March 29-31, 2012 For up-to-the-minute scheduling changes, visit our mobile site at http://m.weber.edu/ncur2012 visitǤ email̷Ǥor Journal of Young Investigators ơ Ǥ • More than 750 articles and manuscripts published since 1997 • Represented in more than 10 countries and 50 academic institutions • Featured in Nature magazine, New York Times and Science magazine ơ Ǩ ǡǡ Ǥ Ǩ Photo: “Old School Light Bulb” by Joi Ito Table of Contents Contents Oral Session 2.........................................60 Oral Session 3.........................................67 Schedule of Events......................................3 Oral Session 4.........................................74 A Message from the President....................5 Oral Session 5.........................................81 NCUR Information......................................6 Oral Session 6.........................................86 NCUR Oversight Committee.......................7 Oral Session 7.........................................92 Acknowledgements...................................8 Oral Session 8.........................................98 Information Technology Services............10 Oral Session 10.....................................103 General Information.................................13 Poster Session Map.................................106 Plenary Speakers......................................17 Poster Sessions Sustainability.........................................20 Poster Session 1...................................107 Office of Undergraduate Research..........26 Poster Session 2...................................112 Community Involvement Center..............27 Poster Session 3...................................118 Shuttle Service.........................................28 Poster Session 4...................................123 NCUR 2012 Proceedings...........................31 Poster Session 5...................................128 Excursions............................................32 Poster Session 6...................................133 Activities..............................................33 Poster Session 7...................................138 Session Information.................................34 Poster Session 8...................................143 Special Sessions.......................................37 Poster Session 10.................................148 Graduate Fair & Poster Sessions................40 Performing Arts Sessions........................153 FAN Sessions............................................43 Visual Arts Sessions...............................154 Oral Sessions Overview............................46 Index by Institution...............................156 Oral Sessions Index by Presenter.................................159 Oral Session 1.........................................55 Campus Map...............................Back Cover excel in scholarship advance psychology Congratulations to all student presenters! A proud sponsor of the 2012 National Conference on Undergraduate Research www.psichi.org Schedule of Events Wednesday, March 28, 2012 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Plenary Speaker 2: Anne Fadiman 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Registration Browning Center Austad Auditorium Shepherd Union, 404 A&B Simulcast Available: Wildcat Theater and Elizabeth Hall 229 11:45 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Thursday, March 29, 2012 Shepherd Union 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration 11:40 – 1:00 p.m. Session 6 Shepherd Union, 404 A&B Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast Ballroom B&C Shepherd Union Oral Sessions: Classrooms 8:30 – 9:50 a.m. Session 1 Visual Arts Sessions: Kimball Arts Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union Center - Shaw Gallery Ballroom B&C 12:00 – 1:00p.m. FAN Session 2 Oral Sessions: Classrooms Marriot Allied Health Performing Sessions: Browning Center Student Special Sessions 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Opening Ceremony Elizabeth Hall Plenary Speaker 1: Mario R.Capecchi Shepherd Union Fireplace Lounge Browning Center Austad Auditorium Wattis Business Simulcast Available: Wildcat Theater 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Graduate & Professional Studies Fair and Elizabeth Hall 229 Shepherd Union 11:45 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch 1:10 – 2:30 p.m. Session 7 Shepherd Union Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union 11:40 – 1:00 p.m. Session 2 Ballroom B&C Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union Oral Sessions: Classrooms Ballroom B&C Visual Arts Sessions: Kimball Arts Oral Sessions: Classrooms Center - Shaw Gallery Performing Sessions: Browning Center 2:40 – 4:00 p.m. Session 8 12:00 – 1:00p.m. FAN Session 1 Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union Marriot Allied Health Ballroom B&C Student Special Sessions Oral Sessions: Classrooms Elizabeth Hall Performing Sessions: Browning Center Wattis Building Visual Arts Sessions: Kimball Arts 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. Graduate & Professional Studies Fair Center - Shaw Gallery Shepherd Union 4:10 – 5:30 p.m. Session 9 1:10 – 2:30 p.m. Session 3 Possible Poster & Oral Sessions for Late Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union Registrants: Shepherd Union Ballrooms Ballroom B&C Classrooms Oral Sessions: Classrooms Visual Arts Sessions: Kimball Arts Performing Sessions: Browning Center Center - Shaw Gallery 2:40 – 4:00 p.m. Session 4 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. NCUR Oversight Committee Reception Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union for Faculty, Staff, and Administrators Ballroom B&C only - Stewart Stadium Sky Suites Oral Sessions: Classrooms 3rd Floor 4:15 – 5:00 p.m. Moving Company Performance: COIL, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Art Exhibit Reception – Free Admissions a collaboration - Free Admissions Kimball Arts Center - Shaw Gallery Browning Center 8:30 – 11:30 p.m. Purple Crush - Free Admission 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Notorious 25th Street Shepherd Union - Atrium Ogden 25th Street Saturday, March 31, 2012 Friday, March 30, 2012 7:00 – 11:00 a.m. Registration 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration Shepherd Union, 404 A&B Shepherd Union, 404 A&B 7:00 – 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast Shepherd Union Shepherd Union 8:30 – 9:50 a.m. Session 10 7:15 – 8:15 a.m. Undergraduate Research Summit Poster Sessions: Ballroom B&C Shepherd Union - Wildcat Theater Oral Sessions: Classrooms 8:30 – 9:50 a.m. Session 5 Performing Sessions: Browning Center Poster Sessions: Shepherd Union 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Plenary Speaker 3: Paul Alan Cox Ballroom B&C Browning Center Austad Auditorium Oral Sessions: Classrooms Simulcast Available: Wildcat Theater Performing Sessions: Browning Center and Elizabeth Hall 229 Visual Arts Sessions: Kimball Arts 11:00 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch Center - Shaw Gallery Shepherd Union 11:45 a.m. Excursions 3 Thinking About grad school? Think about . Explore USU’s 140+ graduate DEGREES at the NCUR 2012 Graduate and Professional Fair. www.usu.edu/ graduateschool A Message from the President Dear researchers, Welcome to the 26th National Conference on Undergraduate Research and to Weber State University. Your journey of inquiry, investigation and discovery has brought you here, to the foremost undergraduate research conference in the country. To say that Weber State values undergraduate research would be an understatement. Each year we look forward to WSU’s research symposium and celebration, and we have now hosted three major undergraduate research conferences in the past three years: the Council on Undergraduate Research in 2010, the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research in 2011, and during the next three days, NCUR. We couldn’t be more excited to have all of you on our campus. In my 30-year tenure at Weber State, I have seen the wonderful effects of undergraduate research, not only on our students, but on our community, our state, even our world. Our student researchers, working alongside their faculty mentors, have worked to prevent the extinction of a small migratory bird that lives along the Great Salt Lake shoreline (if you’ve never visited the lake, I highly recommend signing up for the Saturday excursion to Antelope Island State Park). They’ve helped military shift workers reduce fatigue using light therapy. They’ve spearheaded the building of a satellite that was carried aboard the space shuttle in 1985, a satellite that now resides in The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. I could go on, as proud as I am of our students and what they’ve done, but I am eager to hear and see the work they, and all of you, will share during this conference. In fact, everyone on campus has been looking forward to your arrival and your presentations. I encourage you to take full advantage of this experience. Attend presentations by your fellow student researchers. Enjoy our notable plenary speakers. Get out, make friends, and see Utah – our beautiful state has much to offer. Wishing you a magnificent experience, F. Ann Millner, President Weber State University 5 NCUR Information What is NCUR? The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), established in 1987, is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. Unlike meetings of academic professional organizations, this gathering of young scholars welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning and from all corners of the academic curriculum. Through this annual conference, NCUR creates a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate research achievement, provides models of exemplary research and scholarship, and helps to improve the state of undergraduate education. In addition to oral and poster sessions, the 2012 conference includes performing and visual arts