Undergraduate Research 2014 - The University of Alabama by The University of Alabama

UNDERGRADUATE Research

Fall 2013

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

At The University of Alabama, we want our students to become problem solvers and innovators

On the Back cover:

who can take on the challenges and opportunities presented by an always changing – and ever more complex – world. To do this, our students must learn to think creatively and problem-solve independently. One of the best tools for helping them develop these skills is original, hands-on research.

A Flattened Musk Turtle rests on the banks of Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, located in Alabama's Bankhead National Forest. To learn about the UA student researcher who is studying these freshwater turtles and monitoring the health of their habitat, turn to page 4. Photograph by Peter Scott.

In this issue of Undergraduate Research, you will learn about the UA initiatives and programs that encourage our undergraduate students to become involved in research, and you will meet students from a host of disciplines – biology, biophysics, engineering, business, journalism, social work, archaeology, psychology and art history – who are helping to make important contributions to their future professions before even finishing their bachelor’s degree. These accomplishments give our students a competitive edge after graduation, and it is all made possible by the dedicated UA faculty who serve as mentors to these budding researchers. You will read it again and again in the articles that follow: “Find a faculty member whose research interests you, and ask them about it – you just might get to work with them.” It’s part of what makes the UA experience so special. Turn the page for just a sampling of undergraduate research pursuits at UA.

The University of Alabama’s Undergraduate Research magazine is published by the Office for Academic Affairs in conjunction with University Relations. President: Judith L. Bonner

Dr. Joe Benson Interim Provost

Address correspondence to: The University of Alabama, University Relations, Box 870144, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0144. The University of Alabama is an equal-opportunity educational institution/employer. MC8494 For admissions information, please visit www.gobama.ua.edu. b

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

50 10

Classrooms Without Walls 4

Exploring the Watery Depths 40

Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You 10 Ben Sigmon’s iPad app helps professors bring a personalized, small-class experience

Understanding the Psychology of Pain 44

36 4

CONTENTS

32 54

From creek banks to high-tech instruments, UA research initiatives get undergraduates involved in hands-on learning.

to UA’s biggest classrooms.

Engineering New Possibilities 16

While researching the potential medical applications of iron oxide nanoparticles, chemical engineering major Amanda Rushdi discovered a whole new career option.

Microscopic Beginnings 22

Future physician Akeem Borom learns that sometimes the work of healing others begins with the animal kingdom’s tiniest creatures.

Global Impact 26

Next-Gen Journalism 32

Spurred on by a Discovery Channel special, Eugene Randle came to UA to pursue a second career in archaeology – and a lifelong passion for the mysteries of human history that lie beyond the water’s edge.

Jessica White, a pre-med psychology major, gains insight into the many complexities of the experience of pain in the human mind.

A Winning Strategy 50

Finance and statistics double-major Dylan Sandy discovers that helping others begin a healthy savings habit is the biggest reward of all.

Art Lessons 54

The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art provides UA students with a wealth of learning opportunities, both scholarly and creative.

Culverhouse student Catherine Porter teams up with her professor to help slow tropical deforestation.

Marc Torrence’s research on blogging may help shape what future journalists learn in the classroom.

Family Ties 36

Inspired by her own experience growing up, social work student Jade Watters studies grandparent caregivers.

Editor

Te r r i R o b e r t s o n

Ph otograph ers

Jeff Hanson

Bryan Hester

Zach Riggins

Matthew Wood

Graph ic De sign

To r i N e l k o

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Classrooms w i t h ou t

Walls

From creek banks to high-tech instruments, UA research initiatives get undergraduates involved in hands-on learning beyond the traditional classroom. B y C h r i s B r ya n t

ith canned cat food in her backpack and turtle traps in-hand, Anna Hawkins could be spotted last summer wading in creeks across central Alabama. Hawkins, a University of Alabama senior, is researching a species of freshwater turtle, the Flattened Musk Turtle. The range of the turtles, which are on the federal list of threatened and endangered species, is restricted to the upper Black Warrior River basin in central Alabama. “I have become really interested in ecology,” said Hawkins, a shift in focus she experienced since arriving at UA. Like hundreds of other University students conducting research, Hawkins’ classrooms are not limited to those with four walls. The Huntsville, Ala., native uses the turtles to gauge, and learn about, the creek system’s health. Her research dovetails with a larger project under way by UA biologists. Hawkins works closely with Peter Scott, a UA doctoral student, and under the supervision of Dr. Leslie Rissler, associate professor of biological sciences at UA. The rectangular traps, baited with cat food, are lowered into creek beds one evening and checked the following morning. After pulling turtles from the traps, the researchers remove a tissue sample and imbed a tiny identification tag underneath the reptiles’ leathery skins before releasing them to resume their turtle activities. The scientists also record the GPS coordinates and the air and water temperatures for every site, and measure the water’s PH level, dissolved oxygen percentage and conductivity factor – a reading that can reveal the presence of contaminants.

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

To monitor the creek system’s health, Anna Hawkins measures the water’s PH level, dissolved oxygen percentage and conductivity factor – a reading that can reveal the presence of contaminants.

Hawkins, a Computer-Based Honors Program student, takes the data and runs calculations. “It will tell me the probability that the environmental conditions where we caught the turtles were significantly different than those where we didn’t catch the turtles,” she said.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Opposite page: Anna Hawkins works closely with UA doctoral student Peter Scott. This page: Brandt Hendricks (left), Jacob Fondriest (middle) and Dr. Patrick LeClair (right) demonstrate the EMG’s ability to use the body’s electrical signals to produce an action in a robotic device.

Participation in UA’s annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference has steadily increased from about 300 participants in 2011, to more than 400 in 2012, to more than 550 in 2013. In this way, the data can grant insight as to the potential health of the various environments. “Any professor who has a research lab here, you can email them, and they will likely meet with you, and maybe you can work with them,” Hawkins said. Any progress the undergraduate researchers make is progress toward answers unknown to science, said Dr. Joe Benson, interim provost. “This is not something where faculty members create a problem and then say, ‘this is how you solve it.’ It’s real research.” Hawkins is one of more than 550 UA undergraduates who participated in the University’s spring 2013 research conference. Participation in the event has steadily increased from about 300

participants in 2011 and more than 400 in 2012. One of the factors driving that increase is UA’s popular Emerging Scholars Program, designed to attract freshmen to research. Coordinated by Dr. Ann Webb, the program had 347 student participants in the 2012-2013 year. “It’s the faculty and the enthusiasm of the students that make the program go,” Webb said. Students in the Emerging Scholars Program are asked to devote six to 10 hours a week in a research lab, and they receive small scholarships in exchange. Jacob Fondriest, a junior from Granville, Ohio, said the program, which began its seventh year in August 2013, helped lure him to UA. “One of the big things T h e

that drew me to the University was that they had a biophysics major,” Fondriest said. “Another reason was the Emerging Scholars Program.” In his first year at UA, Fondriest joined a team, advised by Dr. Patrick LeClair, associate professor of physics, and including Brandt Hendricks, who recently earned a UA degree in kinesiology, that designed and built an electromyography device, or EMG. “I think the biggest thrill of research,” Fondriest said, “is that you spend all of your time studying in school, and this really gives you a chance to apply it to something in real life. This project has given me a great experience in troubleshooting problems. About half the time you are working on something new, and about half the time you are working on what went wrong.” Although under refinement, the device Fondriest and the team constructed attracted interest from UA’s Office for Technology Transfer. This office partners with faculty and staff (and sometimes students) to bring technologies created at the University to the marketplace for public benefit.

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

From Lab to Marketplace Although still under refinement, the EMG device constructed by UA researchers has attracted the attention of UA’s Office for Technology Transfer. This office partners with faculty and staff (and sometimes students) to bring technologies created at the University to the marketplace for public benefit. Find out more at ott.ua.edu.

UA’s annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference provides undergraduates an opportunity to highlight their research or creative activity, gain experience presenting, compete for cash prizes and form relationships with their faculty mentors and fellow undergraduate researchers.

“I think the biggest thrill of research is that you spend all of your time studying in school, and this really gives you a chance to apply it to something in real life.”

mobility the possibility of performing a more complex task by a quick flex of the arm. Webb said that working on such projects helps students obtain a picture of what their potential career path entails.

—Jacob Fondriest EMGs interpret electrical activity produced by muscles and can check both muscle health and nerve cells. They can aid in the diagnoses of diseases or disorders. Some types can cost $2,500. The UA team constructed a low-cost, versatile circuit that can detect, amplify and interpret the muscles’ electrical signals when it is connected to the body via inexpensive, adhesive electrodes placed on the skin. It can also serve as a heart-rate monitor and has shown promise as an EKG instrument. In conjunction with a microcontroller, the UA-constructed device can take the body’s electrical signals and produce an action. In a proof-ofconcept test, the UA researchers used their design to trigger arm movement in a robot by flexing 8

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

muscles in the wrist and forearm of a person linked to the devices. Such technology could later be implemented, Fondriest said, into a full body suit to give a person with limited

“I think one of the values of research is that it does give the students a feel for what it’s like to be a biologist, or a historian or a person devoted to the study of communication,” she said. “This gives students a feel for what it is like to be a professional in a discipline.”

Are you a rising freshman? UA’s Emerging Scholars Program provides a unique opportunity for freshman students to create research partnerships with UA faculty. These partnerships take shape gradually over the first semester of the program, become active in the second semester and hopefully continue as an important part of each student’s UA experience. Students from all UA colleges can participate in the program. Although grades and test scores are considered, the most important qualifications for admission to Emerging Scholars are strong interest, enthusiasm and willingness to work hard. Find out more at emergingscholars.ua.edu.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Ben Sigmon’s iPad app helps professors bring a personalized, small-class experience to UA’S biggest classrooms. B y T e r r i Rob e r t s o n

f anyone is still under the notion that education is a one-way street from teacher to student, a close look at The University of Alabama’s ComputerBased Honors Program will quickly dispel that myth. That’s where you will find an elite group of undergraduate students helping UA professors apply computing technology to research across various disciplines. It’s also where you will find senior electrical engineering major Ben Sigmon: a computer lab manager for the Honors College and the student who is helping to revolutionize the way participation is tracked in UA classrooms, one professor at a time. It began with Dr. Lonnie Strickland, a professor at Culverhouse College of Commerce, who had a problem: His class sections were large, but his courses were discussion-based. Close tracking of participation was important, but using paper seating charts for the task was cumbersome. The potential for errors was high, and turnaround of participation grades was slow. Instead, Strickland wanted to walk around his classes with an iPad, recording data quickly and accurately, so he went to CBHP for help developing an app that would allow him to do just that.

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Once beta testing is complete, Ben Sigmon hopes to get the iParticipate app into the hands of the University so that any UA professor can use it.

“If you can tighten the feedback loop, you’ll get better participation. There’s a higher motivation for learning and being on top of the material.”

The iParticipate format is simple: a fixed seating chart with two views, one —Ben Sigmon for attendance and one for participation. Points are given or taken away Originally, the iParticipate research incrementally using the plus and minus project was picked up by another CBHP symbols. A professor can reward student. Sigmon, then a sophomore, students for astute observations or joined the team in the spring of 2012, insightful questions – or ding grades wanting to learn more about iOS for absences or not-so-constructive development, and he immediately comments. found he had a passion for the project. The participation view also displays Delayed feedback from professors was students’ majors, so the professor something that had bothered Sigmon can direct questions according to before, especially when a quicker who should have more insight into turnaround in grading could have the answer. “It’s a way of tailoring the helped him avoid errors down the line discussion to the students who are in or improve his academic performance the classroom,” said Sigmon. sooner in the semester. In iParticipate he saw the potential to help other After each class, the professor imports students get that all-important feedback the data into an Excel spreadsheet and sooner. emails it to his or her inbox. From there, it is imported into Blackboard Learn, “From the time the student sits down in where students can log on and see their class or walks out of class and the time grade for the day. that their grade is posted, you want to shorten that feedback loop as tightly Other electronic methods of tracking as possible,” said Sigmon. “If you can attendance, such as clickers and tighten the feedback loop, you’ll get swipers for campus ID cards, do better participation. There’s a higher exist, but they have their downsides. motivation for learning and being on iParticipate has an advantage over top of the material.” these other methods because it is in the

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Daily Participation Grade

Currently, iParticipate is in beta testing in Strickland’s classes, and Strickland has already seen marked improvements in participation. Sigmon hopes to get more professors in beta testing soon, and he also wants to learn how to write a plugin for Blackboard Learn. This would enable the app to interface directly with Blackboard Learn, omitting the steps of importing into Excel and emailing. “I want to get it into the hands of the University so that any professor with an iPad that wants to use this, they can do it,” said Sigmon.

Major

hands of the professor, and the human element makes it more difficult to trick the system. The app also makes possible what was once difficult to achieve in very large classes: in-depth, interactive discussions previously confined to the realm of small, intimate classes. It’s another reason that Sigmon is so passionate about this project.

The participation view displays students’ majors, so the professor can direct questions according to who should have more insight into the answer.

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

“I want to hear an opinion. I want a discussion,” said Sigmon. “I want to hear how what we’re talking about affects what’s going on in real life. I want to make connections and come to different opinions and demonstrate that you understand the knowledge, not just demonstrate that you know the correct answer.”

In the meantime, Sigmon has taken on another CBHP project – a Webbased sleep diary for the psychology department – but he continues to work on iParticipate outside of CBHP. “It’s my respite from the storm of tests and quizzes and all that,” he explained. “It’s something I can do that’s solely for me. I only have to work on it if I want to work on it.” As for the future, Sigmon is keeping his plans open and is not sure whether he will pursue electrical engineering, IT or software development after graduation. “I try to focus on here and now, not so much about the future,” he said. However, it seems that as long as he continues to pursue solutions for those everyday problems that intrigue him, he is sure to head in the right direction.

Ben’s Advice to Future UA Students “Our University is really open to the idea of undergraduate students doing research,” said Ben Sigmon, who suggests that students have short, informal interviews with professors whose research interests them. “If you want to do research, then talk to professors who are doing research and basically just ask. If you look, you will find it.” Sigmon also recommends the Computer-Based Honors Program to students interested in pursuing research. It has given him a solid foundation for learning any new technology and applying it to practical problems. The program’s interdisciplinary environment also promotes creative problem solving and cross-collaboration among students of different academic backgrounds. Each December, high school students and other prospective UA students can tune in to CBH Live!, a live, interactive webcast of CBHP students’ research presentations. “It lets them [prospective students] see how they can do research in less than two years from now,” said Sigmon, who will be running the show behind the scenes this year as the lab manager. Visit live.cbhp.ua.edu for webcast dates and times.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

EngineeringNew Possibilities While researching the potential medical applications of iron oxide nanoparticles, chemical engineering major Amanda Rushdi discovered a whole new realm of possibilities for her future. By Adam Jones

manda Rushdi came to The University of Alabama to study chemical engineering, hoping that degree would help her get into medical school. But along the way she discovered an undergraduate education can be more than a means to an end. If done right, college can open the door to new possibilities, and that is what Rushdi found while working with chemicals on research projects aimed at improving medical imaging and cancer treatment. “As a freshman, I had no idea that I wanted to be involved in academic research or that I would be published in a peerreviewed paper,” said the Collierville, Tenn., native, who graduated from UA in May 2013. “It seemed like such a huge deal that I was too nervous to go ask a professor to be involved in research.” But she got involved, and was twice coauthor on articles published in scientific journals. Now Rushdi is considering medical research as a career option as well as her original intention of getting a medical degree to directly treat patients. It’s a path opened through the experience of learning in the lab. “Research fine tunes your problem-solving skills,” she said. “There is something that needs to be done, and you’re not told how to do it. A lot of classrooms aren’t that way, so research makes you discover for yourself.” Research being done at UA today may one day lead to a safer MRI contrast

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

agent that produces brighter images.

Once she was trained, Amanda Rushdi was put in charge of every aspect of studying the DNA interactions of platinum-attached iron oxide nanoparticles in Dr. Yuping Bao’s lab.

Swapping the chemical groups that coat iron oxide nanoparticles and making the particles watersoluble show great promise for medical applications such as drug delivery and medical imaging. Joining a research lab as an undergraduate student at the UA College of Engineering can be as simple as a student asking a professor to join the team. That’s how it worked for Rushdi. After taking a class from Dr. Yuping Bao, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, Rushdi approached Bao. “I went to talk to her, and we decided it was a good match and I haven’t regretted my decision,” Rushdi said. Bao researches the integration of biology and nanomaterials, particularly working with magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles. Swapping the chemical groups that originally coat iron oxide nanoparticles and making the particles soluble in water show great promise for medical applications such as drug delivery and medical imaging. Bao is internationally recognized for her research, and Rushdi was intrigued by the medical aspect. A graduate student trained her on the instruments, and Rushdi watched and learned as other students in the lab worked. “Eventually, I got the hang of 18

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

it, so I could do different aspects of it from start to finish,” she said.

Her projects involved working with attaching platinum to iron oxide nanoparticles for cancer therapy. The twocomponent system was designed so that the platinum nanoparticles could interact with DNA molecules and potentially stop the replication of cancer cells while the iron oxide offers a means to monitor the therapy using MRI. “We did find it interacted with the DNA and could potentially serve the designed role to potentially stop the DNA replication process, but it did have other interactions that now have to minimized,” Rushdi said. When the graduate student on that project graduated in 2012, Bao put Rushdi in charge of every aspect of studying the DNA interactions of platinum-attached iron oxide nanoparticles. Rushdi also worked on medical imaging technology. Bao’s work with iron oxide nanoparticles has led to the discovery that iron oxide nanowire, a thin worm-like magnetic nanoparticle, can enhance magnetic resonance imaging, commonly called MRI, which takes a picture of the body’s insides

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Full of potential: A degree in chemical engineering not only provided Rushdi with a solid foundation for medical school; it opened the door for a career in medical research.

through the magnetism of the body’s atoms. Current contrast agents are unsafe for patients with kidney or liver problems, and the current substitute contrast agent for those patients produces a darker image.

said. “Her contribution has been an integral part of these two projects.” Amazingly, Rushdi worked in Bao’s lab and maintained a high grade point average, all while a member of the UA Color Guard, a part of the UA Million Dollar Band. She was captain of the Color Guard her senior year. The experience helped her meet and form strong friendships with students outside engineering.

“As a freshman, I had no idea that I wanted to be involved in academic research or that I would be published in a peer-reviewed paper.” —Amanda Rushdi

The iron oxide nanowires potentially last longer inside the body, are safer and can produce bright images versus the darker image of the current contrast agents. For this work, Rushdi performed shape-controlled synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles along with cellular work. For her efforts Rushdi was a co-author, along with other lab members, in papers published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on Magnetics and Chemical Communications.

“That’s what I like about this campus,” she said. “You can be involved in lots of different things.”

From her research experience, she learned more about chemical structures – how they attach and interact with the body. But more than that, Rushdi said she learned that medical research is needed alongside patient care. She landed an internship doing medical research, but still might get her medical degree and treat patients. With her background, her options are open. “Either way you go, you’re making a difference in people’s lives,” she said.

“I am extremely happy with the progress that Amanda made, in particular her independence and responsibility,” Bao

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Microscopic

Beginnings On his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a physician, Akeem Borom learns that sometimes the work of healing others begins with the animal kingdom’s tiniest creatures. B y K i m E at o n

here was never a doubt in Akeem Borom’s mind what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to help people, and what better way to do that than by becoming a physician? What the 21-year-old from Clanton, Ala., did not anticipate was that his desire to make a difference would start becoming a reality before he even submitted applications to medical school. For the past two years, Borom has taken part in research at The University of Alabama that could eventually result in reversing the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. “When I first started working in the research lab, I was told that the results coming out of it would be used to help patients who are dying,” said Borom, who graduated in May 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in biology with a pre-med track. “It’s not just theoretical research and you’re not just writing stuff for a paper. You’re helping someone who is hurting, and that’s huge. That’s why I chose [the medical] profession.”

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Akeem Borom and his research partner used microscopic nematode roundworms, C. elegans, in their research. A 14-day lifespan makes the worms ideal for studying age-related conditions such as familial ALS.

“When I first started working in the research lab, I was told that the results coming out of it would be used to help patients who are dying. It’s not just theoretical research and you’re not just writing stuff for a paper. You’re helping someone who is hurting, and that’s huge.” — Akeem Borom

Though deciding what to pursue seemed a no-brainer for Borom, where to start that journey proved more challenging. He went back and forth between multiple schools, but what it boiled down to was the “ultimate college experience.” “I wanted a school with diversity and opportunities for involvement, but also just the big college experience of going to football games and following your team around,” he said. “That’s how I got [to UA].” Once Borom arrived on campus, he got to work. His interest in the ALS research started shortly after his first biology class with Dr. Kim Caldwell. Coming from a rural community and school, he did not have the first clue about research, but Caldwell strongly suggested that students get involved in a lab. She went on to explain about her and Guy Caldwell’s research on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and Borom knew that was the place for him. He requested a position in her lab, only to be told there was no room. Borom, however, would not be deterred. Every day after 24

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

“ I wanted a school with diversity and opportunities for involvement, but also just the big college experience of going to football games and following your team around. That’s how I got [to UA].” — Akeem Borom class, he asked if space had opened up until finally Caldwell agreed to an interview. “I was so excited, but when I got to the interview they started talking about worms and I was a little freaked out,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how worms related to disease study, but I guess you can’t experiment on humans.”

The summer before his junior year he had the opportunity to work with graduate student Michelle Tucci. The Caldwells wanted to expand their research by looking at ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. They had previously proven that a certain protein called TorsinA could reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and they wanted to see if it would do the same for ALS. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that impacts nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Essentially what happens is that the proteins in the neurons become misfolded, or they lose their three-dimensional shape, which is required for the protein to operate correctly. When the misfolded proteins begin to build up in the neuron, the body becomes toxic and, as a defense mechanism, kills off the neuron, Borom said. When the neurons die, the brain’s ability to control muscle movement is lost. There are, however, other proteins known as chaperones – TorsinA being one – that can help misfolded proteins achieve their three-dimensional shape, Borom said. Using microscopic worms, Tucci and Borom focused their research on familial ALS, or cases

where someone has a genetic disposition for inheriting ALS. When researching something age-related, worms are a very good model, Borom said. They have a life span of about 14 days, so it does not take long to see results. Worms also have few neurons, about 200, and those neurons have been mapped out, making it easier to see which ones have died, he added. After injecting the worms with the mutated gene, Tucci and Borom started to see the neurons die, which resulted in slower movement. When they incorporated the TorsinA into affected worms, the worms’ movement returned to normal. In a nutshell, the group found that the TorsinA can stop the neurons from dying in the familial ALS worm model, Borom said. In the future, the data can be used to inform human studies, with the goal of helping those with familial forms of ALS. “But that’s way down the line,” he added. After graduation, Borom spent the summer as an intern at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., where he researched Parkinson’s disease and continued to improve his research skills. Before jumping into medical school in 2014, he hopes to travel through Europe, exploring and re-energizing. While most student researchers choose the research/teaching route, Borom still dreams of becoming a physician, but his research skills will not be wasted. “A lot of the research that I do is more translational research, which means the things found at a really small level are starting to be incorporated into medicine,” he said. “Having that strong research background will help me, as a physician, understand how new discoveries relate to medicine, and then explain those findings to others.” T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

A Culverhouse student teams up with her professor to help slow tropical deforestation. By Amanda Sams

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

hen Catherine Porter first decided she wanted to participate in a research project applicable to her studies in Culverhouse College of Commerce, she had no idea that less than a year later, while still only a sophomore, she would be traveling halfway around the world to Tanzania to conduct research for the World Bank, which just happens to be one of her dream employers after college. It all began when Porter, an economics and finance major, approached Dr. Paula Cordero Salas, assistant professor of economics at UA, and mentioned that she was interested in research

opportunities. Cordero Salas responded by enlisting Porterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistance with her long-term project, working on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD. The project studies the implementation of contracts for the reduction of carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), which has been identified as a cost-effective element of the post-Kyoto strategy to achieve long-term climate objectives, said Cordero Salas. Because tropical deforestation is a major cause of global warming, limiting or stopping forest-based carbon emissions is believed to be vital to any effective climatechange strategy.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Top: Catherine Porter, third from left, and Dr. Paula Cordero Salas, fourth from right, visit with landowners in Tanzania. Bottom: A villager walks along a road bordering a corn field where a forest once stood.

As the first undergraduate student to participate in the project, Porter was eager to begin work, and she and Cordero Salas focused their research efforts on Ecuador and Tanzania. “In each of these countries, we will be going in and conducting interviews with national officials, local officials and individual landowners,” Porter said. “Our primary aim is to see if we can reduce deforestation and forest degradation

“Trees form a natural sink for carbon emissions, so if we can reduce or stop the rate of forest degradation and deforestation, we can reduce the negative effects of emissions.” —Catherine Porter

through the provision of economic incentives. We are first looking into what past forest conservation programs, if any, have been attempted and, if they exist, why they may have failed.” The biggest hurdle? Convincing landholders to get on board with the project. “The ultimate success of REDD+ projects will require the design and implementation of a financial mechanism that provides landholders sufficient incentives to participate in and perform under the REDD+ programs that are developed,” said Cordero Salas. “These landholders are usually in developing countries and can be characterized by high levels of poverty. The results of this research will allow us to identify major constraints in the implementation of REDD+ contracts and to give policy recommendations for the 28

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

successful implementation, which in turn may help to mitigate global warming and improve income and quality standards of those poor households.” In December 2012, with financial support provided by the World Bank’s Trust Fund for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development, Porter and Cordero Salas embarked on a journey to Tanzania, where they joined Dr. Michael Toman of the World Bank and a team of Tanzanian researchers. The purpose of their trip? To discuss with Tanzanian stakeholders, including landholders, the long-lasting repercussions of continued carbon emissions and to determine which incentives would encourage certain groups to cooperate. “Globally, this method of carbon sequestration is seen as a potentially effective way to meet climate goals and offset carbon emissions cost-effectively,” Porter said. “Trees form a natural sink for carbon emissions, so if we can reduce or stop the rate of forest degradation and deforestation, we can reduce the negative effects of emissions. The eventual goal is to get the landowners to sign contracts saying they won’t do anything harmful to the environment, such as selling their land to logging companies when they encounter financial hardship.” For now, nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, are working to come to agreements with the village governments in Tanzania, but no formal contracts have been signed. Porter found that the landowners seemed eager to participate in the project because they recognize the benefit of protecting the forests, but they also seemed hesitant about signing an agreement with the larger organizations. During the interviews, Porter added many of her own questions to discover how World Bank could address that hesitation. “My focus is on whether or not these developing countries and landowners are

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

more willing to cooperate with certain types of organizations than others, in order to better see how the World Bank might wish to go about sponsoring such REDD initiatives,” Porter said. “I’d say my biggest contribution on the trip was perhaps just being another viewpoint to add during the interviews. Since we had three people basically coordinating the interviews,

the research team completed a paper recommending what steps should be taken in Tanzania to make REDD sustainable and successful there. The paper was submitted to the World Bank, and the team is working on a version to submit to academic journals. The team is also looking into other opportunities to expand upon their work in Tanzania, including possible field work in Costa Rica.

“I think the biggest thing it’s done for me is to challenge preconceived notions. Going into anything with ideas and opinions already formatted is not beneficial, especially in areas like journalism or research.”

On a large scale, Porter, who began her junior year this fall, hopes that their work will be able to impact the global environment by reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. On a personal level, the trip was life-changing.

“I think the biggest thing it’s done for me is to challenge preconceived notions,” Porter said. “Going into anything with ideas and opinions already formatted is not beneficial, especially in areas like journalism or research. And since this research was primarily conducting interviews like a journalist would, it definitely challenged me not to lead a subject into answering a certain way, or even just not forming a bias or complete opinion until after the interviews were over.”

—Catherine Porter any extra insight with respect to a certain issue or person could be important. Especially when one of our main goals from the trip is to think of a sustainable future for REDD in Tanzania, approaching a topic from multiple angles is an important methodology to have.” Overall, Porter views the trip as a success, although they had to deal with scheduling changes on a few occasions, which proved to be frustrating. “I think if we consider the goal of the trip to be gathering as many viewpoints as possible, then yes, I think the trip was a success,” she said. “I definitely wish we could have gotten more participation in interviews from government entities, and that we didn’t have any scheduled interviews cancelled on us – which happened about two times – but overall I think it was fantastic.” This past summer, after analyzing the information gathered during their visit,

Porter credits her business classes for preparing her for the trip by teaching her professionalism and more situational awareness on an international scale, especially regarding the political and social climate in countries that are less developed than the U.S. She also appreciates the dedicated faculty members of the business school, like Cordero Salas, who helped her to pursue this opportunity while she was only a sophomore. “I am absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to work on such a neat project,” said Porter.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Marc Torrence, sports blogger

for The Crimson White, is at

Next-Gen

the forefront of the changing landscape of journalism.

Journalism Marc Torrence’s research on blogging may help shape what future journalists learn in the classroom. B y M i s t y M at h e w s

n a digital age where all one needs to do to start a blog is have an email address and click a few buttons, Marc Torrence decided he wouldn’t just have any old blog – he would have a great blog. Torrence, a senior journalism major from Franklin, Tenn., was required to do a research project as part of his minor in Computer-Based Honors, so he went for a topic he was passionate about: sports blogging. “I basically decided to create my own project,” Torrence said. “I had Dr. George Daniels for a journalism class, so I went to him and told him I wanted to do a project on sports blogging because I was starting one at The Crimson White. I wanted to see what pro beat writers who cover football teams are doing with blogs.” Torrence and Daniels came up with a content analysis study that focused on Southeastern Conference football bloggers. Together, they looked at a week’s worth of content, covering 380 blog posts about 14 different teams during a week with several “marquis matchups,” Torrence said.

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

“ Marc had the interest in sports, and I had the interest in how the blogging platform was changing what we’re doing in terms of news gathering. And so our research project was born.” —Dr. George Daniels “There were two main goals. I wanted to see what the pros were doing so we could almost mimic it at The Crimson White,” Torrence said. “Dr. Daniels’ side was to 34

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

educate, so if you are a freshman coming in and want to be a sports writer, what are the expectations now as opposed to a few years ago when you just had to turn in your story by deadline?” Daniels said he was pleased with Torrence’s project idea and how well it meshed with his own research interests.

“Marc had been working in sports for a while,” Daniels said. “In my class he was required to blog, so I already knew he was an outstanding student, but I didn’t make the connection to Computer-Based Honors initially.

R e s e a r c h

“He said he really wanted to come back to the blogging thing, see how it connected with sports coverage. My interest there is connecting new technology in the newsroom to ways journalism is changing. “Marc had the interest in sports, and I had the interest in how the blogging platform was changing what we’re doing in terms of news gathering. And so our research project was born.” Torrence’s tenacity and passion for sports journalism were what made the project work, Daniels said. “Marc had an extraordinary way of connecting with the people who are doing sports journalism on a daily basis. He was a sophomore, but he was already in the middle of working like someone who had been out for five years. He understands what it takes to cover a

nationally known sports program.” Daniels said learning to be a good blogger is a must for the 21stcentury journalism student, making his and Torrence’s work important for the education of up-and-coming journalists. “Increasingly, we are spending more time in our classes trying to get our students to go to the next level with their blogs,” Daniels said. “You can’t graduate from any program in journalism now without understanding how to use a blog to tell a story. Along with that comes social media, and there’s a skill to both, knowing how to write a blog or a tweet and how to integrate that with the news-gathering process. It’s constantly evolving.” That “newspapers are dying” is something Torrence said he hears

“1,000 times a day,” which leads him to believe that digital media is where he needs to focus as a future professional journalist. “In the land of new media, you have to be by your phone or computer 24/7 because news breaks so quickly that if you wait to file your story the next day, someone else will have already broken it online. I grew up constantly checking Twitter or updating my blog, so I guess that gives me a bit of an advantage to begin with.” Torrence said he hopes the paper he wrote with Daniels will be his first published in a research journal. He said they found very little quantifiable research specifically related to blogging. “Outside of myself, I think this project could be interesting to sports editors in the Southeast and around the country,” he said. “I think it could be useful to a lot of people, not just in academia.” T h e

The paper has already been accepted for two conferences, including the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s annual conference. “Marc did a really good presentation at a regional conference in October [2012], and his parents were able to come,” Daniels said. “My parents never saw me give a research presentation until I was in graduate school, and his parents saw him do that as an undergraduate. This is the best research experience I’ve had in 10 years with an undergraduate student. It was truly collaborative.” Torrence said he plans to work in sports media upon graduation and would love to be a beat writer covering an SEC team.

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Family Ties Inspired by her own experience growing up, social work student Jade Watters studies grandparent caregivers. B y D AV I D M I L L E R

ore than 1.6 million children in America have grandparents who serve as their primary caregiver. Too often, though, this burgeoning population of caregivers puts their grandchildren’s future at risk by not properly planning for future care. Because grandparents are older and sometimes in poor health, it is important for them to plan for alternative care arrangements should they become unable to provide care. As one University of Alabama social work major is learning, the area of future placement planning among grandparents is vastly understudied, and some grandparents have not taken the necessary steps to ensure that they have a say in who succeeds them as primary caregivers. Jade Watters, a senior in The University of Alabama School of Social Work, recently completed an exploratory study on the planning habits of grandparent caregivers in the Birmingham area. The research topic was a

natural choice for Watters, who as a child began living with her grandmother so that she would be zoned for a better school district. Over time, said Watters, her mother “decided it was in my best interest to remain in my grandmother’s care fulltime,” so when she was 10, her grandmother became her fulltime caregiver. Watters didn’t understand the new dynamic and said the confusion strained their relationship for many years. “As I have grown, I realize the selflessness and love my grandmother showed me by dedicating her late life, a time usually associated with less child-rearing responsibility, to caring for me,” Watters said. “That realization has opened new doors for our relationship. I now feel extremely close to her. We comfort and support one another, and most importantly we make our love for each other known. My grandmother is the strongest person I know, and

For many grandparent caregivers, raising their grandchildren is a proud duty, but they may not be taking the necessary legal steps to ensure they have a say in who succeeds them as

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

primary caregivers.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Jade Watters holds a picture of her grandmother and childhood caregiver, Kathy Watters. “My grandmother is the strongest person I know,” said Watters.

her strength has helped me to stand strong through the adversities of life. She gives me hope. “I’m convinced that grandparent caregivers around the country have similar impacts on their grandchildren’s lives, and I find that very intriguing. When deciding which population to research it was apparent to me that grandparent caregivers were the best option. My specific research questions were formed from my interest in what happens to grandchildren after their grandparents become unable to provide care for them.” Watters, a McNair Scholar and 2013 recipient of the Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research award, began screening potential participants for her research project in the summer of 2011, under the guidance of her faculty mentor, Dr. Brenda Smith, associate professor of social work. To qualify for the study, participants had to have been caring for and providing full financial support for a grandchild for at least one year. Additionally, participants were disqualified if the child’s biological parent was living in the home. Ten people responded, and six were chosen to participate. “Since the study was exploratory, it was similar to a pilot study,” said Watters. “I thought there were too many differences across the board to try and generalize the data. Dr. Smith and I wanted the true thoughts and feelings of the grandparents to be heard.”

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

“I’m convinced that grandparent caregivers around the country have similar impacts on their grandchildren’s lives, and I find that very intriguing.” —Jade Watters

From there, Watters constructed openended questions like “What resources do you have that will assist you in planning for the future care of your grandchild?” and “If you were unable to care for your grandchild after today, who do you think would care for him or her/them?”

proud duty,” said Watters, who can also relate to her study participants’ feelings on a personal level.“I have been to some social service institutions, and trying to get sufficient help is like pulling strands of hair out one by one. The current network is in dire need of reform,” she said.

The grandparents in the study were diverse. “Some were retired, some were widows, some were educated, and some were of middle socioeconomic status,” said Watters. However, there were common threads in their responses. Though nearly all had made informal future placement plans with close relatives, many had not taken the necessary legal steps – such as adding a placement clause to their will – to make their plans formal.

Even with the financial benefits of formally becoming a legal guardian, many grandparents still pass up the opportunity. Watters said legal guardianship could make it more difficult for the biological parent to regain custody in the future, and to some grandparents, the family bond outweighs possible financial benefits. And for the biological parent, there’s a perception that if you sign over guardianship, you’re giving up on your child.

“The grandparents have extreme faith in those family bonds,” said Watters, who noted that faith in family ties and distrust of social services were some of the key factors in grandparent caregivers not making formal plans for the future. To combat those feelings of distrust among grandparents, said Watters, social workers have to figure out how to dismantle the negative view of social services that has been portrayed to the public. “In the literature, grandparent caregiving is represented negatively. A significant amount of research says that when grandparents assume care, their health declines and/or they start to experience financial hardship. But to these grandparents, caregiving is a

“Ideally, we’d want to keep the door open [for a parent to regain custody], but it is important to have a formalized, future placement plan in place,” she said. With a small sample of six participants, it’s important to note that Watters’ study was not constructed to produce generalizable data.

did a very nice job of describing the characteristics of her particular interviewees.” Watters hopes her research can help close the “gap in the literature” related to future placement planning, but she says that process will take more research. Watters is currently in the process of writing a second research paper that directly relates to the results identified in her McNair research. The paper focuses on the challenges grandparents may face when making formal, future placement plans and how community-engagement partnerships with universities may possibly alleviate some of those challenges. It is Watters’ hope that the conclusions outlined in this paper will eventually lead to the foundation of a program for future placement planning. Watters presented her research at the Southeastern Regional McNair Conference. She said her research was well received at the conference. Watters plans to graduate in May 2014 and attend graduate school in the fall of 2014. “Jade is very goal directed and determined,” Smith said. “She focused on accomplishments and doing things well. She did not focus on challenges or obstacles.”

“The goal of her qualitative investigation was to illuminate the experiences and perceptions of particular grandparent caregivers,” said Smith. “With the type of research Jade conducted, the goal is to provide a deep, thorough portrait of a particular experience. Jade

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

n g i r l o p x E

Chan very

pe nel s

t h e

n Euge cial, ae arch

nd e Ra

olog

y—an

t o er in y tha Disc care istor by a d h n n n o o sec uma red of h ue a Spur purs eries t o s t y tner he m t o UA Buet or t m f a came d n A io By g p a ss edge elon s ’ r e a lif at the w yond e b e li

•

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

The information revealed by Randle’s study of tornado wreckage in the Black Warrior River could

n a way, Blackbeard can take credit for Eugene Randle’s current state of affairs. An anthropology major and McNair Scholar, Randle, 47, recently completed his senior research project, “Sunken Treasure in the Deep South,” in which he studied many of the sophisticated instruments used in marine archaeology excavations.

Above: Randle, left, uses equipment to compare the accuracy of two types of scanners in a hunt for artifacts from the April 27, 2011, tornado in the Black Warrior River. Below: Side-scanning sonar device reveals a wreck in the Black Warrior River.

Randle focused his study on using those instruments on tornado wreckage in Alabama’s Black Warrior River. The instruments studied were the same as those used by the archaeologists who excavated Blackbeard’s ship off the coast of North Carolina. The connection? It was this particular pirate ship excavation that inspired Randle to enroll at The University of Alabama and mold his lifelong fascinations with archaeology and the ocean into a career. “I really wasn’t even aware there was such a field until a few years ago,” Randle said. “It’s more of an evolving passion.” Born and raised in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Randle had ample time and resources to pursue his aquatic obsessions. One of the more influential catalysts was his father, who captained a sea-going dredge charged with cleaning the harbors throughout the tropical archipelago. “You never knew what would turn up in that sand – fossilized shark teeth, interesting shells, artifacts from the shipping in the area, pieces of brightly colored coral, anything that could be found on the bottom of the ocean would be pumped into the barge if you just watched long enough,” he said.

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

be useful in creating new methods for preventing boats, docks and other marina debris from sinking during high-wind storms. He also was fascinated by the boats in the harbors of his youth, from dinghies to freighters. “Water, boats and fishing have always been my passion,” he said. “I’ve had a boat ever since I was big enough to drag one up onto the bank and a fishing rod ever since I was strong enough to hold one.” This childhood curiosity would also inspire Randle’s archaeological pursuits. He owns a large collection of artifacts he unearthed while working in the construction industry for 20 years. “I first became interested in archaeology when I was 7,” he said. “I found a projectile point – a pointed stone tool – on the bank of the Coosa River while fishing with my grandfather. I’ve been keenly interested in antiquities and archaeology ever since.” His passion for underwater archaeology rekindled after he watched a Discovery Channel special in which archaeologists explored Blackbeard’s sunken ship. “I was with a friend, and I asked him, ‘How do you get that job?’” he recalls. “To which he replied, ‘I don’t know – figure it out.’” Randle became immersed in childhood memories and archaeological fantasies. The Discovery Channel special invaded his every thought. Incessant though

T h e

they were, the incursions were a welcomed nuisance. So Randle decided to act on the blatant nautical calling. Exploring his options, he applied for and received a researchoriented McNair scholarship and enrolled at UA in 2009 to pursue a degree in anthropology with a focus in archaeology. In 2011, Randle received the opportunity to create his own version of the Blackbeard excavation. Overseeing his research project was Dr. Cameron Lacquement, UA instructor of anthropology. “Randle’s study is groundbreaking in the sense that not many other archaeologists have examined such a recent underwater site affected by a severe weather event,” Lacquement said. “The site is essentially a blueprint for how marine-based material culture sinks during a tornado. Such information could be useful in creating new methods for preventing boats, docks and other marina debris from sinking during high-wind storms.” Following graduation, Randle said he would like to earn a master’s degree in geology, which would complement his archaeology interests, and then, perhaps, a doctorate in archaeology. But, his passion remains in the mysteries of human history that lie beneath the sea. “I always tell people I’m going to find Atlantis someday,” Randle said.

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Understanding the Psychology of

For pre-med student Jessica White, the decision to major in psychology provided an opportunity to gain insight into the complexities of pain. B y D a v i d M i l l e r

ain management can go beyond medication and a doctor’s assessment of physical responses, as one University of Alabama student recently discovered. Just as personalities differ from person to person, each individual’s brain processes and responds to pain differently. Most research, however, on psychological indicators contributing to a patient’s prognosis and treatment is limited. Conversely, physiological indicators are more commonly used, particularly in emergency rooms, to assess pain levels and treat patients who suffer from chronic pain. Jessica White, a pre-med psychology major who graduated from UA in May 2013, spent her junior and senior years studying the trends of self-reported pain scores and

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

physiological indicators at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa. With the help of Shweta Kapoor, a third-year doctoral student at UA, and Dr. Beverly Thorn, chair of UA’s Psychology Department and director of the department’s pain lab, White interviewed 90 patients with pain at the DCH emergency department. She discovered that many of the patients she interviewed had self-reported pain scores that didn’t match their physiological responses. “You’d think the two would correlate,” White said. “It’s still surprising to me. It wasn’t until I read an article about the difference in the two responses that I knew there was a difference. It’s been extremely rewarding to conduct this research, especially when I see so many people [in the emergency room].”

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Jessica White spent her junior and senior years studying the trends of self-reported pain scores and physiological indicators at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa.

White can empathize with many of the patients who suffer chronic pain and frequent the emergency room at DCH. Since she was a young child, White has had a gait abnormality in which the dropping of the forefoot happens due to weakness and damage to the peroneal nerve or paralysis of the muscles in the anterior portion of the lower leg. The nerve damage White suffered caused her right leg to grow slower than her left. As a result, she’s endured multiple surgeries and chronic pain over the years. While she manages her pain well and has done everything from walk in high heels to star on her high school volleyball team – feats once thought impossible – she admits that she had a naive perspective of how others deal with chronic pain. “Before I started this, I’d see someone in pain and think, ‘Well, I know how I’d react to this; you’re overreacting,’” she said. “But I realize that it is not necessary that they would experience pain as I experience it; it’s a completely different experience for each of us. That’s what I’ve learned from doing this research. “I wanted to understand what kinds of things influenced pain experience in individuals with pain. Also what does someone with chronic pain experience that someone else with acute pain may not? It’s been a complete learning experience because I didn’t know much about pain. I wanted to learn everything there is about pain.” Two factors enabled White to gain access to the DCH emergency department: her status as a UA psychology honor’s research student and her prior relationship with the doctors there, which she had cultivated through her job as a scribe. In that position, White collaborated with emergency room physicians and fulfilled 46

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

“ Before I started this, I’d see someone in pain and think, ‘Well, I know how I’d react to this; you’re overreacting.’ But I realize that it is not necessary that they would experience pain as I experience it; it’s a completely different experience for each of us.” — Jessica White

the primary secretarial and nonclinical functions of the busy physician or mid-level provider. After spending a year working as a scribe, doctors trusted White to adhere to confidentiality laws and not disrupt the flow of patients in the ER. There were some challenges getting approval from institution review boards, which recommended modifications so that the study would not disrupt patient care. It took about seven months before White could begin interviewing patients. But she stuck with it. “This is a much bigger project than most of our honors students take on,” said Thorn. “We thought about pulling the plug a couple of times waiting for final approvals, and I was already starting to talk with her [White] about another project she could take on.” Once the study finally began, White had to follow strict parameters during the interview process, which she could not conduct personally while she was on duty as a scribe or even during her off hours if she’d worked earlier in the day. Researchers could not

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Many participants did not exhibit elevated heart rate or blood pressure – the physiological signs expected to be associated with pain. But people with higher pain reports did tend to have higher levels of catastrophic thinking about their pain. approach patients in the waiting room; patients were brought from the waiting room to triage, where vitals were taken and questions were asked. At that point, the triage nurse would offer patients the chance to participate in the pain study. Patients were ineligible for the study if they were less than 19 years old or if they were taken to the trauma hall. Interviews took place in another room, where researchers asked participants multiple questions, such as how they would rate their pain on a scale of one to 10. “We got the patients before they saw the doctor, and always before they were given pain medicine of any kind,” Thorn said. “We gave them different psychological measures to gauge their level of anxiety and the amount of catastrophic thinking they had regarding the pain.” White said patients’ pain types varied between acute and chronic. Acute pain typically lasts no longer than three to six months and can be caused by things like a broken bone or a sinus infection. Chronic pain is long-term and can be caused by things like a bulging disk in one’s back, chronic muscle tension or irritable bowel syndrome, which can lead to chronic abdominal pain. Though White and her team found that many of their participants did not show the 48

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

Star Student elevated vital signs commonly expected to be associated with pain – elevated heart rate and blood pressure – they found other interesting associations. For example, people with higher pain reports tended to have higher levels of catastrophic thinking about their pain, although they were no more anxious about being in the emergency room than those with lower pain reports. “One of the things we already know but wanted to reiterate is these people have real pain; their vitals may not show it, but it doesn’t mean they’re faking it at all,” Thorn said. “What it means is that psychological variables affect how we feel pain, very profoundly.”

White presented her research poster at the Society of Behavioral Medicine conference in San Francisco in 2013. She also took first place in the natural sciences/mathematics division of UA’s 2013 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference. Additionally, she received an award for Significant Contributions to Undergraduate Research in Psychology from UA’s psychology department and $300 in undergraduate research travel awards from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Another key to helping the underserved pain population is doctor and nurse awareness. Kapoor said nurses sometimes rely on a person’s physiological indicators to determine their pain levels, but it’s important to find out what other factors are driving the patient’s pain experience. What are the psychological variables, and how are the patients thinking about their pain? The next step is to address those variables. “If we can design interventions to reduce some of the psychological factors associated with higher pain levels,” said Kapoor, “we will ultimately support both the patient and the medical team providing emergency care.” Before attending medical school, White is taking a year off to travel, including a month-and-a-half-long medical internship in Madurai, South India, that began in August. When she does become a doctor, her experience at UA will have given her a unique understanding of her patients’ experience of pain, one that goes well beyond what an x-ray, a blood test or vital signs can indicate.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

A Winning

Strategy

F i n a n ce a n d statistics d o ub l e - maj o r D y l a n S a n d y disc o v ers t h at h e l pi n g o t h ers be g i n a h ea l t h y sa v i n g s h abit is t h e bi g g est reward of all.

By Richard LeComte

ncome-tax returns stir many passions in people – usually anger, confusion, frustration and panic. But Dylan Sandy, a University of Alabama senior, experiences something much more positive when she enters those numbers into an online 1040 form: a strong sense of accomplishment. Sandy works as a volunteer in SaveFirst, a program of UA’s Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility. UA students travel to sites around the state and prepare tax returns for low-income Alabamians – for free. If those Alabamians happen to end up with a refund, SaveFirst encourages them to buy a $50 U.S. savings bond. The purchase enters them in a contest called SaveNow WinLater, in which they can win a sizable cash prize (the prize this year was $5,000). “I feel I’m actually helping people when I do this,” said Sandy, a finance and statistics double-major from Northport, Ala. “I see concrete results. I know I’m saving them money on each and every tax return I do.” Along with volunteering, Sandy has engaged in research to improve SaveFirst and SaveNow WinLater. The programs are a particular passion of Stephen Black, the director of the center, which seeks to help UA students develop civic maturity and

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

citizenship. He sees these volunteer students as helping to stitch up a gaping hole in the social safety net – the difficulties low-income workers have in scraping by. These people work hard, but have trouble making the system work for them. Black wants his students to see that struggle up close. “I think there’s a very serious national bias that suggests that people living at or near the poverty line are lazy or lack character,” Black said. “In fact, for thousands of low-income people, laziness isn’t anywhere in the picture. They have to deal with multiple W2 forms from multiple jobs. Students are really overwhelmed to realize how hard these people work. Sitting down with a low-income mother for 45 minutes and going through her finances provides an incredible insight to the day-today challenges of the majority of people in Alabama.” Sandy started volunteering in the program as a freshman through a one-credit Honors College class. Students complete six hours of tax preparation training and pass the IRS basic tax certification test before they begin preparing tax returns under the supervision of Impact Alabama staff members. All Impact Alabama staff members complete an additional 100 training hours and pass the IRS advanced certification test. Most student volunteers tackle basic 1040 EZ forms, and two senior volunteers at each site handle more complicated returns. Sandy is especially proud of helping low-income people save money through the free tax help. “I really enjoyed it,” Sandy said. “Sometimes people would bring in their taxes from the previous year. I was looking at a woman’s return from the previous return,

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

In 2011, the first year of SaveNow WinLater, the program got 552 people to buy a U.S. savings bond. Of those participants, 85 percent said that 2011 was the first tax season they saved part of their refund. and she used a tax-for-profit tax preparation service that charged her $500 to do her taxes. It’s really nice save these families an extra $500 – a significant chunk of money.” Sandy also wants to see people save their refunds. But it’s difficult. The SaveFirst program has given her extraordinary insight into the lives of people with less money. “A lot of people say that they don’t have enough money to set anything aside,” Sandy said. “I did a woman’s taxes, and when she saw her refund, she was so excited. ‘This will buy my groceries for the next six months,’ she said. Many can’t even spare $50 to set aside to increase their savings.” As part of her research, Sandy examined what incentives trigger savings. The SaveNow WinLater program, which grew out of a nonprofit Michigan initiative called Doorways to Dreams, employs an incentive strategy that Black calls “prize-linked savings” – using games and prizes to encourage saving among people who aren’t in the habit. “A lot of people know they should save, but they’re not saving enough,” Black said. “An innovation during the last 10 years involves financial literacy and behavioral economics. Initiatives work to change people’s behavior and start new habits that are more positive. The idea is that most people like the idea of a chance to win a big prize.”

A cash prize can be a big incentive, as can a volunteer who encourages people to participate. In 2011, the first year of SaveNow WinLater, the program got 552 people to buy a U.S. savings bond, Sandy said. Of those participants, 85 percent said that 2011 was the first tax season they saved part of their refund and nearly 50 percent bought a savings bond for their children or grandchildren. On top of this research, Sandy also studied similar programs around the country. “I want to analyze the differences between the people who choose to invest in the savings bonds and those that do not invest so that we can market the bonds more effectively,” she said. “My observations at the tax sites have been very enlightening about how the volunteers and taxpayers interact with each other. I think one of the most important changes we are implementing next year is having a person at each tax site that is solely devoted to discussing and promoting the savings bonds and SaveNow WinLater to the taxpayers. This will ensure that each taxpayer is getting a similar experience and that everyone will have the chance to choose to save if they so wish.” Sandy’s work with SaveFirst and SaveNow WinLater has earned Black’s deep appreciation. “She’s incredibly smart and very secure in her interest and her involvement,” Black said. “She’s also fearless. She can ask anyone anything. She’s had a lot of conversations with families, and she shows maturity beyond her years. We’ve given her the opportunity to dig into something and her insight and creativity will help make the program more successful.” And Sandy appreciates the impact she’s had on others through SaveFirst and Save Now WinLater. “It’s nice to meet the people you’re helping face to face, and they say thank you and appreciate your work,” she said. “It’s a concrete feeling that you know you’re doing them some good.”

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

T h e P au l R . J o n es C o l l ecti o n o f A merica n A rt pr o v ides U A stude n ts wit h a wea l t h o f l ear n i n g o pp o rtu n ities , b o t h sc h o l ar l y a n d creati v e .

B y T e r r i Rob e r t s o n

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

hen you consider the term art history, what comes to mind? Perhaps you envision a darkened classroom and a large screen, upon which only the works of canonized masters are projected. Or maybe you think of those expensive books in museum gift shops â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the ones that wind up on coffee tables. Do you relate to it in your everyday life? Does it tell you anything about your culture and history? Do you have a say in what makes the canon of art?

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

“

aul R. Jones believed that art can always be used to start a conversation,” said Lucy Curzon, assistant professor of art history. And in that light, UA professors of all disciplines are invited to use the Jones Collection to enrich their curriculums. Recently, Sarah Marshall, an associate professor of art, had her printmaking students each create a piece in reaction to an inspiration piece from the Jones Collection. The students’ works were displayed alongside their inspirations in the show “React” at the Paul R. Jones Gallery in downtown Tuscaloosa. Here are a few of the lessons learned.

Lesson 1: Get out of your comfort zone and go big.

Erin Nelson, a photojournalism major/art minor who graduated in May 2013, chose to react to artist John Wilson’s “Dialogue,” an intaglio print of a young boy’s face next to a skull. The class was learning the intaglio printing technique using Art by Erin Nelson 6x9-inch metal plates, but for Nelson’s playful take on “Dialogue,” for which she used her dog as the subject, that size just wouldn’t do. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put all of that even in a 9x12 plate, so I really went big and put it into an 18x24. Sarah likes to say I kind of skipped a whole semester in doing that,” said Nelson. “It put me out of my comfort zone, but at the same time, I think that was a good thing.”

Before you answer, consider the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama. The late Paul R. Jones was an art collector who over his lifetime amassed one of the largest collections of AfricanAmerican art in the world. His selections were eclectic, but they all reflected his passion: “The collection speaks of a politics of integration and equality, revival, trying to fundamentally change the path of art history and the way that we understand art and its categories,” said Lucy Curzon, assistant professor of art history at UA and director of education and outreach for the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art. In 2008, Jones donated 1,700 56

pieces from his collection, valued at $4.8 million, to UA. But the collection is not here merely to be admired from afar – it’s an interactive learning tool for UA students of all disciplines, from art to political science. Kevin Jones, now a sophomore, was a freshman when he began working as a research assistant under Curzon as part of the Emerging Scholars Program. While looking through the Paul R. Jones Collection archives, he stumbled upon his research subject: “The Thai portion of it really hit me because I thought, what drew Paul Jones to this? This isn’t really his style based on the rest of what he collected, so what are these and why did he see these as important?” said Kevin Jones.

Paul R. Jones acquired the 16 pieces of Thai art in the collection during his travels as a high-level administrator in the Peace Corps in the 1960s and ’70s, but not much else is known about the works. “The most we have on any of them is the first name of the artist and maybe a year and a title,” said Kevin Jones, “so it’s a big uncharted territory within the collection.” Therein lies the great opportunity presented by the Jones Collection: the chance for the student to be the expert, the creator of art history. “Kevin’s doing some really authentic sleuthing,” said Curzon. And it’s in the sleuthing that Curzon sees students hone their critical-thinking skills, as they have to determine for themselves whether a source is reliable. Continued on page 59

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

Lesson 2: Explore and do what you love.

Exploring the archives of the Jones Collection to find her inspiration piece was big moment for Kayla Huguley. “Just getting to see a lot more of the collection was awesome. We walked in and I’d never seen that much of it before. Any time we’ve seen it, it’s just the selected pieces in the gallery in different shows, but seeing it all together like that was incredible,” said Huguley, an art major who graduated in May 2013. She chose to respond to Cedric Smith’s “Southern Fried,” a giant painting of a chicken with the words “Southern Fried” across it. Art by Kayla Huguley

“It’s big and it’s red and it kind of envelops you,” said Huguley. “Everything I do involves chickens – I really love them. So as soon as I saw that, I thought, well, I’ve got to do this now.” Huguley opted to create a quieter moment with her small screen print, but she was inspired by the reds in Smith’s painting. “It’s just really warm and familiar. I like it because it makes me think of home.”

Lesson 3: To learn from the masters, get up close and personal.

Ben Bailey, a senior art major, was intrigued by the sculptural quality of artist Mamie Joe Rayburn’s intaglio prints. Rayburn achieved this effect by piecing together multiple metal plates instead of using a single rectangular plate. When the plates are pressed into the paper, the paper rises up between the joints, giving the print a three-dimensional quality that’s not possible with only one plate. For Bailey, who used the multi-plate technique for his final Art by Ben Bailey project, this learning experience was made possible by seeing the art in person, versus a flat reproduction in a book or on a computer screen. That’s why having the Jones Collection on campus is such a valuable tool for UA students. “Especially our generation, we see the pictures [of art] on the Internet and we build this false understanding in our head. We say, ‘Oh, we’ve seen that,’ when we haven’t. We’ve seen pictures of it. But when you see it [in person] and you can see a brush stroke, you can relate because you say, ‘I’ve made a brush stroke that looks like that’ – that personal, nonfiltered experience was a pretty special moment for me,” said Bailey.

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

Kevin Jones visits the archives of the Jones Collection at Mary Harmon Bryant Hall. Artworks not on public display at the Paul R. Jones Gallery are carefully kept in storage here.

“Kevin’s doing some really authentic sleuthing,” said Lucy Curzon, assistant professor of art history. And it’s in the sleuthing that Curzon sees students hone their critical-thinking skills, as they have to determine for themselves whether a source is reliable. Continued from page 56

“Students do tend to learn,” said Curzon, “that with a lot of these artists – not just the Thai artist that Kevin is working on, but AfricanAmerican artists in general, which are 95 percent of the collection – often what we do find is anecdotal. It is information that wouldn’t necessarily be considered scholarly, not because it isn’t valid information, but because no scholarly practices have evolved around this work in the past, nor was this work in and of itself considered part of the canon of art history.” So when Kevin Jones hesitated to use a lead about a Thai artist by the first name of Wancharoen because the website was not a scholarly source, Curzon used it as a teaching moment.

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h

“We had the discussion about distinguishing between reliable and unreliable sources,” said Curzon. “But also when you don’t have anything, you kind of have to go with something. If there’s this branch that’s being held out, you shouldn’t not use it.” The artist, whose full name is Wancharoen Japakang, from the town of Chiang Mai, turned out to be fairly famous in Thailand. Though he was not in major artist databases, Kevin Jones did find blogs and other obscure sources that mentioned him and even reached out by email to an American expatriate who had once interviewed the artist. “It was really cool that just from a first name that someone, presumably Paul, had written in the corner of the canvas … T h e

taking that and then rediscovering the history of these paintings,” said Kevin Jones, who presented his findings last April at UA’s undergraduate research conference. The information that student researchers uncover helps flesh out the Jones Collection’s artist files and supplement exhibit materials. Sometimes it turns out that an artist is quite well known. For instance, the late Georgia folk artist Reuben Aaron Miller fashioned a living out of making metal cutout whirligigs, and his spinning outdoor sculptures were featured in a video for the band R.E.M. However, many times, all that can be verified is that an artist is deceased, which in itself is valuable information. And then there are the times when nothing at all can be found about an artist. One student, despite going to great lengths, could not even decipher an artist’s first name to begin biographical research. “What I like to emphasize to the students when they’re doing this sort of work,” said Curzon, “is that when they come up against a dead end, they should start to think about things not as specific

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

A UA student views the show “React” at the Paul R. Jones Gallery in downtown Tuscaloosa.

“It was really cool that just from a first name that someone, presumably Paul, had written in the corner of the canvas … taking that and then rediscovering the history of these paintings.” — Kevin Jones

as a name but something that is much more general. We can date the piece of work. We can determine from what the artist was depicting in a particular image that this might have been an artist who was working in the United States. So why not work out from there? Think about the date, think about the cultural context of the United States in 1978.” Finding that bigger story – a piece of art’s meaning in the larger context of our culture and history – can be just as illuminating as uncovering the details of an artist’s life. Just ask Jane Smith, a UA Emerging Scholar and a senior psychology major with minors in art history and addictive disorders and recovery, who is assisting with the editorial development of a book about the Jones Collection. As a psychology student, Smith is particularly interested in art therapy and the emotional aspect 60

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

of the creation of art. Beyond simply looking at works in the collection, said Smith, the book will act as a guide on how to teach about and interact with art and will help fill an important gap in art history – which is exactly what Paul R. Jones had in mind when developing his collection. “If your average professor opened an art history textbook, like Gardner’s, they would not see works like the ones in the Jones Collection,” said Smith. “However, especially in classes that go into modern eras, whether an English class or a cultural studies class, the works in the Jones Collection can provide an insight into the times and situations in which they were created.” Recently, Smith presented a poster about her research for the book at an undergraduate conference, where she was asked what makes art history relevant outside of specific

R e s e a r c h

academic coursework. “My answer,” said Smith, “was that art history provides a very specific insight into cultures that we frequently miss with other history classes because of how it incorporates emotions and, especially in modern times, is not necessarily the history of the victor.” UA student researchers will continue to seek out and share unknown histories and cultural lessons from the Paul R. Jones Collection. But there is one lesson that’s a constant: the example set by the man himself. As Louise Corrigan, a recent graduate of UA’s New College who worked with the Jones Collection as part of an independent study class, puts it: “Working through the Jones Collection challenged me to think about the moral compass that Mr. Jones used in every acquisition, but more importantly, every relationship he made with an artist. I appreciate … the way [he] made the artists feel valued as people and as artists, and his ability to build awareness and increase the value of the works by the vastly unknown artists. I ask myself every day, ‘Louise, what are you doing to add value to the world?’”

T h e

u n i v e r s i t y

o f

a l a b a m a

“ One of the values of research is that it does give the students a feel for what it’s like to be a biologist, or a historian or a person devoted to the study of communication. This gives students a feel for what it is like to be a professional in a discipline.” Dr. Ann Webb, Director of Undergraduate Research, College of Arts and Sciences

u n d e r g r a d u a t e

R e s e a r c h