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The McNair Scholars Journal of the University of Washington Volume XIII Autumn 2013 THE MCNAIR SCHOLARS JOURNAL University of Washington McNair Program Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity University of Washington 171 Mary Gates Hall Box 352803 Seattle, WA 98195-2803 [email protected] http://depts.washington.edu/uwmcnair/ The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program operates as a part of TRiO Programs, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Cover Photo by Merzamie Cagaitan, UW McNair Alumnus University of Washington McNair Program Staff Program Director Gabriel Gallardo, Ph.D. Associate Director Gene Kim, Ph.D. Program Coordinator Rosa Ramirez Graduate Student Advisors Brooke Cassell Raj Chetty McNair Scholars’ Research Mentors Dr. Brittany Brand, Earth and Space Sciences Dr. Eliot Brenowitz, Biology and Psychology Dr. Katherine Cummings, English Dr. Angela Ginorio, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies; Psychology Dr. Ricardo Gomez, Information School Dr. Michelle Habell-Pallán, Women Studies Dr. Steve Herbert, Law, Societies, and Justice Dr. Jerald Herting, Sociology Dr. Nancy Hertzog, Educational Psychology Dr. Marketa Hnilova, Materials Science & Engineering Dr. Kimberly Hudson, School of Social Work Dr. Horacio O. de la Iglesia, Biology Dr. Hedwig Lee, Sociology Dr. Mary Lidstrom, Microbiology and Chemical Engineering Dr. Michelle S. Liu, English Dr. Ralf Luche, Psychology Dr. N. Cecilia Martinez-Gomez, Microbiology Dr. Devon G. Peña, American Ethnic Studies and Anthropology Dr. Carolyn Pinedo-Turnovsky, American Ethnic Studies Dr. Nicholas Poolos, Neurobiology and Behavior Dr. Fernando Resende, Environmental and Forest Sciences Dr. Sonnet Retman, American Ethnic Studies Dr. Natasha Rivers, Demography and Ecology Dr. Ileana M. Rodriguez-Silva, History Mr. Marty Stepp, Computer Science and Engineering Dr. Candan Tamerler, Materials Science & Engineering Ms. Norma Timbang, School of Social Work Dr. Bruce Weir, Biostatistics Volume XIII Copyright 2013 From the Vice President and Vice Provost for Diversity One of the great delights of higher education is that it provides young scholars an opportunity to pursue research in a field that interests and engages them. The McNair Scholars Program offers support and opportunity for students to pursue scholarly research, and The McNair Scholars Journal plays an important part in that support by publishing their results. The Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity is pleased to publish the twelfth edition of The McNair Scholars Journal of the University of Washington. The McNair Scholars Program offers opportunities to a diverse group of students—students who may not otherwise get the chance to work closely with a faculty mentor on in-depth research. The young scholars who participate in the McNair program are among the most motivated and dedicated undergraduates at the UW. Their hard work and accomplishments put them in a position to succeed in graduate school. The McNair Scholars Journal plays an important part in the career of these young scholars by publishing their research at an early stage. Please join me in thanking the faculty, staff, and students who came together and made this journal possible. Sheila Edwards Lange, Ph.D. Vice President for Minority Affairs Vice Provost for Diversity iii From the Director I am very pleased to present the thirteenth edition of the University of Washington’s McNair Scholars Journal to our reading audience. The collective excellence of these twenty-two projects is a testament to the hard work of our students and the unwavering support of faculty mentors who supervised these projects. As always, I want to extend my gratitude to the faculty, whose guidance and support has allowed our students to grow in meaningful ways, while giving our scholars the foundation to enter graduate school with confidence and solid research experience. The McNair Program at the University of Washington strives to create meaningful academic experiences that will enable our students to succeed at the next level. The research component for McNair Scholars has two specific goals: First, engage students in the research enterprise at the undergraduate level so they develop the analytical and methodological skills, academic sophistication, and confidence that will make them successful students in graduate school. Second, provide students a unique opportunity to publish their undergraduate research, so the scholars gain an early understanding of the critical role that publishing will play in their academic careers. In this respect, the McNair Journal is a key component in the preparation of our scholars for careers in research and teaching. Our journal involves the work of several people who work behind the scenes proofreading, editing, and preparing the final draft for publication. I would like to extend my appreciation to the UW McNair staff, Dr. Gene Kim, Associate Director, Rosa Ramirez, Program Coordinator, and our graduate student staff, Brooke Cassell and Raj Chetty, for their commitment to the McNair mission and for bringing this project to completion. They are an asset to the program and have been instrumental in preparing this high quality journal. On behalf of the entire McNair Staff, I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading the thirteenth edition of the McNair Scholars Journal. Dr. Gabriel E. Gallardo Director, McNair Program Associate Vice President, Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, Student Services and Academic Suupport Programs iv From the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School The disciplines, interests and pursuits that inspired the research papers within this journal are as diverse and impressive as the McNair Scholars who produced them. By reading these works, you will quickly see that our next generation of leaders and innovators is right here at the University of Washington. As you know, the McNair Scholars Program supports traditionally underrepresented students in their undergraduate programs and prepares and encourages them to pursue graduate study. At the UW, we know that earning advanced degrees will propel these scholars into positions of influence within academic institutions, communities and businesses throughout our state, nation and world. For this reason, the UW Graduate School is honored to partner with the McNair Scholars Program and the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity. Clearly, these scholars already have the curiosity, intelligence and ambition that are essential to identifying emerging problems and finding innovative answers. Through graduate education, they will gain the additional experience, expertise and knowledge they will need for a lifetime of discovery and leadership. Congratulations to the scholars whose work is published here and thank you to the faculty, staff and graduate student mentors who have contributed to this journal and to the success of the UW McNair Scholars Program. Your commitment has contributed to a legacy of outstanding scholars. Dr. David L. Eaton Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences v Journal Disclaimer While the McNair Program Staff has made every effort to assure a high degree of accuracy, rigor and quality in the content of this journal, the interpretations and conclusions found within each essay are those of the authors alone and not the McNair Program. Any errors or omission are strictly the responsibility of each author. vi THE MCNAIR SCHOLARS JOURNAL of the University of Washington Volume XIII Autumn 2013 Bi-Functional Peptide Based Single-Step Bionanofabrication of 1 Patterned Gold Film Arrays Selamawit Ainalem New Insights into the Effects of Slope on the Dynamics of Dilute 9 Pyroclastic Density Currents from the May 18th, 1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption Sylvana Bendaña Behind the Veils of Industry: Contesting the Victim Discourse 15 Surrounding Filipino Mail-Order Brides Merzamie Sison Cagaitan “Do Good Things with It, Do Bad Things with It”: The Love of 35 Money, the Loss of Memory, and the Lust for More in Black Art Alexander Catchings An Examination of Current Digital Inclusion Efforts in Migrant 47 Youth of Yakima Valley Bryan Dosono Testosterone Effects on HVC and RA Regression in Gambel’s 65 White Crowned Sparrows Elizabeth Emau Circadian Modulation of Neuromotor Control 71 Jennifer Gile Framing Africa: Exploring the Role of Filmmaking Practices in 83 Post-War Burundi Alejandro Guardado The Nuclear Rabbit Hole: Environmental Justice for Women, 95 Children, and the Unborn Jacinta S. Heath A New Approach to Controlling Epilepsy 113 Vicky A. Herrera vii The Effects of Counseling Intervention Programs on Academic 119 Achievement among Elementary School Students of Color Rahma A. Jama Exploring the Relationship between Executive Functioning and 127 Social Emotional Development during the Preschool Years Ashley D. Johnson Pyrolysis Optimization of Lignin 137 Austin L. Montgomery The Juvenile Justice System: All Grown Up 145 Sandy Nguyen Contribution of the N-Methyl Glutamate Pathway to Methylamine 169 Oxidation in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 Sandy Nguyen A Quantitative Approach to Researching Video Game Use in 175 Education Geoffrey M. Phillips University of Washington NEW Leadership™ Outcomes, 183 Evaluations and Implementation: Taking Steps towards Evidence Based Practice Jennifer B. Rubio African Immigrants and Susceptibility to Hypertension and other 189 Cardiovascular Disease-Related Risk Factors Cynthia Simekha Converging Genome-Wide Association Studies and Candidate 199