Digital Commons Network^™

Bad Blood: Investigating The Ban On Msm Blood Donation, Lauren Lacy

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

In 1983, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), responding to the AIDS epidemic, adopted a policy of deferring men who have had sex with men (MSM) at anytime since 1977 from donating blood. The current policy, adopted in 1992, continues to defer this group indefinitely. This paper investigates the societal implications of the deferred status. I will first examine the unique relationship gay and bisexual men have with the AIDS epidemic in American history.I challenge the FDAs claim that the ban is solely rooted in behavioral practices, using data on rates of contraction, behavioral practices relevant to MSM (condom use, …

Winded: Evaluating Community And Operator Relations In Maine Community-Based Wind Energy Projects, Madeline Wilson

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Maines promising wind energy industry is growing and rural and island communities have begun pursuing wind turbine-generated electricity. The Fox Islands have, through the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, successfully established a wind operation to provide the 1,500 island residents with electricity produced by three 1.5 megawatt turbines situated on Vinalhaven Island. However, shortly after the turbines began operation, a small but vocal group of Vinalhaven residents began to speak out against the noise issues they found as a product of living in the vicinity of the project. After numerous newspaper articles from both sides and formal complaints submitted to the …

The Highway Game: Optimizing The Number Of Tollbooths, Meaghan Lewia, Tara Chizinski, Megan Lasher

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

One of the biggest woes of highway drivers is the amount of tolls along the road that require each vehicle to not only slow down significantly, but also pay sometimes up to -8 to the State. This inconvenience is protested on various levels, but since its clear that the government must institute some type of toll system, we have decided to find a model that will at least optimize the time for each driver while still saving the State as much money as possible. Our report constructs a model of the ideal amount of tollbooths for any number of highway …

Community Dental Center, Randall Person, Sarah Mann, Susan Fleurant, Lily Cabour

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

We are writing a grant in partnership with a local nonprofit, the Community Dental Center in Waterville. The Community Dental Center provides comprehensive dental care for low-income patients in Kennebec and Somerset counties. The grant money would fund two programs targeting specific, at-risk populations of women in Central Maine. One program focuses on dental health education for teenage mothers at the Maine Childrens Home. The second program is the provision of dental services for victims of domestic violence. Dental health has been shown to directly influence school and work attendance, overall health, and self-esteem. With proper care and education, dental …

Russia's Unveiling; An Examination Of Political Construction Through Media Coverage, Sydney Hammond

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

On February 7, 2014, the day of Fisht Stadiums Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony, NBC ran an eight-hour tape-delay, releasing their idea of a more complete version of the 11:00 a.m. ET ceremony at 7:30 p.m. ET. The tape-delay allowed NBC to make edits to their film, which would include the exclusion of entire segments of the games. These abandoned segments, although no longer then five minutes each, depict a shifting image of Russia that gone unseen, can easily hinder American perceptions of Russia, allowing NBC to exploit dated notions of the countrys character. In the pages to follow, I will …

Interactions Between Species In An Anthropogenically Altered Ridge-Top Wetland Ecosystem, Chelsea Kross

University Presentation Showcase Event

Hundreds of wetlands have been constructed as permanent water sources in a ridge-top ecosystem in eastern Kentucky where there were naturally only ephemeral wetlands. Consequently, the ecosystem was colonized by an amphibian community of species with a =period that requires a long hydroperiod (e.g., Newts) and many that are top amphibian predators. In contrast, the natural ephemeral wetlands support amphibians with a shorter larval period (e.g., Wood Frogs). Some ephemeral wetland species will breed in constructed wetlands; thus, there could be negative impacts on these species. Our objectives were to: (1) determine if species of the ephemeral and constructed amphibian …

Adventure Therapy In The Lives Of Adolescents And Men, George Thompson

University Presentation Showcase Event

In America, adolescent drug use, violent crime, and behavioral problems are on the rise while their academic performance, stability at home, opportunities for employment, and community health are all on the decline. Adventure therapy is a relatively new and unique approach to providing therapy for these individuals.

Adventure Therapy can be defined as “the prescriptive use of adventure experiences provided by mental health professionals, often conducted in natural settings that kinesthetically engage clients on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels” (Gass, Gillis, and Russell, 2012). Researchers are finding that adventure therapy produces several benefits and is gaining popularity around the nation.

Impacting And Improving Communities: Identifying The Best In The Parks And Recreation Field, Jamie L. Woolery

University Presentation Showcase Event

For both Roswell and Westerville a main focus has been on inclusion and diversity. Both are focusing on doing anything it might take to make sure everyone in their communities can participate and become successful.

Cohorts that both Westerville and Roswell are adapting to fit the needs of are teens, senior adults, families, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

They are creating both innovative programs along with experimental programs to see what will fit the needs of their communities the best, with great success they have become NRPA Gold Medal Finalists in 2013!

Pseudoephedrine Scheduling And Violent Crime, Alexander Morris, Quinn Ziegler, Lily Tilton

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

In this paper we seek to explore the relationship between methamphetamine usage and violent crime in the United States. As a drug produced from readily available ingredients, methamphetamines presence is felt across the country, and it is often anecdotally linked with both violent crime and property crime. Through the analysis of state-level data, we hope to determine whether or not methamphetamine availability is a useful predictor of crime. Methamphetamine usage is difficult to measure, as its production and consumption is not reliably tracked by virtue of its illicit nature. However, we can approximate methamphetamine usage by state using other metrics, …

It's Just A Number: Influences Of Body Image Pressures On Diii Female Athletes, Christina Mccourt

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

There are strong societal norms around what it means to be a woman and be an athlete. These norms get reinforced so much that female athletes internalize these ideas to the point that they begin to change their habits to better fit the demands of society. Being an athlete at a high level creates physical pressures for young women, but the extra mental pressures forced upon them can be detrimental both mentally and physically. The months I spent researching female athletes at Colby were intended to help answer several questions. The first was what pressures female athletes felt that they …

Historical Baselines For Large Sharks In Cape Cod, Massachusetts (Usa): Putting Recent Observed Increases Into Context, Elizabeth Mccormack

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Over the last decade, observations of sharks in the waters around Cape Cod, Massachusetts (USA) have increased, possibly related to increases in seal populations. However, historical data are needed to put these recent increases into a long-term context. Using newspaper articles, photographs, and fishing tournament records, we compiled historical data on sharks in the waters around Cape Cod from approximately a one hundred year period, from 1830 to 1939. We compared these to trends in modern observations to establish baselines. As well, we document trends in commercial and cultural value of sharks in New England since the early 19th century. …

Nutrient Availability And Species Evenness Influence Productivity During Early Stages Of A Tropical Forest Restoration, Emma Rosenfield, Lauren Bizzari, Julia Rogers

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Forest restorations aim to maximize the number of species and the productivity at the community level. In a tropical rainforest restoration, often limited number of species are available from local growers; so manipulating the number of individuals of each species (the evenness) might best achieve the goals of restoration. Planting equal numbers of individuals of each species may allow for the most complementary use of soil nutrients; however fertilizer may change this dynamic. Moreover, in a community where there is one dominant species, the productivity of the community may depend upon the identity of that dominant species. We asked whether …

The Effects Of Climate Change On Food Borne Diseases And Nutrition, Erin Griffin, Hannah Twombly

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Despite the need for more research in order to assess fully the effects of climate change on human health, there is significant evidence to suggest the implications of climate change on food- and waterborne diseases and nutrition are significant. This study assesses the extent to which increasing temperatures and extreme weather events are increasing the incidence of foodborne disease and malnutrition in humans. Our study will focus on current research illustrating the connection between the incidence of these diseases with periods of high temperatures and rare weather patterns. We will also assess current policy in place governing climate change and …

Concussions In Varsity Athletes, Lily Cabour

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

This research project will analyze the HIT App (Hit Injury Tracker) data from the 2013-14 school year. The HIT App is an ongoing research project for the Colby-based nonprofit, Maine Concussion Management Initiative (MCMI). MCMI is dedicated to improving the safety of Maines youth by increasing awareness and education on concussion management. MCMI is a pioneer in concussion research and education outreach in the state of Maine, and is beginning to expand its impact across New England. Through the HIT App data, we hope to reveal trends in concussion injury for student athletes (high school and college level) based on …

Maine's Eelgrass Habitat Loss Between 1997 And 2010, Mary Parks

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Maines eelgrass meadows serve as an important habitat for many marine organisms. The sea grass, Zostera marina grows in beds anchored to the marine floor and reaches lengths of up to five feet. The unique structure of the beds provides protection to a large span of marine invertebrates and juvenile fish, prevents erosion by stabilizing sediment layers, and improves water quality by filtering nutrients and sediments. It is also consumed by various marine invertebrate species as a primary food source. However, eelgrass meadows have been subject to significant environmental degradation over the past century due to boat traffic, mooring, docking, …

Individuals Willingness To Pay For Health And Wellness Improvements Within The Built Environment, Max Pollinger

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Improving biological sustainability through health and wellness improvements in the built environment is currently being applied to high-end real estate development in both the residential and commercial environment in the United States. However, the market for health and wellness extends well beyond the top income bracket. This study adopts a choice experiment (CE) approach to investigate individuals willingness to pay for health and wellness improvements within their homes. The results suggest that individuals value health as an inelastic good independent of income, and they are willing to pay significant premiums to ensure biological sustainability within their homes. In addition, individuals …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Copper(I)-Phenyl Complex, Max Cushner, Thabiso Kunene

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Compounds or complexes combining an organic species and a copper ion are amongst the most widely used organometallic reagents in synthetic organic chemistry. However, the chemistry for such organocopper compounds is underdeveloped including that for copper(I)-arene complexes, which are quite rare. Nonetheless, once the chemical properties of such copper-arene complexes are better understood, it will be easier to find uses for them, for instance as catalysts. Previous work on this project has produced evidence that copper(I)-arene complexes bearing phenyl and naphthyl groups behave differently from one another in arene replacement reactions. Thus, the phenyl does not seem to bind as …

People, Plants, And Places: A Spatial Study Of The Relationship Between Vegetation And Demography, Mackenzie Nichols

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

This study examines the relationship between demographic factors and vegetation abundance and change in the SNNP and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. Regressions were run using the 2007 Ethiopian Census and satellite imagery in order to identify potential relationships between a variety of demographic factors and the change in NDVI (normalized differential vegetation index) in various weredas (municipalities) in Amhara and SNNP.

Critical Reef Fish Habitats, Fishing Regulations, And Active Drilling Lease Sites In The Gulf Of Mexico, Tierney Dodge

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Human activities have been increasingly impacting the Gulf of Mexico negatively. The Gulf of Mexico is a biological rich ecosystem, with coral reefs providing a unique habitat for a diverse array of fish and other marine wildlife, including turtles. However, the increasing use of nutrient rich fertilizers in the Mississippi River Valley have created a growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico: a large area where there is no available oxygen due to extreme eutrophication. Overfishing has also depleted the stocks of many fish in the Gulf, further depleting the ecological health of the area. However, The National Oceanic …

An Analysis Of The Proximity Between Organic Farms And Schools In Maine, Olivia Avidan

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

This analysis will focus on determining the number of organic farms within a 10 mile driving radius of schools in Maine. Both public and private schools are included in the study, but all higher education institutions are omitted. The farms are certified organic by MOFGA. All data will be analyzed using ArcGIS software, specifically the Network Analyst tool.

Anthropogenic Effects On The Arctic, Sara Miller, Sarah Large

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

The Arctic is a sensitive location that has been affected greatly by climate change and the anthropogenic factors that contribute to global warming. It is critical to research the Arctic because the effects are significant and can be seen globally. The average temperature in the Arctic is increasing twice as fast as the rest of the world, which is causing the ice caps and permafrost to melt. Permafrost traps carbon and methane, and as permafrost melts these elements are released into the atmosphere. Since the conditions of the Arctic are changing local species are affected due to their altered habit. …

Does Alcohol Consumption Lead To Increased Cancer Rates?, Samantha Draper, Amara Weiss

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Using research grounded in empirical studies, we will synthesize statistically significant correlations between alcohol consumption and cancer rates in adults. We aim to analyze which cancer types alcohol is most correlated with. Additionally, we will analyze the strength of programs that attempt to bring these findings to light.

Hydraulic Fracturing: The Neurological Effects, Shannon Oleynik

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Hydraulic Fracturing, a natural gas extraction method also known as fracking, requires the use of a fracking fluid containing a number of highly toxic chemicals known to cause severe health problems to humans. The toxic wastewater produced as a byproduct of fracking leaches into and pollutes the surrounding groundwater. Among the health concerns caused by contact and ingestion of these toxic chemicals are cancer, acute respiratory issues, and severe neurological damage. This poster summarizes the current literature on the known neurological effects of the toxic chemicals produced by fracking, as well looks at case studies to examine the health of …

Does The Occupational Exposure Of Ski Wax Technicians To Perfluorinated Chemicals Result In Cardiovascular Disease?, Sarah Brockett, Jefferson Tucker

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Fluorinated organic compounds are used in ski waxes because of their water resistant surfactant properties which reduce friction between the skis and snow. One of the most common fluorinated organic compounds found in ski wax is perfluorooctanoic acid, also known as PFOA. Because of its water resistant properties it has been manufactured for use in various materials including Gore-Tex and Teflon. Thanks to relatively recent scientific studies the dangers of PFOA have become apparent. PFOA is persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. There exists a considerable amount of animal data on the health impacts of PFOA. Studies show that exposure to PFOA …

Avian Species Of The Chacabuco Valley, Walker Nordin, Sydney Morison

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

The focus of this poster is the avian ecology of the Chacabuco Valley in the Aysen Region of Chilean Patagonia. Information on various bird species and habitat types was obtained via structured bird surveys near lakes throughout the valley, with the aim of correlating certain bird species and behaviors with specific habitat types. The results showed the most common bird species of woodland, shrubland, and lake habitats, as well as associated behaviors. Some bird behaviors were analyzed in greater depth, in order to speculate on certain species habitat requirements. The findings of this project will provide baseline reference information for …

Identification Of Water Kefir Microbial Composition And Rapidly Growing Yeast, Wei Ma

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Products of microbial fermentation such as probiotic yogurt have been found to confer health benefits, such as inhibiting fungal and bacterial growth, prevention of oral, mammary neoplasia and multidrug-resistant myeloid leukemia. Water kefir, or tibicos, is a type of symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria that shows potential to be used as preventative and chemotherapeutic agent against cancer. Here, we study water kefir in terms of its microbial composition to determine the species of microorganism responsible for producing the proposed antineoplastic extracellular polymeric substance, using both culture-dependent and independent techniques. Selective and non-selective media were used to promote the growth …

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Grade Inflation V. Grade Compression At Colby College, Emma Murphy, Ilanna Fricks, Yana Mayayeva

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Grade point averages are supposed markers of our collegiate intellectual ability and drive for success. But as an "A" increasingly becomes a stand-in for "average," the credibility of our GPAs may be in question in the professional world. The goal of this paper is to assess whether grading at Colby College has fallen in line with the national trend toward inflation. Our regression analyses examine whether GPAs have risen at Colby over the past 15 years across a variety of disciplines and indicators such as gender, athlete status, and international student status. This study also considers whether grade compression, rather …

Recreating Ground-Truth Land-Use Classifications From Landsat Images, Alexa Junker

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

This study attempts to recreate existing datasets of land-use classifications for Brevard County in east-central Florida from Landsat 5 satellite images using two different classification tools provided by the GIS program ArcMap. After acquiring the Landsat images from the USGS for the years 1995, 2000, 2004, and 2009, the unsupervised classification tool was used in order to identify 6 different land-use classes: urban, agriculture, non-forested land, forest, water, and wetland. Then, 6 sample polygons for each class were used as a basis for the software to recognize different land-use types, and the classification was repeated. In order to measure the …

Colony Collapse Disorder: An Assessment Of Causes And Their Pervasiveness, Anne Schechner, Beatrice Smith, Olivia Collins

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a widespread condition throughout honeybee populations across the globe, resulting in either partial or total failure of Apis mellifera hives including death and/or hive abandonment. Many factors, either independently or concurrently, contribute to CCD, making it difficult to establish a singular cause of collapse. Research was performed to evaluate several prevalent causes and establish a singular most pervasive one based on four major criteria. These included: potential to expand, frequency of threat, geographic range, effectiveness of treatment. This study tested the hypothesis that a singular predominant cause could be identified based on the results of …

The Effects Of Marijuana Decriminalization On Alcohol Consumption: Compliments Or Substitutes?, Alex Sisto, Hib Schenck, Fabrice Charles, Zach Padula

CLAS: Colby Liberal Arts Symposium

What is the effect of decriminalization of marijuana on alcohol consumption in the United States? We hypothesize that consumption of alcohol and marijuana are substitute goods. More specifically, we hypothesize that decriminalization will be negatively correlated with alcohol consumption, meaning that demand for alcohol will fall in the years following decriminalization.