STUDENT RESEARCH DAY

April 26, 2004 

 

Schedule of Presentations

Red Dragon Theater

 

2:o0         Opening Remarks.

                  Eileen Morgan-Zayachek, Chair of Senate Committee on Research

 

2:10         Dr. F. Daniel Larkin, Provost

 

2:15         Problems and Approaches to Game Development.

Students: Ryan Laytham, Charles Gavett, Matthew Weinell |

Faculty: Don Allison, Dennis Higgins 

 

2:30         Claimsmaking by Postcitizenship Movements: The Case of the Tobacco Control and the Animal Rights Movements.

                  Student: Kelly Lamb | Faculty: Brian Lowe 

 

2:45         Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Water Quality Indicators in Streams of the                   Central Adirondacks.

                  Student: Caitlin E. Stewart | Faculty: Tracy Allen 

 

3:00         Guest Presentation: Kelly (Milunich) Matri

 

3:15         Break for Poster Sessions, Union Square.

                 

4:00         The Design, Construction, and Harmonic Analysis of the

                  Dinh Pa.

                  Student: Julie Arrighi | Faculty: Paul French 

 

4:15         Changing the “Nature” of Fairy Tales: A Survey of Henry Beston’s

                  Fairy Tales, Influences, and Naturalist Perspectives.

Students: Andrea L. Braunius, Justine LaMantia |

Faculty: Daniel Payne

 

4:30         Field Evidence Indicated Substantial Subglacial Water Erosion on An Outwash Substrate, Bering Glacier, Alaska.

                  Student: Samuel McTavey | Faculty: P. Jay Fleisher 

 

 

4:45         Two Newly Discovered Human Genes May Encode Proteins                                     

                  Associated with the Proteasome.

                  Student: Neville Campbell | Faculty: Nancy J. Bachman 

 

5:00         Dr. Alan B. Donovan, President

 

5:10         Effect of Land Use and Geologic Setting on Surface-water

                  Chemistry and Drinking-water Quality.

                  Students: Fred Krone, Jeremy Silverman | Faculty: Arthur Palmer 

 

5:30         The RGB Color Cube.

Students: Dannel Gomiller, Fawad Shahid | Faculty: Thomas Sakoulas, James Ryder

 

5:45         I Am the Land: Myth and Ritual in the Evolution of John Steinbeck.

                  Student: Sarah E. Courtney | Faculty: Patrick Meanor

 

6:00         Construction of Reporter Luciferase Genes to Assess NOC4 Gene Expression.

                  Student: Nicholas Simon | Faculty: Nancy Bachman

 

6:15         Break for Poster Sessions, Union Square.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Research Day Presentations

(in order of delivery)

 

 

 

            For this student research grant we explored techniques for development of interactive (computer-based) tools and games.  We encountered many unexpected pitfalls, particularly with regard to exporting files from one format to another.  A few of these were successfully resolved.  We completed a model of Fitzelle Hall which included chairs, computers, tables, lights and many other objects.  We explored a number of game formats and directions for this model, including campus tours, interactive directions.  Within Computer Science, we sparked interested in this project and hope to staff an ongoing game development project with undergraduates next year.  We have also pursued interdisciplinary collaborations, particularly with Computer Art.

 

 

 

            Scholars of social movements in post-industrial societies have noted that a commonality shared by these movements is that they attempt to persuade both members and potential sympathizers of the legitimacy of their claims through circulating visual and printed media that is often emotionally charged. Another goal of these movements, besides attempting to gain legitimacy for their own claims, is to challenge the credibility of their opponents: what Joseph Gusfield (1986) termed "status politics".                                                                                                                The focus of our research has been to explore the various tactics employed by social movements to both advance their own causes, and to challenge the legitimacy of their opposition within the literature produced by these movements for members and potential sympathizers. We have acquired a variety of materials, including visual, audio, and printed literature, representative of the animal rights and tobacco control movements in order to  conduct a content analysis of how these two movements have attempted to shape communications that bolster the movements and weaken their opposition. Our analysis demonstrates that both movements utilize a combination of scientific data and emotional appeals to advance their claims and weaken the counterclaims of opponents. These "reasonably emotional" appeals appear to encourage positive emotions towards the objects of concern (such as animals) without appearing overly emotional and encourage a negative emotional reaction towards opponents.

 

 

 

 

            Streams of the Central Adirondack region of New York were assessed by collecting, identifying, and quantifying benthic macroinvertebrates.  These organisms are excellent water quality indicators because they cannot migrate to different locations when they are in their early life stage forms, and therefore, can be used to determine site-specific stream conditions.  Specific taxa, such as mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies, cannot tolerate aquatic pollution, need large amounts of dissolved oxygen in order to survive, and are indicators of good water quality.  Leaches, aquatic worms, and midges are able to survive in more polluted environments, require small amounts of dissolved oxygen to live, and are indicators of poor water quality.  Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from fifty streams throughout the Central Adirondacks.  Macroinvertebrates from each sample were identified and counted.  For comparison and accuracy assessment purposes, other water quality parameters, including pH, conductivity, and turbidity, were measured with electronic monitoring equipment.  In order to make accurate observations and comparisons, three pristine control streams (Beaver Creek, Sucker Brooke, and Mill Stream) were chosen far from human development and impact.  The study concluded that 36 sample sites had excellent Biological Index values, 8 streams had good Biological Index values, 4 streams had fair Biological Index values, and 2 streams had poor Biological Index values.  Percent Model Affinity indicated a range in water quality from excellent (5 streams) to good (12 streams) to fair (15 streams) to poor (18 streams).  In most cases, mayflies, stoneflies, or caddisflies were the dominant species, indicating overall excellent water health.  A comparison of known water quality standards to sample macroinvertebrates revealed that water quality can be accurately evaluated by analyzing the composition, number, and order of macroinvertebrates.  

 

 

 

            I’m a native upstate New Yorker who earned a BS in Geology from SUNY College at Oneonta in 1993.  I also earned my MA in Earth Science from SUNY Oneonta in 1999.

I moved to New Jersey in 1995 and began working for Handex Environmental as a hydrogeologist.  After four years with Handex, I left and worked for a year with Groundwater and Environmental Services (GES), also as a hydrogeologist.  While working for GES, I taught Introductory Geology as a part-time adjunct professor for William Patterson University in Wayne, NJ.  I enjoyed teaching so much that I decided to switch careers and teach full time.  In September of 2000 I began teaching Geophysical Science at Middletown High School South in Middletown, New Jersey.  I’m still teaching in Middletown and achieved tenure this past fall. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The dinh pa is a traditional Vietnamese resonant pipe instrument made of bamboo and tuned to the pentatonic scale. A chromatic two-octave instrument has been built from PVC pipe and mounted on three separate wooden stands. Design issues of sound quality, dynamic range, versatility, portability, durability, storage, and ergonomics were considered when choosing tuning reference, tuning method, range, pipe diameter and wall thickness, mallet design, and stand design. The harmonic analysis yielded these results:

·         The lower notes have sharper peaks and display up to eight distinct harmonics above the fundamental frequency, while the upper notes are limited to one or two harmonics.

·         Note duration decreases with frequency. The duration of individual harmonics within a note also decreases with frequency.

·         An electronic tuner was found to give better tuning information than the Fast Fourier Transform analysis.

·         The upper frequency limit decreases with pipe diameter.

·         The ratios of the harmonics to the fundamental frequency are slightly less than the integral ratios predicted by simple acoustic theory.

·         The end correction (departure of fundamental frequency from that predicted by simple theory) appears to increase with pipe diameter.

 

 

 

            Henry Beston (1888-1968), best known as a nature writer (The Outermost House), was also a recognized author of children’s stories—the most notable of which are The Starlight Wonder Book, The Firelight Fairy Book, and Henry Beston’s Fairy Tales.  Beston first undertook the authorship of fairy tales as personal therapy upon his return from World War I.  Beston’s fairy tales are free of any ‘grue’ which would serve to frighten children unnecessarily; he was a firm believer in presenting children with life-realities without subjecting them to the materials of nightmares (unlike the tales of the brothers Grimm and certain of Perrault’s stories).  Beston’s stories are notable for their emphasis on the natural world, their humorous imagination, their adventurous spirit, and the moralistic philosophies Beston held to be most valuable (unity, appreciation of nature, independence of spirit, determination, service, etc.).  Beston’s naturalist philosophies, as expressed in his nature writing, are inseparable from his children’s writing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outwash terrain overridden during the 1993-95 surge on the eastern ice front of the Bering piedmont lobe is now being uncovered by rapid retreat.  Two recently exposed subglacial basins that did not exist prior to the surge, the largest being 0.75 km2, project a minimum of 15m downward into the pre-surge landscape.  They are located immediately up glacier from the 1995 surge-limit moraine and in the vicinity of outburst sites and extensive sandar on Weeping Peat Island.  Topographic information gathered prior to the surge is compared with post-surge landforms, with specific focus on formative processes leading to an assessment of the relative significance of erosion of ice versus water.

            The dominate effects of overriding ice include the formation of fluted drumlinoid hills, deposition of a new till, and construction of a semi-continuous push moraine.  Substrate glacial erosion appears limited to the truncation of outwash bedding beneath streamlined slopes.  Basins cut in outwash do not appear gouged by ice.  Annual field observations of retreat indicate that ice marginal streams were not a factor in basin formation.  Instead the basins appear to have been scoured by pressurized, subglacial meltwater moving through conduits toward outburst sites.  The erosional effects of this process working on an unconsolidated substrate appear to far exceed that of the overriding ice.

 

 

            The human genome project has led to the discovery of novel genes.  Our lab has been characterizing two such genes.  Neighbor of COX4 (NOC4) is a gene found in close proximity to cytochrome oxidase subunit IV, a component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain enzyme.  We have also identified a gene for a second protein, CGI-112, closely related to NOC4, which is 40% identical in amino acid sequence.  The CGI-112 gene is located on chromosome 14 in close proximity to genes encoding subunits of the PA28 (11S) proteasome regulator.  The proteasome is an essential protein degrading complex.  The PA28 alpha and beta subunits comprise a regulatory complex important for antigen processing in the immune system.  We have examined the subcellular localization patterns of Green Fluorescent fusion proteins of NOC4 and CGI-112.  Both proteins are widely distributed in the cell, and are found in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm.  This pattern of localization is distinct from that observed for cytochrome oxidase IV and mitochondrial marker dyes.  The pattern of subcellular localization observed for NOC4 and CGI-112 proteins are strikingly similar to that observed for components of the proteasome.  This has led us to develop a working hypothesis that these proteins may be associated with the proteasome, for example in its structure, assembly or regulation.  Experiments are in progress to test for colocalization of NOC4 and CGI-112 Green Fluorescent Proteins with components of the proteasome, such as the PA28 regulatory subunits.  This research seeks to establish a link between protein turnover and mitochondrial energy metabolism, both of which are significant in understanding diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. 

 

 

            The quality of our drinking water depends on the types of material through which the water flows, and the types of land use. We examined these issues in three different areas:  Middleville, New York, Roxbury, New York, and West Paris, Maine. Using EPA guidelines to determine the effects of different geological settings as well as land use conditions on surface- water quality, we identified potentially harmful levels of different elements and their typical settings. The dissolved components related to geologic setting were calcium, magnesium, iron, lead, and arsenic. The components related to different land uses were selenium, nitrates, cadmium, and turbidity. Sample locations based on geologic setting included the siliciclastic Catskill Mountain terrain, the Carbonate terrain of the Mohawk Valley, and complex igneous terrain in Southwest Maine. Types of land use included active agricultural lands, woodlands, an old dump site, and an old strip mine.

            Levels of selenium, lead, zinc, cadmium, arsenic, and iron were determined with an Inductively Coupled Plasma – Atomic Emission Spectroscopy unit. Levels of calcium and magnesium were measured by titration, and levels of nitrates, turbidity, manganese, and fluoride were determined using a HACH DR3000 spectrophotometer. Our results were calculated in parts per million (mg/L), and the different locations were compared.

            The most sensitive indicators of the influence of bedrock were magnesium and calcium which attained concentrations up to 25 times greater in carbonate environments than in siliciclastic and igneous regions. The most sensitive indicators of land use variations included nitrate levels attributed to farming and, potentially, selenium levels attributed to an old dump. 

In summary, we have investigated fourteen different water quality parameters and identified six different concerns affecting the quality of the water. These concerns arise primarily from the changes in land use, not the changes in the bedrock in our sample area.

 

 

            Color plays a role in many disciplines. We propose to build an Red-Green-Blue color cube to be used to gain greater understanding of the RGB color space, its relationship to other color models, and to steganography when applied to least significant bit (LSB) color palette replacement algorithms. The RGB color space is used to generate colors on computer displays. The method used to generate colors varies. Printers, for example, use the Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Intensity (CMYK) color space. When a graphic image on a computer monitor is printed, a conversion must take place from RGB to CMYK in order for the image to be printed by an inkjet printer. When mixing colors, the CMYK color space is used. There is a relationship between the two color spaces is sometimes not obvious. However, it is virtually impossible to find a cube that breaks into pieces for further inspection. This cross-discipline endeavor, between art and computer science, has created one such RGB color cube that can be broken into sixty-four distinct sub-cubes with each face displaying the color gradient for that two-dimensional range.

 

 

 

            Traditionally, American writers hold an inherent preoccupation with the land, and John Steinbeck is no exception. In fact, in a letter addressed to his former Stanford roommate, Steinbeck articulated his conception of the integral relationship between individuals and the land: "Each figure is a population, and the stones, the trees, the muscled mountains of the world-but not the world apart from man-the world and man-the one indescribable unit man plus his environment." Steinbeck's view of the natural world had great significance for his writing. As critic Robert DeMott explains, Steinbeck recorded the lives of people in his novels so that they would serve as a means of expressing the rooted part of the elements outs of which they came. My research investigates further this reciprocity, this profound blending in Steinbeck's work of human characters with the environments they originated from, and invariably return.  I suggest how Steinbeck's work and aesthetic present his understanding of the individual’s paradoxical sense of separateness despite his being thoroughly enmeshed in the world beyond the self.

 

 

            For each gene to be expressed, the central dogma must be applied. That is, the DNA must be transcribed to RNA and than translated from RNA to a protein. The enzyme that starts DNA transcription is called RNA polymerase. RNA polymerase can’t initiate the transcription of the gene by itself. Instead it needs a small sequence in the immediate vicinity of the gene, called a promoter, which acts as a recognition signal for the transcription factors to bind to the DNA, in order to guide the polymerase. Vectors are one of the most useful tools used to study promoter sites. Vectors have four features: they are able to replicate, they have selectable markers, foreign DNA can be inserted in them and finally, they often carry a reporter gene.

            To find the promoter in the human gene, Neighbor of COX4 (NOC4), involves mutating different regions next to the gene. The project involves two phases. The first involves designing the mutants and will include probability calculations and genetic software. Probability calculations enable us to increase the chances of finding the promoter site. The genetics software will help us so the site that we mutate will not cause any additional changes to our vector or the promoter region. In the second step of the experiment, we will mutate the promoter. This will involve the synthesis of a DNA copy of the template primed with the mutant primer, followed by introduction of the vector into E. coli. Once inserted in E. coli, the mutants will need to be characterized to make sure that the mutations of the promoter region are where we planned them to be. After characterizing the mutations we will introduce the mutant DNAs into HeLa cells (human cervical cancer cells) to examine the reporter gene expression. Once the cells have expressed the reporter genes, the cells can be collected, lysed, and luciferase activity can be measured. Measuring the luciferase activity will allow us to find out which of the regions that we mutated is the promoter. 

 

 

 

Posters

(listed alphabetically by project title):

 

 

 

            The fish immune system has some fundamental differences from the mammalian immune system.  However, the fish immune system may be an example of a model that the mammalian immune system evolved from.  Studies in various species of fish have shown that the spleen and head kidney are major locations of immunological activity.  The relative importance of these two organs varies among different species.  Previous studies have demonstrated that the head kidney is a major source of lymphocytes (including B cells) in Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) by using a hemolytic plaque assay.  Since no work has been conducted on Large Mouth Bass, the goal of this project is to determine the relative importance of the head kidney and spleen during an immunological response to sheep red blood cells.

 

 

            Primary cell cultures are often used to allow examination of different cell types from multicellular organisms.  Mixed cell cultures of chick embryo were used to study the growth of cells under various conditions.  Chick embryo cells were prepared by treating a chicken embryo with versene to disperse the cells.  The dissociated cells were allowed to grow for several generations, after which they were propagated onto coverslips and allowed to form monolayers.  The cells were then analyzed by standard cell staining techniques that allowed comparisons between nuclear and cytoplasmic materials of fibrolasts, myoblasts, and neuroblasts.  Several different growth media and culture conditions are being compared to determine the effects on rate of growth and viability of the cells.

 

 

            Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) was used to determine mercury concentrations in canned tuna and pet food as well as samples collected directly from the environment.  Mercury content in fish has been under scrutiny in the press within the past 6 months largely due to FDA advisories.  Perch and fresh water clams were collected from a remote lake located in the Adirondack Mountains and were analyzed along with the commercially obtained products.  Samples were digested using nitric acid and microwave-assisted digestion, converting all mercury to mercury (II) ion, a prerequisite for routine ICP-AES

 

 measurement of mercury.  A summary of the results, including statistical evaluation of the data and method validation, will be presented.  

 

 

            This study investigated the corrosive effects of rock salt dissolved in water on building materials found on the SUNY Oneonta campus.  These materials include brass, aluminum, steel, granite, shale, brick, and concrete.  Corrosiveness was determined by loss of mass, visual deterioration, and presence of ions in the resulting solution.  Complete data analysis, results and discussion of the project are presented.

 

            A life-threatening collision may occur when a vehicle is stopped on the soft shoulder. A driver of an approaching vehicle may crash into the back of the stopped vehicle. Dash-mounted cameras on police vehicles have provided stunning videos of this type of accident.  An interesting effect called lateral displacement showed that when obstacles were placed on the right soft shoulder, drivers laterally displaced their vehicles slightly away from the obstruction when it was near the right white line marking the side of the road. The underlying reason for this lateral shift is unknown. It could be the case that the driver correctly perceived the stationary object’s position and as a precautionary measure steered slightly away from the obstruction. In some instances, it could also be the case that the approaching driver may have misperceived the object as being in the road, and this resulted in corrective action to steer clear. Under certain conditions, not only is the stopped vehicle misperceived as being in the roadway, it may also be misperceived as moving; otherwise it would be off the road. In this scenario, the driver would unwittingly follow the stopped vehicle off of the road and at the worst, collide with it.

            Purpose: We conducted a laboratory experiment to verify that an illusion indeed, existed. The purpose of this research was to identify the possibility that this illusory effect was associated with the monocular depth cue of linear perspective. This cue is commonly found when looking down any road surface. The sides of the road contain two parallel lines, but the image on the retinal forms a converging angle.  If an obstacle is placed just beyond the visible linear perspective cue will the obstacle be misperceived?

            Method: Fifteen men and women volunteered their participation. The target stimulus, 2 cm W x 2.54 cm H, was located 6.4 m in front of the participant. The participants were instructed to move the vertically oriented target, to the left and right until it appeared to be a continuation of the white fog line that was placed approximately 2 m to the right of the participant and aligned along his/her sagittal plane. The white line and target track formed a “T.”  The target was placed either 1.9 cm or 12 cm above the fog line. The 5.5 m L x 2cm W white fog line was occluded 1.9, 25, or 48 cm in front of the target. The participant pulled on one of two ropes to align the target with the white line. The target and the white fog line were made from electroluminescent material.

 

            Results: A 2 x 3 Within Subjects ANOVA (Height of Target x White Fog Line Occlusion) showed a significant main effect for target height above the white line, F (1, 14) 31.04, p < .0001. The higher target produced the largest misperception to the left of the stationary white line with an average misalignment error of 6.0 cm. The lower target produced a misalignment error of 1.5 cm.  From Figure 2, white fog line occlusion was found to be significant, F (2, 28) 5.20, p = .012. The target was misplaced for all three occlusions. The strongest illusory effect (M = 4.5 cm) was found with the smallest occlusion of the fog line.

            Implications: The hypothesis was supported. When the target was perceived to be at the end of the white line it was actually misplaced well to the left of the line. Further, a higher target produced a stronger illusory effect than did a lower target.  These findings are consistent with the assumption that stopped vehicles off of the roadway may be viewed as in the roadway. 

 

 

            Recommended dietary guidelines often suggest consuming ~1.8 L water per day.  Therefore, the composition of water can have a significant impact on human health in addition to aesthetic effects such as color, taste, etc.  As part of our CHEM 362 project, faculty and staff were offered the opportunity to have their drinking water tested.  Additional samples from around the SUNY Oneonta campus were collected.  Concentrations of zinc, iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, lead, and mercury were determined in these samples by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES).  A summary of the results, including evaluating the conditions of participants’ water supplies (e.g. municipal versus well, copper versus galvanized pipes) will be presented.  

 

 

            This research project focuses on dissolved oxygen levels in the Susquehanna River near the Oneonta wastewater treatment plant. We tested for dissolved oxygen, temperature, and pH at 8 locations near the treatment plant. The first site was upstream of the input, the second was at the input, and the remaining six were downstream from the input. Our hypotheses were that the dissolved oxygen concentrations would be lowest at the input site and increase incrementally with distance, and correlations would exist between oxygen, pH, and temperature variables. Preliminary data analysis confirms our predictions. Detailed analysis of data and conclusions with respect to EPA recommendations are discussed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The objectives of this experiment were to observe the effects of varying pH media environments (pH 5.5, 5.0. 4.5, 4.0, 3.5, and 3.0) on the growth of three terrestrial bacteria (E. coli, Bacillus subtilus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus) over a short period of time. The study was conducted because the data will help us more fully understand tolerance levels of bacteria, and because our environment is changing (i.e., acid rain) and it is important to investigate how those changes are likely to impact the terrestrial microbes. The data was collected by taking the absorbency reading (O.D. 600) using a spectrophotometer every hour for ½ day. Media was first diluted to get initial readings at .05 nm to .1 nm in order to allow for a long enough sampling period. Experiments were repeated in duplicate and means were calculated. Data analysis, results and discussions are presented.

 

 

            The purpose of our study is to investigate the chloride levels in the Susquehanna River, before, at, and after the drainage system from the Southside economy.  It is anticipated that the deposition of road salts will only have a localized effect on the chloride and pH levels in the Susquehanna River. This study is important because chloride levels negatively affect the water quality and the aquatic ecology.  Samples were taken at four different locations along the river and then titrated with mercuric nitrate to determine the localized chloride level changes.  Acidity level measurements were recorded in the laboratory.  Data analysis, results, and implications are presented and discussed.

 

 

            This study investigates the small scale spatial distribution of amoebae within lichen colonies and within the immediately adjacent oak bark. Amoebae are single celled protozoan that play important roles in the microbial ecology of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem, and studies identifying their preferred habitats tell more about where they fit in ecological systems. Treatment (lichen) and control (bark) samples were cultured in the laboratory, observed with a light microscope and enumerated for amoebae abundances. Data analysis and conclusions will be discussed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The objectives of this study are to determine the inhibitory and fatal concentrations of linoleic acid in the growth of Caulobacter crescentus.  The study was conducted in order to more fully understand the growth patterns and tolerance levels of Caulobacter crescentus. An overnight culture was created and then diluted to achieve initial absorbance readings of 0.01 nm. The effects of varying concentrations of linoleic acid (0 mM, 1mM, 2mM, and 4mM) on Caulobacter crescentus was observed through hourly spectrophotometer readings (O.D. 600), for five hours.  The data from these readings were then taken and plotted to create a standard growth curve and evaluated for treatment effects. Detailed data analysis, results and conclusions are presented.

 

 

            Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were obtained from a local fish farm for use in hematological studies. Blood was taken from each fish after being anesthetized, weighed and measured. A mean percentage of white blood cells, red blood cells and thrombocytes were obtained and a blood smear differential for each fish was examined to determine the mean values for the various leukocytes observed. The results were then compared with published data from striped bass and tilapia. Differences were observed in the number of eosinophils and thrombocytes. The largemouth bass had increased numbers of eosinophils present in the circulating blood compared to normally low numbers in striped bass and tilapia. These results may be indicative of underlying parasitic infections or the influence of stress caused by the recent transfer from hatchery conditions.

 

 

            The purpose of the study was to examine whether or not gypsum (a mineral commonly found in arid soils) generates ions in solution that inhibit the soils capacity to generate other soil specific ions. This process whereby one substance releases ions that minimize the capacity of another to generate ions is referred to as the “common ion effect. The study is important because gypsum is abundant in arid soils and its geochemical impact on soil systems is poorly understood. Initial data analysis reveals that gypsum does generate ions which limit some soils capacity to release other ions. Detailed data analysis and implications are presented.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The possibility of educating Indians needs no further demonstration. The question now is of method. To prevent mistakes or failures we need to know of any special difficulties that we may know how to meet them. There are four. 1. The wildness of the Indian; 2. His lack of independent personality; 3. His religion; 4. His language" ( The Morning Star, 5,2 (1884), p. 3).

            This was the general consensus of our nation in regards to Indian affairs at the turn of the 20th Century.  In 1879, Richard Henry Pratt, in an attempt to "educate" the Indian, founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Carlisle was the flagship boarding school, and paved the way for an era of "whitewashing" the Native children in America through attempted assimilation.  Native children left the familiarity of their homes and were shipped to a "foreign" place to begin their new lives, and become victim to the ways of the white world; a world much different than their own.

            Boarding School historiography has become a vital and thriving area in Native American Studies for historians.  My research conducted on the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, is focused on the experiences of Natives from New York.  There have been few studies conducted based on regional or tribal affiliations in New York State.  My goal is to reveal the experiences of members of the New York tribes, mainly the Oneida.  In doing so, I am setting out to tell the story of the boarding school experience through a different lens; through the eyes of the students, not just the white man.  I will explore how the Oneida students were affected by their experiences at Carlisle.  Through archival research, I obtained several articles from newspapers which were published at Carlisle over the span of a decade. These articles provide insight into the students’ lives at Carlisle, as well as updates on them after their departure. The newspapers offer insight on the assimilation of the Native children, as well as some of the failures of the Carlisle agenda; to whitewash the Indian, and make him a true American.

            The boarding school experience is a vital part of American history. My goal is to tell how the Oneida and other New York Natives fit into this story and of the legacy they have left behind.

 

 

            While much is known about the immune systems of mammals, very little is known about the immune systems of fish.  Limited research has been done on a small number of fish species. Fish have an acquired immune system that resembles that of mammals but at a reduced scale.  In addition, studies have shown that there is a great deal of variation in the immune systems of fish.  It has also been shown that the immunologic reagents are not cross-reactive and therefore it is necessary to generate species-specific reagents as new types of fish are studied.  Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), have not been the subject of immunologic studies.  These fish are an important sport fish and are becoming popular with aquaculturists as a commercial food fish.  This project proposes to study the immune system of largemouth bass by focusing on production and purification of fish antibodies.

 

 

            We are designing a program that will be able to identify minerals, rocks, and   fossils based on information that the user inputs into the program. We are calling this program Erde MRFD (Mineral, Rock, Fossil Database) after Erde, the Germanic goddess of the Earth. The program will have specific search criteria for each type of search. The mineral, rock, and fossil databases will be upgradeable so that if a new mineral, rock, or fossil is discovered the user will be able to add it to that appropriate database.

For minerals, the program will ask for the mineral color, streak color, luster, transparency, cleavage, fracture, crystal system, hardness, and whether or not it reacts to acid (acid test). The report would contain mineral colors, streak color, luster, transparency, cleavage, fracture, crystal system, hardness, chemical composition, and whether or not it reacts to acid (acid test), pictures of the different crystal systems and colors, and a crystal wire frame of the different crystal structures. For rocks, the program will ask for the rock color, type of rock (sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic), grain size, layering, acid test, texture, luster, folding, and mineralogy of the rock. The report would contain the rock color, type of rock (sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic), if there is a mixture of grain sizes, grain size, layering, acid test, and mineralogy of the rock, a picture of the rock, and a thin section of the rock. For the fossil search, the program will ask for the type of fossil (shell, coral, plant, animal), and environment. The report would contain a picture of the fossil, the environment and era that that species lived in.