2 Focus

FOCUS On Resea rch and Creative Productions at Morehead State Un iversity FOCUS is published with state funds under KRS 57.375 though an off-campus printing contract and is printed on recycled paper. Contents: Comments or questions to: Volume 12 [email protected]

4 Distinguished Researcher : Ronald Morrison About The Focus Edition

5 Distinguished Creative Productions: Frank Oddis FOCUS-a point to which something converges or from which something diverges-illustrates 6 An Examination of Congruency of Literacy Instruction from the ideals of Morehead Stole University for bringing the best research together and Middle Schools to High Schools in the Commonwealth encouraging new efforts in distinctly different of Kentucky: Mary Anne Pollock, Beverl y M. Klecker, areas. The goal of FOCUS is to recognize Mattie Decker, Dreama Price faculty and professional staff involvement in sponsored research and creative projects and to illustrate diversity in the University's 7 A Phonological Atlas of Kentucky English: Terry Irons mission of teaching, research, and service to the people of East Kentucky. Through the 7 A Study of Electroluminescence and Stability of CdTe Solar combination of teaching with research, scho l­ Cells: Kent Price arship, and creative activities, an environ­ ment in which knowledge may be discovered, integrated, and disseminated to educate 8 Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership: students is created. FOCUS is intended to illus­ Gerald DeMoss trate the breadth of research within the Universi­ ty and thus describes only a few of the on-going 9 Computer Science and Mathematics Scholarship Program: projects under way in a variety of areas. Rodger Hammons, Lloyd Jaisingh, Russell May, Doug Chatham. Morehead Stole University is commiHed to Kathryn Lewis, Kenya Arrington. Carol Becker. Mike Hopper providing equal educational opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, notional 9 Perceptions and Adoption of E-Business and E-Commerce origin, age, religion, sex, or disability in its educational programs, services, activities, em­ Information Technology in Appalachian Eastern Kentucky ployment policies, and admission of students Small and Medium Enterprises: Scott A. Wymer. Eli zabeth A. to any program of study. In this regard the Regan University conforms to a ll the lows, statues, and regulations concerning equal employ­ ment opportunities and a ffirmative action. This Volume 13 includes: Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amend­ 10 Distinguished Researcher: Jack Weir ments of 1972, Executive Orders 11246 and 11375, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Vietnam Era 10 Distinguished Creative Pt·oductions: Travis Lockhart Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilita­ 11 Market Mechanism for Environmental Improvement in an tio n Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Inefficient Economy: Thomas Creahan Act of 19990, and Kentucky Revised Statues 207.130 to 207.240. Vocational educational 12 Molecular Mechanisms of Estrogen-Regulated Bone programs a t Morehead Stole University supported by federal funds included industrial Resorption: Dan·in DeMoss, David Peyton education, vocational agriculture, business education, ho me economics education and the associate degree program in nursing.

On the cover: Lauro Ashley-Senior Biology Major and On the bock cover: Rodger Hammons, Ll oyd Joisingh, Sourik Ganguly-Graduate Student Dept. of Biology Russell May, Doug Chatham, Kathryn Lewis lumes 12 & 13 Focus 3

FOCUS Volumes 12 & 13

Publisher Jeffrey R. Li les

Editorial and Produdion StaH Tim Holbrook, Photography Felton Martin, Graphic Designer 13 A Spectroscopic Technique for Determining the Leaf Nitrogen Concentration of Crop Plants: Zachary Bortolot, FOCUS is published by the C. Brent Rogers Morehead State University Office of University Marketing 13 Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope for Multi­ in conjunction with the Office of Disciplinary Research and Education: Eric Jerde, Ann Research, Grants and Contracts Macintosh, Charles Mason. Sean O'Keefe, William Grise and the Research and Creative 14 The Perception of Focus: Kathryn Carlson Productions Committee.

14 MIS Faculty Perceptions Regarding the Organizational & Morehead State University Web End-User Information Systems (OEIS) Model Curriculum Address: for Information Technology Education: C. Steven Hunt www.moreheodstote.edu

16 Wild Mountain Thyme: Roma Prindle Morehead State University Board of Regents 17 J azz Quartet CD: Steven Snyder, Gordon Towell James H. Booth, Choir 18 Determination of the Role of umuD in the Response to DNA Helen C. Pennington, Vice Choir Damage: Janelle Hare L. Gene Caudill Jean Dorton 19 Effects of Bull Fertility Parameters After Administration of Sylvia L. Lovely Transdermal Ivermectin Anthelminic: Philip Prater, Troy Joson W. Marion Wi stuba. Les Anderson John C. Merchant Dr. Charles H. Morgan, Jr. 19 Sequencing the Lateral Root Primor·dium (L.R. P.) Gene from Dr. John D. O ' Cu ll Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum): Carol Wymer Jill Hall Rose Jerry Umberger 4 Focus

"Research rema in ~. in my opinion. the from my active research agenda. While my contemporary writers such as Rosario single strongc!.t asse t to effective teaching" research intere ts do not always directly and Kim ewman. maintains Dr. Ronald Morriso n, pro fes~or inllucncc my teaching on a daily basis. For ~cve ra l year!-> now. Dr. Morrison· of English. when possible I have made an effort to teach long-term re!.earch has focused on the I' A n M SU faculty member since 1988. the literary worh that I have written about. erar) influence of the Victorian H Dr. Mon·ison has strong feelings about the and my re earch activities have greatly Movement. a multi-faceted social and pol relationship between teaching and research. influenced my knowledge of the primary lit­ ical movement that is intimately conn and his curricu lum' itae re fl ects the fact that crary texts. the critical material th at illumi­ to Victorian altitudes. about science . !>Oc ia he has worked diligently to develop both ar­ nates them. and the theoretical models that cl as~. and imperi alism. Dr. Morrison. ea of his professional life. As a graduate shape my discipline. .. grew up on a farm in Kansas and \\'ho student at the Univer ity of Kansas. he won Trained as a spec ialist in British Victo­ j oy~ work ing '' ith the donkey and mule tha several awards for teaching and scholarship. rian literature. Dr. Morrison has published live on hi!> "baby farm'' in Rowan Coun and in 2003 he won an Outstanding Teacher widely in his fie ld and is a frcqucm present­ report!> he is happy to have found a resea Award from the South Atlantic A ssociation er at state, regional. and national meetings project th at connects the various part s of h of Departments of English. and conferences in literary studies. In addi­ life. Dr. Morrison rcpot1S that winning the tion, he frcq ucmly reviews scholarly books Dr. M orrison notes that his work is often regional teaching award and the M SU Dis­ for Choice. a j ournal published by the Asso­ cited in other scholarly publications. added tingui shed Researcher Award within a six­ ciation of College and Research L ibraries. a evidence th at his es~ays are being read and month period was an exhilarat ing but ex­ division of the American Library Associa­ used in contemporary literar) research. He tremely humbling experience. M oreover. it tion. He has also been awarded five MSU is particular!) proud that several works was a chance to refl ect further on the rela­ Summer Research Fellowships and an MSU primaril) designed for student application tionship between teaching and research. sabbat ical leave. refer to hi-, publications. further illustrating '·My own experiences, as an undergrad­ While Dr. M orrison has broad research the link between teaching and research. uate and graduate Sllldent," said Dr. Morri­ interests in literary studies. his scholarly Dr. M orrison allended M ar) mount Col­ son. '·con vinced me that my best profe ors productions rc\ cal several themes to his lege of Kan<,a-,.then earned his M.A. ( 1984). were teacher- cholars who actively engaged work . Several of Dr. Morrison ·s publica­ M . Ph il. ( 1986), and Ph .D. ( 1988) from the in resea rch in their re pecti ve fi elds. While tions focu!. on gender roles in nineteenth­ University of Kansas. A t M SU. he has been sound methodology and enthusiasm are century literature and address such major involved in a range of faculty governance certainly important for successful teaching. fi gures as Thomas Hardy and Christina Ros­ act i vi ti e~ and ha!. served as Chair of MSU's an instructor's thorough cngagcmcm with setti. Dr. M orri on is also very interested in Faculty Senate. a disc ipline through research is the single the nalllrc of literary influence, and th us he strongest asset to effective teaching.'' has also published work exploring the in­ " I believe my students have benefited fluence of Victorian novelists and poets on olumes 12 & 13 Focus 5

istinguished Creative Productions Award

rank Oddis. a sociate professor of famed Beijing Concert Hall. ·Though music. has served as coordinator professional percuss ion ensembles ex ist,"' of the M SU Percuss ion Program says Professor Oddis, " the medium is since 1977 and is the recipient of fostered primarily in universities through­ Distinguished Creative Produ ction ou t the world. The percussion ensemble has been my main focus for creative endeavors Professor Oddis performs w ith the in music scoring and conducting throughout lty Jazz Qua1tet at MSU. including their my career. Production of performances in y released compact disc recording this medium in its three forms, marching, lue Duck Suit. He has worked as a free­ indoor marching. and concert, in volves the percuss ionist and drummer for many coordination of many elements including 1-known celebrities and j azz artists. the programming. staging, choreography, drill ational touring companies of A Chorus L ine des ign, instrumentation. and props. " Annie, and 20 annual performances for Professor Oddis has been recognized as Lexington Singers Pops Concerts. an innovator and pioneer in indoor percus­ Additionally. Professor Oddis performs sion activity by numerous national organ iza­ a percuss ionist with the West Vi rginia tions including Bands ofA merica. Percu sive grams in Rowan and Montgomery counties phony Orchestra and as a drum set Arts Society (PAS). Drum Corps Interna­ of Kentucky. organ izing at-risk students st for their annual Pops Series. Member­ tional (DCI). and the Indiana Percus. ion into Brazilian rhythm bands. simi lar to p in the former Kentuckiana Brass and A ssociation through invitations to evalu­ the groups that parade the streets during ssion Ensemble led to performances ate the creative productions of percussion a Brazilian cami va l. the M idwest Band and Orchestra Clin ic. ensembles on a national and intern ational Professor Oddis serves as adjudicator the Music Educators ational Conference. level. for DC!. PAS. Bands of America. and many and at the International Brassf est. The Per­ Under Profe sor Oddis' direction, the other state and regional organ izations. He is cuss ion Ensembles at Morehead State Uni­ MSU percuss ion Ensemble has performed a clinician and endorser of Ludwig drums, versity are nationally recognized and have with some of the leading percuss ion so loists Sabian cymbals. and Vic Firth sticks and won three Percussive Arts Society National in the world including Dave Samuels. Bob mallets. Professor Odd is has presented Championships in M arching Percu ssion Becker, Gary Gip ~on. Gordon Stout. Ruben educational workshops and conducted con­ under Odd is' leadership. A lvarez. and Chalo Eduardo. certs nationwide and intern ationally in the M orehead State University and Profes­ A s percussion arranger, Professor Oddis Peoples Republic of China and Brazil. sor Oddis have hosted a ·'Day of Marching was involved in composing and arrang­ Professor Odd is holds a M aster of Music Percuss ion" for sixteen years and are con­ ing music for the MSU M arching Band for Performance degree from East Carolina Uni­ sidered national pioneers and innovators 24 years and the MSU Jndoor M arching versity and a Bachelor of Music Education in the area of indoor marching percuss ion Percussion Ensemble for 16 years. a degree from Morehead State Un ive rsity. ensembles. In addition to directing percus­ creative endeavor that esse ntially creates sion ensembles at M SU, Pro fessor Oddi s a new textbook annually for each per­ serves as music an·anger for the groups. His forming ensemble. The music composed arrangements and compositions for per­ and arranged for the indoor ensemble was cu sion ensemble ha ve been performed by offered in juried performances at the uni versity and high school percussion National M arching Percuss ion Forum four ensembles nationwide. times, w ith three fi rst place fi nishes and one M ost recently. the Morehead State second place. Uni versity Concert Percuss ion Ensemble Professor Oddis· interest and involve­ toured Beijing. China, pe1forming at the ment in Brazilian music has led to the Central Conservatory of Music and at the development of successfu I 2 1st Century 6 Focus

our MSU faculty members partici­ crs were interviewed about thei r practices to to the s u r vey~. observations, and interv· pated in ··An Examination of Con­ support con tent area read ing. Additionally. there see ms to be little difference in teache gruence of L iteracy Instruction from the Comprehensive School Improvement instructional practices that account for FMiddl e Schools to High Schools in Plan (CSIP) for each respective school was dents· achievement on the KCCT reacli the Commonwealth of Kentucky,'" a re­ examined. test. search proj ect funded by the Collaborative The researchers from Morehead State There were few differences apparent i Center for Literacy Development (CCLD). Uni versity. Murray State Universi ty. and the Comprehensive School I mprovemen Dr. Mary A nne Pollock, principal in­ Pikeville College met in Elizabethtown in Pl ans of High Scoring and Low Scori vestigator. and Dr. Beverly M . Klecker. Jul y 2003 to deve lopment the data gathering Schools. Professional development to i principal researcher, collaborated with tools and in Jul y 2004 to rev iew and inter­ prove support for reading instruction Professor Emeritus Dreama Price and Dr. pret data from the study. higher in Low Scoring Schools: howe M attie Decker of MSU; Dr. Susan Eding­ Data analyses indicated there were dif­ many of the CS IPs indicated that ton, Dr. Mary Lou Yeatts, and Dr. Chandra ferences found in teaching practices in sional development was to be for Englis Islam of Murray State Uni versity; and Dr schools w ith high reading ach ievement Language Art~ teachers rather than for al John Nelson of Pikeville College. The grant scores and in teac hing practices in schools teachers in the schools. was fu nded for two years, 2002-2004. for with low readi ng scores. Only one statis­ The Low Scoring Schools mention $79,242. tically signifi cant (p<.05) difference was "Support materials arc provided for readi The purpose of the research study was found by the Teacher Survey: .. , u. e group­ instruction:· more frequently (7 1o/c) than d to explore the questions: ·· Do teaching prac­ ing (pairs to small groups) successfully to the CSI Ps of High Scoring Sc h ool~ (52o/c tices in schools with high reading achieve­ engage students in learning:•· the mean Si xty-seven percent of the H igh Scori ment scores differ from teaching practices rating for the High Scoring Schools was sta­ Schools planned to provide interventio in schools with low reading ach ievement tistically signi fi cantly higher th an the mean for students of low read ing ability while scores?" and "'Are there differences in the rating for the Low Scoring Schools. The percent of the Low Scoring Schoob plann inclusion of literacy goals in the Compre­ means for both groups were above the sca le intervention for students of low readi hen sive School Improvement Pl an between midpoint of 3.00. ability. L ow Scoring Schools may be~ schools with high reading achievement Additionally. from the Teacher Observa­ ing on increasing the reading ability of all scores and schools with low reading tion section of the study. there were two sta­ of their students because their overall scores achievement scores?'" tistically significant differences between the arc so much lower. Using the 2002 I Oth grade reading scores observed frequencies of teacher practices Results of the stud y we re presented in from the Kentucky Core Content Te t. a in the High Scoring Schools and the Low the final repo11 to CCLD in August 2004. sample of 20 high sc hools and their feed­ Scoring Schools. However, these eli fferenc­ T he results were presented through peer-re­ er midd le schools were randomly selected cs were in an unexpected direction. On both viewed conference presentations at the Mid­ from the 25 highest scoring schools and the items, the teachi ng practices were observed western Educational Research Association 25 lowest scoring schools in each of two more often in the Low Scoring Schoob. and the M id-South Educational Research geographical reg ion : Western Kentucky ("Teacher takes time to develop vocabulary A ssociat ion in fa ll of 2004. These papers and Eastern Kentucky. During the spring of at the beg inning of the lesson" and ""Teacher !full text copies! arc avai lable electronically 2003 , teachers in these chools who agreed engages students in using context clues for th rough the national Educational Resources to partici pate in the study responded to a the vocabulary words at some point during Information Cen ter (ERIC) through MSU's survey identifying the class room practices the lesson.") library. One rev ised con ference paper has they usc to facil itate read ing across the cur­ In general, in the Teacher Interview data, recently been published in Reading lm­ riculum. During the academic year of2003- the " flatness·· of the data, that is. the lack of provement.42. (3), 149- 157. 2004. classrooms of participating teachers difference in measures between high ~co r­ were randomly selected: instruction in these ing and low ~cori n g sc hools was the most classrooms was observed, and these teach- remarkable ob ervation. Based on res pon~c s olumes 12 & 13 ' Focus 7

Phonological Atlas of Kentucky English

ontemporary !>ocio-linguistic research deline regional speech boundaries on a ba. i of ha!> identified three sound changes in phonological features. Speech samples were col­ progress: the orthern Cities shift. lected from fi ,.e regions across the Commonwealth Cthe Southern shift. and the Low Back and were analyzed using in~trum enta l tech niques I Merger. While some of these changes show of phonetic ana lys is. A Web ite. www.phonoat­ ional variat ions among ethn ic groups and so­ lusky.net. provides access to the at las. iologica l categoric based on age. gender and In terms of intellectual merit. the project las , others. particularly vowel fronting and low enlarged our knowledge of the pronunciation of merger. are found acro!.s regions and social English. especially in rural. economically-subsis­ lasses. tent regions of Kentucky. Such information from This project. funded by SF EPSCoR and rural areas is crucial data needed for testing and SU's IRAPP. traced the progress of these on­ relining theories of language change. ing mergers and shifts in Kentucky English. Further. in terms of broader impact. the infor­ Largely neglec ted in recent sc holarship. Kentucky mation ga ined helped advance the state of the art represen ts an imponant transit ional Zone between in speech recognition, where dialect diversity has the orth and the South. and it is important to been an obstacle limiting success. The proj­ examine the diffu ion and pread of these ect al so involved undergraduate studen ts in the connicting change in a region with a range of development of research and technological skills geographic. economic. and soc ia l heterogeneity in appropriate in our developing economy. its urban/rural mix. This project prepared an atlas of sound patterns in Kentucky Engli h and attempted to

A Study of Electroluminescence and Stability of CdT e Solar Cells Kent Price his project developed an electroluminescence labora­ the mechanism that causes degradation in the devices upon tory at Morehead State Univer ity to integrate research exposure to light. on the lability of CdTe olar cells with the teaching Electrolumine cence (EL) has the potential to provide Tof advanced undergraduate laboratory course . important in formation regarding cell degradation but ha not The objectives of the re earch are to ( I ) construct an yet been systematically applied to CdTe-based solar cells. electrolumine ccnce apparatu at MSU; (2) use the appara­ This project tudied the EL from fi ve types of CdTe-ba ed tu to study long and short term degradation mechanisms in solar cells and analyzed the re ults to obtain information CdTe-based solar cells; (3) disseminate the results at regional about ratio of electron current to hole current and radiative meetings and through national publications; and (4) train recombination at the device junction. undergraduate in the basic of semiconductor phy ic , The acti vity i of significant merit intellectually, ince photovoltaics and basic laboratory techniques. EL has not yet been used to tudy stability in CdTe so lar Thin-film CdTe photovoltaic devices arc viewed as an cells and has the potential to yield important information on important part of the nation's long-term energy strategy. the degradation mechanism, but the broader impact is the These devices arc much less expen ive than conventional involvement of MSU students in meaningful research in the olar cell . but there are ob tacle to their large-sca le ap­ fi eld of semiconductor photovoltaics. plication. One such ob tacle is the lack of knowledge of 8 Focus

Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership Gerald DeMoss

rea lity is that natural partner affinities either admini trators se lected by the institut" already exist or have arisen out of effom to because of their administrative expericn address local mathematics and sc ience edu­ and interest in the development of pa cation iss ues. The result is th at the AMSP is ship among IH E~ and sc hool districts t also a network of other ~ mall c r cross-linked improve SMT education in the region. partn c r~ hi ps at various levels. The impetu !> In addition to meeting with central ma that the c smal ler .. partnerships within the agement regard ing project Mrategies. pia partnership·· provide for significant prog­ ni ng. administration. and implementation ress in meeti ng the goals of the AMSP i ~ they administer their institution· A M S im m e n ~e. sub-award. recommend and negotia During the most recent funding year, faculty assignments for program imp this network of multiple partnerships has mentation as we ll as recommended been the key vehicle advancing the sc ience. initiatives that address AMSP"s goals mathematic!>. and program implementation benchmarks and provide periodic reports strands and. in turn. the means for progre!>s budget and acti vities. toward broader project goa ls in area such A primary program implemcntati a~ pre-service and in-service teacher devel­ strategy for the development and sus he Appalachian M athematics and opment, student learning, program leader­ of pa rtnerships between institutions of hig Science Partnership (AMSP) is an shi p development. and local mathematics cr education and local sc hool districts integrated initiative of nine in titu­ and sc ience improvement. All project ac­ been the cff011s of A M SP Regional J.> rr' a'·"m Ttio ns of higher education (!HE). tivities occur in a collaborative environment Coordinators housed at four locations: The fifty-one school districts, the Kentuck) across the major categories of acti vity - de­ Uni versity of Kentucky, the Univer ity Science and Technology Corporat ion. and velopment. adaptation and implementation. Tenne. ee at Knoxville, Morehead State the Prichard Committee for Academic mentorcd !',Upport. and resea rch and assess­ University and the University of Virginia 's Excellence. ment of project outcomes. Major planning College at Wise. These fu ll-time regional This cooperative partner hip trains pre­ and guidance in the selection of speci fi c program coordinators deve lop a commu­ service mathematics and science teachers activity focuses come through the Initiative nication network and partnershi p network in the serv ice region in standards-based Advisory Council!. and the AM SP Develop­ th at connect both school and district person­ content. provides professional development ment Teams. These specific organizational neL higher education fac ulty. and support and mentored support to in-service teacher!> structures. along with the Regional Program organizations. i mpl e me nt in gs tandard ~- ba sed materials into Coo rd in a t o r~. ensure partner repre entation School district partner!. have committed their K- 12 courses. increase!> student en roll­ across institutions and stakeholder and to ~ i g n ifican t program improvement efforts, ment and achievement in advanced sc ience activity development th at meets regional implementation of professional develop­ and mathematics courses, and develops needs for improvement. ment and leadership training to enhance both a high quality education workforce in Higher Education Partners are inextri­ district curriculum and SMT enrollment mathematics and sc ience and a competent cably involved with AM SP in itiatives and and achievement. implementat ion of stan­ technological workforce in related fields. ha ve committed to ~ i g n ificant program dards-based practices, and a ·sistance in Perhap. the ingle most important com­ improvement efforts in pre-service pro­ recru itment and development of teachers in ponent in achieving the goals of the AMSP grams for teachers and administrators and mathematic and science disc iplines. i ~ development of partnership relationship in-se rvice training and mentoring support Two ational A d v i ~ory Panels assist that not onl y engage Science M athematics for teachers and administrators. AMSP in program planning and rev iew. and Technology (SMT) faculty and school Mathemat ics and sc ience faculty arc They are the National Advisory Board and district teachers and administrators in in vo lved in pre-serv ice course development the Research Advisory Council which has mutual contributions to SMT education and in-service teacher tra ining, maintain helped AM SP set its research agenda. The reform but also cement partneri ng rela­ !>cveral student program opportunities and resea rch agenda has been established and tionships across vari o u ~ levels within the serve on AMSP Mathematics, Science. RFPs have been distributed to appropriate broader AMSP. and Program I mplcmentat ion Advisory groups. While the project is defi ned in its simplest Councils. Achieving its mission entail the AMSP terms as a partnership among " nine IHE . 51 A n essential ingredient of the project work ing in a systemic fa ~ hi on in its partner school districts. the Kentucky Sc ience and adm in istration is the leadershi p of the local sc hool districts and institutions of higher Technology Corporation. and the Prichard Principal lnvestigatorl> (PI) at the IHE part­ education (IHE). Comm ittee for Academic Excellence:· the ners. The local Pi s arc college or department olumes 12 & 13 Focus 9

omputer Science and Mathematics Perceptions and CSAM) Scholarship Program Adoption of E-Business dger Hammons, Ll oyd Jaisingh, Russell May, and E-Commerce ug Chatham, Kathryn lewis, Kenya Arrington, Information Technology arol Be cker, M ike Hopper in Appalachian Eastern

•••h" primary goal of the CSAM experiences to work sites related to Kentucky Small and Scholarship Program is to students' long-term career goals: and increase the number of M SU tutoring services. Medium Enterprises students who graduate with a A ll entering. current. and tran s­ Scott A . Wymer, laureate degree in computer sci­ fer students who meet the scholar­ ce or mathematics and who become ship requirements are encouraged to Elizabeth A. Regan uablc employee in the techno­ apply. The requirements include ad­ ! workforce. Other goals for the mission as a full-time MSU student his project is an effon to under tand the AM scholarship program include majoring in mathematics or computer current perception and level of imple­ ncreasing the number of wcll-cdu­ sc ience: US citizen hip or tarus as a mentation of c-commerce and e-busines and skilled employee in fi elds national, refugee alien. or permanent Ttechnologies among c;mall business within related to computer technologies and resident alien at the time of applica­ Appalachian Kentucky. mathematic!>; improving educational tion; and qualification for financial aid It examined current levels of kno" ledge. opportuni ties for students; increasing in accordance with S Department of awareness. and usc of these technologies. as well retention levels for ~ tudc nt majoring Education regulations: and demon­ as perceived barriers to implementation and adop­ in mathematics or computer science: strated academic potential. based on tion of these techniques among decision makers increasing the number of students in several cri teria such as high school of small busines es in the region. Data was gath­ mathematics or computer sc ience from grade point average. ACT scores. ered through the usc of mailed, self-completion underrepresented groups; improving and letters of recommendation from urvey instruments cnt to approximately 3,000 student programs: and developing instructors or coun selors. businesses in the Eastern Kentucky region. with strong partnership!. with technology­ The CSAM management team may an expected re ponse rate of l 0 to 15 percent. related bu sinesses. interview applicants that do not meet Despite many current state initiative geared The CSAM Scholarship Program all these criteria. and '>pcc ial consider­ toward building technological innovation in Ken­ build on existing M U student sup­ ation may be gi, cn to applicants from rucky and the noted po itive impact that the u e port structures and provides additional underrepresented groups. of the e technoI ogie can have on small business. a i. tance to cholar hip rec ipients. in­ Partial support for this work little research has been done to date to survey the cluding renewable scholar hips of up was provided bj the ational current u c of !>uch technologies in Eastern Ken­ to $3 125 per academic year; career de­ Science Foundation ·s Computer Sci­ tucky. ve lopment activities: faculty mentors: ence. Engineering and Mathematics Results from this research can be generalized professional organi zation membership Scholarships Program under grant to look at issues of c-businc s technology adop­ in the Mathematical As ociation of number DUE 0324106. tion in similar isolated rural regions th roughout America (MAA). the Association for the U nited States and the world. Women in M athematics (AWM), or the Association for Computing M a­ chinery (ACM): seminars: shadowing 10 Focus

Jack Weir: Distinguished Researcher

Dr. Jack Weir, professor of ph ilo ophy, mainly on two is ues," said Dr. Weir. is the Distinguished Researcher recipient. moral status of nonhuman ani mals Dr. Weir, a proli fi e researcher and author. vegetari an ism. I argue that accordi ng to began hi s career in the ministry after com­ two prevrul ing moral theories, util itari ani pleting an M Div. (1975) at Rice University and Kantian ism. animals are not as moral and Ph.D. ( 1978) at South western Baptist considerable as humans." Theological Seminary before going back Assigning les er moral value to an to the University of Chicago for the M.A. has led some other researcher to the ( 1983) and Ph.D. (2004) in philosophy and tion that individual animals can be ~ - -- ·~·--~­ a career in teaching and research. He has to horri ble pains if the collective total been at MSU ince 1994, with an ex ten ive balanced. Whether ani mals have their ow record of teaching, publication. pre enta­ language or can understand human tions, and editing for cholarly journals. guage are. according to Dr. Weir, importan "My re carch has been broadly on three questi ons fo r assessing the moral status topics." aid Dr. Weir, "religion, especiall y animals. philosophy of re ligion. the relationshjp of In a pre entation to the Society for Ethi science and religion, and biblical criticism; and Animal . Dr. Weir began his work on animal ethics: and environmental eth ics." application of vi1t ue ethics to ani mals ... Hi s fi r t refereed scholarl y publication, argument," ays Dr. Wei r, "is that an in 1982, wa a critical paper on the nanu·e of can be virtuous, such as a loving cat, fu lfillment of the Old Testament in the ew friendly dog, etc., and that v· ,.,..,.-v"'·" "' Testament. ethics avoid ome of the critici ms of uti li .. My work in an imal eth ics has centered tarian and Kantian-type ethics."

Dr. Lockhart earned his B.A. from Bay­ fun ction, is a branch of art.'' lor University. the M.A. from the U n ive r~ i t y Dr. Lockh art stated some basic princi­ of Minnesota. and the Ph.D. from the Uni­ ples of producing. performi ng and teachi ng versity of Texas at Austin. He previously theater based on his experi ences. taught at Buena Vista College, Uni versity of Theater i ~ a col laborative art and the Texas at Austi n. and East Carolin a Univer­ natu re of that collaboration needs to be un­ sity, and has been acting and directing fo r derstood by all the collaborators. All art, four decades. however, is collaborati ve because it depends "As Sanfo rd Meisner, a distinguished upon the imagi nation of others. namely the American actor and teacher, once said.'' tat­ audience. eel Lockhart . "Acting is really very simple. The actor's task is essentially to con­ It j ust takes years to learn . "The same coul d nect imaginatively with the words of the be said for di recting, theater in general, and playwright with their psychological and anythi ng else worth pursuing in life ... emotional implicati ons. The most important Dr. Lockhart has learned well. '·I have work takes place between the lines, not on lived a substant ia l part of my li fe in imagi­ the li nes. Dialogue is li ke the surface of a nation,'' he said. "I have come to beli eve in body of water. Ideal ly the acting process the value of that world in so far as it pro­ should be like breathing in and breathing Travis Lockhart. Ph.D., professor and duces a means of sharing the ex perience of out. and must seem just as inevitable. director of theater. who has taught at More­ being hu man wi th others. Art in all its forms Actors mu st nurtu re and protect their head State Uni versity since 1982, is the Dis­ is a means of making the imagi nation pos­ individual ity. In the process of enlargeme nt tinguished Creative Production recipient. sible. Storytell ing. which is theater's first necessary to create and project a character olumes 12 & 13 Focus 11

Dr. Weir's stud} of ell\ ironmental eth­ ic'> a~ks whether or not the environment has . ome ki nd of mind-independent (human-in­ dependent) value and whether obligation can be derived from that value. He argue that our identities are interdependent '" ith the environment. Three of Dr. Weir· environmental case studies have been published as atticle , and .. The Sweetwater Rattle nake Roundup'' has recei,ed the wide t attention. being often ci ted and reque ted. "The resources of the planet will not all ow all peoples to live according to We~ t em ~ tandard-,.'' says Dr. Weir. and add thnt .. for rea on., of fairness and di tributi,·e justice. the affluent nations should make futu re acrifice , not the poor and de\eloping nations.''

on stage. the actor inevitably in vests the role wi th hi s own li fe e\ perience and imag ina­ tion. The be t actors reveal a part of them­ selves in the proccs . To repeat from abo, e ... Acting i'> "ery a 19th Centur) young man who suffered trying to get a laugh.'' said Lockhart. simple. It just ta!...es year to learn: · from a severe phys ical di order lea' ing hi m .. Equus.. was the opening production Dr. Lockhart summarized several of hi~ hideously deformed. Lockhart had the main in the ne" Lucille Little Theater. with production in hi '> presentation to the awards character pl ayed b) an actor who made no Lockhart in the phys ically demanding rol e committee. For .. The Women of Troy: · the effort to usc makeup or costumes to depi ct of Martin Dy art. one of the lengthie t in ma in goal in the collaboration was to cre­ the character's mis hapen nature. The actor contemporary drama. "I found it vital to un­ ate a primitive world in wh ich violence portrayed the character by phys ically con­ derpl ay and . imply receive from my fe llow and human ac rifice we re common. and a torting hi bod} and adjusting hi'> move­ actor :· aid Lockhart. world in which the de\astation of war had ments to ;,uggcst his crippling deformit y. The decades of MSU student who have rendered once noble victims physicall y and thus alway emphasizin g the beautiful spirit "sim ply received'' from Travis Lockhart emotionall y impoverished and conqueror which is his true nature. know how we ll he perf orms, whether his dehumanized. The play was staged in Kib­ Of the .. Fo\ fi re .. performance. the t) lc role i actor. director. or teacher. bey Theater, where a quasi-arena effect was of the pi a) required a natural , unpre t c nti ou ~ created. and the chorus of women who are deli ve ry from all of us. An cncrgitcd natu­ the core of the pia) were indi viduali7cd ra ln c~s and a relaxed body and voice were while at the same time the choral values in essential. Comic moments must now out of the poetic pa age were preserved. the reality of the world of the play... Nmh­ For "The Elephant Man." the '> tOr} of ing is worse on <,tage than an actor caught 12 Focus

he primal) objecti ve of th i~ project cellular calcium levels, arc crucial to the for the treatment of cardiovascular di ~ea!>c. i ~ to en hance und e r~ t anding of understanding of the mechani .., m by which Although chemica lly diverse these drugs th e mechani'>m'> of increased bone estrogen-mediated attenuation of bone share the propeny of inhibiting the action Trc~orption resulting from e'>tro­ rc!>orption is elicited at both the orga n i~­ of the voltage-gated L-type calcium chan­ gen defi ciency. lm C!> ti gat i on~ combining ma l and molecular level. Thi'> experimen­ nels. The ability of these drug" to decrease organismal. cellular. and molecular Je, el tal approach is unique in that it will allow smooth mu.,cle and myocardial contractility t ec hnique~ are -.imultancously being uti­ the integ ration of investigation'> at variou:. results in both clinically dc.sirable antihy­ li;ed to facilitate an understand ing of this organitational levels in order to determine pertensive and antianginal effects. mcchani m. The analy<;is of changes in whether estroge n actc, direct ly or indirectly Once the mechanistic role of the ca l­ gene transcription '"ill focu'> on e~trogen to decrease -.keletal bone re<,orption. a cium channel blockers ha-. been c~tabli~hed . and the effect-. of calcium channel an­ mcchani .., m that appear to be very similar the plan is to addre s what impact these tagonists on ~kc l c ta l ph ys iology. Spec ific to the calcium channel antagoni sts that have drugs have had on adult bone ma~s. The es­ target gene will be a\sayed to el icit their also been sho'" n to reduce bone lo:.c,. tablished principle of decreasing bone for­ role in bone resorption in o~ t coclast and The long-term goal is to determine mation resulting in increasing bone re orp­ O!> teoblast cell line'>. the mechanisms mediating age-related O'>­ tion following the attainment of peak bone To monitor the fluctuation~ in intracel­ t eo po rosi~. The major objecti' e is to de­ mass illu tratc'> the need for a more compre­ lular ca lcium. c~troge n and non-e trogen termine the mechanisms of increased bone hensive understanding of the action of these treated cell line~ will be compared with that resorption. which accompanies c~ troge n drugs. of the effect of an arra) of calcium chan­ deficiency. Experimental evidence <,uggest that nel blocker like verapamil. nifedipine. and The tudy ''ill exam ine the h) pot he i'> calcium channel antagoni st\ decrea e osteo­ diltiazem on OVX rat~ to determine if that bone resorption i~ regulated by the blastic acti'wi t) . thus decreasing the activity changes in ba ~<1 l and stimulated bone innux of Ca++. and th at estrogen reduces of the bone forming cells at a time when rc!>orption parameters are simi lar. A t the resorption th rough the supprc!>'>ion of this bone formation i'> already exceeded by bone organismal level metabolic bone dcgreda­ mechanism. The c\periments ''ill focus on re'>orption. thu<, exacerbating the situation. tion markers will be utilized for mea-.uring the effects of e'>trogcn and calcium channel Clinica l medicine is treating one ailment '> keletal bone re'>orpt ion in urine previou ly antagonists on \ keletal physiology. utiliz­ and may pos'>ibly be ca u<, ing another. collected and '>tored from experimental ing techniques at the organic, mal. cellular The benefits of this type of treatment groups of rat~ with the sa me variety of and molecular level. The spcci tic project for cardiova<.,cu lar disease may significantly ca lcium channel antagonists. The doses of aims are to determine: what a~pects of bone out\\eigh the ad,cr..,e effect\ on the skeletal eMrogcn and channel antagonists ''ere al o resorption (ba.,al and/or stimulated) arc S) '> tern. These <,tudies ma:r <,hed light on the gi,cn together in order to determine if the affected b) estrogen: whether estrogen increa e in osteoporos is O\Cr the past 20 effects of these co mpound ~ arc additi ve in and calcium channel blockers have si milar years and particularly within the male popu­ reducing bone rc-.orption. effects on bone resorption: whether altered lation in~tead of simply attributing it to a The result ~ '"ill prO\ ide in~ight into the intracellular Ca++ levels arc correlated longer life span. ~ pcc ifi c parameters of '>keletal bone rc~orp­ with whole an imal bone resorption: and the T his im cst igation will pro' ide in ight tion in the intact animal. including broader temporal regulat ion of the genes involved in into which of the drugs doc\ not increase under tanding of the effect of e'>trogen defi­ bone remodeling. resorptive acti\ ity while at the same time ciency on basal and stimulated resorption. Drugs cla~s i tied as calcium antago ni s t ~ providing max imal cardiovascular protec­ The studies involving a variety of calcium have bee n in U'>C '> ince the 1960s and arc tion. improving the phy'> ician \ decision channe l antagonists. '"hich innuence intra- among the most freq uently pre'>cribed drugs during drug '>election. olumes 12 & 13 Focus 13

Spectroscopic Technique for Determining the Leaf Nitrogen oncentration of Crop Plants hary Bortolot, C. Brent Rogers

Determining the proper amount of nitro­ leaf N concentrations in three crop plant tilizat ion levels. After reaching the desired gen (N) fertilizer to apply to a field is very that are important in Kentucky corn. wheat. growth levels, the new procedure was used important. Insufficient application may lead and orchard grass. to determine leaf N concentration using to decreased yields. and excessive applica­ The procedure u e a device called a spectroscopic data collected under ideal and tion may lead to environmental degradation pectroradiometer that measures reflectance realistic conditions. and plant health problem . at multiple wavelengths. Ba cd on experi­ Thi research is significant because it To determine the amount of fertil- ments u ing tree leave , this procedure has has the potential to improve the ability of izer to apply. lea f concentrations are been proven to be accurate, rapid, and inex­ growers to apply nitrogen properly, leading often used in conjunction with interpreta­ pensive. It is al so sensitive to site and spe­ to improvements in yield. environmental tion guidelines. This project involves deter­ cie difference . quality. and food ecurity. mining whether a new procedure developed To conduct the evaluation, 360 pots of in 1003 can be used to accurately determine three crop specie were grown under 20 fer-

~ the only four-year public in titution of higher learn­ Projects include: ing in the Appalachian region of East Kentucky. one * Geotec hnical analys is of igneous rocks (Geology) of M orehead State University's commitm e nt ~ i!> to im­ * Spec ie determination and characterization of microfo ils A prove the quality of life for the local community and (Geology) surrounding region. Among the many strategies for meeting this * Art pigment degradation . tudies (Chemistry) commitment i. the introduction of modern technologies to the * Imaging of nanoscale solid-state electron ics (Chemistry) region and education in the application of the ·e technologies. * Species determination and characterization of tiny insects This proj ect funded the purchase of a JEOLJSM-6380LV scan­ (Biology) ning electronic microscope (SEM ) housed within the Department * Morphologic characteri zation of pollen (Geology) of Phy ica l Sciences. In addition to this state-of-the-art imaging * Quality assurance and materials characterization training electron optics. this instrument also contains an integrated Energy (Industrial and Engineering Technology) Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) for quantitati\e chemica l analys is. * Alloy characterization for ba ll beari ng production and can also operate in a '·low-vacuum'· mode. (local indu try) Four disciplines on the MSU campus and one outside industry The in!> trument will al so be integrated into the class room and have been identified that arc committed to making usc of the studen t research. and over I 00 students per year will benefit. instrument, and there are man y other potential users on and off the campus. 14 Focus

The Perception of Focus Kath ryn Ca rlson

''The focul> of a l>entencc." said K athryn The perception of focu is an important Carlson, assistant profes or of Englil>h. " is patt of language understanding. since it the new or contrasti ve information which allows perceivers to identify the informative the sentence conveys. Focus is essential to content of an uttera nce and correctly link it the semantic contribution of a sentence to a to previous and future utterances. Knowl­ discourse, and is affected by sequence. For edge of how this proce'>s work is impor· example, in the contex t of ' What did John tant to psycholinguistic theory and also tc buy?.' the sentence 'John bought a dog' has applied language fields. For example, more the focus on 'dog.· The same sentence fol­ complete understanding of the contribu­ lowing the question ' Who bought a dog?' tion of prosodic focus to process ing coulc h a~ the focu on 'John."' be usefu l in text-to-speech and human­ Carlson ·s research is intended to fi nd out computer interaction engineering proj ects whether objects are interpreted as focused enabling more natural and comprehensiblf more often th an subject , how such a bias output. K nowing where perceivers expec might interact with focus indicators like focused information to be and what a ffec t ~ accents or .. only... and how effecti ve differ­ their decision could aid research in train in~ ent focus indicator arc. because focu draws attention and helps and communications device for language­ These questions arc addressed by items persist in memory. This project tud­ impaired populations. using the techniques of probe recognition ics both vi ual and auditory proces ·ing to and phoneme monitoring. Responses to fo­ determine whether objects arc more focused cused words or sounds in focused words are than subject in cntcnccs w ithout focus faster than responses to non-focused word , indicators.

s tec hn o l og i c~ and organi Lational faculty must continually evaluate whether undergraduate programs. the Office Sys dynamics change. information their IT programs arc in congruence with the t e m ~ Research A ssociation (OSRA) pub technology (IT) managers seek need ~ of the s tude nt ~ while equipping them I ish eel an updated 2004 M odel Curriculurr A employees that have the back­ for a career in their cho en fi eld. Know­ in Organizational End-User lnformatiot ground to match the current needs of the ing the educational gaps that ex ist between Systems (OEIS). The OEIS model is a guid< organ ization. Information systems employ­ what IT managers view a~ critical end-user for undergraduate cu rriculum des ign in th< ees often gain their preparation in a uni ver­ skilh and the curricul um that is curren tly area of information technology (IT). devel sity IS program. therefore. the university being implemented in information system s oped by IT educators and IT profes ional: olumes 12 & 13 Focus 15

perceptions of th o~c in the Association of that 87.8Cf of the faculty is from pub­ group !>C!>!>ion!>. In format ion S) <, tcm<, (A IS) facult) member­ lic univcrsitic<,. A majority (82.9Cf) of the The OEIS curricu lum model guides ship and MIS job place ment directory who institution'> and facu lty arc affiliated or ucators who plan programs to prepare had either listed end-user computing and/or clo!>c ly allied "ith a school/college of busi­ four-year college graduates for entry-level microcomputer applications as their teach­ ness. In 70.7 Cf of the institutions. the OEIS positions that ~ uppo rt end-user computing ing or re!>earch interest area. The research componen t i '> sta ffed by I 0 or more fac­ analy i!>. design, implementation. was an assess ment and validation of the ulty member!>. Approximately 41 £J of the evaluation or information tec hnology. importance of the newly designed Organi­ respondent !> ha ve 16 or more year of teach­ Designed as either an option under infor­ zational and End-user Information Systems ing experience. The largest concentration of mation system programs or a stand-a lone (OEIS) M odel Curriculum objectives based institutions (3 1(/l:) has student enrollments business program, the model stresses com­ upon the percept ion!> of th is A IS stratified of more than 20.000 students. The major­ munication. bu ~ in css process analys is. sa mple. Even though the curriculum has ity of the faculty (58.5lif) indicated than an human fac t o r~. and training. The model been developed an approved by the spon­ OEIS curriculum either currently exists or recommend the e areas in add ition to tec h­ soring organit.ation. an inadequate research the in titution is in the process of imple­ nica l content and bu ~ iness administration base ex i ~ t cd regarding the perceptions of menting thi '> type of concentration within fundamen tal!-. nccc!-.sar) for functioning in their re~pec ti \ c collcgc/univcrsit). positions related to end-user support. The MIS academician!> have !>hown that the tandard common body of knowledge OEJS curriculum designers and the associ­ rses typically required by college of ated content objectives of the 200-+ OEIS business, including an introduction to com­ Curriculum Model do indeed ha\C value and puter information sy!-.tcms and a business is of considerable importance. In addition communication course. arc assumed. to its importance. the faculty validated that Today\ college graduates have received the curriculum doc!> have merit in preparing more computing knowledge than ever. Al­ OEIS s tu de nt ~ for pa rticipation, as end ready computer literate, IS graduates may use r support personnel. in a digitaL knowl­ require more time pe nt on other aspects edge-based economy of unbridled change. (oral and written communication skills, ana­ The implications arc espec ially important lytical skill s. and content knowledge). The for colleges and uni vc r~ iti es that have OEIS model attempt!> to place skill and the­ adopted only portion!> of the model's content. ory in action (e.g .. case studies; planning. Ed ucators ~ h ou l d keep in mind that the fac­ de ign. implementation. and evaluation: ulty respondent~ ''ere evaluating obj ectives technical training and delivery methods). and outcome!>. not cour!>cs. In ca!>es where The great di, cr!> it) in the IS j ob mar­ whole cour es. as presented b) the modeL ket make necessary a diverse program. The arc not po'>s ible. educators should consider OEIS meets each of the e concerns from incorporating content related to the highest­ the perspective of the practitioner. OEIS i rated obj ectives into ex isting IS cour es. characterized by its variety. nexibility, quick With this available research base. M IS response. and informality, often working in academician now have a val idated frame­ congruence with entcrpri c-widc databa. e the potential ad op t e r ~. Moreover. to date work and guide for implementation of a and transaction processi ng systems (i.e .. there has been no current research conduct­ track or cmp hasi~ in end-user informa­ payrolL accounting. insurance application. ed to judge its potential for implementation tion systems at the undergrad uate level. To claims proce!>!>. and reservation systems). at the undergraduate level. Specifica lly. the en hance these programmatic efforts. inst i­ The model's structu re is a set of thirteen p urpo ~es of the swdy were (a) to a~se!> ~ the tuti ons of higher lea rning must en ure that courses compri!-.ed of core courses (essential level of impo11ance of the OEIS Model Cur­ avenue!> arc made available for profc!>sional content), optional courses (determined by riculum content and (b) to determine the development in this area. What educators do local need!> analy c and program maturity). current availability of OEIS course offer­ to faci litate the implementation process (at and a highly recommended support course ings at !>e lected colleges and universities. each in!>titutional level) will be the practical in appl ication dc,elopmcnt. The 200-l pub- The research !> tud y sought answer!> to the application of thi '> rc~c arch process. Collab­ 1i hed model ident i tics outcomes ( objec­ following question ~: oration of all those in volved with end-user tives). content. an approach to teaching. and I . Doc!> congruence ex ist among AIS fac­ in formation '>ystems will help achieve thi s re ources for each cour e. The model's de­ ulty who have a strong interest in end-user goal. velopers stre ssed the need for fl exibility in information ~ys t cm~. regarding the level of applying the model and the need to empha­ importance of the model curriculum? size program outcomes in lieu of specific 2. What i the current status of OEIS cour cs. course offeri ng!> at the colleges and uni­ Because of the direc t relationship versities wherein the MIS faculty currently between cnd-u cr information systems and teach? MIS. the researchers sought to probe the Responses from MIS ed u ca t or~ revealed 16 Focus

Wild Mountain Thyme Roma Prindle

new work for the stage. cel­ and one version of the Kentucky Running ative Center for Study Abroad to present the ebrating Appalachian and Celtic Set, will be performed by the cast. All of work in 5.even performances on a twelve­ mu ic, dance, folk culture and the vocal selections are settings of tradi­ day Lour to southeast England and Wales. A tradition premjered in Duncan tional music from Appalachia and the Celtic These performances included St. Gregory's Recital Hall in the Baird Music Build­ areas of southwe tern England and Wales. College in Bath. England; a traditional per­ ing. "Wild Mountain Thyme," written by A story within the story al so unfo lds, as the formance pub in Cornwall. England; the MSU associate professor of music Dr. orphaned daughter of a coal miner. an immi­ Open Air Mu eum of Welsh Life in Cardiff, Roma Prindle. was presented by Morehead grant from Wales to the southeast Kentucky Wales; a Medieval Banquet at Conwy Cas­ State Univer ity OperaWorks, and featu red mountain , fall in love wi th the on of an tle, Wale ; and a performance at a church Morehead' own White Horse String Band absentee coal baron. in Flint, Wales, where the ensemble united and bagpiper Ross Martin. The creation of·'Wild Mountain Thyme" voices with the Flint Welsh men's choir. "Wi ld Mountain Thyme," a ritual spring­ was made possible through a 2003 Summer The cast of Wi ld Mountain Thyme time play, is the result of several years of Teaching Fellowship awarded to Dr. Prindle included: Leslie Allnatt, Louisville; Noelle re earch by Dr. Prindle. It is loo ely ba eel from MSU' Re earch and Creative Produc­ Barne . Cynthiana; Nick Donahoe, A h­ on the genre that is found from El izabe­ tions Committee. A Regional Creative Pro­ land; James Hay. Tollesboro; Jeremy How­ than through Victorian era England known ductions grant from the Institute for Region­ ard, Oak Hill, OH; Diana Knoll, Morehead: as wooing plays. It recreates some of the al Analysis and Public Poli cy (IRAPP) was Chris Lipscomb, Louisville: Joey McCon­ springtime and May Day practices brought also awarded to OperaWorks to help make nell, Central City; Dr. Mark Minor, More­ to the Kentucky Highland by Celtic peo­ regional pre entation of the work possible. head; Ryan Mussetter, Xenia, OH: Stepha­ ples from southwestern England and Wales. In keeping with the regional and heri­ nje Puckett, Mr. Sterling; Stephanie Reeves, and incorporates traditional Appalachian tage emphasis, the work was also pre ented Wittensville; Brenda Rigsby, Morehead; and Celtic springtime customs, folk dance for an in vited audience of public chool Bobby Shouse. Jackson; Melissa Spalding, and music. The common root of the music students from tbe Morehead State U ni ver­ Loui sville; Brandon T hompson. Loui sa: of these two cultures wi ll be hig hl ighted by sity service region. Another regional perfor­ and Andrea Trusty, West Liberty. performances on mountain fiddle, dulcimer. mance took place when the show traveled to banjo, bass fiddle, gui tar and mandolin. Oak Hi ll. Ohio, for a benefi t performance in An English country dance, Black Nag, and th is Welsh settlement town. two Appalachian dances, Circassian Circle OperaW orks was invited by the Cooper- olumes 12 & 13 Focus 17

Quartet CD teven Snyder, G ordon Towe II

r. Gordon Towe ll, associate professor of mu !:> ic. and Dr. playing in the One o'clock Lab Band. He also h o l d~ a D.M .A. in Steven Snyder. assistant profes or of music, rclea!:>ed their Piano Performance from the U ni ver~ it y of Texas at A ustin. He has new CD Sketch Pad on M arch 17 and 18th at the Jau performed in France. Brazil, Portugal. Sweden, Finland. Taiwan and DFa ctory in Louisville. This CD features seven original the United States. H i~ work has included playing with Randy Breck­ compos itions by saxophonist Gordon Towell and pianist Steven Sny­ er. Jerry Bergonzi. Gustavo Bergali. Brannen Temple and Blaze. and der, both jazz faculty members at M orehead State Unive r~ it y. These Odd Man Out as well as appeari ng with his own trio. compositions arc performed by a quintet con isting of some of the Gordon Towell originally comes from Calgary, Alberta. Canada. Midwest 's fi nest jau mu~ i c i a n s joined by one of Ca nada's be~ t jan lie holds a B.Ed. in music education from the University of Alberta. trumpeters. an M .M . in jazz studies from Indiana University and a D.M.E. with Joining Steven in the rhythm section are Jason Tiemann . drum~. a cognate in jazz studies from the College Conservator) of Music and Tyrone Wheeler. bas~. Jason and Tyrone are two of the most at the University of Cincinnati. Gordon has performed with many in-demand musician. in the Midwest and can be heard on a regular national and international art ists. and ha~ conducted throughout basis at the Jaa Factor) and the Blue Wisp Jaa Clubs. The quintet Canada and the U.S. He was the rec ipient of the 200 I MSU Dist in­ also features Brad Turner on trumpet. Brad i one of the finc~t ja11 guished Creative Productions Award. trumpeters from Canada and has won numerous awards for hi ~ per­ Special guest artist Brad Turner i' from Vancouver. Canada. He formance including the Canadian Juno. This artistic endeavor \\'as is one of Canada ·s best-known ja11 musicians. He has won multiple made possible through a Creative Productions grant from M orehead Juno Awards for his work with electric ja11 ensemble Metalwood. State University. M orehead State art professor Gary Mesa-Gaido did and has been nominated for his acoustic jau recordings. He holds a the artwork and layout for the CD. This CD has been featured on Bachelors degree from Western Wa hington Universi ty and a M as­ PR and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. ters from the Universi ty of North Texas. Brad also plays piano. bar,s, Steven Snyder i~ originally from Piusburgh, where he began his drums. and i ~ we ll known as a compose r. tudy of jazz piano with Frank Cunnimondo. He graduated from the University of orth Texa~ wi th bachelors and masters d eg ree~ after 18 Focus

Determination of the Role of umuD in the Response to DNA Damage Janelle Hare

Dr. Hare ·s research intesti ne!> and ca n occasionally cause dis investigates how biologi­ case. ca l organisms respond to Under tanding the many ways in whicl the common environmen­ cells ca n respond to D A damage help: tal stress of D A damage. sc ientists understand basic cellular mecha D A cont ain~ the infor­ nisms that prevent cancer and repai r cell: mation needed to make after ultraviolet light or pollutant exposure every protein in an or­ Our studies, and those of our collaborator gani ~ m. and if this Dr. L c!>lic Gregg-Jolly. of Grinnell College genetic information suggest that ADP I may have unusual way: i ~ changed or dam­ of coping with DNA damage. Thus. this rc aged. the wrong search may show new mechanism by wh icl protein~ may be ce lls can achieve D A repair responses. made, which can ADP I h ~i s some of the characteristics o result in genetic a typical SOS response. but also has some disease . unique feat ures. For example. ADP I has ; Thus, all organ­ mutation removing most of the 1111111C gene isms, from bacteria and its 1111111D gene is 1509r the size o to humans. possess umuD genes of other bacteria. Because tho ways to repair D A remain ing unutC gene fragment is too smal damage. In humans, to make a 1111111C protein. Dr. Hare's researcl the inability to cor- ask : what i 1111111D doing in the ce ll withou rectly repair damaged its 1111111C partner? One pol:.~ i bili t y is that tho " We are studying a protein that is present DNA can re ult in various forms of colon, ADPI umuD gene makes a protein that i in an altered form in one type of bacteria."' breast. and O\ arian cancers. But before a cell similar to tulluD. but not actually umuD. said Janelle Hare. ass istan t professor of bi­ can repair damaged DNA. it needs to detect Dr. Hare ·s newe ·t project seeks to movo ology. Thi type of protein is well- tudied DNA damage. and then turn on the cellular beyond mak ing observation~ of how gene in many other bacteria, where it has a cer­ machinery needed to fix the damage. such as 1111111D arc different in ADP I cells tai n size, and performs certain functions by The ··sos response'' model of how bac­ and learn the functional effects of these un interacting with another protein after it cuts teria sense and respond to DNA damage has usual genes on the overall process of a eel itself into two pieces. been developed by studying Escherichia responding to DNA damage. In A DPI , th• Basically, we have found that in one coli bacteria. In this model. when a ce ll's known DNA damage response gene. age 14 bacterium. th i same protein is extra-large. DNA i ~ damaged. many proteins arc spe­ is made in amounts I 0- to 15- fold greate doesn't have the opportunity to interact ci fi ca lly expressed and perform D A repair, after D A damage. S urpri~i n gly . her grouj with its ··partner.. protein, and may or may synthesis. and ce ll growth functions. umuD rece ntl y ~howed that genetically engi necreo not even cut it elf into two pieces. In fact, and UIIIIIC are two of the protei ns th at are ADP I ce ll ~ lack ing llllluD were unable to it has an unexpected function-regulating induced by D A damage. ndcr conditions turn on exprel:.sion of a when the ce ll suffereo the production of other proteins. But it till of D A damage. 1111111D cleave itself. then D A damage: age 14 cxp re~sio n dropped b: highly resemble the we ll-studied protein. binds to wnuC and helps repair damaged 83'k. Strikingly enough. however. anothc So it appears that thi protein, in it altered DNA. Cleavage of wnuD is required for th is gene that is not responsive to D A damage form, i doing new things for the ce ll. action. and unclcavcd umuD actually inter­ but re pond to a certain nu tritional signal We ' re trying to find out how it does this feres with it. function was unaff ected by the absence of 1111111C (biochemically, as a protein), and genetical­ Dr. Hare' re earch in vest i ga t e~ how the This !> uggcst!> that w11uD is a specific regu ly, what other protein it regulates in the cell. bacterium Acinetohauer baylyi strain A DP I lator of D A damage-responsive gene. It addresses the basic concept of how organ­ (ADP I ) respond s to DNA damage. ADP I is isms adapt to change: change in proteins, eas ily manipulated in the lab. lives naturally and change in environmental conditions (in in the so il. and docs not ca use disease, un­ our case, damage to the cell's D A). like Escherichia coli, which lives in animal olumes 12 & 13 Focus 19

Effects of Bull Fertility Parameters After Administration of Transdermal lvermectin Anthelminic Philip Prater, Troy Wistuba, Les Anderson

the bull. re~u lt ing in proper reproductive Bu lb were eval uated by l.tandardi zed health. semen parameter~ at pre-treatment. 1-l clays. Clinically anecdotal evidence of bull in­ 2X day),. and 60 day!> post-treatment. Differ­ fertility a~~ociated \\'ith the u~e of a tran ~­ ences ''ere compared by analy7ing the \ ari­ dermal preparation of the an thelminic i\er­ ation between control and treatment group~. mcct in ha:-. been reponed. Other than unclear Stat i ~ ti cally significant redu ction~ in scrota l eef cattle production in Kentucky re fere n ce~ on the product label. there i~ no cin;umference were noted over time in the is the third lar·ge~ t agricultural ~y~­ research data available to either ~upport or treatment group as compared to the con trol tem in the state based on income refute these clinical reports of bul l infertil­ group. from farm product!>. Beef cattle ity. No other l.emen quality parameters rations are cu rrent!) the most important The objccti\e of thi ~ stud) \\'a' to demonstrated any ~ta ti s t ica lly sign ificant of agricultural income for producer!> evaluate the reproductive parameter!'> of 20 variation between treatment and control n Em,tern Kentucky due to the continued mature bull' before and after a therapeutic groups. The stud) wou ld indicate that there ecl ine in tobacco production. dose of tran ~dcrma l ivcrmectin i ~ adm in­ is no ~ign ifi cant detriment to the fertility Beef bulls account for one half of a i~tered to the bulls. Bulls were h o u ~ed un­ of beef bulls that arc treated for paras ites erd's genetic potential and. therefore. must der identical environmental and nutritional with a topica l application of the anthclminic be able to perform the appropriate reproduc­ condition:-.. and ~epara t ed into treatment and ivermcctin and its tran~denna l vehicle. tive fu n c ti on~ to deliver the afore mentioned control group,. The con trol group rccei,ed netic material. Routine veterinary care for a placebo for topical administration. and the beef bu lls mandate~ the u:-.e of anti-parasitic treatment group recei' eel a do~e of topical medications for proper ~y~te mic health of ive rmectin.

Sequencing the lateral Root Primordium (l.R.P.} Gene from Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum} Carol Wymer and in ditche . that ha drastically altered The re earch has signi ficance in basic local ecosystems by di placing nati ve plants cience becau e the molecular mechani m and encroaching on public space . of adventitious root formation is not under­ One method of propagation for the Japa­ stood and the molecular details of Japane. e nese knotweed i to produce adventitiou knotweed have not been characterized or roots on stem cuttings that fall into the wa­ studied by many groups. ter. The LRPI gene i of interest because its In the East Kentucky region. knowledge expression has been correlated to the forma­ gained from th i tudy will allow refinement tion of adventitious roots. of the management techniques currently in hi ~ research is an effort to determine The re earch objective was accom­ place for Japanese knotweed. a pecies ac­ the sequence of the Lateral Root plished by u ing the Polymerase Chain ti vely battled by county and state employees Primordium l (LRP I) gene f rom Reaction (PCR) to isolate pieces of D A as it encroache into public spaces. Tth e Japane e knotweed (Polygonum corTesponding to thi gene. The seq uence of cu pidatum). these DNA piece was determined through The Japanese knotweed is an inva ive a stepwise series of reactions that are al o pest. one that prefer to live along streams baed on PCR.