Student Research and Innovation Week

See specific events listed below- Oral, Poster and Creative Presentations are each listed as their own session. 

When a tropical cyclone (TC) undergoes extratropical transition (ET), it changes its trajectory and begins to move eastward, as opposed to its original westward direction. This “recurvature” in the mid latitudes can lead to the TC interacting with the extratropical jet stream, which could amplify the extratropical flow of the jet and cause severe weather events a great distance downstream (Archambault 2013). In order to forecast these extreme weather events, it is critical to understand the characteristics of the TC’s interaction with the extratropical jet that yield favorable conditions for amplification of extratropical flow. Characteristics of the TC, the large scale flow pattern, and the phasing between their interaction are investigated, as they are all factors that impact the extratropical flow response. / This project’s main objective is to analyze the climatological relationship between extratropical transitioning tropical cyclones and waves on the extratropical jet in the Atlantic basin. These results are compared to those from the North Pacific, which were analyzed in Archambault et al. (2013). Investigation begins by examining characteristics of TCs, the extratropical jet stream, and their interaction to determine the features that lead to significantly amplified extratropical flow. A main goal is to discover a position of optimal phasing between the jet and the TC that yields significantly amplified flow. This project then examines whether the results are sensitive to the metrics used to characterize jet strength and the disturbance. Explicit testing and calibration of the metrics are performed using Hurricane Hanna as a test case. /

It is well known that cultural and societal norms limit women’s ability to freely develop their gender identity, and based on research over the past couple of decades, queer and lesbian women’s gender identities are also adversely affected by the surrounding culture. For queer women of color, ethnic and racial identities often maintain stricter cultural and gender norms, potentially further hindering their gender identity development. The purpose of this study is to explore how gender is performed in the lesbian community, and how these gender expressions, such as “butch” and “femme”, support or affirm one’s identity as a queer woman of color. This study focuses on the intersection and conflict between one’s “womanhood” and central identities: race/ethnicity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. Furthermore, it examines how gender expressions are formed and how outside influences, such as stereotypes and gender norms, contribute to their formation. Most studies of this nature have not focused on race or ethnicity as a contributing factor to gender expression, making this study unique in its focus on women of color. Surveys, interviews, and visual media were used to gather data. Participants were asked to provide three (3) photos that represent their gender expression or the conflict between their identities to discuss during their interview. Surveys were used to determine common themes between the participants’ identity formation.

More and more, religion scholars question the usefulness of the category of “religion.” Many reject presumptions that that which “religion” signifies is unique, universal, inherently meaningful, and perhaps more importantly, self-evidently “religious." "Religion” is thus re-conceived as a modern technology in which it, as a fabricated private and non-performative domain, contains political dissent. Such arguments, however, depend upon a distinction between these two categories, the religious and the political, rather particular to North America. My project, in contrast, aims to explore these categories through an ethnography of the lives of contemporary Brazilian Christians. Shifted ever so slightly, it appears that this case would support arguments that suggest the religious is in fact encompassed by the political.

The United States spends more money on healthcare per capita than any other country in the world. Musculoskeletal complaints comprise a high proportion of these patients with the majority of expenditures directed towards high cost procedures such as surgery, imaging and medications. These expenditures have been attributed to unreliable and invalid assessment methods leading to inaccurate diagnoses, fragmentation of care, imprudent efforts to contain costs instead of maximizing value, a disincentive towards efficiency, and suboptimal outcomes. Therefore, accurate and reliable assessment methods are essential to formulate a precise diagnosis which has been speculated to decrease practice variation, contain costs, and improve outcomes. Evidence suggests that Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) as a diagnostic paradigm has demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability as well as diagnostic and prognostic validity among experienced clinicians when used with patients with spinal disorders. Mckenzie’s original description indicated that MDT could also be applied to extremity problems; however, little is known about the inter-examiner reliability of the method when used to identify MDT shoulder interventions. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the inter-examiner agreement of MDT trained experienced clinicians to identify 104 MDT shoulder interventions in video demonstrations and paper vignettes.

107 
Julia Jensen, Chimere Ponder, Savannah Price,
Dr. Davis Houck, Communication and Information 
Finding Freedom Summer: History, Oral History, and Memory

In the summer of 1964, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) initiated the Mississippi Summer Project, now known as Freedom Summer. Freedom Summer was dedicated to registering black citizens to vote, creating Freedom Schools for black teenagers, and opening community centers. Those chosen as volunteers, primarily college students, were trained and sent to Mississippi, especially the Delta region where sharecropping was a way of life. In our research, we work to find surviving volunteers, interview them and record their stories. Current research into the stories of these workers has brought detailed accounts of the volunteers’ experiences, but only a select group has been formally interviewed and published.  Our research seeks to reach out to any and all surviving volunteers. Through analyzing SNCC and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) papers on microfilm, we gathered an extensive list of volunteer’s names, along with their hometowns and areas they worked in Mississippi. We also recorded colleges they attended, as well as their parents’ names. We used these lists to locate contact information for the volunteers through the Internet. We then contacted volunteers to confirm their identity as a Freedom Summer volunteer and ask if they would participate in the project. Once we have completed contacting volunteers, we will conduct interviews with those who would like to move forward with the project. Our goal is to create an online oral history archive of Freedom Summer in Mississippi and to have it available for anyone wishing to research or learn about Freedom Summer.

108 
Rebekah Entralgo-Fernandez,   Emilie Jones,   Sean Carney 
Dr. Summer Harlow,   Communication  
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown: Social Media Activism in Ferguson, Missouri 

The study focuses on the race issues and increased police militarization in Ferguson, Missouri related to the recent murder of Michael Brown. This particular part of the study focuses on the popular trend of the hashtag “If They Gunned Me Down.” Young activists on Twitter post pictures of themselves, both positive and negative, to highlight the media’s opinion of people of color in the news. The tag is meant to show the obvious bias in media portrayal of black victims of police violence through personal images. During the study we studied these images and then complied a sample of 20 images per category (categories being aspects of their personality being highlighted). The tweets show two pictures per post, one negative and one positive, which we group together to find the most common traits presented. From these qualities we are hoping to gain an idea of the way the black community views the medias opinion of their worth. In addition to this information we are also qualitatively coding tweets related to race, black culture and marketing to find celebrities involvement and influence in the issue of police brutality of the black community.

109 
McKenna L. Britton,   Jamie Karnes,   Lane Elizabeth Miller  
Prof. Shonda Stevens English 
The American Expatriate Literary Tradition

Under the mentorship of Prof. Shonda Stevens, we are researching and studying the American Expatriate Literary Tradition; creating analytical lists of displaced and expatriated American novelists, artists, and poets, and the works they have accomplished and published. Major names recognizable by the general public are Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the “Lost Generation,” but our goal is to widen the public’s view of American expatriate culture, as well as to encompass many more authors and artists who have also done incredible work, utilizing the information we find during our research. Our final goal is a university-level textbook, which will outline the American Expatriate Literary tradition, offering a definition as well as a list of authors and their literary works and travels. The text will discuss various American expatriate authors and poets, the works they have written, and what their works have said about American culture and tradition. We are currently in stage-three of our research; we are beginning to delve deeper into the literary tradition, writing up personal definitions of the movement and conducting research on specific authors and time periods. Each of us has been assigned specific authors and time periods, and we are currently gathering information on these authors the works they have written, what they have written about, where they were stationed while writing, and other appropriate information.  / 

110 
Alyssa Coleman,   Ashleigh Singleton,    Cory Dowd 
Dr. Carol Weissert,    Political Science 
The Florida Policy Agendas Project        

Term limits have a direct impact on legislative behavior. Some speculate that they improve legislative efficiency, while others believe that they hurt the legislative process. By looking at bill length and rate of passage, we have found the latter to be true. Most significantly, we discovered that term limits decrease legislators’ responsiveness. They also encourage them to produce less complex bills that have very low passage rates. Overall, term limits appear to cause legislators to be less effective at their jobs.  /  Additionally, legislative biographical information is analyzed to examine the impact of term limits. As legislators are termed out of office, new candidates, from a variety of backgrounds, are invited to enter the legislature. It is expected that post term-limited legislatures will have an increase in the number of “non-traditional" representatives (inducing the entry of women, minorities, and other historically underrepresented groups into the candidate pool). /  Through the Florida Policy Agendas Project, we hope to “explore discontinuity in legislative strategies before and after the two-stage implementation of term limits in 1992 and 2000”. We will do this by finding a link between issue attention in the media and policy outcomes in political institutions in Florida.  / 

111 
Michael P. Rivera,   Alexandra Rincones,   Inge Montoya 
Dr. Robert L. Glueckauf,   Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine 
African-American Alzheimer's Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS 2):  Phase 2 Objectives and Data Analysis Plan 

Epidemiological research estimates 5.2 million U.S. adults have Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia. The prevalence of dementia is higher in African Americans than non-Hispanic Whites, with African Americans two times more likely to develop the condition. Eighty percent of older adults with dementia receive ongoing care in the home from family caregivers. Although caregiving demands are substantial across all races and ethnicities, African-American dementia caregivers spend a greater amount of time in physically demanding tasks (e.g., bathing) than non-Hispanic White dementia caregivers. Previous research has shown dementia caregivers are at high risk for depressive disorders. Although depression-reduction interventions have been effective in improving emotional and physical health, minorities have reduced access to these interventions due to transportation and financial barriers. Lack of religious concordance with these programs also has been an obstacle to uptake. However, studies of newly-emerging, faith-based interventions have shown reduced depression in persons with chronic illnesses and their family caregivers. The objectives of the present investigation are to conduct a pilot study assessing (a) the preliminary effectiveness of faith-based cognitive-behavioral intervention, (b) caregivers’ therapeutic alliance with facilitators, and (c) facilitators’ appraisals of the quality of supervision. The focus of the intervention is skills-building (e.g., problem-solving) and support. Four semi-structured interviews with both caregivers and facilitators will be conducted over the telephone across the 12-week program. Their responses are recorded, transcribed, and content analyzed to assess the overall effectiveness of the intervention, caregivers’ relationship with their facilitator, and other important treatment factors (e.g., program manuals).

See the attached PDF for a full listing of the presenters, titles, and absracts. 

Florida  ExpertNet is a free portal of research expertise in Florida’s universities that covers most disciplines. ExpertNet is  used by undergraduate and graduate students to find faculty who share their research interests  You can access Florida ExpertNet at www.expertnet.org

Shifts in circadian rhythms, like in shift work or jetlag, have been shown to increase the risk of many metabolic disorders. Therefore, it is not surprising that many genes involved in the circadian clock mechanism have demonstrated a regulatory role in metabolism. It has been shown that E3 ubiquitin ligases can influence metabolism as well. In our initial studies, we created a knockout of two E3 ubiquitin ligases thought to be essential to the clock, βTRCP1/2, in a mouse model in order to study the proteasomal degradation machinery in mammals. Upon characterizing the circadian phenotype of this mouse, we noticed an unprecedented, metabolic phenotype after deletion of these vital ligases. These novel mutant mice lose over 30% of their body weight within 5 days while still maintaining an eating and drinking regime similar to wild-type mice. In this project, in vitro and in vivo studies aimed to look further into the causes of this phenomenon and the molecular mechanisms underlying them.

One of the most interesting areas in the field of history is the phenomenon of cultural memory, the collective perception of a group on their own history. The formation and alteration of cultural memory throughout history has become an important area of interest in the field of history, as this building of identity and memory informs how cultures operate and view themselves to this day. The cultural memory of Northern England is a major part of their identity as a people, and has been built and changed throughout time by various invading groups. This project seeks to examine the ways in which the cultural memory of the Anglo-Saxon people was altered after the Norman Invasion through historical propaganda, particularly the writings of Symeon of Durham, and the building of Durham Cathedral. Symeon, a Norman monk in Durham, is a figure who shows the power of memory in the Middle Ages, as he effectively rewrote the history of the monks who came before him, giving the new Norman population of Durham an imagined history of themselves in that place. The building of Durham Cathedral was used by the Normans to consolidate power and legitimize their reign through an emphasized devotion to the religious scene in Durham. Through analysis of historical documents and religious art used as a means of manipulation by the Normans, this research examines the pre-Norman cultural memory of Durham and investigates the ways that Anglo-Saxon perception changed to include the Normans and merge the two groups into one.

Individuals who demonstrate high Anxiety Sensitivity (AS), a fear of arousal-related sensations, are at greater risk for developing a host of psychological conditions, including anxiety and mood disorders as well as suicidality. The present study is a large-scale investigation funded by the Department of Defense that aims to assess the efficacy of a computerized treatment targeting AS for individuals with elevated suicidality. Further, the current study utilizes electroencephalogram (EEG) technology to help determine risk factors for suicidality as well as the effectiveness of the computerized treatment. Participants are hooked up to EEGs and asked to complete several computerized tasks involving viewing graphic, erotic, and neutral pictures as well as responding to visual stimuli on a monitor in front of them. Participants complete eight different tasks, each assessing unique facets of cognitive control, response inhibition, action monitoring, and emotion regulation. Brain waves during these tasks are recorded and examined for individual differences that may help elucidate the nature and effective treatment of suicidality. Results of this ongoing study are not yet available; however, we anticipate our findings to shed light on the neuropsychological processes underlying suicidality and treatment response. Future implications for the current study include: reducing risk factors for anxiety and mood conditions, especially for military personnel, providing a reduced-cost treatment for patients who cannot afford therapy, and making treatment more widely accessible for all.

This paper examines the impact of the 1746 earthquake and accompanying tsunami in Lima, Peru on the city’s society, architecture, and cultural and physical landscape. At the time of the natural disaster, Lima, the Spanish viceregal capital of Peru was under the imperial control of the Bourbon monarchy represented locally by Viceroy José Antonio Manso de Velasco who was charged with rebuilding the city. This situation of the post-disaster landscape offered colonial authorities a unique opportunity to reform local infrastructure and rework the city plan. Scholar Isaac D. Sáenz assesses the chosen artistic style of these reforms as belonging to an aesthetic discourse, which casts an older “gothic taste” against a newer buen gusto, or “good taste” that represented the enlightenment ideology of eighteenth-century Spain. The neoclassical style became the referent of taste in its restraint, order, and rationality and was employed by Bourbon reformers in Lima in an attempt to change the physical landscape of the city. In addition to considering the neoclassicism infused into Lima following the earthquake, I explore the idea of landscape in association with these changes. Considering landscape a subjective idea allows us to explore the diverse reception of the Bourbon reforms among the Limeño people. This approach draws attention to how the rigorous imposition of capitalist principles of reform in a particular American context coexisted and competed with local ideals and aesthetics leading to a complex negotiation and experience of reform.

When the Emancipation Proclamation was passed on January 1, 1863, over four million slaves were freed in the Confederacy. However, following the passing of the act, and the closing days of the Civil War, it became clear that without proper aid and guidance freed slaves would fall into a state of destitution. Thus the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands was established on March 3, 1865, and tasked with managing abandoned lands, and aiding all refugees and former slaves. The Floridian branch of the bureau opened in September that year with Officer Thomas W. Osborn as the Assistant Commissioner. Yet, despite its noble mission, the bureau has traditionally been portrayed as incompetent and corrupt. In truth, the Floridian bureau accomplished most of its agenda despite fierce opposition from Floridians and the state itself. These accomplishments include providing immediate aid and shelter to refugees and freed slaves, negotiating fair labor contracts, and establishing the first public school system Florida, which still exists today as the Florida Department of Education.

Behavioral isolation is a major barrier to hybridization among sympatric species. In anuran mating systems, the principal isolating mechanisms are acoustic signals (used in species recognition) and preferential breeding habitat. The treefrogs Hyla andersonii and Hyla cinerea are known to be behaviorally isolated, having different preferential breeding habitats, although their acoustic signals are very similar. Therefore, while their ranges overlap (i.e. sympatric), they typically do not occur in the same breeding localities (i.e. allotopic). In regions of the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama, however, males of both species call for mates from the same locality (i.e. syntopic), resulting in hybrid individuals with intermediate calls and physical characteristics. This study characterizes the calls from two allotopic localities of each species and calls from one syntopic locality to determine whether intraspecific acoustic variation occurs between the two locality types. 10 calls per species for each locality type (allotopic and syntopic) were recorded in the field and analyzed using Raven Pro 1.4 (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) and JMP Pro 10 (SAS Institute, Inc.). Among the 12 call variables analyzed, H. cinerea was found to be significantly diverging in two variables, including call duration and high frequency peak. H. andersonii was not found to be diverging in any call characteristics between localities. Our results suggest that reproductive character displacement is occurring in H. cinerea, and may lead to stronger behavioral isolation where other barriers (i.e. habitat isolation) have broken down.

Co-Parenting After Divorce is a project funded by the College of Education. It is a multi-disciplinary project that examines the effects of divorce on the family and emphasizes the importance of co-parenting after a divorce. Special attention will be paid to the effects of divorce on children at different developmental stages, the increased stress felt by parents in a divorce, strategies for co-parenting, domestic violence and divorce, information on state laws and mediation, and resources available to families in divorce.

Cancer cachexia is characterized by a process of involuntary catabolism that is associated with poorer outcomes such as decreased response to treatment, decreased functional status/quality of life, and shorter survival. The exact definition is debatable and the variability of classification criteria in the literature has limited the ability to compare results of individual clinical trials. As a result, this limits the advance of our knowledge on cancer cachexia, along with its routine clinical management. In an attempt to establish diagnostic criteria, a formal consensus process was established, proposing three possible definitions: 1. Weight loss >5% over past 6 months (in absence of simple starvation); 2. Body mass index (BMI) 2%; 3. Sarcopenia defined by lumbar skeletal muscle index determined by computerized tomography (CT) imaging (men 2%. Using baseline data from a clinical trial (n=547 patients with lung cancer), we investigated the use of these different diagnostic criteria and hypothesized that each criterion would result in a similar prevalence of cachexia. Demographic characteristics were used as well as CT images obtained as part of medical diagnosis. The prevalence of cachexia by each diagnostic criterion was approximately 47%, 8% and 41% for criterion 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Cachexia diagnosis was not consistent among the three classifications either. The recently proposed diagnostic criteria for cancer cachexia does not consistently identify individuals as having cancer cachexia which may have potential unfavorable implications to research and clinical practice.

The developmental disorder, autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH), results in reduced cerebral cortex development. Mutations in 9 centrosome protein-encoding genes characterize this genetically heterogeneous disease. We used centrosomin (cnn) mutant Drosophila as the model to dissect the disease pathway genetically. Centrosome assembly and microtubule-organizing regulation requires cnn, but cnn mutant adults survive with undefined neuropathology, presumably MCPH-related. To understand this pathology, we used an RNA interference screen to identify cnn mutant modifiers. We discovered that genes controlling oxidative stress, autophagy, and microtubule regulation by the Augmin complex strongly enhanced cnn. We investigated an Augmin complex mutant, dgt4, and found neuroblasts with impaired microtubule organization and reduced Cnn and gamma-tubulin centrosomal recruitment. dgt4 mutants show an early embryo lethality with severe microtubule-organizational defects, including a lack of microtubules attached to kinetochores. These findings suggest microtubule organization, oxidative stress, and autophagy play critical roles in MCPH. Because autophagy requires cnn and microtubules, and the combination of dgt4 and cnn mutations is lethal, I hypothesize Dgt4, and the Augmin complex, also regulate autophagy. This would be an entirely new function for this conserved protein complex. My future project will test this novel concept and contribute valuable information about autophagy regulation and MCPH mechanisms.

Individuals tend to exhibit implicit, cognitive associations between numbers and space. Small numbers become associated with left space and large numbers with right space. This “spatial-numerical association of response codes” (SNARC) provides evidence that individuals tend to sort their spatial orientations along a mental number line. Since most cultures promote the use of finger-counting as a universal means for learning to work with numbers, it is believed that the directionality of finger-counting (from left to right or right to left) impacts our comprehension and understanding of numbers in childhood. Early exposure to finger-counting affects the way we link numbers and space in adulthood. To assess finger-directionality, past studies have utilized questionnaires and self-report; however, recent findings have exposed a new measure that classifies finger-directionality by observing natural finger-counting habits and circumvents the biases associated with self-report. This current study will incorporate this task and assess whether finger-directionality truly plays a role in the association between numbers and space. We expect to find that this spatial-numerical association is absent in individuals who start finger-counting with their right hand (right-starters); this would reinforce the idea that finger-counting habits shape mental number organization. These results should help to explain variability found in previous studies and confirm the benefit of utilizing a behavioral assessment to evaluate finger-counting habits, rather than self-report measures.

This paper analyzes the complex relationship of United States Supreme Court appointments with the appointees’ geographical background. With a focus on the period of 1830-1920, this research will examine possible reasons why no justice has ever hailed from Florida in particular, and the importance of appointees’ geographical background as a whole. First, I discuss the ideological reasons that made geography so important but yet may have prevented a justice from Florida, and then I examine the practical implications of circuit riding and its relations to geographical importance. Finally, the paper looks at Nixon’s failed appointment of G. Harrold Carswell who, though technically labeled a Floridian, had equal ties to the state of Georgia.

Stable emulsions are an unavoidable consequence of bitumen oil sands recovery, where bitumen and brine are co-produced. In order to avoid refining complications, emulsions must be broken to reduce brine content before bitumen is upgraded. Knowledge of compounds present at the oil/water interface can help determine the most effective method to break undesirable emulsions. Here, we will isolate interfacial material (IM) from Athabasca bitumen using a novel wet silica method. Isolated IM will be characterized by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS).

Cochlea removal results in the death of 20-30% of neurons in nucleus magnocellularis (NM), a cochlear nucleus of the chick auditory system involved in the precise time-coding of acoustic signals. Within 1 hr of removing auditory nerve stimulation of NM, intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) rises by up to 400% while the integrity of ribosomes begins to decline. High levels of excess Ca2+ in cells are toxic and may be a cause of cell death in NM, as well as lead to ribosome dysfunction through Ca2+ signaling mechanisms. Glutamate-releasing axons of the auditory nerve have been shown to maintain NM neuron health by activating group I and II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), preventing Ca2+ increases and maintaining ribosomal integrity. This study aims to determine how [Ca2+]i and ribosomal integrity are maintained by auditory nerve stimulation by selectively blocking mGluR subtypes during stimulation. The abundance of Ca2+ in NM neurons was quantified using in vitro ratiometric calcium imaging, while ribosomal integrity was assayed in the same tissue slices using Y10B immunolabeling. It was expected that group I and group II mGluRs act on independent mechanisms to control both calcium and ribosome homeostasis. So far, blockade of both groups of mGluRs have led to ribosome integrity changes, but surprisingly only group I blockade results in increased [Ca2+]i. These preliminary results suggest dissociation in how calcium and ribosomes are regulated in NM neurons.

My project, Building Worlds; Creating an Affordable and Efficient Virtual Reality, began in August of 2014. The objective of my project is to explore the phenomena of virtual reality through its developing technologies, its future educational opportunities, and its application as a medium of art. I spent the first semester of my research, the fall semester of 2014, gathering information on current virtual reality and immersive environment trends. This semester, the second semester of my research, I began designing a written model of a medium for virtual reality. I interviewed the nations most revered virtual reality pioneers and gathered from their discussions a set of strengths and weaknesses of current technologies. I also traveled to Japan to the Chiba Institute of Technology to see how immersive environments and augmented reality technologies were evolving around the earth. Finally, I attended a conference event hosted by the Entertainment Technologies Center at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California. Through meeting and networking with the attendees of this event, I further solidified my own proposed model of a virtual environment technology by learning about each individuals past successes and failures. Through my research, I not only took the name of Florida State University undergraduate research further around the world, but I also gained a complete understanding of the realm of immersive environments and have designed my own model of virtual reality technology.

Hurricane Sandy (2012) had one of the greatest economic impacts of any hurricane in United States history. However, its broader scientific impacts, especially its impacts on the chemistry of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, have not been documented. This study uses the Weather Research and Forecasting with Chemistry model (WRF-Chem), run at a convective-permitting resolution, to examine the transport of pollutants inside Hurricane Sandy as it made landfall along the Eastern Seaboard. Although several pollutants were examined, the concentrations of CO throughout the atmosphere and the transport of CO from sources along the coast in Hurricane Sandy's convective region were the primary focus. A forward-trajectory analysis also was performed using the high-resolution WRF-Chem data as input to the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT). The results of this high-resolution chemical and meteorological simulation will be presented with a focus on transport to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. To our knowledge, such high-resolution chemical and meteorological simulations of tropical cyclones have not been reported in the previous literature.

In developing my personal style and philosophy as a director I spent 4 months writing a 17-page script that emulated story structure, characters, and tones from films I admire. My research included watching reference films from different eras and directors, which helped drive my writing decisions during story development. / Once I built a cast, I rehearsed with them each week and made script revisions based on how the story played once it was lifted off the page. / During pre-production I worked with a crew on obtaining locations, shot design, obtaining equipment, and production design. We then moved into production where we spent 6 days shooting scenes in 8 different locations around Tallahassee. / Once production was complete, I moved into post-production where I spent 2 months editing and sound designing the film. / The film is about a playwright who struggles to find personal connection and honesty in her work until she spends a night with an actor who helps her step out of her comfort zone. /

After thirty years of street conflict between the Protestant and Catholic communities, the Good Friday Agreements were signed in 1998. The paramilitaries were disbanded, and a new power sharing structure was created in Northern Ireland. However, the residents of Belfast are left with memories of The Troubles—most of which are traumatic in nature. Yet the city pushes forward with its re-imaging projects, attempting to recover from its history by funding positive, uplifting works of public art that offer a chance for reflection and reconciliation. / / Yet this leaves a question: you can re-image a city by painting over murals, but can you re-image people? These stories pull on my own experience working within Belfast, as I spoke to people with differing opinions on what re-imaging meant, and what reconciliation—and peace—looked like. Additionally, there was the question as to how to represent a culture: are Celtic knots enough to personify Catholic’s feelings of Irish-ness? Is the Titanic an appropriate symbol for the Protestant work ethic? Additionally, each person had a different vision of peace, and what peace meant in the 21st century context. / / After speaking to ex-prisoners, community leaders, politicians, and young college students on the streets, this project pulls on these stories and retells both their experiences and those of the researcher as an outsider to this changing social landscape.

These poems explore my own identity through the relationships I have with my family, past romantic prospects, and pop-culture.

In 1928, Alec Wilder created his first musical score for a 13-minute silent film, The Fall of the House of Usher. This score was never finalized, but it bears great historical significance in the style of the music, and how it plays off of the visual cues in the film. However, the original score only survives today in the form of a continuity draft and an incomplete orchestration. The goal of this project is to reunite the original score with the film using music and film analysis, historical research, and interpretation. Many programs, including Finale 2014 and Adobe Premiere Pro, were used to edit and synchronize a realized audio file of the score with an archived copy of the film.

Homegoing is a modernization of the myth behind the dichotomy between Haitian goddesses, Erzulie-Dantor and Erzulie-Freda. Homegoing intertwines Haitian mythology, Black burial traditions, and the holiday Juneteenth to create a story about grief, spirituality, and sisterhood.

See attached PDF for full listing of posters, presenters, titles, and absracts. 

107
Julia Jensen, Chimere Ponder, Savannah Price,
Dr. Davis Houck, Communication and Information
Finding Freedom Summer: History, Oral History, and Memory

In the summer of 1964, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) initiated the Mississippi Summer Project, now known as Freedom Summer. Freedom Summer was dedicated to registering black citizens to vote, creating Freedom Schools for black teenagers, and opening community centers. Those chosen as volunteers, primarily college students, were trained and sent to Mississippi, especially the Delta region where sharecropping was a way of life. In our research, we work to find surviving volunteers, interview them and record their stories. Current research into the stories of these workers has brought detailed accounts of the volunteers’ experiences, but only a select group has been formally interviewed and published.  Our research seeks to reach out to any and all surviving volunteers. Through analyzing SNCC and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) papers on microfilm, we gathered an extensive list of volunteer’s names, along with their hometowns and areas they worked in Mississippi. We also recorded colleges they attended, as well as their parents’ names. We used these lists to locate contact information for the volunteers through the Internet. We then contacted volunteers to confirm their identity as a Freedom Summer volunteer and ask if they would participate in the project. Once we have completed contacting volunteers, we will conduct interviews with those who would like to move forward with the project. Our goal is to create an online oral history archive of Freedom Summer in Mississippi and to have it available for anyone wishing to research or learn about Freedom Summer.

108
Rebekah Entralgo-Fernandez,   Emilie Jones,   Sean Carney
Dr. Summer Harlow,   Communication 
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown: Social Media Activism in Ferguson, Missouri

The study focuses on the race issues and increased police militarization in Ferguson, Missouri related to the recent murder of Michael Brown. This particular part of the study focuses on the popular trend of the hashtag “If They Gunned Me Down.” Young activists on Twitter post pictures of themselves, both positive and negative, to highlight the media’s opinion of people of color in the news. The tag is meant to show the obvious bias in media portrayal of black victims of police violence through personal images. During the study we studied these images and then complied a sample of 20 images per category (categories being aspects of their personality being highlighted). The tweets show two pictures per post, one negative and one positive, which we group together to find the most common traits presented. From these qualities we are hoping to gain an idea of the way the black community views the medias opinion of their worth. In addition to this information we are also qualitatively coding tweets related to race, black culture and marketing to find celebrities involvement and influence in the issue of police brutality of the black community.

109
McKenna L. Britton,   Jamie Karnes,   Lane Elizabeth Miller 
Prof. Shonda Stevens English
The American Expatriate Literary Tradition

Under the mentorship of Prof. Shonda Stevens, we are researching and studying the American Expatriate Literary Tradition; creating analytical lists of displaced and expatriated American novelists, artists, and poets, and the works they have accomplished and published. Major names recognizable by the general public are Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the “Lost Generation,” but our goal is to widen the public’s view of American expatriate culture, as well as to encompass many more authors and artists who have also done incredible work, utilizing the information we find during our research. Our final goal is a university-level textbook, which will outline the American Expatriate Literary tradition, offering a definition as well as a list of authors and their literary works and travels. The text will discuss various American expatriate authors and poets, the works they have written, and what their works have said about American culture and tradition. We are currently in stage-three of our research; we are beginning to delve deeper into the literary tradition, writing up personal definitions of the movement and conducting research on specific authors and time periods. Each of us has been assigned specific authors and time periods, and we are currently gathering information on these authors the works they have written, what they have written about, where they were stationed while writing, and other appropriate information.  / 

110
Alyssa Coleman,   Ashleigh Singleton,    Cory Dowd
Dr. Carol Weissert,    Political Science
The Florida Policy Agendas Project       

Term limits have a direct impact on legislative behavior. Some speculate that they improve legislative efficiency, while others believe that they hurt the legislative process. By looking at bill length and rate of passage, we have found the latter to be true. Most significantly, we discovered that term limits decrease legislators’ responsiveness. They also encourage them to produce less complex bills that have very low passage rates. Overall, term limits appear to cause legislators to be less effective at their jobs.  /  Additionally, legislative biographical information is analyzed to examine the impact of term limits. As legislators are termed out of office, new candidates, from a variety of backgrounds, are invited to enter the legislature. It is expected that post term-limited legislatures will have an increase in the number of “non-traditional" representatives (inducing the entry of women, minorities, and other historically underrepresented groups into the candidate pool). /  Through the Florida Policy Agendas Project, we hope to “explore discontinuity in legislative strategies before and after the two-stage implementation of term limits in 1992 and 2000”. We will do this by finding a link between issue attention in the media and policy outcomes in political institutions in Florida.  / 

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Michael P. Rivera,   Alexandra Rincones,   Inge Montoya
Dr. Robert L. Glueckauf,   Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine
African-American Alzheimer's Caregiver Training and Support Project 2 (ACTS 2):  Phase 2 Objectives and Data Analysis Plan

Epidemiological research estimates 5.2 million U.S. adults have Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of dementia. The prevalence of dementia is higher in African Americans than non-Hispanic Whites, with African Americans two times more likely to develop the condition. Eighty percent of older adults with dementia receive ongoing care in the home from family caregivers. Although caregiving demands are substantial across all races and ethnicities, African-American dementia caregivers spend a greater amount of time in physically demanding tasks (e.g., bathing) than non-Hispanic White dementia caregivers. Previous research has shown dementia caregivers are at high risk for depressive disorders. Although depression-reduction interventions have been effective in improving emotional and physical health, minorities have reduced access to these interventions due to transportation and financial barriers. Lack of religious concordance with these programs also has been an obstacle to uptake. However, studies of newly-emerging, faith-based interventions have shown reduced depression in persons with chronic illnesses and their family caregivers. The objectives of the present investigation are to conduct a pilot study assessing (a) the preliminary effectiveness of faith-based cognitive-behavioral intervention, (b) caregivers’ therapeutic alliance with facilitators, and (c) facilitators’ appraisals of the quality of supervision. The focus of the intervention is skills-building (e.g., problem-solving) and support. Four semi-structured interviews with both caregivers and facilitators will be conducted over the telephone across the 12-week program. Their responses are recorded, transcribed, and content analyzed to assess the overall effectiveness of the intervention, caregivers’ relationship with their facilitator, and other important treatment factors (e.g., program manuals).

From the 1960s to the 1970s, the music of Víctor Jara contributed to Chile’s expanding socialist revolution. Though controversial, his lyrics ultimately expressed a deep love for the lower classes. Indeed, Chile’s Christian Democratic government and the country’s ruling elite considered Jara’s music a threat to their power. An understanding of Jara’s music serves to discover links between music, politics and popular movements. This study investigates the complexity of love as embodied in Jara’s music and the changing state perceptions of Jara himself. The perceptions of Jara’s music shifted with the election of socialist president Salvador Allende. At this time, the ruling regime and its followers saw Jara as an ally for revolution. Allende’s overthrow and the institution of a brutal regime under control of General Augusto Pinochet saw yet another shift in Jara’s relationship with the state. Deemed an enemy of Chile, Jara faced brutal torture and murder. Jara understood that love serves as an ideal vehicle for political communication, as it makes listeners much more receptive to the messages conveyed. Thus, investigating how an influential artist such as Jara uses love sheds light on the complex relations that develop between politically active artists, their listeners and the state. Indeed, Jara’s lyrics coincide with the messages of Chilean murals and film. Therefore, this research builds on the works of Steve J. Stern, who probes the memory of Chilean citizens in regard to Pinochet, and Dorian Lynskey, who considers the political usage of music.

The relationship between lifestyle, and boundary and identity work may lead to the reproduction of inequalities even were such dynamics seem antithetical, and contrary to a social group’s purported goals. An analysis of the boundary work done by the members of a small college student run Socialist party and the processes in the reproduction of inequalities found in this group will demonstrate how widespread these dynamics can be. Related to this analysis will be an investigation of the socio-economic status of the members of the party and attendants to their meetings, as reflected by both the socio-economic class of their parents, and more broadly as defined by their role as college students. Using collected data from participant observation and semi-structured interviews, along with theoretical reference to both interactionist work on inequality, and more Structuralist or Marxian literature on culture, and lifestyle, I hope to bring to light some of these processes and the broader forces behind them. This work will not only not only contribute to the literature on lifestyle and the reproduction of inequalities, but may also be of some use to the study of social movements, and social change.

In the early 16th century, shifts in reformed theology occurred through Europe. These shifts were encouraged by substantial contributions made from Reformation thinkers- which were based on the ideologies of John Calvin. This presentation will cover the emerging causes and precursors to these shifts, the major contributing ideologies to Renaissance-period theology (Calvin, Molina, and Arminius), and the effects of these shifts.

DNA replication timing (RT) refers to the temporal order in which segments of chromosomes are replicated during the cell cycle, which can change during differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into defined cell types. Because many diseases such as cancer exhibit a disrupted RT program compared to that of healthy cells, it is possible for the mechanism controlling RT to offer information about the origins of these diseases. It is expected that DNA sequence alone is sufficient to control the mechanism of changes in DNA RT. Introducing artificial chromosomes that carry segments of human DNA into human ESCs will demonstrate whether these segments dictate their original temporal replication. Furthermore, one can observe if the segments then change their RT appropriately during differentiation of ESCs to different cell types. If this hypothesis is correct, proper regulation of RT will be recapitulated in this artificial system. Furthermore, it will be possible to narrow down the smallest sequences necessary to regulate RT changes through various DNA sequence deletions. Through genetic engineering and nucleofection technology, I have already created a stable ESC line with human bacteria artificial chromosomes (BACs) and confirmed their long-term retention (>60 days), showing that my autonomously replication BAC system works. / / Key words: replication timing, bacteria artificial chromosomes, embryonic stem cells, development /

My research has been focused on exploring the dynamics between male and female relationships in medieval literature, specifically in the context of love triangles composed of a woman and two men. It became evident to me while studying various works that, oftentimes, within the love triangles, the female character was cast aside or otherwise ignored by the male characters in favor of relationships with each other, a contrast to the normative love triangle of two males vying for the favor of a female. I focused on an appearance of this break with the normative love triangle in Marie de France’s “Milun,” one of twelve of her Breton lais written during the Anglo-Norman period. In “Milun,” the love triangle is composed of the titular character Milun, his beloved lady, and other men, an ephemeral grouping that becomes Milun’s own son as the lai progresses. Milun continually forgoes his relationship with his beloved in favor of “other men,” seeking their validation of his honor and worthiness as a knight. Further research into the knightly masculine identity and male homosocial bonds in medieval literature revealed that male-male bonds are given primacy over male-female bonds due to men constantly being in competition with each other for attention, approval, and admiration. This presentation of my research will examine and analyze the subverted courtly love triangle in “Milun” and the perpetual male performance that mandates the superiority of Milun’s relationship with “other men” rather than with his beloved.

Since gaining independence from the British Empire in 1947, India has been in a state of great transition, growing both economically and technologically at alarming rates. As Cultural Anthropology majors, we were curious to understand how these changes were affecting local customs. While volunteering at a community organization in Tamil Nadu, India for 9 weeks we conducted a case study to explore the theme of heritage preservation. Through participant observation and casual interviews we conducted research on a recent social change of senior citizens losing their value in the area. To offer possible solutions for this problem, we also implemented a heritage appreciation project. Children and senior citizens that live at the organization were encouraged to develop meaningful bonds and form lasting relationships with one another while the seniors shared their life histories. The collected data from these meetings was then publicly displayed in the communal dining hall for residents, staff members, and donors to enjoy. We hope that by placing the seniors in positions to be seen as knowledgeable and insightful individuals by the youth, the task of reinstating their value in society can begin.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. Despite many universities having implemented suicide prevention programs, there have been no previous known between-groups design research studies on campus examining the efficacy of such programs. This study seeks to assess the efficacy of using Resident Assistants (RAs) as gatekeepers in suicide prevention in order to recognize students in distress and connect them with resources. RAs in one-half of the residence halls on campus received one-hour of specialized training in suicide prevention while the remaining RAs received one-hour of training in stress and time management. Results will examine help-seeking behaviors among residents with RAs in the treatment (suicide prevention training) and control (stress and time management training) groups as well as assess the impact of these programs on the RAs themselves. Differences will be explored across demographic groups. For this presentation I will examine the experience of RAs in both the treatment and control groups pre- and post-semester in regards to knowledge of resources, knowledge of signs of a suicidal student, attitudes towards seeking professional help, perceived competency, perceived stress, threshold of engagement with distressed and suicidal residents, and own help-seeking behaviors. These results will be used to inform changes and improvements to suicide prevention Resident Assistant training on campus. 

Ever since the introduction of cable news and the 24-hour news channel, the way in which people obtain news has significantly changed. Before this innovation, people got their TV news from a limited number of sources and could only obtain it during a certain time of the day. Now people can turn to news channels during anytime of the day and watch whatever news channel they want. With these changes, a new form of media called political satire has arisen. This type of media seeks to poke fun at the everyday political happenings and at the “hard news” media sources that cover them. Since the emergence of this media form, more and more of the youth are using this type of media as their primary source of news collection. While the current literature shows that political satire influences people to become more engaged in politics, one question that is not answered in the previous literature is the accuracy of this information acquired. My thesis seeks to answer the following question: “Is political information presented in the form of political satire more easily retained than information presented in the form of traditional news?” I believe that people who get their political information from political satire shows will better retain this information than those who acquire political information from traditional news sources.

This study examined the impact of personality characteristics of individual raters on the scoring of the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R) to determine if individuals who endorsed psychopathic personality characteristics would be more adept at detecting psychopathy in other individuals. It was hypothesized that individuals who scored higher on the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) and displayed personality characteristics resembling psychopathy would be more accurate at detecting psychopathy in other individuals and thus would rate a sample case as higher in psychopathy. Although there were no significant correlations between PCL-R Factors and TriPM Dimensions, we found two negative correlations approaching significance: PCL-R Total Score and TriPM Meanness Score (p=0.085), and PCL-R Factor 2 Score and TriPM Meanness Score (p=0.064). This could indicate that individuals who endorse psychopathic personality characteristics, particularly Meanness, could interpret psychopathic behavior as normative and would not be able to detect psychopathy in a sample case file.

The purpose of this study is to explore whether women and men respond differently to peer pressure to conform to the social norms around consumption and adornment. I will attempt to explain this relationship by observing whether there are gender differences in regards to spending habits on nonessential material items (e.g., shoes, clothing, cars, alcohol, etc.). I will also examine whether women and men perceive the social sources of peer pressure to conformity differently. The topic of peer pressure within any developing group of individuals, including college students, is one of major importance. Peer pressure shapes both positive and negative behavioral patterns and, as such, has consequences for the individual, their networks, and larger social groups. Because gender is a socially constructed phenomenon, I expect that there will be gender differences in the consumption norms but wish to empirically examine this in a small group of college students. Ultimately, studying the possible sources of pressure might provide insight into key agents of socialization that might be enlisted to encourage positive and productive behavior in women and men. In order to assess this issue, I will conduct intensive interviews with college students of both genders. The interview will consist of questions concerning class background, gendered behavior, ratings of perceptions of peer pressure, and spending habits. I will code interviews by key theme to analyze gender differences in the processes under study.

The media is an integral segment of public knowledge sources, can wield powerful influence, particularly in the dissemination of political and legislative information. The purpose of this study is outlined below / 1. to acknowledge the essential nature of the media; / 2. to provide awareness that all media information contains subjective judgments to some degree, some of this arises from media framing techniques, or the context and rationale provided by news sources that account and help explain the purpose for the event that is being reported or commented upon. / This investigation analyzes a selection of news sources from within India as well as related western sources (United Kingdom, United States) from December 2012 (starting with the New Delhi rape incident) to February 2014, for the purpose of identifying the media framing techniques that were developed during and after the New Delhi case. This paper also asks how those techniques have contributed to the progressive legislative reform in India; continued pressure that media has been placing on the Indian government in regards to violence against women; and political protections and reforms that have been deemed necessary. /

In line with consistent findings that teacher quality is one of the biggest determinants of student achievement, school districts have invested time and money into a variety of incentive policies intended to improve the quality of teaching force, with the Value Added Model emerging as the most studied and widely adopted approach to observing teacher quality. Research on different methods for compensating teachers on the basis of VAM's (i.e. merit pay for the best teachers versus firing the worst teachers) is considerably more mixed, as is generally the case in compensation problems. One problem that has been identified in the implementation of VAM’s is that students are assigned to teachers in a non-random fashion, with better students being assigned to better teachers, which poses at least two distinct problems: increasing inequity in the school system, and creating an unintentional compensation system (since teachers prefer easier-to-teach students). I propose a mechanism for student assignment based on student preferences over teachers, thereby leveraging existing merit pay systems to incentivize teachers to cater to currently underserved student subgroups.

Accurate chromosome segregation is vital for cell proliferation. The spindle pole body (SPB), the functional equivalent of the centrosome in budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is important for chromosome segregation and cell division. SPB duplication is coupled with DNA replication; duplicated SPBs separate to form a bipolar spindle that partitions chromosomes into daughter cells. Mps3, a SUN-domain protein, plays an important role in SPB duplication and separation. To study Mps3 and its interactions with other relevant proteins, we have conducted both genetic and cellular biology based experiments. We previously observed through live-cell microscopy that Mps3 localizes to the SPB as well as the nuclear envelope and acts as the “molecular glue” that links the duplicated SPBs. We have since found through a combined biochemical and genetic approach that protease activity exists to potentially regulate the function of Mps3 at the SPB and nuclear envelope. We propose that cleavage of the Mps3 protein initiates SPB segregation, which catalyzes or parallels Mps3 oligomer disassembly in the nuclear envelope. Then a bipolar spindle pushes the SPBs apart. Understanding the mechanism of SPB separation will contribute to our knowledge of chromosome segregation and cell division, which has implications in developing treatments for chromosomal birth defects.

India is now in a period of great transition. Independence from Great Britain in 1947 and the persistent influence of Western views through globalization have left the country hungry for change but also committed to retaining its own identity. Home to over one billion people, with roots spreading back to Paleolithic times, it will be fascinating to observe what cultural traditions are adapted, altered, and abandoned as India strives for success in the twenty-first century. This research identifies and discusses the changes occurring to family organizational patterns in rural areas around the megacity of Chennai, India, as a result of education and occupational expansion. Chennai is located in the state of Tamil Nadu, which holds the highest percentage of urban dwellers in the country but is also the most steadfast to its traditions and festivals. To find out how urbanization is affecting the social aspects of villages in the surrounding region, I conducted a three-month study at Sevalaya, a community organization located near Chennai, and collected data on the perceptions of these events held by staff members employed by the organization. Participant observation and qualitative, semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. My results indicate that with the expansion of higher education, a young, divergent, and independent generation is emerging; one that is not satisfied with accepting every cultural practice of their forefathers.

The murals of Oxtotitlan are some of the most exquisite examples of Olmec art in Mesoamerica. Not only are the murals visually pleasing, I posit that they display the importance of ritual, cosmology, and power in Olmec society. Current scholarship identifies the imagery in many of the paintings as addressing ritual worship in hopes of rain and fertility. I agree with this stance and would further add that some of the imagery indicates power of the rulers and elite of society. The presence of references to the rain god Tlaloc and other typical images of rain and fertility coexist alongside images of what appear to be rulers, which I argue indicate an importance and emphasis on power in society. The imagery is not only present in the ever-popular Central Group murals of Oxtotitlan but also extends to both the North and South Grottos and to other sites including those of Juxtlahuaca and Cacahuaziziqui. In concurrence with this idea, I believe the paintings of Juxtlahuaca and Cacahuaziziqui also display images relating to the importance of cosmology and ritual worship in terms of rain and fertility, but most prominently, they display imagery indicative of a powerful ruling class. By analyzing the paintings of the three sites and the scholarly literature available, I conclude that the paintings display the prominence of ritual, cosmology, and power in the collective culture of the Olmec. This influenced later traditions, as the Olmec are arguably the foundation of the great cultures that would later arise in Mesoamerica.

Soren Kierkegaard was highly critical of natural theology, i.e. the attempt to demonstrate that God exists or to learn something about God’s nature without appealing to revelation. While Kierkegaard’s aversion towards natural theology can be found throughout many his works, it is in "Philosophical Crumbs" where his most compelling arguments against natural theology are found. In this paper I want to accomplish two things. First, I want to show that Kierkegaard presents interesting objections to the various arguments for God’s existence, including the ontological, cosmological, and teleological argument. Second, I want to give an account of the leap in "Crumbs", as well as in "Concluding Unscientific Postscript", in order to understand why Kierkegaard is critical of natural theology. /

Since humans began settling in Iceland and removing native vegetation, the natural volcanically-derived soils have been rapidly eroding. Today, Iceland has one of the world’s most heavily damaged landscapes (Arnalds 2001). In the mid-1960’s, in an effort to combat widespread erosion, the Icelandic Forestry Service began planting small afforestation sites of Nootka Lupin (Lupinus nootkatensis) to strengthen and reinforce the soil with the plants’ dense root mats. Nootka Lupin, a nitrogen-fixer, thrived in the volcanic, nitrogen-deficient soils and quickly began out-competing the native heathland flora (Magnusson 2010). The spread of L. nootkatensis has been rapid but little is known about the ecological consequences of lupin dominance in native heath habitats. A field study conducted in Northeast Iceland consisting of 32 established plots on the front of encroaching lupin stands aims to discover the invasive effects of lupin on the surrounding plant and invertebrate species. By analyzing soil core dry weight and combustion data, as well as conducting a plant survey, it was discovered that increasing amounts of lupin decreases soil water and organic matter content and greatly affects plant community structure. The effect of L. nootkatensis on invertebrate diversity was measured using data collected from pitfall traps. The proportion of a plot containing lupin correlated directly with Staphylinidae, Carabidae, and Opiliones abundances and inversely with Lycosidae abundances within the plot. Fertilizer effects on invertebrate diversity were also discovered: the addition of sulfur and nitrogen fertilizers led to greater Staphylinidae and lower Opiliones abundances inside plots.

This case study will examine and document the structural, behavioral and socioeconomic factors that influence adolescents’ food choices. The documentary will be set in Miami-Dade County, home to one of Florida’s highest levels of income inequality. Stark contrasts in food security—defined as access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle—arise in areas of high income inequality due to structural factors, particularly the prevalence of supermarkets relative to non-supermarket food vendors. However, children at all income levels are susceptible to primary and secondary socialization factors, such as unhealthy family food choices and less nutritious food options that are heavily advertised in the free market. Given these factors, it is no statistical conundrum that one in four of your neighborhood’s kids and one in three of Uncle Sam’s neighborhood kids are overweight or obese (Florida 25%; US 33%). The documentary aims to expose the underlying and surface factors that lead to a “growing” adolescent population by documenting the daily food experiences of families in Miami-Dade County. Expected Completion: Fall 2015.

1 Million Cups (1MC) is a simple way to engage entrepreneurs in communities around the world. Each week, the 1MC program offers two local entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their startups to a diverse audience of mentors, advisors, and entrepreneurs. Presenters prepare a 6 minute educational presentation and engage in 20 minutes of feedback and questioning after they present. Entrepreneurs gain insight into possible ways they can improve their businesses, gather realtime feedback, connect with a community that truly cares about their progress, and walk away feeling like they have advanced their business. The audience also learns a great deal from the presentations. Whether this is through passively listening or deeply engaging with the entrepreneurs, there is much to learn every week from these dynamic and diverse communities.

http://digitech.fsu.edu/2015/

Exhibits

• Dozens of innovative student exhibits: robots, apps, creative works, tech start-ups


• Dozens of department demonstrations

http://digitech.fsu.edu/2015/

FSU SHARK TANK IS A ONE DAY PITCH COMPETITION EXCLUSIVELY FOR FSU STUDENTS. ANY CURRENT FSU STUDENT, WITH AN IDEA FOR A STARTUP, IS ELIGIBLE TO WIN FSU SHARK TANK’S $500 GRAND PRIZE. FSU SHARK TANK IS INCREDIBLY SIMPLE. ON APRIL 1ST, FROM 11:00AM-4:00PM, EACH STUDENT TEAM IS PROVIDED A 2-4 MINUTES TO PITCH IN THE FSU SHARK. SHARKS PROVIDE FEEDBACK AND THE $500 GRAND PRIZE WINNER IS ANNOUNCED AT 5:00PM! ABOVE, REGISTER FOR FSU SHARK TANK!

The DIGITECH Awards Ceremony will feature a short presentation by FSU's Vice President of Research Dr. Gary Ostrander. FSU Deans and Dignitaries will be on hand to recognize and reward students for innovating with technology in their discipline. Awards and prizes will be presented in several categories. A reception will follow with free hors d'oeuvres and refreshments.

http://digitech.fsu.edu/2015/

For more informaton:
http://www.up.co/communities/usa/tallahassee/startup-weekend/5535

On friday evening individuals pitch for 60-seconds, the best ideas form teams, work all weekend on developing these ideas, and pitching to judges sunday evening.  Startup weekend includes all meals and unlimited coffee! Its an incredibly fun and valuable event to engage in entrepreneurship. Tickets are normally $99.99 but the SGA Office of Entrepreneurship purchased 40-tickets for FSU students. Students can enter promo code SGAOEI to claim a free ticket.  All we ask is that if a student uses a free ticket, that she committees to participating in the entire startup weekend.   

For more informaton:
http://www.up.co/communities/usa/tallahassee/startup-weekend/5535

On friday evening individuals pitch for 60-seconds, the best ideas form teams, work all weekend on developing these ideas, and pitching to judges sunday evening.  Startup weekend includes all meals and unlimited coffee! Its an incredibly fun and valuable event to engage in entrepreneurship. Tickets are normally $99.99 but the SGA Office of Entrepreneurship purchased 40-tickets for FSU students. Students can enter promo code SGAOEI to claim a free ticket.  All we ask is that if a student uses a free ticket, that she committees to participating in the entire startup weekend.   

For more informaton:
http://www.up.co/communities/usa/tallahassee/startup-weekend/5535

On friday evening individuals pitch for 60-seconds, the best ideas form teams, work all weekend on developing these ideas, and pitching to judges sunday evening.  Startup weekend includes all meals and unlimited coffee! Its an incredibly fun and valuable event to engage in entrepreneurship. Tickets are normally $99.99 but the SGA Office of Entrepreneurship purchased 40-tickets for FSU students. Students can enter promo code SGAOEI to claim a free ticket.  All we ask is that if a student uses a free ticket, that she committees to participating in the entire startup weekend.   

The lecture will be from 5:30-6:30, with a dessert reception to follow from 6:30-7:30.

Cultural trauma occurs when members of a collectivity feel they have been subjected to a horrendous event that leaves indelible marks upon their group consciousness, marking their memories forever and changing their future identity in fundamental and irrevocable ways. While this new scientific concept clarifies causal relationships between previously unrelated events, structures, perceptions, and actions, it also illuminates a neglected domain of social responsibility and political action. By constructing cultural traumas, social groups, national societies, and sometimes even entire civilizations, not only cognitively identify the existence and source of human suffering, but may also take on board some significant moral responsibility for it. Insofar as they identify the cause of trauma in a manner that assumes such moral responsibility, members of collectivities extend solidarity in a way that allows them to share the suffering of others. Is the suffering of others also our own? In thinking that it might in fact be, societies expand the circle of the “we” and create the possibility for repairing societies to prevent the trauma from happening again. By the same token, social groups can, and often do, refuse to recognize the existence of others’ suffering, or place the responsibility for it on people other than themselves. 

After presenting cultural trauma theory, the lecture will focus on a series of case studies. Shifting postwar Western reactions to the Holocaust will be considered at length, but other trauma processes will also be examined: the anti-imperialist, American civil rights, and indigenous people’s movements; Japan’s Nanjing Massacre and its effects on contemporary relations with China and Japan; and mass murders under the Stalinist and Maoist regimes.

A short reception and poster presentation of student research to kickoff the WIMSE Symposium. 

The Women in Math, Science & Engineering (WIMSE) Program is a living-learning community housed in Cawthon Hall at FSU. WIMSE is committed to the success of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

This Celebration of Graduate Student Excellence Awards Ceremony and Reception is sponsored by The Graduate School, the Program for Instructional Excellence, the Congress of Graduate Students and the Office of Research. At this event FSU graduate students will be recognized for excellence in teaching, research and creativity, and leadership.

All FSU faculty, students and staff are invited to attend.