Journal of
Scholarly Endeavor
Volume II

2002

Symposium for Research and Scholarship

SlippeiyR~ck
Universrty

of Pennsylvania

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Journal of
Scholarly Endeavor

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Volume II

I

2002

Symposium for Research and Scholarship

SlipP,eryR~ck
Un1versrty

of Pennsylvania

© 2002 Slippery Rock University. All rights reserved. This publication is protecte? by
federal copyright law. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retri~val
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechamcal,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or to be used to make a derivative work without
prior permission from the author.

Journal of the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
Symposium for Research and Scholarship
Volume II, 2002
Editor: Patrick A. Burkhart, PhD
Department of Geography, Geology and the Environment
Associate Editor: Carolyn S. Steglich, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
College of Health, Environment, and Science

Abstracts of Inquiry and Creativity
Contents
Forward

viii

Keynote Speakers- Dr. John N. Gardner & Dr. Randy Swing
Celebrating Scholarship: Students and Faculty Learning Together

ix, x

Chronic Corticosterone Elevation Retards Appetitive
Instrumental Conditioning in Rats

1

Jerutifer Adamczyk, Steven Stockton, and Richard Port
Bl2 Interface Project

2

Imran Ahmed, Sahnan Awan, Gihantha Keenagahapitiya,
Suneth Rupasinghe, Jonathon Zettlemoyer, and Sam Thangiah
The Spontaneous Act of Choreography

Shannon Altman, Amber L. Barnes, Jerutifer Blankenship, Angela
M. Caracciolo, Shannon M. Covert, Desiree N. Dahms, Stephanie
Davis, Samantha Dixon, Kiley E. Durst, Kristen E. Frame, Andrea
Gallagher, Jamie L. Giebel, Andrea Hamilton, Maria Hanley,
Jessica L. Hill, Krista Harvey, Gretchen Hurd, Candice
Hollabaugh, Lori A. Incardona, Stefanie A. Kase, Jennifer Keller,
Danielle M Krynicki, Kelly Lewis, Nicole M. Lonsinger, Tara
Madsen, Andrea Mankey, Nina Martin, Erin E. Maser, Laurel A.
Matthews, Melinda A. McClintock, Ronnie E. Milcic, Brianne R.
Nicholson, Laura R. Pelat, Krystle Pellegrino, Kristin Phillippi,
Anita Reda, Jacquelynn A. Schneider, Brandi L. Shaw, Sharon R.
Smith, Gina Sozio, Margaret J. Spalu, Rosie Trump, Valerie
Williams, Emily M. Wykoff, and Marcy J. Yonkey

3

'\

ii

Studying the Prwalence of Chlamydia Trachomatis among
Undergraduate Students at Slippery Rock University
Patricia Baird, Laura Bateman, Cheryl Baxter, Linda Beatty,
Diane Buck, Jocelyn Coleman, Patsy Ann Johnson, Kathleen
Kellinger, Joyce Penrose, Linda Starosta, and Victoria Walton

4

Preliminary Study of Compliance and Outcomes and Their
Relationship in Patients After Anterior Cruciate Ligament
Surgery
Barbara Billek-Sawhney

5

A Picture of Depression among College Students
Penny Bodenhorn, Gretchen A. Piatt, Wendy L. Stuhldreher,
Kimberly Y-Z. Forrest, and William J. Ryan

6

A Renovated System Design for Greywater Treatment at the
Robert A. Macosky Center: Approach and Assessment
Bruno Borsari, Thomas Reynolds, and Spencer Welton

7

Accessing Student Grades Securely over a Web Interface
Shafraz Branudeen, Rachna Murthy, Dilsara Pathirana,
Shalinda Tennakoon, Jacob Thomas, and Sam Thangiah

8

Secure Internet Access to Intern Information
Shafraz Branudeen, Rachna Murthy, Dilsara Pathirana,
Shalinda Tennakoon, Jacob Thomas, and Sam Thangiah

9

Three Dance Works: Student-Faculty Collaborative Research
and Faculty Research
.
Megan Casey, Meredyth Casey, Leanne George, Krista
Harvey, Lauren Kinker, Tara Madsen, Kristin Mazzulli,
Jennifer McHenry, Nola, Nolen, Amanda O'Brien, Angela
Pfeiffer, and Jennifer Roe

10

A Plant Community Survey ofthe Restoration Site at the
Robert A. Macosky Center for Sustainable Systems Education
and Research: Past Intentions, Present Condition, and Future
Potential
Shawna Chesto, Michele Gauger, Rebecca Albaugh, and
Steven Doherty

11

Hunting for Perfection

12

Christopher S. Cole
Coding the BJ 2 Robot at the Assembly Level

13

Brian Creasy, Kurt Loverde, Megan Webberking, and Sam
Thangiah
Earthworms (Lumbricus spp.) as Indicators a/Soil Quality: A
Comparative Study between a Forest Habitat and a Cultivated
Field

14

Brooke Cuttino, Timothy Elder, Jennifer Lauzon, Christina
Lefevre, Spencer Welton, and Bruno Borsari
Exclusionary Area Criteria Georeferencingfor Sechan
Limestone Industries Proposed Residual Waste Land.fill

15

Scott Davidson and Janet Smith
True Distance Fit of&ponentia/ Curves and Tests of
Application

16

Roman Denu, Narendra Patel, and Yi Lin
Old Fields to Forest: A Study of Plant Community Succession
at the Robert A. Macosky Center for Sustainable Systems
Education and Research

17

Steven Doherty, Michele Gauger, and Anne Leone
Learning a Second Programming Language in a Rapid
Prototyping Environment: Jumping through Java!

18

Janaka Edrisinghe, Ashwin Ghimire, Juan Martinez, Erika
Slater, Io Kei Wong, and David Valentine
A Preliminary Evaluation from the Educational Opportunities
Offered by a Solar Powered Cultivator

19

Timothy Elder, Bruno Borsari, and Thomas Reynolds
Technical Characteristics and Versatility of an Alternative
Energy Toolkit at Slippery Rock University

Timothy Elder, Bruno Borsari, and Thomas Reynolds

20

iv
A Feasibility Study for the Implementation ofRotational
Grazing in Western Pennsylvania
Timothy Elder and Bruno Borsari

21

High Depression Rate in Native American Children
Kimberly Y-Z. Forrest, Marcy Leeds, and Adelle Williams

22

Catharine Maria Sedgwick's 'Patient Investigation' of
America's Past
Ellen A. Foster

23

Response ofHuman Erythroleukemia Cells to Retinoic Acid
Analogues
Susan Fox, Sarah Weinschenk, and Paul J. Birckbichler

24

Soil Capabilities ofDecreasing Growth: Inhibiting Effects of
Coumarins
Michele Gauger, Bruno Borsari, and Valentine Kefeli

25

A Comparison ofthe Activities-Specific Balance Confidence
Tool, Multidirectional Reach and Berg Balance &ore in
Elderly Residents ofa Catered Living Facility
Mary Ann Holbein-Jenny, Barbara Billek-Sawhney, Elizabeth
Beckman, Jamie Chichy, Kathryn Gruver, Kimberly Meek,
and T. Smith

26

Examining the Prevalence of Drug Use Among College
Students
Amanda A Hopwood, Kimberly Y-Z. Forrest, Wendy L.
Stuhldreher, and William J. Ryan

27

Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP)PA: Scholarship, Pedagogy, and an Increasingly
Scientifically-Literate Citizenry
Patsy Ann Johnson, Patrick A. Burkhart, Elise M. Grabner,
Edwin W. Buchert, Mark L. Campbell, and Carmine L.
Decarlo

28

Researching Our Roots: Writing Our Stories - Writing in the
Fourth Genre
Priscilla Kelly, Cynthia Dillon, and Jacquelyn Muller

29

v
Rotation, Translation, and Vertical Displacement of
Supraglacial Clasts during Summer Ablation, Matanuska
Glacier, Chugach Mountains, Alaska

30

Ranae Kowalczuk, Jeffrey Strasser, Edward Evenson, Patrick
A. Burkhart, Staci Ensminger, and Daniel Lawson
Characterization ofPseudokarst in Badlands National Park,
South Dakota

31
;

'
11

Ranae Kowalczuk, Kirk Sander, and Patrick Burkhart
The Design of the "I-CARE" Community Garden in New
Castle, PA

32

Studies on a New Animal Model for Type 2 Diabetes
Megan Majcher, Sarah Weinschenck, Paul J. Birckbickler, and
Dennis L. Guberski,

33

Distributed Architecture Solutions to Vehicle Routing
Problems with Time Windows
Adrian Matlack and Sam R. Thangiah

34

A Proposal for a Campus Sustainability Initiative for Slippery
Rock University

35

Andy McDonald and Steven Doherty
36

Shawna Nixon, William J. Ryan, Wendy L. Stuhldreher, and
Kimberly Y.-Z. Forrest,
"The Desert of the Real": Baudrillard's Hyperreality, Sun
Tzu 's Taoism, and The Matrix as Romantic-Postmodern Film

31

Rachela Pennenter and Corrie Wagner
Germination Tests ofLettuce (Lactuca saliva L.) Seed in Red
Sumac (Rhus typhina) Leaves Water Extracts and Pheonlics
Isolation through Paper Chromatography

Theresa Reustle, Bruno Borsari, and Valentine Kefeli

I

:1

Jennifer Lauzon and Thomas Reynolds

Factors Related to Distorted Body Image in College Women

\1

38

Acute Dexamethasone or Corticosterone Treatment Enhances
Prepulse Inhibition in Rats
Genera Reyes, Steven Stockton, Jennifer Adamczyk, and
Richard Port

39

Use ofRAPD PCRAnalysis in Studying the Biogeographical
Relationships among Members ofthe Genus Antennaria
Scott A. Rodgers, Jerry G. Chmielewski, and Steven R Strain

40

Teaching Science using Research-Based Pedagogy in a
Conceptual Physics Course for Pre-Service Elementary
Education Majors - Early Results from the Assessment
Program
Ben Alan Sbaevitz

41

Maize Crosses to Illustrate Epistatic Ratios ofKernel Colors
in Maize
Mark A. Shotwell and Richard I. Andrews

42

Chronic Corticosterone Elevation Impairs Prepu/se Inhibition
in Rats
Steven Stockton and Richard Port

43

The Impact of an Integrated Learning Community Cluster and
Freshman Seminar on Academic and Social Integration,
Academic Performance, and Student Persistence for First
Year Students, Special Admits, Students of Color, and Specific
Majors
Amanda Yale, Matthew Cashdollar, April Longwell, and
Cathy Brinjak

44

Student Scholarship: Giving Credit where Credit is Due
Inaugural Plenary Address, 5 April 2001, SRU Symposium
Dr. Carl 0. Moses
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences

45 - 49

Associate Professor, Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Lehigh University

vii

Commencement Address
Slippery Rock University, 12 May 2001
Representative Dick Stevenson
gth Legislative District, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

50 - 53

Commencement Address
Slippery Rock University, 15 December 2001
Dr. William E. Strickland, Jr.
President and CEO, Manchester Bidwell Corporation

54 - 56

Index ofAuthors

57 - 59

Acknowledgements

60

viii

Foreward
The Symposium for Research and Scholarship at the Slippery Rock University of
Pennsylvania is intended to celebrate scholarly achievement by sharing the successes of
the university community. The impetus for this event was a motion carried by the
University Forum in May of 2000. The Symposium and Journal this year represent a
broadened collaboration of interests from across our institution. Please read the
Acknowledgements and give recognition to the contributors.
The University Forum asserts that scholarship deserves a coordinated venue for
dissemination to enhance the academic climate of campus by encouraging intellectual
exchange and awareness. This effort also supports the University's Mission - Slippery
Rock University wi II excel as a caring community oflifelong learners connecting with the
world. The APSCUF-SSHE collective bargaining agreement defines scholarly growth to
include experimentation, research, program development, grant acquisition, participation
in juried shows, and performance. We affirm these notions for the purpose of
documenting scholarship from across our institution within the Journal of Scholarly
Endeavor. We further assert that pedagogy - the art or method of teaching, which
examines cognition and how teaching can best advance learning, is of notable merit for
our consideration as an institution of higher learning. We trust you will find that the
works contained herein demonstrate original inquiry and creativity, as well as substantial
achievement. The plenary address from the 200 I Symposium and the commencement
addresses from May and December are included to encourage recollection of other
perspectives on scholarship, as recently shared with our communit); by these esteemed
guests.
We thank the scholars and keynote speakers, as well as all participants and
attendees, who have taken time and given effort to this celebration of learning. Let us
deepen our pride in our purpose and our achievements.

Patrick A. Burkhart, PhD
Academic Environment Committee
University Forum

ix

Plenary Address
Celebrating Scholarship: Students and Faculty Learning Together
Dr. John N. Gardner and Dr. Randy Swing
Common Hour
Thursday 11 April 2002
Multi-Purpose Room, University Union
The keynote speakers at the 2002 SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship are
Dr. John N. Gardner and Dr. Randy Swing. These two professors are respected scholars
of the First-Year Experience for American students of higher education.

Dr. John N. Gardner
Dr. John Gardner is the Senior Fellow of the National Resource Center for The
First-Year and Students in Transition. Gardner is best known as the initiator of the
international reform movement in higher education to call attention to and improve what
he has coined "The Freslunan Year Experience." In the January 1998 issue of Change,
Gardner was cited in an article naming approximately 80 people as the "past, present, and
future leaders of higher education." The authors of this study drew on the results of
11,000 questionnaires to name the leaders whom the Chronicle ofEducation dubbed "the
movers and shakers." He has served on the Board of Directors for AAHE and on
advisory boards for The American Council on Education and The Association of
American Colleges and Universities. Gardner's work has been favorably reviewed in
The Chronicle of Higher Education. The New York Times, The Times of London, U.S.
News and World Report, Money Magazine, and numerous other publications.
Gardner now serves as Executive Director of the Policy Center on the First Year
of College, funded by a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts and The Atlantic
Philanthropies, whose basic mission is to work with colleges and universities around the
nation to develop and share a range of first year assessment procedures and tools. This
process helps build a body of information on the best practices in the first college year.
Gardner's special area of expertise in higher education is the creation of
programs to enhance the learning, success, retention, and graduation of students in
transition, especially first year students. He has served as a workshop leader in hundreds
of faculty and students affairs development events and has consulted with approximately
400 campuses in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, U.K., Republic of Ireland, Denmark, and
Norway on issues related to first year and senior students.

x

Dr. Randy Swing
Dr. Randy Swing serves as Co-Director of the Policy Center on the First Year of
College, located in Brevard, North Carolina and funded by grants from the Atlantic
Philanthropies and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Swing is involved in every aspect of
the Policy Center's mission to improve the first college year through the development
and dissemination of new assessment tools and techniques. His leadership roles include
developing two national surveys of first-year students, Your First College Year (YFCY)
and the First-Year Initiative (FYI) benchmarking survey, the First-Year Assessment
listserv (FYA-L), the Summer Assessment Institute, and the Association for Institutional
Research/Summer Assessment Fellows Program
Until 1999, Dr Swing worked for 20 years in a wide range of first-year
programs at Appalachian State University. Most· recently, as founding director of the
Assessment Office, he developed and initiated a campus-wide assessment program with a
focus on learning outcomes. Earlier, he co-developed the Freshman Seminar Program,
founded an Academic Advising Center for freshman and sophomores, and coordinated an
Upward Bound program for low income, first generation students from rural Appalachia.
He serves on the Technical Advisory Panel for the National Survey of Student
Engagement, on the Editorial Boards for the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching,
and the journal of Innovative Higher Education, and as secretary for the Consortium of
for Assessment Planning Support (CAPS). In 1999, he received a National Science
Foundation Summer Fellowship to study public opinion of Educational Policy. Dr.
Swing holds active membership in the Association for Institutional Research, The
Consortium for Assessment Planning Support, and the American Association for Higher
Education. His current work explores assessment methods, instruments, and data
analyses - with emphasis upon documenting learning outcomes from first-year seminars,
first-year programs, and general education curricula.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

Chronic Corticosterone
Conditioning in Rats

Elevation

Retards

1

Appetitive

Instrumental

ADAMCZYK, Jennifer (U), jennadamczyk@hotmail.com, STOCKTON,
Steven (U), PORT, Richard (F), Psychology
Corticosteroids are known to have acute excitatory effects on hippocampal neurons but
are neurotoxic when levels are chronically elevated. Consequently, acute stress has been
shown to facilitate simple forms of learning, presumably via arousal, whereas chronic
stress appears to have deleterious effects on cognitive functions. Hippocampal dependent
learning tasks, including passive avoidance and spatial learning, have been previously
shown to be impaired in animals with chronically elevated stress hormone levels. The
present study evaluates the impact of chronic elevation of corticosterone on the
acquisition of an appetitive instrumental response.
Young male rats (n=24) were assigned to control, low dosage (250 ug/ml) or high
dosage (500 ug/ml) corticosterone conditions at 30 days of age. Corticosterone was
administered through their drinking water for a period of 60 days and animals were
placed on mildly restricted diets for approximately one week prior to testing in an
automated instrumental conditioning apparatus. Corticosterone elevation persisted
throughout the testing phase.
Test sessions occurred daily and consisted of 20 minutes of training in which a lever
press response was autoshaped using food reinforcement (pellets). Animals were trained
to a criterion of greater than 50 responses on two consecutive sessions. Training was
terminated after 50 days if an animal failed to learn.
An analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of group, f(2,21)=17.34, p<.01.
Application of Tukey's HSD test revealed that the control group (mean of 8.5 days)
acquired the response more quickly than the low dosage group (mean of 24.8) which
acquired the response more quickly than the high dosage group (mean of 40.1 days).
The disruption of acquisition of an instrumental response is smprising in that the
hippocampal formation is not essential for this type of learning. However, disturbed
signals from the hippocampal fonnation are known to impede classical conditioning, an
associative form of learning that also does not require an intact hippocampus. It would
appear that the chronic effects of corticosteroids may impair hippocampal function such
that the abnormal signaling may undermine instrumental learning.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

2

B12 Interface Project

AHMED, Imran{U), AWAN, Salman{U), KEENAGAHAPITIYA, Gihantha
(U), RUPASINGHE, Suneth (U), sxr6174@sru.edu, ZETILEMOYER,
Jonathan (U), THANGIAH, Sam (F), Computer Science
The B 12 Intetface design is a voluntary group project for undergraduate students to learn
more about Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. It also provides insights into practical
applications of what students learn inside the classrooms.
Real World Interface Inc. developed the B12 robot in 1988. The robot comprises of
two main parts namely the base unit and the sonar unit. The base unit is used to move the
robot around and the sonar unit is used to look at the environment in which it is
operating. A main master processor controls both of these units.
Till now the research has been mainly focused on programming the robot at the base
level, that is, the programming of the main processor. The basic code for the interface has
been developed in C++ programming language. As of now the intetface runs the
communication program and initializes the robot to accept commands from the user
interface. The commands, which are sent from the interface, are in the form a file that
goes through the communication port of the user interface PC to the robot. All the
information being sent from the robot is in text format.
The main goal of the project is to expand the interface so that it can translate all the
information being sent by the robot into a format that the user understands. When the
intetface is fully functional it will be able to analyze and draw a map of the terrain the
robot is navigating using the information sent by the robot's sonor. Using this
information, the intetface will also keep track of the position of the robot compared to the
terrain it mapped. It will also re-draw the map after every m:ovement of the robot
displaying the current position, the path followed, and the distance between itself and the
obstacles. It will also be able to display the dead reckoning of the robot in comparison to
the place it started from. To show where the base and the sonar units are pointing to, the
interface will have two separate dials. There will be a power meter to give the remaining
battery power of the robot. This information is essential as it helps the user to know how
much life the battery has and whether it needs to be recharged. It will also have a graph
which will display the velocity and acceleration of the robot.
The hands-on work with the project helps the students understand the basic principles
of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. In addition the programming of the robot and the
design of the interface can be used by undergraduate students continuing with the project.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

3

The Spontaneous Act of Choreography
ALTMAN, Shannon (U), BARNES, Amber L. (U), BLANKENSHIP, Jennifer (U),
CARACCIOLO, Angela M. (U), COVERT, Shannon M (U), DAHMS, Desiree N. (U),
DAVIS, Stephanie (U), DIXON, Samantha (U), DURST, Kiley E. (U), FRAME, Kristen
E. (U), GALLAGHER, Andrea (U), GEIBEL, Jamie L. (U), HAMILTON, Andrea (U),
HANLEY, Maria (U), HILL, Jessica L. (U), HARVEY, Krista (U), HURD, Gretchen
(U), HOLLABAUGH, Candice (U), INCARDONA, Lori A. (U), KASE, Stefanie A. (U),
KELLER, Jennifer (F), Dance, jennifer.keller@sru.edu, KRYNICKI, Danielle M.
(U), LEWIS, Kelly (U), LONSINGER, Nicole M. (U), MADSEN, Tara (U), MANKEY,
Andrea (U), MARTIN, Nina, Marfa, TX 79843, MASER, Erin E. (U), MA'ITHEWS,
Laurel A. (U), MCCLINTOCK, Melinda A. (U), MlLCIC, Ronni E. (U), NICHOLSON,
Brianne R. (U), PELAT, Laura R. (U), PELLEGRINO, Krystle (U), PIIlLLIPPI, Kristin
(U), REDA, Anita (U), SCHNEIDER, Jacquelynn A. (U), SHAW, Brandi L. (U),
SMITH, Sharon R. (U), SOZIO, Gina (U), SP AHR, Margaret J. (U), TRUMP, Rosie (U),
WILLIAMS, Valerie (U), WYKOFF, Emily M. (U), YONKEY, Marcy J. (U)
Co-principal investigators Jennifer Keller and Nina Martin and dance department student
investigators research the "spontaneous act of choreography" in which there is no visible
distinction between well-crafted improvisation and well-crafted choreography. Ensemble
dance improvisation reveals the creative process at work; it is an expression of
spontaneous artistic collaboration. Compositional decisions are made on the spot by
groups and individuals who share authority over the creative process. The students and
faculty collectively arrive at their research :findings through the act of live performance.
From February 23 - March 5, the investigators participated in four master classes and
six hours of workshops in which guest artist Nina Martin imparted her philosophical
approach to dancing improvisation as choreography. Through a series of specific
exercises, critical observation, and critical dialogue, Martin guided the students to make
sophisticated, on-the spot decisions in order to create "impro'ography - or the
combination of improvisation and choreography.
Perfom1ance opportunities complete dance research by presenting the artistic product
to an audience for examination, reflection, and entertainment. "Impro'ography" was
performed for the Slippery Rock University campus on Tuesday, March 5, 2002. The
research project provides the investigators an opportunity for professional development
through the creative processes of performance and improvisation.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

4

Studying the Prevalence of Chlamydia Trachomatis among Undergraduate
Students at Slippery Rock University
BAIRD, Patricia (G), BATEMAN, Laura (S), BAXTER, Cheryl (G), BEAITY,
· Linda (S), BUCK, Diane (G), littled24@alltell.net, COLEMAN, Jocelyn (G),
JOHNSON, Patsy Ann (F), KELLINGER, Kathleen (F), PENROSE, Joyce
(F), STAROSTA, Linda (G), WALTON, Victoria (G), Nursing
Chlamydia Trachcimatis (CT) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and represents the
most commonly reported infectious disease in the U.S. Because it frequently occurs in
the absence of symptoms and is responsible for significant morbidity, especially among
women, routine screening on an annual basis is recommended. The recent development
of DNA-based tests using urine specimens bas made such screening easier to accomplish.
Also, these tests (Ligase Chain Reaction or LCR) are more sensitive and specific than
previous tests and have become the "gold standard" for testing for the presence of CT
organisms.
Staff at Slippery Rock's Student Health Center have instituted a comprehensive health
promotion and disease prevention program, part of which is aimed at detecting STDs.
Data from that program indicated a positive test rate for CT of 3.4% for the period June
2000 to May 2001. This study was undertaken to determine whether the true prevalence
among undergraduate students was significantly higher than this, thus indicating a more
comprehensive screening program than is in place at the present time.
The goal for the sample of undergraduate students, aged 18 to 24, was 200. Students
were recruited from a randomized list of undergraduate students provided by the Office
of Institutional Research via phone call and follow up letter with instructions for
participating. Recruitment began in September of 2000 and ended in May of 2001. The
study team was able to recruit only 91 subjects during that period. When queried about
their reluctance to participate, students indicated that they thought providing a urine
specimen was "gross" and they were sure they didn't "have anything". Young men
expressed the belief that only women got CT. (In spite of the recent estimate that as much
as 500/o of CT in men goes undetected because men are rarely screened.)
Subjects ranged in age from 18-24 with a mean age of 19.6. Three students reported
having previously been treated for an STD. Two students had positive tests for CT for a
prevalence of2.2%.
The group concluded that there is no demonstrated need for the Student Health Center
to revise its screening policy. They recommend further research among several
universities in the State System of Higher Education to determine whether student health
centers that offer ongoing education regarding STD prevention, and emphasize screening
and risk reduction have different prevalence rates than student health centers that do not
offer these services. They recommend improving participation by offering screening to
all who present for care at a student health center, regardless of the reason for the visit

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

5

Preliminary Study of Compliance and Outcomes and Their Relationship in
Patients after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery
BILLEK-SAWHNEY, Barbara (F), barbara.billek@sru.edu, Graduate School
of Physical Therapy
PURPOSE: The purpose of this investigation was to investigate compliance and
outcomes and their relationship in patients after anterior cruciate ligament surgery.
SUBJECTS: Nineteen subjects (10 male, nine female) participated in this study. All
subjects were patients of a board certified orthopedic surgeon; each patient had ACL
reconstruction using the bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft.
MEmODS: Data was gathered on patients' compliance by the use of a compliance
survey and outcomes were measured using the Knee Outcomes SlllVey Activities of
Daily Living Scale (KOS ADLS). Data was gathered at six and 12-weeks post surgery.
ANALYSIS: Median compliance scores and mean KOS ADLS scores were calculated at
weeks six and 12. The Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to compare outcome
measures at weeks six and 12 and changes in patients' compliance from week six to week
12. The relationship between compliance and outcomes was determined using
Spearman's rho correlation coefficient.
RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in the KOS ADLS from week six to
week 12, with a significance level of .016 and an alpha level at .02. The comparison of
compliance scores demonstrated that compliance at six-weeks is significantly greater than
compliance at 12-weeks with an alpha level of .003. No significant relationships were
found between compliance and outcomes at weeks six or 12.
CONCLUSION: From week six to week 12 in the rehabilitation process patients'
outcome measures improved and compliance measures decreased. There was no
relationship between patients' outcome measures and their compliance.
RELEVANCE: Compliance with exercises, historically, bas been a critical factor in
outcomes. This preliminary study does not support that concept in the rehabilitation in
patients after anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

6

A Picture of Depression among College Students
BODENHORN, Penny, J. (U), pennybodenhom@hotmail.com, PIAIT,
Gretchen A (G), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. STUHLDREHER,
Wendy L. (F), Allied Health, FORREST, Kimberly Y-Z. (F), Allied Health,
RYAN, William. J. (F), Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences.
College health prof~onals view depression as a key health issue, which correlates with other
behaviors that jeopardize students' physical and mental health. According to a recent national
college health survey, 100/o of college students have been diagnosed with depression,
including 13% of college women. The Beck Depression Inventory (BECK) is an assessment
tool commonly used to detennine the degree of depression an individual is experiencing. Thus.,
the entire BECK inventoty was included in a questionnaire that has been used as part of the
Student Health Assessment Project (SHAP), which is a cross-sectional study of college students'
health habits. The purpose of this report was to examine the prevalence of depression among
college students at SRU and the physical, social and emotional health behaviors that are
associated with it. The questionnaire was administered to students (N==326) enrolled in a
required Personal Physical Fitness course (PE 141) during the spring of2001. Use of this course
helped to insure that the sample would be fairly representative of the student body at SRU.
SPSS was used for statistical analysis. The significance level was set at <.05.
Analysis of the BECK scores revealed the prevalence of mild depression as 12% (N= 33),
moderate a-; 6% (N= 16) and ID3Iked as 4% (N= 12) with a total prevalence of 22% (N=61). The
prevalence of depression was similar between males and females. Comparison of depressed and
non-depressed students revealed significant associations between depression and behaviors
regarding finances, relationships, sleep, and smoking. More depressed students canied a credit
card balance than non-depressed (53% v. 31%; p<0.05) and experienced difficulty with finances
(74% v. 5S°/o; p<.05). A higher percentage of depressed students had sought help for gambling
than those not depressed (10% v. lo/o; p<0.0001), had experienced difficulties with personal
health (68% v. 26o/o; p<0.0001), with dating relationships (62% v. 44%; p < .05), with family
(59% v. 38'%, p <.05), with roommate(s) (47% v. 32o/o; p<.05), had difficulty falling asleep
(Tf'/o v. 53% ; p<0.001) and smoked (37% v, 21%; p<0.05). More depressed students also
reported more difficulty with time management (81% v. 65%; p<.05) and work issues (56% v.
33'%; p<.05). Examination of correlates of depression within each gender revealed significant
differences in depres.5ed v. non-depressed for overall health and for relationship difficulties such
as those in dating, at wmk, with family and with roommate(s). Correlates by athletic team
membership revealed similar associations.
These results underscore the importance of not only recognizing known correlates of
depression (sleep and personal health), but emphasizing the need to identify emerging behaviors
that may play a significant role in depression such as credit card debt and gambling.

I ____

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

7

A Renovated System Design for Greywater Treatment at the Robert A.
Macoskey Center: Approach and Assessment
BORSARI, Bruno (F), Parks and Recreation/Environmental Education,
REYNOLDS, Thomas (S), WELTON, Spencer (G), ssw2122@sru.edu
Household wastewater represents a unique challenge in the prevention of watershed
pollution. The Robert A Macoskey Center (RAMC) for Sustainable Systems Education
and Research at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania provides a laboratory for the
investigation of alternatives to typical rural household wastewater disposal systems.
Through the use of a composting toilet, the Center produces only greywater effluent.
Tiris water from the showers, sinks, laundry and dishwasher requires some treatment for
safe and non-polluting discharge into the environment. As part of a student thesis project,
a unique tool has been constructed at the Center to allow for hands-on investigation of
possibilities for the effective treatment of this water.
The design considerations used to construct this tool were based in ecological
engineering. Many of the methods for the treatment of wastewater were derived from
twelve criteria taken from the literature on the design of living systems for wastewater
remediation (Todd and Josephson, 1996). These criteria stress the importance of
constructing systems that are maximally reliant on diverse biological systems. Every
effort in this project was made to work towards the construction of an ecologically
diverse, biological system following these twelve criteria. While striving to conform to
these criteria, the system was also designed to be flexible, allowing a variety of
configurations and promoting investigation of the effectiveness of different treatment
regimes. It was also constructed to be relatively easy to maintain and was designed to fill
other functions within the house.
In addition to the design and construction of the investigative tool, this project has also
developed a monitoring program to assess the quality of the water and the treatment
capacity of the various system configurations. The parameters being monitored are
dissolved oxygen level, pH, total dissolved solids, temperature, total solids, nitrate and
ammonia nitrogen, biochemical oxygen demand and fecal coliform counts. These
parameters were monitored from different points in the system and were also recorded
over time to determine changes both spatially and temporally through the system's
operation. The infonnation gathered tlrrough this program helped to guide adjustments
and reconfigurations of the system.
This project was intended to facilitate the development of a greywater system that can
recycle the household wastewater for irrigation, and eventually for total reuse. To
achieve the closure of the water loop within the individual household, a tool must allow
the in-depth understanding of what must be removed from the water and the methods to
accomplish this task. The greywater system at the RAMC represents this tool and a
significant move in the elimination of wastewater discharge in small flow applications.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

8

Accessing Student Grades Securely over a Web Interface

BRANUDEEN, Shafraz (U), MURTHY, Rachna (U), PATHIRANA,
Dilsara (U), TENNAKOON, Shalinda (U), sxt2238@sru.edu, THOMAS,
Jacob (U), THANGIAH, Sam (F), Computer Science
We have developed a program to let students check on-demand the grades of the courses
the student is taking in the current semester through the web. This will allow a student to
see his/her perfonnance on current courses he/she is taking at any given time throughout
the semester. The students can check their standing in any of their courses without
consulting the faculty.
A database will e-0ntain all the up-to-date grades for the semester. Faculty will access
this database to update it as required. All connections to this database will be
authenticated via a central server. Tirrough this method, an individual student can only
access their own grades corresponding to their login and password. A specific login and a
password for each student assigned by the administration can be used to achieve this
process.
The program will present an interface with which the students interact. The interface
will be a server-side script written in JSP (Java Seiver Pages) which will handle the task
of authenticating the student and querying the databases. This interface will then display
to the student, his/her current grades for each class he/she is taking at the moment. JSP
gives the programmer the ability to create scripts that can send data from the web
browser to server through a secure channel by means of encryption. Since JSP runs on the
server, it does not require any special interaction on the end user's part, as it will look just
like a regular web page. Since JSP is portable to any server platforms, it can be setup to
run on any of the existing seivers.
Grades made available to students on demand in such a simple manner will allow
them to keep track of their performance. In addition, it will allow students to gauge their
cunent standing in the class and what is required of them to improve their grade. Such a
system will decouple the need for students to get in touch with the faculty every time they
want to check their grades for the semester.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

9

Secure Internet Access to Intern Information
BRANUDEEN, Sha~raz (U), mxb6319@sru.edu, MURTHY, Rachna (U),
PATIIlRANA, D1lsara (U), TENNAKOON, Shalinda (U), THOMAS, Jacob
(U), THANGIAH, Sam (F), Computer Science

yve have developed ~program that will allow companies seeking interns to directly login

mto ~ Computer Science department database containing intern information through a
web interface and search for prospective interns. Tiris allows each prospective employer
to do the search for interns in an efficient manner, as they will not have to physically read
resumes.
All the resumes are stored in a department database, and we are using a relatively new
technology know as Java Server Pages (JSP) to implement the front end and database
connectivity. JSP is in essence Java servlets, which is the server-side extension of the
Java programming language an alternative to ASP and PHP. The use of JSP will enable
us to provide high perfonnance, interactive, platform independent Web sites. Our
implementation will allow the user to access our web site securely using the Secure
Socket Layer (SSL).
The process begins by students submitting resumes to the department. These resumes
are constructed using key words such as "Computer Science, QP A, Senior and
technology related terms". The student resumes are added to the database. Next the
companies who wish to refer to our database contact us and we give them a user name
and password. They can use this user name and password to log on to our web interface
and search for students with specific qualifications. Depending on the key word they type
in they will be given a list of people whose rerume has these key words. Finally they can
pull up these resumes and get the required information to hire the intem
The advantages of this system are that it is less tedious for the people who use it. from
the department handling the resumes, to the companies who are looking for prospective
interns. They do not have to go through all the resumes to find what they want; they only
get who they search for with qualified attributes. It will also save both time and mono/
for, not only the companies, but also for the school and the students. A system of this
kind is not available in the University at the current time. Any department or
administrative office can use it by customizing the program to its needs.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

10

Three Dance Works: Student-Faculty Collaborative Research and Faculty
Research
CASEY, Meagan (U), CASEY, Meredyth (U), GEORGE, Leanne (U),
HARVEY, Krista (U), KINKER, Lauren (U), MADSEN, Tara (U),
MAZZULLI, Kristin (U), MCHENRY, Jennifer (U), NOLEN, Nola (F),
nola.nolen@sru.edu, Dance, O'BRIEN, Amanda (U), PEIFFER, Angela (U),
ROE, Jennifer (U)
Dance faculty member Nola Nolen and eleven students who enrolled in the Fall 2001
Practicum II - Repertory class were co-principal investigators in one collaborative dance
project. In the same class Nolen conducted research to develop two dance works, one in
a unique, new movement style (for Nolen) and one a contemporary ballet.
In the student-faculty collaborative work, informally entitled The Kitchen Piece,
Nolen assigned movement research problems for her co-investigators to use as a starting
point for developing moveme:µt. Once individual students had developed and refined
their movement phrases, Nolen and the group worked collaboratively manipulating and
arranging the movements and phrases. The resultant work was built upon the concept of
frustration. Each student's personal movement vocabulary and style became group
material. The first showing of the work was on the 2001 SRU Dance Theatre Fall
Concert. Nolen and the students have continued their research in spring 2002 in order to
further develop the work for presentation on the Fall 2002 Dance Faculty Concert.
Nolen's research with the class has yielded two very different works. The first, Ritual,
was developed from a research problem Nolen assigned herself: to create a work with a
movement vocabulary other than ballet Nolen set the work as if it were danced by a
mythical group of primal women. For the second work, Nolen employed a contemporary
ballet style, a challenge for modem dance students but also an opportunity for preprofessional development.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

11

A Plant Community Survey of the Restoration Site at the Robert A.
Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research: Past
Intentions, Present Condition, and Future Potential
CRESTO, Shawna (G), thepeaceofwildthings@yahoo.com , GAUGER, Michele
(G), ALBAUGH, Rebecca (G), DOHERTY, Steven (F), PREE
Restoration of a 4 acre site at the Robert A. Macoskey Center, previously excavated for topsoil
and fill began in mid-1990 with the application of pulverized limestone and compost to rebuild
soils. Wildflower seeds were dispersed and select grasses, forbs and tree seedlings were planted
with differing objectives. The present plant community is composed of native, non-native and
noxious species.
A botanical inventory was undertaken during fall 2001 as part of a graduate course in Applied
Ecology. An objective was to provide an information base to assist in the development of
management alternatives and restoration directives. Four modified belt transects emanating from
the site center out along cardinal point directions were used to sample across site gradients. Plant
species were identified and presence was recorded in 5m2 sampling intervals along the transects.
Voucher specimens for all unknown species were collected and identification was attempted at
the SRU Herbariwn.
Sixty-four plant species were identified, while 31 remain unknown. Native species accomt for
54% of the sampled species. At least IO species are invasive, such as Bull 1bistle (Cirsium spp.),
which may overtake other species. Only two species were present in all sampling segments:
Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota), a native species; and Spotted Knapweed (Centurea
maculosa), a naturalized and opportunistic species. Other dominant species recorded were various
Asters, Solidago spp., and Trifolium species, which are instrumental in nitrogen fixation. Soil
samples, compared to previous soil tests from 2000, showed a slight increase in ooil organic
matter, while pH remains acidic. Soil nitrogen is low and unchanged, but there are at least 4
nitrogen-fixing species present at the site. Plant species input from previous restoration phases are
marginally present. Prairie species represent a small portion of the species richness at the site.
These findings indicate that site recovery may benefit from a re-consideration of original
restoration goals.
Because restoration is a process of renewal, the assisted return of plant communities back to
pre-disturbance conditions may not be appropriate goals. Instead, re-establishment of ecosystem
health and re-building of impaired functions and ecosystem services may be more appropriate.
These goals, however, pose their difficulties in ambiguity and less certain application practices.
As an outcome of the research, several recommendations are proposed that are based on the plant
community inventory and from past restoration infonnation. Many of the plants present arc noted
as pollen sources for butterflies and honeybees. Others have medicinal uses. The restoration site
is an important educational source for hands-on participatory and action research, and provides
wildlife habitat. Information from this field effort may be used as a data source for management
and as interpretive material for education. The restoration site continues to provide opportunities
for restoration programs and studies of assisted and natural succession.

I
'

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

12

Hunting for Perfection
COLE, CHRISTOPHER S. (U), csc2676@sru.edu
Hunting for Perfection is an artwork incorporating video within a computer-generated
three dimensional environment. This work explores issues of body image, physical ideals
and the extensive effort members of this society put forth in order to achieve this
perceived ideal form.
The environment in which this work occurs is an imaginary space modeled upon a
number of ancient Greek and Roman temples. The central images of nude male and
female figures in conjunction with the space allude to a continuing cultural tradition of
ideal fonn and beauty. The computer-generation of this environment has been pursued
for a number of practical reasons. The means of creation allows for the use and alteration
of a space that would not nonnally be readily available for such a production. Also, the
use of the computer pennits an extreme level of control over virtually every
environmental factor, promoting a precision that may not be available in a physical space.
In the space surrounding the images of classical figures are a series of video-based
images of people whose activities represent various forms of the pursuit of the ideal.
Some of these individuals' activities simulate actions that imply forward motion. Riding
a stationazy exercise bicycle or running on a treadmill requires an expulsion of energy in
a directionally focused effort, yet no movement occurs. In Hunting for Perfection, these
individuals appear to be aimed in the direction of their goal, yet it is never reached.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

13

Coding the B12 Robot at the Assembly Level
CREASY, Brian (U), LOVERDE, Kurt (U), WEBBERKING, Megan (U),
rnmw3164@sru.edu, THANGIAH, Sam (F), Computer Science
College is not only for learning in the classroom, but also outside the classroom. Many
students think otherwise and limit themselves to learning only the required material and
thus never furthering their knowledge. This spring semester of 2002, a handful of regular
students volunteered upon their own will to learn something new. Our group of three
members wanted to work on the Bl2 robot at the machine code level. Although some
parts of the robot's code were already functional, we have added more functionality to it
using the Motorola 68000 assembly language. Some of the functions we implemented
include utilizing the sonar ports on the exterior of the B 12 robot, getting the position and
relative position of wherever the robot is, calculating the velocity when moving, which
direction the robot is moving, and the status of many parts of the robot.
Another important aspect of this project is allowing support for an interface. This
interface will be completely graphical and will allow the user to easily control all of the
aforementioned and previously implemented functions of the B 12 robot. Our job with
working at a low level is to have the functions of the B 12 pass a message to the graphical
user interface that can be understood easily. We must have our assembly code generate
these values, because this interface will be able to constantly and periodically update
values. These values will be sent to the computer doing the interface over a connector to
a separate computer where it will be interpreted and displayed in the interface.
One of the most important features that we have implemented is the sonar board. The
robot bas twelve small sides, each of which have a sonar port, which is circular and
slightly reflective. When the command is sent to the base of the Bl2, the sonar board
will send out a 'ping' from each of the twelve sonar units. 'Ibis ping will find out the
distance each sonar module is to the nearest object. Using the pinging of the sonar
modules, we can gather the data from each of the twelve modules and print the values out
in a way that the interface can interpret them. The interface will then take those values
and draw a map of the terrain of the room it is in. Eventually, we could have the robot
navigate on its own through a room, guided only ~Y the valu~ gathered by ~ sonar
modules. Imagine setting the robot in a big room with many objects. Theoretically, we
could run a program and the robot would be able to map out the entire room all by itself
without running into anything.
.
We have had an interesting time working with the B 12 mobil~ robo~ and we have
learned a lot about how it works at the machine level. Our contn'butions will allow future
computer science students to further their_ knowledg~ in robotics ~ improve upon the
B 12. We hope that, during our presentation, you will have learned just as much about
this remarkable robot as we have.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

14

Earthworms (Lumbricus spp.) as Indicators of Soil Quality: A Comparative
Study between a Forest Habitat and a Cultivated Field

CUTTINO, Brooke (G), brookecuttino@hotmail.com, ELDER, Timothy (G),
LAUZON, Jennifer (G), LEFEVRE, Christina (G), WELTON, Spencer (G),
BORSARI, Bruno (F), Parks & Recreation/Environmental Education
Soil biota participate in the decomposition of detritus and thus, they also enhance the
ecological cycling of nutrients within agroecosystems. Earthworms (Lumbricus spp.)
have been long recognized effective indicators of soil quality among the diverse forms
of organisms inhabiting the soil. In an on-going effort to maintain soil fertility and
preserve soil resources it is necessary to investigate what environmental conditions may
favor the proliferation of these anellids. This work focuses on a comparative study
carried out between September and November 2001 at SRU to substantiate ideal
environmental conditions that may promote the growth of earthworms, within the
2
rhizosphere of herbaceous and arboreal plants. Three random samples ofland (lm ) were
selected and excavated at a depth of 0.15 rn in order to count the number of earthworms
within the clods of soil of the sampled areas. This investigation was conducted in the
cultivated fields and an adjacent mature forest at the Macoskey Center of SRU.
Temperature measurements were taken also at the ground level and at 0.15 m in depth.
Descriptive statistics were calculated from the data for both habitats (forest and cultivated
fields), which appear to indicate that the October soil temperatures (58°-70°F) facilitated
earthworm activity in the roost superficial soil horizons. Additionally, more numerous
earthworm counts were measured in the cultivated fields (µ 1=14; µ2=105; µ3=8) than in
the forest habitat (µ.i=9; µs=7; µ?2). This finding was unexpected, as soils of cultivated
fields tend to endure various types of disturbances due, to routine fanning practices.
Therefore, more research is necessary in order to answer this important question that
arose from this preliminary, comparative investigation.

as

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

15

Exclusionary Area Criteria Georeferencing for Sechan Limestone Industries
Proposed Residual Waste Landfill
DAVIDSON, Scott W. (U), icswd@hotmail.com, SMITH, Janet S. (F),
Geography, Geology, and the Environment
Formal application bas been made by Sechan Limestone Industries Inc. (Sechan) to site a
residual waste landfill in a former limestone-mining quarry adjacent to McConnells Mill
State Park in western Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) oversees the application process and will approve or deny the permit
application after a lengthy review process that includes a public comment period and a
public hearing. The pennit application addresses issues of concern regarding the
technical nature of the proposed landfill and its operations, its location in relation to
established exclusionary area criteria, and the harms and benefits of the proposed project
Within the application document, Secban must adequately address exclusionmy area
criteria, which include but are not limited to the following issues relevant to this specific
permit Is the proposed project located: within 100 feet of a perennial stream; within 1
mile of a 1-A priority wateiway; within 1 mile of a unit of the National Park Service;
within 1 mile of the footpath of the Appalachian Trial; within 1 mile of a National
Natural Landmark; within Y.. mile of stocked waters; within Y.. mile of a historic site listed
in the National Register of Historic Place? The permit application will not necessarily be
denied if the proposed project falls within any of these boundaries, or is in conflict with
other exclusionary criteria, but these issues must be addressed to the satisfaction of DEP
prior to approval (DEP, 2000).
McCormells Mill State Park, located in Lawrence County, PA, encompasses the
dramatic geology of Slippery Rock Creek Gorge, a 19th Century gristmill, and a 1911i
Century covered bridge, attracting visitors from throughout the region, the countty, and
from around the world. Hiking, rock climbing and whitewater kayaking are popular
recreational activities within the park, and Slippery Rock Creek is a water supply source
for municipalities downstream. The proposed landfill site is located adjacent to the
eastern boundary of the park, near the area of heaviest use, directly upgradient of
Slippery Rock Creek, and on the border of Lawrence and Butler counties.
GIS (geographic infonnation system) is an integrated toolbox for establishing
relationships between spatial data sets (and their corresponding attribute files) that rakes
advantage of the power of visual presentation through the use of maps, charts, tabulation,
and electronic display. Illustrations of the proposed landfill site and its geographic
relationship to McConnells Mill State Park and exclusionary area criteria are application
well suited to the power of visual communication made possible through GIS.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

16

Old Fields to Forests: A Study of Plant Community Succession at the Robert
A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research
DOHERTY, Steven (F), steven.doherty@sru.edu, Parks and Recreation/
Environmental Education, GAUGER, Michele (G), LEONE, Anne (G)

Tree and seedling species composition, distribution, dominance, and density were
measured in old fields and forests at the Macoskey Center to document successional seres
and corresponding plant community transitions. Field studies were conducted during fall
2001 as part of two courses, Sustainable Forest Management and Applied Ecology.
Two sampling methods were employed. Stratified random samples of seventeen 100
m2 quadrats (lOxlOm) were located within representative plant community associations.
A wandering point-quarter method was also used that recorded nearest neighbor distances
of trees along four E-W transects averaging 350 meters. Measured parameters included:
species occurrence, DBH (diameter at breast height) measures for trees, and stem counts
for seedlings (trees< 5cm DBH) placed in one of four height classes (0-50cm, 50-140cm,
140-250cm, >250cm). Computations from empirical data included: tree basal area
(m2/ha), stem density (nos.Iha), species richness and diversity. Species importance values
and site similarity indices compared species presence and dominance between samples.
Seventeen tree and 21 seedling species were recorded. Staghorn Sumac (Rhus
typhina), Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) and Box elder (Acer negundo) were
common in old fields. Hawthorne (Cretaegus spp.) were canopy dominants in young
forests on dry soils. Among forest species, Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) was present
most often and had the highest relative density and dominance. Red maple (Acer rubrum)
was the only co-dominant White Ash (Fraxinus americanus), Elm (Ulmus spp.), Sugar
maple (Acer saccharum), Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra), and Black Gum (Nyssa
sylvatica) were present but less commonly encountered.
Tree basal area ranged from 0.4 m2/ha in old field plots and transect segments to 541
m2iha in the interior of the woodlot. Tree stem density averaged 1150/ha but did not
typically correspond to basal area, indicating a progression of even-aged trees and the
conspicuous absence of other size classes and older trees. Diversity and Evenness indices
were inversely correlated with basal area, identifying disproportionate representation of
forest species. Seedling densities ranged from 200 stems/ha to 111,400 stems/ha, but
were skewed toward small size classes (seedlings < 50cm DBH comprised 76% of
sampled individuals), inferring poor recruitment of seedlings to tree class; black cherry
seedlings averaged 22, 156 stems/ha compared with 157 stems/ha for red oak seedlings.
Results indicate that browse selection by deer may be in part be responsible for a shift
from a oak-hickory forest complex to a northern hardwood association comprised of less
desirable forage species in the understory. A successional trajectory to secondary forests
comprised of typical and ubiquitous species tolerant of a wide range of environmental
conditions is documented. Intentional management, selective removals and select
plantings may assist succession and enhance forest condition.

17

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

True Distance Fit of Exponential Curves and Tests of Applications
DENU, Roman (U), rjd0826@sru.edu, PATEL, Narendra (U), and LIN, Yi (F),
Mathematics
Continuing our works in the area of exponential curve fit and the law of exponentiality, in
this presentation, we will (1) develop a theoretical framework, and (2) implement
computer simulation procedures so that our theoretical results can be realized with realtime data Within the theoretical framework, our exponential prediction models and a
new mathematical theory, named blown-up theory, will be applied to quantify and to
make predictions for a real-life situation, useful for business planning.
Specifically, we have established the following simulation and prediction model, Each
given positive series of numbers x.<0) = (xi, x2 , .• ., x,J can be simulated by using the
solution of the differential equationy' +~=bas follows:

b] -ak - [ x --e
b] -a(k-1) , k-l
xk+I -[
- x1 --e
- ,2, ... ,n
1

a

a

where the parameters a and b are given by either [a, b] = (BTBl 1BrY, or

o.1i A
[:]-

c[

0 - IJo.1i A'''X "'AB

det(""~(oJ~'''AC)

where A, B, C, X and Y are special matrices defined on the given data x.< >. When k
equals (n+ I), (n+2), .. ., practical and meaningful predictions are made.
At the end. we look at the annual gross incomes of a newly established business of the
past four years by applying our new prediction model. With an application of our
sequence operators, we are able to reasonably forecast the coming years' gross incomes of
the business. When compared to the real-life data, our forecasts are shown to be very
good. This example can be employed to evidence the fact that when small samples are
concerned with, and when traditional statistics is no longer valid, since the sample is too
small, our theoretical framework and methods can be considered and applied.
0

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

18

Learning a Second Programming Language in a Rapid Prototyping
Environment: Jumping through Java!

EDRISINGHE, Jana.ka (U), GHIMIRE, Ashwin (U), MARTINEZ, Juan (U),
SLATER, Erika (U), WONG, Io Kei (U), VALENTINE, David W. (F),
david.yalentine@sru.edu, Computer Science
A common misconception among beginning students in Computer Science is that the
discipline's primary emphasis is on learning new programming languages. In fact, the
programming languages are just the means of expression for the actual theoretical
elements of the field. Languages are not even center stage, and yet students often believe
they are.
In the Spring semester of 2002, we initiated a trial program to help offset this
misconception. Particularly, we invited a half dozen undergraduates to join us in a
"programming club" to learn the Java programming language. These students had all
completed CpScl50, which is a second course in C++ in the curriculum, so they were
proficient programmers in that language. They would meet weekly with a faculty
member, after classes, and we would learn Java together. It is a non-credit bearing
endeavor, undertaken only for the skill it offered: Java programming. Five of the six
students are actively participating.
The means of instruction was project-oriented: especially the rapid-prototyping of
problem solutions. This was intentional. We wanted to keep the focus on using the new
language, and not get trapped in all the syntactical details of where you put the commas,
etc. This technique is commonly advocated for such an object-oriented language as Java
(see Object Computing International at www.ociweb.com). Students each obtained their
own Java books (and no two students had the same textbook!).
Students select the projects. The faculty member will ask: "what next is it you need
to know how to do in Java?" The students give surprisingly uniform (and correct)
answers: they understand how one programming language works, so they are just fitting
the new language into the cognitive framework already developed. The faculty coach
then assigns a standard kind of introductory assignment to highlight the feature the
students feel the need to explore. The students then try to code a solution in the next
hour, and there is a great deal of cooperation and sharing of insights as we progress. So
far we have done the (1) Hello World program (standard 1/0), (2) finding prime numbers
by modulus (selection & iteration structures), (3) the sieve of Erastosthones (array
processing), and numerical approximation of square roots (functions).
The undergraduates involved will share their experience in a panel setting. We
expect to continue such a club activity in the coming semesters, building on what we
learned here. By relegating the syntax of a new language to a club activity, we will
counteract the "need-to-learn languages" mindset of many undergraduates. We are also
mentoring them in how they will continue to pick up new languages throughout their
professional careers.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

19

A Preliminary Evaluation from the Educational Opportunities Offered by a
Solar Powered Cultivator
Elder, Timothy (G), eltdd36@csonline.net, BORSARI, Bruno, (F),
REYNOLDS, Thomas (S), Parks, Recreation & Environmental Education
Demonstrating the feasibility for alternative energies in modem agriculture constitutes a
51
major challenge for the 21 century. It was within this framework that a tangible attempt
to solve the problem was initiated at Slippery Rock University in 2001 by converting a
garden cultivator to solar power. The focus of this study was to demonstrate to local,
small growers the environmental benefits provided by the modified fann implement The
investigators prepared a short instructional session to be offered at farmers' events in the
state of Pennsylvania on September 22, 23 and 29, 2001. The recipients of instruction
(N=53) volunteered to fill out an "ad hoc" evaluation instrument that was properly
designed for this study. The protection of human subjects was considered. Approval to
conduct the study was granted by the SRU Institutional Review Board Committee (IRB).
Seven indicators were considered in the survey to evaluate the respondents' interests in
alternative energy systems. The data were recorded on a Likert scale. The frequencies
for each parameter indicate a consensus about learning more on this topic if opportunities
were provided (0.66 strongly agree, 0.28 agree and 0.06 had no opinion). When the
respondents were asked about the need to shift from fossil fuels to alternative energies a
frequency of 0.88 for those who strongly agreed and 0.12 for those who agreed was
measured. For the incorporation of energy issues into curricula frequencies of 0.81 for
respondents who strongly agreed and 0.19 for those who agreed were obtained, whereas
supporting school demonstration of this kind produced frequencies of 0.83 (strongly
agree), 0.13 (agree) and 0.04 (no opinion). The fifth indicator measured the interest that
was generated by the demonstration for the Master program in Sustainable Systems
(MS3 ), revealing a broader distribution of the frequencies (0. 34 strongly agree, 0. 17
agree, 0.42 no opinion, 0.02 disagree, 0.06 strongly disagree). When the respondents
were asked if they would purchase the equipment despite a 50% cost increase, a
frequency of 0.38 strongly agreed, 0.42 agreed, 0.16 had no opinion and 0.02 disagreed.
A frequency of 0.06 strongly agreed, 0.17 agreed, 0.25 had no opinion, 0.23 disagreed
and 0.04 strongly disagreed if the purchase of the alternative energy toolkit would
increase 150% of its original value. This preliminary evaluation study has revealed a
general interest about energy alternatives in the state of Pennsylvania. The investigators
are grateful to the Robert A. Macoskey Center and the College of Health and Human
Services of SRU for supporting this research.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

20

Technical Characteristics and Versatility of an Alternative Energy Toolkit
at Slippery Rock University
Elder, Timothy (G), eltdd36@csonline.net, BORSARI, Bruno, (F),
REYNOLDS, Thomas (S), Parks and Recreation/Environmental Education
The need to develop alternatives from fossil fuel energy consumption is mandated by the
limit of world oil reserves and the environmental costs associated with their continued
use, particularly in tenns of the pollution they produce. The focus of this research is to
demonstrate the value of studying energy in lower power applications through a solar
powered toolkit that was developed by Slippery Rock University in 2001. The fulfillment
of the educational needs of students enrolled in the sustainable systems program, while
educating a broader population range within the community, constitutes a concurrent
objective for this study. The kit included a purposefully designed portable charging unit
and a cultivator, characterized by a continuous track, to which a permanent magnet type
DC motor was installed. This type of motor is advantageous in its efficient use of power
output (128 Amps) and it is relatively inexpensive when compared to other DC motors
suited for this kind of application. Three lead-acid, deep cycle, gel-type 12 Volt batteries
were chosen for the system. They provide a combined storage capacity of 192 Amp/hr,
while allowing the cultivator a functioning autonomy of approximately 30 min/battery.
The two single-ctystalline photovoltaic panels are manufactured by Siemens and were
adequately sized to meet the weekly power requirement of 3072 Watt/hr (192 Amp/hr X
12 VX 1.333 {efficiency constant}), with respect to available insolation (4.12 hrs/day) in
the Slippery Rock area. The investigators with the cooperation of MS3 students
accomplished the component assemblage of the charging station and cultivator. This
initial stage of the research project engaged the participants in a unique learning
experience as they participated in wiring the cultivator, installing the solar array, and
connecting the wiring to the charge controller for the batteries. The kit is adaptable to
various kinds of manipulations and it is designed to be :flexi"ble for a variety of small·caie power applications. Theoretical-comparative operating costs between the DC
lectric motor and a conventional combustion engine of similar power were calculated.
onsidering a gasoline cost of $1.60/gallon (price in autumn 2000), the combustion
~ngine may generate an operating cost of $124.80/year. Assuming a 5 years life
expectancy for the batteries, a lower operating cost for the solar cultivator was calculated
at $48/year within the five years timeframe assigned to battery longevity.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

21

A Feasibility Study for the Implementation of Rotational Grazing in
Western Pennsylvania
ELDER, Timothy (G), eltdd36@csonline.net, BORSARI, Bruno·(F), Parks and
Recreation/Environmental Education
An alternative to large pennanent pastures, rotational grazing switches animals between
smaller paddocks to allow time for forage species to recover from the effects of grazing.
The purpose of this study was to examine the occurrence and extent of benefits to farms
adopting rotational grazing practices through support from EPA 319 and Growing
Greener Programs. Survey data were collected for 55 farms in 18 counties in
Southwestern Pennsylvania in 2001 and used to assess improvements in economic and
environmental conditions after installation of rotational grazing systems. The validity of
the study was enhanced by multiple methodologies used to gather the research data
These included interview questions with the fanners, observation of the facilities being
installed under a rotational grazing system and a document analysis review. Correlation
analyses of the data suggest several significant relationships that may predict outcomes
for programs that promote rotational grazing. Strong correlation occurred for the
participating dairy farms between dollars spent per acre and tons of soil saved per acre
per year (r = +.86, n = 18, p < .01), and for the non-dairy fanns between cost-share dollar
amounts and soil saved per farm per year (r = + .53, n = 37, p < .01). These initial results
suggest that programs aimed at developing rotational grazing systems can benefit the
environment and help farmers to reduce farm costs while improving the profitability of
their operation.

22

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002
High Depression Rate in Native American Children

FORREST, Kimberly Y.-Z. (F), kimberly.forrest@sru.edu, LEEDS, Marcy (F),

WILLIAMS, Adelle (F), Allied Health
Depression in children, a serious mental health problem, can result in poor school
perfonnance. Few studies have evaluated how demographic factors influence depression
in children. This study analyzed the data from the 1997 National Health Interview Survey
in children aged 2 - 17 years to examine the prevalence of depression and its correlates.
Among 14,290 children participating in the survey, 9,547 were administered a
questionnaire with depression information, and 9,464 (99%) provided valid data. The
proportion of races and the prevalence of self-reported depression were shown below.
Native American children had the highest depression rate (p < .001).
Race
Caucasians
African Americans
Latinos
Native Americans
Asian Americans
Other

% ofTotal Population
54.4
16.8
20.3
1.2
3.3
4.0

% of Depression Prevalence
22.9
18.5
19.7

36.0
16.2
22.0

Though similar between boys and girls, depression increased as age increased, with a
peak between 16-17 years (28.6%). Children from low income families (<$20,000) were

more likely to report being depressed than children from families with higher incomes.
The western region showed slightly higher depression rates. Multivariate analysis
revealed that race was an independent risk factor for depression even after adjusting for
'lge, family income, parents' education and geographic region. Compared to Asian
merican children who had the lowest depression rate, the risk of depression increased
5 fold (p < .001) for Native American children.
The results suggest an urgent need to improve mental health education, to screen for
depression, and to provide necessary treatment for depression among Native American
children.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

23

Catharine Maria Sedgwick's 'Patient Investigation' of America's Past
FOSTER, Ellen A. (F), ellen.foster@sru.edu, English
Over the past two decades, many Amencan literary scholars have engaged in "recovery''
efforts: re-introducing the works of American writers little known in the late twentiethcentury but widely known and respected among their contemporaries. Catharine Maria
Sedgwick, the focus of my research, is one such author - credited, with James Fenimore
Cooper and William Cullen Bryant, for establishing an American literature in the early
nineteenth century; reduced to a footnote in literary dictionaries by the early twentieth
century.
The earliest efforts to "recover" Sedgwick emphasize the sentimental or didactic
aspects of her works and categorize her as a "literary domestic," a term coined by literary
historian Mary Kelley in her influential study of female authorship, Private Woman,
Public Stage (1984). The strengths and the limitations of the literary and historical
scholarship of the late 1970s and early 1980s provide the foundation for subsequent
studies, yet they often suggest the need for current scholars to engage in more systematic
and thorough investigations of both primary and secondary sources.
Kelley's own introduction to the 1987 re-issue of Sedgwick's Hope Leslie suggests just
such a re-focused investigation and interpretation, and it perhaps also reflects important
shifts in feminist and cultural criticisms. More recent scholarship continues to provide yet
more rigorously documented and contextualized understandings of Sedgwick and her
work. Sedgwick is now recognized as a professional, not accidental, author, one who
purposefully participated in the powerful national discourse of the historical romance.
My intertextual study of Sedgwick's historical romances, Hope Leslie (1827) and The
Linwoods (1835), is based on primary research conducted in the Sedgwick Family and the
C. M. Sedgwick Papers, held in the Massachusetts Historical Society collections. My
reading of Sedgwick's correspondence and my documentation of Sedgwick's own
research in the available historical records provide the foundation for my analysis of her
fictionalized representations of the Puritan settlements of seventeenth-century New
England and of the American Revolutionary period. Further, this analysis opens up new
avenues of inquiry into the importance of the historical romance to American literature and
especially to that literature's project of expressing a distinctively American national
identity.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

24

Response of Human Erythroleukemia Cells to Retinoic Acid Analogues
FOX, Susan (U), smf739l@sru.edu, WEINSCHENK, Sarah (U),
BIRCKBICIIl.,ER, Paul J. (F), Chemistry and Physics
Retinoids are analogues of Vitamin A that show promise as pharmaceuticals for cancer
and other diseases, but have limitations due to toxicity. Heteroarotinoids, retinoids with
one aromatic ring and at least one heteroatom (0, N, or S) show significant biological
activity and are less toxic to cells than retinoids.
Tissue transglutaminase (TGase) is widely used as a marker for programmed cell
death and cellular differentiation in cells in culture. In previous studies, we observed that
both pathways might be operable in human embryonic lung fibroblasts after exposure to
sodium butyrate. In a separate study, we found that treating human erythroleukemia cells
with 10 µM all-trans-retinoic acid resulted in cell differentiation accompanied by a 9-fold
increase in TGase activity. However, we could demonstrate no evidence of programmed
-:ell death in these cells. These observations suggest the importance of TGase in more
than one functional pathway in cells. To further elucidate the role of TGase and the
t>iological activity of heteroarotinoids in erythroleukemia cells, HEL (differentiation:ompetent, programmed cell death-incompetent) cells and K-562 (differentiationincompetent, programmed cell death-competent) cells were examined for their response
to heteroarotinoids.
Cells were treated with a specific chemical (all trans-retinoic acid or heteroarotinoid)
or vehicle alone, allowed to grow for two days, then were assessed for growth rate,
viability and TGase. All the heteroarotinoids inlnbited cell growth, but the degree of
inhibition varied among the heteroarotinoids. None of the heteroarotinoids demonstrated
cell toxicity greater than 13% at the concentration used in the studies (10 µM). Thus, the
heteroarotinoids inlubit cell growth rather than kill cells that are already present
With but a few exceptions, the heteroarotinoids successfully increased the tissue
TGase in the cells. None of the compounds was as active as all trans-retinoic acid, but
several of the compounds increased the TGase activity 2-4-fold. The increase in TGase
activity following exposure to heteroarotinoids suggests that the heteroarotinoids are
stimulating similar pathways in the erythroleukemia cells as all-trans-retinoic acid. The
exact mechanism(s) of activation of the TGase system remains to be elucidated.
-"fowever, we know from previous results that programmed cell death was not one of the
msequences of addition of all-trans-retinoic acid to the HEL cells.

1
\

\

I

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

25

Soil Capabilities of Decreasing Growth: Inhibiting Effects of Coumarins
GAUGER, Michele (G), gaumich@hotmail.com, BORSARI, Bruno, (F),
Parks &Recreation/Environmental Education, KEFELI, Valentine,
Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition, Cranberry, PA 16066
This investigation focused on the biological properties of soil and its role as a cleansing
medium by decreasing concentrations of toxic phenolic substances, such as coumarins.
Phenolics are known to be inimical compounds to seed germination. Prelimiruuy
investigations began in 2001 with a study of biological properties of topsoil and
performance of biological tests using seeds of cultivated crops of the most represented
botanical families (mustard, lettuce, wheat, and clover).
Water extracts from
decomposing sumac leaves (Rhus typhina) were later utilized for similar biological
testing and paper chromatography. Direct examinations of the chromatograms with UV-B
light helped identify which molecular group of phenolic coumarins contained in the
extracts were key factors in inhibiting seedling growth. Macoskey agrosol, a fabricated
soil, was selected as growth medium for more biotests, while varying water dilutions of
coumarins (: 10, :50and:100 dilutions) were added to soil and seeds.
Biotesting and chromatography showed that wheat and lettuce seeds were most
inhibited, with a mean stem length of 12.8 ± 5.lmm and 14.4 ± 3.0 mm respectively.
Mustard and clover growth was least inlul>ited with mean stem lengths of 22.3 ± 5.5 mm
and 20.3 ± 3.3 mm. Cournarin dilutions were then tested with soil and without soil in
order to evaluate soil effectiveness of decreasing toxicity. Results showed a prominent
difference in growth if soil was present with coumarin dilutions compared to no soil.
Even undiluted coumarin in soil had mean seedling lengths of76.3 ± 7.4 mm, compared
to only coumarin and water with no soil having a mean of 53.0 ± = 4.8 mm. Similar
results were found for all dilutions in soil having higher growth means than those with no
soil. These observations lead to conclude that phenolics may become inactivated by soil
and allow for seedling growth. In water alone these phenolics were toxic to seeds and no
growth occurred. Coumarin displayed selectivity similar to pre-emergence chemical
herbicides by killing only targeted species, which could direct coumarins into use as a
natural herbicide. Unlike most synthetic herbicides, coumarins can be denatured and
absorbed by soil as they lose their initial toxicity. However, more research needs to be
conducted to identify which molecular coumarin forms are more potent in inhibiting seed
germination.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

26

A Comparison of the Activities-Specific Balance Confid~nce Tool,
Multidirectional Reach and Berg Balance Score in Elderly Residents of a
Catered Living Facility.
HOLBEIN-JENNY, M.A. (F), Graduate School of Physical Therapy, BILLEK~
SAWHNEY, B (F), Graduate School of Physical Therapy, BECKMAN, E.
(G), ebeckman@angelfire.com, ClllCHY, J. (G), GRUVER, K. (G), MEEK,
K. (G), SMITH, T. (G).
The population in the United States is growing most rapidly for people over age 65.
Subsequently, alternative housing arrangements are being developed throughout the
country. One such setting is described as a catered living and/or pef8?nal car~ home
environment Residents at these settings live in their own apartment, which coDSists of a
living space, bedroom, handicap accessible bathroom, and a small kitc~en area. Th~e is
a community dining room in which residents are given meals. Depending on the resident
need, as&stance is provided with either or both basic and instrumental activities of daily
living (ADLs) in order to enable them to live outside an institutional setting.
The purpose of this study was to assess balance of residents in a catered
living/personal care home residential setting, a previously uninvestigated community
population of elderly. Using the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC),
the Berg Balance Score and the Multidirectional Reach Test with this specific population
of older adults, the test-retest reliability of the balance tests and correlation between them
was quantified. Methods: Twenty-six males and females of at least 60 years of age
were recruited from a local catered living facility. Each participant was asked to attend
two testing sessions, and at the conclusion of the study, was invited to a falls risk
assessment workshop. During the testing sessions, each individual performed the
Multidirectional Reach (MDR) Test, the Berg Balance Test, and given the ABC
questionnaire focusing on their perceived risk of falling. At a significance level of0.01,
test-retest correlation and correlation among the three balance tests were determined from
the preliminaty data analysis. Results: The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to
quantify the relationship among the three balance tests. Dependant t-tests, as well as
~ measures ANOVA were used to investigate test-retest reliability between
sessi.on .1 and 2. The test-retest reliability indicated no difference between any of the
tests, wtth the exception ofMDR in the right direction. All of the tests (ABC, MDR and
Berg ~ce Score) ~ere quantified together to determine the comparability of all three
tests, which resulted m a strong correlation (r=4) within the sessions. The ABC and
MD~ correlation were strong (p> 0.08), ABC and Berg Balance Score correlation in
~on to the MOR and Berg Balance Score were also high (p> 0.17). Conclusion:
Usmg the ~C ~~estionnaire, Multidirectional Reach Test and the Berg Balance Score,
test-~est reliability was found to have no difference with the exception of reaching to
the nght The 7°rrelati?n ~twe_en balance tests demonstrated that when used together
they can detemune fall risk m residents of catered living/personal care home settings.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

27

Examining the Prevalence of Drug Use Among College Students
HOPWOOD, Amanda A. (U), rnandarin80@hotmail.com. FORREST,
Kimberly Y-Z. (F), Allied Health, STUHLDREHER, Wendy L. (F), Allied
Health, RYAN, William J. (F), Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences
The university setting should foster academic learning; however; it also provides an
opportunity to "learn" about behaviors that may be detrimental to health such as drug use.
The Student Health Assessment Project (SHAP) is a cross-sectional study of college
student health behaviors. One of the health behaviors that was investigated was drug use
patterns among SRU students. To assess drug use a self-administered questionnaire was
given to undergraduate students (N=326) enrolled in a required Personal Physical Fitness
course (PE 141) in Spring of 2001. Since this course is required of all students, it
provides a means to obtain a cross-sectional representation of the entire student body.
This report describes patterns of drug use including marijuana, cocaine, and inhalants.
SPSS was used for statistical analysis with a significance level set at < .05.
The prevalence of any drug use in the past six months was 9% for females and 1S°/o
for males. The most frequently used drug was marijuana with significantly (p<.01) more
males (19%) than females (5%) reporting past six months use. Prevalence of cocaine and
inhalant use in past six months was lower for males (cocaine 9°/o & inhalants 1%) than
for females (cocaine 2% and 2% inhalants). The overall prevalence of drug use did not
differ between athletes and non-athletes (~13%), however, the prevalence of inhalant use
showed that 5% of athletes had used inhalants in the previous six months as compared to
only 0.5% of non-athletes (p <.01). Examination of inhalant use among athletes by
gender revealed that 8% of female athletes had used inhalants in the past six months, as
did 4% of male athletes. There were no significant differences in patterns of drug use
between members of fraternities/sororities and those who were not. Examination of drug
use by class standing did not reveal any significant variation in patterns. These results
suggest that while less than 10% of students use cocaine and inhalants, many more have
deemed marijuana use acceptable. This is of concern to health professionals because
marijuana use is not without serious health risks.
These results can be shared with health professionals on campus, with peers and with
others interested in reducing the use of drugs on campus in hopes of promoting better
health habits among the college population.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002
28

Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP)-PA:
Scholarship, Pedagogy, and an Increasingly ScientificaJly-Literate Citizenry

JOHNSON, P.A. (F), Secondary Education, BURKHART, P.A. (F),
patrick.burkhart@sru.edu, Geography, Geology and the Environment,
GRABNER, E.M. (F), Math, BUCHERT, E.R. (F), Elementary Education,
CAMPBELL, M.L. (F), Academic Services, DECARLO, C.L. (F),
Elementary Education
CETP-PA is a SSHE initiative that is funded by the National Science Foundation to
enhance the education of pre-service teachers. It is a collaborative that involves faculty
from the SRU College of Education and the College of Health, Environment, and
Science; Commmrity Colleges; and K-12 teachers from the surrounding community. The
thrust of the initiative is to enhance the preparation of teachers in the areas of science,
math, engineering, and technology through the enrichment of courses in content areas and
pedagogy (the art or method of teaching).
A multi-faceted approach is used to bolster the preparation of tomorrow's teachers.
The central theme is to incorporate more science content into the required educational
methods courses, while simultaneously promoting student-centered, inquiry-based
methods in science courses. To promote this synergy, the following tactics are used:
(1) team teaching is occurring in SRU classrooms by professors of content and
methods disciplines,
(2) work groups are assessing the state of science and math education at
elementary, secondary, and university levels to collect data, make
recommendations, and develop mechanisms to address recommendations,
(3) a Center for Math, Science, and Technology Education is active at SRU in
Room 212 MacKay, as at other SSHE schools,
(4) the newly adopted Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Academic Standards
for Science and Technology, as well as for Ecology and the Environment,
were reviewed, and
(5) interaction amongst faculty and teachers from all levels is promoted
through workshops and conferences, locally and state-wide, that encourage
continuing professional development
A panel of faculty will discuss these activities with the intent of raising awareness
and encouraging increased involvement The motive for involvement lies in the circular
Dature of education, whereby improving the educational experience for a current pre;ervice teacher produces a better teacher, who one day delivers a better-prepared firstyear college student for matriculation into the SRU classroom. We assert that this
scholarly evaluation of pedagogy and content is a proactive attempt to develop a bettereducated citizemy through the means of invigorating classrooms.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

29

Researching Our Roots: Writing Our Stories - Writing in the Fourth Genre
KELLY, Priscilla (F), priscilla.kelly@sru.edu, DILLON, Cynthia (G),
MULLER, Jacquelyn (G), English
This poster presentation is intended to showcase the autobiographical and biographical
research and writing done by SRU students in various sites including genealogical
websites, family histories and Ellis Island. It shows how Dr. Priscilla Kelly's research
into this branch of creative non-fiction provides a theoretical framework for the research
writing students do in this genre. The challenge of auto/biographical writing becomes the
task of researching, clarifying and interpreting one's past and then presenting it
convincingly to a reader.
The theoretical and psychological underpinnings of the class will be outlined.
Research argues for the importance of expressive "writing that stays close to the speaker''
as the basis for the development of writing ability in all genres. Theory indicates ii
movement from an intimate to a more public audience as students write more and more 1
perform transactional or poetic functions. James Kinneavy characterizes the self ~
consisting of combinations of the different aspects of the self: "Being-for-Itself, BeinL
for-Others, and Being-in-the World."
Psychological theory supports the importance of autobiographical writing in rooting
one's language in one's own self-awareness, and from this source developing a personal
voice in our own writing, one that should survive as identifiably ours even when we take
on more impersonal topics. Knowing where you come from helps you know where you
want to go.
Research of personal histories is based on oral family stories that are passed from
generation to generation, supported by picture albums, heirlooms, and other memorabilia.
It is important that personal family stories be researched and written down and then
shared with others. Investigating the authenticity of the stories is important. For many,
a journey to Ellis Island, New York, offers a beginning for validating family folklore.
Those who travel by ferry to Ellis Island in search of their ancestors find that the
experience is very much as it might have been when their families first arrived on the
shores of the United States. A scheduled "search session" at "The American Family
Immigration History Center" can be arranged · in advance, on.line at
http://www.cllisisland.org. A login name and password arc assigned, and "your
personal" Ellis Island file is established on the Center's database. Instructions on
researching ancestors are provided. Upon arrival to the facility the researcher is shown to
a private booth and given further instructions. The database consists of ship manifests
that provide names of passengers, places of residence, a range of demographic and other
information, and the person's eventual destination in the United States.

SRU Symposium for Resc;:arch and Scholarship 2002

30

Rotation, Translation, and Vertical Displacement of Supraglacial Clasts
during Summer Ablation, Matanuska Glacier, Chugach Mts., Alaska

KOWALCZUK, Ranae (U), drradical@hotmail.com, STRASSER, Jeffrey,
Geology, Augustana College, Rock Island, IL 61201, EVENSON, Edward,
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lehigh Unviersity, Bethleham, PA 18015,
BURKHART, Patrick (F), Geology, Geography, and the Environment,
ENSMINGER, Staci, Geology and Geography, Northwest Missouri State
Univ., Maryville, MO 64468, and LAWSON, Daniel, CRREL, US Anny, Fort
Richardson, AK
Research at the Matanuska Glacier during an NSF sponsored REU program, operated by
Augustana College and CRREL, revealed several phenomena associated with
supraglacial clasts. Depending upon their thickness and surface area, clasts were
observed to move across the ice surface and either became inset into the glacier surface
or elevated on a pedestal of ice. Experiments measured clast movements over a threeweek period, and explored factors controlling movement. Fifty-one dark, phyllitic
cobbles and boulders displayed translations between 3.7 cm (0.18 cm/d) and 26 ~ (1.24
cm/d). and a maximum clockwise rotation of285°. Ten clasts built pedestals up.to 6 cm,
six remained at grade, and 35 melted into the ice downward to 9 cm.
Other experiments investigated the intriguing debris tails present behind tmnslating
clasts. Debris tails were spray painted to monitor the movement of sediment, which was
observed entering the tail as a boulder slides off a pedestal, across debris-covered ice.
Azimuths of 60 debris tails. taken from random boulders on clean and transition ice near
the medial moraine, revealed a mean azimuth of 210°, indicating movement towards the
southwest. Another experiment placed 21 boulders and cobbles on constructed sediment
beds. Simulated tails revealed a mean azimuth of 213°, a maximum translation of 32 cm
(1.5 cm/d), and a maximum pedestal height of 15 cm
Additional experiments detennined the effect of sediment thickness on ablation rates.
The mean ablation for clean ice during the study period was 184.8 cm. A .5 mm thick
cover increased ablation another 7.8 cm. At l cm of cover, a threshold is approached;
mean ablation exceeded clean ice by 1. 7 cm, but positive relief features (reflecting
redll<:ed ablation) grew to 12 cm in height. A 2 cm cover increased ablation by 5.1 cm
beyond the mean, but also produced positive relief features up to 15 cm tall.
Boulders translate towards the southwest, as they slide off their pedestal at an angle
of repose affected by the path of the sun. The mechanism entrapping debris into the tail
remains debatable, with hypotheses involving sheetwash, spallation, or incorporation by
over-riding being considered. This research helps to explain ice surface microtopography and the mechanisms degrading the surficial expression of debris bands,
medial moraines, or colluvium.
The REU Program covered expenses and provided a stipend for six-weeks of
unforgettable, exciting, adventurous, and educational science on a picturesque glacier.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

31

Characterization of Pseudokarst in Badlands National Park, South Dakota

KOWALCZUK, Ranae (U), SANDER, Kirk (U), kxs9569@sru.edu,
BURKHART, Patrick (F), Geography, Geology, and Environment
The sod tables of the White River Badlands of South Dakota exist as remnants of
Quaternary alluvial-colluvial fans deposited during the erosion of the adjacent "castles' of
the Tertiary Brule and Sharps formations. Using surveying teclmiques during field
mapping, we determined that at least four levels of sod tables can be mapped as stepped
surfaces ranging in height from 0.5 to 10 m above channel bottom in adjacent washes.
Sod Table One (STl) is about 0.5 m high, ST2 is at 1.3 m, ST3 is at 3 m, and ST4 is at 5
m. Evidence suggests another surface, ST5, is rarely observed at about 10 m above
adjacent active channels. Mapping was completed in an area paralleling the major
escarpment (which runs nearly E-W) for a distance of about eight kilometers and within
about one kilometer both north (above) and south (below) of the cliff band. Resolution of
large 1: 10,000 aerial photos was sufficient to discriminate most sod tables and to record
their attributes upon overlays. These data will be entered into a GIS package to query
additional spatial relationships regarding proximity to the escarpment.
Difficulties encountered in discriminating between sod table levels include (1) some
tables appear to be sourced from adjacent higher tables, in contrast to being sourced from
Tertiary 'castles', (2) selection of the principle channel within a catchment to base
vertical measurement and sod table numbering upon can be tricky due to the obstructed
views of the rugged topography, and (3) individual sod tables can be observed to
undulate or sag abruptly in a fashion conflicting with the anticipated original depositional
grade, typically existing on these fans. These difficulties suggest that additional study
involving stratigraphic correlation and the use of various dating methods would assist in
categorizing individual tables.
We postulate that the sod tables that exist at various distinct levels may reflect
multiple generations of alluvial-colluvial fan development. This assertion would further
imply that the balance between sediment supply delivered from the 'castles' and it
removal has varied to produce periods of net aggradation and the building of fans, froIJ
periods of net degradation, incising into and producing fan remnants, which exist as SOI
tables today. Changing paleoclimate may have driven this dynamicism, but such remaills
conjecture. We thank the Provost, Dr. Robert M. Smith. for granting the generous
opportunity to conduct research in Badlands National Pmk, South Dakota by funding
Faculty/Student Research Grants that provide invaluable opportunity to undergraduates.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

32

The Design of the "I-CARE" Community Garden in New Castle, PA

LAUZON, Jennifer (G),jallOll@sru.edu, REYNOLDS, Thomas J. (S)
This project involves the development of a community garden in New Castle, PA. A
vacant lot of downtown New Castle was chosen as the site for the development of a
community garden This resulted from a project envisioned by Slippery ~~
University's Institute for Commwri.ty, Service-Learning, and Nonprofit Leadership m
cooperation with the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and
Research (RAMC), the City of New Castle, and Lawrence County. The ~C was
given the role of developing a design and implementation plan for the commuruty garden
system.
The current site consists of three abandoned lots (1/4 acre total) in an older residential
area that had been taken over by the city. A comprehensive site analysis was done that
took into consideration soil properties (drainage, structure, etc.), precipitation, wind data,
temperature data, and solar geometry. A design for the proposed garden was created
based on the site analysis, respect for sustainability criteria, and the needs of community
residents.
Originally, only the availability of the southern-most lot was secured for the
implementation of the commwri.ty garden project. In addition, the number of people
participating in the garden endeavor was yet to be detennined. Thus, the project was
separated into two distinct phases. The first phase concerns the development of the
southernmost lot. It includes a tool/potting shed, a shaded gatherin~picnic area, a
children's garden. an informational bulletin board, compost bins, rainwater catchment
barrels, a community hero gatden. and several individual plots for community gardeners.
The second phase entails the development of the remaining lots; providing additional
garden plots, an orchard of fruit and nut trees, a second tool shed, and a stage area for
small-scale musical and theatrical performances.
Included in the design of the garden are aspects that exhibit a concern for ecological
systems and long-term sustainability. The built environment components of the project
are being developed with a bias towards materials with a low embodied energy (i.e.
salvaged and/or locally sourced) and non~toxic finishes. RespoDSl'ble on-site water
management will be accommodated by roof-collected rainwater. The garden areas will
be managed organically (without chemical pesticides and/or herbicides) to reduce
impacts on neighbors and non-pest species, as well as protecting the integrity of local
water~ ~ activi1ies are incorporated into the design to help close the
local. DDtii~ loop and. eliminate o~c waste from the site. Ornamental plantings will
~mainly of species that are native to Pennsylvania in order to reduce maintenance
and provide habitat for native wildlife.
Phase I of the garden is to be implemented in the spring of 2002.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

33

Studies on a New Animal Model for Type 2 Diabetes
MAJCHER, Megan (U), meejy@yahoo.com, WEINSCHENK, Sarah (U),
BIRCKBICHLER, Paul J. (F), Chemistry and Physics, GUBERSKI,
Dennis L., Biomedical Research Models, Inc., Worcester, MA 01606
Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
ESRD affects both Types 1 and 2 diabetes patients and the incidence is increasing.
Recently, a new strain of rat (ILAR Designation BBZDR/Wor) was developed by
genetically eliminating autoimmunity from the BBZDP strain. Male obese BBZDR rats
spontaneously develop diabetes that mimics human Type 2, on the average, at 74 days of
age. Obese female BBZDR rats have impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), while lean
BBZDR rats (male and female) evidence neither diabetes nor IGT. The focus of our
studies is to document whether or not the kidney pathologies in BBZDR/Wor animals are
similar to the kidney pathologies seen in humans who develop the disease. Demonstrating
a correlation between the two species will validate these animals as a model for human
diabetes and testing preventive modalities.
Our preliminary results demonstrated that non-diabetic animals had essentially normal
appearing kidneys, whereas the kidneys of the diabetic animals contained many of the
features described for diabetic nephropathy. In general, the differences were more
pronounced in animals with longer duration of diabetes. Diabetic animals also had larger
glomeruli than non-diabetic animals.
The amount and distribution oftrichrome stain (a chemical method to detect collagen)
are acceptable methods of the degree of renal sclerosis. Over thirty percent of the kidney
area measured in the diabetic animals with duration times in excess of 200 days of
diabetes was positive for collagen. The stain was concentrated in both the glomerular and
tubulointerstitial regions of the kidney. Four percent of the area was positive in control
animals without diabetes, and essentially all of the stain was in the glomeruli. Most of
the collagen was found in the glomerulus of the animals with diabetes duration times less
than 200 days. Little or no collagen was observed in the tubulointerstitial area of these
animals.
Increased tissue transglutaminase (fGase) expression, a biomarker for kidney
sclerosis, was also evident in diabetic kidneys after 200 days of diabetes. TGase
appeared to be expressed constitutively in tubule cells of kidneys from non-diabetic
animals. Expression within the glomerulus was generally weak to non-existent and
appeared to be associated with the endothelial cells when it was detected. In contrast,
TGase expression in kidneys from diabetic animals was observed not only in the tubule
cells, but also within the glomeruli. In the diabetic animals examined thus far, the TGase
positivity appeared to be associated with both the mesangium and the endothelial cells
within the glomeruli. Additional animals must be examined to support or refute these
initial observations.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

34

Distributed Architecture Solutions to Vehicle Routing Problems with Time
Windows

MATLACK, Adrian (U), axm4197@sru.edu, THANGIAH, Sam R. (F),
Computer Science
Vehicle Routing Problems with Time Windows (VRPTW) involve visiting a set of
customers while minimizing the number of trucks required and the total distance traveled
by the trucks. Bounds exist on the capacity and range of each truck and on the earliest
and latest times a customer can be visited. This problem is NP-Complete, meaning that
the time required to find the optimal solution grows exponentially with the problem size.
As a result heuristic solutions are used to find solutions to the problem in polynomial
time. Researchers have been working on such problems for more than two decades.
The heuristic solutions that have been proposed to solve such problems have been
sequential in nature. That is, the problem is solved in a sequential manner by breaking
the problem down into a nwnber of layers and solving one layer completely before
solving the next Jayer. Due to the computationally intensive natme of VRPTW, it would
be advantageous to solve the problem in a parallel manner over a distributed set of
computers. This can be accomplished by running multiple instances of a client program
over several computers and dividing the work among them. Each client program
represents a truck in the solution of the problem. Pairs of clients communicate and
exchange customers in an attempt to produce an optimal solution between the two trucks.
This communication occurs repeatedly in a pattern that is determined by a central server
program until it is determined that the solution will not improve further.
In this paper we will present the SY.stem that has been developed to solve such
problems. In addition the solutions obtained using this system will be compared with
those using sequential methods.

I

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

35

A Proposal for a Campus Sustainability Initiative for Slippery Rock
University

McDONALD, Andy (G), andyboeke@yahoo.com, DOHERTY, Steven (F),
Parks and Recreation/Environmental Education
Slippety Rock University's mission statement and academic programming have made it a
nationally recognized leader in campus environmental stewardship. This strong
foundation presents an opportwlity to establish SRU as one of the nation's pre-eminent
higher education institutions dedicated to environmental sustainability. A comprehensive
"Campus Sustainability Initiative" (CSI) may provide leadership and coordination to
carry SRU to the next level of environmental Service and excellence.
This project involves research, planning, and coordination necessary to develop this
initiative at SRU. First, a CSI framework is proposed and related to the university's
mission statement and strategic plan. The next phase of research into this topic involves a
needs assessment and stakeholder analysis, soliciting input from people throughout the
university community, to further ground the CSI concept in its local context.
Research reveals a multitude of benefits that can result from "campus greening"
initiatives. The University at Buffalo in New York has an energy conservation program
that bas saved the university over $60 million in the past 20 years. This highly successful
program led to the creation of the UB Green Office for environmental affairs, and an
Environmental Task Force that develops policy and programs for environmental
stewardship. Research into other campus greening initiatives (e.g. Columbia University,
Tufts University, Oberlin College) identifies activities, benefits and management
approaches relevant to the campus greening process at SRU. These initiatives
demonstrate that the greening of a campus and curriculum requires representation and
participation from the full university community. Furthermore, they have resulted in
multiple substantial benefits, in terms of education, economics, prestige, campus qualityof-life, and environmental protection.
Experiences at other universities suggest the following key elements can move SRU
to the next level of envirorunental excellence. First, top-level administrative support is
essential to long-term institutional change. Second, a full-time staff-person dedicat~. to
leading and coordinating campus greening activities is necessary to ensure that pohcies
become translated into actions and programs. Third, an Environmental Task· Force
comprised of faculty, staff, administrators and students is needed to ~ the
university's relationship to the environment, and to develop strat~gie~ _and ~~~es ~~
enhance those relationships. This proposal for a Campus Sustamab1lity Iru~atJ.v_e ~­
offered as a starting point for dialogue on how to best fulfill Slippeiy Rock UruveTSity"!
commitment to environmental stewardship and education.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

36

Factors Related to Distorted Body Image in College Women
NIXON, Shawna (U), shawna2405@zoomintemet.net, RYAN, William J. (F),
Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences, STUHLDREHER, Wendy L. (F), Allied
Health, FORREST, Kimberly, Y.-Z., Allied Health.
Satisfaction with body image is an important health indicator that has been associated
with negative health behaviors among females. The purpose ofthis study was to identify
factors associated with distorted body image among female college students attending
Slippery Rock University. Stunkard et al. body image figures and the BECK depression
inventoiy were part of a health survey administered to 157 female students in a required
personal fitness course at Slippeiy Rock University.
To categorize body image distortion (BID), three variables were computed from
responses to Stunkard et al. body image .figures: 1) SWAF indicated satisfaction with
actual body figure; 2) ATOPSEX: indicated perceived attraction to males; 3)
W.AN11IlN: indicated desire to be thinner than what men find attractive.
All 3 measures of BID were significantly associated (p<0.05) with some degree of
depression as measured by BECK depression inventoxy scores. SWAF was significantly
associated (p<0.05) with self-reported overall stress. SWAF and ATOPSEX were
significantly associated (p<0.05) with using diet, exercise and diet pills to lose weight. In
addition, the BECK depression inventoxy includes a question about satisfaction with
overall appearance (APPEAR) that was also significantly associated (p<0.05) with some
degree of depression and the ~ of dieting, diet pills, and vomiting/laxatives to lose
weight.

Dissatisfaction with body image was associated with various behaviors associated
with weight loss in this sample of college women. Depression also appears to be a key
factor associated with BID. These results focus on issues of BID and mental and physical
health among female college students. This continues to be an important health concern
that should be included in the newly developed Healthy Campus 2010 initiative.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

37

"'The Desert of the Real': Baudrillard's Hyperreality, Sun Tzu's Taoism,
and The Matrix as Romantic-Postmodern Film"
PERMENTER, Rachela (F), English, WAGNER, Corrie (G),
corriegirl@hotmail.com
The Wachowski brother's popular film The Matrix (1999) is valorized in intellectual
circles for its subtle references to Jean Baudrillard's treatise on hyperreality, Simulacra
and Simulation. The film is best known for its groundbreaking special effects, especially
the bending of time and space in "bullet time," and for its crowd-pleasing crossing of
science fiction and martial arts genres. This popular action adventure film pulls its
unsuspecting audience into a deeper layer of philosophical inquiry, however, causing
them to question what is real and what is artifice. This paper argues that the parallels of
Baudrillard's hyperreality and the Taoist/Buddhist basis of the martial arts are much more
detailed in the film than is widely believed and the seeming contradiction of the two is
the paradox at the heart oflate postmodemity.
Not only does the Keanu Reeves character Neo pull a hollow copy of Simu/acra and
Simulation from his shelf early in the film, but "Welcome to the desert of the real" moves
straight from Baudrillard's pen to Laurence Fishburne's mouth. Finally, Neo's training
as a martial artist leads him to defy gravity, time, and physical reality. In a cyberpunk
mood, the film uses the martial arts to see life as a complex of interacting forces and
demonstrates the current interaction among scientific, technological, and philosophical
discussions about physicality, reality, and mental and societal constructions. According
to Sun Tzu, a warrior's biggest enemy is not the opponent, but the mind's inability to see
that all is movement Similarly, Baudrillard lays out the provocative contention that what
we view as reality is actually a hyperreality - something that is more real to us than
reality itself, a world of media implosion For Baudrillard, Sun Tzu, and The Matrix, we
have all been "living in a dream world"
This paper clearly draws out the parallels found between the works of Baudrillard and
the Wachowski brother's masterpiece, The Matrix, showing how Baudrillard's words and
ideas are brought to life on the screen. In addition, the paper argues that fragmentation
and artifice do not tell the whole postmodern story. Through the catalyst of the martial
arts, the Wachowski brothers connect the nonduality of Taoism and Buddhism to what is
commonly classified as postmodernism. This addition emphasizes the film's and the
era's concurrent Romantic shadow, adding light and flight to its darkness.

38

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

Germination Tests of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L) Seed in Red Sumac (Rhus
typhina) Leaves Water Extracts and Phenolics Isolation through Paper

Chromatography
REUSTLE, Theresa (G), territbl9403@yahoo.com, BORSARI, Bruno (F),
Parks & Recreation/Environmental Education, KEFELI, Valentine, Slippery
Rock Watershed Coalition, Cranberry, PA 16066
The decomposition of sumac leaves is part of the naturally occurring caibon cycle, which
determines for this species the release of phenolic compounds that are leached through
the soil. Phenolics are potent allelochemicals that at high concentration levels may inhibit
plant growth and seed germination. The purpose of this study was to isolate through
paper chromatography (in a 15% acetic acid solution) various groups of phenolic
substances from sumac leaves (Rhus typhina) water extracts and to evaluate their effect in
regulating seed germination and seedling growth. The examination of the chromatogram
under UV-B light determined a clear separation of phenolic.s into three distinct, colored
groups (brown, blue and yellow). The different colored portions of the chromatogram
were cut and later utiliz.ed to test seed germination and seedling growth of lettuce
(Lactuca sativa L. ), over a week timeframe. Stem lengths were measured
mean
values with the corresponding standard deviations were calculated from the control and
the three different treatment groups. The control yielded a mean value of 16.5 ± 1.6 mm.
The treatment conditions yielded a mean of 15.3 ± 2.9 mm for the brown colored
phenolics; whereas, the mean for the growth conditions with phenolics in the blue spot of
the chromatogram was 12.4±1.1mm;and20 ± 0.0 mm were the statistics obtained from
the yellow part of the chromatogram. Phenolics isolated in the brown and blue spots
appeared to inhibit lettuce growth; whereas, those associated with the yellow colored spot
of the chromatogram promoted growth. Further research needs to be accomplished to
better understand the mode of action of these natural molecules in relation to seed
gennination and growth. Certainly, practical applications deriving from this, and similar
efforts, may lead to a better knowledge in controlling unwanted vegetation without using
synthetic herbicides.

and

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

39

Acute Dexamethasone or Corticosterone Treatment Enhances Prepulse
Inhibition in Rats
REYES, Genara (U), irisreyes99@yahoo.com, STOCKTON, Steven (U),
ADAMCZVK, Jennifer (U), PORT, Richard (F), Psychology
Stress hormones appear to have short term excitatory effects on central nervous system
function and long term effects of neurological damage. Prepulse inlubition (PPI), a
decreased response to a stimulus when a lesser warning stimulus is present, is known to
be disturbed in schizophrenic patients. Since schizophrenic populations show distmbed
patterns of stress hormone levels, it is unclear as to whether the deficit is due to acute
effects of elevated stress hormones or long tenn damage incurred as a product of chronic
exposure. The present study evaluates acute effects of treatment with dexamethasone, a
potent synthetic glucocorticoid that suppresses endogenous corticosterone, or elevation of
corticosteroids via delivery of exogenous hormone.
Adult male rats were randomly assigned to dexamethasone (40ug), corticosterone (l.6
mg), vehicle or non-injected control conditions. Subcutaneous injections were given 90
minutes prior to standardized testing in acoustic startle and prepulse inlnbition (69 trials
over a 12 minute period). The amplitude of force exerted in response to the stimulus was
recorded by a computer program.
Preliminary results on prepulse inhibition occurring to an 80 dB prepulse were
examined for 20 subjects. Results of an analysis of variance approached significance for
fuis initial sample, f(3,16)=2.78; p=.07. Dexamethasone treated subjects averaged 204,
and corticosteroid subjects averaged 117.
Vehicle injected controls (309) and
noninjected controls (316) were more responsive to the test stimulus (failed to inlubit as
greatly). The inclusion of additional subject data is currently in progress and should yield
significant differences.
Enhanced sensorimotor function via suppression or elevation of corticosteroids is not
inconsistent with acute effects of the honnone on neurological function. In the case of
suppression, an enhanced signal to noise ratio (decreased background neuronal activation
by the honnone) may improve registration of the signal sti~us. In the elev_at~
condition, a generally enhanced magnitiude of neuronal signal (stimnlus re~ed ~cttvlt_:
superimposed on background) may facilitate general efficacy of the warmng stimulU::
Ultimately, acute manipulation of corticosteroids do not impair PPI and the c~...
effects of stress related hormones would appear to be the byproduct of an accumulation
of damage to neurological structures subserving sensorimotor function.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

40

Use of RAPD PCR Analysis in Studying the Biogeographical Relationships
among Members of the GenusAntennaria
RODGERS, Scott A. (U), sar4712@sru.edu, CHMIELEWSKI, Jerry G. (F),
STRAIN, Steven R. (F), Biology
A genus of perennial herbs, Antennaria occurs predominantly throughout the cold
temperate and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Only three species, A. chilensis
Remy, A. linearifolia Wedd., and A. s/eumeri Cabrera, occur in the Southern Hemisphere,
specifically, the Andes of South America. Antennaria likely originated in the southern
parts of western North America, subsequently spreading into a variety of habitats
including, but not restricted to, limestone talus, chy~moist arctic or alpine tundra, montane
or lower elevation coniferous forests, prairies, and diy sagebrush steppe throughout the
Northern Hemisphere. The genus has achieved its greatest morphological diversity in
western North America. The dearth of species in Eurasia, but more so in South America,
may be indicative of recent migrations to the respective regions, thus insufficient time for
significant speciation to occur. Antennaria chi/ensis Remy, a tetraploid (2n=56),
apomictic species, consisting of vars. chilensis and magellanica (Sch. Bip.) Reiche, occurs
in the southern tip of South America in the Tierra del Fuego region of Argentina and Chile,
north to approximately 45° S latitude. The species was previously believed to resemble A.
dioica (L.) Gaertner in inflorescence characters, but at the time, A. dioica also included
what we currently refer to as A. rosea, a morphologically diverse polyploid agamic
complex with an extensive North American distribution. Antennaria magellanica Sch.
Bip., which differs from A. chilensis in its papillate versus glabrous achenes was initially
considered to be related to A. a/pina and A. carpatica. Because it is not clear whether
classifying these various taxa (alpina, chi/ensis, dioica, magellanica and rosea) as separate
species accurately reflects their phylogeny, genomic DNA from herbarium specimens was
isolated and subjected to analysis using polymorphic DNA matkers amplified by the
polymerase chain reaction with the goal of determining the extent of genetic variability
within and between the species.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

41

Teaching Science us~ng Research-Based Pedagogy in a Conceptual Physics
Course for Pre-Service Elementary Education Majors - Early Results from
the Assessment Program

SHAEVITZ, Ben Alan (F), ben.shaevitz@sru.edu, Chemistry and Physics
In January 2002 the Department of Chemistry and Physics received a Program Initiative
Grant from the Office of the Chancellor to institute a research-based curriculum in the
Concepts of Science I course. This three-semester project is based on the premise that
the teac~ers of tomorrow need explicit models in their college classes of the pedagogy
and cumcula they are expected to employ. The project design is a synthesis of three
elements shown in the research literature to positively affect teaching practice: the
learning environment. the pedagogy, and the curriculmn. Grant and University funds
allowed for the renovation of a physical science laboratory in Vincent Science Hall into a
contemporary "Studio" classroom. Pioneered at Dickinson College in the early 1990's,
Studio classrooms integrate lecture and laboratory into a single physical space. The
physical arrangement is conducive to collaborative learning. The classroom is also
technology-rich, having hardware and software for a computer-based text., computerbased data collection, and simulated laboratory experiments. The pedagogy employed in
this project is termed constructivism. In constructivism the emphasis is placed on the
learner rather than the teacher, the learner is given the opportunity to build on prior
knowledge, and learning occurs by fitting new information together with what they
already know. The pedagogy stresses conceptual understanding, is inquiry-based and
hands-on, and makes extensive use of active learning. The curriculum, entitled
Constructing Physics Understanding, is adapted from a National Science Foundation
sponsored project developed at San Diego State University and the University of
Minnesota, is research-based and class tested, meets the content of National Science
Education Standards, and is based on a learning cycle model of instruction. Common
items and simple apparatus are extensively used to demonstrate to pre-service teachers
the utility oftbis curricular approach for their future classroom.
This poster will present the early assessment results of the Teaching Science PT?ject.
Two outcomes measured are: student attitudes about science and college-level SCience
courses (measured pre-course and post-course and benchmruked against data gathered the
summer before the project began), and enrollment trends (benchmarked against da~ from
the traditional Concepts of Science I course). The assessment results at the conclUSion of
the first semester of the project were mixed. Some possible reasons for ~e mixed results,
aspects of the assessment program designed to identify causes ~ the ~ed results, and
refinements to the curriculum from the second semester of the project will be presented.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

42

Maize Crosses to Illustrate Epistatic Ratios of Kernel Colors in Maize
SHOTWELL, Mark A. (F), mark.shotwell@sru.edu, Biology, ANDREWS,
Richard I. (G), Grove City Senior High School, Grove City, PA 16127
Epistasis, the nonreciprocal interaction between nonallelic genes, is an important concept
in genetics, but one that students often struggle to master. Understanding of this concept
is greatly aided by laboratory exercises in which examples of epistasis are examined.
Kernel color in maize is an ideal phenotype for illustrating epistasis in the teaching
lab. Not only are there a variety of independently assorting genes that influence pigment
accumulation, but the large number of kernels on each ear allows for the calculation of
statistically meaningful phenotype ratios.
One lab in the Genetics course at SRU is devoted to epistasis, with the exercise centering on kernel color in maize. Over the years, I grew dissatisfied with the quality of the
ears I acquired from commercially available sources. The colors were often indistinct,
and in some cases the phenotype ratios were not as advertised. I therefore decided to do
my own crosses to produce cars that illustrated four epistatic interactions: (1) dominant,
(2) recessive, (3) duplicate recessive, and (4) dominant and recessive.
Of the 12 crosses that I completed, only four will be e:\.-plained. These involved
parental lines acquired from the Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. I was assisted in planning these crosses by Dr. Phil
Stinard of the Stock Center.
The parental lines were crossed in 1999, and the F1 plants were self-fertilized in 2000
to give F2 ears. These crosses were done in Grove City, PA. Owing to the small size of
the F2 ears, the F 1 crosses were re-done in 2001 by Dr. Jeff Habben at Pioneer Hi-Bred
International in Johnston, IA, under ideal growing conditions. The F2 ears that resulted
were much larger; these are the ears that will be described.
TI1e F2 ears showed the four expected epistatic ratios of kernel colors: (1) 9:3:4 (recessive epistasis), (2) 9:7 (duplicate recessive epistasis), (3) 12:3:1 (dominant cpistasis), and
(4) 13:3 (dominant and recessive cpistasis). These F 2 cars are superior to tl1osc commerially available, and are now being used in the Genetics labs at SRU.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

43

Chronic Corticosterone Elevation Impairs Prepulse Inhibition in Rats

STOCKTON, Steven (U), sds5579@sru.edu, PORT, Richard (F), Psychology
Stress and related hormones, such as corticosteroids, are implicated in a variety of
psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia Exposure to a variety of stressors,
prenatally, perinatally or in adulthood, appears to be a potential contributor to the
development of the disease, and clearly plays a role in exacerbation of symptoms.
Behaviors affected by the disorder include a disruption of sensorimotor function as
revealed by impaired prepulse inhibition (PPI), a response decrement normally seen when
an acoustic startle stimulus is preceded by a weaker warning signal. However, we have
found that acute elevation of corticosteroids enhances the inhibition elicited by a
prepulse. Consequently, it would appear likely that the failure to inhibit the response by
schizophrenic patients may be a result of chronic insult on brain systems by elevated
levels of stress honnones. The present study evaluated PPI in animals exposed to long
term elevation of corticosteroids.
Young male rats (n=24) were assigned to control, low dosage (250 ug/ml) or high
dosage (500 ug/ml) corticosterone conditions at 30 days of age. Corticosterone was
administered through their drinking water for a period of 60 days prior to testing.
Corticosterone treatment was then halted and animals were tested again one week after
termination of treatment Testing consisted of 69 random startle and PPI trials delivered
over an 11.5 minute session in a computerized startle system (San Diego Instruments).
Average response amplitudes for PPI trials with an 80 dB prepulse were analyzed with
a twoway analysis of variance. Results indicated a significant effect of group,
f(2,64)=6.64, p<.01. Effects of week and the interaction were not significant.
Application ofTukey's HSD test revealed greater inluoition in the control group (80.2%)
than in the low dosage (72.8%) or high dosage (67.3%) groups.
These results indicate that chronic elevation of corticosteroids produces a deficit in
PPI that persists after treatment is halted. Consequently, the deficit appears to be the
result of chronic insult to the nervous system by the elevated levels of stress hormone.
Attempts to attenuate this disturbance in sensorimotor gating will require pharmicological
nonnalization of neuronal functioning as well as control of stress hormone levels.

SRU Symposium for Research and Scholarship 2002

44

The Impact of an Integrated Learning Community Cluster and Freshman
Seminar on Academic and Social Integration, Academic Performance, and
Student Persistence for First Year Students, Special Admits, Students of
Color, and Specific Majors

YALE, Amanda (F), amanda.yale@sru.edu, CASHDOLLAR, Matthew (S),
Enrollment Services, LONGWELL, April (F), BRINJAK, Cathy (F),
Academic Services
This study investigated the relationship between participation in an integrated learning
community cluster and one-credit freshman seminar on student retention, cumulative
grade point average perfonnance, academic credits earned, and academic and social
integration. The variables investigated were derived from the following theoretical
constructs: student departure (Tinto, 1993), student involvement (Astin, 1993, 1984), and
academic and social integration (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980, 1991). Pascarealla &
Terenzini's (1980) institutional integration scales were used to examine five dimensions
of academic and social integration: peer groups interactions, faculty interactions,
academic and intellectual development, institutional and goal commitment, and faculty
concern for student development. Academic and social integration was further
operationalized into the following sub-scales: use of student services, retention through
the third semester, academic perfonnance, and credits earned.
The institution implemented a combined Leaming Community Cluster and Freshman
Seminar in an effort to positively impact a student's academic and social integration.
Twenty-seven (27) learning community clusters in the fall of 2000 comprised of both
liberal studies and major program clusters were offered to students.
Using a multidimensional research design, data for this study were gathered through
two procedures: Institutional database files were used to collect retention, academic
performance, and credits earned, while survey methodology was used to collect
information on the dimensions of academic and social integration.
Results from the analyses of data revealed significant relationships between
participation in the learning community cluster/freshman seminar and peer group
interactions, faculty interactions, perceived academic and intellectual development, and
'lSe of student services. Results from the analyses did not produce significant results on
irst-to-second year retention, freshman cumulative grade point average, and credits
:amed. Generally, seminar participants had higher observable mean scores on each of the
.'ariables, but the analyses did not produce statistically significant results when studied
after the third semester. Third semester persistence was reported at 5.4 percent higher for
cluster participants. Further, several retention factors were found significant for specific
student sub-groups and cluster groupings (special admits, students of color, and major
clusters). The results from this study suggest that significant relationships exist between
participation in the cluster and seminar effort and several academic and social integration
variables, particularly for student sub-groups and specific types of clusters.

5 April2001
Inaugural Plenary Address

45

Dr. Carl 0. Moses
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, Lehigh University
Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
It talces time and patience to build a culture that values scholarship. It's not something that
American culture naturally fosters. We are conditioned to have it our way, to just do it, to schedule
just-in-time deliveries, and to fill our DayTimers with meetings, appointments, and activities for
every evening. Where in our modern lives is the time or even the motivation to carefully gather
information, sift it and sort it, create new knowledge with it, and communicate what we've learned
to other curious minds?
Anti-intellectualism is the norm in America. Fortunately there are counter-examples, and
we are some of the counter-examples, but modern America remains a tough audience for
scholarship. America loves to promote education and learning, but that often does not extend to
scholarship, which is the most advanced form of learning. All of us are bucking the trend, and we
need-in fact, we crave-events like this as a form of fellowship and as a way to hold scholarship
up to the community as a valued and worthwhile enterprise and validate the scholar as a valued
member of the community.
If you will look around, you'll see some experienced, practicing scholars among us today.
Regrettably, most of them will be white and male, but that's an artifact of our society. There's
nothing about the work of scholarship that should exclude or discourage the non-white or female
persons who have an itch for knowledge that needs scratching. In fact, the scholarly arena is one
where people can come to be judged on the basis of their ideas, their creations, and the knowledge
and understanding they contribute to humankind's quest for wisdom. It is an arena where gender,
race, and all those characteristics of us as individuals give way to the humanness that unites us all.
What's really exciting to me as I look around is that we also see newcomers to
scholarship-students who are learning the craft of scholarship. Why should they seek to do so,
especially when the mainstream culture attaches little value to it? The cynic among us might say
that getting involved in an activity like this looks good on a resume, but come on. That might be an
incentive to start, but this is difficult, lonely work; it requires discipline and sacrifice. Nobody
follows through and completes a work of scholarship without a genuine affinity for it. So I say that,
in these students, we are looking at direct evidence of a drive to explore nature, to seek answers to
permanent questions, to create something that responds to our surroundings or expresses our
mnermost feelings-to scratch an itch that just won't go away. I'm saying that we're humans, and
we just have to explore and push outward on the boundaries of knowledge. Discovery is a lifealtering experience-it's really one of the highest forms of human achievement.
A story: Niccolo Paganini was one of the greatest violinists-maybe the greatest violinist-of a
time. He lived in the early l 9u' century and entertained thousands across Europe. He constant!,
worked at developing new techniques for making the violin do things no one had ever before hell!'d·
One night, he cmne on the stage after his introduction and lifted the violin to his chin only to realize
that it was not his. He had left his own beloved instrument backstage and picked up another by
mistake. It was too late to go off, switch violins, and return to the stage, so with hi.s heart in his
throat, Paganini proceeded to give one of his most enchanting performances. Wl_len 1t was ov~r, a
friend greeted him backstage with exuberant congratulations. Pag~ thanke? ~ and the fiiend
asked Paganini how he had managed to play so wondrous!y that ru~t. .Pagamm resP. had been terrified at the start of the concert, and he explarned to his fiiend about usmg the wrong
violin. 'But,' he explained, 'as I played on, I le~d something:' I:Jis fiiend. ~ked .wha! such an
accomplished player could have learned by playmg the wrong v10hn. Paganuu replied, I always
thought the music was in the violin. Tonight I learned that the music is in me!'

46
I think that explains why we want to involve our students in scholarship. It's necessary,
of course, for us to be able to pass the torch on to a new genera~on. but many of the stud~ts who
get involved in scholarship won't actually PW:SU~ it as a v~tion. So be).'ond torch-~ss~., we
know what a valuable learning tool scholarnhip ts. And aside from learrung about their sut!ject,
students learn about themselves. They learn that new knowledge and undcistanding isn't in the
scientific instruments, or in the hbracy, or in the paints on the palette. New knowledge and
understanding must be created inside the scholar. I don't think you can fully accept the 1roth of ~t
simply by my .telling you. Unlike Paganini, you don't have to use the wrong instrument to find.~
out, but like him. I thlnk you do have to experience it for yourself. Doing the work of scholarship ts
the only way to know what it's like and the only way to learn that you have within yourself the
ability to create new knowledge and understanding.
Infqrmation technology-mast~ of information-has been on my mind a lot.lately. It's
a curriculum issue in my college at Lehigh. I don't want to bore you with all the details, but my
colleagues have frequently repeated an important point that leads me to a synthesis: information
and knowledge are not the same thing. I think it's probably true that, without information, there can
be no knowledge, but information a1one is not enough. Information exists without humans-it's
independent ofnumans, and human effort is required to create knowledge.
Think about the structure of a typical scientific paper, which is the fonn of scholarship
that I know best but is, of course, only one example. The paper begins with an introduction that
summarizes our state of knowledge about a suiject and points out how grievously short we are on
understanding a particular point. The objective of the paper, of course, is to contribute new
knowledge that closes that gap. The Introduction describes the selection of a problem. Then there is
a section that describes what we did by way of interrogating nature and gathering information
related to the problem. Then we report our results. This is, presumably, new infonnation in the
form of observations or data. But that's all it is-the results are just the infonnation. 'f4en comes
the Discussion. This is the section of the paper that intexprets the new information by sorting it and
analyzing it, places the newinfonnation m the context of what we al.ready knew, and then presents
a synthesis-new knowledge and understanding that results from combining the new information
with the old knowledge and understanding.
Other schofarly works might be structured differently, but my point in dissecting the
scientific ~ is that it is, I think, a model or a metaphor for the general process of scholarship.
We establish what it is that we want to do. We gather information and analyze it by the methods
peculiar to our various disci:plines. The information is just evidence gathered in our detective work.
It might be the number of pink-flowered plants resulting from a cross of white- and red-flowered
plants, or the types of imagery Milton gives us of Satan in Paradise Lost, or a demographic
breakdown of the votes for Truman in 1948. The information is not the insight. The means of
analysis are not the insight, either. Whether statisticai chemical, or lexical, analysis is just a means
to anend.
In fact, before analysis yields insight or knowledge, we have to agree on its validity. We
and our colleagues need to be confident that our methods of analysis or our methods of discerning
the truth and fallacy or our methods of expression support our ultimate objective-creating new
knowledge and understanding. You can't JUst blow into to\VIJ. with a new farm implement and
expect me to buy next year's crop-you need to show me how the new method works and convince
me that it will give us a good crop. Discipline is an essential virtue in scholarship. It's often
tempting to head ~ght for the discussion and the inteq>retation. It isn't necessarily easy to check
and ~heck your information or to do that 'one more' experiment that clarifies your results.
Sometimes your really have to struggle and persevere to get your method right and build the
confidence that you need to move forward .
.This scholarship stuff is hard work! Only after we have the information and have
~yzed }t ~ we begin to say what it means, and this is the high-order task that requires a human
mmd. This lS where new knowledge and understanding is created. This is the fun part!

47
.
Let me take a moment to be clear about something. If you don't think artists are scholars,
I think you're wrong. Art is way too intentional to be random or accidental. Artists have method
fill:d an understanding of method. Their work requires discipline. They observe, they reflect, and I
think any artist would understand the difference between information and knowledge.
.
That said, how does knowledge grow from information? Why do we need a human mmd
to cr~te knowledge? That's the clue-create. Creativity is an essential element of scholarship. We
~eed tt at many stages, actually-when we recognize the problem, when we articulate the problent
m a w~y that lends itself to a solution, when we select the methods for probing the problem and for
gathenng and analyzing the information, and · when we inteIJ>ret our results to make new
know~edge. Most of us who are experienced scholars-and I bet a lot of the newcomers, too--have
expen~ced blocked creativity. The understanding just won't come. The information is there, the
analysts looks thorough, but we haven't fashioned those parts into new knowledge. So we talce the
dog for a walk, watch a basketball game, work in the garden, play the piano, or read to the kids.
Just when we least expect it, a little thought intrudes, and then another. If you're receptive to those
thou~ts, the ni:xt thing you know, you're thinking things no one ever thought before, )'.ou're
maki?~ connections no one ever made before-you're creating totally new knowledge. Wt~<;>Ut
creativity, I actually don't know how scholarship would work-how would we make that cogrutive
leap from information to knowledge?
I don't believe non-human animals are creative. Maybe there's some evidence to the
contrary, but I haven't ever heard it. And despite all our advances with computers, I don't believe
we've codified creativity. Creativity is innately human.
.
There are different types of creativity. I'm not musically creative, but I was lucky to
discover a field of science where I do have some ability to create. I don't know if everyone has a
creative domain, but I suspect that we do. Unfortunate~y, a lot of creative talent goes unrecognized.
All of us should be thankful that our talents are recogruzed.
I'm going to ask you to pause a moment and think about how you got here. We
frequently hear people moan 'Why me?' when something goes wrong, but did you ever stop to
W?nder 'Why me?' when something good happens? I think participating in this symposium is a
nughty fine thing-so what did you do to earn the privilege of being here? Why you? For each one
of you, there is a unique record of accomplishments that reflects your efforts and your talents, but I
want to remind you that your accomplishments also reflect your opportunities. Your families and
your communities gave you opportunities to develop skills and demonstrate your abilities. They
gave you schools, soccer teams, orchestras, dance lessons, swimming pools, trips, museums. art
studios, libraries, chemistry sets, karate, computers with on-line access-all the life experiences
that led to you being here today.
Frankly, you didn't do much to earn those OJ?Portunities-your families loved you and
provided for you as best they could, and your communities entrusted you with the future. So, while
your accomplishments are remarkable, you are not only what you have made of yourself You are a
person who had the good fortune to be bom with talent into a caring family, a forward-looking
community, and a prosperous society. With bad luck, you might have been born with the same
talent into a broken family that abused you, into an oppressive conununity bound to uphold
tradition and stifle innovation, or into a society without the means to help you advance. Why you?
And why not someone else? I'm not putting you down-I celebrate what you've done with your
talent and your opportunities. But I do want you to remember that you didn't create your talent or
your opportunities. What's yours is only what you've created.
One of your good fortunes-and mine, too-is the existence of universities. Let me 1
you a little bit about the University. I don't just mean Slippery Rock University, I mean ·u
University Enteiyrise more generally. Universities are pretty cool places. Tuer are usuall
pleasantly attractive and they are populated by dynamic, interesting people. But what s really goinE;,
on here? It's not supposed to be a secret, but it's commonly misunderstood. Those of us who work
in a University are producing knowledge and understanding. Society pays us to do that by giving
Universities tax breaks, providing special funding for University programs, and sending us students
to educate. We are ultimately accountable to society for the quality of the job we do. We fulfill our
mission-we deliver our product-in three chief ways.

48
First, we generate new knowledge and understand.ll:tg. We are scholar~., University
faculties that profess the liberal arts and sciences include }?taCti~1oners of the hUll1i;t1llties, the arts,
the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Despite that divers1ty, we have mucl~ m common: we
make observations, we analyze our observations, we respond to our observations 1hr?1:1gh our
creative yet disciplined energies, and we subject the work of <_>Ur collea~es to cntical yet
constructive scrutiny. This is really exciting stuff-we are channelmg humankin.d's eternal quest
for the knowable. Tue basic motivation is human curiosity. There are, of course, differences among
our fields having to do with subject matter, methods of ana~ysis, and ~<?des of .express~on or
critique, but the similarities in the basic intellectual activities are striking. This practice of
scholarship is one of the principal and unifying values of the faculty that we seek to pass on to our
students.
Second, we are stewards of knowledge ~d understanding and agents fo/ transferring
knowledge and understanding to other sectors of society. We are a learned conunuruty, a resource
for society. For example, a university ch~ D?i~t he~p a.pa~ comp~y devel~p a new coating
that makes soy ink pnnt better. A uruverstty pohtical scientist llllght provide media commentary to
hel.P the public understand the issues in a campaign. A university historian might provide
background for better understanding the division and potential reunification of North and South
Korea. There are lots of similar examP.les of how knowledge and understanding can be applied, but
we always trY to balance our responsibility to make knowledge and understanding useful with our
responsibility to press ever outward on the bounds of knowledge and understanding.
Third-and bringing the discussion back to the students-we deliver knowledge and
understanding by educating om students. Our students, we believe, must develop a fundamental
capacity for critical thinking, the ability to communicate broadly across disciplines, the
responsibility to articulate and defend their thoughts and values, and the intellectual agility to adjust
the nature of their contributions to enterprise, family, and community as opportunities and
chall~es arise. All of the growth your education represents transcends your ma1or program. The
generahzation of the liberal arts and sciences educational process is akin to an athlete's crosstrai.ning. The cross-training athlete seeks to develop strength, coordination. and agility of the whole
bodr. The student of the liberal arts and sciences seeks to develop strength, coordination, and
agility of the whole mind.
Your scholarship, published through this event, has undoubtedly enhanced your learning,
but you have also transcended the conventional role of the student. You have joined us in the work
of scholarship and you have helped us to fulfill the mission of the University. In this, I salute you.
You're probably anxious to move alon~ with the symposium-or at least with lunch-but
before I close, let me ask you to do a little exercise. Start by closing your eyes and relaxing a little.
Now, imagine yourself up in one of the comers of this auditorium looking down on yourself and
our proceedings. Visualize how your hands are positioned, how your head is tilted, how you and
others are seated with respect to one another. When you look at yourself from that vantage point,
what do you see? < ... pause ... > You just did something that no other animal can do. It's called
self-awareness, which is one of your uniquely human endowments. You used your imaginationanother human endowment, which is the root of creativity-to visualize a world you can't really
see. You do it all the tiine, really. Your mind is capable of amazing things.
.
Our minds ~ve ~y functi~, and those functions operate from different parts of our
mmds. We can be ~ogical, think sequentially, collect and analyze observations, reduce complex
s~ to constitu~. parts, expre~s ourselve~ verbally. We can also be intuitive, think
~tmultaneously 8;lld h<?listically, synthestZe observ~tions and make plans, view a collection of parts
m terms of relationships, express ourselves graphically. Many people's minds are dominated by a
subset of sue~ functions, and that limits their poten~al. It's like saying 'one size fits all' or havmg
only one .tool m your toolbox. When your only tool ts a hammer, everything looks like a nail. It has
~projected that J>C?Ple your age will chan~e jobs three or f~ur times dilling their careers. Even
1f you manage to stay m one field for your entire career, you will need to learn new things. As you
develop relationships with ?ther peop~e and raise your chil ~o~e your commuruty, you will need to learn new things. Face it-you're going to need an

49
Surprisingly few people choose to explore or develop the vast potential of the human
mind. What would be possible if you could develop a hannonious interaction of your mind's
functions and the ability to tap into the strengths of different functions as circmnstances demand?
For example, you might choose a logical, reductionist approach to this problem and an :intuitive,
holistic approach to that one. Developing the mind is wbat higher education is all about. Your
commitment to scholarship signals a commitment to the highest ideals of humanness-selfawareness, creativity, the discipl:ined exercise of free will in pursuit of a goal. You have already
chosen your destiny-to seek knowledge and, ultimately, wisdom, and in the end to be counted a
human. Congratulations.

50
Slippery Rock University Commencement Address
May 12,2001
Representative Dick Stevenson
President Smith, Dr. Smith, Council of Trustees, members of the President's Cabinet,
distinguished faculty, honored guests and graduates, I'd like to thank you for including me as a part
of the Slippery Rock University family at Commencement 2001. I do feel that I am a member of
this university family, for my mother was a graduate. It is a privilege to be able to share a few
thoughts with you today. I understand the importance - at a time like this - of being brief. As
graduating seniors, Master's Degree and Doctoral candidates, you have now completed an
additional level of your education. You have passed your exams or completed your dissertations
and are now ready to embark on the next phase of your lives. It's my guess that a lengthy
commencement speech, which would prolong this process, is not something you're looking forward
to.
I remember the story a friend, who is a college professor, told about a student's critique at
the end of his final semester. The student had written that ifhe were to contract a fatal disease and
had only six months to live, he would want to spend as much time as possible in this professor's
class. My friend, the professor, was naturally quite flattered - that is, until he read further. The
student went on to say that the reason was because my fiiend was the only person he knew who
could make one hour seem like three.
So I will be brief.
We are here today to celebrate your achievement.
I am also here today to challenge you to do more thanjust your chosen vocation in the years
ahead. Every ten years a census is completed in this country. The process was just completed last
year, and the statistics are always interesting.
•
According to the most recent count, the population of the United States was 281 million
people in 2000.
•
The census recorded 173. 7 million over age 25.
•
There are about 142 million Americans in the labor force, which you will now join.
•
Of those Americans over age 25, 84 percent have graduated from high school;
•
50 percent attended some college; and
•
Just 25 percent of the U. S. population graduated from college with a bachelor's degree.
So, as graduates you are in select company.
Further, according to statistics, your studies will pay off. A college graduate over age 25
averages $45,600 a year versus a high school graduate who earns 1U1 average of$24,500.
. So, your opportunities for employment and financial success look good as you leave thi::i
uruversity today. But, in addition to your job, how do you plan to make a difference?

51
This cmmtry we live in, America - this Commonwealth of Pennsylvania - this University
have provided you with opportunities that others around the world risk their very lives to have. Do
we remember those who founded this great nation and the sacrifices they made?
Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 5 were captured and brutally tortured,
9 died in the Revolution, 12 had their homes pillaged and burned and 17 lost everything they
owned. Yet they knew when they signed that document what they faced. How many of us would
be up to that challenge?
Thankfully, it's unlikely that any of us will have to face that challenge. But we are needed,
nonetheless. Our Cowitry still needs us. Pennsylvania needs us and our communities need us,
perhaps more than ever. I am here today to ask you to make a commitment to something beyond
just making a living.
For you see, I believe that our society is endangered by the prevailing attitudes espoused in
the common phrases we hear daily, phrases like - "I can't do anything about it'', and "It's not my
problem" or ''Someone else will take care of it." It is clear that the price we are paying for these
attitudes is the escalation of problems in our society. In government we see staggering budget
increases, necessary to build new prisons, to provide for children whose families can't or won't
care for them, to fund housing and treatment for juveniles whose crimes are increasing in our area
by 40% over the previous year. We are all too familiar with crime and fear in schools. We deal
with these issues at all levels of government, and I can tell you today, we don't have the answers.
Legislation won't cure it and spending money on it doesn't make it go away.
·
Our forefathers, right here in Pennsylvania, widerstood that their sacrifice was necessary for
the survival of this nation. They realized that what was needed was for them to give of themselves.
I believe that our service today is just as necessary. Once again, we must come to understand that
we must all be involved - the tasks before us are too important for us to leave them to someone
else, and we cannot rely on government alone to solve our societal problems.
In his book, The Death of Common Sense, Phillip Howard says, "This legal experiment ...
hasn't worked out. Modern law has not protected us from stupidity and caprice, but bas made
stupidity and caprice dominant features in om society.
No heroic vision is required for change. A quick glance in the mirror reveals the missing
ingredient. Decision-making must be transferred from words on a page back to people on the
spot."
And in the final lines in the book he urges us to "Let judgement and personal conviction be
important again ... Relying on ourselves is not, after all, a new ideology."
So, if we take that glance in the mirror and decide to get involved, what can one person do?
At the very least we can vote!
Registration is easy and Election Day comes only twice a year. Yet about half the people in
this CO\llltry never even bother.
Again, refming to the census:
•
•
•

The population of Pexmsylvania is 12.3 million people.
Of the 9,358,000 people over age 18, 83 percent are registered to vote.
Of the 7,782,000 registered voters, 63 percent voted for president in 2000.

52
While that's not a bad turnout for a heavily contested presidential elections like last year's,
it still means some 1.5 million eligible voters weren't even registered and some 2.9 million
registered voters did not bother to go out to the polls to vote.
Add it up and about 4.4 million of our fellow Pennsylvanians, or 47.5 percent who were
eligible to vote did not vote for President. We treat it very casually, yet it was for this very right
that Americans have fought and died throughout our history.
We often hear the excuse that people feel powerless. People lament that "my vote doesn't
make a difference". Governor Tom Ridge reminded us recently that "No one is powerless in a
Democracy- except by choice." Make the choice to vote.
But voting should be the minimum commitment in our society. We must also be willing to
participate in our conununities, in our places of worship and in our government Every community
needs people to serve on local boards and commissions. Many local municipalities must appoint
people to serve in government due to the lack of candidates willing to run for office. We also need
people to serve in less structured ways by giving of their time as volunteers, coaches and mentors.
As you graduate today, your thoughts are on your future, on employment, on marriage, or on more
schooling. You may believe that you don't have time to get involved right now, that the immediate
goals are more important. Allow me to suggest that involving yourself in some larger endeavor
will not only enhance what you are doing, but will also provide the deep satisfaction that comes
from living a full life.
This University, under the leadership of President Smith, is re-examining its' place in the
conununity, looking at its' mission and its' responsibility to the world around it. Individually, we
must each do the same. It was Plato who said, "The unexamined life is not worth living."
As you move forward from this day, I urge you to examine your life and give a part of it to a cause
larger than yourself.
Perhaps no recent event has shocked this country like the shootings at Columbine High
School in Colorado just two years ago. The coldness of the two seemingly normal young men as
they stalked the hallways of their school and methodically killed their classmates unnerves us all.
We continue to wonder - what is happening in our society, and what can we do about it.
On Tuesday of this week, I had the opportunity to hear Darrel Scott, whose daughter,
Rachel Scott was killed at Columbine, speak at a breakfast meeting in Harrisburg. He has devoted
much of his life since her death to speaking about Rachel's life and the example she left for us all.
Mr. Scott believes that ignorance and apathy are killing this country. "I don't know and I don't
care" is the attitude that permeates our society. He told us about the tapes made by Dylan K.leibold
and Eric Harris before their murderous rampage in which they talked not only of the things which
influenced them, but more imoortantly about the lack of influence in their Iives.
In sharp contrast, Mr. Scott then talked about his daughter and the influence~ had on
those around her. He told of the many small acts of kindness she performed on a daily basis, which
no one knew about until after her death. He held her diary - and read from it - about her
conunitment to get involved - each day - in an effort to reach out to others in need. She wrote
about the "chain reaction" of good things that happened from her simple acts of kindness.

53
It was only after her death that people came forward to tell of her influence on their lives.
He said there are countless stories of Rachel's involvement in the lives of others - involvement,
which provided support and in some instances changed lives. Rachel Scott was only 17 when she
died. Can one person's life make a difference? I believe it can.
We are here today to celebrate your achievement. I join your family, friends and colleagues
in offering my congratulations. As a graduate, you have reached a turning point. You have the
foundation in place. Choices about the future are now yours, perhaps more than at any previous
time. What choices will you make? How will your life make a difference?

54
Slippery Rock University Commencement Address
15 December 2001
Dr. William E. Strickland, Jr.
I think this is the best way to earn a Ph. D. I'm really honored to be here today, and also I
have a very brief speech. I've come to the conclusion that if prepared speeches were going to save
us, we would have arrived at the Promised Land some time ago. So I don't think it's really about
long speeches, but I think it is about telling the truth. And there are a couple of things I want to say
to you before I read these very brief remarks.
When I was invited to be your commencement speaker, it was before September 11th had
occurred, and I was scheduled to be in the World Trade Center with the Mayor of San Francisco the
day it was blown up. We were on the airplane here in Pittsburgh and the plane pulled back and the
fellow next to me annotmced that he had heard on his cell phone that a plane had hit the World
Trade Center. Fifteen minutes later, the second one hit, and we pulled back to the gate. I've come to
the conclusion that God had another plan for me in mind.
The second image I'll share with you is, I was asked to speak in Oklahoma City a couple
weeks ago, and I had forgotten that Oklahoma City, of course, was where the tragedy of the Federal
Building being blown up lllld occurred. And the woman who was with me took me by the memorial,
and there were chairs representing each life that had been lost, and a reflecting pool. But more
importantly, a fence that had the memorabilia of the people who were killed, including the little baby
rattles that the children had had with them when they died. These souls never had a chance to do
what you are doing today because hatred brought it to a very hasty end. So I want you to take my
very brief remarks today within the context of the very brave people in Oklahoma City who gave
their life and the very brave people who lost their life in the World Trade Center.
And so, within that context I am very honored to have the opportunity to address the 2001
graduating class of Slippery Rock. I am very impressed with the number of graduates and the depth
and breadth of the professional fields of study represented here.
You should consider yourselves as a group of people who have achieved a remarkable
accomplishment, one that the vast majority of the population of the United States will never
experience. And unless I miss my guess, there was a considerable amount of sacrifice and
dedication put forward by your parents and grandparents and sisters and brothers to see you
recognized as you will be today.
For the few minutes then that I'm going to address you, I would like to underscore a
couple of ideas that I believe are fundamental to the health of colllll\unity and to a sense of purpose
and safety. The first idea is that you are not alone. Each of you arrived here today because someone
or group of individuals; mentor, teacher, possibly a fellow student went out of their way to help you
get over a problem or solve a dilemma and make the right decision. If the concept that 1, and I
alone, begins to guide our social process then society and the social order that we love will not last
much longer.
When all of you graduate from school, you will begin to seek employment of additional
training in your respective field. You will be in contact with future employers and/or graduate
programs for further education. You will be coming in contact with many different kinds of people
who are meeting you, perhaps, for the first time, and unless I miss my guess, you will present your
academic credentials, your brief biographical history, and once established, the conversation will
undoubtedly turn to you as a person. What do you believe? Tell us about your background, your
family, your values. What is important to you, and how was your life and work at Slippery Rock

55
University? My hope is that in your description of your experiences at this distinguished institution,
you will feel comfortable and capable of describing your growth and ability to relate to people who
may not look like you and, have not come from a town that looks like yours. In fact, how you have
been able to relate to other persons is reflective of how the world is beginning to look as opposed to
the way the world used to be.
fu the year 2040, the United States will largely be populated by persons of Hispanic,
Asian., and African-American roots. Persons who were once described as Third Wodd. Our
cmmtry, its language, its fabric, its social institutions are going to be challenged by these
demographic realities. The measure of our success as a country is going to be measured by the
quality and depth of our country's ability to change and to grow. Women, as they rightfully should,
should
take
their
position
as
leaders
in
academia, the military, health care and government to name a few. These developments could not
be coming soon enough for me.
We as a country and community must at least be willing to acknowledge that a great many
people were unintentionally left out and in many respects left behind. The aftermath of this neglect
is being born out in every urban environment with devastating consequences. Many children in
these environments are effectively finished in life by the third grade. They are children whose lives
are a one-way ticket to self-destruction and un.fulfillment. And there are numbers to be counted in
the tens of thousands if not millions. The cost for the incarceration of these individuals as adults is
in excess of $35,000 per year as a national average. For your information, I am a Trustee of the
University of Pittsburgh. It costs$ 31,000 to 'go to medical school. We are prepared as a society to
spend 5,000 more dollars keeping people in jail than sending them to medical school. We won't
make it from there. That is money spent on people who will never contribute to the gross national
product, who will not vote or have a logical reason to feel they belong here.
A visit to any emergency room in or near an urban area at night or on the weekend will
reveal a tragedy of significant proportion. Lives thrown away in the pursuit of violence, drugs, and
alcohol. The costs are beyond measure relative to the price we will pay to be in a social order
capable of sustaining this level of unproductive life. fu other words, America is an incredibly
successful and prosperous country precisely because of its ability to carry 20 percent of its
population in such a profoundly unproductive way.
I would argue that a social order that intends to be around over the long haul ought to be
smart enough to invest in those areas and in those people who have the most acute needs and most
dire circumstances. If the country continues to try and run the increasingly competitive economic
and social race on the world stage, we will be running in that race with a big iron ball attached to our
ankle. We will not be competitive. The smart money will undoubtedly be placed on those nations,
states, universities and individuals who entered the river oflife free of racism, sexism, and tolerance
for others not of our description.
And while it might not seem like a big deal, the fact that our country was voted out of th
United Nations Commission on Hwnan Rights is not a good sign. In other words, the country tha,
created the idea of the United Nations to begin with was asked to step aside for countries more in
line with where the planet appears to be going that is not a fact I accept without commenting. We
must quickly get this decision reevaluated and press for a different outcome. And while we are
fighting that in court, maybe a logical battle of the U.N., careful attention needs to be paid to our
respective institutions including our churches, our colleges, our universities including Slippery Rock

56
University. It is critical that the boards of directors, advisory boards, scholarship programs, the
deans of student departments, the faculty, the administrative staff and operating staff reflect the
world of the future and not the world of the past. It is a fact of human nature that people feel safe
and welcome when they come to see and associate with people who speak a common language and
share similar hopes, aspirations, and dreams. I would hope that Slippery Rock University will lead
this conversation in the Corrunonwealth of Pennsylvania and in the United States of America. Much
can be learned by what you do and how you go about it.
On another related issue and more directly to the matter at hand, I would say that every
graduating student today has a responsibility. Your responsibility associated with your degree is not
written out in the document, but is nevertheless sewn into the fabric of what that document means.
That is your responsibility to your community wherever that may be. It is hoped and understood that
the family must come first. The importance of your role as productive, drug free, professional
citizens should not be underestimated. And I would challenge you to go beyond this and insist that
your responsibility extends to the entire community where you will find yourself.
The best insurance policy against children being raised in shopping malls and developing
their values from television shows and the internet is to be and look like people like yourselves who
carry and have the story of America carried in their enthusiasm for the future. We believe and I
believe that those honorable men, women, European, Asia, Hispanic, Native American, African, and
gay who died for this country will not be forgotten by virtue of your example. If we allow our
communities to be ruled by people who deal in fear and hatred, if we allow our cities to become
islands of hopelessness and negligence and those who lobby against human rights to dominate them,
all the wonderful people who have sacrificed so much with their lives and with their memories will
turn to dust and ultimately be forgotten. I am not prepared for that, and I am hoping that you will
not settle for that as well.
I would suggest we have a bigger and brighter future in our community and in this
country, and that includes Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. If each of us is willing to do
his or her part and pass it on to the person sitting next to you, or your neighbor across the street, or
the civil servants like the firemen who rushed into the World Trade Center and the policemen who
rushed in at the peril of their lives, these who man the emergency rooms and fight the fires, then we
are going to be fine as a community, as a country, and as a nation.
This ultimately comes down to you and me, what we are prepared to offer to represent by
way of a role model. It must be your value, your history, your voice, your ideas that become the
standard. All communities are changed only as strong as their weakest link. That we are to continue
in this evolution as a species and to be more in line with the hopes of the creator, then it is what you
do and say and live without hope of reward or even acknowledgement that is a standard that has
allowed us as a species to get this far. It is those qualities that will keep us in good order with a
whole unblemished dream of the future. And in recognition of that fact, I consider it a great honor to
have been asked to address such a remarkable, distinguished and talented group such as yomselves.
I wish you the very best in life. Thank you.

57
Index of Authors
A
Adamczyk, Jennifer
Ahmed, Imran
Albaugh, Rebecca
Altman, Shannon
Andrews, Richard I.
Awan, Salman

1, 39
2
11

3
42
2

B
Baird, Patricia
4
Barnes, Amber L.
3
Bateman, Laura
4
Baxter, Cheryl
4
Beatty, Linda
4
26
Beckman, Elizabeth
Billek-Sawhney, Barbara 5,26
Birckbichler, Paul J.
24,33
Blankenship, Jennifer
3
Bodenhorn, Penny J.
6
Borsari, Bruno
7,14,19,20,21,25,38
Branudeen, Shafraz
8,9
Brinjak, Cathy
44
Buchert, E. W.
28
Buck, Diane
4
Burkhart, Patrick
28, 30, 31

c
Campbell, Mark L.
Caracciolo, Angela M.
Casey, Meagan
Casey, Meredyth
Cashdollar, Matthew
Chesto, Shawna
Chmielewski, Jerry G.
Chichy, J.
Cole, Christopher S.
Coleman, Jocelyn
Covert, Shannon M.
Creasy, Brian
Cuttino, Brooke

28
3
10
10
44
11

40
26
12
4
3
13

14

D
Dahms, Desiree N.
Davidson, Scott W.
Davis, Stephanie
Decarlo, Cannine L.
DeNu, Roman
Dillon, Cynthia
Dixon, Samantha
Doherty, Steven
Durst, Kiley

E

Edrisinghe, Janaka
Elder, Timothy
Ensminger, Staci
Evenson, Edward

:E

Forrest, Kimberly Y-Z.
Foster, Ellen
Fox, Susan
Frame, Kristen E.

G
Gallagher, Andrea
Gauger, Michele
Geibel, Jamie L.
George, Leanne
Ghimire, Ashwin
Grabner, E. M
Gruver, K
Guberski, Dennis L.

H
Hamilton, Andrea
Hanley, Maria
Harvey, Krista
Hill, Jessica L.
Holbein-Jenny, M.A.
Hollabaugh, Candice
Hopwood, Amanda A.
Hurd, Gretchen

3
15
3
28
16
29
3
11,17,35
3
18
14,19,20,21
30
30
6,22,27,36
23
24
3

3
11, 17, 25
3
10
18
28
26
33
3
3

3, 10
3
26
3

27
3

58

Index of Authors

!

lncardona, Lori A

J
Johnson, Patsy Ann

3
4,28
3
2
25, 38
3
4
29
10

30,31
3

L
Lauzon, Jennifer
Lawson, Daniel
Leeds, Marcy
Lefevre, Christina
Leone, Anne
Lewis, Kelly
Lin, Yi
Longwell, April
Lonsinger, Nicole M.
Loverde, Kurt

14,32
30

22
14
17

3
16
44
3
13

M
Madsen, Tara

Majcher, Megan
Mankey, Andrea
Martin, Nina
Martinez, Juan
Maser, ErinE.
Matlack, Adrian
Matthews, Laurel A.
Mazzulli, Kristin
McClintock, Melinda A.
McDonald, Andy
McHenry, Jennifer

Muller, Jacquelyn
Murthy, Raclma

26
3
29
8, 9

N

K
Kase, Stefanie A.
Keenagahapitiya, Gihantha
Kefeli, Valentine
Keller, Jennifer
Kellinger, Kathleen
Kelly, Priscilla
Kinker, Lauren
Kowalczuk, Ranae
Krynicky, Danielle M

Meek,K.
Milcic, Ronni E.

3, 10
33
3
3
18
3
34
3
10

3
35
10

Nicholson, Brianne R.
Nixon, Shawna
Nolen, Nola

3
36
10

0
O'Brien, Amanda

p
Patel, Narendra
Pathirana, Dilsara
Pelat, Laura R.
Pellegrino, Krystle
Penrose, Joyce
Permenter, Rachela
Pfeiffer, Angela
Phillippi, Kristin
Piatt, Gretchen A.
Port, Richard

10
16
8,9
3
3
4
37
10

3
6
1, 39, 43

Q
R
Reda, Anita
Reustle, Theresa
Reyes, Genera
Reynolds, Thomas
Rodgers, Scott A.
Roe, Jennifer
Rupasinghe, Suneth
Ryan, William J.

3
38
39
7, 19,20,32
40
10
2
6, 27, 36

~
Sander, Kirk
Schneider, Jacquelynn A.
Shaw, Brandi L.
Shaevitz, Ben Alan

3
3
41

31

59

Index of Authors

S (cont.)
Shotwell, Mark A.
Slater, Erika
Smith, Janet S.
Smith, Sharon R.
Smith, T.
Sozio, Gina
Spahr, Margaret J.
Starosta, Linda
Stockton, Steven
Strain, Steven R.
Strasser, Jeffrey
Stuhldreher, Wendy L.

42
18
15

3

26
3
3

4
1, 39, 43

40
30

6,27,36

T
Tennakoon. Shalinda
Thangiah, Sam R.
Thomas, Jacob

8,9
2,8,9,13,34
8,9

Trump, Rosie

3

u

v
Valentine, David

w
Wagner, Corrie
Walton, Victoria
Webberking,Megan
Weinschenk, Sarah
Welton, Spencer
Williams, Adelle
Williams, Valerie
Wong, Io Kei
Wykoff, Emily M.

18

37
4

13
24, 33
7, 14
22
3
18
3

x
y
Yale, Amanda
Yonkey, Marcy J.

44
3

z
Z'ettlenioyer,Jonathan

2

60

Acknowledgements
The following individuals and groups contributed to this initiative. The University
Forum continued its endorsement. Dr. Carolyn Steglich coordinated the efforts of the
Professional Development Committee in providing peer review of abstracts. Mrs. Nancy
Cruikshank, Director of Grants, assisted with administration and :finances. Dr. Jane
Fulton, Dean, College of Health, Environment, and Science (CHES) enthusiastically
provided copious support. Ms. Mary Ann King, Assistant to Dr. Fulton, coordinated
logistics and catering, and advanced the overall organization. Ms. Stacey Booth,
Secretary of CHES, received, managed, and formatted abstracts. Ms. Katherine
Montgomery, Graduate Assistant in CHES, ably scheduled meetings, recorded details,
developed schedules, managed documents, and provided invaluable continuity. Dr. Lyn
Miller, Math, assisted with reserving facilities. The strong support of the CHES
administration was exceeded only by its exuberant scholars, who advanced 31 abstracts.
Dr. Amanda Yale, Interim Associate Provost, recruited our plenary speakers and
designed a workshop around their visit Her team from Enrollment Services worked
diligently to coordinate the Successful Student Learning and Transition events. Mr.
Ross Feltz, University Public Relations, provided graphics to the journal. Dr. Deb
Cohen, Modem Languages, provided a final proof-read to help the text flow smoothly.
Or. Mark Chase, Communications, provided guidance regarding copyright. Professors
providing peer review included Richard Arthur, Diana Dreyer, Michael Ignelzi, Elizabeth
Joseph, Erica Scott, William Sigmood, Carolyn Steglich, and Nelson Ng. Several
additional parties deserve special recognition for this success. Dr. John N. Gardner and
Dr. Randy Swing graciously traveled to Slippery Rock to share their vision for the value
of students and faculty learning together. Dr. Carl 0. Moses, keynote Symposium
speaker in 2001, Representative Dick Stevenson, commencement speaker in May, and
Dr. William E. Strickland, Jr. commencement speaker in December, graciously agreed to
have their remarks published. President G. Warren Smith, Provost Robert M Smith, and
Dean of Students Robert Watson supported the proposal and dedicated sufficient
resources to let the symposium shine. One hundred and sixty co-authors opted to share
their successes by contributing 44 abstracts, an increase of more than one third over the
inaugmal year!

SlipP,eryR~ck
Universrty

of Pennsylvania
rock solid eclucation
www.sru.edu
Slippery Rock University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution
A member of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education