
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Student Index Alex Nolan.......................................67
Corey Waldrep.................................10
Alicia Patterson...............................13
Cynthia Spencer..............................39
Alison Martin...................................84
Dale McKellip..................................18
Allison Reeves.................................49
Daniel H. Schwartz..........................64
Ana Calderon..................................40
Dannah Dix.....................................88
Andrew Curley.................................75
Destiney Ellis..................................79
Andrew Haught...............................70
Dierdre Williams..............................88
Angel Shavalier...............................76
Dominique Raney............................13
Anna Pharr......................................24
Elisandra M. Bueno.........................91
Anna Walton....................................79
Erin Langford..................................27
Annsley Garner................................74
Esther Hope.....................................10
Armando Castro..............................18
Garin Bean......................................71
Audra White....................................76
Geovany Castro...............................16
Averie Warren..................................55
Hayden Phillips...............................12
Benita Williams...............................18
Hayley Howard.................................55
Bobby Hill........................................81
Heather Deere.................................56
Brendon Dilbeck..............................16
Henry Gutierrez................................81
Brett Sutton....................................89
Hoai Pham......................................88
Bryce Perryman...............................11
Jacquelynn Rupp.............................27
Callie Craig.....................................51
Jake Hindman.................................19
Carla Mendieta...............................80
Jamie VanScoy.................................88
Charles French................................86
Janelle Cox......................................50
Chauntel Terry.................................88
Jarrod Cluck....................................23
Cheryl Barnes..................................78
Jason Huffmaster............................10
Christopher Ha................................22
Jeff Jamell.......................................31
Christy Neu.....................................46
Jennie Bryant..................................84
Chyanne Hawkins............................91
Jennifer Allen..................................39
Ciara Fleer......................................81
Jennifer Charter..............................32
93
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Student Index
94
Jennifer Lord...................................62
Lily K. Laoinh...................................80
Jerry Allen Wing...............................26
Lindsey Loughmiller........................41
Jessie Woerpel.................................41
Logan Barham................................11
Jinpeng Li........................................63
Macy Hamon...................................12
Joel Presson....................................16
Madison Grube................................90
Johni L. Smith.................................38
Maggie C. Weeks.............................66
Jordan Hammer...............................18
Makayla Jackson.............................13
Joshua Meyers.................................78
Marisa Vinson.................................39
Joshua Tomlinson............................36
Marlee Buchanan............................76
Joyce Lee.........................................83
Masa Podunavac.............................83
Justin Kazy......................................17
Matt Kimes......................................17
Kaitlyn Schoeppey...........................70
Matthew Avlos.................................11
Katheryn Odell.................................79
Matthew Farrar...............................45
Katie Dunn......................................26
Meagan Crosby...............................34
Katrina Howard...............................44
Meagan Gooch................................52
Kayla Gitthens.................................90
Megan Jordan..................................35
Kelsey Graham................................38
Melissa Goncalves..........................77
Kenneth Lyon...................................18
Mercedes Munson...........................39
Kira Seiser.......................................80
Michael Gatewood...........................83
Kori Wilkinson.................................13
Michel LaCrue.................................44
Kristen Cox......................................51
Michelle Scott.................................92
Kyla Frizzell.....................................90
Mikayl Hunsucker-Stafford..............92
Kyra Reames...................................40
Mikinzi Rogers.................................92
Lachelle Rolandelli..........................12
Myranda Christensen......................40
Laura Sanders.................................54
Nicholas Babb.................................77
Lauren Miller...................................45
Osman A. Martinez..........................63
Lexington Mathias...........................91
Ostie Hobbs.....................................24
Lillian Howerton..............................85
Pamela Rosales..............................82
Undergraduate Research Symposium
Student Index Patric Brennan................................92
Stacy Mitchell.................................78
Patricia Taylor.................................38
Stephanie Kightlinger.....................41
Payton E. Allen................................58
Tanya Ruszczak...............................90
Quinn Little.....................................77
Taylor Gilbreth.................................30
Rachel Davenport............................19
Taylor Thompson.............................74
Sabin Hice.......................................17
Thelma Holmes...............................80
Sara Tomlin.....................................48
Tiffany Nance..................................79
Sarai Gonzalez................................82
Tony Jones.......................................59
Seth Laster......................................74
Tosha Moore....................................19
Shakendra Mumphrey.....................19
Tracie McCarver..............................68
Shane Hale......................................66
Trenten Foust..................................35
Shannon Wiley.................................87
Tyler Nolan......................................31
Shasta Jones...................................40
Vanessa Urquilla.............................91
Shauna Ball....................................41
Venessa Arthur................................34
Shay Boyd.......................................12
Wendy Swenson...............................16
Shelby Ellison..................................71
Woodrow Solon Pender.....................58
Shellie Lee.......................................78
Zach Ladd.......................................13
Shirley Carter..................................19
Zach Paget......................................59
Sokear Manithong...........................62
Zachary Grant.................................10
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Undergraduate Research Symposium
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Poster Presentation Map Boreham Library - Room 129
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