Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings Student Scholarship 2008-05-29 2008 Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings Western Oregon University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/aes Recommended Citation Western Oregon University, "2008 Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings" (2008). Academic Excellence Showcase Proceedings. 5. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/aes/5 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]. WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE SHOWCASE THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2008 Proceedings of the 2008 Academic Excellence Showcase Sponsored by: The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and The Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome ........................................................................................................ 2 Acknowledgements .................................................................................... 3 Campus Map ................................................................................................ 4 Presentation Schedule Guide ................................................................... 5 Academic Areas Anthropology ............................................................................................... 6 Art ................................................................................................................... 7 Biology ........................................................................................................7-8 Chemistry ..................................................................................................8-9 Communication Studies .......................................................................... 10 Dance ......................................................................................................10-11 Earth Science .........................................................................................11-21 English (Literature, Linguistics, Writing) ........................................22-23 Geography .............................................................................................24-25 Graduate School ........................................................................................ 25 Health and Physical Education ..........................................................25-28 History ....................................................................................................28-30 Mathematics ..........................................................................................31-33 Model United Nations .............................................................................. 33 Music ......................................................................................................33-35 Philosophy .................................................................................................. 35 Political Science ......................................................................................... 36 Psychology .............................................................................................36-42 Sociology ................................................................................................42-43 Special Education .................................................................................43-44 Study Abroad ............................................................................................. 44 Teacher Education ................................................................................45-48 Index .......................................................................................................48-52 WELCOME A message from more than 30,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni. The Society has chapters at nearly 300 select colleges Dr. John Minahan and universities in North America and the Philippines. President, Western Oregon University Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of Western Oregon University’s Academic Excellence Show- seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. case encourages students to demonstrate their research Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved and scholarship, and allows the campus community to scholarly distinction also qualify. experience the varied scholarly and creative interests of our Western Oregon University’s chapter was founded in undergraduate students. 1979 and held the first initiation on May 9, 1980. For nearly The abstracts of student presentations included 30 years, Phi Kappa Phi - with the support of its members, in this publication are a representative sample of the as well as faculty and staff across campus - has sponsored achievements of our student body. These presentations Academic Excellence on campus, celebrating our students’ are from a range of disciplines throughout the College of outstanding research and creative endeavors. Our chapter is Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Education, but pleased and honored to continue this important tradition of they all celebrate the pursuit of learning and knowledge. recognizing and celebrating student excellence. 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 A Message from the of all you do. Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences Co-sponsor of the 2008 Academic Excellence Showcase A message from The Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences began in 2004, when a group of faculty formed a task Dr. Hilda Rosselli force to examine the state of undergraduate scholarship at Dean, College of Education and Western Oregon University. We were impressed by what we Dr. Stephen Scheck saw happening across the campus. We recognized that the Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences research experience takes many forms - academic papers, exhibits, posters, laboratory investigations, performances, Today’s Academic Excellence Showcase provides a snapshot and service learning projects, to name just a few. of the engagements of academic discovery that take place The PURE task force identified many ways to help everyday at WOU. And this snapshot reveals an academic facilitate and enhance undergraduate research experiences community very rich in diversity of scholarship. We are at WOU. One recommendation—to facilitate greater a community where faculty encourage students to view participation by the entire campus in celebrating our learning as a dynamic process that extends beyond the students’ accomplishments—resulted in Academic Excellence traditional classroom. Where students are urged to pursue Day. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, which had their interests and to commit to a process in which questions organized an Academic Excellence event for a number of are asked and researched, and artistic works are created and years, partnered with PURE to sponsor the annual Academic performed. Whether the scholarship is conducted on the Excellence Showcase. With our combined resources and stage, in the laboratory, in the library or in the field - there is a planning committee, we developed a campus-wide event that shared experience of intellectual and personal growth. has become a hallmark of the outstanding undergraduate It is a pleasure to acknowledge the efforts of our students experience offered at WOU. presenting their work today and we appreciate the support Again this year, the campus community has responded of their faculty. We strongly encourage those students enthusiastically to the call for participation, as evidenced by participating today as observers to become involved and to this impressive Proceedings volume. The Faculty Senate has take advantage of the faculty’s eagerness to mentor you in encouraged faculty to reassign class time so students may your own engagement of discovery here at WOU. attend the Showcase. A total of 78 faculty members from across campus have volunteered their time and energy to serve as session chairs, faculty sponsors, and mentors. As a result of their efforts, over 360 students are scheduled to A message from the present at this year’s Showcase. This exciting event celebrates Western Oregon University Chapter of the Honor Society some of the most remarkable academic accomplishments of Phi Kappa Phi made by WOU students. We are very proud of their success Co-sponsor of the 2008 Academic Excellence Showcase and honored to be a part of the 2008 Academic Excellence Showcase. We hope you will join us in attending as many Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Phi sessions as possible and congratulating students on their Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective outstanding scholarship. all-discipline honor society. Phi Kappa Phi inducts annually 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Academic Excellence Showcase Planning Committee has been unwavering. A special thank you is given to gratefully acknowledges the generous support of this Stewart Gilbert from University Computing Services for program provided by President John Minahan, the Provost’s web design support; and Lisa Catto and Denise Visuaño Office, and the Western Oregon University