CSU STANISLAUS

Honors Capstone Conference

John Rogers Faculty Development Center

Friday May 19, 2017

11:30-4:30 pm

University Honors Program

California State University Stanislaus

One University Circle, Turlock CA 95382

(209) 667-3180 csustan.edu/honors

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the following faculty who generously agreed to serve as

Research Mentors for our 2016-17 Senior Capstone Research Projects: Ritin

Bhaduri (Biology), Michael Tumolo (Communication Studies), Katherine Royer

(History), and to Andrew Dorsey (English), our Honors Presentation Seminar

Instructor. Thanks to Therese Lunt for her work with our sophomore Service

Learning students, and to Ellen Bell (Anthropology), Suditi Gupta (Psychology) and

Tim Held (Library) for guiding the research activity of our juniors.

The following faculty taught in the Honors Program this year:

Ellen Bell (Anthropology), Tom Carter (Computer Science), Andrew Conteh (Political

Science), Jennifer Cooper (Biological Sciences), Andy Dorsey (English), Jeffrey Frost

(Anthropology), Suditi Gupta (Psychology), Tim Held (Library), Therese Lunt (History),

Alexander Markov (Communication Studies), Kenneth Mashinchi (English), Chris Nagel

(Philosophy), Richard Randall (Political Science), Jennifer Richmond (Biological Sciences),

Jennifer Ringberg (Anthropology), Jeffrey Solomon (Political Science), Kathryn Steele

(English), Kyle Stubbs (Communication Studies) Jim Tuedio (Philosophy), Fela Uhuru

(Ethnic Studies), Arnold Webb (English), Katrina Weber (English) and

Andy Young (Philosophy)

Seniors in the Honors Program are encouraged to tackle complex problems using methods

and knowledge drawn from relevant disciplines. Honors Program faculty and research mentors

offer critical feedback and guidance along the way. The main objective is for students to explore, gather and analyze information effectively, and to reflect on the implications of what they have discovered. Group discussions help to promote thoughtful questioning. The goal is to communicate knowledge, judgments,

and original perspectives based on careful inquiry, exploration and analysis.

Featured Presentations

in FDC 118 11:30-11:40 Conference Welcome 11:45-1:30 Presentations in FDC 103 and FDC 114 1:30-2:00 Poster Break and Refreshments Capstone Research Poster Displays (Honors Juniors) Service Learning Poster Displays (FDC 113 Honors Sophomores) 2:00-2:20 Griffin Cheek (Communication Studies): The Role of Student Anxiety in Perceiving

Instructor Behaviors

2:20-2:40 Taiga Yamaguchi (Biology): Exploring the Biology of the Siberian Prawn Palaemon

modestus Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ritin Bhaduri (Biology)

2:40–2:50 Refreshment Break 2:50–4:10 Presentations in FDC 103 and FDC 114 4:15pm Closing Remarks

Featured Presentations

in FDC 103 11:45–12:05 Gabriella Peralta (Communication Studies): A Rhetorical Analysis of

the Inaugural Address: John F. Kennedy and Donald Trump

12:05-12:25 Joslyn Hillberg (Communication Studies): A Circular Process for

Understanding Humanity: The Interdependency of Group Narratives and

Individual Narratives

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael W. Tumolo (Communication Studies)

12:25–12:45 Stephanie Landeros (Sociology): The Culture of Drag: Its Influence on the LGBTQ Community

12:45-1:05 Elijah Mays (Ethnic Studies): Repositioning Criminal Justice in the

American Settler Colony

1:05-1:25 Nicole Larson (Criminal Justice): Challenges of S.l.V. Afghan Refugees in Turlock, CA

1:30–2:45 Poster Review, Plenary Sessions and Refreshment Break in FDC 118

2:50-3:10 Aubrey Glidden (Liberal Studies): Learning Disabled and Gifted: Social Emotional Aspects of Inclusion

3:10-3:30 Tatiana Olivera (English): Extended Copyright Curtails Creativity:

How the Copyright Term Extension Act Limits Writers

3:30-3:50 Emelie Pepito (Philosophy): Bias in the Meeting of Depths and

Shallows: Search Engine Algorithms and the Untapped Power of the Brain

3:50-4:10 David Bishel (Physics): A Contemporary Assessment of Thomas

Kuhn: The Detection of Gravitational Waves as a Kuhnian Revolution

4:15pm Closing Remarks in FDC 118

Featured Presentations

in FDC 114

11:45–12:05 Astrid Itzep Lopez (Psychology): Are Parents and Children Well

Prepared for a Disaster?

12:05-12:25 Neal Southern (Math): The Rise of ESports: A Comparison of Audience

Modes to Traditional Sports

12:25–12:45 Jordan Porter (Math): Using Herbal Mixtures to Ward Off Wax Moths

12:45-1:05 Mario Muniz (Computer Science): Smartphone Addiction: The Weight

in our Pockets

1:05-1:25 Brett Martin (Computer Science): Digital Piracy: Imminent Change in a Broken Market

1:30–2:45 Poster Review, Plenary Sessions and Refreshment Break in FDC 118 2:50-3:10 Rachel Heiss (Anthropology): Art and Artifact Repatriation or The Elgin

Marbles: A Case Study

3:10-3:30 Jynessa Mendoza (History): In the time of the Butterflies: The Murder of the Mirabal Sisters

3:30-3:50 Rebecca Rooker (History): The Myth of Cleopatra VII: Shrewd Sovereign or Wanton

Woman Faculty Mentor: Dr. Katherine Royer (History) 3:50-4:10 Joshua Tanis (History): The Divinity of Jesus in Early Christian Thought: A Historiographical Approach

4:15pm Closing Remarks in FDC 118

ABSTRACTS OF SENIOR CAPSTONE

Presentations

The Role of Student Anxiety in Perceiving Instructor Behaviors

Griffin Cheek

Communications scholars have done a lot of work in hopes of better understanding the anxiety

associated with communication in the classroom. There are studies that make the connection between

communication anxiety and the behaviors of instructors in college classrooms. There are also studies

that show a link between instructor behaviors and the amount college students like their classes and

instructor (i.e. affect). Much of the research into the interpersonal relationship between college students

and their instructors has been conducted through social scientific surveys. Those surveys have

established the correlation between instructor behaviors and student perception of those instructors.

There is no research that asks the students why they perceive instructors the way they do. This study

will conduct interviews with college students instead of using surveys. These interviews will create

data that can be analyzed to gain a better understanding of the reasons students perceive their

instructors the way they do. This study proposes that the factor effecting these perceptions is anxiety

caused by the interpersonal communication between the student and the instructor. If the connection

between anxiety and college student perception of instructors can be established it will open the door

to further research into this dynamic. A better understanding of these factors may lead to strategies to

reduce anxiety in this type of interpersonal communication and improve perceptions of instructors.

The previously noted research links improved instructor perception to better cognitive outcomes for

students. Therefore, a better understanding of the role of anxiety in these scenarios should lead to better

outcomes for instructors in the form of improved effectiveness and more positive evaluations. Students

should gain increased positive outcomes associated with liking classes, learning more, and getting

better grades.

Exploring the Biology of the Siberian Prawn, Palaemon modestus

Taiga Yamaguchi

The Siberian Prawn, Palaemon modestus, is an invasive species recently introduced into the San Joaquin

Delta, California through ballast water from Southeastern Asia. They are now the most dominant

shrimp species in the area. Previous studies have shown their morphometric and current distribution,

but very little is known about their ecological profile. In this study, we will evaluate their salinity

tolerance level from 0ppt to 72ppt and analyze their salinity regulation method using a microsyringe

and an osmometer. By determining these two factors, we aim to predict their distribution pattern in

the future to make appropriate conservation plans for any native species that may be threatened from

their dispersal. In our pilot study, they exhibited no behavioral issues in 0ppt environment but are

susceptible to ammonia poisoning caused by the failed nitrogen cycling due to the lack of Ammonia

Oxidizing Bacteria (ABO) and Nitrobacter. Future mortality from ammonia poisoning in a laboratory

setting can be prevented by mixing in bacteria