Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium

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April 22 – 23, 2021

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium/Posters of Research in Science and Mathematics (LASS/PRISM) is an annual event that brings together Oglethorpe University students and faculty in a celebration of exemplary scholarly work produced by Oglethorpe students under faculty mentorship.  The event combines LASS and PRISM (Posters of Research in Science and Mathematics) and offers sessions that provide a forum for students and faculty to present, discuss, and learn from outstanding student endeavors. Papers, roundtables, oral and poster presentations, art exhibitions, and scholarly musical presentations showcase undergraduate research across the curriculum.

Student Guide

Poster Template

Faculty Guide

2021 Schedule

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 123456)
Welcome to Virtual LASS 2021
Dr. Lea Alford, Chair, LASS Committee

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 13579)
Moderator: Dr. Seema Shrikhande

  • Length-dependency of FAP93 assembly in Chlamydomonas cilia | Presenter: Courtney Stuart (Advisor: Dr Lea Alford)
  • Female Candidates and Voter Turnout: An Empirical Study on the Effects of Nontraditional Candidate Spending on Voter Behavior | Presenter: Fatima Boumahdi (Advisor: Dr Cassandra Copeland)
  • Worse Singers or Harder Songs? Pop Music Melodies from the 1970s through the 2010s | Presenter: Alison Curl (Advisor: Dr. Timothy Powell)
  • Bridging the Gap: Updating Representations of Slavery in Museums in the Southern United States | Presenter: Nyree Dowdy (Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Maher)

Watch on Zoom (Passcode:980621)
Moderator: Dr. Stephen Mattern

  • Investigating the Impact of Anion Pairing and Isomerization on the Energies of DCPD and DHDCPD | Presenter: Hannah Easley
  • Using Computational Protocols and Empirical Methods to Elucidate the Protein-Protein Interactions of MitoNEET | Presenter: Joshua Amritt
  • A Handful of Pills: Throughlines and Abiding Images in Creative Writing | Presenters: Ivy Jones and Kimberly Farmer

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 13579)
Moderator: Dr. Seema Shrikhande

  • Convivencia and Music in Medieval Iberia | Presenter: Samantha Foster (Advisor: Dr. Brent Runnels)
  • Abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir: Implications and Why now? | Presenter: Sidhant Sharma (Advisor: Dr. Nicholas Maher)
  • The Syrian Civil War: Why Did it Get So Bad? | Presenter: Addison Furst (Advisor: Dr. John Orme)

Watch on Zoom
Moderator: Dr. Brooke Bays

  • The Making of “The Motherf*cker with the Hat” | Presenter: Mia Taylor
  • Using photometry to determine the distance to the RR Lyrae YZ Cap | Presenter: Rowan Joignant
  • The Representation of Women in Class in Young & Hungry: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Feminism | Presenter: Malisa Reichard

Presentations on redesigning a Museum Website to Improve Functionality, Visual Aesthetics, and Audience Engagement and Personal Portfolios

Watch on Zoom (389719)
Moderator: Professor Aaron Putt
OU Art & Design Website

Panelists:

  • Leticia Alves
  • Brenna Alford
  • Makenna Bryant
  • Natalia Torrens-Soto

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 524921)
Moderator: Dr. Morgan Vaughn

  • Inorganic Synthesis of Nickel Compounds | Presenter: Caroline Stanfield
  • Analyzing and comparing the amount of sodium ions in Gatorade and Powerade sports drinks | Presenters: Lanique Spriggs-Green and Vivian Manso
  • Steric Effects of Nitrogen-based Substitutions on Fulgide Mechanophore Reaction Pathways: A Computational Analysis​ | Presenters: Alex Foret and Lanique Spriggs-Green
  • Investigating the relationship between pKa and transition state energy of a series of fulgide mechanophores using Growing String Method​ | Presenters: Joshua Amritt and Taylor Turner
  • Elucidating steric and electronic impacts of functional groups on the potential energy surfaces of a series of oxanorbornadiene mechanophores using Growing String Method | Presenters: Olivia Herrera and Hannah Easley
  • Functionalization of indolylfulgide/fulgamide mechanophores using quantum chemical simulations | Presenters: Wyatt Jonske and Miriam Simma
  • Hyaluronic Acid Concentration in SkinCare Marketed Products | Presenters: Debra Buggs, Esther Paulk and Raquel Ramirez
  • Phosphorus Ligand Synthesis of Tri(2-piridyl)phosphine | Presenters: Miriam Simma and Paola Albornoz
  • Annotation of D Element to Understand F Element | Presenters: Aida Daniel, Jaziba Bahri, Lamia Bhuiyan, Hailey Moore and Shanice Williams
  • Wavelet Application to Machine Learning for Prediction of Bitcoin Prices | Presenters: Rebecca Bryant

 

Friday, April 23, 2021

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 249152)
Moderator: Dr. Seema Shrikhande

  • A Qualitative Study Examining Black Women’s Experiences within Maternal Healthcare | Presenter: Ron’Nesha Bryant (Advisor: Dr. Janelle Pham)
  • We Make Life: Self-Authoring in The Waves | Presenter: Milo McGehee (Advisor: Dr. Sarah Terry)
  • Intraflagellar transport is not required for flagellar-associated protein 93 (FAP93) assembly in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cilia | Presenter: Reagan Goodwin (Advisor: Dr. Lea Alford)
  • The Collective Memory and Collective Amnesia: Japan’s Occupation in the Korean Peninsula | Presenter: Nina Lopez (Advisor: Dr. John Orme)

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 398311)
Moderator: Dr. Peter Kower

  • Art, Propaganda, and the Pursuit of Women’s Suffrage in France and Russia | Presenter: Alexa Shipes
  • SQUID Sensors as Used in Magnetic Refrigeration | Presenter: Jaelen Knight
  • Synthesis and characterization of a nickel bipyridine complex using cyclic voltammetry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy | Presenter: Taylor Turner
  • An Econometric Study of Confederate Trade Legislation and Blockade Running during the American Civil War | Presenter: Elizabeth Furst

Watch on Zoom
Moderator: Professor Christina Price-Washington
OU Art & Design Website: Photography

  • Why does the Virgin Cry/¿Por qué llora la virgen? | Ana Castillo Lopez
  • Drawing with Light – Decoding the Visual Language | Lauren Jones-Headrick
  • Light and Skin | Noah Dake

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 321643)
Moderator: Professor Aaron Putt
OU Art & Design Website: Studio Art 

Artists:

  • Alford, Brenna
  • Bahri, Jaziba
  • Bhukhanwala, Muskaan
  • Castillo Lopez, Ana
  • Dake, Noah
  • Deutschman, Brook
  • Espinoza Hernandez, Xiadani
  • Farmer, Kimberly
  • Flores, Zuri
  • Forbes, Kayla
  • Gray, Jamie
  • Jones, Lauren
  • Jones, Sydney
  • Le, Van Hinh
  • McCorkle, Deia
  • McMillan, Richard
  • Olvera Hernandez, Montserrat
  • Owen, Jack
  • Pinneau, Anna
  • Quinnan, Kristana
  • Sagaseta, Melissa
  • Scott, Mariyah
  • Stelly, Madi
  • Thornton, Laurel
  • Tidd, Haley
  • Weinstein, Bonnie
  • Whitehead, Max
  • Williams, Mikaili
  • Wilson, Jennifer

 

Watch on Zoom (Passcode: 334022)

  • I’m Breaking Down | Presenter: Samantha Hughes
  • Cantata 199: Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut by J.S. Bach | Presenter: Samantha Foster
  • Deconstructing Monk | Presenter: Tré Rice
  • Arabesque No. 1 by Claude Debussy | Presenter: Anna Acosta

FAQs

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium/Posters of Research in Science and Math (LASS/PRISM) is an annual event that brings together Oglethorpe University students and faculty in a day-long celebration of exemplary scholarly work produced by Oglethorpe students under faculty mentorship. The symposium’s sessions provide a forum for students and faculty to present, discuss, and learn from outstanding student endeavors. Papers, roundtables, oral and poster presentations, art exhibitions, and scholarly music presentations present the fruits of both Oglethorpe’s liberal arts curriculum as well as science, technology, and math research. You can explore programs and schedules from prior years at https://oglethorpe.edu/symposium/

LASS stands for Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium and PRISM stands for Posters of Research in Science and Math. LASS refers to the day-long academic conference, which includes oral presentations, panel discussions, an art exhibition, and a STEM poster session (PRISM). PRISM typically occurs at the beginning of the day and posters are focused on the STEM disciplines. You are welcome to propose to participate in either or both formats if you have a faculty mentor for the project, regardless of your major.

LASS/PRISM will be April 22-23, 2021.

The event is open to all students, faculty, and staff. In fact, this is a public event. Students may participate by presenting, volunteering, and attending virtually. If you’d like to present your scholarly work, please see the Student Guide for more details which can be found below. Please email lass@oglethorpe.edu if you’d like to be involved. If you are not presenting or volunteering, please attend the event! Come support your peers!

The University strongly encourages attendance at LASS/PRISM. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the Oglethorpe Community and experience the motto “Make A Life. Make A Living. Make A Difference” up close. Your instructor may require attendance for a particular class, so please check with your individual professors.

If you’re interested in your subject and proud of your commitment to the topic, that will show in your abstract and proposal. Any course-related subject with a faculty mentor is open to consideration by the LASS/PRISM committee. 

The Student Guide includes detailed information on writing an academic abstract or proposal. In addition, the Student Guide includes detailed information including presentation skills, preparing a poster, and dress code.
Resources: 

This year’s deadline for submission is Monday, March 29, 2021. You will be notified if your proposal is accepted by Monday, April 5, 2021.

Yes, you must work with a faculty mentor to write your proposal or abstract and to prepare for your presentation.

Business casual. Formal wear, party clothes, or clothing with slogans are generally not appropriate unless relevant to the content or tradition of your presentation. Follow these guidelines compiled by the A_LAB:

  • You may want a tailored jacket over a professional dress or pantsuit.
  • Shoes should be plain and not too tall (no platforms, sandals, or sparkle.)
  • No ‘club wear’ — short skirts, low-cut blouses, or tight-fitting clothes.
  • Hair, makeup, jewelry should be conservative. Pull your hair back if you play with it when nervous.
  • Hair and facial hair should be trimmed and neat; clean-shaven is generally best.
  • Shoes and belt should match in color.
  • No white socks.
  • No polo shirts, t-shirts, hats, athletic wear, sneakers.
  • No chewing gum, food, take-out cups, or cell phones.

LASS/PRISM participation puts you ahead of your peers in graduate school and in your profession when it comes to conference skills. Attending symposia and conferences and presenting research or speaking in your chosen field is a part of professional life. According to the ASAE (American Society for Association Executives), there are nearly 100,000 different organizations for professions in the United States alone. https://www.npr.org/2011/05/25/136646070/time-for-associations-to-trade-in-their-past. Graduate students routinely speak and present at academic conferences throughout their course of study.

Yes, this is a public, free virtual event.

Past events:

April 16-17, 2020

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium/Posters of Research in Science and Mathematics (LASS/PRISM) is an annual event that brings together Oglethorpe University students and faculty in a day-long celebration of exemplary scholarly work produced by Oglethorpe students under faculty mentorship. The symposium’s sessions provide a forum for students and faculty to present, discuss, and learn from outstanding student endeavors. Papers, oral and poster presentations, art exhibitions, and scholarly musical presentations present the fruits of both Oglethorpe’s liberal arts curriculum as well as science, technology, and math research.

The 2020 LASS/PRISM event was conducted virtually. The schedule was as follows:

Thursday

Posters: Thursday, April 16, 4-6 p.m.

Communication and Community Poster Session: Moderated by Dr. Katherine Keib

View recorded session

Posters and Presenters

The Importance of Centrality in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Network When Talking About the Coronavirus
Presented by: Maya Babbs, Gil Ramos and Justin Thompson

Using NodeXL to Explore the Conversations Around the Astros’ Sign-stealing Scandal
Presented by: Kendal Kosek

Social Media Reactions to the Coronavirus with NodeXL Analytics
Presented by: David Swillum, Katie Hunter and Elizabeth Gomes

Understanding Greta’s Climate Movements via Twitter
Presented by: Veronica Mitchell, Omar Toubassy and Desirae Golden

The interaction activity, in terms of replies and mentions, for Wendy’s consumers in relation to the keywords “Roast” and “Savage” on Twitter
Presented by: Doris Gonzalez and Valencia Barnes

Machine Learning and Credit Card Fraud Detection
Presented by: Rebecca Bryant and Zoe Nelson

Does Manipulating Signature Location Really Increase Honesty?
Presented by: Mikayla Ries and Emily Schultz

Energy and Exoplanets Poster Session: Moderated by Dr. Andrew Walden

View recorded session

Posters and Presenters

A cylinder, an Air-foil, and a Homemade Wind Tunnel
Presented by: Kristoff Dixon and Dee Kelly

Brown Energy – Power Production from Wastewater
Presented by: Stephen Haddox and Nathan Williams

Optimizing Thrust in Air Pressure Rockets
Presented by: Hannah Datillo and Stephen Meyers

Creating Color Difference Plots for Star Clusters
Presented by: Braden Draucek

Water Wave Energy
Presented by: Leondra Freeman, Taj Lowe, Gywneth Wilson and Tuli Mwarumba

Range and Drag Coefficient of a 28-inch Carbon Fiber Arrow
Presented by: Gus Smith, Justin Rickerson, Mishnea Pop and Yueh-Ju Hsieh

Speed of Sound Through Solids and Liquids at Different Temperatures
Presented by: Vivian Manso, Deauntee’ McDuffie and Elijah Foglio

A Physics-inspired Model for Disease Propagation
Presented by: Jose Trinidad

Measuring the Aerodynamic Drag of Sports
Presented by: Yueh-Ju Hsieh, Gus Smith and Mishnea Pop

Structure Dynamics of HIV ESS2p and its Effect on Molecular Recognition
Presented by: NaShea Kendrick

Epigenetics and the Environment Poster Session: Moderated by Dr. Karen Schmeichel

Posters and Presenters

Exploring LIN-52 as a synergistic collaborator with maternally deposited epigenetic modifying proteins, SPR-5 and MET-2, to cause a developmental delay in C. elegans
Presented by: Kendall Kosek, Esteban Martinez and Reina Munoz

Epigenetic/DRM Complex Collaboration of Spr-5, Met-2 and Lin-52 in Somatic-Germline Cellular Determination within Caenorhabditis Elegans
Presented by: Keon Henderson, Shania Fernandes, Gavin Jordan and Anjali Maggan

The DREAM complex gene, lin 37, synergizes with the chromatin-modifying proteins SPR-5 and MET-2 to promote appropriate germline-soma distinctions in C. elegans
Presented by: Ariana Jiminez, Alex Prots and John Lieng

The DREAM complex component, Lin-9, synergizes with the chromatin-modifying enzyme, spr-5, in deterring misexpression of germline genes in the soma of C. elegans
Presented by: Glenda English, Yazmin Salazar and Raquel Ramirez

Blockage of lin 37, a component of the dream complex, and a chromatin modifier like spr 5 or met 2 causes germline expression in somatic cells in C.elegans.
Presented by: Padma Niharika Putrevu, Elena Gierok and Ta’Korya Green

The DREAM complex component, lin-35, synergizes with chromatin-modifying genes, spr-5 and met-2, during germline-soma distinction in C. elegans
Presented by: Abri-Elle Sivertsen, Jaime Croft and Alexis Walker

Can educational signs help dolphins sleep?
Presented by: Alex Prots

Defects in LIN-9 and chromatin-modifiers, SPR-5 and MET-2, causes a developmental delay in C. elegans
Presented by: Monique Ellis,  Idara Johnson, Karishma Patel and Liam Ryan

Using RNAi Knockdown to Explore Synergies Between spr-5, met-2, andlin-35 in Regulating and Reinforcing Germinline-Soma Decisions in C. elegans
Presented by: Courtney Stuart, William Springer and Eilleen Falkenberry

Music: Thursday, April 16, 6-7 p.m.

Musical Performances and Sessions: Moderated by Dr. Brent Runnels

A study of Haydn’s Piano Sonata in Eb major (E-flat), Hob. XVI: 49
Presented by: Elizabeth Kontyko
View performance

Lakmé “Flower Duet”: An Archetype of Romanticism
Presented by: Samantha Foster and Sarah Davidson
View performance

Rachmaninoff Prelude in G minor Opus 23, No.5
Presented by: Jovan Brockett
View performance

Friday

*In addition to the LASS/PRISM virtual sessions, the Hammack School of Business hosted student internship presentations on Friday, April 17 at 1 p.m. View the recorded presentations.

Oral Presentations, Session 1: Friday, April 17, 2:30-3:45 p.m.

Honors I: Moderated by Dr. Seema Shrikhande

It Was an Extraordinary Summer: Youth, Memory, and Homosexual Desire in Mrs. Dalloway and The Goldfinch
Presented by: Lexi Covalsen
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Terry

“Feels bad man”: Internet Memes as Alt-Right Discourse
Presented by: Ansley Dyer
Advisor: Dr. Katharine Zakos

Modern-Day Relics of Quaker Ideals: How Solitary Confinement Practices Continue to Negatively Impact the American Prison System
Presented by: Emily Shultz
Advisor: Dr. Robert Hornback

Perception of Child Abuse by Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Marital Status
Presented by: Erin Raquel Battaglia
Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Bays

Culture and Society: Moderated by Dr. James Goodenberger

View recorded session

The Use of Public Relations in Civil Rights Advocacy and Social Movements
Presented by: Katie Hunter and Sarah Taphom

Ancient Egyptian Agriculture, Power, and Parasites
Presented by: Christopher Leghorn

Happily Never After: An Exploration of Gendered Socialization Through Princess Culture
Presented by: Elle Summers

Research in STEM: Moderated by Dr. Andrew Walden

Watch on Zoom

Do Hot Temperatures affect Home Blood Pressure Measurement
Presented by: Jalisa Kassam

Localization of FAP93 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Presented by: Ariana Jimenez

Mechanistic Study of Nickel (II) Bipyridine Dichloride: Synthesis and Characterization
Presented by: Taylor Turner

Oral Presentations, Session 2: Friday, April 17, 3:45-5 p.m.

Prized Politics and Poetics: Making Literature Accountable to Continued Systemic Oppression: Moderated by Dr. Reshmi Hebbar

View recorded session

And The Winner Is: American Life As Seen In the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Presented by: Fernanda Stelzer Rodriguez

The Cry For Representation
Presented by: Olivia Kelly and Margaret Light

How to Take Our Bodies Back: Fighting Against Patriarchal Modes of Discourse on Female Objectification Through Modern Dystopian Works
Presented by: Dani Lindmier

Workers of Atlanta: Moderated by Dr. Lea Alford

View recorded session

Presenters:

  • Syeda Bano
  • Elle Summers
  • Clara Grimaldo
  • Kelli Bryant
  • Manuel Portillo

Forces of Nature: Celestial Phenomena and Muscle Activation: Moderated by Dr. Morgan Vaughn

View recorded session

Archaeo-Astronomy: Celestial Architecture
Presented by: Mikayla Entrekin

Non-Invasive Investigations of the Correlates in Biophysical Forces and Electrophysiology Within the Biceps Brachii Muscle
Presented by: Jesse Storr

Oral Presentations, Session 3: Friday, April 17, 5-6:15 p.m.

Honors II: Moderated by Dr. Seema Shrikhande

Characterization via transcriptomic analysis of a potential gene interaction between spr-5, met-2, and mep-1 in determining germline versus soma in C. elegans
Presented by: Jovan Brockett
Advisor: Dr. Karen Schmeichel

Engaging the City: An Ethnography on the Beltline’s Promotional Framework
Presented by: Yasmin Tehrani
Advisor: Dr. Janelle Pham

Why Diversity Matters: Finding Community as Desi College Students
Presented by: Syeda Bano
Advisor: Dr. Janelle Pham

Creating Captivating Characters in Fiction: Moderated by Dr. Jeffrey Collins

Presenters:

  • Raquel Battaglia
  • Lexi Covalsen
  • Maggie Thompson

Shaping Socio-cultural Change and Knowledge: Moderated by Dr. Jessica Tomkins

Hierarchy of the [Hum]animal Other
Presented by: Mackenzie Blumberg

“Americanah” and its take on immigration and the narratives surrounding it
Presented by: Dzidula Boney

Akhenaten: The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Presented by: Alexa Shipes

View the 2019 Symposium program (PDF)

2019 Liberal Arts and Science Symposium

This annual event brings together students and faculty in a day-long celebration of exemplary analytic and creative work produced by Oglethorpe students during the academic year. 4/24/19

2019 Liberal Arts & Sciences Symposium Keynote Speaker – Dr. Iona Wynter Parks

Dr. Iona Wynter Parks, French and Core Instructor, at Oglethorpe University, on disrupting our systems of knowing, and moving from the “measure of the man” t…

View the 2018 Symposium program (PDF)

2018 Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium

Explore this photo album by Oglethorpe University on Flickr!

View the 2017 Symposium program (PDF)

2017 Liberal Arts & Science Symposium

This annual event brings together students and faculty in a day-long celebration of exemplary analytic and creative work and research produced by Oglethorpe students during the academic year.

 

View the 2016 Symposium program (PDF).

2016 Liberal Arts & Sciences Symposium

This annual event brings together the entire Oglethorpe community for a day-long celebration of exemplary analytic and creative work produced by students during the academic year.

View one of the 2016 panels below:

Our Books for Benin: The Benefits of Service Learning at Oglethorpe

From the 2016 Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium Moderator: Professor Iona Wynter-ParksStudent presenters: Victoria Lindbergh: “The Bigger Picture of Giving…

View the 2015 Symposium program.

2015 Liberal Arts & Sciences Symposium

This annual event brings together the entire Oglethorpe community for a day-long celebration of exemplary analytic and creative work produced by students during the academic year.

View the 2015 LASS YouTube Playlist below:

2015 Liberal Arts & Sciences Symposium

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View the 2014 Symposium program. 

2014 Liberal Arts & Sciences Symposium

This annual event brings together students and faculty in a day-long celebration of exemplary analytic and creative work produced by Oglethorpe students during the academic year. April 11, 2014.

View the 2014 LASS YouTube Playlist below:

2014 Liberal Arts & Sciences Symposium

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View the 2013 Symposium program. 

See our coverage of this event

2013 Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium

The Symposium in the Liberal Arts and Sciences is an annual event that brings together students and faculty in a day-long celebration of exemplary analytic and creative work produced by Oglethorpe students during the academic year. The symposium’s sessions provide a forum for students and faculty to recognize, discuss and learn from these outstanding student endeavors.

View the 2012 Symposium program. 

See our coverage of this event

2012 Liberal Arts and Sciences Symposium

A time when OU students are able to present there hard work to the Faculty and Staff but also to their fellow students and incoming admitted students. Check it out!

View the 2011 Symposium program. 

See our coverage of this event Prof_Chandler_Ndongo_student