WHY BE MORAL: THE RATIONAL BASIS FOR MORALITY

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Michael Durham and Dr. C. Terry Warner, Philosophy Of the many questions in modern meta-ethical debates, the question, “Why be moral?” immediately stands out as one of the most provocative. It seems to embody the moral skepticism notoriously rampant in contemporary society, insolently questioning not just particular moral demands, but the power and validity of […]

BOUND POETS: THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIEVAL SOCIETY ON GERMAN POETS OF THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES

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Brian Dunn and Dr. Johannes Evelein, German and Slavic Languages Poets of the German high Middle Ages, the period around 1200 AD which represents the pinnacle of medieval achievement, were greatly influenced by the society around them. Politics, religion, and medieval culture all figure prominently in the works of these artists. The content of the […]

ION BEAM MAPPING INSIDE AN INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA MASS SPECTROMETER USING LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENCE

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Brett S. Duersch and Dr. Paul B. Farnsworth, Chemistry and Biochemistry Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is one of the fastest growing fields in analytical chemistry. This discipline combines the powerful detection of mass spectrometry (MS) with the almost universal ionization capabilities of the inductively coupled plasma (ICP) . Combing these two techniques is […]

DESIGN OF THE SOCCER PROMOTIONAL KIT

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Matthew Dennis Doyle and Professor Adrian Pulfer, Visual Arts The project I completed combined my future occupation with my favorite pastime- soccer. Simply put, graphic design is problem-solving and a problem that needs solving is a lack of game loyalty or fan support which is necessary for the growth of soccer in the United States. Many […]

A HISTORY OF THE LARA FAMILY: THEIR LIFE IN MEXICO AND THEIR EXODUS TO THE UNITED STATES

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Jennifer M. Derby and Dr. Douglas Weatherford, Spanish and Portuguese The Office of Research and Creative Activities funded research into the history of my family and their experiences as Mexican-Americans. I was able to investigate what life in Mexico was like for my great-grandparents and their children. Through investigating the manner in which they lived, […]

THE EFFECTS OF PRENATAL STRESS ON THE LEVELS OF 5 ALPHA REDUCTASE AND AROMATASE ACTIVITY IN PREGNANT RATS AND THEIR MALE AND FEMALE OFFSPRING

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Steve Warren David and Dr. Reuben Ward Rhees, Zoology Sexual differentiation of the brain is dependent on the presence or absence of androgen (testosterone) during prenatal development. Exposure to testosterone is essential for masculinization and defeminization of sexual behavior, and brain structural development. Present evidence suggests that the action of testosterone during brain development involves […]

CONSTRUCTING A STEMMA FOR THE LDS BOOK OF MORMON, 1879-1911

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Adam Neilan Davis and Dr. Royal Skousen, International Studies During the period 1879-1911, seven editions of the Book of Mormon were published by or for the LDS Church. Each contains a significant number of variants which aid the researcher in establishing a history of relationships between various texts, otherwise known as a stemma. My research […]

THE EFFECT OF SELF-MONITORING AND MANIPULATED STATES OF SELF-AWARENESS ON ATTITUDE CHANGE IN A DISSONANCE PARADIGM

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Rachel E. Crook and Dr. Robert D. Ridge, Psychology Personality and situational forces can affect the self-awareness necessary for cognitive dissonance to occur. Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory assumes that people are motivated to maintain a consistency between their thoughts and their actions1. For example, if a person is not in favor of a tuition increase […]

COMPOSITE TEFLON AND POLYMER INCLUSION MEMBRANES FOR USE IN ION CHROMATOGRAPHY SUPPRESSORS

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Tyler L. Crawford and Dr. John D. Lamb, Chemistry and Biochemistry Ion chromatography (IC) has a need for a suppressor which would allow the simultaneous conductitnetric detection of both cations and anions. Such a suppressor’s membrane would need to exhibit a large flux and a high level of selectivity. Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMS) containing macrocycles […]