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Undergraduate Scholars Forum
April 19, 2012
Westminster College 5th Annual Undergraduate Scholars Forum April 19, 2012 Westminster is committed to promoting undergraduate research and to developing young scholars. For many years, our students have presented their research both on and off campus, in a variety of settings. The Undergraduate Scholars Forum, however, allows the College to highlight our students’ achievements in a formal and comprehensive way. On this day, over 150 students from 16 departments will offer paper presentations, poster presentations, multi-media presentations, and creative performances. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees will gather together to learn from these presenters. The Forum is truly a celebration of scholarship on our campus and a way to show off all the great work our students do.
Opening Session (9:00-10:15) Champ Auditorium
Welcome:
Dr. Carolyn Perry, Dean of Faculty
Keynote Address:
Heather Triplett Biehl ‘89 Vice President, BBN Technologies “Living a Life of Intelligence”
Student Presentations: Emily Moore “Presidential Influence on the CIA: Striking a Balance Between Support and Oversight” Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tobias Gibson Brittney Regal “Ethnic Polarization and Decolonization” Faculty Advisor: Dr. Susan Divine Christopher Stiegler, Kyle Klahs, and Travis Niemeyer “Conceptions and Beliefs of Evolutionary Theory among Westminster Students” Faculty Advisor: Dr. Gabe McNett
Keynote Speaker Heather Triplett Biehl was born in St. Charles, Missouri, and grew up in Jefferson City. She graduated from Westminster College in 1989 with majors in History and Political Science. While here, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, Student Foundation, Omicron Delta Kappa, Alpha Chi, and was President of the Chaplains Associates. Heather has served on the Board of Trustees since 2009, and received Westminster’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. She also received the Alpha Chi Distinguished Alumni Award at its National Convention in March 2011 and the Jefferson City High School Outstanding Alum Award last spring. Ms. Biehl has spent over twenty years working in, or supporting, the US Intelligence Community. For a decade, she was an analyst in the CIA’s Near East Office, serving as a senior member of the Iraqi analysis team and on counterterrorism issues. There she was responsible for research and preparation of briefings and publications for the White House, National Security Council, State Department, Pentagon, and other policy makers and foreign dignitaries. After moving to the Boston area in 1995, she also served as the CIA liaison to the Boston FBI office on terrorism issues. In 2002, Ms. Biehl joined a Burlington, MA based MIT spin-off company and became a founding member of Alphatech’s Defense and Intelligence Program Office. In May 2008, Ms. Biehl moved to Cambridge-based BBN Technologies to establish its first Intelligence Program Office, and currently serves there as Vice President. Ms. Biehl also continues to respond to specific senior level government requests. For instance, the Deputy Director of CIA’s Counterterrorism Center personally asked her to write the CIA’s portion of the National Counterterrorism Implementation Plan in 2007. Her 85-page paper went to the White House and was adopted as the CIA’s blueprint for their efforts in the Global War on Terror. Heather and her husband, Bob, live in Acton, Massachusetts. Bob is a Northwestern and George Mason graduate, and he has spent 25-years serving the US Intelligence Community as well. They have two children, Alexander and Sophie.
Concurrent Sessions 1 (10:30-11:45): Education Action Research Poster Session Dr. Jim Concannon, Moderator CSC 126 Joseph Armendariz “High School Students’ Perceptions of Good Physical Education Instruction” Kaitlin Aubuchon “Classroom Management” Anna Bohn “Differences in Motivation Between Males and Females in High School” Erikka Brown “Reasons for the Seasons: Students’ Misconceptions” Allison Campbell “Teamwork versus Mework” Erin Connaughton “To Sing or Not To Sing?” Michaela Cummings “Differences in Self-Efficacy Between Genders in the Classroom” Matthew Dodd “A Comparison of Students’ Test Scores and Ways of Studying” Kaily Downey “Effects of Eating Breakfast on GPA” Gregg Edwards “Student Participation in Physical Education” Breon Evans “Students’ Misconceptions about Astronomical Phenomena” Michelle Fandl “Reading Comprehension: Alone or All Together?”
Justin Grahl “Students’ Perceptions of Testing in Social Studies” Catherine Goltermann “Reading Comprehension” Christen Goltermann “Teaching Styles in the Classroom” Amber Haslag “Examining Book Choice of First Graders at Home Versus School”
Dan Hohenstein “Technology Within Physical Education” Justin Johnson “Fifth Graders’ Conceptions of Math” Laura Kapeller “Manipulatives in Mathematics” Andi Kim “Students’ Mastery of Mathematical Tasks in Group Versus Individual Settings” Olivia Lancia “Career Developing Program Effects on Motivation” Laci Luff “Elementary PE in a Secondary Gym” James Martin “Student Participation” Brandon McDaniel “Making Moves with Music” Emily McDaniel “Misconceptions About Grammar” Molly Mendenhall “PH-ON-ICS with Beginner Readers”
Rachael Nolting “Why Reading in Math is a Good Thing” Kaelin O’Connor “Does Desk Arrangement Make a Difference?” Kim Petiford “Outcomes of Using Computers in Seventh Grade” Haylee Rethman “’Hearing’ and ‘Doing’: A Study of Student Participation in Kinesthetic vs. Audio Lessons” Madalyn Reymond “Reading Comprehension” Michael Schulte “The Middle School Transition” Morgan Shipley “Problems with Classroom Management” Camille Stiegler “Read to Me or Read Myself? A Question for Teaching Middle School” Robert Thum “Students’ Misconceptions about the American Civil War” Jessica Vaughn “Native Americans through the Eyes of Children” McKenzie Wagner “Students’ Misconceptions of the Parts of Speech” Claire West “Pitfalls of Teaching that Hurt Student Learning” Trevor White “Seventh versus Eighth Graders’ Knowledge of PE” Suzan Young “Interdisciplinary Art in the Classroom”
Defining the Nation Susan Divine, Moderator CSC 138 Brian Waters “A Case for Nationalism, Sudan” Brittney Regal “International Organizations and Nationality: A New Type of Sovereignty?” Estefanía Morera Mendez “Deterritorialization and Cosmopolitanism in Jerusalem”
British and American Literature Theresa Adams, Moderator CSC 139 Geoff Brewer “Princes to Act: Contradiction and Complexity in Shakespeare’s Second Tetralogy” Emily Grand “Feminism in Gothic Literature and Today: Damsels, Dangers, or Both?” Chelsea Tuthill “Bias and Cultural Trends Behind Literary Prizes”
Economics 1 Dr. Rabi Bhandari, Moderator CSC 239 Enni Kallio “The Rich and the Poor: The Changing Income Distribution in the U.S.” Emily Moore “A Look into American Poverty” Gaurav Khanal “Reading Between the Lines: The FED Model and the Discrepancies” Matt Borst “The Effect of Ethanol on Crop Prices and Production”
History and Culture Dr. Sam Goodfellow, Moderator CSC 329 Mercedez Clewis “Aftermath: The Story of the Korean Comfort Women” Brad DiMariano “The DSK Affair” Kristen Thurman “Elites and Non-Elites” Kingara Wanjiku “Mau Mau”
Biology and Computer Science Poster Session Dr. Dawn Holliday and Dr. Ed Mirielli, Moderators CSC Atrium Taylor Allen, Hogan Davis, Nick Epstein, Ashten Riecke, and Mylhan Myers “Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Melatonin Levels and its Correlation to Cognitive Function” Kenna Cornelson, Courtney Darkow, Max Edele, David Strawhun, Matthew Roehrs, and Melissa Goodman “Grunting During Exercise- Improving Performance or Aggravating Others?”
Alexander Meyer “Community Revitalization Though Refurbishment of IT Resources” Cori Miller “User Interface Design and Testing” Kevin Moritz, Tarah Bechtold, Michael Robnak, Adam Ross, and Jacob Schuster “The Effect of Power Balance Technology on Muscle Strength and Activity” Andrew Moulton, Nathan Moulton, Erica Smith, and Nick Epstein “Student-led Teaching Tools for Undergraduate Cadaveric Dissection”
Emma Ray, Katy Braden, Erica Smith, Travis Niemeier, and Misty Todd “Sensory Perception and Intake of Food and Its Effect on Blood Glucose Levels” Jacob Rex, Basanta Gurung, Brianna Mormann, Anru Shen, and Ethan Porter “Role of Creatine Supplementation on Brain Function and Physiological Responses” Matthew Weaver “Chemical Inventory Tracking System” Douglas Webster “Gesture Controlled Computing- Analysis and Feasibility”
Concurrent Sessions II (1:00-2:15 p.m.) Gender and Culture Poster Session Dr. Debra Brenegan, Moderator CSC 205 Octaviana Farina “Analyze Songs and Lyrics” Kevin Adam “Women Advertisement” Anna Ahlvin “Women in the Media” Caroline Ayers “Gender Roles in One Tree Hill” Julia Clark “Gender Stereotyping in Print Advertisements” Dennis Dert “Women in the Eyes of the Media” Ejironghene Ekperigir “Analysis of Gender, Race, S.O., and Class in Sitcoms” Makenzie Gash “Lady GaGa: Reinventing the Ideas of Womanhood”
Natasha Ives “Is Sex Really What It’s All About?” Elizabeth Klaffenbach “Gender and Dating” Nantana Kwangtong ” Feminist Issues in ‘Victoria’s Secret’” Kendall Lewis “Media Today” George Liggins “Sexism in the Music Industry” Matthew Merchant “Woman Used” Andrew Presnell “Reality of Commercial Advertisement” Amannisa Sawuti “Working Rights in Different Countries” Allegra Squitieri “Music and Gender Expectations” Kyle Watts “Stereotypes of Women and Men” Xiaoman Ying “Advertisements and Gender”
Technology and Culture Dr. Selcen Phelps, Moderator CSC 138
Vladimir Rozovskiy “CollegeBase: Opening a Portal to Student-Driven Education” Danielle Smulcenzski and Bongiwe Shongwe “Music Industry in Japan”
Claudio Velasco; Sean Roberts “Innovation through iPhone Applications”
Social Media and Technology Dr. Maureen Tuthill, Advisor CSC 139 Kirsten Carney “Letter-Writing and Twitter Andrew R. McHugh “Technology and the Human Spirit: A Philosophical, History and Physical Exploration” Laura Sanders “Lyceums in Early America”
Economics 2 Dr. Sonia Manzoor, Moderator CSC 239 Sneha Bhandari “Impact of Immigration on Trade” Haoyi Yang “Economics and Crime” Cody Powers “Comparison of Income Support Programs during Financial Crisis: A Study of the Great Depression and the Great Recession” Tselmeg Enkhbayar “Economic Performance and Technology Shock in the US Economy
Political Science and Transnational Studies Dr. Kurt Jefferson, Moderator CSC 329
Sahadev Rai “World Bank and Indian Poverty: Should Their Relationship be History or Future? Estefania Morera “American Foreign Policy: US vs. the FARC”
Mylhan Myers “An Examination of the Decision to use the Atomic Bomb” Brian Waters “Nationalism and Sudan”
Literature and Music in Transnational Perspective Dr. Heidi LaVine, Moderator CSC Lecture Hall Ann Amenuvor “Language and Decolonization of Africa” Felicia Lang “Darkness: Analysis of Japanese Identity through Murakami’s Eyes” Liridona Osmanaj “A Story of How Feeling Became Songs, Songs Became a National Voice, and Voice Became an Action - R. Abele” Brittney Regal “Literature of Conflict”
Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Physics Poster Session Dr. Jeff Mayne, Moderator CSC Atrium Nick Epstein and Andrew Baldwin “Carbonic Anhydrase: An Investigation and Purification of CA Alpha and Beta and its Effects on E. Coli When Over-Expressed” Bhuwan Ghimire, Kristen Thurman, Tripti Giri, Haleem Azmy, and Marina DeCastro “Infrared Optical Properties of Saline Solutions” Basanta Gurung “Acetylcholine Esterase Expression During Neural Stem Cell Differentiation” Samantha Hollenberg, Amanda Cicak, and Collins Scott “Veterinary Antibiotics and Agroecosystems”
Xiaohe Huang, Mulubrhan Gebrekidan, Jacob Burch, Zachary Schools, and James Jones “Batch pH Oscillations in Briggs-Rauscher Reaction” Justin King and Bryan Njeba “Comparative Analysis on the Purification of the Enzyme LDH” Joshua Kling “Eclosion Site Preference of 13-Year Cicada Species” Brock Lundak, Andrew Moulton, and Johnathan Preston “Purification and Characterization of Carbonic Anhydrase” Gavin Magruder, Mylhan Myers, Minela Suljicic, and Whitney Noltensmeyer “Purification and Properties of Alkaline Phosphatase” Paola Protti Nunez, Jacob Rex, Melissa Goodman, and Gus Lyles “Purification of Invertase from Honeydew Honey” John Scott, Brayan Munoz, Joanna Rivas, and Dlamini Qiniso “Extraction and Purification of Polyphenoloxidase”
Concurrent Sessions III (2:30-3:45 p.m.) America’s Most Scandalous Women Poster Session Dr. Cinnamon Brown, Moderator CSC 126 LaShaye Allen “The New Age of a Scandalous Woman” Megan Deatherage “Bringing Scandal to Hollywood” Jeannae Eckelkamp “I’m Dreaming the Hardest” Jonathan Haller “The Forfeit and Her Folly” Anna Holyan “Sacrificial Priestess of Madness and Art”
Sarah Humphreys “Over the Rainbow: The Life of Julie Garland” Wanjiku Kingara “The Many Faces of Scandalous” Kathryn Leetch “Scandalous” Molly Mendenhall “Taking a Seat for Civil Rights” Sean Peterson “Courtney Love: A Fine Line Between Love and Hate” Clare Sanchez “Murderous Ma”
Economics 3 Dr. Rabi Bhandari, Moderator CSC 138 Ann Amenuvor “Educated Women and their Role in Reducing Infant Mortality” Laura Banner “Gender (In)Equality and its Components: Influences on Economic Growth in Countries with Differing Human Development Indexes” Pradipti Rajbhandari “The Impact of Economic Freedom on the Overall Development Pattern in the Height Remittance Recipient Countries” Sheila Nimoh “Leadership, Size and Performance of Companies”
Liberty vs. Security Dr. Tobias Gibson, Moderator CSC 138 T.J. Homan “The Land of the Free? An Examination of Liberty vs Security”
Richard Sterns “Land of the Free: A Defense of American Civil Liberties”
Kyungwoong Han “Balancing National Security and Active Liberty” Michael Applegate “Collaboration for the People” Anna Holyan “Necessary Tensions”
Math and Biology Dr. Erin Martin, Moderator CSC 139 Bhuwan Ghimire “Raman Spectroscopy Investigation in the NWA 3118 Meteorite: Implication for Planet Formation” Phil Klahs “Apis Melifera: Nature’s Mathematician” Brayan Munoz “Extraction of Antibiotic Substances from Lichens”
Haoyi Yang “Financial Derivations and Strategies”
Psychology Dr. Ted Jaeger, Moderator CSC 329 Michaela Cummings, Katie Silvey, Alex Berry, and Olivia Lancia “The Effect of Parenting Styles on Adjustment, Academic Achievement, and Stress of College Freshmen” Karma Gurung “Effect of Color and Stimulus Intensity on Time Perception” Halen Rudolph, Kristen Painter, and Stefano Smith “Unlimited Messaging, Limited Memory: The Effects of Age and Technology on Recall Ability”
Experiential Learning Dr. Bob Seelinger, Moderator CSC Lecture Hall Lee Goatley and Misty Todd “Biology in Belize: A Global Westminster Tradition” Hanna Minchow-Proffitt and David Strawhun “Microloan Financing: Growing Business and Friendships over 7,000 Miles Away” Estefania Morera “President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge at Westminster College”
4:00-5:00 p.m. President’s Reception CSC Atrium ——————————————————————————————
Special Thanks: Cover Design by Caroline Slavin ’13, an English Major from Brashear, Missouri Members of the Teaching and Learning Committee for Organizing the Sessions: Dr. Theresa Adams, Dr. Jim Concannon, and Dr. Gabe McNett Dr. David Stubbs and the Alumni Council for Prizes for Best Paper and Poster Alpha Chi and The Ambassadors