knowledge out of chaos - stthom.edu
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RESEARCH 2012 Research Symposium • Thursday - Saturday, April 12-14
K n o w l e d g e O u t o f C h a o s
Thursday, April 12 Crooker Center
3 - 4 p.m. Posters Set Up
4 - 6 p.m. Poster Reception
Friday, April 13 Crooker Center & Jerabeck Gymnasium
8 a.m. – noon Oral Presentations (Crooker Center)
10 a.m. Posters Open for Viewing (Jerabeck Gynmnasium)
Noon - 1 p.m. Lunch & Presentation by CFE and CSB-Ethics (Scanlan Room)
1 - 4 p.m. Oral Presentations (Crooker Center)
4 p.m. Posters Closed
5:30 - 7 p.m. Dinner (Scanlan Room)
5:30 - 8 p.m. Posters - Judging (Jerabeck Gymnasium)
Saturday, April 14 Crooker Center & Jerabeck Gymnasium
8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Oral Presentations (Crooker & Jerabeck)
9 a.m. Posters Open for Viewing
Noon Posters Closed - Students/Department Must Pick up Posters
12 - 1 p.m. Lunch
1 p.m Oral Presentations (Crooker & Jerabeck)
With the explosion of the Internet, the global scope of knowledge has changed the landscape of the university. As students progress in their education, they learn how to distinguish between truth and what parades itself as truth. By completing a research project,
a capstone project or a thesis, students engage in the some of the highest levels of development in their fields.
Jaime Sepulveda international studies major
John Chris Lohmann history major
Adeel Faruki biology major
Ita Jervis education major
2012 Research Symposium
Research: Knowledge Out of Chaos “Our St. Thomas graduates are distinguished by numerous wonderful qualities. Two of the most
impressive to employers, friends and family is their ability to think critically and articulate effectively. The Research Symposium greatly contributes to these important characteristics. We will continue to encourage our students to participate and thank our faculty for their dedication to this outstanding program.”
Dr. Robert Ivany
President University of St. Thomas
“The theme of the 2012 Research Symposium, “Knowledge Out of Chaos,” reminds us of a basic
principle of research: Valid and reliable knowledge presupposes an ordered university. Perhaps more than most, students at the University of St. Thomas appreciate this foundation for human knowing because they bring whatever they study and research into conversation with the Christian liberal arts tradition. And, at root, that tradition celebrates our creator God who in the beginning brought order out of a formless void and gave us a reality and energized our innate desire to understand it.
This tradition has also equipped student researchers with the skills and tools to judge what is important and worth knowing among the teeming facts that compete for our attention, and what’s more how to synthesis worthwhile facts into worthwhile knowledge, and eventually, to be wise.”
Dr. Dominic Aquila
Vice President for Academic Affairs University of St. Thomas
“Students in higher education today face more information that ever before. With the explosion
of the Internet, the global scope of knowledge has changed the landscape of the university. In some cases, this also includes the explosion of misinformation. As students progress in their education, they learn how to distinguish between truth and what parades itself as truth. In the cognitive realm, synthesis and novel application of information is considered to be the highest level of development. By completing a research project, a capstone project or a thesis, students engage in the some of the highest levels of intellectual development in their fields.”
Dr. Maury Harris
Posters Available for Viewing Gymnasium Floor – Jerebeck
ALL PRESENTERS REQUIRED TO ATTEND
Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Posters Available for Viewing
Friday, April 13, 2012 Council of Clubs, Crooker
8:00 AM Savona Jr., Coby A., BRINGING RUSSIA BACK TO THE CFE TREATY: IS IT POSSIBLE
AND HOW?, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 8:20 AM Vasquez, Alicia, EXAMINING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GAP OF LATINO
STUDENTS IN TEXAS, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. 8:40 AM Beavers, Thomas, HUNTINGTON'S PARADIGM AND CHINA'S RISE, International
Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 9:00 AM Calzini, Marina, CAN THE PROVISION OF HEALTHCARE IN THE U.S. BE
IMPROVED? A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
9:20 AM Jimenez, Juan , RETHINKING DEVELOPMENT: CASES IN LOS ALTOS DE JALISCO, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. Capstone.
9:40 AM Sepulveda, Jaime Marie, FAIR TRADE COFFEE IMPACT EVALUATION, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Berg, Rakel, THE COST OF IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON THE SENDER ECONOMY,
International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 10:40 AM Cubria, Carla, CIVIL UNREST IN THE BANLIEUE, International Studies, Rogelio
Garcia-Contreras. 11:00 AM Franks, Jonathan, FEASIBILITY OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOURCES FOR THE NEAR
FUTURE, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 11:20 AM Gonzalez, Natalie, GLOBAL LEADERS, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-
Contreras. 11:40 AM Medina, Sharon , DISCOVERING NATIONAL IDENTITY “A CASE STUDY ON
TAIWAN”, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Critendon, Emma, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO ADOPT A CHINESE CHILD AND
SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATE THE CHILD INTO AMERICAN SOCIET, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
1:20 PM Forero, Andrea, SOMALIA: CORRUPTION AND MARITIME PIRACY, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
1:40 PM Turletti, Maria, TRANSITIONS TO DEMOCRACY: THE CASES OF TUNISIA, EGYPT, AND LIBYA, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
2:00 PM Nnaji, Nora, HOW CAN THE NIGERIAN HELICOPTER COMPANY OAS HELICOPTERS POSITION ITSELF FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS?, International Studies, Nivien Saleh.
2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Villamayor, Alexa, ARE HUMAN RIGHTS UNIVERSAL?, International Studies,
Nivien Saleh. Capstone. 3:00 PM Stratigis, Maria, WHO IS TURKEY? PERCEPTIONS OF TURKISH IDENTITY AND ITS
EFFECTS ON EU MEMBERSHIP, International Studies, Hans Stockton. 3:20 PM Rountree, Tyler Daniel, NANO-TARGETING THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE,
Political Science, Jean-Philippe Faletta. 3:40 PM Rios, Helen, NEW MARKETING MODELS FOR THE THEATER, Fine Arts and
Drama, Justin Doran.
8:00 AM Fernandez, Norson, ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES AND READING COMPREHENSION
IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber. 8:20 AM Arguelles, Claudia, HUMANIPULATION: CAUSES BEHIND HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 8:40 AM Hoang, Linh; Maynard, Elizabeth; Phan, Ly. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO
LEVELS OF DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN THE ELDERLY VIETNAMESE AMERICANS, Psychology, Ly U. Phan. Capstone.
9:00 AM Castro, Rebekah, MULTICULTURALISM IN THE SOVIET UNION, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
9:20 AM Greer, Megan, RUSSIAN ARMY WOMEN COMBATANTS IN WWII, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
9:40 AM Kroh, Sarah, RUSSIAN WOMEN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: TERROR AND FERVOR, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Duran, Anais, FASCISM AND FRANCO IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR, History,
Thomas J. Crow, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 10:40 AM Lohmann, John C., THE GREAT WAR: A COMEDY OF ERRORS, History, Thomas J.
Crow, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 11:00 AM Loftus, Taylor, GEORGE WASHINGTON’S ROLE AS COMMANDER OF THE
CONTINENTAL ARMY, History, Lisa Mundey. Capstone. 11:20 AM Ott, Shelley, THE DEVOLUTION OF TSARIST RUSSIA: HOW A RUSSIAN PEASANT
HELPED BRING DOWN THE PALACE, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 11:40 AM Rubin, Michelle; Weaver, Kayla; Ribes-Zamora, Albert, FIBER FORMATION
FOUND IN PROTEINS INVOLVED IN NON-HOMOLOGOUS END JOINING, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Aquila, Dominick, THE AMERICAN, IRISH, ENGLISH REACTION TO THE RADICAL
FRENCH REPUBLIC 1792-95, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 1:20 PM Flores, Noemi, POPE PIUX XII AND THE HOLOCAUST, History, Irving A. Kelter.
Capstone. 1:40 PM Martinez, Erik, THE HISTORY AND ECONOMICS OF THE EAGLE FORD SHALE,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 2:00 PM MacFarlane, Stephen, DEATH'S PRACTITIONERS: NAZI MEDICAL
EXPERIMENTATION IN WORLD WAR II, History, Irving A. Kelter, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
2:20 PM BREAK
2:40 PM Overhouse, Thomas, HENRY VII: THE CATALYST FOR THE END OF MEDIEVAL ENGLAND, History, Thomas J. Crow, Irving A. Kelter. Capstone.
3:00 PM Vento, Mary, ABSTRACT, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone. 3:20 PM Markus, David, THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION: HELLENISTIC INFLUENCES IN THE
PAULINE CORPUS, Undergraduate Theology, Fr. Dempsey Rosales-Acosta. 3:40 PM Gonzalez, Laura Eidy, VIRIDIANA, English, Janet Lowery , Charles Stuart Krohn.
Capstone.
Friday, April 13, 2012 Ahern, Crooker
8:00 AM Bieman, Joseph, THE WAY TO FREEDOM: WHY FREE MARKET CAPITALISM IS
THE ONLY SYSTEM WHICH CAN ACHIEVE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor.
8:20 AM Dupree, Christopher; Diaz, Laura, THE EXPANDING SOCIETY: WHY COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM IS NECESSARY, Political Science , Charles Rice Young.
8:40 AM Hennessey, Monica, HORSE AND BUGGY POLITICS: WHY TEXAS NEEDS CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone.
9:00 AM Lozano, Michael, THE GREAT WAR AND THE MARSHAL PLAN: THIS HYPOTHETICAL MARRIAGE MAY HAVE PREVENTED WORLD WAR TWO, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor.
9:20 AM Nguyen, Thy , AMERICAN CONSERVATISM AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT , Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone.
9:40 AM Ruff, John, “HOW TO BE BOUGHT: AN ANALYSIS OF VOTING RECORDS AND LOBBYIST TIES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL”, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor, Jean- Philippe Faletta, Capstone.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Botto, Antonella, SYNTHESIS OF A POLY (BENZALACETONE) POLYMER,
Chemistry, Wheeler Crawford, William Tinnerman. 10:40 AM Balwant, Chanelle, VAUTHIER, English, James Barloon. Capstone. 11:00 AM Cavin, Don, THE MISERABLE FUN OF LOVE, English, James Barloon. Capstone. 11:20 AM Gonzalez, Laura Eidy, VIRIDIANA, English, Janet Lowery , Charles Stuart Krohn.
Capstone. 11:40 AM Mechler, Rebecca, RECONSTRUCTING THE AMERICAN DREAM, English,
Shannon Forbes. Capstone. 12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Feehery, Mary, UNITY IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS, English,
Kerry J. MacArthur. Capstone. 1:20 PM Germanow, Lauren Marie, OPEN ARMS, English, James Barloon.
1:40 PM Johnson, Jon Michael, “MOLLY BLOOM CLINGING TO LIFE,” English, Shannon Forbes.
2:00 PM MacArthur, Phillip, SUMMER, BROKEN, English, Clinton Brand, Capstone. 2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Ira LeRoy, CHESTERTON'S REVOLUTION, English, Kerry J. MacArthur. Capstone. 3:00 PM Smith, John, ROYAL FLUSH, English, Janet Lowery. Capstone. 3:20 PM Paulus, Nathan, BRAYDEN'S PARTY, English, Janet Lowery. 3:40 PM Thomas, Shirly, THE DUAL NATURE OF MRS. MOORE IN A DIVIDED INDIA,
English, Shannon Forbes, James Barloon.
Friday, April 13, 2012 Jerabeck 201
10:20 AM Fernandez, Norson, ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES AND READING COMPREHENSION
IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber. 10:40 AM Snodgrass, Alexandra; Gamino, Paulina, EULER: FROM GEOMETRIC TO
ALGEBRAIC ANALYSIS, Mathematics, Jack Leonard Follis. 11:00 AM Cole, Laura. MAKING SENSE OF SENSIBILITY: THE CHANGING SOCIAL
LANDSCAPE IN THE WORKS OF JOHNSON, GOLDSMITH, AND BOSWELL, English, Dawn Morgan. Presenter from St. Thomas University, Fredericton, Canada.
11:20 AM Mazerolle, Craig. “’MEN AND WOMEN WHO TOIL’ VS. ‘MICROSCOPES IN CONTEMPLATION’: A DISCURSIVE AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOLOGY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ORGANIZED LABOUR”, Psychology, Ian Nicholson. Presenter from St. Thomas University, Fredericton, Canada.
11:40 AM Amouri, Jamelleh, SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING BIOMOLECULES AS REDUCING AGENTS AND LIGAN, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Cannon, Ellen, TELLING THE STORY THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF ART,
Undergraduate Theology, Fr. Dempsey Rosales-Acosta. 1:20 PM Gravesmill, Steven, PONTIFICATE OF POPE PAUL VI, Undergraduate Theology,
Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI. 1:40 PM Heysquierdo, Alexandria, JESUS AS MESSIAH, Undergraduate Theology, Charles
Sommer. 2:00 PM Knippa, Zoe, THE ATTEMPTS OF QUEEN MARY I OF ENGLAND TO RESTORE
CATHOLICISM, Undergraduate Theology, Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI. 2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Peck, James, PACHOMIUS: THE CORNERSTONE IN THE FORMATION OF
CENOBITIC LIFE, Undergraduate Theology, Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI.
3:00 PM Rivera, Eduardo, ST. FRANCIS XAVIER: AN INNOVATOR OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY WORK, Undergraduate Theology, Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI.
3:20 PM Heysquierdo, Alexandria, RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS, Psychology, Jo Anne Meier-Marquis.
Honors Colloquium Scanlan, Jerabeck
4:00 PM Aguirre, Victoria; Barrera, Laura; Benny, Bensy; Diaz, Laura;
Dupree,Christopher; Faruki, Adeel; Gala, Neil; Heysquierdo, Alexandria; Hudson, Esther; Lam, Duc; Mechler, Rebecca; Snodgrass, Alexandra; Tran, Rosemary, EATING AWAY AMERICA, HNRS, Jeremy Wilkins.
Saturday, April 13, 2012 Council of Clubs, Crooker
9:00 AM Roberts, M. Christina, EFFECTS OF READING FORMATS ON THE
COMPREHENSION OF SECOND GRADE STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
9:20 AM Grosman, Ileya, ORTHOGRAPHIC PRACTICES TO INCREASE READING COMPREHENSION IN THE STRUGGLING READER, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
9:40 AM Nino, Irene, TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE MOTIVATION IN MATHEMATICS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Brown, Derek, OFFSHORE TAX SHELTERS: PLAYING THE “CATCH ME IF YOU
CAN” GAME, Accounting, John E. Simms. 10:40 AM Cornejo, Arturo, TAX INCENTIVES IN BRAZIL, Accounting, John E. Simms. 11:00 AM Dholasaniya, Aslim, COMMENTARY ON THE INTERNAL CONTROL PROCEDURES
IN PLACE FOR THE AUDITING AND MONITORING OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES, Accounting, John E. Simms.
11:20 AM Ding, Hao, THE CHINA BUBBLE: REAL ESTATE IN SHANGHAI, Accounting, John E. Simms.
11:40 AM Dong, Hui, FULL COST AND SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS METHODS VERSUS IFRS, Accounting, John E. Simms.
12:00 PM Lunch, Scanlan
1:00 PM Garcia, Andres, SEISMIC: MULTI-CLIENT ANALYSIS, Accounting, John E. Simms. 1:20 PM Hernandez, Alexandria, OVERALL IMPACT OF TRADE AGREEMENTS – POSITIVE
OR NEGATIVE?, Accounting, John E. Simms. 1:40 PM Jeffcott, David, ACCOUNTING FOR RISK TO ROI IN UNCERTAIN MARKETS:
SOUTH SUDAN, Accounting, John E. Simms. 2:00 PM Abdullaeva, Elizaveta, THE FAILURE OF ACCOUNTING CONTROLS IN
PREVENTING INVESTMENT FRAUDS: MADOFF AND MAVRODI, Accounting, John E. Simms.
2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Adham, Jenan, THE IMPACT OF ZAKAT ON THE ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING SYSTEM
COMPARED TO THE WESTERN ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, Accounting, John E. Simms.
3:00 PM Bekesheva, Ainash, THE ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING STANDARDS (IFRS) IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ITS EFFECT ON CORRUPTION, Accounting, John E. Simms.
Saturday, April 13, 2012 Old Book Store, Crooker
9:20 AM Ramos, Joseph, WOJTYLA’S RHAPSODIC THEATER: THE PRIMACY OF WORD
AND CONCEPT OVER ACTION AND EVENT IN THE DRAMATIC WORLD, Philosophy, John P. Hittinger.
9:40 AM Soria, Lesette, CLUSTER CRITICISM OF FRITZ LANG'S M, Communication, Robin Williamson.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Taylor, Natalie, COMPETITIVE IMPACTS OF THE FCPA AND UK BRIBERY ACT ON
THE U.S, Accounting, John E. Simms. 10:40 AM Trifunovski, Dejan, US CAR MANUFACTURERS IN THE EU MARKET, Accounting,
John E. Simms. 11:00 AM Tse, Sharon, TITLE: FAIRNESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF EU ARTICLE 87 SUBSIDIES
FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY, Accounting, John E. Simms. 11:20 AM Ziya, Akif, DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS AND TURKISH COMMERCIAL BANKS,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 11:40 AM Wu, Lihui, PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING IN THE PIPELINE BUSINESS,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 12:00 PM Lunch, Scanlan 1:00 PM Lewis, Aaron, EU ETS? TAX, TARIFF, OR NEITHER?, Accounting, John E. Simms. 1:20 PM Lnu, Anindita, IFRS COMPARED TO INDONESIAN GAAP, Accounting, John E.
Simms. 1:40 PM Kidonakis, Melissa, THE NECESSITY OF EDUCATION ABOUT IFRS FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES, Accounting, John E. Simms.
2:00 PM Loftis, Vickie, IAS 27 AND THE PRIVATE EQUITY INDUSTRY, Accounting, John E. Simms.
2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Martinez, Mary Lou, FRAUD IN THE TEXAS SALES TAX REFUND SYSTEM,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 3:00 PM Riley, Marlene, THE CONDORSEMENT APPROACH AND REVENUE
RECOGNITION, Accounting, John E. Simms.
Saturday, April 13, 2012 Ahern, Crooker
12:00 PM Lunch, Scanlan 1:00 PM Morales, Mayra, THE IMPACT OF MICROFINANCE IN YUCATAN, MEXICO AND
SANTIAGO, CHILE, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. Capstone. 1:20 PM Felizzola, Sue Marian, INTEGRATION OF MUSLIMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION,
International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. Capstone. 1:40 PM Erazo, Angela, EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH MICROFINANCE IN
HONDURAS, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. 2:00 PM BREAK 2:20 PM Benny, Bensy, EXPRESSION OF PICTET SPENGLERASE, Chemistry and Physics,
James Sims. 2:40 PM McDonald, Sarah, THE HYPE OF TECHNOLOGY: ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN THE
CLASSROOM, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
Poster Presenters and Titles 1. AlRawi, Ahmed; Ribes, Albert-Zamora, EXPLORING TRIPLE PROTEIN COMPLEX
INTERACTIONS BY FLUORESCENT COMPLEMENTATION AND DETECTION USING FRET, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
2. Bassiri, Troy; Tobin, Dusty; Bertuch, Alison; Ribes-Zamora, Albert, EVOLUTIONARY TRACE ANALYSIS OF THE KU HETERODIMER, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
3. Franco-Fuenmayor, Maria, CSI FOR MYSIDS: AN INVESTIGATION OF MULTIPLE PATERNITY IN THE MYSID SHRIMP, AMERICAMYSIS BAHIA, Biology, Ruth Ann Bagnall.
4. Hernandez, Jenny; Quirch III, Miguel; and Nordyke, Ellis L., A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GRAY-BANDED KINGSNAKE LAMPROPELTIS ALTERNA (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE), Biology, E. Larry Nordyke.
5. Hernandez, Jenny; Quirch III, Miguel; Nordyke, Ellis L., A PHYLOGENY OF THREE SYMPATRIC SPECIES OF LAMPROPELTIS: L. ALTERNA, L. TRIANGULUM CELAENOPS, AND L. GETULA SPLENDIDA, Biology, E. Larry Nordyke
6. Ahmed, Anam; Hodges, Laura; Little, Angela; Kontrimas, Alexandra, CORRELATING POLYMORPHISMS OF BOVINE MILK-PROTEIN-RELATED GENE STAT5 WITH SHORT TANDEM REPEATS (STRs), Biology, Alexandra Simmons Nout.
7. Hong, Minh; Tran, Rosemary, CORRELATING POLYMORPHISMS OF MILK-FAT AND PROTEIN RELATED GENE (ANXA9) WITH STR ALLELES IN COWS, Biology, Alexandra Simmons Nout.
8. Chuen, Joyce; Mahon, Brian, INVESTIGATING PIERIS RAPAE CO-EVOLUTIONARY INTERACTIONS WITH BRASSICAS FOR USE AS RESEARCH AND TEACHING, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
9. Lam, Duc; Faruki, Adeel, TEMPERATURE STRESS, ANTI-OXIDATIVE ENZYME ACTIVITY AND VIRUS ACQUISITION IN BEMISIA TABACI, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
10. Obeid, Nadine; Lagos, Miriam; Michels, Chris, IDENTIFYING THE CLASSES OF PROTEASES WITHIN THE WHITEFLY BEMISIA TABACI, Biology, Rosemarie Ro
11. Reynolds, Ryan; Knippa, Zoé; Karagozian, Peter; Skeen-Esterheld, Heather; Duong, Gina, DEVELOPING A METHOD TO DETERMINE LETHAL CONCENTRATION OF TOLUENE ON DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
12. Tran, Thu; Rosell, Rosemarie, DEVELOPING A SUITABLE CELL CULTURE MEDIUM FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A CELL LINE FROM BEMISIA TABACI, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
13. Uriostegui, Jocelyn; Khan, Huda; Kurian, Marsha, THE ROLE OF BACTERIA IN MAINTAINING SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN SEA ANEMONES AND THEIR ZOOXANTHELLAE, Biology, Ruth Ann Bagnall, Rosmarie Rosell.
14. Weaver, Kayla; Ruben, Michelle; Bassiri, Troy; Tobin, Dusty; Ribes-Zamora, Albert, XRCC4 FILAMENT PRODUCTION UPON BINDING WITH XLF, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
15. Zalamea, Jonathan, CORRELATING POLYMORPHISMS OF FATTY LIVER DISEASE RELATED GENES WITH STR ALLELES IN COWS, Biology, Carolina Rios-Phillips, (UST-Chile); Alexandra Simmons Nout.
16. Botto, Antonella, SYNTHESIS OF A POLY (BENZALACETONE) POLYMER, Chemistry, Wheeler Crawford, William Tinnerman.
17. Christians, Nicole, OXIDATIVE DIMERIZATION OF 2,6-DI-T-BUTYLPHENOL TO THE DI- QUINONE AND THE REACTION OF THE DI-QUINONE WITH TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL DIAMINE, Chemistry, Crawford Wheeler, William Tinnerman.
18. Ettehadieh, Ida; Crawford, Wheeler, SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF EMULSIFIERS FOR METALWORKING FLUIDS, Chemistry and Physics, William N. Tinnerman II.
19. Gala, Neil, A STRUCTURE ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP ASSAY OF PYOLUTEORIN, Chemistry and Physics, James Sims. Capstone.
20. LeQuang, Andrew, CHARACTERIZATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES IN SIZE AND CONCENTRATION BY UV-VIS SPECTROSCOPY, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
21. McCorkle, Allison, SYNTHESIZING GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING GELATIN AND THIOL- CONTAINING AMINO ACIDS, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
22. Rubio, Anabel, THE SYNTHESIS OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING POLYETHERAMINES, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
23. Cranmer, Daniel; Foytik, Brandy; Ton, Maria; Dixon, Elizabeth; Chirino, Charlie; Campos, Cristian; Batamo, Shuhsien; Roy, Paul; Ledesma, Elmer, GAS-PHASE PYROLYSIS OF EUGENOL IN A TUBULAR-FLOW REACTOR, Chemistry and Physics, Elmer Ledesma..
24. Tran, Hoa; Zaibaq, Nicholas; Trivino, Cesar; Maccato, Elizabeth; Ollero, Joveline; Vu, Dac; Balsara, Dipa; Kuncewicz, Elizabeth; Al-Fady, Lara; Durr, Olivia, NMR EXPERIMENTS FOR FRESHMEN-2012, Chemistry and Physics, Thomas B. Malloy.
25. Tran, Hoa, CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MATERIALS USED BY THE ARTIST VICTOR BRAUNER: PROGRESS REPORT, Chemistry and Physics, Thomas B. Malloy.
26. Vu, Hung; Ledesma, Elmer, PYROLYSIS OF 2-HYDROXYPYRIDINE: A DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY STUDY, Chemistry and Physics, Elmer Ledesma
27. Zaibaq, Nicholas; Crawford, Wheeler, SYNTHESIS OF 5,6-DIHYDRO-2,4-DIMETHYL-5- OXOBENZO[C][2,7]NAPHTHYRIDINE-1-CARBOXYLIC ACID ETHYL ESTER , Chemistry and Physics, William N. Tinnerman II.
28. Chen, Marie F., HIGH FREQUENCY WORD TEACHING STRATEGIES AND READING ACHIEVEMENT AMONG ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
29. Fernandez, Norson, ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES AND READING COMPREHENSION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
30. Jervis, Ita, CULTURE SHOCK: AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF FIVE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
31. Wermeling, Ellen, FINE ARTS, READING ACHIEVEMENT, AND SELF-ESTEEM, Education, Catherine R. Barber. Capstone.
32. Rountree, Tyler Daniel; Amelang, Jennifer M., UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS ENVIRONMENTAL WEEK 2012, Environmental Science and Studies, William M. Harris, Jr., Political Science, Jean-Philippe Faletta.
33. Trevizo, Belma , A STUDY OF CITY OF HOUSTON BROWNFIELDS, Environmental Science and Studies, William M. Harris, Jr.
34. Ahmed, Anam; Clarage, James, ANALYSIS OF DIFFUSE SCATTERING FROM TWO PROTEINS: 1ZKG and 1VQ3, Chemistry and Physics, James Clarage.
35. Bedell, Joseph; Doan, Jennifer; Kneeland, Brian; Clarage, James, CHAOTIC DYNAMICS OF WATER, Chemistry and Physics, James Clarage.
36. Yaacoub, Alan P.; Lequang, Andrew; Humphrey, Clayton; Larios-Sanz, Maia, Crawford, Wheeler; Mellis, Birgit, STUDIES ON TOXICITY AND PHOTOTHERMAL EFFECTS IN GOLD NANOPARTICLES, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
37. Gordillo, Leticia, AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY: JIMMY CARTER TO BARACK OBAMA, Political Science, Jean-Philippe Faletta.
38. Wyatt, Sekeia, NUBIAN POLITICAL JOLT, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone. 39. Boras, Nick; Castenell, Maria; Dickerman, Stephen; Garcia, Justo; Rimkus, Meredith;
Holton, Lindsey; Humphrey, Clayton; Key, Ronald; Patton, Madeleine; and Perez, Melissa, ASSESSING THE HEALTH NEEDS OF UST STUDENTS, Psychology, Carl W. Scott. Capstone.
40. Castenell, Maria; Garcia, Erica; Flores, Jeanine; Holton, Lindsey; Martinez, Ana; Ocampo, Eduardo, ALTERING PERCEPTIONS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL
EXPOSURE: DIRECT CONTACT WITH NATURE, Psychology, Trish Vandiver. Capstone.
41. Clement, Jen; Lui, Antoinette; Martinez, Celina; Maupin, Makenzie; Puente, Maria; , ALTERING PERCEPTIONS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE: ASSESSING AWARENESS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR, Psychology, Trish Vandiver. Capstone.
42. Perez, Melissa; Patton, Madeleine; Key, Ronald; Humphrey, Clayton; Holton, Lindsey; Rimkus, Meredith; Garcia, Justo; Dickerman, Stephen; Castenell, Maria; Boras, Nick, ENROLLMENT IMPACT OF UST’S REVISED CORE CURRICULUM, Psychology, Carl Scott.
Abstracts of Presentations
(Alphabetical Listings by First Authors, Orals, Both and Posters) Honors Collaborative Presentation: Aguirre, Victoria; Barrera, Laura; Benny, Bensy; Diaz, Laura; Dupree,Christopher; Faruki, Adeel; Gala, Neil; Heysquierdo, Alexandria; Hudson, Esther; Lam, Duc; Mechler, Rebecca; Snodgrass, Alexandra; Tran, Rosemary, EATING AWAY AMERICA, HNRS, Jeremy Wilkins. A society’s relationship with food provides insight into its structure and values. The priorities of the American lifestyle have given rise to practices in agriculture, production, and dining that can lead to health complications. Agriculture has shifted from family farms to factory-style food production, employing morally questionable practices to appeal to the wants of the modern consumer. Federal budgets, policy, and programs favor the mass production of inexpensive food commodities at the urging of lobbyists for the corporations in control of the food supply, ignoring not only the advice of professional nutritionalists, but also its own agencies. As food is integral to human life and culture, we focus on the imbalances in our relationship with food and on the food-related problems in public policy, production, and the market.
Oral Presentations Abdullaeva, Elizaveta, THE FAILURE OF ACCOUNTING CONTROLS IN PREVENTING INVESTMENT FRAUDS: MADOFF AND MAVRODI, Accounting, John E. Simms. Every developed nation's economy is increasingly dependent on the success and integrity of the securities market. However, regulators and governing bodies have no adequate means of preventing investment frauds and market manipulations. This paper focuses on loopholes in legislation which have resulted in a growing wave of financial frauds in recent years. We will look at detailed comparisons and analyses of two Ponzi schemes that have occurred in two different countries but have one pattern in common: Bernie Madoff in the U.S. and Sergey Mavrodi in Russia.
Adham, Jenan, THE IMPACT OF ZAKAT ON THE ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING SYSTEM COMPARED TO THE WESTERN ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, Accounting, John E. Simms. Religion is one element of culture that plays an important role in the Middle Eastern countries as Shari’ah, or Islamic law, helps establish standards for accounting practices. This paper focuses on the Islamic pillar of zakat, or charitable donation of a fixed portion of one’s wealth, and its influence on the accounting standards for corporations following Islamic law. A distinction will be made between the Islamic accounting system and the Western accounting system, as they relate to the accounting elements affected by zakat. Amouri, Jamelleh, SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING BIOMOLECULES AS REDUCING AGENTS AND LIGAN, Physics, Birgit Mellis. There has been a tremendous interest in gold nanoparticles for at least thirty years. The literature is replete with references to their synthesis and characterization. We were interested in possible medical applications because of the concentration of medical research in the Houston area. We chose to look at biomolecules in our work because we did not want to involve chemicals with possible toxicity issues. We have looked at gelatin and lecithin (both previously cited in the literature) and several of the amino acid components of gelatin. We have been successful in producing nanoparticles using both bovine and porcine gelatin, alginic acid, and several of the amino acids found in gelatin. These were evaluated alone and with sodium citrate, a commonly used reducing agent. Characterization has been by UV-VIS spectroscopy where the wavelength of the plasmon band absorption has been correlated with particle size. Aquila, Dominick, THE AMERICAN, IRISH, ENGLISH REACTION TO THE RADICAL FRENCH REPUBLIC 1792-95, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. The Radical French Republic is dated from 1792 until 1795. While Frenchmen were hailing this as the pinnacle of Republican virtue and freedom, many writers from other countries had different things to say about the revolution and its products. America, Ireland, and the British Empire provide particularly good resources and input in regards to the situation in France through the 1790’s. By examining the newspapers and writings of prominent thinkers from these three countries, the international English-speaking reaction to the controversial French Revolution can be seen. Along with the primary sources, secondary sources, papers and writings have been utilized to provide background and commentary on the views in the papers. The prominent documents of the time are largely varied, particularly in the early stages of the revolution. During the Radical Republic of 1792-1795 with a few exceptions the opinion amongst many turned against the revolution because of its atrocities.
Arguelles, Claudia, HUMANIPULATION: CAUSES BEHIND HUMAN TRAFFICKING, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. In a world of globalization, it does not come as a surprise that every country in the world has been involved with human trafficking. Being a fast-growing criminal industry, second only to drugs, the root causes and conditions behind human trafficking from source countries must be unveiled in order to address this violation of essential human rights. Although this issue can be traced back to the genesis of human civilization and colonization, this worldwide phenomenon arose with the English slave trade in 1562. Root causes for source country status are corruption; and poverty, although debate exists as to which is the most influential. This analysis highlights key differences and similarities between global corruption scores within source countries, while taking other factors into account e.g. GDP per capita and legal sanctions. I attempt to illustrate the relative impacts these causes have on the trafficking of human beings. By taking several variables into account, many theories behind the direct correlation between corruption and poverty are tested. The research hopes to uncover conditions that tend to give rise to human trafficking in source countries. Solutions to human sourcing require alleviation of poverty, enforcement of law, and/or creation of global standards. Balwant, Chanelle, VAUTHIER, English, James Barloon. Capstone. This creative work chronicles the life of protagonist Halle Tate and her induction into wealthy European society. Ms. Tate has become economically dependent on her distant relative, Mrs. Vauthier, who introduces her into an animated, fast-faced, elite culture. The first part of the work is composed primarily of Ms. Tate’s nostalgia and musings of her life thus far; it demonstrates her dislike for change. Aside from introducing Ms. Tate as a character, the first chapters also usher in the juxtaposition of modernism with tradition, major themes in this work. Ms. Tate is thrust into a living situation where she is pressured to change her approach to life. However, as she continues to live with Mrs. Vauthier, she becomes suspicious of her motives and morals. The movement of the novel crescendoes into a quicker pace; as the story progresses Halle has less time to spend on her decisions and makes a judgement to join this society without completely understanding its nature. Conflicted by these elements, Halle finds herself in the middle of the degradation of her moral values. For some people sin need not be experienced directly. These people observe, are repulsed, and reject. Ms. Tate is one of these people. Others, especially when they style themselves as free thinkers (as Mrs. Vauthier does), must experience the sin to experience the effects. There is a surrounding mystery in the work that revolves around the secret of who Mrs. Vauthier really is, and how she acquired her wealth. Beavers, Thomas, HUNTINGTON'S PARADIGM AND CHINA'S RISE, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. In 1993, Samuel P. Huntington published an article which would spark a great deal of debate Huntington posited that armed conflicts in the post-Cold War period will be based on civilizational differences. This paper will seek to test whether Huntington’s theory is more or less valid in the Post 9-11 period. With their rapid rise in economic power, the question has been raised of whether China
will be the United States’ next great hegemonic challenge. Does Huntington’s theory support this idea? Based on data on cultural and civilization values, this work will attempt to establish the validity of Huntington’s theory, as well as a number of the above questions. This will be done through identifying, based on cultural and civilizational value data, not only the short-term probabilities of armed conflict between the United States and China, but also whether the chances of war are actually greater between the United States and Russia. Additionally, I will seek to answer whether civilizational and cultural values have had a more significant effect on the outbreak of armed conflict over time in these countries. In this work, I will measure cultural values and historical data on national compared to civilizational conflicts to measure the chances for war and establishing a set of values that can be attributed to the causation of armed conflict in order to test Huntington’s theory. This paper seeks to examine the data found on armed conflict between civilizations as compared to cultural values including language, law, religion, administrative practice and institutions, agriculture, land-holding, and kinship from 1985 to 2012. Bekesheva, Ainash, THE ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING STANDARDS (IFRS) IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ITS EFFECT ON CORRUPTION, Accounting, John E. Simms. The goal of this research paper is to determine how the adoption of IFRS by Kazakhstan will help fight corruption on multiple economic levels by making the economy part of the global market. The paper will examine how the adoption of IFRS attracts multiple financial users, investors, and critics, some of whom will be personally interested in the financial transparency of Kazakhstan firms. The adoption of IFRS gives the country opportunities for development and opens new markets, while high levels of corruption slow down economic growth. As a result, the implementation of IFRS standards will likely decrease levels of corruption. Benny, Bensy, EXPRESSION OF PICTET SPENGLERASE, Chemistry and Physics, James Sims. We are isolating a Pictet Spengler catalyzing enzyme involved in the biosynthesis in Manzamine A. The proposed biosynthesis involves a polykeytide synthase that elongates a nicotinic acid starter creating a monomer. The reaction of two of these monomers leads to the formation of a pyridinium dimer. This undergoes an enzyme catalyzed diels-alder reaction followed by a ring opening. These reactions generate the inactive, aliphatic section of Manzamine A (i.e. Ircinal A). The Pictet Spenglerase then adds a tryptamine group that is further oxidized to the form the aromatic beta- carboline, the fully functional form of the manzamine alkaloids. However, it is of semi-synthetic importance to be able to generate the complex starting material, ircinal A, in order to generate drugs that no longer have negative side effects but maintain biological activity. Our goal is to find the enzyme that converts Ircinal A to the bioactive manzimine A and selectively make Ircinal A.
Berg, Rakel, THE COST OF IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON THE SENDER ECONOMY, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. This paper examines the costs of economic sanctions for the source country. The case study for this paper is the United States. The research will attempt to assess the general economic costs of imposing sanctions on the sender’s economy. The paper reviews three schools of thought regarding the costs of economic sanctions to the U.S. economy. One perspective is that unilateral sanctions imposed by the US have been ineffective in delivering their intended goals and therefore, are costly to the U.S. economy. A second perspective argues that multilateral sanctions are more effective than unilateral sanctions; therefore, costing the U.S. domestic economy more; however multilateral sanctions have a greater probability for success than unilateral sanctions. A third perspective argues that targeted sanctions have the intention to decrease the comprehensive coverage of a sanction; therefore, decreasing the cost to the sender’s economy. Following this review and construction of a general model, the paper will seek to determine the cost of imposing a sanction to the sender economy in relationship to the three perspectives measured above. This will be done by first determining if an imposed sanction was unilateral, multilateral or targeted. Second, determining how successful the sanction was in delivering the intended goal. Finally, an attempt will be made to determine the cost of a unilateral, multilateral or targeted sanction. Bieman, Joseph, THE WAY TO FREEDOM: WHY FREE MARKET CAPITALISM IS THE ONLY SYSTEM WHICH CAN ACHIEVE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. This paper will address the issue of self-interest and its role in policy choices made by both voters and governments by examining the following broad question: Which economic system works best for a democratic society? Capitalism or socialism? For over 150 years, the struggle between these two systems has colored much of the modern world’s view of politics, economics, social interactions, and contending policy alternatives. The paper will address the notion that the more economically free a country is then that will translate into creating pathways towards economic growth which can help reduce poverty, unemployment, fight corruption and bring about over-all well being for a nation and its citizens. The paper concludes with an assessment of both freedom of choice and social determinism’s role in influencing the eventual societal choice of capitalism, socialism, or something in-between. Brown, Derek, OFFSHORE TAX SHELTERS: PLAYING THE “CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” GAME, Accounting, John E. Simms. The line between tax avoidance and tax evasion is difficult to determine. Because the former is acceptable and the latter is illegal, it is important to ascertain the distinction between the two. One common way for individuals and corporations to avoid and evade taxes is through implementing offshore tax shelters. This paper will examine how the IRS codes and U.S. statutes currently deal with offshore tax shelters, discuss how KPMG got into trouble with the overly aggressive design of tax shelters, and suggest better approaches to dealing with this problem from a regulatory and ethical standpoint.
Calzini, Marina, CAN THE PROVISION OF HEALTHCARE IN THE U.S. BE IMPROVED? A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone. This study will examine what the United States – a country with a private healthcare system - can learn from the public healthcare systems that prevail in many industrialized economies. This research question is important because healthcare affects everybody, and therefore every single American has stakes in optimizing the provision of healthcare. I chose countries that have a similar GDP to the United States: Denmark, Italy, Taiwan, and Belgium. I will evaluate their systems of medical care by comparing their accessibility, their quality, the individual cost, and the overall benefit of each system. The goal is to find out what works and what doesn’t, and what insights can be transferred to the American context. Cannon, Ellen, &nbs
RESEARCH 2012 Research Symposium • Thursday - Saturday, April 12-14
K n o w l e d g e O u t o f C h a o s
Thursday, April 12 Crooker Center
3 - 4 p.m. Posters Set Up
4 - 6 p.m. Poster Reception
Friday, April 13 Crooker Center & Jerabeck Gymnasium
8 a.m. – noon Oral Presentations (Crooker Center)
10 a.m. Posters Open for Viewing (Jerabeck Gynmnasium)
Noon - 1 p.m. Lunch & Presentation by CFE and CSB-Ethics (Scanlan Room)
1 - 4 p.m. Oral Presentations (Crooker Center)
4 p.m. Posters Closed
5:30 - 7 p.m. Dinner (Scanlan Room)
5:30 - 8 p.m. Posters - Judging (Jerabeck Gymnasium)
Saturday, April 14 Crooker Center & Jerabeck Gymnasium
8 a.m. - 12 p.m. Oral Presentations (Crooker & Jerabeck)
9 a.m. Posters Open for Viewing
Noon Posters Closed - Students/Department Must Pick up Posters
12 - 1 p.m. Lunch
1 p.m Oral Presentations (Crooker & Jerabeck)
With the explosion of the Internet, the global scope of knowledge has changed the landscape of the university. As students progress in their education, they learn how to distinguish between truth and what parades itself as truth. By completing a research project,
a capstone project or a thesis, students engage in the some of the highest levels of development in their fields.
Jaime Sepulveda international studies major
John Chris Lohmann history major
Adeel Faruki biology major
Ita Jervis education major
2012 Research Symposium
Research: Knowledge Out of Chaos “Our St. Thomas graduates are distinguished by numerous wonderful qualities. Two of the most
impressive to employers, friends and family is their ability to think critically and articulate effectively. The Research Symposium greatly contributes to these important characteristics. We will continue to encourage our students to participate and thank our faculty for their dedication to this outstanding program.”
Dr. Robert Ivany
President University of St. Thomas
“The theme of the 2012 Research Symposium, “Knowledge Out of Chaos,” reminds us of a basic
principle of research: Valid and reliable knowledge presupposes an ordered university. Perhaps more than most, students at the University of St. Thomas appreciate this foundation for human knowing because they bring whatever they study and research into conversation with the Christian liberal arts tradition. And, at root, that tradition celebrates our creator God who in the beginning brought order out of a formless void and gave us a reality and energized our innate desire to understand it.
This tradition has also equipped student researchers with the skills and tools to judge what is important and worth knowing among the teeming facts that compete for our attention, and what’s more how to synthesis worthwhile facts into worthwhile knowledge, and eventually, to be wise.”
Dr. Dominic Aquila
Vice President for Academic Affairs University of St. Thomas
“Students in higher education today face more information that ever before. With the explosion
of the Internet, the global scope of knowledge has changed the landscape of the university. In some cases, this also includes the explosion of misinformation. As students progress in their education, they learn how to distinguish between truth and what parades itself as truth. In the cognitive realm, synthesis and novel application of information is considered to be the highest level of development. By completing a research project, a capstone project or a thesis, students engage in the some of the highest levels of intellectual development in their fields.”
Dr. Maury Harris
Posters Available for Viewing Gymnasium Floor – Jerebeck
ALL PRESENTERS REQUIRED TO ATTEND
Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Posters Available for Viewing
Friday, April 13, 2012 Council of Clubs, Crooker
8:00 AM Savona Jr., Coby A., BRINGING RUSSIA BACK TO THE CFE TREATY: IS IT POSSIBLE
AND HOW?, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 8:20 AM Vasquez, Alicia, EXAMINING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GAP OF LATINO
STUDENTS IN TEXAS, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. 8:40 AM Beavers, Thomas, HUNTINGTON'S PARADIGM AND CHINA'S RISE, International
Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 9:00 AM Calzini, Marina, CAN THE PROVISION OF HEALTHCARE IN THE U.S. BE
IMPROVED? A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
9:20 AM Jimenez, Juan , RETHINKING DEVELOPMENT: CASES IN LOS ALTOS DE JALISCO, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. Capstone.
9:40 AM Sepulveda, Jaime Marie, FAIR TRADE COFFEE IMPACT EVALUATION, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Berg, Rakel, THE COST OF IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON THE SENDER ECONOMY,
International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 10:40 AM Cubria, Carla, CIVIL UNREST IN THE BANLIEUE, International Studies, Rogelio
Garcia-Contreras. 11:00 AM Franks, Jonathan, FEASIBILITY OF ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOURCES FOR THE NEAR
FUTURE, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 11:20 AM Gonzalez, Natalie, GLOBAL LEADERS, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-
Contreras. 11:40 AM Medina, Sharon , DISCOVERING NATIONAL IDENTITY “A CASE STUDY ON
TAIWAN”, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Critendon, Emma, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO ADOPT A CHINESE CHILD AND
SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATE THE CHILD INTO AMERICAN SOCIET, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
1:20 PM Forero, Andrea, SOMALIA: CORRUPTION AND MARITIME PIRACY, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
1:40 PM Turletti, Maria, TRANSITIONS TO DEMOCRACY: THE CASES OF TUNISIA, EGYPT, AND LIBYA, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone.
2:00 PM Nnaji, Nora, HOW CAN THE NIGERIAN HELICOPTER COMPANY OAS HELICOPTERS POSITION ITSELF FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS?, International Studies, Nivien Saleh.
2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Villamayor, Alexa, ARE HUMAN RIGHTS UNIVERSAL?, International Studies,
Nivien Saleh. Capstone. 3:00 PM Stratigis, Maria, WHO IS TURKEY? PERCEPTIONS OF TURKISH IDENTITY AND ITS
EFFECTS ON EU MEMBERSHIP, International Studies, Hans Stockton. 3:20 PM Rountree, Tyler Daniel, NANO-TARGETING THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE,
Political Science, Jean-Philippe Faletta. 3:40 PM Rios, Helen, NEW MARKETING MODELS FOR THE THEATER, Fine Arts and
Drama, Justin Doran.
8:00 AM Fernandez, Norson, ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES AND READING COMPREHENSION
IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber. 8:20 AM Arguelles, Claudia, HUMANIPULATION: CAUSES BEHIND HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. 8:40 AM Hoang, Linh; Maynard, Elizabeth; Phan, Ly. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO
LEVELS OF DEPRESSION AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN THE ELDERLY VIETNAMESE AMERICANS, Psychology, Ly U. Phan. Capstone.
9:00 AM Castro, Rebekah, MULTICULTURALISM IN THE SOVIET UNION, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
9:20 AM Greer, Megan, RUSSIAN ARMY WOMEN COMBATANTS IN WWII, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
9:40 AM Kroh, Sarah, RUSSIAN WOMEN IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: TERROR AND FERVOR, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Duran, Anais, FASCISM AND FRANCO IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR, History,
Thomas J. Crow, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 10:40 AM Lohmann, John C., THE GREAT WAR: A COMEDY OF ERRORS, History, Thomas J.
Crow, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 11:00 AM Loftus, Taylor, GEORGE WASHINGTON’S ROLE AS COMMANDER OF THE
CONTINENTAL ARMY, History, Lisa Mundey. Capstone. 11:20 AM Ott, Shelley, THE DEVOLUTION OF TSARIST RUSSIA: HOW A RUSSIAN PEASANT
HELPED BRING DOWN THE PALACE, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 11:40 AM Rubin, Michelle; Weaver, Kayla; Ribes-Zamora, Albert, FIBER FORMATION
FOUND IN PROTEINS INVOLVED IN NON-HOMOLOGOUS END JOINING, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Aquila, Dominick, THE AMERICAN, IRISH, ENGLISH REACTION TO THE RADICAL
FRENCH REPUBLIC 1792-95, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. 1:20 PM Flores, Noemi, POPE PIUX XII AND THE HOLOCAUST, History, Irving A. Kelter.
Capstone. 1:40 PM Martinez, Erik, THE HISTORY AND ECONOMICS OF THE EAGLE FORD SHALE,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 2:00 PM MacFarlane, Stephen, DEATH'S PRACTITIONERS: NAZI MEDICAL
EXPERIMENTATION IN WORLD WAR II, History, Irving A. Kelter, Lee J. Williames. Capstone.
2:20 PM BREAK
2:40 PM Overhouse, Thomas, HENRY VII: THE CATALYST FOR THE END OF MEDIEVAL ENGLAND, History, Thomas J. Crow, Irving A. Kelter. Capstone.
3:00 PM Vento, Mary, ABSTRACT, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone. 3:20 PM Markus, David, THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION: HELLENISTIC INFLUENCES IN THE
PAULINE CORPUS, Undergraduate Theology, Fr. Dempsey Rosales-Acosta. 3:40 PM Gonzalez, Laura Eidy, VIRIDIANA, English, Janet Lowery , Charles Stuart Krohn.
Capstone.
Friday, April 13, 2012 Ahern, Crooker
8:00 AM Bieman, Joseph, THE WAY TO FREEDOM: WHY FREE MARKET CAPITALISM IS
THE ONLY SYSTEM WHICH CAN ACHIEVE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor.
8:20 AM Dupree, Christopher; Diaz, Laura, THE EXPANDING SOCIETY: WHY COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM IS NECESSARY, Political Science , Charles Rice Young.
8:40 AM Hennessey, Monica, HORSE AND BUGGY POLITICS: WHY TEXAS NEEDS CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone.
9:00 AM Lozano, Michael, THE GREAT WAR AND THE MARSHAL PLAN: THIS HYPOTHETICAL MARRIAGE MAY HAVE PREVENTED WORLD WAR TWO, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor.
9:20 AM Nguyen, Thy , AMERICAN CONSERVATISM AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT , Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone.
9:40 AM Ruff, John, “HOW TO BE BOUGHT: AN ANALYSIS OF VOTING RECORDS AND LOBBYIST TIES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL”, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor, Jean- Philippe Faletta, Capstone.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Botto, Antonella, SYNTHESIS OF A POLY (BENZALACETONE) POLYMER,
Chemistry, Wheeler Crawford, William Tinnerman. 10:40 AM Balwant, Chanelle, VAUTHIER, English, James Barloon. Capstone. 11:00 AM Cavin, Don, THE MISERABLE FUN OF LOVE, English, James Barloon. Capstone. 11:20 AM Gonzalez, Laura Eidy, VIRIDIANA, English, Janet Lowery , Charles Stuart Krohn.
Capstone. 11:40 AM Mechler, Rebecca, RECONSTRUCTING THE AMERICAN DREAM, English,
Shannon Forbes. Capstone. 12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Feehery, Mary, UNITY IN THE STRUCTURE OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS, English,
Kerry J. MacArthur. Capstone. 1:20 PM Germanow, Lauren Marie, OPEN ARMS, English, James Barloon.
1:40 PM Johnson, Jon Michael, “MOLLY BLOOM CLINGING TO LIFE,” English, Shannon Forbes.
2:00 PM MacArthur, Phillip, SUMMER, BROKEN, English, Clinton Brand, Capstone. 2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Ira LeRoy, CHESTERTON'S REVOLUTION, English, Kerry J. MacArthur. Capstone. 3:00 PM Smith, John, ROYAL FLUSH, English, Janet Lowery. Capstone. 3:20 PM Paulus, Nathan, BRAYDEN'S PARTY, English, Janet Lowery. 3:40 PM Thomas, Shirly, THE DUAL NATURE OF MRS. MOORE IN A DIVIDED INDIA,
English, Shannon Forbes, James Barloon.
Friday, April 13, 2012 Jerabeck 201
10:20 AM Fernandez, Norson, ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES AND READING COMPREHENSION
IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber. 10:40 AM Snodgrass, Alexandra; Gamino, Paulina, EULER: FROM GEOMETRIC TO
ALGEBRAIC ANALYSIS, Mathematics, Jack Leonard Follis. 11:00 AM Cole, Laura. MAKING SENSE OF SENSIBILITY: THE CHANGING SOCIAL
LANDSCAPE IN THE WORKS OF JOHNSON, GOLDSMITH, AND BOSWELL, English, Dawn Morgan. Presenter from St. Thomas University, Fredericton, Canada.
11:20 AM Mazerolle, Craig. “’MEN AND WOMEN WHO TOIL’ VS. ‘MICROSCOPES IN CONTEMPLATION’: A DISCURSIVE AND HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF PSYCHOLOGY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ORGANIZED LABOUR”, Psychology, Ian Nicholson. Presenter from St. Thomas University, Fredericton, Canada.
11:40 AM Amouri, Jamelleh, SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING BIOMOLECULES AS REDUCING AGENTS AND LIGAN, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
12:00 PM The Center for Business Ethics and the Center for Faculty Excellence present Dr.
James Hollis, author and Jungian analyst, who will present: “The Examined Life: Living in Fidelity to Ambiguity.” Scanlan.
1:00 PM Cannon, Ellen, TELLING THE STORY THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF ART,
Undergraduate Theology, Fr. Dempsey Rosales-Acosta. 1:20 PM Gravesmill, Steven, PONTIFICATE OF POPE PAUL VI, Undergraduate Theology,
Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI. 1:40 PM Heysquierdo, Alexandria, JESUS AS MESSIAH, Undergraduate Theology, Charles
Sommer. 2:00 PM Knippa, Zoe, THE ATTEMPTS OF QUEEN MARY I OF ENGLAND TO RESTORE
CATHOLICISM, Undergraduate Theology, Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI. 2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Peck, James, PACHOMIUS: THE CORNERSTONE IN THE FORMATION OF
CENOBITIC LIFE, Undergraduate Theology, Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI.
3:00 PM Rivera, Eduardo, ST. FRANCIS XAVIER: AN INNOVATOR OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY WORK, Undergraduate Theology, Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI.
3:20 PM Heysquierdo, Alexandria, RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS, Psychology, Jo Anne Meier-Marquis.
Honors Colloquium Scanlan, Jerabeck
4:00 PM Aguirre, Victoria; Barrera, Laura; Benny, Bensy; Diaz, Laura;
Dupree,Christopher; Faruki, Adeel; Gala, Neil; Heysquierdo, Alexandria; Hudson, Esther; Lam, Duc; Mechler, Rebecca; Snodgrass, Alexandra; Tran, Rosemary, EATING AWAY AMERICA, HNRS, Jeremy Wilkins.
Saturday, April 13, 2012 Council of Clubs, Crooker
9:00 AM Roberts, M. Christina, EFFECTS OF READING FORMATS ON THE
COMPREHENSION OF SECOND GRADE STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
9:20 AM Grosman, Ileya, ORTHOGRAPHIC PRACTICES TO INCREASE READING COMPREHENSION IN THE STRUGGLING READER, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
9:40 AM Nino, Irene, TEACHING STRATEGIES THAT PROMOTE MOTIVATION IN MATHEMATICS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Brown, Derek, OFFSHORE TAX SHELTERS: PLAYING THE “CATCH ME IF YOU
CAN” GAME, Accounting, John E. Simms. 10:40 AM Cornejo, Arturo, TAX INCENTIVES IN BRAZIL, Accounting, John E. Simms. 11:00 AM Dholasaniya, Aslim, COMMENTARY ON THE INTERNAL CONTROL PROCEDURES
IN PLACE FOR THE AUDITING AND MONITORING OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES, Accounting, John E. Simms.
11:20 AM Ding, Hao, THE CHINA BUBBLE: REAL ESTATE IN SHANGHAI, Accounting, John E. Simms.
11:40 AM Dong, Hui, FULL COST AND SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS METHODS VERSUS IFRS, Accounting, John E. Simms.
12:00 PM Lunch, Scanlan
1:00 PM Garcia, Andres, SEISMIC: MULTI-CLIENT ANALYSIS, Accounting, John E. Simms. 1:20 PM Hernandez, Alexandria, OVERALL IMPACT OF TRADE AGREEMENTS – POSITIVE
OR NEGATIVE?, Accounting, John E. Simms. 1:40 PM Jeffcott, David, ACCOUNTING FOR RISK TO ROI IN UNCERTAIN MARKETS:
SOUTH SUDAN, Accounting, John E. Simms. 2:00 PM Abdullaeva, Elizaveta, THE FAILURE OF ACCOUNTING CONTROLS IN
PREVENTING INVESTMENT FRAUDS: MADOFF AND MAVRODI, Accounting, John E. Simms.
2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Adham, Jenan, THE IMPACT OF ZAKAT ON THE ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING SYSTEM
COMPARED TO THE WESTERN ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, Accounting, John E. Simms.
3:00 PM Bekesheva, Ainash, THE ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING STANDARDS (IFRS) IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ITS EFFECT ON CORRUPTION, Accounting, John E. Simms.
Saturday, April 13, 2012 Old Book Store, Crooker
9:20 AM Ramos, Joseph, WOJTYLA’S RHAPSODIC THEATER: THE PRIMACY OF WORD
AND CONCEPT OVER ACTION AND EVENT IN THE DRAMATIC WORLD, Philosophy, John P. Hittinger.
9:40 AM Soria, Lesette, CLUSTER CRITICISM OF FRITZ LANG'S M, Communication, Robin Williamson.
10:00 AM BREAK 10:20 AM Taylor, Natalie, COMPETITIVE IMPACTS OF THE FCPA AND UK BRIBERY ACT ON
THE U.S, Accounting, John E. Simms. 10:40 AM Trifunovski, Dejan, US CAR MANUFACTURERS IN THE EU MARKET, Accounting,
John E. Simms. 11:00 AM Tse, Sharon, TITLE: FAIRNESS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF EU ARTICLE 87 SUBSIDIES
FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY, Accounting, John E. Simms. 11:20 AM Ziya, Akif, DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS AND TURKISH COMMERCIAL BANKS,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 11:40 AM Wu, Lihui, PRIOR KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING IN THE PIPELINE BUSINESS,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 12:00 PM Lunch, Scanlan 1:00 PM Lewis, Aaron, EU ETS? TAX, TARIFF, OR NEITHER?, Accounting, John E. Simms. 1:20 PM Lnu, Anindita, IFRS COMPARED TO INDONESIAN GAAP, Accounting, John E.
Simms. 1:40 PM Kidonakis, Melissa, THE NECESSITY OF EDUCATION ABOUT IFRS FOR SMALL
BUSINESSES, Accounting, John E. Simms.
2:00 PM Loftis, Vickie, IAS 27 AND THE PRIVATE EQUITY INDUSTRY, Accounting, John E. Simms.
2:20 PM BREAK 2:40 PM Martinez, Mary Lou, FRAUD IN THE TEXAS SALES TAX REFUND SYSTEM,
Accounting, John E. Simms. 3:00 PM Riley, Marlene, THE CONDORSEMENT APPROACH AND REVENUE
RECOGNITION, Accounting, John E. Simms.
Saturday, April 13, 2012 Ahern, Crooker
12:00 PM Lunch, Scanlan 1:00 PM Morales, Mayra, THE IMPACT OF MICROFINANCE IN YUCATAN, MEXICO AND
SANTIAGO, CHILE, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. Capstone. 1:20 PM Felizzola, Sue Marian, INTEGRATION OF MUSLIMS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION,
International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. Capstone. 1:40 PM Erazo, Angela, EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH MICROFINANCE IN
HONDURAS, International Studies, Rogelio Garcia-Contreras. 2:00 PM BREAK 2:20 PM Benny, Bensy, EXPRESSION OF PICTET SPENGLERASE, Chemistry and Physics,
James Sims. 2:40 PM McDonald, Sarah, THE HYPE OF TECHNOLOGY: ITS EFFECTIVENESS IN THE
CLASSROOM, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
Poster Presenters and Titles 1. AlRawi, Ahmed; Ribes, Albert-Zamora, EXPLORING TRIPLE PROTEIN COMPLEX
INTERACTIONS BY FLUORESCENT COMPLEMENTATION AND DETECTION USING FRET, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
2. Bassiri, Troy; Tobin, Dusty; Bertuch, Alison; Ribes-Zamora, Albert, EVOLUTIONARY TRACE ANALYSIS OF THE KU HETERODIMER, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
3. Franco-Fuenmayor, Maria, CSI FOR MYSIDS: AN INVESTIGATION OF MULTIPLE PATERNITY IN THE MYSID SHRIMP, AMERICAMYSIS BAHIA, Biology, Ruth Ann Bagnall.
4. Hernandez, Jenny; Quirch III, Miguel; and Nordyke, Ellis L., A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE GRAY-BANDED KINGSNAKE LAMPROPELTIS ALTERNA (SERPENTES: COLUBRIDAE), Biology, E. Larry Nordyke.
5. Hernandez, Jenny; Quirch III, Miguel; Nordyke, Ellis L., A PHYLOGENY OF THREE SYMPATRIC SPECIES OF LAMPROPELTIS: L. ALTERNA, L. TRIANGULUM CELAENOPS, AND L. GETULA SPLENDIDA, Biology, E. Larry Nordyke
6. Ahmed, Anam; Hodges, Laura; Little, Angela; Kontrimas, Alexandra, CORRELATING POLYMORPHISMS OF BOVINE MILK-PROTEIN-RELATED GENE STAT5 WITH SHORT TANDEM REPEATS (STRs), Biology, Alexandra Simmons Nout.
7. Hong, Minh; Tran, Rosemary, CORRELATING POLYMORPHISMS OF MILK-FAT AND PROTEIN RELATED GENE (ANXA9) WITH STR ALLELES IN COWS, Biology, Alexandra Simmons Nout.
8. Chuen, Joyce; Mahon, Brian, INVESTIGATING PIERIS RAPAE CO-EVOLUTIONARY INTERACTIONS WITH BRASSICAS FOR USE AS RESEARCH AND TEACHING, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
9. Lam, Duc; Faruki, Adeel, TEMPERATURE STRESS, ANTI-OXIDATIVE ENZYME ACTIVITY AND VIRUS ACQUISITION IN BEMISIA TABACI, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
10. Obeid, Nadine; Lagos, Miriam; Michels, Chris, IDENTIFYING THE CLASSES OF PROTEASES WITHIN THE WHITEFLY BEMISIA TABACI, Biology, Rosemarie Ro
11. Reynolds, Ryan; Knippa, Zoé; Karagozian, Peter; Skeen-Esterheld, Heather; Duong, Gina, DEVELOPING A METHOD TO DETERMINE LETHAL CONCENTRATION OF TOLUENE ON DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
12. Tran, Thu; Rosell, Rosemarie, DEVELOPING A SUITABLE CELL CULTURE MEDIUM FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A CELL LINE FROM BEMISIA TABACI, Biology, Rosemarie Rosell.
13. Uriostegui, Jocelyn; Khan, Huda; Kurian, Marsha, THE ROLE OF BACTERIA IN MAINTAINING SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN SEA ANEMONES AND THEIR ZOOXANTHELLAE, Biology, Ruth Ann Bagnall, Rosmarie Rosell.
14. Weaver, Kayla; Ruben, Michelle; Bassiri, Troy; Tobin, Dusty; Ribes-Zamora, Albert, XRCC4 FILAMENT PRODUCTION UPON BINDING WITH XLF, Biology, Albert Ribes-Zamora.
15. Zalamea, Jonathan, CORRELATING POLYMORPHISMS OF FATTY LIVER DISEASE RELATED GENES WITH STR ALLELES IN COWS, Biology, Carolina Rios-Phillips, (UST-Chile); Alexandra Simmons Nout.
16. Botto, Antonella, SYNTHESIS OF A POLY (BENZALACETONE) POLYMER, Chemistry, Wheeler Crawford, William Tinnerman.
17. Christians, Nicole, OXIDATIVE DIMERIZATION OF 2,6-DI-T-BUTYLPHENOL TO THE DI- QUINONE AND THE REACTION OF THE DI-QUINONE WITH TRIETHYLENE GLYCOL DIAMINE, Chemistry, Crawford Wheeler, William Tinnerman.
18. Ettehadieh, Ida; Crawford, Wheeler, SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF EMULSIFIERS FOR METALWORKING FLUIDS, Chemistry and Physics, William N. Tinnerman II.
19. Gala, Neil, A STRUCTURE ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP ASSAY OF PYOLUTEORIN, Chemistry and Physics, James Sims. Capstone.
20. LeQuang, Andrew, CHARACTERIZATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES IN SIZE AND CONCENTRATION BY UV-VIS SPECTROSCOPY, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
21. McCorkle, Allison, SYNTHESIZING GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING GELATIN AND THIOL- CONTAINING AMINO ACIDS, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
22. Rubio, Anabel, THE SYNTHESIS OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING POLYETHERAMINES, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
23. Cranmer, Daniel; Foytik, Brandy; Ton, Maria; Dixon, Elizabeth; Chirino, Charlie; Campos, Cristian; Batamo, Shuhsien; Roy, Paul; Ledesma, Elmer, GAS-PHASE PYROLYSIS OF EUGENOL IN A TUBULAR-FLOW REACTOR, Chemistry and Physics, Elmer Ledesma..
24. Tran, Hoa; Zaibaq, Nicholas; Trivino, Cesar; Maccato, Elizabeth; Ollero, Joveline; Vu, Dac; Balsara, Dipa; Kuncewicz, Elizabeth; Al-Fady, Lara; Durr, Olivia, NMR EXPERIMENTS FOR FRESHMEN-2012, Chemistry and Physics, Thomas B. Malloy.
25. Tran, Hoa, CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MATERIALS USED BY THE ARTIST VICTOR BRAUNER: PROGRESS REPORT, Chemistry and Physics, Thomas B. Malloy.
26. Vu, Hung; Ledesma, Elmer, PYROLYSIS OF 2-HYDROXYPYRIDINE: A DENSITY FUNCTIONAL THEORY STUDY, Chemistry and Physics, Elmer Ledesma
27. Zaibaq, Nicholas; Crawford, Wheeler, SYNTHESIS OF 5,6-DIHYDRO-2,4-DIMETHYL-5- OXOBENZO[C][2,7]NAPHTHYRIDINE-1-CARBOXYLIC ACID ETHYL ESTER , Chemistry and Physics, William N. Tinnerman II.
28. Chen, Marie F., HIGH FREQUENCY WORD TEACHING STRATEGIES AND READING ACHIEVEMENT AMONG ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
29. Fernandez, Norson, ONLINE NEWS ARTICLES AND READING COMPREHENSION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
30. Jervis, Ita, CULTURE SHOCK: AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF FIVE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, Education, Catherine R. Barber.
31. Wermeling, Ellen, FINE ARTS, READING ACHIEVEMENT, AND SELF-ESTEEM, Education, Catherine R. Barber. Capstone.
32. Rountree, Tyler Daniel; Amelang, Jennifer M., UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS ENVIRONMENTAL WEEK 2012, Environmental Science and Studies, William M. Harris, Jr., Political Science, Jean-Philippe Faletta.
33. Trevizo, Belma , A STUDY OF CITY OF HOUSTON BROWNFIELDS, Environmental Science and Studies, William M. Harris, Jr.
34. Ahmed, Anam; Clarage, James, ANALYSIS OF DIFFUSE SCATTERING FROM TWO PROTEINS: 1ZKG and 1VQ3, Chemistry and Physics, James Clarage.
35. Bedell, Joseph; Doan, Jennifer; Kneeland, Brian; Clarage, James, CHAOTIC DYNAMICS OF WATER, Chemistry and Physics, James Clarage.
36. Yaacoub, Alan P.; Lequang, Andrew; Humphrey, Clayton; Larios-Sanz, Maia, Crawford, Wheeler; Mellis, Birgit, STUDIES ON TOXICITY AND PHOTOTHERMAL EFFECTS IN GOLD NANOPARTICLES, Physics, Birgit Mellis.
37. Gordillo, Leticia, AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY: JIMMY CARTER TO BARACK OBAMA, Political Science, Jean-Philippe Faletta.
38. Wyatt, Sekeia, NUBIAN POLITICAL JOLT, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. Capstone. 39. Boras, Nick; Castenell, Maria; Dickerman, Stephen; Garcia, Justo; Rimkus, Meredith;
Holton, Lindsey; Humphrey, Clayton; Key, Ronald; Patton, Madeleine; and Perez, Melissa, ASSESSING THE HEALTH NEEDS OF UST STUDENTS, Psychology, Carl W. Scott. Capstone.
40. Castenell, Maria; Garcia, Erica; Flores, Jeanine; Holton, Lindsey; Martinez, Ana; Ocampo, Eduardo, ALTERING PERCEPTIONS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL
EXPOSURE: DIRECT CONTACT WITH NATURE, Psychology, Trish Vandiver. Capstone.
41. Clement, Jen; Lui, Antoinette; Martinez, Celina; Maupin, Makenzie; Puente, Maria; , ALTERING PERCEPTIONS THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE: ASSESSING AWARENESS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR, Psychology, Trish Vandiver. Capstone.
42. Perez, Melissa; Patton, Madeleine; Key, Ronald; Humphrey, Clayton; Holton, Lindsey; Rimkus, Meredith; Garcia, Justo; Dickerman, Stephen; Castenell, Maria; Boras, Nick, ENROLLMENT IMPACT OF UST’S REVISED CORE CURRICULUM, Psychology, Carl Scott.
Abstracts of Presentations
(Alphabetical Listings by First Authors, Orals, Both and Posters) Honors Collaborative Presentation: Aguirre, Victoria; Barrera, Laura; Benny, Bensy; Diaz, Laura; Dupree,Christopher; Faruki, Adeel; Gala, Neil; Heysquierdo, Alexandria; Hudson, Esther; Lam, Duc; Mechler, Rebecca; Snodgrass, Alexandra; Tran, Rosemary, EATING AWAY AMERICA, HNRS, Jeremy Wilkins. A society’s relationship with food provides insight into its structure and values. The priorities of the American lifestyle have given rise to practices in agriculture, production, and dining that can lead to health complications. Agriculture has shifted from family farms to factory-style food production, employing morally questionable practices to appeal to the wants of the modern consumer. Federal budgets, policy, and programs favor the mass production of inexpensive food commodities at the urging of lobbyists for the corporations in control of the food supply, ignoring not only the advice of professional nutritionalists, but also its own agencies. As food is integral to human life and culture, we focus on the imbalances in our relationship with food and on the food-related problems in public policy, production, and the market.
Oral Presentations Abdullaeva, Elizaveta, THE FAILURE OF ACCOUNTING CONTROLS IN PREVENTING INVESTMENT FRAUDS: MADOFF AND MAVRODI, Accounting, John E. Simms. Every developed nation's economy is increasingly dependent on the success and integrity of the securities market. However, regulators and governing bodies have no adequate means of preventing investment frauds and market manipulations. This paper focuses on loopholes in legislation which have resulted in a growing wave of financial frauds in recent years. We will look at detailed comparisons and analyses of two Ponzi schemes that have occurred in two different countries but have one pattern in common: Bernie Madoff in the U.S. and Sergey Mavrodi in Russia.
Adham, Jenan, THE IMPACT OF ZAKAT ON THE ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING SYSTEM COMPARED TO THE WESTERN ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, Accounting, John E. Simms. Religion is one element of culture that plays an important role in the Middle Eastern countries as Shari’ah, or Islamic law, helps establish standards for accounting practices. This paper focuses on the Islamic pillar of zakat, or charitable donation of a fixed portion of one’s wealth, and its influence on the accounting standards for corporations following Islamic law. A distinction will be made between the Islamic accounting system and the Western accounting system, as they relate to the accounting elements affected by zakat. Amouri, Jamelleh, SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES USING BIOMOLECULES AS REDUCING AGENTS AND LIGAN, Physics, Birgit Mellis. There has been a tremendous interest in gold nanoparticles for at least thirty years. The literature is replete with references to their synthesis and characterization. We were interested in possible medical applications because of the concentration of medical research in the Houston area. We chose to look at biomolecules in our work because we did not want to involve chemicals with possible toxicity issues. We have looked at gelatin and lecithin (both previously cited in the literature) and several of the amino acid components of gelatin. We have been successful in producing nanoparticles using both bovine and porcine gelatin, alginic acid, and several of the amino acids found in gelatin. These were evaluated alone and with sodium citrate, a commonly used reducing agent. Characterization has been by UV-VIS spectroscopy where the wavelength of the plasmon band absorption has been correlated with particle size. Aquila, Dominick, THE AMERICAN, IRISH, ENGLISH REACTION TO THE RADICAL FRENCH REPUBLIC 1792-95, History, Lee J. Williames. Capstone. The Radical French Republic is dated from 1792 until 1795. While Frenchmen were hailing this as the pinnacle of Republican virtue and freedom, many writers from other countries had different things to say about the revolution and its products. America, Ireland, and the British Empire provide particularly good resources and input in regards to the situation in France through the 1790’s. By examining the newspapers and writings of prominent thinkers from these three countries, the international English-speaking reaction to the controversial French Revolution can be seen. Along with the primary sources, secondary sources, papers and writings have been utilized to provide background and commentary on the views in the papers. The prominent documents of the time are largely varied, particularly in the early stages of the revolution. During the Radical Republic of 1792-1795 with a few exceptions the opinion amongst many turned against the revolution because of its atrocities.
Arguelles, Claudia, HUMANIPULATION: CAUSES BEHIND HUMAN TRAFFICKING, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. In a world of globalization, it does not come as a surprise that every country in the world has been involved with human trafficking. Being a fast-growing criminal industry, second only to drugs, the root causes and conditions behind human trafficking from source countries must be unveiled in order to address this violation of essential human rights. Although this issue can be traced back to the genesis of human civilization and colonization, this worldwide phenomenon arose with the English slave trade in 1562. Root causes for source country status are corruption; and poverty, although debate exists as to which is the most influential. This analysis highlights key differences and similarities between global corruption scores within source countries, while taking other factors into account e.g. GDP per capita and legal sanctions. I attempt to illustrate the relative impacts these causes have on the trafficking of human beings. By taking several variables into account, many theories behind the direct correlation between corruption and poverty are tested. The research hopes to uncover conditions that tend to give rise to human trafficking in source countries. Solutions to human sourcing require alleviation of poverty, enforcement of law, and/or creation of global standards. Balwant, Chanelle, VAUTHIER, English, James Barloon. Capstone. This creative work chronicles the life of protagonist Halle Tate and her induction into wealthy European society. Ms. Tate has become economically dependent on her distant relative, Mrs. Vauthier, who introduces her into an animated, fast-faced, elite culture. The first part of the work is composed primarily of Ms. Tate’s nostalgia and musings of her life thus far; it demonstrates her dislike for change. Aside from introducing Ms. Tate as a character, the first chapters also usher in the juxtaposition of modernism with tradition, major themes in this work. Ms. Tate is thrust into a living situation where she is pressured to change her approach to life. However, as she continues to live with Mrs. Vauthier, she becomes suspicious of her motives and morals. The movement of the novel crescendoes into a quicker pace; as the story progresses Halle has less time to spend on her decisions and makes a judgement to join this society without completely understanding its nature. Conflicted by these elements, Halle finds herself in the middle of the degradation of her moral values. For some people sin need not be experienced directly. These people observe, are repulsed, and reject. Ms. Tate is one of these people. Others, especially when they style themselves as free thinkers (as Mrs. Vauthier does), must experience the sin to experience the effects. There is a surrounding mystery in the work that revolves around the secret of who Mrs. Vauthier really is, and how she acquired her wealth. Beavers, Thomas, HUNTINGTON'S PARADIGM AND CHINA'S RISE, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. In 1993, Samuel P. Huntington published an article which would spark a great deal of debate Huntington posited that armed conflicts in the post-Cold War period will be based on civilizational differences. This paper will seek to test whether Huntington’s theory is more or less valid in the Post 9-11 period. With their rapid rise in economic power, the question has been raised of whether China
will be the United States’ next great hegemonic challenge. Does Huntington’s theory support this idea? Based on data on cultural and civilization values, this work will attempt to establish the validity of Huntington’s theory, as well as a number of the above questions. This will be done through identifying, based on cultural and civilizational value data, not only the short-term probabilities of armed conflict between the United States and China, but also whether the chances of war are actually greater between the United States and Russia. Additionally, I will seek to answer whether civilizational and cultural values have had a more significant effect on the outbreak of armed conflict over time in these countries. In this work, I will measure cultural values and historical data on national compared to civilizational conflicts to measure the chances for war and establishing a set of values that can be attributed to the causation of armed conflict in order to test Huntington’s theory. This paper seeks to examine the data found on armed conflict between civilizations as compared to cultural values including language, law, religion, administrative practice and institutions, agriculture, land-holding, and kinship from 1985 to 2012. Bekesheva, Ainash, THE ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING STANDARDS (IFRS) IN KAZAKHSTAN AND ITS EFFECT ON CORRUPTION, Accounting, John E. Simms. The goal of this research paper is to determine how the adoption of IFRS by Kazakhstan will help fight corruption on multiple economic levels by making the economy part of the global market. The paper will examine how the adoption of IFRS attracts multiple financial users, investors, and critics, some of whom will be personally interested in the financial transparency of Kazakhstan firms. The adoption of IFRS gives the country opportunities for development and opens new markets, while high levels of corruption slow down economic growth. As a result, the implementation of IFRS standards will likely decrease levels of corruption. Benny, Bensy, EXPRESSION OF PICTET SPENGLERASE, Chemistry and Physics, James Sims. We are isolating a Pictet Spengler catalyzing enzyme involved in the biosynthesis in Manzamine A. The proposed biosynthesis involves a polykeytide synthase that elongates a nicotinic acid starter creating a monomer. The reaction of two of these monomers leads to the formation of a pyridinium dimer. This undergoes an enzyme catalyzed diels-alder reaction followed by a ring opening. These reactions generate the inactive, aliphatic section of Manzamine A (i.e. Ircinal A). The Pictet Spenglerase then adds a tryptamine group that is further oxidized to the form the aromatic beta- carboline, the fully functional form of the manzamine alkaloids. However, it is of semi-synthetic importance to be able to generate the complex starting material, ircinal A, in order to generate drugs that no longer have negative side effects but maintain biological activity. Our goal is to find the enzyme that converts Ircinal A to the bioactive manzimine A and selectively make Ircinal A.
Berg, Rakel, THE COST OF IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON THE SENDER ECONOMY, International Studies, Hans Stockton. Capstone. This paper examines the costs of economic sanctions for the source country. The case study for this paper is the United States. The research will attempt to assess the general economic costs of imposing sanctions on the sender’s economy. The paper reviews three schools of thought regarding the costs of economic sanctions to the U.S. economy. One perspective is that unilateral sanctions imposed by the US have been ineffective in delivering their intended goals and therefore, are costly to the U.S. economy. A second perspective argues that multilateral sanctions are more effective than unilateral sanctions; therefore, costing the U.S. domestic economy more; however multilateral sanctions have a greater probability for success than unilateral sanctions. A third perspective argues that targeted sanctions have the intention to decrease the comprehensive coverage of a sanction; therefore, decreasing the cost to the sender’s economy. Following this review and construction of a general model, the paper will seek to determine the cost of imposing a sanction to the sender economy in relationship to the three perspectives measured above. This will be done by first determining if an imposed sanction was unilateral, multilateral or targeted. Second, determining how successful the sanction was in delivering the intended goal. Finally, an attempt will be made to determine the cost of a unilateral, multilateral or targeted sanction. Bieman, Joseph, THE WAY TO FREEDOM: WHY FREE MARKET CAPITALISM IS THE ONLY SYSTEM WHICH CAN ACHIEVE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY, Political Science, Jon R. Taylor. This paper will address the issue of self-interest and its role in policy choices made by both voters and governments by examining the following broad question: Which economic system works best for a democratic society? Capitalism or socialism? For over 150 years, the struggle between these two systems has colored much of the modern world’s view of politics, economics, social interactions, and contending policy alternatives. The paper will address the notion that the more economically free a country is then that will translate into creating pathways towards economic growth which can help reduce poverty, unemployment, fight corruption and bring about over-all well being for a nation and its citizens. The paper concludes with an assessment of both freedom of choice and social determinism’s role in influencing the eventual societal choice of capitalism, socialism, or something in-between. Brown, Derek, OFFSHORE TAX SHELTERS: PLAYING THE “CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” GAME, Accounting, John E. Simms. The line between tax avoidance and tax evasion is difficult to determine. Because the former is acceptable and the latter is illegal, it is important to ascertain the distinction between the two. One common way for individuals and corporations to avoid and evade taxes is through implementing offshore tax shelters. This paper will examine how the IRS codes and U.S. statutes currently deal with offshore tax shelters, discuss how KPMG got into trouble with the overly aggressive design of tax shelters, and suggest better approaches to dealing with this problem from a regulatory and ethical standpoint.
Calzini, Marina, CAN THE PROVISION OF HEALTHCARE IN THE U.S. BE IMPROVED? A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS, International Studies, Nivien Saleh. Capstone. This study will examine what the United States – a country with a private healthcare system - can learn from the public healthcare systems that prevail in many industrialized economies. This research question is important because healthcare affects everybody, and therefore every single American has stakes in optimizing the provision of healthcare. I chose countries that have a similar GDP to the United States: Denmark, Italy, Taiwan, and Belgium. I will evaluate their systems of medical care by comparing their accessibility, their quality, the individual cost, and the overall benefit of each system. The goal is to find out what works and what doesn’t, and what insights can be transferred to the American context. Cannon, Ellen, &nbs