Kentucky Honors Roundtable – September 20-21, 2019, Eastern Kentucky University
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Kentucky Honors Roundtable – September 20-21, 2019, Eastern Kentucky University Complete Program Friday, September 20 5:00 p.m. – Registration – Stratton Building 6:00 – Dinner – Stratton Café Saturday, September 21 – New Science Building (NSB) 8:00-9:00 a.m. – Registration and Welcome, NSB Atrium 9:00-10:00 – Session 1 NSB 3101: Sciences: Ecology and Geology Nicholas Gaubatz (Murray State University) “Improving Seismic Interpretation: Convolutional Neural Networks with Wavelets” Seismic images show rock boundaries in the subsurface, generated by recording reflections of sound waves propagated through the ground. The TGS Salt Identification Challenge was an online competition in 2018 to build a neural network that could accurately identify salt pockets in thousands of seismic images in order to predict underground oil locations. The goal of this work is to test if adding discrete or continuous wavelet transforms to inputs for a high-placing solution to the challenge will increase salt prediction accuracy. William Caldbeck, Lexi Gauger, Bella Mazza, Isabelle Pethtel, Felicity Shirkey (University of Kentucky) “Honeysuckle Encroachment Reduced Diversity and Richness of Spring Ephemeral Wildflowers in Central Kentucky” Invasive plant species often suppress the richness and diversity of native forest ecosystems. This study focuses on the impacts of bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) on spring ephemeral wildflowers in Raven Run Nature Sanctuary in Lexington, KY. Plots were surveyed for percent groundcover and total flowering individuals at three levels of honeysuckle density: no (0% coverage), low (0%-5% coverage) and high (15%-20% coverage). Results suggested that honeysuckle encroachment significantly suppressed the species richness and diversity of the native wildflowers. Further research may aid in site selection for honeysuckle removal to maximize potential for native biodiversity recovery. NSB 4101: Psychologies: Myth, History and Narrative Amara Stroud (Murray State University) “Mythology and Mental Health” In recent years, there’s been a wealth of literary interest in mental health and its effects on characters. However, the intrinsic struggle between a man and his brain can be traced back to ancient Greece. This presentation will show a correlation between ancient Greek heroes and mental health issues in order to today’s society to feel more connected to these stories than before. Emma Jones (University of Louisville) “The Rise and Fall of Freud” This presentation will illuminate the idiosyncratic rise of one of the most infamous characters in the field of psychology and American history, Sigmund Freud, and how personal trauma influenced the development of his controversial theories. The rejection of many of Freud's theories and plunge in his reputation demonstrate how personal experiences and syllogisms are not enough to justify one’s inferences. As a result, Freud's position in academic limbo remains a valuable lesson regarding the ideal passion and drive needed to pursue a claim, as well as exposing the consequences of allowing personal biases to impact the validity and clarity of one's assertions. Kenzi Gooley (Bellarmine University) “Synthetic Experience in Mental Illness Narratives” It is the responsibility of artists to respond to stigmas surrounding mental illness by creating empathy through art. One way in which writers answer this call is by creating synthetic experiences of mental illnesses through narrative. I will focus on the narrative choices of Jean Rhys in Wide Sargasso Sea and Tim O’Brien in The Things They Carried and on how these choices embody the perspective of the mentally ill to evoke empathy and deepen understanding of what it means to be human. This research will fuel my final creative nonfiction project based on interviews with early onset dementia patients. NSB 4105: Politics, Media and Technology Kaylie Butler (Lindsey Wilson College) “Communication and Collaboration in American Politics” It is important to examine the power and prominence of the Democratic and Republican parties within American politics in order to understand the politics of American government. This paper explains the purpose and origins of political parties in America, the evolution of the dominant bi-partisan scenario, and the current state of American politics, through a variety of scholarly sources. Through exploration of the interrelationship between American political research and critical thinking and communication concepts, this paper also provides an approach to resolving political issues of present day America. Sam Guernsey (University of Louisville) “American Idiots? Complacency and Technology Use” While the American Dream might have one believe that innovation is a part of daily life, this paper argues that American minds have become more static as technology has continued to encroach upon our daily lives. The comfortable misery we live in has been created by numerous factors both within and without the classroom—social media and sensationalized headlines are only part of the story. This presentation reveals how Green Day's hit song “American Idiot” rings true today, from “one nation ruled by the media” to “television dreams of tomorrow.” Avery Crews (Lindsey Wilson College) “The Power of Language: Subjectivity and Repression in Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Harrison Bergeron’” This paper focuses on Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Harrison Bergeron," which is a work set in a future dystopian society that heavily emphasizes the concept of true equality. Harrison, the main character, is a threat to this society because he is aware of the false consciousness that is enforced upon the people by the government and he pushes the boundaries and deviates from the social norms that are enforced. Utilizing the theories of Michel Foucault and Louis Althusser, this paper focuses on the impact of power and knowledge on language as a means of enforcing obedience within a disciplinary society. 10:00-10:15 – Break 10:15-11:15 – Session 2 NSB 3101: Health Sciences Peyton Brock (Eastern Kentucky University) “Rural Health Care Disparities: Appalachia vs. Thailand” Rural communities generally suffer from lower socioeconomic status, less education, and poorer health outcomes. These health statistics identifying rural health inequality are consistent globally. In this presentation, the health status of rural areas is explored using global comparisons of Appalachia and a region of northern Thailand. This presentation focuses on health care disparities within the two diverse, rural areas and the various public health initiatives used to resolve them. Hailee Bray (Bellarmine University) “Peripheral Sensory Plasticity in the Development of Chronic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury” The development of pain following a spinal cord injury (SCI) is prevalent and poses significant clinical challenge. Recent evidence suggests that this pain may be due in part to the maladaptive growth of sensory fibers. We hypothesize that the GSK-3β signaling pathway is responsible for regulating this sensory growth. The aims of this project were (1) to define the expression of GSK-3β signaling in sensory processing regions, and (2) to correlate this expression with the presence and severity of SCI pain. Our results support that SCI is associated sensory growth and provide information on a therapeutic target to prevent SCI pain. Estefania Benavides (Murray State University) “Long-term Implications of Neonatal Caudectomies on Canines” Tail docking is an ongoing practice of several breeders to preserve the expected appearance of certain breeds, disregarding the possible pain it may inflict. Severing the caudal vertebrae is done without any anesthetics, local or general, on a neonate. These neonates have been witnessed whimpering during the procedure, an indication of pain deemed unethical. More than twenty-five countries have already banned tail docking, especially for cosmetic purposes, but not the United States. This research is an investigation of the long-term complications of tail docking and the implications for canine health. NSB 4101: Theater, Marketing and Money Madeline Kurtz (Bellarmine University) “Social Media and Marketing for Non-Profit Theatres” In this applied thesis project, I outline my work over the past year and a half as the Social Media Manager for the Bellarmine University Theatre Program. During this time, I’ve designed and initiated several marketing campaigns intended to increase engagement with our social media followers, drive ticket sales, and aid in capturing a larger audience among 18-25 year olds. In this presentation, I will discuss the design of these campaigns, the data I’ve collected, and the significance of these findings to the non-profit theatre market. Corey Sparkman, Flynn Blanchet (Eastern Kentucky University) “Stoner Loaner” This is a sketch about a man who comes to the bank for a loan on a big breakout business opportunity, but little does he know that the bank’s loan manager is a stoner, a 90’s Bill & Ted-esque individual with nothing on his mind but baking delicious pastries! Not your traditional day at the bank by any means but indeed a zany turn in any respectable business man’s day. This sketch is filled with twists, and develops a heartfelt theme of leaving stereotypes behind us where they belong! NSB 4105: Representations: the Female Elizabeth Von Mann (Morehead State University) “Penning Consciousness: A Study of Female Poets throughout American Literature” This project seeks to analyze three American women