2015 Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings
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Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings Student Scholarship 2015-05-28 2015 Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings Western Oregon University Western Oregon University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/aes Recommended Citation Western Oregon University, "2015 Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings" (2015). Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings. 35. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/aes/35 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. 10TH ANNUAL ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE Proceedings of the 2015 Academic Excellence Showcase THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome ..........................................................................................2 Honors General Science ..............................................................35 Phi Kappa Phi keynote address .....................................................3 Mathematics ..................................................................................37 Alfred Maurice Undergraduate Prize ............................................4 Music .............................................................................................39 Philosophy.....................................................................................40 Academic Areas Politics, Policy, and Administration .............................................40 Abby’s House ..................................................................................6 Sociology .......................................................................................41 Anthropology ..................................................................................6 Spanish ..........................................................................................42 Art ....................................................................................................7 Teacher Education ........................................................................43 Behavioral Sciences ........................................................................8 Theatre ...........................................................................................52 Biology ...........................................................................................11 Acknowledgements ......................................................................53 Business and Economics ..............................................................14 Index ..............................................................................................54 Chemistry ......................................................................................14 Presentation schedule guide ......................................... Back cover Communication Studies ..............................................................16 Campus map ....................................................... Inside back cover Computer Science ........................................................................17 Criminal Justice .............................................................................24 Dance .............................................................................................25 Deaf Studies and Professional Studies ......................................26 Earth and Physical Science ..........................................................27 English, Writing and Linguistics .................................................29 Health and Exercise Science ........................................................31 History ...........................................................................................34 Don’t want to carry around a proceedings from session to session? For an electronic showcase schedule and to download events to your mobile device or calendar, go to: http://digitalcommons.wou.edu/aes_event/2014/ #WOUAES WELCOME A message from Mark Weiss, president, Western Oregon University This year’s Academic Excellence Showcase, marking a 10 year anniversary, is a true demonstration of what we mean when we say that Western Oregon University is, first, a teaching university. It is here that students are encouraged to explore the practical application of their learning, alongside senior professors, by engaging in professional-level research. Some of our students whose projects are abstracted in this publication will go on to present their work before state, regional or even national conferences. Some will be published in WOU’s PURE Insights, a competitive journal of student work. Still others will be presenting work that has become the basis of a lifetime pursuit and passion. Whatever comes after the Academic Excellence Showcase, these students are today the embodiment of a thorough education that stimulates lifelong learning and exploration. I congratulate our faculty who motivate and engage our students to take their classroom experience on a journey into the “real” world. The Academic Excellence Showcase is one of my personal highlights during the academic year. I want to thank the students who have chosen to share their work with us, and the faculty for nurturing and guiding the pursuits of our students. Western Oregon University commends your dedication, and we are proud of all you do. A message from Stephen Scheck, vice president of academic affairs, Western Oregon University Today’s Academic Excellence Showcase provides a snapshot of the engagements of academic discovery that take place everyday at WOU. And this snapshot reveals an academic community very rich in diversity of scholarship. We are a community where faculty encourage students to view learning as a dynamic process that extends beyond the traditional classroom. Where students are urged to pursue their interests and to commit to a process in which questions are asked and researched, and artistic works are created and performed. Whether the scholarship is conducted on the stage, in the laboratory, in the library or in the field – there is a shared experience of intellectual and personal growth. And this growth prepares one for a richer future. It is a pleasure for me both to acknowledge the efforts of our students presenting their work today and to convey my appreciation to the faculty for their support of our students. I strongly encourage those students participating today as observers to become involved and to take advantage of the faculty’s eagerness to mentor you in your own engagement of discovery. A message from the Western Oregon University Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences – co-sponsor of the 2015 Academic Excellence Showcase The Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences (PURE) began in 2004, when a group of faculty formed a task force to examine the state of undergraduate scholarship at Western Oregon University. We were impressed by what we saw happening across the campus. We recognized that the research experience takes many forms – academic papers, exhibits, posters, laboratory investigations, performances, and service learning projects, to name just a few. The PURE task force identified numerous ways to help facilitate and enhance undergraduate research experiences at WOU. One recommendation—to facilitate greater participation by the entire campus in celebrating our students’ accomplishments— resulted in Academic Excellence Day. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, which had organized an Academic Excellence event for a number of years, partnered with PURE to sponsor the annual Academic Excellence Showcase. With our combined resources and planning committee, we developed a campus-wide event that has become a hallmark of the outstanding undergraduate experience offered at WOU. Again this year, the campus community has responded enthusiastically to the call for participation, as evidenced by this impressive proceedings volume. The Faculty Senate has encouraged faculty to cancel classes so students may attend the Showcase. Nearly 100 faculty and staff members from across campus have volunteered their time and energy to serve as session chairs and faculty sponsors. As a result of their efforts, approximately 400 students are scheduled to present at this year’s showcase. This exciting event celebrates some of the most remarkable academic accomplishments made by WOU students. We are very proud of their success and are honored to be a part of the 2015 Academic Excellence Showcase. We hope you will join us in attending as many sessions as possible and congratulating students on their outstanding scholarship. 2 • Intro May 28, 2015 • Western Oregon University which can engender negative beliefs regarding capacity for success and basic worth. But it doesn’t have to be this way. What is our response as teachers? In 1976, Mina Shaughnessy published her text “Errors and Expectations” in response to the open admission policies in New York. She described a developmental scale for teachers of writing: • Guarding the Tower: the teacher must protect the academy Dr. Katherine M. Schmidt, from outsiders who appear to not belong, believing that the students professor of English at Western won’t make it unless standards are lowered. Oregon University, recipient • Converting the Natives: the teacher recognizes that some of 2014 Pastega Award for students have