Monday, April 28, 2003

Lacey, Wash. - The outstanding work of several Saint Martin’s College students will be honored April 29 at the third annual Saint Martin's College Student Scholars’ Day. The event begins with a luncheon at 1:15 p.m. for student presenters and their faculty sponsors. English faculty member Olivia Archibald, Ph.D., will deliver the keynote address, “When We are Scholars.” Student presentations, from 2:30 to 4:35 p.m., follow in the college’s Old Main building, 5300 Pacific Ave. S.E.

“Student Scholars’ Day celebrates and honors our students’ significant scholarly or artistic accomplishments here at Saint Martin’s,” said Doug Ford, associate vice president of academic affairs. Ford founded the celebration in memory of his mother, Grace Riddell Ford, a talented research metallurgist, chemist and teacher who died in 2000. “My mother’s life was dedicated to scientific research, education and political and social justice, all guided by her deep faith and compassion.”

Student Scholars’ Day participants are selected on the basis of the overall quality of their work as communicated through an abstract that summarizes their goals and accomplishments. Students are required to have the sponsorship of a faculty member who was involved in the work or whose class the work was completed for.

The event is part of a year-end day of tributes, beginning with Saint Martin’s annual Honors Convocation at 10:45 a.m. in the college’s Worthington Conference Center.

SESSION A
Old Main 302; host Prof. Mary Lou Peltier, biology faculty
2:30-2:50 p.m.

“Cabbage White and Western Swallowtail on Saint Martin's College Campus”
Students: Charlotte Scofield, Donna White
Scofield and White will discuss their project, which explores the characteristics and distribution of two common species of butterflies found in this area. Life cycles, habitat, and host plants of both species will be presented.
For BIOLOGY 314: Invertebrate Zoology; Prof. Mary Lou Peltier
3-3:20 p.m.

“Resurveying and Mapping of Thatch Ant Colonies Located on Saint Martin's College Campus”
Student: Robin Pellerin
Following a similar study conducted in 2001, Pellerin will talk about her work, which documents changes in ant colonies found on campus. New colonies were located for future study. The ant activities and characteristics will be reported.
For BIOLOGY 314: Invertebrate Zoology; Prof. Mary Lou Peltier
3:25-3:45 p.m.

“Marine Zooplankton”
Students: Anna Machado, Derick Potter
Machado and Potter will present findings of their comparative research into zooplankton populations found at Percival Landing in Olympia and at City Marina in Tacoma.
For BIOLOGY 314: Invertebrate Zoology; Prof. Mary Lou Peltier
3:50-4:10 p.m.

“The Habitat of Hydrothermal Vents and Where They May Lead Us”
Student: Ali Eaton-Davis
Eaton-Davis will talk about her exploration of the ecosystem of hydrothermal vents and the organisms that thrive around them. Information will include adaptations necessary for them to survive at such great depth and heat.
For BIOLOGY 314: Invertebrate Zoology; Prof. Mary Lou Peltier
4:15-4:35 p.m.

“Comparative Analysis of Invertebrate Life at Luhr Beach and Tolmie Beach”
Students: T.J. Underwood, Gerry Weinandt
Underwood and Weinandt will present their comparative study of invertebrates of Luhr Beach and Tolmie Beach. Invertebrates were sampled and identified at each location. The authors speculate that the different consistency of sand at the two locations affects the type and population of samples found.
For BIOLOGY 314: Invertebrate Zoology; Prof. Mary Lou Peltier

SESSION B
Old Main 306; host Steve Fulton, M.D., biology faculty
2:30-2:50 p.m.

“The Effects of Cocaine Toxicity on Fetal Development”
Student: Kalisia Cox
Cox will present her paper on the effects of maternal cocaine use on fetal development. The metabolic breakdown of cocaine will be discussed, as will methods of detection for cocaine and its metabolites. Current treatments for newborns addicted to cocaine will be explored. Although still controversial, effects that are still present in infancy will be included in the presentation.
For BIOLOGY 397: Advanced Embryology; Stephen Fulton, M.D.
3-3:20 p.m.

“Can Aloe Vera Be Used as an Antibiotic?”
Student: Yuliza Davila
Davila hypothesizes and proves that aloe vera does have antibiotic properties. Findings and a description of the process will be presented and discussed by Davila in this presentation.
For BIOLOGY 402: Senior Seminar; Alfredo Gomez-Beloz, Ph.D.
3:25-3:45 p.m.

“Equitable Education: Preparing Student Teachers for the Gender Equitable Classroom”
Student: Elizabeth Campeau
Campeau’s graduate project in education examines if student teachers who receive training in avoiding gender bias during their student teaching experience become aware of biased behaviors and cause them to alter their teaching methods accordingly. Campeau monitored teacher behavior pre- and post-training to determine if there were changes in the participation levels of male and female students in the classroom due to the training.
For MED 501: Professional Research Paradigms; Eileen Reilich, Ph.D.
3:50-4:35 p.m.

“Design and Build an Experiment to Investigate the Absorption Cycle”
Students: Mohammad Abbas, Khaled Al-Buloushi, Saud Al-Hamlan, Yousef Alnaserallah, Abdulwahab Al-Hashem, Mike Kuneman, Kristi Rhoads Wyzik, Jay Munson, Sharona Wantland
In the near future, the absorption refrigeration cycle may become an excellent alternative to today’s energy technologies. Absorption refrigeration is environmentally friendly, economical, reliable and efficient. This team of mechanical engineering students designed and built an experiment to investigate a miniature unit for use by future thermal engineering students.
For ME 498-499: Senior Design I and II; Amanie Abdelmessih, Ph.D.

SESSION C
Old Main 308; host Riley Moore, Ph.D., business and economics faculty
2:30-2:50 p.m.

“An Analysis of the Chinese Banking Industry and Ramifications of China’s Accession into the WTO”
Student: Haitao “Forest” Zhu
Zhu will explore that process by which the Chinese banking industry has aligned with World Trade Organization. His graduate paper discusses the trends associated with the transition, as well as the short-term and long-term consequences for larger Chinese banks.
For MBA 611: Research Project; Riley Moore, Ph.D.
3-3:20 p.m.

“Forecasting Gravel Sales in Thurston County”
Student: Kathy Cook-Kardas (Riley Moore, Ph.D.)
Cook-Kardas will present her findings on the effects of advertising and housing starts with other variables, including seasonality and rainfall, to estimate quarterly gravel sales. The resulting model will help an area firm, Martin Sand and Gravel Inc., forecast sales and thus, plan accordingly.
For ECONOMICS 371: Econometrics; Riley Moore, Ph.D.
3:25-3:45 p.m.

“Estimating Freshmen Enrollment for Saint Martin's College”
Student: Jami Mills
Mills will present her paper examining various enrollment models and developing the model best suited for use at Saint Martin's College. The author’s model calculates variables including high school graduation rates, Saint Martin’s College tuition rates and financial aid award levels.
For ECONOMICS 371: Econometrics; Riley Moore, Ph.D.
3:50-4:10 p.m.

“Where Have All the Fistfights Gone? A Community Power Study”
Student: Sarah Teague
Teague will present her paper detailing the results of her investigation of the real power structure of Rainier Wash., a small but volatile community southeast of Olympia. Historical studies were made and interviews conducted to examine various possible decision-making processes that can exist in community politics. For POLITICAL SCIENCE 499: Senior Seminar; Roger Snider, Ph.D.
4:15-4:35 p.m.

“Justice Antonin Scalia: A Different Kind of Catholic”
Student: Ron Baugh
Baugh presents his senior paper, which asserts that Justice Antonin Scalia’s unique world-view and philosophy of textualism are based on his Catholic background and conservative ideology. Baugh gleaned support for this thesis from Supreme Court opinions, public statements, books, legal reviews and newspaper articles.
For POLITICAL SCIENCE 499: Senior Seminar; Roger Snider, Ph.D., faculty member

SESSION D
Old Main 316; host Brian Schiff, Ph.D, psychology faculty
2:30-3:20 p.m.

“Narrative Interpretations of Holocaust Survivors Over Time”
The following presentation will span two sessions (40 minutes).
Students: Marianne Clear, Alethea Keith-Pyhala, Lisa Kurtzman, Leah Bedker
Undergraduate students Clear, Keith-Pyhala, Kurtzman and Bedker researched the changes that might occur in the life stories of Holocaust survivors. Narrative mapping, a method used to record the subject and sequence of story-telling, was used as a qualitative interviewing tool with five Holocaust survivors. They will talk about the study and compare maps of interviews conducted in the early 1980s with interviews conducted in the 1990s to understand changes.
For PSYCHOLOGY 397: Directed Study; Brian Schiff, Ph.D.
3:25-3:45 p.m.

“Perceptions of Male Dancers”
Student: Jerome Tso
In his research paper, Tso explores the various stereotypes attached to male dancers. Interviews, books and other sources were used to gain an understanding of their lives and the social discrimination they live with.
For SOCIOLOGY 397: Directed Study; Prof. Norman Shelan
3:50-4:10 p.m.

“The Inequalities of the Death Penalty”
Student: Mechele Linhan
Linhan’s presentation reviews past research and legal cases to examine the in-built system of inequality against ethnic minorities and the poor in death penalty cases. The racial inequality and economic inequality of capital punishment are demonstrated with overwhelming support of empirical evidence, and it can be concluded that race and economic disadvantages are factors in the application of capital punishment.
For PSYCHOLOGY 499: Senior Seminar; Jeanette Munn, Ph.D.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Doug Ford, associate vice president of academic affairs
360-438-4351 or dford@stmartin.edu

Deanna Partlow, media relations coordinator
Saint Martin’s Office of Communication
360-438-4541 or dpartlow@stmartin.edu