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Articles 1 - 30 of 93
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Neutron Electric Dipole Moment: Research And Development, Benjamin Barber
Neutron Electric Dipole Moment: Research And Development, Benjamin Barber
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The neutron's electric dipole moment (nEDM) serves as an important test of the Standard Model of particle physics and it's various alternatives. Various models of fundamental physics allow for different magnitudes for the nEDM, and recent experiments have begun to exclude some models. Valparaiso University is part of a collaboration of institutions working on an improved experiment to measure the nEDM, to be conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the next few years. The experiment will be performed at 0.4 Kelvin, and will involve the use of magnetic fields and very large electric fields. Research at Los Alamos National …
The Design And Manufacturing Of The Solar Furnace Reactor Table, Chris Baum, Zach Saylor, Andrew Schiller
The Design And Manufacturing Of The Solar Furnace Reactor Table, Chris Baum, Zach Saylor, Andrew Schiller
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The James S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility at Valparaiso University will concentrate energy from the sun into a reactor containing unprocessed materials. The concentrated light causes a reaction to occur, turning unprocessed materials into alternative energy products. Accurate placement of the reactor at the focal point of the concentrator is necessary to allow the maximum amount of solar energy to enter the reactor. The Reactor Table was designed and built by Valparaiso University students and faculty. The table controls the placement of the reactor at the focal point of the concentrator quickly and easily by using a computer located …
Improving Assessment Strategies In General Chemistry, Samantha Cassell
Improving Assessment Strategies In General Chemistry, Samantha Cassell
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
In an effort to improve assessment strategies in a general chemistry course at Valparaiso University, a new homework submission and evaluation system was implemented. Learning objectives for the course were revised to match new goals. These updated learning objectives guided the creation of homework problem sets on the LearningOnline Network with Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach (LON-CAPA). This free, open-source, distributed learning content management system provides improved homework assessment for students through immediate feedback, personalized questions, and a flexible format. Homework for the first semester general chemistry course was prepared on LON-CAPA and a simple user's guide was also created for LON-CAPA …
Creek And Lake Water Analysis Of The Little Calumet East Branch Watershed, Nicholas H. Feller, Melissa Dorton
Creek And Lake Water Analysis Of The Little Calumet East Branch Watershed, Nicholas H. Feller, Melissa Dorton
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The overall goal of this project is to collect and analyze baseline water quality data in the Little Calumet East Branch (LCEB) watershed. This watershed spans portions of Porter and LaPorte counties in northwest Indiana and drains into Lake Michigan. The LCEB currently has impaired water quality. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has awarded Save the Dunes Conservancy Foundation a two year grant to develop and implement a Watershed Management Plan to improve water quality. During the summer of 2012, the following water quality parameters were collected weekly from 15 sites spread throughout the watershed: 1) pH, 2) …
Designing A Calorimeter To Calibrate An Optical Radiative Flux Measurement System To Find The Power Entering A Solar Reactor, Jesse Fosheim, Melissa Meyer, Jonathan Ogland-Hand
Designing A Calorimeter To Calibrate An Optical Radiative Flux Measurement System To Find The Power Entering A Solar Reactor, Jesse Fosheim, Melissa Meyer, Jonathan Ogland-Hand
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
A solar furnace has been constructed at Valparaiso University to test the performance of various solar chemical reactors. A primary performance index of a solar chemical reactor is the efficiency, or the fraction of the energy that enters the reactor that is utilized in the chemical reaction. To calculate this efficiency, we must first know how much solar power is entering the reactor. An optical radiative flux measurement system has been developed that gives the solar flux distribution over the aperture of the reactor, but must be calibrated to provide the actual power level. Therefore, a calorimeter was designed and …
Finding Variable Stars In Planetary Nebulae Using The Isis Image Subtraction Software, Jake Long, Kevin Nault
Finding Variable Stars In Planetary Nebulae Using The Isis Image Subtraction Software, Jake Long, Kevin Nault
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Planetary nebulae are a brief and often spectacular stage in the life of stars like the sun during which the star expels its outer layers into space. In order to explain the great variety of observed shapes among planetary nebulae, we are examining the theory that binary central stars of planetary nebulae are a significant factor in their shaping. We determine if the central star of planetary nebulae is binary by looking for photometric periodic variability, a common feature of close binary systems. Using existing data we evaluate the variability using a computer program called ISIS. We have seen the …
Spectroscopic Study Of Host-Guest Inclusion Complexes, Jenessa Lucas, Jennifer Holt
Spectroscopic Study Of Host-Guest Inclusion Complexes, Jenessa Lucas, Jennifer Holt
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
A host-guest complex is formed by a host molecule encapsulating a guest molecule within it. The host materials in this study are basket-shaped structures, known as cyclodextrins, which can easily incorporate a variety of guests, such as drug molecules. These inclusion complexes made with cyclodextrins and drugs can be developed to have different release rates within the body. The cyclodextrin can be used to protect the drug until it reaches its destination within the body. This study focuses on Brooker’s merocyanine (BM) as the guest molecule, since it has a similar structure to stilbene-related drugs. UV/Vis and fluorometer spectroscopic studies …
The Search For An Epoxide Precursor In Trimethylenemethane (Tmm) Cycloaddition Reactions, Christopher Miko
The Search For An Epoxide Precursor In Trimethylenemethane (Tmm) Cycloaddition Reactions, Christopher Miko
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Trimethylenemethane (TMM) cycloaddition is a Pd(0)-catalyzed process in which new carbon rings are formed, which can be potentially useful in synthetic organic processes. The epoxide starting material (trimethyl(2-oxiranyl-2-propenyl)silane) was created in a three-step process from propargyl alcohol. This molecule was subjected to various reaction conditions in order to test the theoretical assumptions of the reaction mechanism. Efforts to characterize the product(s) are ongoing.
Electrical Control And Safety System For Solar Furnace, Parisa Nasserifar, Jason Toberman
Electrical Control And Safety System For Solar Furnace, Parisa Nasserifar, Jason Toberman
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The Valparaiso University College of Engineering has recently received a donor gift and a federal earmark to design and manufacture a solar furnace facility. In the solar facility, a heliostat will reflect sunlight straight into the concentrator at every instant. However, due to manufacturing tolerances and inaccuracy in sun’s position model a sun sensor is added in the heliostat sun tracking system. The sun sensor fine adjusts the heliostat’s position so the reflected sunlight is normal to the concentrator. Our goal is to develop a sun sensor that provides an unbalanced output signal when the sensors receive an unbalanced light …
Ambler Flatwoods: Invasive Species Control, Alexandra Olson
Ambler Flatwoods: Invasive Species Control, Alexandra Olson
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The poster will cover topics of our daily work at Shirley Heinze Land Trust, mainly invasive species control in the area and the techniques used to control the number of these plants. I would also like to cover the topic of herbicides because we use them on a daily basis. In addition I would like to present some of our research techniques that we use while evaluating areas and performing pre- and post-treatment on them.
The Reaction Of Methane With Platinum Oxide Nanoclusters: A Computational Study, Dane Stewart
The Reaction Of Methane With Platinum Oxide Nanoclusters: A Computational Study, Dane Stewart
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Previous studies have shown that small clusters of transition metals like Pt, when reacted with oxygen, have useful catalytic properties compared to thin-film or bulk catalysts. These clusters have the potential for use in developing cheaper methods for converting propane to propene, which is a high-value compound used in making plastics. Understanding the structure and formation of these clusters is essential to gauging how reactive each catalyst is. Computational studies of Pt4O2 are being done using Gaussian 03 to understand their formation, and determine the stability of different spin states. The effectiveness of these clusters is then being tested using …
Determination Of Flow Rate Using Ultrasonic Sensing For Water Quality Monitoring, Peter Bocek
Determination Of Flow Rate Using Ultrasonic Sensing For Water Quality Monitoring, Peter Bocek
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
To monitor the water quality of a stream or river, one must accurately and continuously measure the flow rate. The goal of this project is to build an inexpensive, accurate, and reliable flow meter that will provide continuous flow rate data. Our meter design operates by using an ultrasonic sensor to determine the height of the stream as it passes over a weir. This height can be directly related to the flow rate of the stream. By combining flow data with other water quality measures (e.g., phosphorous concentration), one can quantitatively characterize the health of the stream.
Vu Solar Furnace: Final Design And Construction Of Louver System, Chris Baum, Zach Saylor, Andrew Schiller, Gretchen Vanheeren
Vu Solar Furnace: Final Design And Construction Of Louver System, Chris Baum, Zach Saylor, Andrew Schiller, Gretchen Vanheeren
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Solar energy is an environmentally clean and abundant alternative to the use of fossil fuels. One method of harnessing solar energy, solar thermal electrochemistry, uses a solar furnace to concentrate sunlight and heat a reactor to temperatures around 2000 K. At such high temperatures, metallic oxides can be decomposed into metals and oxygen with minimal electrical work. The solar furnace used for this process consists of a heliostat, which tracks the sun; a concentrator, which focuses the light to a single point; and a reactor in which the chemical reaction takes place. To control the amount of sunlight entering the …
An Event By Event Comparison Of Clustering Algorithms, Billy Pochran
An Event By Event Comparison Of Clustering Algorithms, Billy Pochran
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
In the effort of discerning the origin of the proton spin, the STAR detector at RHIC collide polarized protons at high energies and many particles are created. Of these, several particles are of interest, which include the neutral pion (π˚) and the photon (γ). Within the endcap calorimeter (EEMC), there is a circular configuration of 720 tiles, composed of plastic scintillator strips called the shower max detector (SMD), pre- and post-shower detectors, and towers. This setup can detect photons and other charged particles. Two algorithms, dubbed “IU” and “TSP,” have different methods of combining hits in the detectors to form …
Water Quality In Restored Wetlands And The Valparaiso Chain Of Lakes Watershed, Diandra Obermeyer, John Stewart
Water Quality In Restored Wetlands And The Valparaiso Chain Of Lakes Watershed, Diandra Obermeyer, John Stewart
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Over the past decade, The Great Marsh has been undergoing a restoration process. In conjunction with the National Park Service and LAC, Valparaiso has taken an active role in monitoring the restoration effort. Previously, 18 different sites entering, within, and exiting The Great Marsh had been established. Over the past few years, 16 water quality parameters were monitored at those sites. These parameters included total and reactive phosphorus testing, temperature, chloride, nitrate, and dissolved oxygen levels. Previously the data has shown a decrease in all values from entering to exiting the marsh. This decrease indicates that the wetland has been …
Circadian Rhythm In Yeast, Jake Yablonowski, Michael Borchert
Circadian Rhythm In Yeast, Jake Yablonowski, Michael Borchert
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Circadian rhythms are found in a variety of organisms and are involved in controlling activity of the organism. However, a circadian rhythm for yeast has not been discovered yet. The goal of this study is to find evidence for a circadian rhythm in yeast by looking for changes in GAPDH concentrations and peroxiredoxin levels. GAPDH and peroxiredoxin have been shown to be controlled by the circadian clock in many organisms. A continuous yeast culture is sampled every two hours over a period of about 104 hours. Each sample is processed and tested for the concentration of GAPDH using GAPDH reagent. …
Performance Studies Of The Forward Gem Tracker, Malorie Stowe
Performance Studies Of The Forward Gem Tracker, Malorie Stowe
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The spin of the proton is thought to be produced by several constituents including quarks, antiquarks, and gluons. It has been the goal of STAR (Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC) to measure the contribution of gluons and various sea quarks to the proton spin. The Forward GEM Tracker (FGT) is a detector in STAR, which is located at the RHIC (Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider) collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The FGT serves to track the position of forward-going charged particles, and it will be instrumental in observing the decay leptons from W bosons created by the interaction of the quark of …
Stability Of The Gains Of The Star Endcap Calorimeter From 2006 To 2011, Kayla Kutz
Stability Of The Gains Of The Star Endcap Calorimeter From 2006 To 2011, Kayla Kutz
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The Solenoidal Tracker at RHIC (STAR) experiment, based at Brookhaven National Laboratory's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), uses polarized-proton collisions to investigate sea quark and gluon contributions to the known proton spin. The STAR detector's Endcap Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EEMC) measures the energy of particles produced by those collisions using a lead-scintillator sampling calorimeter, consisting of several layers that include pre-shower, shower maximum, and post-shower detectors. In these detectors, the energy gains which convert a measured pulse into a particle energy measurement, have been calculated using data taken from the years, 2006, 2009 and 2011. Changes in the gains over time …
Neutral Pion Background Analysis At Star, Adam Clark
Neutral Pion Background Analysis At Star, Adam Clark
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory takes measurements of cross section and spin observables of polarized proton collisions. The Endcap Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EEMC) allows measurements of electromagnetic particles in the forward direction, 1 < η < 2. The EEMC detector will be used to measure the neutral pion (π0) double longitudinal spin asymmetry which gives us information about the gluon contribution to the proton's spin. The π0 cross section is an important measurement to verify our signal reconstruction and the background characterization. In order to measure the π0 cross section and asymmetry, the backgrounds must be identified (such as those from photon conversions and …
Studying The Variability Of Dying Stars, Austin Bain, Hannah Rotter, Aaron Seider
Studying The Variability Of Dying Stars, Austin Bain, Hannah Rotter, Aaron Seider
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
In this project, we are observing and analyzing the light variability in a class of dying stars. This involves observing then on clear nights, primarily at the Valparaiso University Observatory but also including a few nights at the SARA Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Thus far this summer we have observed for 25 nights and we observed 31 stars. Some of them we observed on every clear night and others we observed once or twice a week. We are analyzing a subset of 18 of these. We find that they have varied in light by 12 to …
Verification Of Monte-Carlo Simulation For Star Eemc, Kevin Miller
Verification Of Monte-Carlo Simulation For Star Eemc, Kevin Miller
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Spin experiments using the STAR detector at Brookhaven National Laboratory seek to measure the gluon contribution to the proton’s spin. The Endcap Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EEMC), a portion of the STAR detector, is used to enhance the clarity and quality of the measurements from proton-proton collisions. These measurements require the EEMC to be well–modeled in the STAR simulation package. This analysis will confront simulations and data from proton-proton collision runs taken in 2006. Comparisons of qualities, such as cluster energy, opening angle, particle invariant masses, and hit distributions will be shown. When validated, the Monte-Carlo simulation will serve STAR physicists as …
Bach And Opera: Is It Possible?, Hilary Clark
Bach And Opera: Is It Possible?, Hilary Clark
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Devoted to the art and science of technique, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is a celebrated master of the musical genres of the time, except for opera. Based on his musical upbringing and his independent attitude, there exists a possibility that Bach had the propensity to be an operatic composer. An exploration into this perspective leads us to wonder: Why did Bach never become an opera composer? Are there operatic features present in non-operatic works? What factors might have affected his inclination toward operatic composition? An investigation into professional development and influences from his early days in Arnstadt to his mature …
Queer Neo-Mexicanism: Negotiating Mexican And Gay Identities In The Art Of Nahum B. Zenil And Julio Galán, Nicholas Derda
Queer Neo-Mexicanism: Negotiating Mexican And Gay Identities In The Art Of Nahum B. Zenil And Julio Galán, Nicholas Derda
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The Mexican artists Nahum B. Zenil and Julio Galán have become the poster children for being gay and Mexican in contemporary art criticism. Critics have drawn comparisons between Zenil and Galán because of their thematic treatment of gay sexuality and Mexican nationalism. These comparisons, however, have often assumed that Zenil and Galán are representing a monolithic gay sexuality that is unaffected by their social class, their relationships to nationalism and Catholicism, and their views on the role of art in social activism. This paper aims to analyze specifically how Zenil and Galán represent two distinct gay identities, all the while …
Religious Individualization, American Catholicism, And Vatican Ii: Issues Of Influence And Interpretation, Laura Ehlen
Religious Individualization, American Catholicism, And Vatican Ii: Issues Of Influence And Interpretation, Laura Ehlen
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
It cannot be denied that, throughout the history of the Christian tradition, religious doctrine has changed over time, yet a debate exists over the degree to which these changes are the effects of historically specific socio-cultural forces, and the degree to which they are the effects of solely theological forces, such as divine revelation or ecumenical councils. While many Christian thinkers want to consider doctrine as existing in isolation from history and culture and thus only altered by divine revelation, Christian history reveals a number of incidents, from the reign of Constantine to the Reformation to the Enlightenment, where culture …
The Solar Thermal Decoupled Electrolysis Of Water Process: An Investigation Of The Electrochemistry In A Base, Jessica Guertin
The Solar Thermal Decoupled Electrolysis Of Water Process: An Investigation Of The Electrochemistry In A Base, Jessica Guertin
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The solar research team at Valparaiso University is developing solar thermal chemical processes that will transform solar energy into economically viable and reusable energy forms. One subgroup is working on the Solar Thermal Decoupled Electrolysis of Water Process. In this multi-step process, the electrolysis of water to generate hydrogen occurs at room temperature outside of the solar reactor, and it is facilitated by the oxidation of magnetite (Fe3O4) to hematite (Fe2O3). The hematite is then pumped to the solar reactor where it is reduced back to magnetite at high temperatures with the liberation of oxygen. This cycle is then repeated. …
Mary Grace And The Warthog From Hell: Violent Redemption In Flannery O’Connor’S “Revelation”, Halina Hopkins
Mary Grace And The Warthog From Hell: Violent Redemption In Flannery O’Connor’S “Revelation”, Halina Hopkins
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Scholarship on the works of Flannery O’Connor is divided concerning her depiction of divine grace as a violent force. Some scholars worry that her insistence on the violence of grace makes God a violent God or excuses the pain and brokenness of the world. Despite the arguments of those who oppose O’Connor’s view of violent grace, this paper will argue that O’Connor is right to depict violence in her short stories because, although it might be counterintuitive to think of divine grace wounding before it heals, being torn from an old life of sin is painful. While not excusing violence …
Prayers From Underground: The Psalmic Voice In Dostoevsky’S Notes From Underground, Jacob Just
Prayers From Underground: The Psalmic Voice In Dostoevsky’S Notes From Underground, Jacob Just
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Criticism concerning Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground has primarily focused on the social and historical context in which the novel was situated. Scholars have traditionally resisted a religious reading and therefore have usually found their grounding in the political, psychological, and philosophical systems of thought in mid-19th century Russian society. Though many of these readings of Dostoevsky's short novel are valid, they have missed the deeply theological concerns of Notes from Underground, and have focused, if at all theologically, on the possibilities of the novel as a forerunner of 20th century existentialism. However, my research demonstrates that Notes from …
Don’T Weight!: A Public Relations Campaign To Raise Awareness About Childhood Obesity, Ellyn Lange, Murphy Maes, Molly Heztner
Don’T Weight!: A Public Relations Campaign To Raise Awareness About Childhood Obesity, Ellyn Lange, Murphy Maes, Molly Heztner
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
This research was the basis for a national campaign competition to raise awareness about childhood obesity, called the Bateman competition. As members of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and Valpo's student-run agency SPARK, this campaign was affiliated with PRSSA and sponsored by General Mills and United Way. Research on childhood obesity was initiated in October, 2011 and the campaign was implemented throughout the month of February. The research established one particular disturbing fact – more than 70% of those who are obese during childhood will remain the same in their adulthood (http://childhoodobesitystatistics.net/facts.php). Therefore, by naming …
Evaluating The Role Of Cellular Swelling In Glutamine’S Induction Of Heat Shock Proteins, Diana Stutzman
Evaluating The Role Of Cellular Swelling In Glutamine’S Induction Of Heat Shock Proteins, Diana Stutzman
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
The goal of this study was to elucidate the mechanism by which the conditionally essential amino acid glutamine (Gln) exerts cellular protection in acute infection or trauma. Specifically, this study tested the hypothesis that cellular uptake of Gln causes the cell to swell, which in turn induces expression of protective heat shock proteins (HSPs). Gln has previously been shown to accelerate expression of HSPs at least in part by providing a key metabolic building block for HSP synthesis. The full mechanism, however, is only incompletely understood. Previous work has demonstrated that the synthetic amino acid α-aminoisobutyric acid (α-AIB) exhibits a …
Art Museum Curators And Management, Tiffany Tyler
Art Museum Curators And Management, Tiffany Tyler
Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE)
Art museums house the greatest works from artists around the world from classics to modern pop art, without discrimination and open to interpretation. Art museums are debatably one of the most sacred places in society. Any history museum will give details about ancient artifacts or new discoveries; art, however, can change in meaning with each new visitor. Museum curators go beyond the “do not touch” signs with their large key rings opening vaults of worth and beauty. Curators work directly with artists and other museums to resurrect a dying cultural tradition. With the assistance of Valparaiso University’s own Gloria Ruff, …