We would like to give a special thanks to ECU School of Art & Design graphic design undergraduate students Vincent Meadows, for his cover design and poster art, and Gioia Hackett, for her design of the brochures and program. We would also like to recognize ECU College of Business Master of Business Adminstration student Zachary Hewett, for his development and management of the program. 2013 RESEARCHH CREATIVEREA&EA ACHIEVEMENTACHEIVEMENT WEEKWEEK April 88th-th - 1212thth, 2013 ,2013 East Carolina University Mendenhall Student Center Table of Contents RCAWTable of Contents Research and Creative Achievement Week 05 Letter from Vice Chancellor Ronald Mitchelson 07 Program Sponsors 08 Research and Creative Achievement Week Committees 09 Event Schedule 11 Faculty Recognition: Research and Creative Activity 18 Faculty Recognition: Inventors and Innovators 19 Lectures and Symposia 29 Mentor Listing 30 Student Presenter Schedule 30 Graduate Oral Presentations 34 Graduate Poster Presentations 42 Graduate Online Oral Presentations 43 Graduate Online Poster Presentations 44 Undergraduate Oral Presentations 46 Undergraduate Poster Presentations 51 Undergraduate Online Poster Presentations 53 Graduate Abstracts: 54 Oral Presentations 74 Poster Presentations 127 Online Oral Presentations 130 Online Poster Presentations 133 Undergraduate Abstracts: 133 Oral Presentations 143 Poster Presentations 171 Online Poster Presentations 174 Presenters’ Index 2013 | East Carolina University: Research and Creative Achievement Week 3 4 Letter from the Vice Chancellor East Carolina University® Division of Research & Graduate Studies Greenville Centre Ste 1500 April 2013 2200 S. Charles Blvd Mailstop 157 Greenville, NC 27858-4353 Dear ECU Community: Ronald L. Mitchelson, PhD Vice Chancellor, Interim You are invited to participate in the Research and Creative Achievement Week on 252-328-9471 the campus of East Carolina University. The week of April 8-12, 2013, has been set 252-328-2769 fax aside to highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of our students in research and creative activity. Please attend as much as your time allows in order to see and hear what our students have achieved. In addition, we hope that you will strongly encourage your students to attend. The event is sponsored by a partner- ship of these entities: Graduate School, Brody Graduate Association, Graduate and Professional Student Senate, Office of Undergraduate Research, and Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. There will be over 270 student presentations, an impressive number that reflects the growth in student research and creative activity across all disciplines. Oral pre- sentations will take place on Monday, April 8 (Graduate Day) and Wednesday, April 10 (Undergraduate Day) with posters on display for an additional day each. In addition to presentations by students, we also will be recognizing four of our own outstanding faculty for their research and engagement accomplishments through presentations and at the awards ceremony. As a kick-off event, on March 18, the RENCI Visualization Challenge will be held. The International Scholars Symposium and the Sigma Xi Lecture and Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 9. The Scholar-Teacher Awards and Symposium and the College of Education Lecture will be held on Thursday, April 11. The whole week is capped off with the announcement of the student participant winners on Friday, April 12. Please consider encouraging your classes to attend specific discipline-related oral student presentations on Monday and Wednesday (April 8 and 10) or to view the poster presentations Monday through Thursday. Visit the RCAW blog at http://blog.ecu.edu/sites/rcaw for a schedule of events (click on Schedules). This is an exciting week and a great experience for our students. We look forward to seeing you at Mendenhall Student Center and participating in these events. Sincerely, Ronald L. Mitchelson, PhD 2013 | East Carolina University: Research and Creative Achievement Week 5 2013 PROGRAM SPONSORS 6 RCAW 2013 PROGRAM SPONSORS Division of Research and Graduate Studies Graduate School Brody Graduate Association Division of Health Sciences Graduate and Professional Student Senate Office of Undergraduate Research Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society 2013 | East Carolina University: Research and Creative Achievement Week 7 Planning Committee Research and Creative Achievement Week Tom McConnell: The Graduate School, Zachary Hewett: MBA Student, College Chair RCAW of Business Mary Farwell: Biology, Research and Derrick Isler: The Graduate School Graduate Studies, Co-Chair RCAW Meaghan Johnson: Student, Abbie Brown: Mathematics, Science, and Occupational Therapy, & VP of the Instructional Technology Education, Graduate & Professional Student College of Education Senate (GPSS) Evelyn Brown: Engineering, College of Donna Kain: English, Thomas Harriot Technology and Computer Science College of Arts and Sciences Paul DeVita: Kinesiology, College of Health David Martinson: Student, Microbiology and Human Performance and Immunology, & Treasurer, GPSS Christyn Dolbier: Psychology, Thomas Taylor Mattox, Student, Pharmacology Harriot College of Arts and Sciences & Toxicology Melani Duffrin: Nutrition and Dietetics, Margaret Pio: Research & Graduate College of Human Ecology Studies Nehad Elsawaf: Economics, Thomas Harriot Amy Tripp: The Graduate School College of Arts and Sciences Guili Zhang: Special Education, Rich Franklin: Microbiology & Immunology, Foundations, and Research, Brody School of Medicine College of Education Technical Committee Josh Brown Tony Cooke Wendy Creasey Laurie Godwin Derrick Isler Matthew Powell Ginny Sconiers John Southworth 8 April 8th- April 16th RCAW East Carolina University Research and Creative Achievement Week MON. 4.8.2013 Graduate Student Presentations all day (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) Oral sessions in MSC Great Room (GR) 1 Oral sessions in MSC Room 244 Graduate posters in MSC Room 221 Graduate posters in MSC Social Room Graduate posters in MSC 2nd floor balcony Women of Distinction Awards, Harvey Hall, Murphy Center (4:30 – 6:30 pm) TUES. 4.9.2013 Graduate Posters will remain up for viewing until 3 pm International Scholars Symposium, MSC Room 244 (1:00 - 5:00 pm) Sigma Xi Lecture & Meeting, MSC 244 (5:00 – 7:00 pm) WEDS. 4.10.2013 Undergraduate Student Presentations all day (8:30 am – 4:30 pm) Oral sessions in MSC Room 244 Oral sessions in MSC GR 1 Undergraduate posters in MSC Social Room Undergraduate posters in MSC Room 221 Undergraduate posters, MSC 2nd floor balcony Distinguished Faculty Luncheon (Invitation only) Lifetime, Scholarship of Engagment and Five-Year Awards, MSC GR 2 & 3 (noon-1:30 pm) Lifetime Achievement Seminar, MSC Room 244 (5:00 – 6:30 pm) THU. 4.11.2013 Undergraduate posters remain up until 3:00 pm College of Education Invited Faculty Research Lecture, MSC 244 (9:30 – 11:00 am) Scholar-Teacher Luncheon (Invitation only), MSC GR 2 & 3 (noon - 1:30 pm) Scholar-Teacher Symposium, MSC GR 1, MSC 244 (1:30 – 4:00 pm) Scholarship of Engagement Seminar, MSC 244 (5:00 – 6:30 pm) FRI. 4.12.2013 Student Awards Luncheon (Invitation only), MSC GR 1, 2 & 3 (noon - 1:30 pm) RCAW Awards Thesis/Dissertation Awards RENCI VISLAB Challenge Award Faculty Mentor Awards Carol F. Volkman Awards MON. 4.15.2013 Five-Year Achievement Seminar, Bate 1032 (5:00 - 6:30 pm) TUES. 4.16.2013 Five-Year Achievement Seminar, Bate 1032 (5:00 - 6:30 pm) 2013 | East Carolina University: Research and Creative Achievement Week 9 FACULTY RECOGNITION East Carolina University Research and Creative Achievement Week RCAW FACULTY RECOGNITION East Carolina University Research and Creative Achievement Week Lifetime Achievement Award Scholarship of Engagement Award Five-Year Achievement Awards Inventors & Innovators 2013 | East Carolina University: Research and Creative Achievement Week 11 RCAW East Carolina University Achievement Awards for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity Recipients of the Achievement for Excellence in Re- search and Creative Activity Award are recognized for the originality and excellence of their research and creative activities, as evidenced by sustained high qual- ity work performed at ECU. Recipients of the lifetime achievement award are recognized for accomplishments made across the entire span of their professional career, and recipients of the five year award are recognized for their achievements during five years of continuous ser- vice at ECU. All recipients were nominated by their peers in acknowledgement of their achievements. Awardees were selected by the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies upon recommendation of the Faculty Senate Academic Awards Committee. 2013 | East Carolina University: Research and Creative Achievement Week 13 Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Research & Creative Activity Roger A. Rulifson, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Biology, Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences Senior Scientist, Institute for Coastal Science & Policy, Division of Research & Graduate Studies “Fish Tales and Trails: 30+ Years of NC State developing an anadromous fish manage- Tracking the Elusive Striped Bass” ment plan for the southeastern United States for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It was this man- agement plan that truly focused his research on Dr. Rulifson was anadromous fish species and long distance migra- born, bred and tion for the next 30 years. raised in the mid- western town of After two years teaching at Unity College in Maine, Manchester Iowa. Rulifson was offered