Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence Fall 2011 Volume II Issue II Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence ™ JUR Press Office for Undergraduate Research and Artistry 801 Oval Drive, Suite 140 Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1052 Fax: (970)-491-3483 Designers: Sara Mueller & Mark Lamborn Printer and Binder: Pioneer Printing & Stationery Company Inc. Cover Art: Tomás Vasconcelo Villalobos “Cerro abajo” meaning “Down the hill.” Photoshopped by Alex Allen and Mark Lamborn Copyright ©2011 JUR Press. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the United States Copy- right Act without the permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. The copyright of each article is held by the author. Re- quests for permission or further information should be addressed to the Operations Department of JUR. ISSN: 2156-5309 Printed in the United States of America Advertising Information: If you are interested in advertising or any other commercial opportunities, please contact the Director of Operations for JUR. Author Inquiries: For inquiries relating to the submission of articles please visit http://jur.colostate.edu. ii A letter from the editor: Parents, educators, and leaders alike are constantly encouraging students to continue their education, and for good reason. According to the U.S. Labor Department, college graduates earn significantly more over their lifetimes and have lower unemployment rates than high school graduates – a huge incentive in the weakened global economy of today. But with the rising costs of education, the majority of students graduate with loans averaging more than twenty thousand dollars. The availability of financial aid has decreased alongside mounting student fees, consequently ren- dering some college hopefuls unable to attend an institution of higher education. Around the world, frustrated students have risen up against an increasingly damaged higher education system. In Chile, students are demanding an overhaul of the education system and an end to the existence of profit and inequal- ity in higher education. In London, thousands of students are marching to protest a large increase in student fees. In the United States, record numbers of students are working twenty or more hours a week while student loans are at an all time high. With the rising importance of obtaining a degree of higher education, it is rather ironic that the world is making it increasingly difficult to achieve. The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence stands behind all students who value their education and commit to producing extraordinary work. JUR is a place to celebrate those students who are going above and beyond. Jessica Egner Editor in Chief Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence iii S Editor in Chief: Jessica Egner Natural Sciences at Colorado State University Managing Editor: Anna Eberhart Applied Human Sciences at Colorado State University Editorial Board: Jessica Anderson Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Emily Bolles Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Rose Corbett Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Krystal Kappeler Applied Human Sciences at Colorado State University Ryan Knodle Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University Mark Lamborn Liberal Arts and Business at Colorado State University Kapila Pothu Applied Human Sciences at Colorado State University Elizabeth Strait Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Luke Wadman Engineering at Colorado State University Tyanna Slobe Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Brittany Zetah Applied Human Sciences at Colorado State University Copy Editor: Jessica Anderson Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Director of Operations: Mark Lamborn Liberal Arts and Business at Colorado State University Publishing Associate: Sara Mueller Natural Sciences at Colorado State University Ashley Watson Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Marketing Associate: Sarah Dominick Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University Kevin Jascia Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Nathanael Smith General Science and Writing at Houghton University Marshall Taylor Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University Technology Coordinator: Emily Bolles Liberal Arts at Colorado State University Faculty Advisor: Dr. Mark Brown Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Director of the Offi ce for Undergraduate Research and Artistry Graduate Advisory Board: Ashley Gramza Natural Resources Melissa Edwards Natural Sciences Kate Wilkins Natural Resources Faculty Advisory Board: Dr. Susan Athey Business Dr. Ken Blehm Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Dr. John Didier Liberal Arts Dr. Matt Hickey Applied Human Sciences Dr. Nancy Irlbeck Agricultural Sciences Dr. Don Mykles Natural Sciences Dr. Chris Myrick Natural Resources Dr. Tom Siller Engineering iv Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence - Vol 2 Issue 2 T C Title Author and Institution Page Determination of Survivin as a critical mediator for cross-resistance Andy Vaughan with Dr. Bolin Liu and Shuliang Wang, 06 to Paclitaxel and Herceptin in breast cancer Ph.D. University of Colorado Cancer Center SET/MYND lysine methyltransferases regulate gene transcription Kristin Leinhart and Mark Brown, Ph.D. 08 and protein activity Colorado State University An analysis of short -term memory and Dissociative Identity Disor- Jeremy Kang 12 der Colorado State University Gut microfl ora for prevention and management of chronic metabolic Anna Eberhart 15 diseases Staff Editorial Fiber optic cables for laser ignition applications Greg Yoder 17 Colorado State University See you soon, grasshoppers Veronen Yazzen 21 Institute of American Indian Arts Los chicos de la calle Tomás Vasconcelo Villalobos 22 La Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile Th e boys of the street Tomás Vasconcelo Villalobos 23 La Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile Girl on a bed Nicole Grebb 24 Colorado State University Girl in black dress Nicole Grebb 25 Colorado State University Shift in Times Ciara Hindman 26 Colorado State University ¡Y va a caer, va a caer la educación de Pinochet! Tyanna Slobe 27 Staff Editorial Antecedentes y desafíos de la educación chilena Alfonso Samuel Tapia Brizuela 30 La Pontifi cia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile History and challenges for Chilean education Alfonso Samuel Tapia Brizuela 32 Translated by Tyanna Slobe and Federico Grinberg La Pontifi cia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile Native American communities and tourism as development: Pine Andrea Akers 39 Ridge Reservation case study Colorado State University English only in Valle Verde Michael Brydge 43 Colorado State University Hypothetical heresy: Faith and science as antagonistic world-views Eric Chase 48 Seattle Pacifi c University Horses in war: A history Natalie Garcia 49 Colorado State University Smile Tucker Legerski 54 Colorado State University Wonder as a rhetoric of ine ability in ekphrasis and translation in Joseph Muller 51 Chaucer’s Th e Book of the Duchess and Coleridge’s “ e Garden of Millsaps College Boccaccio” Jenni Herrick Shades of color Colorado State University 56 Journal of Undergraduate Research and Scholarly Excellence - Vol 2 Issue 2 v H S Determination of Survivin as a critical mediator for cross- resistance to Paclitaxel and Herceptin in breast cancer By Andy Vaughan with Bolin Liu, MD and Shuliang Wang, Ph.D. University of Colorado Cancer Center Student Cancer Research Fellowship Abstract signifi cant of the three will be the signaling of trol medium or the same medium containing A common problem in the clinical treat- PI3K/Akt which has been demonstrated to be varying concentrations of Taxol and incubat- a result of interactions between the erbB2 and ed for another 72 h. Aft er reading at 490 nm ment of breast cancer has become the resis- 4 tance of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic erbB3 receptors. with a micro-plate reader, the percentages of agents. Two types of such agents are the Interactions between erbB2 and erbB3 surviving cells from each group relative to monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Her- have also been demonstrated in breast cancer controls, defi ned as 100%, were determined ceptin) and the antitumor drug paclitaxel cells resistant to a diff erent antitumor drug by reduction of MTS. (Taxol). Th e mechanisms of resistance of the known as Taxol.2 Taxol works by hyper stabi- Quantifi cation of apoptosis two drugs have been extensively researched. lizing microtubules so that cells are unable to An apoptosis ELISA kit (Roche Diagnos- Here, we investigate the possibility of cross- function during metaphase of mitosis and are 5 tics) was used to measure quantitatively cyto- resistance between Herceptin and Taxol, forced toward apoptosis. Our recent studies plasmichistone-associated DNA fragments as thought to be possibly mediated by the pro- reveal that the paclitaxel resistance-induced we previously reported.3,5 tein Survivin. Survivin production was dis- by erbB2/erbB3 receptors is due to the upreg- played to have a role in mediation of cross- ulation of a protein called Survivin, a member Western blot analysis resistance to Taxol and Herceptin. Th us, of the IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) family, via 2 Cell lysates were boiled in SDS-sample buf- Survivin provides a future possible target for PI3K/Akt signaling-dependent mechanism. fer, resolved by SDS-PAGE, transferred to ni- anti-cancer therapy. However, the precise mechanism by which trocellulose