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*Research Topic Titles May Vary Slightly And Will Be Updated Upon Request
Scholar: Henry Aguilar
Major: History/Honors Program
Faculty Mentor: Dr.Elizabeth Raymond
Research Topic: "Silas W. Mitchell’s rest cure: Malpractice or Physician Obliviousness, Yellow Wallpaper Poisoning "
Abstract: In 1887, Charlotte Perkins Gilman underwent treatment for neurasthenia (nervous exhaustion) by a prominent medical physician, Silas Weir Mitchell. According to personal sources Gilman did not benefit from treatment; her nervous symptoms continued. This incident sparked Gilman to write “The Yellow Wallpaper,” which has become a glorified piece of historic, fictional literature based on non-fictional events. This study examines the physical symptoms Charlotte Gilman states in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by contemporary nutrition/medical theory. Silas Weir Mitchell’s medical text: “Fat and Blood: an Essay on the Treatment of Certain Forms of Neurasthenia and Hysteria” is also respectively examined.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Spring 2008
Scholar: Fernanda Bosada
Major: Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Scott Clark
New Scholar Fall 2007
Scholar: Abdulrahman Busse
Major: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Cushman
Research Topic: “Mechanisms Of The Evolutionary Origins Of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism In Tropical Orchids”
New Scholar Spring 2008
Scholar: Tomiya Eastlin
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Christopher Mark Wessinger
Research Topic: "Priming in Advertising: Understanding How Multiple Presentations of Vendor Icons Influence Our Decisions"
Abstract: Using a priming paradigm and select Food (FF) and Clothing-Apparel (CA) vendor icons (from internet) we are investigating how multiple presentations of these images influence our decisions. People were slower to identify an icon as a fast-food (or sports-apparel) vendor if the vendors were the same, and faster if the vendors were different. This is counter-intuitive and may be a result of the choice of the vendors, the icons, or the presentation rate, or it may be a result of increased cognitive or perceptual load resulting from over-activation of the icons.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Spring 2008
Scholar: Julisa Edwards
Major: Anthropology & English
Faculty Mentor: Dr. G. Richard Scott
Research Topic: "An odontometric analysis of living Southwest Indian populations"
Abstract
New Scholar Fall 2007
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree:
Scholar: Alex Farkas
Major: Electrical Engineering
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Timothy Darling
Research Topic:
"The Influence of Electrical Charge on the Mechanical Properties of Metals "
Abstract: This experiment will attempt to investigate the effect of free charging a spherical conductor through changes in its natural vibration frequencies. In pulsed power experiments at the Nevada Terawatt Facility, wires achieve a state of high charge over the course of a few nanoseconds. In this timeframe, it is unclear what state transitions the wires undergo, if any. This experiment may shed light on this process. The measurement technique employed in this experiment will be resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS). RUS is capable of detecting minute changes in resonant frequency, which are a function of elastic constants, and influenced by the distance and restorative force between adjacent atoms. As the conductor is charged, its atomic structure will undergo an expansive effect, due to electrostatic forces. This expansion will change the resonant frequencies. Because charges reside at the surface of the conductor, it is expected that Rayleigh waves will be affected more dramatically than normal vibrational modes. The results of this experiment suggest that charging the conductor has an effect on the third order elastic constants of the system. Additionally, distinct differences between the response of the conductor at high frequencies and low frequencies were observed.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Spring 2008
Scholar: LaKesha Farmer
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Svetlana Todorova
Research Topic: “Release Of Soluble Nucleotidases By The Sympathetic Nerves Of The Rabbit Vas Deferens: Modulation By Sodium Orthovanadate”
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether sodium orthovanadate interferes with the activity or the release of soluble ATPases from the sympathetically innervated rabbit vas deferens. Isolated rabbit vas deferens was maintained under superfusion and the release of soluble enzyme was evoked by the application of electrical field stimulation (EFS). ATPase activity of the collected enzyme samples was tested using etheno-ATP as substrate and the metabolic products of the reaction were quantified by HPLC with fluorescent detection. Our data demonstrate that EFS increases the release of soluble enzyme by five fold. ATP and ADP were metabolized, while AMP was not. Sodium orthovanadate (SOV) at 1mM inhibited the ATPase activity by 14.7+3.7% and the ADPase activity by 8.4+2.7%. On the other hand, when applied to the solution superfusing the rabbit vas deferens SOV (1mM) significantly increased (p<0.0001, ANOVA) the activity of the collected samples suggesting that the release of enzyme was increased. In conclusion, SOV could facilitate the release of soluble ATPases by the sympathetic nerves of the rabbit vas deferens, while slightly inhibiting their enzymatic activity.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree:
Scholar: Gretchen Hill
Major: Geography
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Paul Starrs &
Dr. Sandra Ott
Research Topic: "Major Expressions of Basque Identities in the Great Basin Region "
Abstract: In the late 19th century, Basque populations migrated over from the Old World to the New in search of opportunities in the sheep herding industry. The Basque country population is made up of several provinces in northwestern Spain and parts of southwestern France. While the majority of the migrated Basque population began in the U.S. as sheepherders, some extended their stay, and people of Basque extraction became part of communities in the Great Basin. This study will explore identities that the Basque population brought to the Great Basin and that are still represented in the eastern Sierra Nevada and the intermountain west.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Fall 2008
Scholar: Conrad Kiyoshi 
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Patricia Berninsone
Research Topic: "The Role of the Protein Calnexin in the Secretory Pathway of Caenorhabditis elegans: an RNAi Approach"
Abstract: This study will attempt to discern the functional necessity of the protein chaperone calnexin in Caenorhabditis elegans, in relation to the secretory pathway. In C.elegans, mutations of calnexin, and its homologue calreticulin, do not seem essential as the organisms and their progeny are viable in unstressed conditions. The study will introduce cell stress, such as removing the p24 gene which is involved in protein trafficking, by RNAi feeding to determine if there is some redundancy in function between the two chaperones, or if calnexin has a novel function in protein selection and trafficking.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Spring 2008
Scholar: Mark Lemos
Major: Biotechnology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Cushman
New Scholar Fall 2007
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree:
Scholar: Marvice Marcus
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. William O'Donohue
Research Topic: "Quality Improvement of Therapeutic Sessions for Victims of Sexual Assault"
New Scholar Fall 2007
Scholar: Grace Morris
Major: Economics & International Business
Faculty Mentors: Debra Stiver & Dr. Mark Nichols
Research Topic:
New Scholar Fall 2007
Scholar: Stephanie Orozco
Major: International Affairs & Spanish
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Daniel Perez
& Dr. Emma Sepulveda Pulvirenti
Research Topic: "The Rape and Murders of Hundreds of Women in Ciudad Juarez"
New Scholar Spring 2008
Scholar: Carina Rivera
Major: Psychology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Alan Fruzzetti
Research Topic: "Identifying Family Factors Associated with Social-Emotional Skills"
Abstract: Many factors affect social-emotional development. This study will measure the correlation between family factors and children’s social-emotional skills. The predicting factors of social-emotional skills are family demographics, parental distress, parental marital satisfaction, and marital status. One parent and a teacher of 30 to 40 three to six year old children recruited from local preschools will participate in questionnaires to assess this.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Spring 2008
Scholar: Ashley Rolfe
Major: Wildlife Ecology & Conservation
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stephen Jenkins
Research Topic: "The Influence of Olfactory Cues on the Seed-Harvesting Behavior of Merriam's Kangaroo Rats (Dipodomys merriami)"
Abstract: Due to low resource availability and variable weather conditions in desert ecosystems, many organisms alter their foraging behavior to compensate for the decrease in resource abundance. Desert rodents participate in reciprocal pilfering behavior of caches which affects the food availability for and survival of certain individuals. This study investigated the pilfering behavior of Merriam’s kangaroo rats (Dipodomys merriami) as a function of olfactory cues on seeds. Six scenting and six harvesting individuals were paired resulting in 36 replications to test the preference of scented versus unscented seeds when foraging. There was significant evidence of seed preference for eating unscented over scented seeds by D. merriami. However there was no strong evidence of preference by D. merriami when re-caching seeds; even though there was some individual variation in seed preference in response to the scent of different caching individuals.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Summer 2008
Scholar: Leticia Rodriguez
Major: Biochemistry
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Cushman
Research Topic: “Mechanisms Of The Evolutionary Origins Of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism In Tropical Orchids”
Abstract: Neotropical orchids have adjusted to the environment in order to prevent water loss by evolving a photosynthetic pathway to help cope with the carbon uptake and water loss. This photosynthetic pathway is termed crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM). The metabolic reactions required for CAM in plants are well understood, but the evolution of this pathway remains uncharacterized. This research focuses on the understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms of CAM within neotropical orchids by developing molecular markers for tracing CAM evolution. I focused on the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) gene family because it is widely conserved in plants, and specific members of the family are differentially expressed in plants performing CAM. PEPC was used to trace the evolutionary progression from C3, weak CAM, to strong CAM. Based on stable carbon isotope, night titratable acidity, and leaf thickness measurements, orchid species were identified as either CAM, weak CAM, or C3. Sequence analysis of DNA obtained from CAM species Oncidium ampliatum, Oncidium nanum, Oncidium carthagenense, and Rossioglossum insleyi indicated that three different PEPC isoforms were present in each species. Based upon sequence alignments and relative frequency of sampled cDNA clones, isoforms with the highest relative frequencies appeared to be related to other known CAM specific PEPC isoforms present in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database. The other isoforms present in each orchid species were found to have high homology to C3 PEPC isoforms. A phylogenetic tree of nucleotide sequences resulted in the grouping of two distinct groups one of Ppc1, the CAM specific isoform, and the other Ppc2 and Ppc3. Understanding the molecular mechanism responsible for CAM expression will be important to our understanding of species survival in the face of current global climate change and of arid land area expansion worldwide.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Spring 2008
Scholar: Anna Scarpa
Major: Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Dale Johnson
Research Topic: "Effects of Climate Variability and River Management on the Growth of Invasive Tamarisk Shrubs: A Tree-Ring Study"
Abstract: Tamarix is a non-native, invasive species that has negative effects on riparian environments. This study will explore the relationships between variability, hydrologic processes, and Tamarix growth. Research will be conducted using samples previously collected from the Grand _. Regression analysis will be used to develop predictive models for Tamariz diameter growth. Results of this study will belp us to understand _ involved in how this species is able to successfully invade riparian plant communities.
New Scholar Spring 2008
Scholar: Patricia Piedad-Segura
Major: Chemistry
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leonard Weinberg & Dr. Thomas Bell
Research Topic: "The Political Implication when Chemical Warfare is Used or Threatened to be Used for Nonwarfare Purposes"
Abstract: This thesis proposes the analyses of the political implications when chemicals are used as conventional weapons (cW) and as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). (It will not study biological or nuclear weapons). This thesis has two main components of study. The first component is the analysis of instances in which Chemical Weapons (CW) were used or threatened to be used and the analysis of instances in which countries have used chemicals as countermeasure of defense. The second component is the study of the chemicals that are used as weapons. It will cover design and synthesis of these chemicals and a careful study of the realistic conditions to spread these chemicals.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Fall 2007
Scholar: Eric Shoemaker
Major: History
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Stevens
Research Topic: "The Causes Of The Second Punic War: Was Hannibal Responsible?"
Abstract: The Second Punic War begins in 219 B.C. with Hannibal’s attack on Saguntum and ends with Hannibal’s defeat at Zama against Scipio in 202 B.C. The Roman historians are unanimous in their belief that Hannibal was ultimately responsible. Although they cite various reasons for this, there are few other causes examined by these Roman historians. By examining the research methods and accounts of Polybius and Livy, and some Greek historians, this paper seeks to partially absolve Hannibal’s responsibility.
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Fall 2007
Scholar: Thinh Vu
Major: Honors Program/Political Science/Environmental Policy Analysis
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Ostergard
Research Topic: "Engagement or Containment: U.S. Grand Strategy toward China"
Abstract:
Graduating With Baccalaureate Degree: Spring 2009
*The University of Nevada, Reno McNair Scholars Program is federally funded at $231,000.00 annually.
University of Nevada, Reno
Maintained by: vlangdon@unr.edu
Last Modified: 5/5/08
