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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- Art of Another Kind: Understanding the Process and Relevance of Informalism
- As a visual artist, the primary function of my work is to explore sensuality and how human beings experience existence through our senses. Inspiration for my work comes from many sources, and I am constantly struck by the connections in thought between other artists of varying disciplines. This is what led me to Informalism. The purpose of this research project was to discover the relevance and accessibility of Informalist art in a contemporary cultural context, namely that of an Indigenous individual with formal art training. By examining the relevance of such, I hoped to find a valid connection between my work, the cultural context it is created in, and that of Informalist painters of the 1950's-60's. Informalism is relevant to my art because all art created under the title eludes to a greater understanding of human suffering and the nature of existence. Being Native American, I can attest to the feelings of despair prevalent in my people. I see the deep connections between other cultures seeking to find a universal aesthetic to express this sentiment. My research found that Informalism is relevant today because it is based on aesthetic principles deeply rooted in cultural identity and social reform. However, Informalism's accessibility is limited when attempted by individuals with formal training as it requires spontaneity and honesty derived from automatism.
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- Asiatic Black Bear
- Photograph by Ewa Lichorowicz from Fall 2013 - Spring 2014 issue of Images
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- Aspen Trees and Winter
- Poem by Kayla Allen, published in the Fall 2010/Winter 2011 edition of Images.
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- Assessment of Picket Use and Standard Operating Procedures in Continental Snow Pack
- The standard operating procedures (SOP) for the use of snow pickets were developed in maritime snow. The conditions created by continental snows differ greatly and require that the standards be evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the SOP for the use of snow pickets as anchors and make recommendations for safer snow anchor systems that utilize snow pickets. We tested pickets in a variety of anchor systems according the SOP's written in the Freedom of the Hills text book by loading the system with a static force applied with a pulley configuration. The snow pack at each location was fully described as well as the amount of static load the system was able to support. We found that the standard picket placements were highly unsatisfactory, holding almost no load at all. This led us to test further modifications to the SOP that greatly increased the effectiveness of the anchor systems.
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- Astrobiological Explorations of Amino and Methyl-Substituted Nucleobase Anions
- The discovery of prebiotic molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) provides incentive to investigate the extraterrestrial formation of biomolecules. This study aims to illuminate potential interstellar synthesis pathways of nucleobase analogs by analyzing their gas phase dissociation patterns. Purine analogs are of particular interest as the location of functionalization directly effects the conjugation of electrons around the ring (Beste et al., 2009),impacting fragmentation processes under CID. The products observed in these processes are possible ionic precursors to nucleobase formation and often yield interstellar species, such as HNCNH/ H2NCN and NH3.
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- Asymmetric Total Synthesis Of The Antiviral Natural Product Sattabacin
- Natural products are organic compounds isolated from natural sources: plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. Natural products and derivatives of natural products comprise more than two-thirds of the drugs approved by the FDA in the last 15 years, and as a result, natural product chemistry remains the major driving force in new drug discovery. Within this context, the sattazolins and sattabacins are natural products isolated from soil bacteria in Italy, and these compounds were found to exhibit potent antiviral activity. Unfortunately, research on these promising antiviral treatments has been hampered by the inability to isolate useful amounts of (+)-sattabacin from the producing soil bacteria. We report an asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-sattabacin allowing access, for the first time, to therapeutically useful amounts of this promising antiviral agent. The synthetic route also led to the determination of the previously unknown absolute stereochemistry of (+)-sattabacin and was used to prepare structural variants of the natural product that will be studied for increased antiviral activity.
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- Asymmetric Total Synthesis of The Antiviral Natural Product (+)- Sattazolin
- Sattazolin is a natural product produced by the soil bacteria Bacillus sp. along with other structurally related acyloins sattabacin and 4-hydroxysattabacin. Our research group has previously reported the asymmetric total syntheses of sattabacin and 4-hydroxysattabacin, while the total synthesis of sattazolin had not been reported. Further, the isolation chemists reported an optical rotation for sattazolin but failed to determine the absolute configuration of the hydoxyl bearing stereocenter. Thus, its asymmetric total synthesis was undertaken both to access useful quantities of sattazolin and to determine the absolute configuration of the natural product. This poster describes the completion of the total synthesis of (+)-sattazolin, which allowed for the absolute stereochemistry to be unambiguously assigned. This work finally allows for the preparation of significant quantities of (+)-sattazolin that will be used to study the unique mechanism by which these compounds inhibit viral growth.
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- Asymmetric Total Synthesis of the Antiviral Natural Products Sattabacin, 4-Hydroxysattabacin and Sattazolin
- The first asymmetric total syntheses of the antiviral natural products (+)-sattabacin and (+)-4-hydroxysattabacin are reported. Progress toward the asymmetric total synthesis of (+)-sattazolin is also reported. These total syntheses are remarkably concise and were completed without the use of protecting groups. Unambiguous assignment of the absolute configuration of both (+)-sattabacin and (+)-4-hydroxysattabacin was also accomplished. The syntheses of these natural products, which exhibit potent antiviral activity, are readily amenable to the preparation of structural analogs and progress in this regard is also presented.
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- Audio Speaker Utilizing the Controlled Modulation of an Electrical Discharge
- A method for producing high fidelity audio was explored utilizing a massless speaker. The design explored the best course of action regarding discharge type, modulation scheme and transformer construction. Specifically, a point to point discharge between two fixed electrodes was utilized. An audio signal modulated a fixed frequency, transformer driving, square wave using pulse width modulation. This signal was adequately amplified using a configuration of MOSFET(s). The duly amplified signal powered the primary winding of a high power, high turn ratio transformer. The audio producing electrical arc was maintained across the secondary winding of the transformer. The audio output was tested using a high quality microphone and a fixed frequency, sine wave input. An oscilloscope was used to perform an immediate Fourier transform. By analyzing the output in the frequency domain a quantitative measurement of total harmonic distortion plus noise was made. The audio was tested at various frequencies and averaged to give a total THD+N measurement.
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- Baile Folklorico De Durango: Initiating Cultural Transmission Through Performance
- The Hispanic community is underrepresented at Fort Lewis College and in the city of Durango, Colorado. Baile Folklorico is an important part of that culture, often serving as a symbol of Mexican heritage and tradition. Addressing the history and modern usage of the dance highlights issues faced by those associated with the Hispanic community, specifically, the issue of cultural continuance in a region where members face minority status. Data was collected from ethnographic interviews between January and April, 2011. Those interviewed included parents, dancers, facilitators, and dance instructors. Formal interviews were also held with the directors of the local multicultural community centers, Del Alma and El Centro de Muchos Colores. Interviews were analyzed by domains, or units of cultural knowledge, and then placed into categories based on relationships in order to reveal cultural themes. Data was then analyzed using the anthropological theories of globalization, symbolism, and performance. The data revealed the overarching theme "dance as cultural transmitter". The transmission of culture occurs on several levels. These include the self, the Hispanic community, and the Durango community as a whole. Findings also show that transmission is strictly defined by group members based on knowledge passed down through the generations from Mexico. By performing and supporting Baile Folklorico dance, individuals and communities are provided a space to negotiate and perform their identities to themselves and to others. Thus, the dance serves an important role in promoting cultural knowledge and resisting cultural homogenization.
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- Balance Exercises in the Elderly and the Affect on Balance Test Scores
- There are increasing numbers of falls and injuries in the elderly population; one idea on how to reduce these rising numbers is to improve balance. Discovering which aspects are involved in improving balance in the elderly population is key to this. In some studies there are expensive large apparatuses involved in the exercise programs that seek to improve balance, but the goal of this study is to see if it is possible to improve balance test scores without the use of these large apparatuses. The idea is to research the elements of balance and incorporate them into an exercise program in hopes to increase balance test scores in an elderly population compared to a control group.