CLAS Home

News & Highlights

»	Achievements
»	Events
»	Dean's Student Colloquium

Seventh Annual Dean's Student Colloquium

April 21, 2008

Each academic department in the College was invited to participate in an annual event designed to cultivate and recognize significant student endeavors outside the classroom. The idea is to select an undergraduate student from every major program in the college who is engaged in a project or activity that is unique and particularly interesting. The students were provided with an opportunity to describe the activity to each other. The informal discussion among the participants creates the potential for cross-fertilization of ideas, fosters interdisciplinary understanding and respect, and reinforces individual morale.

The student participants for 2008 are listed below by major program. Click on a name to go to a description of that project included in the proceedings of the event.

Elizabeth Quinn (Biology)

Antimicrobial Activity (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) of Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Extracts against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A microplate assay for determining minimum inhibitory concentrations was developed/modified for use with plant extracts. Extracts of ground ivy were assayed for antimicrobial activity using this procedure. A significant solvent effect was noted on preliminary assays which necessitated removal of the solvent (ethanol) by evaporation and redissolving the extracts in water. The minimum inhibitory concentration data will be used in conjunction with extract dry weights to calculate total activity of the extract. These data will serve as a basis for a seasonal/geographical variability study of extracts of this plant.

Back to Top

Nicholas Wilson (Interpretive Biology)

FSU Exploratorium Research and Development

The FSU Exploratorium is a small scale natural history museum completed in 2005. Dr. Joseph Cavallaro donated animal mounts valued at approximately $2.3 million for our Exploratorium, with specimens from all over the wold. The museum has great potential for education and experience for those students wishing to enter the museum field.

I have already completed one independent study, and am in the process of a second one. My first independent study was on the Interpretation of the FSU Exploratorium. I developed several PowerPoint presentations filled with information on some of the animals represented in the collection, and I developed an interpretive program for middle school aged children entitled "The Wild World Safari". This program incorporated the use of several different multiple intelligences and other learning methods to teach about subjects such as Math, English and Biology, while having fun in a non-traditional format of an adventure safari.

My second Independent study is a research and development project comparing the satisfaction from different museum touring methods. I am giving tours in two different methods; Guided discovery and Lecture-style. I am also comparing survey results to visitors that do not partake in a guided tour, but just walk around, look at things and use the PowerPoint presentations to learn about the natural history of the organisms. I am comparing the methods based on levels of satisfaction in the amount of fun had, and how informative there program was.

In addition to my Independent studies, I also received the governor's internship grant to be paid to continue my work in the Exploratorium. While working in the Exploratorium, I have begun to write grants, give tours and other interpretive programs, and continue to interpret all of the animals we have in the collection with PowerPoint. I have also developed an interpreter's guide for use by future docents leading tours in the Exploratorium. The guide includes information about the animals and different methods that should be used based on the types of visitors you have in a program.

All of my work has paid off, because I have recently been hired as the full-time curator of the FSU Exploratorium. This is an excellent opportunity for me. I will be working on the continued interpretation of the collection, maintaining the upkeep of the collection, writing grants, developing new programs, and acquiring funding for the Exploratorium. I hope to bring in more exhibits and provide opportunities for students at Frostburg to have internships here in our own Exploratorium.

Back to Top

Christa Kucharczyk and Andrew Minnick (Chemistry)

Examining Population Variation in Black Cohosh Chemical Constituents Using Mass Spectrometry and Induction of Differentiation on HL-60 Cells

Black cohosh is an herbal remedy used by many women to treat menopausal symptoms. An HPLC-MS was used to create a standard curve for each of the six chemicals: actein, 27-deoxyactein, cimicifugoside, cimifugin, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid. The roots of various populations of black cohosh were extracted using various solvents and then analyzed using the HPLC-MS for these components. A cell line of HL-60 cells, a human leukemia cell line, was established and then tested for differentiation. The extracts of black cohosh will be tested for their ability to differentiate HL-60 cells.

Back to Top

David Tiscione (Communication Studies)

Frostburg Saferide

March 27, 2008 witnessed the inauguration of Frostburg Saferide, a project designed to improve the safety of all Frostburg residents and, hopefully improve town-gown relations; a project nearly two years in the making.

The impetus for Frostburg Saferide began before I even knew programs like it existed. From the first day of LEAD 201, Leadership Studies: Theory and Practice, as everyone around the room listed the numerous organizations they were involved in, I knew I would have to get involved in something on campus. Since one of my majors is Political Science I was drawn to and joined the Student Government Association.

As a third semester Senator, I represented the SGA at a conference on Student Government Associations, where I learned about a nationwide phenomenon called Saferide Programs. It seemed like it would be a fantastic program for the University and I decided to pursue it as my Project for LEAD 494, the Practicum in Leadership Studies.

Bringing Frostburg Saferide to fruition commanded every skill I learned in my Communication Studies and Political Science Majors, and Leadership Studies Minor. Since the program had to be presented to numerous organizations, I made a power point presentation which required the presentational skills I learned in Intro. to Human Communication, Presentational Communication and Argumentation and Advocacy, as well as many other classes.

To build support for the program, I had to meet with the necessary parties to make sure all of my bases were covered. The insights into types of leadership and team work required in a complex organization such as Frostburg Sate University, coming from my Public Administration class proved invaluable.

As the program began to take shape, I had to take my presentation to the final step- the Presidential Student Advisory Council Meeting where the President of the University, all of his Vice-Presidents, and numerous student representatives gather to discuss different initiatives and problems taking place on campus. This was the capstone moment in the Practicum/Frostburg Saferide project. I had to present an argument for Frostburg Saferide to a President who was trying to change the image of Frostburg State University as a "party school," and I had to be a politician/advocate in many ways: stating my points, gaining support, and counteracting questions and objections with intelligent and careful rebuttals. Finally, Frostburg Saferide was unanimously approved and I had to start the implementation phase of the program.

Still using many of my Leadership, Communication, and Political skills, I developed, recruited, and trained an organization which offers Frostburg State University students a safe alternative to drunk-driving and walking home alone on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 10 pm until 2:30 am. Beginning the evening of March 27, and for our regular hours afterward, Frostburg State students are able to call 301-687-RIDE if they would like a free, non-discriminatory, no-questions-asked, ride home from any event taking place within the Frostburg city limits. A dispatcher will receive a call and yet another dispatcher will relay this message to a van that will retrieve the students and deliver them home safely. Currently Frostburg Saferide has over 70 student volunteers working to make Frostburg a safer, friendlier community for all. I fully expect it to continue to grow and benefit Frostburg State students and the Frostburg community.

Back to Top

Siera Smith and Calene Thomas (Environmental Analysis and Planning)

Allegany County Government's Geographic Information Systems, Planning Applications

Allegany County Government's Geographic Information Systems office provides Calene and Siera with a place to develop their professional skills. The students contributed to Allegany County's GIS office by creating and modifying GIS data files. Calene has helped digitized sewer and water asbulits to create utility models. She has also completed Local Update of Census Addresses program, also known as LUCA; this provides the master database of addresses for the US Census Bureau's 2010 census. Calene also has opportunities to exercise her cartography skills for the County's Engineering and Utilities Departments. Siera has completed creating GIS files locating institutional points like government offices, day care centers, post offices, churches and cemeteries. She is also improving Allegany County's Emergency 9-1-1 service which utilizes a GIS address files, by adding and editing missing and incorrect address locations.

Creating a new image for Allegany County Transit was one of Siera's first tasks. This was accomplished with a new logo and the production of easy to read schedules which increased Allegany County Transit's ridership. Allegany County Transit has helped Siera increases her knowledge when working with the public, through customer service surveys as well as ridership surveys. She is also more prepared to learn other Government compliance reporting techniques, after submitting data to one agency, the National Transit Database.

Back to Top

Katherine Brown (Foreign Languages)

Mexico's Reaction to the Zimmermann Telegram, 1917-1918

My Honors Thesis project incorporates both my senior History capstone course and my Spanish Translation class. I will be translating a collection of articles from Mexican newspapers, which I found while studying abroad in Mexico, from the era of the First World War. This project will become a primary source analysis on a subject which is rarely studied in the U.S. One challenge of this project is that this is my first experience with translating, another that U.S. resource bases have very limited information on Mexican history, apart from a very broad spectrum.

First, a historical introduction to the topic will be given. This will first explain the background of the war up until that time. Europe was actively fighting, while America and the rest of the world were attempting to remain neutral. Woodrow Wilson had recently been elected under the campaign slogan "He kept us out of the War."

Germany's strategies at this point in the war will then be discussed. They were planning on opening unrestricted submarine warfare on any countries opposing them in the war. It was at this point that they sent a coded telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico, encouraging him to urge Mexico to declare war on America to regain territories lost in the Mexican-American War in 1848. These territories included Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. In exchange for this declaration of war, Germany would provide aid to Mexico in the hopes of keeping America out of the war in Europe.

Mexico's situation will also be examined, as they were involved in their own Revolution, dealing with unsuitable leaders and reform in their country. Their relationship with America will also be described, as they had been in an unspoken alliance for quite some time.

I will then explain my sources, including where I found them and some information about their status in Mexico. The sources come from three newspapers based out of Mexico City, and I will also be using secondary sources to provide the necessary background of these newspaper articles through historical research.

Following this introduction, I will provide an analysis of my translation, discussing the salient features of the source text, and what steps I took toward producing my target text. I will provide endnotes containing decisions made during the translation process. The translated articles themselves will follow this analysis, with footnotes explaining historical events described in the articles.

The American reaction to this telegram is often examined, yet the other country so deeply involved is ignored. Therefore, my goal with this project is to provide a thorough explanation of the Mexican reaction to the telegram that supposedly brought America into the First World War. Thus far, I have found that the Mexican reaction is a strong anger toward Germany for pulling them into this war which "has bloodied the world."

Back to Top

Benjamin Kirsch (Mass Communication)

Frostburg State University Athletic Recruitment Video

Ben Kirsch, a senior Mass Communication major, has been a vital part of the Department of Mass Communication. With his efforts and skills gained in a variety of television projects for the department, including the production of a promotional video for Adventure Sports Center International and a variety of news packages, Ben chose to do his internship with FSU-TV3 this spring. The focus of his project, undertaken in collaboration with the FSU Athletic department, is the production of a recruitment video for the various varsity athletics at the University. Ben is working with Ashley Manion, the FSU Women's Lacrosse Coach. Together, they are conducting interviews with current athletes who will speak about their individual experiences as varsity athletes at Frostburg State. Ben is shooting video of many FSU sports, creating all the graphics for the video with the compositing program Motion, and will be assembling the final project using Final Cut Pro Studio, an industry leading video editing program. The final project will be used to recruit incoming freshman students to participate in our athletic programs.

Back to Top

Robert Caster (Political Science)

The Founding of American Conservatism: The Anti-Federalists and Modern Conservative Thought

Modern Conservatives often point to the Federalist Papers as a major source of conservative thought. Newly elected Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, placed it on his suggested reading list for Republican legislators. The Young American's Forum includes The Federalist Papers on its suggested readings list for young conservatives. While we share the admiration of the Federalist Papers, it is ironic that this work is considered a fountain of conservative thought, given its sustained argument for a stronger national government. Modern conservatism, since at least Goldwater, has generally argued against a stronger national government. The arguments made by modern conservatives do echo the debates of the founding era, but their positions have as much in common with the arguments of the Anti-Federalists as with The Federalist Papers. The arguments raised by the Anti-Federalists for states rights, smaller national government, respect for established institutions and fiscal prudence are an underappreciated source of conservative thought in America. A nuanced understanding of modern conservatism requires a deeper appreciation of their historical roots, and much of this can be found in the writings of the Anti-Federalists. Our paper helps to provide this understanding by detailing the Anti-Federalist's contributions to modern conservative thought, and thereby, rescue the contribution of the Anti-Federalists to modern American political thought from the long shadow of the Federalist Papers.

Back to Top

Laura Skipper (Psychology)

The Effects of Decision Strategy on Options and Attributes Considered in a Career Decision Task

Background
Multi-attribute decision analysis (MADA) is a balance sheet-like method in which decision makers systematically consider options along multiple attributes. It is thought to help them consider more information that they might ordinarily consider (Janis & Mann, 1977; Raiffa, 1970). More recently, critics of MADA have argued that extensive reasoning about options may actually lead to poorer decisions. Zackay and Wooler (1984) found that a MADA-trained group did not improve decision making as compared to an untrained group and actually made poorer decisions under conditions of time pressure. In a recent study, Raver, Bensley, and Stark (2007) found that students using MADA to make a career decision actually considered fewer attributes and options in making their decision than those who were induced to use an affective, intuitive strategy or those who were unconstrained in their decision strategy. This is contrary to the view that MADA helps people consider more information in their decision making.

The present study was designed to compare the types of options and attributes listed by MADA, intuitive and unconstrained decision makers. Perhaps decision makers using MADA will consider a greater variety of options and attributes in their decision. However, MADA may place a considerable cognitive load on decision maker and result in consideration of fewer types of options and attributes, while intuitive decision makers may be more flexible in those they consider.

Method
A total of 98 students completed the career decision task. They were randomly assigned to three groups: a MADA group, an intuitive affective group, and then a free choice group. They were each given an example of a model making a decision about a pet. All participants completed a form asking them to list the career options they considered and another form for listing the attributes or "things you considered" in making the decision. Then they wrote a short justification of their decision and completed a questionnaire taken from Galotti (1999). It contained several additional questions in which they rated their confidence, certainty, frustration, and satisfaction concerning their decision on seven-point scales.

Results and Discussion
After the data transformation, we found that the MADA group considered fewer attributes than both the free decision and intuitive groups, but also considered fewer options than the free decision group. The MADA group also considered fewer types of options and attributes than the free decision group. This combination of findings contradicts the hypothesis that the MADA decision strategy would induce decision makers to consider both more information and more kinds of information. Instead, when college students used MADA to make a career decision, it seems to have constrained them both in the amount of information they considered and how flexible they were, while intuitive decision strategies allowed for more flexibility. MADA may have demanded cognitive resources that decision makers would have otherwise allocated to considering more and different options and attributes if they had used a less constraining procedure. This finding should be of interest to career counselors seeking information about how to better help students decide on future careers.

Back to Top

Adam Brandt (Wildlife and Fisheries)

Using DNA to Establish Population Origins and Dispersal of Bobcats

The conservation and management of large carnivore populations is generally challenging, because they typically persist at low population densities and have specific habitat requirements. Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations in the western United States had declined in many areas from unregulated hunting and habitat alterations. However, improvements in furbearer management techniques have contributed to the recovery of populations in areas where they were extirpated. I obtained tissue samples from 87 bobcats hunted or trapped in the Southwestern region of North Dakota during the 2005-2006 hunting season. I isolated DNA from the samples and amplified 8 polymorphic microsatellite loci by polymerase chain reaction. Allele ranges were determined using the ABI 310 Genetic Analyzer and statistical analysis performed using Structure, Genepop and Genetix software. Analysis has not shown a differentiation among sampled bobcats. Data does not suggest inbreeding and indicates a heterozygotic excess. These result suggests a common ancestry and further analysis of neighboring populations is necessary to establish origin and dispersal patterns.

Back to Top