Table of Contents 2009 SSD Committee 2 Welcome from Co-Directors 3 McNair and Student Summer Scholars 4 History of SSD 5 Keynote Lecture Abstract 6 Keynote Biography 6 Schedule of Events 7 Artist’s Statement 7 Campus Map 8 Poster Location Maps 9 Schedule of Presentations & Exhibits 11 Poster Presentation Abstracts 43 Oral Presentation Abstracts 101 Film Presentations Abstracts 151 Panels & Demonstrations Abstracts 151 Index of Presenters 154 Index of Mentors 166 Sustainable Book Benefits 170 SSD Committee Cynthia Beel-Bates Nursing - Undergraduate Programs Bopaiah Biddanda Annis Water Resources Institute Robert Deaner Psychology Karen Gipson Physics Matthew Hart Chemistry Lindsey Kloeckner University Promotions Office Susan Mendoza Integrative Learning Melissa Morison Classics Debbie Morrow Library Felix Ngassa Chemistry Ross Reynolds Physics Mark Schwartz Anthropology Nancy Shontz Biology Suganthi Sridhar Biomedical Sciences Patricia Videtich Geology Janet Vigna Biology Shelley Sickrey College of Interdisciplinary Studies Welcome to Student Scholarship Day 2009 It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to celebrate the diversity and excellence of faculty-student collaboration at GVSU. In its 14th year, Student Scholarship Day continues to grow in scope, including six hundred students and mentors in over three hundred presentations. We are excited to support the achievements of these students repre- senting seventy diverse majors across the university. We encourage you to visit presentations of interest in a variety of disciplines and presentation formats, and to engage these students in meaningful discussions of their work. This event is a true celebration of creative thought and practice. Many have contributed to make this growing event a success. First, we thank the College of Interdisciplinary Studies and Dean Wendy Wenner for mentoring this day. The support of the CoIS office staff has been invaluable. We are especially grateful for the hard work and patience of Shelley Sickrey, who made this process manageable and to Ashlee Swider and Geoff Hickox for coordinating the volunteers. We thank the members of the 2009 SSD committee, Cynthia Beel-Bates, Bopaiah Biddanda, Robert Deaner, Karen Gipson, Matthew Hart, Lindsey Kloeckner, Susan Mendoza, Melissa Morison, Debbie Morrow, Felix Ngassa, Ross Reynolds, Mark Schwartz, Nancy Shontz, Suganthi Sridhar, Patricia Videtich, Janet Vigna and Shelley Sickrey for their dedication and continuous flow of creative ideas. It takes an entire year to put together a program like this, and we appreciate the hours spent engaging with us in this process. Once again Ben Rapin and Dan Slaughter deserve our gratitude for the tremendous amount of work they put into Web Registration for SSD. They are an outstanding team. We would also like to thank the Kirkhof Center staff, Fred Mooney and Kellie Pnack-Cater, for their assistance and patience. Our deepest thanks to Campus Dining for its generous contribution. Thank you to Leanne Dunlavey in the University Promotions Office for her outstanding work on the Abstract Book and SSD 2009 promotion material. This year’s visual theme illustrates how an event like Student Scholarship Day brings together the scholarly and creative work of individuals to shape and transform understanding. Thanks to our student, faculty, and staff volunteers for their commitment to the university’s mission and values, as evidenced by their involvement in this important activity. We value the time and effort given to this event. A very special thank you goes to the faculty mentors who work collaboratively with undergraduate and graduate students in their scholarly and creative pursuits. We know it takes a great deal of time and dedication, but these experiences make a formidable impression on the education of GVSU students. We applaud your commitment and passion for teaching and learning. And finally, a day like this does not happen without outstanding students like this year’s SSD presenters. These students have sought ways to connect their classroom experiences with scholarly and creative practice. They have engaged in a process of discovery that is often difficult and demanding. We thank these students for taking full advantage of their liberal education at GVSU. We are proud of their achievements and excited to share their success. Please enjoy this day of celebration. Attend the many presentations available throughout the day. We extend a special invitation to attend the presentation given by this year’s Keynote Speaker, Dr. Jennifer Blackmer from Ball State University. It is sure to be a day of enlightening experiences. Susan Mendoza Janet Vigna Director, Integrative Learning, College of Interdisciplinary Studie Associate Professor, Biology, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences SSD 2009 3 TRiO Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program The McNair Scholars Program is designed to prepare highly talented undergraduates to pursue doctoral degrees and to increase the number of individuals (from target groups) on college and university faculties. The McNair Scholars are highly talented undergraduate students whose parents have no 4-year college degree and are low-income, or groups underrepresented at the graduate level for doctoral studies. The program accepts students from all disciplines. The McNair Scholars receive academic counseling, advising, and GRE preparation. In addition, they’re matched with a Ph.D. faculty mentor to conduct research and attend a McNair research conference to present their findings. In the first semester of their senior year, the scholars receive assistance with the graduate school application process. McNair Scholars is a TRiO program funded through the United States Department of Education and Grand Valley State University. The 2008 McNair Scholars presenting at this year’s SSD include: Kimberly Anthony, Tiffany Cross, Christopher Denison, Stefanie Manee, David Martin, Anthony Rodriguez, Ryan Rosso, Samantha Schenk, Megan Taliaferro, Benjamin Winegard More information about the program can be found on the website at www.gvsu.edu/mcnair S3 Student Summer Scholars The Student Summer Scholars Program (S3) provides funds for a student and faculty mentor to devote twelve weeks to a research and/or creative project during the spring/summer semester. Through these grants and the mentorship of a faculty member, the S3 program offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate students to do hands-on, professional research and creative practice in their chosen field. Combining academics, field work, and a reflection component provides students with a meaningful learning experience that helps to prepare them for graduate school and future careers. For each S3 participant, the project begins with an innovative and thoroughly researched proposal. With guidance from faculty mentors, students identify a research question or an area of creative practice and shape the structure of their project. The value of mentorship is an important part of S3. Experienced faculty mentors act as support and sounding board for their students. By building on a foundation of academic and critical thinking skills provided by undergraduate courses, self-motivated students can use S3 to further their knowledge in a specific area while learning to incorporate academics with professional work. S3 provides students with a new lens through which to view their long-term educational, work, and life plans. The 2008 Student Summer Scholars presenting at this year’s SSD include: Andrew Bellenir, Brittany Benson, Rebecca Bolen, Laura Dahmer, Michelle Frasco, Emily Henk, Derek Janssens, Kevin Maupin, Elise Miller, Brandon Moblo, Connie Pan, April Russell, Kyle Schneider, Carrie Schoenborn, Andrew Sisson, Norrissa Thomas, Leonard Van Gelder, Kirk Wyatt, Sandi Xhumari More information about the program can be found on the website at www.gvsu.edu/s3 4 SSD 2009 History of Student Scholarship Day History ofBY Student NEAL ROGNESS AND Scholarship SHELLEY SICKREY Day BY NEAL ROGNESS AND SHELLEY SICKREY In the summer of 1995, a small group of faculty members in the Science and Mathematics Division met to explore the feasibility of creating an event where students could present their findings from faculty-mentored research to a university-wide audience. P. Douglas Kindschi, Dean of Science and Mathematics, was enthusiastically supportive, thus Student Research Day (SRD) was born. In the summer of 1995, a small group of faculty then Provost Glenn Niemeyer whole-heartedly sup- It was decided to hold the event on April 12, 1996, in conjunction with the dedication and members in the Science and Mathematics Division ported. Students from all majors were encouraged celebration of the new Seymour and Esther Padnos Hall of Science. The first-time event met to explore the feasibility of creating an event to present and/or exhibit their faculty-mentored was expected to draw about thirty student participants. All expectations were exceeded where students could present their findings from scholarly work at the event. To help make the event when the registration period ended with over 150 presenters committed to present almost faculty-mentored research to a university-wide au- more inclusive, its name was changed from Student 100 presentations. The first event was a tremendous success; however, it was unknown dience. P. Douglas Kindschi, Dean of Science and Research Day to Student Scholarship Day. The first whether SRD could be a successful “stand alone” event. These fears were quickly allayed Mathematics,