RSCA Day
Celebrating Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls
May 9, 2000
Posters Presented
Click on the underlined blue titles to view an image of the poster and, in many cases, of the presenter(s).
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IceCube--the Next Generation Neutrino Telescope. Jim Madsen, Physics Department. Neutrino astronomy is an emerging field which seeks to observe the universe in an entirely new way. This poster will outline the principles behind the operation of a neutrino telescope, and describe the connection to UWRF. |
"Prologue 2000'' Kate Phernetton and Janel Nellen, Students Prologue is a student created literary magazine that is released each spring. This year's publication showcases the talent of fifty-four student writers and artists. |
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Jenny Brantley, English; Kate Phernetton, Student The Student Reading Series offers opportunities for students to share their original work with fellow students and faculty members and is responsible for bringing several guest authors to campus. |
How to Make Water Float on Oil Matthew G. Haase, Greg Fuchs and Brian Louks, Students Using vibrations, it is possible to make more dense liquids float on less dense liquids. We will demonstrate oil-water inversions and unusual surface instabilities. |
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Determination of Hammett Equation Constant for the Base Hydrolysis of P-Nitrophenyl Benzoate Esters Dr. Sheue L. Keenan, Chemistry; Kelly A. Peterson, Student The electronic effects of different substituent groups (CH3, Cl, OCH3 and NO2) on the base hydrolysis rate of several substituted p-nitrophenyl benzoate esters were studied. The rate constants (k) of these substituted p-nitrophenyl benzoate esters were compared to the rate constant (ko) of the unsubstituted p-nitrophenyl benzoate and the value of the Hammett equation, log (k/ko) = for this hydrolysis reaction was determined. |
Fostering Resiliency Through Service Learning Stan Potts, Regional Development Institute 2x4x8: Fostering Resiliency Through Service Learning is a 3-year Corporation for National Service (CNS demonstration project designed to improve student success by fostering resiliency through service-learning. Two CESAs (#2 & #11) coordinated with two university teacher preparation programs (UW-River Falls and UW-Plattevile), and eight middle schools. |
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Wisconsin Partnerships in Service Learning: Third Successful Year Florence Monsour, Jim Stewart, Ruth Kalms, Kelly Cain, Don Petzold, Nan Jordahl, and Sally Berkholder A consortium of six universities, eight 2-year technical colleges and twelve school districts have engaged in service-learning as a result of a federally funded grant. The grant supported faculty in curriculum integration, student class projects and student organizations, organizations in local communities, and staff development for faculty and students. Wisconsin Partnerships in Service Learning has become a forerunner for service-learning programs throughout the United States. |
Clarke Garry, Biology; Eric Secrist, Student There has never been a comprehensive survey of invertebrate species inhabiting the Kinnickinnic River. This project was initiated to systematically document the diversity of macroinvertebrate life in this river system and to establish a permanent archive collection. This data set provides a foundation for he next phase of research, documentation of water quality (including that of the South Fork on the UWRF campus) based on insects present. |
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Molecular Origin of Viscosity for Aqueous Solutions of Poly (vinyl alcohol) and Borate J. Rosenthal and K. W. McLaughlin, Chemistry; Kimberly Hill and Greg Kobussen, Students Poly (vinyl alcohol) and borate form highly viscous solutions in water. The molecular origin of this increase in viscosity is currently in dispute. We report the results of a boron-11 nuclear magnetic resonance study on model compounds, and a systematic investigation of the dilute solution viscosity in order to determine the mechanism for the formation of this class of hydrogels. |
Lateral Migration Measurements on a Meandering Stream in West-Central Wisconsin Kerry L. Keen and Robert W. Baker, Plant and Earth Science; Adam A. Shingledecker, Student Lateral migration on the upper Kinnickinnic River has been monitored on a near-annual basis for the past 18 years (216 months) by a college geomorphology class. Results show that a meander bend has migrated 9 ft. during this period and over 36 ft. during the past 50 years as determined from analysis of aerial photographs. |
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Water Quality of the Hay River Jennifer Erdman, Student The Hay River near Prairie Farm, Wisconsin, was the project site for water quality measurements. Data was collected and analyzed over a seven week period during winter/spring 1999. |
Linda Bentz and Jane Xiong The Upward Bound program is a year-round, pre-college program for capable high school students who are from families with limited income and/or where neither parent has completed a four-year college degree. |
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Right-Wing Radicalism in Germany Wes Chapin, Political Science This research explores the theoretical reasons used to explain why right-wing parties in Germany continue to attract voters and how they continue to affect the political agenda. |
A Chemotaxis Assay for Caenorhabditis Elegans E. Katherine Miller and Jodie Deshler, Biology; Michelle Theobald, Student C. elegans is a soil nematode that is a convenient organism for demonstrating chemotaxis. We developed a technically simple chemotaxis assay that allows the chemotactic response of C. elegans to be determined. |
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Rusty Callier, Student This presentation will teach students, faculty, and staff how to conduct an environmental audit. Specifically, where to start, how to interpret data, and the benefits the audit produces through benchmarking waste output annually. |
Preparation of DNA Substrates Containing Hairpins for DNA Polymerase Replication Fidelity Studies Lisa Kroutil, Chemistry; Renee Silvis, Dan Robinson, and Andrea Oestreich, Students Bacteriophage DNA substrates are being prepared which contain DNA hairpins. DNA hairpins are sequences that fold back on themselves. These sequences may slow DNA synthesis leading to mutations at neighboring sequences. |
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Driving the Crooke's Radiometer Backwards Paul Nelson and Aaron Parr, Students We examined the possibility of driving a Crooke's Radiometer backwards. Pressure due to light radiation, however, requires an impractical amount of light power. Thermal effects proved to sufficiently drive the device. |
Development of a Non-radioactive Gel Assay for the Purification of DNA Polymerase from Calf Thymus Lisa Kroutil, Chemistry; Mulugeta Mamo, Student A non-radioactive assay for determinating polymerase activity is being developed. Direct silver staining of DNA in a polyacrylamide gel is being employed. We have been able to detect reasonable quantities of DNA. |
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Macro-invertebrates of Parker Creek Clarke Garry, Biology; Eric Secrist, Student Because of its location, Parker Creek, a major tributary of the Kinnickinnic River, is highly subject to impact by agriculture. In 1998 it was the scene of a manure runoff event which killed over 6400 fish and much of the invertebrate life. The purpose of this research was to assess the insect diversity and abundance in this tributary, establishing a baseline against which recovery and future damage can be compared. |
Brad Mogen, Biology; Eric McDonald and Michelle Jarvis, Students Beer is pure biology and chemistry. We are developing a laboratory for introductory biology students that illustrates the biological concepts of starch conversion, enzymatic reactions, yeast growth, and more |
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Michael Keenan, Chemistry, Brad Mogen, Biology; Brian Knutson, Student Jellyfish fluoresce because they produce a special "green fluorescent protein". This protein is being used to develop a set of collaborative laboratories to teach cellular biology and biochemistry. |
A Recipe for Killing Plant Tissue: An Introduction to Plant Microtechnique Brad Mogen and Jack Bostrack, Biology; Jaime Kirkpatrick, Jennifer Conradt, and Kelly Martin, Students The objective of our project was to learn the processes involved in plant microtechnique. This complex procedure involves killing, dehydrating, embedding, sectioning, mounting, staining, and evaluating various plant tissues. |
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Searching for Virulence Genes in Uromyces appendiculatus (bean rust) Using 20 Bean Differentials Brad Mogen and Jim Steadman; Mary Ann Saltarikos, Student Bean rust is a common disease that affects dry beans worldwide. The virulence patterns for Nebraskan rust pathovars SB999 and NP992 on 20 bean differentials was determined in this experiment. |
The Development Of The Spongie Bonnie S. Walters, Animal and Food Science; Kristy Hackel, Rebecca Luckasson, Kelli Panning, Jessica Smith, Geetha Sriharan, and Brynn Zais, Students Spongies start with a colorful, creamy filling with your choice of strawberry cheesecake or lemon cheesecake flavoring. The cream is surrounded by a sweet, spongy, yellow cake with a slight hint of almond flavor. Spongies are a more natural and lower-fat product, individually wrapped for your convenience and ready to eat. |
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Voices From Seattle to Washington~Neo-Liberalism and Poverty in Mexico and the Third World Jackie Brux, Economics The lesson from Seattle and Washington is that the IMF and World Bank mandated economic reforms have oppressed people and their environments throughout the third world. " We see the conditions in Chiapas in every poor corner of any town or community." |
Alternative Photo-Printmaking Research 1999-2000 Undergraduate-Faculty Collaborative Research Grant Bernice Ficek-Swenson, Art; Karen Sutherland and Angela Soucy, Students Creative research was done by undergraduates in alternative photographic processes of: Cyanotype, Van Dyke and Liquid Emulsion. Further development of the photographic imagery was explored with layering of traditional printmaking plates. |
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Photogravure Etchings 1998-1999 Faculty Research Grant Bernice Ficek-Swenson, Art A photogravure is a 19th century technique which is a marriage of etching and photography. Several large photogravures were created at Renaissance Press, N.H. to complete "Putting Out Ashes" print suite. |
The Consideration of Future Consequences and Recycling Behavior Kerry Hammons, Jill Nygaard, Carrie Bechtold, Alecia Pugh, and Tina Felch, Students The Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) scale attempts to measure how much people consider the future in their everyday behaviors. In an experiment involving students from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the CFC scale was administered along with a scenario describing different types of recycling behaviors (high or low effort) and measuring their likelihood of recycling. |
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Test Difficulty and Colored Paper Emily Carlson, Emily Clarke, Jessica Stewart, Abby Robinson, and Lucas Martin, Students Our experiment tested the effects of colored paper (e.g., red, yellow, blue, white) on participants' test scores. Prior research has shown that blue paper will lead to the highest scores, especially with more difficult questions. |
Evidence and Juror Decision Making Maria Williams, Ann Noeker, Kelly Otto, and Amy Franzwa, Students The study examined juror decision making. We gave participants information about a trial and examined how different types of evidence (emotional or non-emotional) and different judges instruction (ruling evidence inadmissable or admissible) might effect participants' perceptions of innocence or guilt. |
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The Synthesis and Ligand Exchanges within Titanocene Compounds Magdalena Pala, Chemistry; Jessica Cremer, Student The synthesis of symmetrically and asymmetrically mono- and disubstituted titanocene thiolates was undertaken. One mono-substituted derivative was successfully isolated. The lability of thiolate ligands was investigated by means of proton NMR. The results of both, synthetic and exchange studies will be presented. |
Utilizing The V. fischeri lux Operon To Gain Practical Experience In Molecular Biology Methods E. Katherine Miller, Biology; Heather Y. Schneider, Angela J. Strack, and Kelly A. Peterson, Students The purpose of our independent study project were 1) to improve our lab techniques in standard Molecular Biology techniques; 2) to increase our understanding of the theory and application of these methods; and 3) to gain practical laboratory experience outside a teaching lab environment. We present the progress we have made towards Subcloning and sequencing the lux A gene. While our results do not represent original data, they do demonstrate that we were able to achieve the stated goals of our independent study project. |
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Effect of Mycorrhizae on Prairie Plants Kim Mogen, Biology; Christopher Marnell , Student Mycorrhizae are naturally occurring endophytic fungi that beneficially infect the roots of many herbaceous plants. The association between mycorrhizae and many prairie plants is not well understood. To aid future restoration efforts, we studied the relationship between mycorrhizal infection and growth of five species of prairie plants. |
Nuclear Overhauser Effects in Brucine Michael Kahlow and David Rusterholz, Chemistry; Allen Gallistel, Wendy Woolever, and Becky Ziegel, Students The Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE) was used to study the structure of brucine, a highly toxic alkaloid. A simple and concise set of instructions were developed on running these experiments for future laboratories. |
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Flatpod HyStyle Beans: A Phaseolus vulgaris Mutant? Lanny Neel, Plant and Earth Science; Joe Ailts, Student Flatpod is a genetic mutation which causes green beans to produce undesirable pods. The goal of this project was to discover a testing procedure for the detection of flatpod in seed. |
Sequence Analysis of Cloned DNA from Thermoplasma Acidophilum Karen Klyczek, Biology; Andy Cavagnetto, Student Using a probe corresponding to a conserved region of the E. coli cytochrome oxidase gene, clones were isolated from a Thermoplasma acidophilum DNA library and characterized by nucleotide sequence analysis. |
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The Effects of Closeness and Severity on Counterfactual Thinking Bonnie O'Hara Graff, Kirk Montgomery, and Jason Sirovy, Students This experiment examined how participants would react to reading about an automobile accident after imagining themselves as the driver. In one condition, participants were to imagine that they were talking on a cell phone while driving whereas other participants were not given that instruction. In addition, for half the participants the accident had severe consequences whereas the other half read a scenario with only minor consequences. We measured their feelings of guilt and we also measured how easy it was for them to think of other outcomes in the scenario. |
Use of the "ENE" Reaction for the Preparation of Compounds Which May Possess New Taste Properties David Rusterholz, Chemistry; Niti Aggarwal, Student The preparation of N-(3,4-methylenedioxphenyl)-2,4-decadienamide was attempted. Compounds of this type are of interest as tools for demonstrating and clarifying the mechanism by which the sense of taste works. |
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The Synthesis of Analogs of Capsaicin: The Preparation of 5-(4'-Alkylphenyl) Pentanoic Acids David Rusterholz, Chemistry; Casey Micale, Student The purpose of this work was to create a series of new compounds structurally related to capsaicin, which is known as the pungent substance found in hot red peppers. Toward this end, the preparation of several 5-(4'-alkylphenyl) pentanoic acids was attempted. Such compounds are of interest as potential new drugs for the relief of pain. |
Federal Reserve Policy Action and its Impact on Stock Prices Bryan Benedict, Angie Tasto, Donnie Anderson, Tony Waters, and Ann Smith, Students In our research, we examine whether Federal Reserve policy actions have an impact on stock market prices. |
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Synthesis and Characterization of Narrow Polydispersity Polystyrene by Free-Radical Polymerization Karl Peterson and Kevin McLaughlin, Chemistry; Peter Harrison, Student The polymerization of styrene initiated by 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) in the presence of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy free radical (TEMPO) and camphorsulfonic acid (CSA) yields polymeric materials with narrow molecular weight distributions within a two-hour reaction period at 130 C. This work represents an improved procedure for the synthesis and characterization of polystyrene suitable for the undergraduate teaching laboratory. |
Is Farming Still News? How Rural Midwest Newspaper Editors Handle Changing Times Patricia Berg, Journalism 50 editors of rural papers in MN, IA, WI, ND and SD were interviewed by telephone to open- and closed-ended items detailing the importance of agriculture as news and as a source of advertising revenue. |
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Kristin Tjornehoj, Music What is the best way to teach and mentor student teachers in the area of instrumental conducting? This study combined a instructional video, print materials, checklists, and self-and supervisor evaluations in a two group, pre-and post-test study. |
Page author: Bill Campbell
Last updated: 5/17/00
