The Cary Mound Granite: A Mineralized Collapsed
Caldera in Wood County, Wisconsin

William Cordua, Geology, Jeffrey Bruesewitz, Student
We studied a 1,850 million year old pluton near Marshfield, Wisconsin. It has textures consistent with a shallow formation depth. We interpret minerals along fractures and in cavities as the result of a hydrothermal system percolating through a collapsed volcanic caldera. Strike and dip studies reveal regional trends perhaps related to the nearby Athens shear zone.

Detection of Yeast and Molds in Dry Milk Products and Salad Dressings

Purnendu C. Vasavada, Animal & Food
Science, Debra Andazola, Student
Microbiological quality assurance of many food products and food ingredients involve detection and enumeration of yeasts and molds. In this study, 50 commercial samples of dry milk powders and organic salad dressing were analyzed for yeasts & molds using the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations' Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) cultural method. While most samples had none or very little contamination, appreciable levels of Yeast and molds were detected in several samples.

An Example of Meeting Stormwater Ordinances with Native Planting

Terry L. Ferris, Plant and Earth Science,
Mark A. Konlock, Kurt A. Hulett, Gregory L. Ruskell,
Students
As we enter the 21st century, polluted water runoff from agricultural, municipal, and construction areas is becoming the focus of water pollution regulation. Municipalities are enacting ordinances and creating stormwater utilities to deal with polluted runoff. The Polk County Shoreland Protection Zoning Ordinance requires new construction on lake lots to meet a standard of runoff criteria. This project developed a landscape plan for the first citizen case affected by this new ordinance. The project evaluated the site conditions, calculated runoff parameters, developed landscape options for meeting the ordinance with alternatives of native vegetation, a rain basin, or a combination of the two, and selected the most workable alternative plan. This project can serve as an example for others required to meet similar legislation.

Detection of Staphylococcus Aureus in Mastitic Milk: A Case Study

Purnendu C. Vasavada, Animal & Food Science,
Alison Weickowicz, and Rachel Shoemacher, Students
The main objective of this case study was to determine infection status of a commercial dairy herd, suspected to have a S. aureus problem and recommend an effective treatment strategy to control mastitis and increase milk quality. Individual cow milk samples were analyzed for Staphylococcus aureus using the conventional plating method and the 3Mü Petrifilmü Staph Express Count Plate method. Typical isolates were characterized based on characteristic colony morphology, Gram stain, catalase and coagulase reaction. Twenty four of 46 (52.2%) cows were found to be positive for S. aureus. based on these results, control strategy involving strict regimen of dry cow therapy, sanitation and segregation was recommended to the producer.

Evaluation and Consumer Acceptance of Artificial Sweeteners: A Preliminary Survery

Purnendu C. Vasavada, Animal & Food Science, Marion J. Majeske, Student
A survey of the UW-River Falls students were conducted to assess the acceptanceof Spelnda and Aspartame two popular artificial sweaters. An untrained panel comprising of UW-River Falls students were asked to evaluate samples of cookies and lemonade beverage prepared with 100 % sugar, 100% Aspartame(lemonade) or Spenda(cookies) and 1:1 mixture of sugar and selected sweetener for sweetness and over all acceptance. Results indicated that the panelists preferred products made with 100% sugar over those made with Splenda or Aspartame.

Mapping a Turkey Breast to Determine Muscle Quality

Bonnie Walters, Animal and Food Science, Jennifer Good, Student
Turkey breast fillets were evaluated using pH, L* color value, percentage of moisture uptake, and percentage of cooked yield. The fillets were subdivided and mapped on a grid in order to evaluate the uniformity of the breast muscle. This evaluation will be used to assist poultry processors in identifying how to best determine muscle quality of meat that will be used for further processing.

Storm Water Runoff and Sustainability Study

Kelly Cain, Kerry Keen, and Laine Vignona, Plant & Earth Science,
Charles Rader, Geography& Mapping Sciences, Ryan Perkl, Student
The primary objective of this study is to establish high quality baseline water quality and Geographic Information System data as a foundation for a long term sustainability study. The scope of the study includes establishing what effects UWRF campus and surrounding land uses have on the South Fork of the Kinnickinnic River, a Class A coldwater trout stream. Base maps were generated from preliminary GIS data of watershed delineation, 15 documented storm water outfalls, and environmental factors surrounding both the South Fork and the Unnamed Tributary.
Six sampling sites were selected along the South Fork from which the water quality data was analyzed.

Assessment of Wisconsin Agricultural Educators Agreement with Constructivist Beliefs and Use of Compatible Instructional Methods

Tim Buttles and James Graham, Agricultural Education, Trisha Hieronimczak, Student
Constructivist theory is based on the notion that learning is an active process of exploring new information where students construct meaning by linking new information to previous experiences and knowledge. The goal of this project was to assess agricultural education teachers' agreement with constructivist views of learning and to determine the level of constructivist compatible teaching approaches used by these teachers.

Effects of Amylase Activity on Bread-making Properties

Purnendu C. Vasavada, Animal & Food Science, Maggie Knudtson, Student
Amylase activity of barley, rye, and wheat flours individually and in various combination was determined using the Amylograph. The effect of amylase activity on bread making properties of individual flours and selected mixtures was evaluated.

Tim Buttles, Agricultural Education
This poster will present the preliminary analysis of student use of Blackboard course materials in three different classes.

The Effect of Row Spacing on Corn Silage Yield and Quality

Michael Crotser, Plant & Earth Science, Ben Jahnke, Student
The advantage of narrow row corn includes more consistent plant spacing, faster crop canopy closure, and possibly better weed control programs. However, there are a few production challenges as row spacing decreases. These include the cost of converting existing equipment or buying new equipment, the challenge of performing operations once corn is emerged, and the shortage of narrow row equipment under the width of 30 inches. An anticipated yield increase is expected when row spacing is reduced, but with it come some interesting questions.

Potential Nutrient Leaching Under Dairy Manure Composting Windows in Grazing & Conventional Dairies

Darren Danke, Student, Kevin Erb, UW-Extension Internship Coordinator
For many Wisconsin dairy farms, manure composting has become a viable option for manure management. Wisconsin possesses little data of the environmental impact of composting on soil rather than concrete. This study analyzed soil samples for nitrogen and phosphorus compounds on six dairy farms. The goal was to determine how soil at a given time reflects nutrient leaching under compost piles. Results of this compost study shows that little leaching of nutrients through soil occurs on different soil types and management practices.

Baseline Air Quality Survey in River Falls

Laine Vignona, Plant & Earth Science, Ryan Perkl, Joe Brunner, and Kari Spears, Students.
Total particulate nitrate and sulfur samples were collected in various locations throughout River Falls. Data are presented and compared to generally acceptable air quality levels.

E-Democracy: Legislative-Constituent Communications in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Davida Alperin, Political Science,
David Schultz, Co-Investigator
The poster is based on a survey conducted in the summer of 2002 of state legislators in Minnesota and Wisconsin regarding their communications with constituents. The focus of the study is the effectiveness of different ways that constituents use to contact their legislators including, among other means, regular mail, phone calls, faxes, and e-mail. Comparisons across the 2 states in 2002, and of Minnesota in 1997 and 2002 will be made through the use of tables and graphs.

Scottish Nationalism

James B. MacTavish, Student
My research is on cultural and civic aspect of Scottish nationalism. Historical circumstance (the preservation of Scottish institutions during union with England, the narrow Highland focus on cultural symbols, the broad definition of Scottish identity, and economic conditions) have made Scotland somewhat unique in having a nationalism based on political and economic control of place, rather than the more common cultural conception of nationality based on ethnicity, language, and religion.

Inclusion, Education, and Avoidance: The Prime Time Response to September 11

Tracey Gladstone-Sovell, Political Science, William R. Wilkerson, College at Oneonta, SUNY, Political Science
This poster examines prime time television's response to the events of September 11. Based on a review of the 2001-2002 television season's prime time programs, we identify 15 series that incorporated 9/11 elements. The most common 9/11 storylines were those that dealt with Anti-Arab/Muslim backlash; the effect of 9/11 on the public safety community; issues of terrorism and international conflict and those that focused attention on the military conflict in Afghanistan. Programs incorporated 9/11 themes in one of three ways: 1) through season-long storylines; 2) through individual episodes; and 3) through season-long symbolic and subtle incorporation. There was a significant infusion of 9/11 related material in the 2001-2001 prime time television season, although the impact of this incorporation is unclear at this point.

German Film Teaching Packets

Peter Johansson, Modern Languages
For a German language teacher the showing of a German movie offers some significant linguistic pedagogical challenges. A subtitle may help get the gist, but the subtle nuances are otherwise lost. Some DVD's now come with the option to delete the subtitle and this is a great advance for language learners. For several years I have been working on the creation of packets for students to enhance their listening comprehension skills when they view a film. I will display several teaching packets which I created for post World War II German films. I shared them with college and advanced high school level teachers at the Fall 2002 Wisconsin Association of Foreign Language Teachers meetings held in Appleton.

Does the Failure of Utilitarianism Justify a Belief in Intrinsic Value?

Imtiaz N. Moosa, Philosophy
An intrinsically good thing is something that has value above and beyond how much it benefits humans. I argue that that the very idea of intrinsic worth is incoherent, because we humans can only regard those things valuable which benefit humans. However, philosophers greatly fear reducing all value to human related value. They fear this would lead to value relativism, hedonism and utilitarianism. I argue this need not be the case at all.

The Non-relativity and Subjectivity of Aesthetic Claims

Imtiaz N. Moosa, Philosophy
Aesthetic predicates about a painting being majestic or puerile, for
example, are clearly not factual predicates like those about the size,
weight and colors of the painted canvas. But yet we may not want to degrade and reduce aesthetic claims to merely a matter of our own opinions. I argue that while aesthetic claims are objectively true as are factual or mathematical claims, they are not relative either.

Perception(s) of Long-Term Negative Outcomes of Domestic Abuse on Children

Lisa Isenberg, Psychology, Jessica Wiskow, Student
This study examined people's knowledge about the long-term negative outcomes of domestic abuse on children as well as their beliefs regarding their own children's risk of developing these outcomes. Participants consisted of college students and clients from a domestic abuse shelter. When asked to assess the risk their children face of developing these outcomes, students believed that their own children were less at risk than the average child. In social psychology this overestimation of future positive outcomes is referred to as a positive illusion. Both groups of participants evaluated risk levels for eight different outcome variables in each of three different contexts.

Experiencing Organizational Change: SCTA 416 Looks at Internal and External Communication Patterns of a UW-River Falls Unit

Barbara L. Werner, Speech Communication & Theatre Arts, Karen Walker, Steven Walczak, Nicole Stark, Christopher Olson, Alexia Kjos, Kathi Douglas, Sara Dado, and Jessica Berg, Students
The purpose of this study is to determine the communication trends, patterns, and effectiveness within a unit on the UW-River Falls unit. This "in progress" work includes analysis of a needs assessment. Data were collected through surveys, interviews and observations. Based on the results, training recommendations will be made.

Failed Silhouettes

Katherine V. Gannett, Student
The photographs to be displayed are unsuccessful attempts at creating silhouettes. Silhouettes are reportedly easy to produce; if so, it is a skill that has eluded me to this point as a budding photographer. These photographs represent my best efforts at creating something "easy." Although they fail as silhouettes, they exhibit an arresting quality of light and interesting composition.

Spring Break Documentary Photography Project

Angela Schumacher, Student
This project combines my passions of travel and photography into a visual demonstration of my spring break experience. The photos illustrate my trip from beginning to end-traveling on a Greyhound bus to New Haven, Connecticut, and wandering around in New York City.

Designing Costumes for University Theatre's Production of "Scapino!"

Robin Murray, Speech Communication & Theatre Arts, Moria Clinton, Student
"Scapino!" is a play of two cultures and time periods which must be melded. Based on Moliere's "The Cheats of Scapin" it uses commedia del' arte conventions popular in the 15th century such as stock characters, but the play is set in the late 1960's. To meld the two periods we researched clothing styles and fabrics from both periods and cultures looking for intersections of line, color, silhouette and motif.

A Study of Paleolithic Cave Art in the Dordogne

Matthew D. Fischer, Student
As part of Semester Abroad last fall I researched examples of Paleolithic cave art in four caves and several rock shelters in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. The thesis of my final paper concludes that art was an important factor in the development of the Homo sapiens brain 40,000 years ago after the frontal lobe grew to its present size. My poster focuses on the images and tools I studied.

Crystal Structure of Cobalt Compounds

Molly O'Hagan, Student, Research done through the UW-River Falls Semester Abroad program at the University of Zaragoza, Spain- Inorganic Chemistry Department. Advisors of research at the University of Zaragoza: Dr. Milagros Tomas, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Dr. Larry Falvello, Crystallographer.
The reactivity of oxygen molecules with metal complexes is essential for living organisms. The coordination of O2 to transition metals is a reversible reaction that living systems use to transport oxygen throughout the system. Hemoglobin is one example of an iron oxygen-carrying complex in the human body. Cobalt complexes with coordinated oxygen have been studied as models for these more complex dioxygen carriers. The crystal structure of the dioxygen complex, decaammine- -peroxodicobalt(4+) cation was studied.

Comparing the Effects of Capsaicin Analogs on the
Thermal Avoidance Response in Caenorhabditis Elegans

Jodie Deshler, Biology, Lee A. Hraby, Student
Caenorhabditis elegans is a free living soil nematode, used in many laboratories as a model system. When exposed to noxious heat, C. elegans exhibits a rapid, reflexive withdrawal followed by backing and a heading change as a defense mechanism. Capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers, stimulates a nociceptive heat response followed by an analgesic effect. An assay using C. elegans has been developed to identify capsaicin analogs without the perception of nociceptive heat.

A Model System to Test Capsaicin Analogs on Receptor-Mediated Calcium Influx

Ryan Saffert, Student
The active ingredient in hot peppers-capsaicin-causes a burning sensation by stimulating vanilloid receptors in sensory nerves. Capsaicin is used as a topical pain reliever, because the same action appears to inhibit the sensation of pain. Analogs of capsaicin developed by the UW-River Falls Chemistry Department will be tested via receptor mediated Ca2+ influx in transformed human embryonic kidney cells. A model system has been shown effective in measuring Ca2+ influx.

Fibonacci Molecules: A Topological Index Study of Highly Branched Polymers

Kevin W. McLaughlin, Chemistry, Kevin J. Dawson and Terry S. Neumann, Students
Predicting physical properties for highly-branched giant molecules is not currently possible. Small molecules and linear polymers have been successfully modeled using a topological index from graph theory, a branch of mathematics. We have designed a special class of highly branched polymers, perhaps best named Fibonacci molecules, to identify why topological indices fail to model the properties of hyper-branched macromolecules.

Expression and Distribution of HIV Co-Receptors on Human White Blood Cells

Karen K. Klyczek, Biology, Katherine A. DeHaven, Student
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) invades cells by binding to two co-receptors, CD4 and a chemokine receptor. The goal of this project is to analyze the distribution of these receptors on the cell surface to determine whether there is a physical association between them prior to HIV binding. Currently, we are treating immature human monocyte cells to try to induce increased chemokine receptor expression, which is measured by RT-PCR.

Stochastic Resonance in a Simple Magnetic Pendulum

Arriety Lowell, Student
We demonstrate the existence of stochastic resonance in a simple
magnetic pendulum system. A small magnet suspended by a string
above two electromagnets combine to produce a bistable potential well. The pendulum is suspended from a speaker driven by broadband white noise to provide a random force on the magnet. A second pair of electromagnets is used to modulate the depths of the potential wells. We present results showing stochastic resonance for simple harmonic modulations.

Optical Trap Characterization With a Two Axis Microscope

Lowell McCann, Physics, Brandon Rice, Student
Micron sized glass spheres held in optical traps for long periods of
time undergo changes that eventually cause the sphere to be expelled from the trap. Our goal is to understand the physical changes of the sphere that lead to this expulsion. We have developed a unique two-axis microscope along with image analysis software to determine the location of the sphere in real time in three dimensions.

Liquid Crystal Cell Characterization Study

Eileen Korenic, Physics, Erin Dahlke, Student
A liquid crystal cell is a construction of conductive glass sandwiching an electrically responsive liquid crystal. When an electric field is applied to the conductive glass, the liquid crystal molecules change their orientation, preventing polarized light from passing through. This light valve is the basis for liquid crystal display technology. This study determined that a reasonable quality optical device suitable for studying light valve technology can be constructed under ordinary non cleanroom laboratory conditions.

Adventitious Rooting of Winter-Dormant Willow Twigs in Transparent Modules for Experiments in the Classroom

John Wheeler, Biology, Tara Lefler, Student
We developed a simple technique using transparent plastic tubes (modules) to achieve adventitious rooting of winter-dormant willow twigs (Salix). These modules allow students to observe the rooting process and root growth over time. We examined root emergence, root growth rate, and root diameter in cuttings rooted in 1) potting
soil or sterile sand and 2) in the presence or absence of auxin (2-way ANOVA). Preliminary root competition experiments (willow vs. grass) will be discussed.

Antibiotic Inhibition Activity Within Streptomycetes Isolated From The Rhizosphere of Native Prairie Plants

Kim Mogen, Biology, Chad Genson and Christian Hafele, Students
Streptomycete bacteria are medically important as they are the major source of antibiotics used to improve human health. They are commonly found in soils. Prior studies have shown that the Streptomycete community in agronomic soils is influenced by the cropping history of those sites, suggesting that plants may exert some influence on the Streptomycete community. The ecological role these important bacteria play in their native soil environment, however, is largely unstudied.

Biochemical Analysis of the Arabidopsis Thaliana Trichome Initiation Complex

Ross Jilk, Chemistry, John Smith, Student
Arabidopsis thaliana has been the subject of many fields of study, including cell differentiation-the specialization of cells which have acquired a certain cell fate. One cell fate that is highly regulated in the Arabidopsis thaliana is the trichomes, the unicellular structures on the leaf epidermis of Arabidopsis thaliana, which is speculated by prior research to have a multimeric promoting complex. The genes implicated for the promotion of this complex are GL1, GL3 and TTG1. Due to the extreme difficulty of isolating the proteins from the trichomes themselves, biochemical studies have been few and far between. Here we have cloned these genes and expressed their proteins in yeast and purified them. We conducted two hybrid experiments to show interactions between these transcription factors. Our hypothesis was that there would be an interaction between GL1-GL3, and GL3-TTG1 but not GL1-TTG1.

Toward a Reliable Simple Method for the Culture of Triops Longicaudatus in the Classroom

John Wheeler, Biology, Rebecca Luben and April Deming, Students
The North American Tadpole Shrimp, Triops longicaudatus, (a "living fossil") has potential as a versatile experimental organism for active learning projects: appropriate size, uniparental reproduction, high reproductive output, rapid life cycle, low-tech rearing, etc. Our study revealed that 1) Triops tolerates eutrophic water as long as the medium is aerated, 2) continuous light does not harm Triops (as suggested by the commercial supplier), 3) a sand substrate is important for maintaining clear water in cultures.

Determination of Placental Trophoblast Cellular Differentiation State Through DAPI Staining and Image Analysis

Timothy Lyden, Biology, Chris Knoop, Student
Human placental development involves terminal differentiation of a fetal epithelial layer referred to as the trophoblast. To better understand this important tissue, our project focuses on simple DNA staining methods to detect different trophoblast stages in placental samples. This paper reports on our continuing efforts to develop this technique. Results to date have supported the interpretation that this approach can provide a simple method of detecting and acquiring a relative DNA content signal.

Localization of Cavolin-1 and Cytoskeletal Elements in Cultured Placental Endothelial Cells and Fibroblast Cell Lines

Timothy Lyden, Biology, Curtis Thacker, Student
In normal human placenta 3 types of cells occur between the fetal and maternal circulation; trophoblast, fibroblasts and villus capillary endothelium. This study seeks to understand how transport occurs across the innermost endothelial layer. Particularly, we are working to co-localize 2 types of transport-related proteins, caveolin-1 and cytoskeletal elements. A better concept of the relationship between these will greatly aid our understanding of placenta biology as a whole.

Demand for Money Function

Glenn Potts, Economics, Amy Gruenhagen, Rob Husnik, Jana Pfalzgraf, and Sarah Thull, Students
A controversy within modern macroeconomic theory concerns the effectiveness of monetary policy. The research regarding the controversy involves identification of the channel through which policy actions conducted by the Federal Reserve System have an impact on macroecomic variables such as production and prices. Identification of the demand for money function is the key for understanding the effect of monetary policy. In this paper, we will estimate a demand for money function and identify the implications of this with respect to the effectiveness of monetary policy.

Transparency of Money Policy and Equity Market Volatility

Glenn Potts, Economics, Mark Quade, Student
This paper investigates the effect of actions taken by the Federal Reserve to make their policy actions transparent. In 1989 the FOMC adopted a policy of using 25 basis point multiples for changes in its federal funds target. These relatively large changes made it easier for market participants to observe policy changes. This transparency of policy was a reversal of its previous position that secrecy of policy action and intent of policy promoted financial market stability.

Consumption Function

Glenn Potts, Economics, Jenna Bennett, Man Gurnani, Tracy Larson, Eric Ward, and Matt Wilson, Students
The largest component of spending with the economy is consumption. To understand the things that determine consumption and to identify opportunities for manipulating consumption with policy, it is necessary to identify the consumption function. The two current models of consumption are the permanent income hypothesis and the life cycle hypothesis. In this paper we will estimate the aggregate consumption function and identify opportunities for policy actions to have an effect on consumption.

Underrepresented Students and International Study

Jackie Brux & Pascal Ngoboka, Economics
This project is based on a study of UW River Falls "underrepresented students" in relation to their constraints and interests in international study abroad. The results of the study suggest that "underrepresented students" (particularly racial and ethnic minority students) are very interested in study abroad, but have little awareness of programs or encouragement in participating, and they face serious constraints.

UW-River Falls Supercomputing Project

Anthony Varghese, Computer Science & Information Systems,
Matthew Klismith and Nathan Kral, Students
In the past ten years supercomputers have changed. What was once a one-of-a-kind several million-dollar piece of equipment, available only to wealthy organizations, can be replaced with networks of less expensive computers. This is possible due to the fact that the power of desktop computers has increased dramatically over the past few years while prices have fallen. Although a single desktop computer may not be able to perform supercomputing-level computations, a cluster of desktop computers can. We have successfully constructed a cluster of 13 Pentium computers in the College of Business and Economics (South Hall) Networking Lab. Using the MPI message passing interface, we are writing parallel programs that will spread a computation over as many processors as required.

A Fuzzy Inference System for Automated Tuning of a Simulated Autopilot

Hossein Najafi, Computer Science & Information Systems, Brain Champlin, Student
This research presents the design and implementation of a fuzzy inference system used for automated tuning of autopilot control laws of a simulated aircraft. The main task of the autopilot is to control the pitch angle and the roll angle of the aircraft. This is accomplished through two main control loops. A proportional-integral-differential controller (PID) or a PID-derived controller is the core of each control loop. PID controllers consider three factors in determining their output, the instantaneous error, the integration of the error over time, and the instantaneous derivative of the error. A gain is assigned to each factor, and summed to produce the output. The implementation of a PID controller is quite simple, however, tuning the gains of the controller to achieve the desired performance is very time consuming and often hard to achieve. The main contribution of this paper is the automation of the tuning procedure and the efficiency in which it delivers the solution.

Teaching Mathematics for Understanding in Diverse Classrooms: The Role of Critical Reflections, Reform-Oriented Instruction, and Culturally-Relevant Curriculum Materials

Thea K. Dunn, Teacher Education, Kathryn T. Ernie, Mathematics, and Yen Huynh, Graduate Assistant
This study examines a pre-service teacher education initiative whose overarching goal is to respond to the disparities that exist in the mathematics achievement of linguistically, ethnically, and culturally diverse learners and their dominant culture peers. The researchers developed and examined the use of culturally-based mathematics curriculum materials and investigated the effectiveness of virtual observations of mathematics teaching episodes in diverse classrooms, field experiences in diverse classrooms, and participation in shared critical reflections via an online discussion board. The findings reveal that there were changes to the teachers' instructional strategies and conceptions about teaching mathematics for understanding in diverse classrooms.

Exploring Biotechnology Using Case-Based Multimedia

Mary Lundeberg, Teacher Education, Mark Bergland and Karen Klyczek, Biology, Jean Emmons, Brad Sween, Jennifer Sweet, Katherine Marsh, Christine Martin, and Joy Werner, Students
Case It! is a case based multimedia project for high school and college students studying genetic diseases, DNA, gel electrophoresis and related procedures, and ethical issues raised
by genetic testing. This project enables students to study real life situations in molecular biology and genetics, and is available to educators at no charge. High school students using the program developed an awareness of ethical issues associated with genetic testing, thus increasing interest by connecting science to real life situations.

Reading in Color

Carrie Johnson, Student
I will be presenting a study that I am doing about how color effects reading. The purpose of the experiment is to determine whether the color of the text or background will effect reading speed. I believe that a white background with different colored texts will be more easily read than different colored texts with a black background.

Who Are We? Teenage Perspectives on the Meaning of American Identity

Geoffrey Scheurman, Teacher Education, Amber Bowman, English Teacher in Germany, Randi Setter, German Teacher in U.S., Kimberly Zimmerman and Tiffany Anderson, Graduate Students
A diverse range of students from seven schools shared thoughts and feelings about national identity. In addition to personal identifications, we asked them about symbols, noteworthy historical figures, important texts, perceptions of the September 11 attack in New York, and more. Our data revealed significant insights into the elusive search for what it means to be an American and what "America" means to young people.

Community Safety Ideas

Jennifer S. Berna, Health & Human Performance, Gretchen Manke and Elena Swircek, Students
As a communication tool, research poster displays entail the challenge of taking a lot of researched information and collapsing that information onto a very limited communication space. This safety education poster was thoroughly researched to convey contact information for emergency and referral agencies, while identifying the layers of cooperating organizations that collaborate to provide a community safety net.

Food Safety

Jennifer S. Berna, Health & Human
Performance, Caroline Benson and Megan Heilgendorf, Students
As future teachers, these student researchers were challenged to research, design, and develop a research poster session that could communicate with an audience of both teachers and middle school students. The safety education topic of "Food Safety" was selected, along with a focus on proper food preparation. Subtopics for research were limited to practical living skills (food shopping, cooking temperatures, and common sense preparation tips) that can contribute to decreasing the incidence of food poisoning.

Youth Basketball Programs in Spain

Sarah A. Pollock, Student.

The essence of the poster and my project as a whole is to gain an appreciation for athletics, in particular basketball, in Spain, and to compare Spanish and US approaches to the game. Through visiting several clubs in Barcelona and Madrid, as well as one in Valladolid and two in Salamanca, I was able to see a wide spectrum of abilities and varying degrees of interest in the sport. The grandest difference seems to be amount of time put into the sport: in Spain, basketball begins in September or October,and they play until June. The best players play internationally in July, leaving only one month off for summer vacation.