Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Gas Mileage Of A Car, Joshua Ballard-Myer

Georgia College Student Research Events

The objective of this work is to analyze a data set, Auto, from the R package ISLR: Introduction to Statistical Learning in R. The data set includes information for 392 observations on 9 variables including gas mileage, horsepower, weight in pounds, and engine displacement in cubic inches. The data set was taken from the StatLib library maintained at Carnegie Mellon University. The primary response variable will be gas mileage in miles per gallon, with all other variables serving as predictors, but other relationships with other response variables such as acceleration will be explored. Results were similar to expected; traits desirable …

Analysis Of The Osteopathology In A Captive-Born Spectacled Bear, Savannah Vaz

Georgia College Student Research Events

Osseous tissue contains the preserved record of an organism’s diseases and injuries that can be uncovered by examination of the present skeletal abnormalities. This study provides a thorough inspection of osteopathology and its etiology in a modern ursid with a known medical history. The skeletal remains of a captive-born spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) were analysed for gross pathologies that manifested during the life of the animal. All observed osteopathologies were correlated with diseases experienced in the life of the individual, most of which were age-related. However, pythiosis, the grounds for his euthanization, may have contributed to some of the pathologies …

Introgression Zones And Boundary Lines Between Breeding Populations Of Two Subspecies Of Willow Flycatcher, Anna Tipton

Georgia College Student Research Events

The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Extimus traillii extimus) is an endangered subspecies of the Willow Flycatcher (Extimus traillii) and breeds exclusively in the dwindling riparian habitats in Southwestern US. The northern border between the southwestern subspecies and the subspecies to the north, E. t. adastus, isn’t clear because populations are not continuous along the border and environmental conditions like temperature and elevation differ. Introgression zones are areas where interbreeding between subspecies occurs when there is no physical barrier separating them. Our research objective was to see if subspecies breeding populations were consistent with the boundary lines and if there are zones …

Patterns Of Avian Net Avoidance, Kate Noah

Georgia College Student Research Events

Mist netting is the most popular field technique used to estimate avian species abundance. It can, however, provide a biased estimate of species abundance as not all birds are equally likely to be captured. This is partially due to net avoidance, the purposeful evasion of mist nets by birds. Net avoidance depends on several factors, including species, net conditions such as light exposure, and environmental conditions such as cloud cover. The purpose of this research is to explore which factors contribute to net avoidance at the bird banding station located at Panola Mountain State Park in Stockbridge, Georgia. I placed …

Time Specific Population Dynamics Of Diatoms In Artificial Environments, Sydney Brown

Georgia College Student Research Events

Algae serve as the base trophic level of aquatic systems, energetically supporting entire aquatic communities. Culturing in a laboratory setting requires significant phycological background and ecological knowledge to mimic their natural environmental conditions. The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of time on the growth of algal cultures. Gomphonema parvulum was the species investigated, falling into a class of algae known as diatoms- which are defined by cell walls composed of silica. Due to this unique morphological feature, asexual reproduction results in a diminution of cell size each generation in which restoration of natural sizes is initiated …

Validation Of Antibodies For The Immunolocalization Of Germ Cells In Alligator Gonads., Benjamin Austin

Georgia College Student Research Events

Previous studies of alligators from pesticide-contaminated lakes have shown decreased fertility in comparison to less polluted reference populations. Our research is focused on elucidating potential mechanisms of decreased reproductive success in alligators exposed to environmental contaminants during critical developmental periods. The localization and identification of germ cells during development can provide critical information in assessing future reproductive capability. Germ cells are the unique precursors of gametes, more commonly referred to as eggs and sperm. Specific cell types can be localized through immunohistochemistry (IHC), which involves the use of labeled antibodies to identify specific molecules present in the cells of interest. …

Modeling Fico Score And Loan Amount, Ashleigh Romer

Georgia College Student Research Events

In this research, we use Lending Club data from Kaggle to analyze FICO scores and loan amounts funded using multiple predictors. Lending Club is a US peer-to-peer lending company, headquartered in San Francisco, California. First, we cleaned our big data with 1,048,575 rows and 97 columns and then performed exploratory data analysis. We also used feature engineering and subset selection methods to build a linear model to predict FICO score and amount funded of customers loan requests. Overall, we found that FICO score is best modeled using backward regression which gives an exponential function with the predictors being grade, title, …

The Historiography Of Ballet Russes And The Russian Revolution: Dramaturgy For The Play Ballet Russes, Sachen Kele Pillay

Georgia College Student Research Events

This project investigates the political and artistic connections between the Ballet Russes dance company, and the wider socio-economic changes attributed to the Russian Revolution and the First World War. The 2019 Georgia College theatrical production of the play Ballet Russes, by Bernard Myers, follows the innovative and revolutionary ballet company of the same name. The story specifically focuses on the interpersonal relationship between the company’s Maestro Serge Diaghilev, and the legendary ballerino Vaslav Nijinsky. The central themes of the show revolve around the issues of exploitation, power structure, and revolution. The role of the dramaturg in the show’s production was …

The Relationship Between Children’S Misbehavior And Parental Discipline, Hannah Buggs, Emma Smith

Georgia College Student Research Events

The way parents perceive behaviors in children as to whether they are harmful would influence how they choose to deal with that behavior. When employing ineffective disciplinary styles consistently throughout children’s development, behavioral issues may continue to arise. Researchers oftentimes study how parenting discipline styles affect a child’s behavior. However, researchers often fail to study how parental perception of children’s behaviors concerning parenting disciplinary styles. In terms of behaviors, the frequency of children’s positive and negative behaviors may be related to how parents choose to regulate the child. For example, if the child demonstrates a higher frequency of misbehavior, it …

The Binding Site Between The Adenoviral Protein E4 11k And The Cellular Protein Ddx6, O'Nekia Samuel

Georgia College Student Research Events

Adenovirus is a nonenveloped virus that consists of an icosahedral capsid that contains double-stranded DNA. Viruses of this type can cause the common cold, conjunctivitis, and diarrhea. An important gene of adenoviruses is an early viral gene called E4 ORF3, which encodes the protein, E4 11k. This gene is responsible for changing the cellular environment, which aids in viral replication and prevents the host cell’s synthesis of proteins. E4 11k binds to Ddx6, a cellular protein located in P-bodies, and disrupts its localization. P-bodies are granules in the cytoplasm that contain mRNAs that have been repressed and proteins that are …

Nsc Role-Playing Simulations: Student Perspectives, Bentley Earnest

Georgia College Student Research Events

GC Student Research Conference Abstract: NSC Role-Playing Simulations: Student Perspectives Statement of Purpose: This will be an oral presentation accompanied by a powerpoint. The purpose of this project is to examine how Kuh and O’Donnell’s (2013) Eight “Key Elements' of High Impact Practices influence simulation based courses. Research Context: We are examining how applying Kuh and O’Donnell’s (2013) Eight “Key Elements” of High-Impact Practices to four National Security Council simulations conducted in Spring 2019 impacted student perspective, as well as assessing (from both faculty and student perspectives) how successful the simulations were in terms of these key elements. Our presentation …

The Gut Brain Connection: Does Our Diet Affect Our Mood?, Rachel Miller

Georgia College Student Research Events

Recent research studies have revealed that there is validity to the claim that “you are what you eat”. In fact, emerging science suggests that there is evidence supporting that eating a nutrient dense healthy diet impacts one’s mental health. The goal of this research is to explore how the foods we consume affect our emotions. More specifically this poster focuses on the gut-brain connection and how individuals with depression are impacted by their food choices. To investigate the link between nutrition and depression, a literature review of three prominent research articles was completed. The articles examined include A modified Mediterranean …

Surveying Furbearer Populations With Trail-Cameras At The Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, Patrick M. Powers 9761971

Georgia College Student Research Events

The use of cameras in wildlife studies has increased significantly in recent years. Motion activated cameras, often referred to as “trail-cameras” offer a unique advantage in that they allow the monitoring of an animal populations without physical capture. Numerous small mammal studies have used trail-camera technology to successfully collect data regarding species occurrence, habitat selection, and behavioral patterns. The objectives of this study are to obtain information regarding population size and habitat preference for furbearers on the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge (PNWR), located in central Georgia. One of the mandates for the Federal Wildlife Refuge system is to manage for …

Political Ideology And Media Consumption, Andrew Robinson

Georgia College Student Research Events

Politics is a far reaching phenomenon that, in essence, controls everything that we do in our daily lives without us even realizing it most of the time, and it is constantly evolving and changing to fit the narrative of the age. In this modern world, we see an increase in political radicalization, especially in the United States. Politics has become more of a social experience than a set of beliefs, with some going so far as to incorporate it into their personal identity and seek and find the ideas that best fit them. This research analyzes the effect that a …

The Ingredients Of Scientific Illiteracy, Marghuerite Crowell

Georgia College Student Research Events

As technology and medicine flourish in 21st century America through science, so does fear and opposition. This fear and opposition stems from the lack of an individuals understanding or education in the scientific field; simply called “Scientific Illiteracy”. Pressing issues involved with scientific illiteracy include vaccination, climate change, and evolution. Through extensive research in reading scientific papers, political pieces, statistics, and referencing other’s expertise, the culprits of this phenomenon prove to surpass just a lack of scientific education. Scientific Illiteracy forms from people’s religion, politics, core beliefs, and emotions. “Anti-vaxxers” lack of education of the chemical makeup of vaccines, prompts …

Mindfulness And Food Selfies: A Naturalistic Investigation Of Healthy Eating, Alishea Hight, Mariah Isbell

Georgia College Student Research Events

Mindfulness is increasingly linked to effective self-regulation including regulation of health behaviors. Eating is an important behavior for health, and mindfulness has been linked to healthier eating choices in self-report, cross-sectional studies, and in laboratory eating paradigms (e.g., Jordan et al., 2014). In contrast, impulsivity is linked to poor self-regulation such as purchasing behavior (Baumeister, 2002), and impulsivity scores have been shown to be related to weight (Price, Lee, & Higgs, 2013). Along these lines, we sought to examine the links between trait mindfulness and impulsivity and eating behaviors. However, instead of examining eating behaviors through global self-report or forced …

Neo-Aristotelian Criticism: An Analysis Of Senator Jeff Flake’S Address To The U.S. Senate, Caroline Chester

Georgia College Student Research Events

Rooted in Greco-Roman traditions of participatory government and public address, the study of rhetoric continues to frame understandings of modern political performance. Using theory developed by Aristotle and Cicero, speeches are fundamentally crafted around the principles of invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Political discourse can then be analyzed using these concepts. To that end, I use these principles to conduct a Neo-Aristotelian criticism of Senator Jeff Flake’s speech which calls for the value of humanity over that of guilt.Specifically, I use concepts contained within the area of invention to investigate the significance of presenting the speaker’s ethos (character as …

Biodiversity Assessment Of Champion Creek Utilizing Dna Barcoding, Kevin Xiong, Andy Davenport, Matt Davis, Josi Giovinazzo, Randi Evans, Jamila Harvey, Daniel Jones, Sydney Mastin, Sid Seccuro, David Watson

Georgia College Student Research Events

Biodiversity, the variety and number of species in a particular habitat, can be an important indicator of the overall health and functioning of an ecosystem. In this regard, to determine the diversity of an environment requires the ability to accurately identify what species are present and determine their relative abundance in the habitat. The accurate identification of species based on morphology can be problematic as it often overlooks cryptic species, relies on taxonomic expertise and often leads to incorrect identifications. An alternative that overcomes these limitations is DNA barcoding. DNA barcoding is a system of species identification that utilizes an …

Supercavitation Capabilities On A Submarine, Adam Vu

Georgia College Student Research Events

Submarines have shaped the way wars have been fought and have been influential in our understanding of fluid dynamics. In the past, supercavitation has been implemented to an idea that has been used to significantly increase the velocity of torpedoes in Chinese and Russian submarines. An example of this is the Russian VA-111 Shkval torpedo. The idea being that if your torpedo is expelling a gas out of the nose cone region, creating a boundary layer between the water and the torpedo, the torpedo will be facing much less resistance relative to when it was traveling in water alone. This …

The Lens Of Truth: A Critical Response To The Role Of Rinehart In Ellison's Invisible Man, Michael Cudmore

Georgia College Student Research Events

After exploring several different critical evaluations of Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man, I discovered that multiple scholars paint the figure Rinehart in a positive light, believing he represents the benefits and possibility of an African-American man living in an urban environment. Other critics posited that Rinehart serves more as a representation of a lack of morality and the deception of others, but they often only mentioned this point briefly or without substantial supporting evidence. This paper aims to not only argue that Rinehart serves as a more negative figure than many scholars believe, but also to build upon the arguments …

The Relationship Between Child’S Toy Selection And Anger: Then And Now, Rebecca Groeneveld, Julia Gottenberg, Taylor Logue, Kaylee Finlay

Georgia College Student Research Events

The Relationship Between Child’s Toy Selection and Anger: Then and Now

Female expression of anger has long been stigmatized due to historically, and still presently, strict gender roles. Anger is considered a “masculine” emotion, and women have often been discouraged from crossing that gender line. In a study done by Salerno et al. (2018), undergraduate students rated the effectiveness of both male and female attorneys who presented identical closing arguments. When the closing argument was spoken in an angry tone, the male attorneys were seen as significantly more effective than the women attorneys. When the students described the attorneys after …

Mobile Application For Animal Health: A Design Research In User Interface, Sierra White

Georgia College Student Research Events

Apps function to increase productivity and allow the user to complete tasks conveniently from their mobile device. As a college student who has several pets, I have found that there is no good app on the market which caters to every pet parent’s needs, which forces them to download four or five apps. To combat this problem, FurPaws gives the user a way to document every aspect of their pet’s health and daily routine, as well as providing information on first aid and expert, real-time advice from veterinarians. The E-Vet page is available to guests who have not yet registered, …

Welcome To Gendered Dada, Morgan Drawdy

Georgia College Student Research Events

This paper explores the works of art throughout the Dada art period from three specific artists; Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia, and Baroness Else Von Freytag-Loringhoven. It delves deep into the making of the pieces and the influences behind them. The pieces are analyzed through the lens of gender and gender bias that is caused by the changing of societal roles during World War One. Those roles touching on topics such as women entering the work force and the evolution and devolution of the typical masculine role throughout history. The paper is brought together to explore how these societal changes influenced …

Roots Of African American Christianity, Homer Jones

Georgia College Student Research Events

The basis of African American Christianity is influenced by African religion and the Gullah Geechee Corridor. This study is explored in a performance arts structure of choreography and dramaturgy. This is because there is a strong sense of arts presented in Africa as well as African American religion. This research is explored in Crowns by Regina Taylor. Crowns is important for this research because of the African American culture that is presented specifically at Georgia College and State University. Crowns is the first African American musical that emphasizes the idea of black culture and religion and how African religion is …

Mapping Community Space And Place In Mto Wa Mbu, Tanzania Through Surveys And Gis, Jessica Craigg

Georgia College Student Research Events

Cities throughout the African continent have been developing at an unprecedented pace, many of them due to the influence of the tourism industry. This is particularly true in Tanzania, a country famous for its national parks and their draw to tourists who help provide money for development. However, the only way to get the whole story on how to spend this money is through the experiences and needs of the people themselves. This study focuses on a small town in northeastern Tanzania, Mto wa Mbu, situated near Lake Manyara National Park, and its people’s perceptions of the park and community. …

Tri-Malleolar Fracture And Dislocation With Deltoid Rupture And Fibular Fracture, Kayla Bennett

Georgia College Student Research Events

Tri-Malleolar Fracture and Dislocation with Deltoid Rupture and Fibular Fracture Kayla Bennett Howard High School, Macon GA

The objective of this case study is to present the case of a high school football player with a tri-malleolar fracture and dislocation with deltoid rupture and a compound fracture of the fibula. The athlete in question is an 18-year-old male, African American, who played wide receiver at the time of injury. This case gives specific considerations to the differential diagnosis and the immediate treatments as well as the rehabilitation plan. This case is an extremely unique injury due to the distraction and …

Fermi-Lat Daily Monitoring Observations Of The Microquasar Cygnus X-1, Austin P. Waldron, Stephen R. Hood, Arash Bodaghee

Georgia College Student Research Events

Detection of gamma-ray emission from microquasars is important for understanding particle acceleration in the jet, and for constraining leptonic/hadronic emission models. We present a continuation of a 1-d likelihood analysis on gamma-ray observations by Fermi-LAT (0.1-10 GeV) of the accreting black hole candidate Cygnus X-1. Combining this gamma-ray data with available X-ray monitoring data from Swift and MAXI allowed us to reveal over a dozen days (in 2008-2016) during which Cyg X-1 displayed low-significance (3-4 sigma) excesses, many of which were contemporaneous with apparent transitions in the X-rays.

Using An Atomic Molecular Optics Laboratory For Undergraduate Research And Mentoring Of Physics Students In Georgia, Matthew P. Dallas

Georgia College Student Research Events

Using an Atomic Molecular Optics Laboratory for Undergraduate Research and Mentoring of Physics Students in Georgia

An Atomic and Molecular Optical (AMO) Physics research lab is an excellent tool to train and mentor undergraduate students in advanced laboratory techniques. Students gain valuable basic experience in experimental designs, data acquisition techniques, working with high precision optical equipment, building electronics, and working in the machine shop. The current project is building and testing an enclosure for the diode laser to reduce sound and vibrational interference. In addition, we are developing and evaluating a new, more compact laser cavity which is 3d printed. …

Does Where You Grow Up Affect Your Chances Of Being Drafted Into The Nfl?, Walker Head

Georgia College Student Research Events

The minimum rookie salary in the National Football League (NFL) is $450,000. First round picks often sign multi-year contracts worth more than $10 million. Players from some states are much more likely to receive college scholarships and eventually be drafted into the NFL, but it is not clear if this is a causal relationship. Utilizing data from Rivals and the NFL, I attempt to determine if where a player grew up has an impact on his chances of being drafted to play professional football. I focus on the top eight states, as it relates to percentage of recruits and my …

Do Farm Subsidies Affect Crop Diversification?, Chadwick O'Neal

Georgia College Student Research Events

The United States spends $20 billion each year on farm subsidies. Farmers face increased risk and income variation when their crop portfolio is less diversified. It’s possible for farm subsidies to decrease diversification if they are focused on specific crops. Utilizing state level subsidy and agricultural data from the Environmental Working Group, I used econometric analysis to estimate the effect of farm subsidies on crop diversification. I used the number of acres planted from the 15 top most subsidized and grown crops in the United States to derive my dependent variable, the Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI). The HHI is a market …