STRATA
STRATA, the STudent Research, Academic, and Talent Archive, is a collection of selected Fort Lewis College student work, including undergraduate research, senior seminar papers, published works, conference presentations, and other creative and artistic projects. Search by name, subject, title, or academic department.
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- Saw Mark Analysis on Bone: Kerf Measurements on Human Versus Nonhuman
- Dismemberment of human remains usually catches the attention of the media and the public. Marks left on the bones can provide clues about the methods and tools used that contribute to an understanding of the circumstances surrounding a death. The purpose of my study is to validate the use of minimum kerf width to identify saw type used on nonhuman bones, and show that it is similar to those marks made on human bone. Using nonhuman bones and three different types of saws several cuts were made and then measured. The results of this study, when compared to the other two studies (Symes 1992, Love 2010), match the Love's study to the three significant digits. Symes' study is rounded to two significsnt figures. The range between all the studies is from 0.04 inches to 0.032 inches. The differences between both Love's (2010) study and mine when compared to Symes' (1992) study are shown in the standard deviation. The results support previous studies that demonstrate minimum kerf width can be used to distinguish between hacksaws and reciprocating saws. In addition they show that cow bone can be used as a proxy for human bone in experimental studies of this type.
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- Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39 by Frederic Chopin (Piano)
- I'll be performing Frederic Chopin's Scherzo No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39, as one example of the type of music that will be featured in my Senior Recital on April 27. Polish-born Chopin was one of the greatest pianistic innovators of all time, evidenced by this brilliant composition, with fast running octaves and beautiful cascades arpeggios. Chopin wrote this scherzo while living in Majorca with novelist George Sand around 1839. I have done research for several classes on Chopin, particularly his famous polonaises, which were written around the same time. Chopin's designation of Op. 39 as a "scherzo" (or "joke") is hard to believe, as it is incredibly virtuosic and beautiful. My wonderful piano teacher, Dr. Lisa Campi, introduced me to the piece because it has long been a favorite of hers. I instantly fell in love with it as well. Dr. Campi's teacher from the Eastman School of Music, Rebecca Penneys, once studied with legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein, who was known as a great interpreter of Chopin. In fact, when referring to this scherzo, Rubinstein said it "takes more strength out of me than any other work I know."
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- School Climate and Relational Bullying: Effecting Student Behavior Through a Restorative Justice Model
- Bullying at school causes enormous stress for many children and their families, has long-term effects, and has been identified as a risk factor associated with antisocial and criminal behavior. Bullies are more likely to drop out of school and to engage in delinquent and criminal behavior. Victims have a propensity towards higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression and other illnesses, and there is shown to be a strong link between bullying and suicide. Discipline in schools has the potential to help young people learn to take responsibility for their own behavior while offering classroom management and control, however, many schools have imparted more punitive disciplinary sanctions that do not educate students or resolve conflict, and may even make schools less safe and cause further harm. We intend to show how a restorative model and a healthy, inclusive school climate can reverse this trend. Restorative justice is a philosophy based on a set of principles that guides the responses to conflict and harm, and is based on practices that have been used for centuries in indigenous cultures and religious groups. These practices and policies can offer an alternative to other more punitive responses used by schools. Handling conflict and misbehavior (such as bullying) in a restorative way, allows students and staff to actively make amends and repair harm. In addition, restorative practices in schools can promote positive feelings, rather than resentment and alienation within the school setting. Restorative discipline can provide opportunities to socialize youth and teach them how to be productive members of society. Along with restorative disciplinary practices within schools, we believe there needs to be social-emotional learning modeled through an individual, family, school and community partnership that allows for a shared interest in the responsibility for students, with "caring" as a core concept. By initiating healthier communication, interactions, and exchanges, it is our hope that our youth will see the need to keep the learning environment safe, through strategies that build relationships and empower the school and its students, while promoting a safe, non-threatening, learning environment.
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- Sea Glass
- Poem by Rebecca Thill, published in the Fall 2010/Winter 2011 edition of Images.
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- Seasonal primary pollinator abundance and resource use in a subalpine meadow, San Juan Mountains, CO
- Pollination plays a huge ecological and economic role in nature and in civilization. The agriculture industry relies heavily on insect-driven pollination for fruit production. Likewise, many angiosperms depend on insect pollination for fertilization and reproduction. This study outlines bee and fly pollination habits in a subalpine meadow near Molas Pass in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, which is an undersampled region for pollinators. The objectives of this study were to determine the seasonal abundance of bees and flies, as well as to examine their pollination habits focusing on flower species and resource preferences. In the meadow, 40 1m2 plots were established. Within each plot, pollinator visitation and resource collection were recorded over a 5-minute period every 3-4 days between June and September. Bees and flies not identified in the field were collected for later lab identification. Flies visited twice as many different flower species as bees, were present in much greater numbers, and were consistently observed solely collecting nectar. In response to increases in precipitation mid-season, bee prevalence decreased significantly while fly visitation rates were unchanged. Differing pollination strategies between bees and flies, along with changes in weather patterns leading to shifts in mid-season flowering time, could have consequences for future pollination patterns, especially at higher elevations.
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- Sediment Exclusion in Small Water Systems Using a Coanda Effect Device
- The purpose of this project is to develop a sediment exclusion device for use with village-scale water systems in developing countries. Reducing sediment mitigates abrasion and deposition in system components, leading to increased system life. Using the engineering down select process, a device that uses a Coanda effect screen was determined to best meet the project objectives and constraints. The device was tested in a laboratory set-up and in a field prototype. Laboratory tests were used to determine the hydraulic performance for five Coanda effect screens, each with unique geometry. The field prototype was completed to confirm the constructability and sustainability of the design. The design parameters include sediment concentration, sediment size distribution, flow rate, dimensions of the Coanda effect screen (slot width, wire tilt angle, and wire width), and geometry of the spillway structure. Performance was assessed by measuring the fraction of sediment removed by the screen and the change in flowrate through the screen during a 10 minute batch trial with a sediment concentration of 20,000 mg/l. Analysis of sediment size distributions showed that of the screens tested, a 1.0 mm slot width screen with a 3/16" wire width and a 10 degree wire tilt angle was the most effective at removing sediment, with 48.5% of the material in the 0.5-0.85 mm range being removed and 65% of material from the 0.85-1 mm range being removed, compared with the 0.5 mm screen (tilt angle and wire width identical to 1.0 mm slot width) which removed 87% of material in the 0.5mm - 0.85mm range and removed 100% of material from 0.85 - 1.0 mm. Flow testing indicated that screen blockage by sediment particles reduced the flow through the screen by 3% during the trial run for a screen with a 1.0 mm slot width, whereas a screen with a 0.5 mm slot width resulted in a decrease in through flow capacity of 46% from initial flow rate of 13gpm. Based on the target flow rate and the laboratory test results, a Coanda effect screen of 1.0 mm slot width (geometry listed previously) can be used to efficiently remove sediment down to 0.5 mm, while also maintaining an adequate flow rate, throughout system use, because 49% of material between 0.5 - 0.85 mm was removed while only losing 3% of the Coanda effect screen's initial through flow capacity. Field testing showed that the spillway section can be built using locally available materials and tools, except the Coanda Effect screen itself, while meeting the 4 work days for 4 workers constraint. The design team concludes that the Coanda Effect screen can be used to reliably remove sediment from sediment laden flows.
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- Selected Haiku
- Poem by Laire Lohsman, published in the Fall 2010/Winter 2011 edition of Images.
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- Self Reported Benefits of Aikido: A Phenomenological Study of Aikido Training in High School Students
- Aikido is a non-violent Japanese martial art emphasizing conflict resolution through redirection with respect and compassion for the aggressor. Aikido training focuses on self awareness, connecting with others, concentration, centering and discipline, all of which should be of value to adolescents. In a previous phenomenological study looking at families in five different popular martial art programs, the families consistently reported that martial arts facilitates family development (Lantz, 2002) Individual self-reported benefits raised its own positive themes separate from the entire family, yet close in content and nature. Very little research has been done on the effects of aikido training on its own, but given that Aikido focuses more on the psychological and philosophical aspects of the sport in a non-competitive format, Aikido participants identified closer to coping effectiveness rather than physical dominance (Nicholls, Nicholls, Polman, Levy, & Borkoles, 2010). The current study was part of pilot program in La Plata County, Colorado, wherein high school students selected physical education (PE) classes either with Aikido or standard PE curriculum for the academic year. Eleven Aikido students volunteered for an interview to discuss class procedure and personal thoughts about the program. Coding themes were decided between the two interviewers after conducting, recording, and transcribing the process. The participants were interviewed in private, yet the themes of their experience mimicked each others' self-reported benefits. Nine themes and reported benefits were categorized: intention to continue Aikido education (100% of participants), awareness for self and others (82%), enforces respect for others (64%), peacefulness (64%), safe zone (45%), confidence (45%), self efficacy (45%), and a positive outlook (36%).
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- Self-Assembly of Size Tagged Triblock Copolymer Brushes Via DNA Hybridization
- Triblock copolymer brushes were created using ring opening metathesis polymerization, ROMP. Norbornenyl N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester (N-NHS) was synthesized as the reactive monomer that will allow an amine modified DNA linker to be attached to the first and third block, while the central block will consist of polyethylene glycol, or PEG, of varying chain lengths and repeating units. These varying PEG chain lengths will allow us to have a size tag that is resolvable via transition electron microscopy, TEM. This will be important to verify that our DNA functionalized triblock polymers are in fact assembling in the pre-programmed fashion, namely an A-B alternating linear structure. Using a palindromic DNA sequence on macromonomer-A that will only hybridize to the sequence on either side of macromolecule-B we expect to form nanoworms or nanosausages.
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- Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Physical Activity Among People with Spinal Cord Injury
- Previous studies show that people with spinal cord injury (SCI) are less likely than the average American to meet physical activity recommendations, and they face more preventable disease as a consequence. If health and fitness professionals are to effectively increase physical activity among people with SCI, a logical first step is to understand some of the variables related to physical activity in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-efficacy, social support, and physical activity among adults with SCI living in the United States. Previous studies suggest that self-efficacy moderates the relationship between social support and physical activity in other populations. This study hypothesized that the same moderating effect could be found among people with SCI. Fifty-two American adults with SCI took an online survey to measure self-efficacy, social support, and physical activity. Moderated multiple regression analysis showed a significant correlation between self-efficacy and heavy-intensity physical activity. This is consistent with findings from previous studies on other populations. However, self-efficacy did not moderate the relationship between social support and physical activity, so the hypothesis was rejected. Health and fitness professionals should focus on improving clients’ exercise self-efficacy to increase exercise behavior, and future research should use more representative samples and more objective physical activity measures to look again for the potential moderating effect of self-efficacy.
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- Self-Esteem and Health Risk Behaviors Among College Students
- Many studies have examined the correlation between self-esteem and alcohol consumption among college students. Self-esteem has long been considered an important factor in individual drinking behavior (Corbin, McNair, & Carter, 2001). But what about other health risk behaviors, such as smoking cigarettes and smoking marijuana? Although some of the literature is inconsistent as to the exact nature of the relationship between self-esteem and smoking cigarettes, several studies have demonstrated a link between low self-esteem and increased cigarette use in adolescents (Kavas, 2009). The purpose of this study was to replicate the Kavas (2009) study using the three prominent ethnicities of Southwest Colorado: Caucasians, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Our study measured levels of self-esteem, compassion towards oneself and others, and quantity of health risk behaviors. The purpose of our research was to observe any correlations between self-esteem and health risk behaviors among the three different ethnicities.
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- Sequence Stratigraphic Interpretation of the Pennsylvanian Hermosa Group in Rico, Colorado
- A detailed measured section and sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the Pennsylvanian (Moscovian) Hermosa Formation on Sandstone Mountain near Rico Colorado, reveals 19 unconformity-bounded sequences, nested within 3-5 sequence sets. Measuring 286 m thick, the section provides the closest surface location to examine the updip facies equivalent to the prodeltaic shales that host recent shale gas plays in the adjacent basin. Here we present a new sequence stratigraphic interpretation of a section measured in the medial to upper portions of the Hermosa Group as defined by Spencer and Cross, 1900. This section appears to correlate with the upper sequences of the Hermosa Cliffs trend 14 miles to the East described by Gianniny , Miskell-Gerhardt, and Ritter (2008). The Pennsylvanian strata in Rico consists of marine mixed carbonate-siliciclastics lithologies and non-marine clastics. The siliclastics are interpreted to be dominated by proximal fluvial and deltaic facies with a notably lower feldspar content than those of the Hermosa Cliffs sections. Marine facies range from prodeltaic black shales, to shallow marine, photic zone carbonates with a diverse open marine fauna. Lithostratigraphic correlations suggest that the base of this section is above the upper Akah interval evaporites and may range into the upper Pennsylvanian below the Permian marine Rico Formation. Subaerial exposure and subsequent scour of the tops of the carbonate beds delineate the position of sequence boundaries, while flooding surfaces in both carbonate and clastic lithologies define higher frequency stratigraphic cyclicity. The high frequency cyclicity of this section is attributed to glacial eustasy in addition to the variations in sediment supply due to climate and uplift/subsidence on this tectonically active basin margin.