Program of Spring 2010 Oral Presentations

1. Weeks, Meghan. Art, Chase Hutchison, Dr.Thiessen-Reily. Invisible Sight: Infrared Photography

According to Kant in the Critique of Pure Reason, “ourrepresentation of things, as they are given to us, does not conform to thesethings as they are in themselves…these objects as appearances conform to ourmode of representation.” Infrared photography presents a reality that existsbut is not perceptible to human beings. However, we are aware of its existenceby experiencing the effect rather than the actual process of this reality. Thepurpose of this project is to address the conflict a viewer experiences whenpresented with an image of reality that is contradictory to what is known, yetis forced to acknowledge that both realities are variations of the truth.Through experimentation with infrared images and an analysis of photography asa medium, these concepts may be visually demonstrated and explained.

2. Fremgen, Aleshia. Biology, Dr. Bingham. Kin Selection and Interspecific Competition In Plants

Kin selection is a cooperative behavior in which individualorganisms work to benefit their family group for a higher inclusive fitness,despite a reduction in their individual fitness. The proportion of genesrelatives share determines the extent of cooperative behavior, as well as thecosts and benefits of raising related offspring or their own offspring(rb>c). Plants must be able to recognize relatives, which involves volatilecues from the roots to their leaves as an herbivory response. Plants use theirroot systems to compete with other plant species but they restrict their rootdevelopment when related to their neighbors. Several species grow shorter andfewer roots, reduce shoot production, or reduce the number of stamens perflower when in contact with non-self kin than when they come into contact withanother species. These root interactions may be a combination of kin selection,interspecific competition, and resource partitioning.

3. Fuselier, Ross McGee, Stuart Magno, Jeremy Dole. Biology, Sarah Cerra. The Effect on Watering Brassica Plants 

Water is important to Brassica for photosynthesis. Wepredicted the overwatered Brassica plants will grow at a more accelerated ratewhile the underwatered Brassica plants will not appear healthy, and wilting mayoccur. If to little water is given to Brassica, they will not develop properlyand will be susceptible to pests while too much water makes soil too moist forBrassica causing root failure and rot. After a failed experiment, we found itappropriate to give the underwatered 150 ml of water, the control 200 ml ofwater and the overwatered 250 ml of water. We can conclude our hypothesis wassupported (p-value .00000967). We found the plants grew larger with more water.The overwatered plants on average grew 3.1 inches taller than the under wateredset. We believe this experiment better if to give the control set the amount ofwater we gave the overwatered set 250 ml.

4. Fremgen, Marcella. Ecology, Dr. Patrick Magee. African Mammal Dietary Requirements, Habitat Proximity toWater and Reproductive Strategies

Sub-Saharan ungulates and carnivores have different waterand nutrition requirements, which affect their preferred habitat. Carnivoresneed more water than ungulate species to digest their high protein diet andmust live near a permanent water source. Most ungulate species obtain waterfrom the plants they eat and are not restricted to land with available water.The Great Migration includes blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus),Burchell’s zebra (Equus burchelli) and Thomson’s gazelle (Gazella thomsoni),which require more water than other ungulates and migrate to permanent water.This difference in habitat requirements may be related to differentreproductive strategies, such as year round breeding versus birth pulses. TheGreat Migration species’ birth pulse is during the wet season. Because calvesare born in wet season habitat and carnivores are restricted to this samehabitat, the calves are vulnerable to predation. Nonetheless, this strategy isadvantageous because the vast numbers of calves satiate predators.

5. Kuester, Travis. English, Dr. Alina Luna. The Art of Destruction

The play Paper Flowers, by Egon Wolff, explores variousthemes such as gender roles, the disparity between the rich and poor, andquestions identity. One aspect of the play that has not been fully explored isthe role of art as destruction. Wolff has chosen two very different types ofartists to focus on in his play. The first is Eva, a wealthy widow whoapproaches art as a hobby, the second known as the Hake, contrasts thepassiveness of Eva with a predatory instinct. By analyzing Paper Flowers andits two primary characters, with a lens focused on the importance of art asdestruction, one can discover how this theme complicates the message of theplay, and demonstrates that the purpose of art can not only be to provide anaesthetically pleasing creation, but can lead to the destruction of one’shumanity.

6. Grauberger, Amanda. English, Dr. Alina Luna. Victorian Victimization

HenryJames creates The Turn of the Screw in which the governess, commonly believedto be a patron of the devil for being a creator of corruptor amongst hercharged children, is in fact victimized by the social role she is forced totake, where as D. H. Lawrence writes Lady Chatterley’s Lover, a story about anaristocratic woman who freely partakes in an adulterous affair. Both of these women are held tosocietal standards they cannot change or alter. James’ governess, unable toescape the domineering lifestyle of her position, is left without options andforced to accept her fate, confined to the wills of societal expectations.Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley, though not mandated to uphold the accepted norm asan aristocrat, willingly chooses to victimize herself by sacrificing everythingfor “the better cause.” Both women have personal obligations to uphold andneither concludes positively, for each sacrifice true happiness in order toperfectly adhere to the socially accepted roles of their time.

7. Burkett, Nelsa. History, Dr. Anthony Miccoli. Philosophy of Science: American Philosophy of the IndustrialRevolution

Philosophers, such as Descartes and Heidegger, havestruggled to explore the concept of science. The continental thinkers examinedman’s relationship with science and technology. Americans philosophers such asCharles Pierce, William James, and Jane Addams, however, view science as a wayto procure result. This philosophical movement is different from that of thecontinental thinkers. My project explores why and how this philosophicaldifference occurs. Are these trends reactions to historical and socialmovements such as the American Industrial Revolution? Or are the philosophersacting in response to eachother?

8. Myers, Dax. History, Heather Theissen-Riley. Collapse of Somalia: A Direct Result of Siyad Barre 

Somalia has faced oppression since the colonial division butnone as severe as the stranglehold that Siyad Barre had on the country duringhis rule from 1969 to his exile in 1991. While the colonial era did little toprepare Somalia for independence, the modern state was driven into the groundafter Barre came to power. Illustrating the destructive characteristics ofAfrican “Big Man Politics,” instead of establishing positive economicstructures, he embarked on a series of military campaigns that each endedbadly. Allying with the Soviet Union and the United States (among others suchas Italy) Somalia’s economic production slowed until the state relied entirelyon foreign aid. As the Barre regime was the last functioning government inSomalia, the collapse of the modern Somali state can be directly linked to hisactions.

9. Myers, Dax. History, Heather Theissen-Riley. Phoenix's Dependency on Rocky Mountain Rivers

Thispaper examines Phoenix’s rapid growth based on its dependence of Rocky MountainRivers. While the city does not get all of its water from Rocky MountainRivers, it is suchsubstantial amount that the human habitat of Phoenix canbe looked at as artificial, meaning (on the current growth scale), the area ofPhoenix should not be as densely inhabited as it is, based on the resourcesthat it needs to function. As a result of the rapid growth (after 1950- and thearrival of central air conditioning), the mass development destroyed thesurrounding desert and the influx of population growth caused the city torequire more water than what the Indian Bend Wash Watershed could support. Theresult of this was Phoenix turning to other sources of energy and waterresources. Glen Canyon Dam now provides the hydroelectric power needed tosupport the cities growing air conditioning needs. In the 1980s, the Central ArizonaProject planned to divert water from the Colorado in order to satisfy thecities growing needs. The implications of this expansion are tremendous, andhave already led to the destruction of many delicate ecosystems.

10. Crum, Alyssa. Honors. Heather Theissen-Riley. Tradition Conservation and Education in Santa Fe

In this presentation, I explore Santa Fe’s educationalcurriculum and will determine whether or not the local schooling reflects theunique traditions within the area. Santa Fe is known for its uniquearchitectural, commercial, and artistic identity, an identity that is moreoften presented as a tourist attraction than an actual tradition. Usinginformation from my interviews with various educators throughout the city, Isuggest that this identity is more tied to the local culture and education thanone would suspect at first glance. The real tradition and culture underscoresthe fabricated commercial exterior of Santa Fe, and this is reflected in SantaFe’s younger population carrying on the legacy of Spanish and Native AmericanInfluence.

11. Ankoviak, Chris, KindraLuberski, Jeremy Johndrow, Jacob Tucker. Outdoor Leadership and ResortMangement, Brooke Moran. Conserving Energy: By saving Money ThroughSustianablePractices

This project was done to show how implementing sustainablepractices can save money and the environment. Our goal was to isolate thenumber of rooms cut off from all electricity, thus eliminating their phantomload at the Grand Lodge, in Crested Butte. Comparing occupancy, electricitybills and evaluating the effect of disconnecting 50 vacant rooms for 30 days,we determined the cost associated with operating each room. Cost effective andsustainable practices were also introduced for the lobby, business offices,pool, restaurant and gift shop areas. Based on the level of involvement fromhotel employees, tactics were suggested to directly affect the amount ofelectricity and money saved. We found that on average the Grand Lodge couldpotentially save 10% to 15% annually on electricity bills. The findings of thisproject will be implemented throughout Crested Butte Mountain Resort in aneffort to become more sustainable.