NEWS
Research Faculty Spotlight Roundup
On the Front Lines of Disco By Claire Curry
No Butts About It
Hung Jury
According to a report released earlier this year by the Ocean Conservancy — an organization founded in 1972 whose mission is to seek solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife communities that depend on it — more than 2.4 million cigarette butts were collected in 2017 during ocean cleanup efforts around the globe. The report reveals that cigarettes are the leading type of litter picked up during these cleanup efforts. Cigarette filters can take 25 years to decompose, and fish and birds, mistaking them for food, often ingest them. The residual toxins, in a majority of cases, prove fatal to these animals. Matthew Paulus ’20, a digital design major, is working Cigarette butts were with Assistant collected in 2017 Professor of during ocean Art and Design cleanup efforts Guy-Serge Emmanuel, M.F.A., in the College of Arts and Sciences on a research project titled “The Butt of a Joke.” The project, which involves a series of animations that use humor and irony to capture viewers’ attention, provides a creative and effective way to educate smokers and encourages them to discard cigarettes responsibly.
Perception is a recurring theme across multiple research studies conducted by Kento Yasuhara, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology and criminal justice in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, respectively. Dr. Yasuhara’s work focuses on misconceptions surrounding mental illness and forms the foundation for a training program to prepare his students, many of whom go on to pursue careers in law enforcement, for crisis intervention. Dr. Yasuhara also collaborates with Ibrahim (Abe) Baggili, Ph.D., Elder Family Chair and associate professor of computer science in the Tagliatela College of Engineering, to study the public’s perception of hackers. Results have shown that people who commit a particularly egregious crime — murder, for example — are universally viewed as “bad.” But the jury is still out on those who hack an organization’s computer network. In fact, findings reveal that even when cybercriminals have an overwhelmingly altruistic purpose, there remains no public consensus on morality. The results become even more meaningful in an era when cybercrime is on the rise.
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An Animal Activist Virginia M. Maxwell, D.Phil., conducts research on preventing fatal disease in cows on dairy farms and investigating crimes related to animal cruelty. Dr. Maxwell is assistant dean and associate professor of forensic science in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, and her work pairs analytical chemistry and forensic sciences. She and her students are developing a test strip, similar to what diabetics use to monitor their daily sugar levels, that will gauge calcium levels in dairy cows. These calcium levels can quickly deplete during pregnancy and birth and cause a sometimes fatal condition called milk fever. Local farms will soon serve as test sites for this practical innovation, an inexpensive and efficient means to identify cows at risk and prevent the disease from threatening livestock. Dr. Maxwell and her students are working on a similar strip to test dogs for ketamine, a powerful sedative often used in dog-fighting rings. The ability to quickly test dogs for the presence of ketamine could expedite investigations against animal abusers. Dr. Maxwell also volunteers as a forensic consultant to assist in the prosecution of animal cruelty cases.
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