Achievements in Student Innovation and Research, 2014

Achievements in Student Innovation and Research

2014 Student Scholarship Celebration April 24 - May 2, 2014 • Norwich University

Sponsored by the Undergraduate Research Committee and the Office of Academic Research

2014 Student Research Fellowship RecipientsWeintz Research FellowsHannah Bell (Dr. Amy Woodbury Tease), Reading the Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Church Through Contemporary Women WritersFrank Carissimo (Dr. Rowly Brucken), Frederick Charles Miller: A Memoir of War and Hardship on the Nile Taylor Davidson* (Dr. Toyla Stonorov), Looking at the Old to Innovate the NewChristopher DeFelice (Dr. G. Chris Koteas), Defining Richardson Memorial Contact: A Major Tectonic and Structural BoundaryMariah Howard (Dr. W. Travis Morris), How Does Neutralization Theory Apply to the Actions of Female Suicide Terrorists? A Comparison of the Black Widows of Chechnya, LTTE and Palestinian Female Suicide TerroristsTory Kethro (Dr. Elizabeth Gurian), A Tale of Two KillersKelly Martin (Dr. Darlene Olsen), Comparison of Gene Expression Between Microarray and RNA-seq Experiments on Breast CancerDustin Reinauer (Dr. W. Travis Morris), Sandy Hook (U.S.) and Chenpeng (China); a Comparative Analysis Concerning Mass Violence and Weapon LethalityMuhammed Shahidy* (Dr. Travis Morris), How do Afghan Religious Fundamentalists’ Epistemic Beliefs Correlate to Right-wing Authoritarianism?

NU Research FellowsJesse Abruzzi (Dr. Lea Williams), Kipling and Tagore: Two IndiasJames Becker (Dr. Arthur Pallone), In-air Rutherford Back-Scattering and Particle Induced X-ray Emission for Biophysics and Material Science ResearchAnthony Belval (Dr. Moses Tefe), Safety Evaluation of US 7 from Bay Road to VT 2A Colchester VTLogan Brown (Dr. Ethan Guth), Paving the Way to an Antibiotic: Developing a Method for Observing the Reaction of GatCABDana DeMartino (Prof. Sean Prentiss), The Forgotten Fire: A Creative Take on the Rhoads Opera House FireRyan Fecteau (Dr. W. Travis Morris), Drinking Culture: A Comparative Study between Military CollegesJacob Freeman (Dr. Andrea Talentino), Transitions from Destruction to StabilityStacey Jarvis (Prof. Mary Hoppe), Assessment of the POGIL Teaching Method at Norwich UniversityEhrin Koenig (Dr. Rob Knapik), Investigating Late Pulsing and Double Pulsing in Large Area Photomultiplier TubesZachary Larson (Dr. Elizabeth Gurian), Capital Punishment: Mistakes Made by the Criminal Justice SystemWilma Melton (Dr. Gary Lord), Norwich University Alumni Service in World War IShaili Patel* (Dr. Emily Gray) Rationalizing London: John Gwyn’s Revival of Christopher Wren’s City lans, 1666-1780William Perry (Dr. Jeremy Hansen), Universal Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs)Kenneth Sikora (Dr. Ethan Guth), Investigating the Activity of the H.pylori Non-discrimination glutamyl-tRNA SynthetaseKateryna Voytenko* (Prof. Gary Scott Walsh), An Analysis of Post-Soviet era Political Corruption within the Ukraine, with a Focus on the Root Causes and Effects of the 2013-2014 Political Upheaval

2014 Kreitzberg Library Student Research Paper

Prize Recipients

Sponsored by the Friends of the Kreitzberg Library

Senior Liberal Arts

Kyle Vautrinot

The Soul of the Red Army: Red Army Infantry Tactics and

Equipment, 1941-1945

Senior TechnicalPrapat Kotpat

Soil-Cement: Impacts of Cement Content, Water Content,

and Curing Condition on the Unconfined Compressive Strength

of Soil-Cement

Junior Liberal ArtsKatrina Fortman, Cody Simoneau, Derek Burton, Caroline Manning

The Effectiveness of Dogs in Prison: Rehabilitation Programs Involving

Live-in Canines

Junior TechnicalCaitlin Holliday

Sintering

Fresh/Soph Liberal ArtsEric Weinhold

T. Flavius Vespasianus: The Decision-Maker and the

Savior of the Early Roman Empire

Fresh/Soph TechnicalGowri Savoor

Wind Power: Innovations in Wind Turbines

* Recipient of a Politi Student Research Travel Grant

From the President Isidor Rabi, the Nobel laureate renowned for the discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance, credited his mother for his career as a scientist due to the one thing she asked him every school day. “Did you ask a good question today?” was her simple inquiry, as opposed to the standard “Did you learn anything today?” So while

we should give thanks to Mrs. Rabi every time we use a microwave oven or get an MRI, her approach to learning as inquiry is equally widely applicable and profound.

The student research program of the past decade has demonstrated that Norwich students are increasingly on track in asking good questions. The two students comprising the program in 2003 would today be less than one-tenth of the group that will assemble this summer to pursue their research passions.

This summer more than two dozen Weintz Research Scholars, NU Research Fellows, and externally funded students will be busily working on original research. Mentored projects from students representing all three undergraduate colleges range from female suicide bombers to tectonic boundaries, gene expression and RNA in breast cancer, Kipling and Tagore, the culture of drinking at military colleges, mobile networking protocols, and the assessment of the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning method used at Norwich. This work is a testament to their ability to couple what they have learned in the classroom with their natural curiosity and creativity, and to pursue a personal voyage of discovery. In doing so, they are taking the first steps in contributing to the world at large, just as alumni such as Grenville Dodge, George Dewey, Edward Adams, and Gordon Sullivan have done before them.

Research at Norwich does not just start in May and end in August. As demonstrated by the abstracts published in these pages and the posters displayed at the Student Scholarship Celebration, experiential learning is a key component of a Norwich education. Throughout the year, students explore new concepts and work on innovative approaches to issues in every discipline at the University. These efforts are supported both by their professors and mentors, as well as our devoted alumni whose generous donations have underwritten the cost of time and materials for their work; for this, and for all they do, we are most grateful. Finally, we are delighted in our students’ dedication to the intellectual engagement that is the integral keystone of research. It stands only to enrich their lives.

Richard W. Schneider, Ph.D. RADM, USCGR (Ret.)

President

Norwich recognized Drs. Karen L. Hinkle and R. Danner Friend this year with Awards for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research. Both of these energetic teacher-scholars arrived at Norwich in 2003, when our Summer Research Fellowship program began, and together they have mentored more than two dozen summer research fellows funded by the Vermont Genetics Network, NASA, or endowed NU funds. Their love of research as teaching is exemplified by these quotes:

“The value of undergraduate research is the most obvious when a student comes to me with an ‘AHA!’ moment after having spent significant time on a project. Never am I more proud than when I see that transition, that maturation of a student from listener/learner to sophisticated researcher, when they are bringing up questions and solutions that truly move the progress of the research forward. Undergraduate research molds students into critical thinkers, giving them the confidence to ask novel questions and take leadership and ownership of a project.”

- Karen L. Hinkle

“I strongly believe in the value of undergraduate research as a high impact educational experience that gives students an opportunity to be creative and imaginative in the pursuit of answers to challenging questions of real significance.”

- R. Danner Friend* Recipient of a Politi Student Research Travel Grant

From the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

The renowned astrophysicist Carl Sagan once noted that “Cutting off fundamental, curiosity-driven science is like eating the seed corn. We may have a little more to eat next winter but what will we plant so we and our children will have enough to get through the winters to come?” Most fortunately, seed corn has never been on the Norwich “menu.” And, while experiential learning has always been a core tenet of our

institution, enhanced support for student and faculty research over the past decade is yielding plenty of intellectual fodder.

That support comes in a number of forms. Each year, endowed funds support professional endeavors through the Faculty Development Program, the Chase Initiatives, and the Dana Funds. Last year, over 250 Faculty Development grants were provided to over 120 different faculty, seven faculty went on Independent Study Leave, seven Dana Research Fellowships and two Curriculum Development Fellowships were granted, one new Dana Professor was named, and 21 faculty received release time to delve deeper in their individual areas of specialty.

Likewise, our students have benefited from endowed Norwich programs that, last year, supported 25 summer fellowships, five of which had an international travel component. In 2003, the Chase Family generously

established a student research fund, followed in 2006 by the Weintz Research Fund from alum Fred Weintz Jr. and his late wife Betsy and, in 2008, the Politi family’s International Student Travel Grant fund. We are deeply indebted to these families for demonstrating their belief in the value of undergraduate research through their munificent gifts.

In addition, Norwich has held an enhanced institutional membership with the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR) for over six years. This status allows any and all faculty, students, and staff to avail themselves of their resources, all designed to “support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.” Several dozen of our faculty have attended their institutes, among them CUR Dialogues, Mentorship Collaboration in Social Sciences and Humanities, and Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research. Annually since 2009, several dozen students and their mentors have presented at their National Conferences on Undergraduate Research, held this year at the University of Kentucky.

Norwich is incredibly proud and supportive of all of its faculty, students, and staff who have been able to avail themselves of these resources in their research quests, and forever beholden to those who have helped make it possible. Please join me in congratulating all.

Guiyou Huang, Ph.D.

From the Director of Undergraduate Research

It is with great pleasure that we present this compilation of our students’ adventures in research for the academic year 2013-14. This marks the 12th Annual Student Scholarship Celebration, and the fifth in which our students have provided insight into their work through the abstracts published in this brochure. These snapshots show a breadth of effort and quality of work that is most impressive.

Our students’ work spans all the disciplines, falling under the titles of “research,” “applied research,” “scholarship,” “design,” and “creative work,” among others. And, while our students and faculty reap the benefits of their discoveries, ongoing generation of new knowledge demands that it be shared. Dissemination is key to extending learning with peers outside of one’s own community. That happens both here at our event, and when our students present work at professional meetings – such as at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Kentucky, and discipline-specific meetings such as the Vermont Genetics Network (biomedical), the Criminal Justice Sciences Conference (criminal justice), and the Vermont Academy of Sciences (psychology).

The composition of our tenure-track Norwich faculty is changing, with about one-third comprising teacher-scholars who have joined the ranks in the last four years. These new members grow the pool of dedicated mentors who exemplify the curiosity we seek to nurture in our students. Students see their dedication and willingness to engage in the hard, but rewarding, work of research; as such, these faculty motivate, stimulate, and guide a new generation of scholars who are new to the game of discovery. Supporting this effort is a creative and tireless group of faculty who make up the Undergraduate Research Committee. We extend our gratitude to the work of Profs. Amy Woodbury Tease (Chair), W. Travis Morris, Tara Kulkarni, Akhan Almagambetov, Megan Doczi, Ethan Guth, and Kyle Pivetti (Fall ’13).

I hope you enjoy and relish the excitement stemming from our students during their Celebration Week. We are very proud of the scope, scale, and quality of their work. Congratulations all!!

David S. Westerman, Ph.D.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS Presentations in Kreitzberg Multipurpose Room

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Webb 014

1:00 p.m. Ellsworth Gibbs (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) Deng Xiaoping’s Reforms and the Chinese Economy Since 1978

1:30 p.m. Victoria Klink (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) China’s Water Crisis: In Need of Change, Can China Pull Itself Together?

2:00 p.m. Doug Delpha (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) Occupation In Afghanistan: Afghan prospects after the 2014 NATO drawdown

2:40 p.m. Meghan Grenier (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) China’s Impact on Singapore’s Economy

3:10 p.m. Cory Mowbray (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) The Iron Road: The Trans-Asian Railway System

Friday, April 25, 2014

Webb 200

2:00-2:50 p.m. Daniel Armstrong, Abi Donahue, Hailey Dunn and David Jarry (Dr. Amy Woodbury Tease) Discussion Panel: Muriel Spark’s The Girls of Slender Means, Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges are not the Only Fruit, and Julian Barnes’s The Sense of an Ending

Monday, April 28, 2014

MPR

2:00-2:50 p.m. Hannah Bell, William Derryberry, David Labbe, Nathalie Ouellette and Michael Petrocelli (Dr. Amy Woodbury Tease) Discussion Panel: Muriel Spark’s The Girls of Slender Means, Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges are not the Only Fruit, and Julian Barnes’s The Sense of an Ending

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

MPR

12:00-12:30 p.m. Gianni Pratico (Dr. W. Travis Morris) How the Freedom Fighter/ Terrorist Paradigm is Framed in Film Between 1980-Present for the IRA and al-Qaeda

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

MPR

9:00-12:00 p.m. Bi-lingual Scholarship Presentation Panel: China and the World

Joseph Babitsky (Dr. Yangmo Ku) “Guanxi”: Personal Relations and Cross-Strait Relations

Trevor Breitenbach (Dr. Yangmo Ku) Chinese and Iranian Relationship: Perspectives from Chinese University Students

Allison Tsybenko (Dr. Yangmo Ku) China’s Environmental Problems

12:00-12:30 p.m. Stacia Melick (Dr. Matthew Thomas) Bystander Effect

12:30-1:00 p.m. Luke Sprenger (Dr. W. Travis Morris) Strain Theory: Drug Abuse as a Teenager Coping Mechanism

2:00-2:50 p.m. Jacob Alderman, Gabriella Katz, Nestor Martinez, Jay Mercure and Nicholas Pulaski (Dr. Amy Woodbury Tease) Discussion Panel: Muriel Spark’s The Girls of Slender Means, Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges are not the Only Fruit, and Julian Barnes’s The Sense of an Ending

3:00-3:30 p.m. Benito Murray (Dr. Reina Pennington) Institutionalizing Military Genius: Gerhard von Scharnhorst and the Prussian Military Reforms, 1807-1813

3:30-4:00 p.m. Parker Carroll (Dr. Reina Pennington) Adapt or Die: The Spanish Civil War and the Preparedness of the French and Soviet Air Forces for Modern Combat

6:00 p.m. Allison Tsybenko (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) The Chinese Government’s Response to Air Pollution in China

6:30 p.m. Bryce Kuykendall (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) The Sino-Indo Border Dispute:Will There Ever Be a Resolution?

6:50 p.m. Nathan Cooper (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) From Prison to Prosperity: Australia’s Rise from a Penal Colony to a Prospering Nation

7:10 p.m. Chun-Wen Chang (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) The United States and the Chinese Civil War

7:40 p.m. Tyler Beresford (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) Crime Rates and the Drug Trade in Central America

8:00p.m. Tom Banyacski (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) Moving from Catholicism to Other Christian Sects in Peru

8:20 p.m. Kelsey Baker (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) The Origins and Manifestations of Secularism in France

Thursday, May 1, 2014

MPR

1:00-1:30 p.m. Thomas King (Prof. Lisa Brucken) War of Destruction: The Devastating Loss of the 1st Texas Infantry Regiment at Antietam

1:30-2:00 p.m. Cameron Myette (Prof. Lisa Brucken) Divide In Religion: A True Cause for War

2:00-2:30 p.m. Jacob Lee (Prof. Lisa Brucken) Cold Steel: The Civil War Musket and Bayonet

2:30-3:00 p.m. Matthew Taylor (Prof. Lisa Brucken) The First Battle: Establishment for Defeat

3:00-3:30 p.m. Elizabeth Fraser (Prof. Lisa Brucken) The 1865 Freedman’s Bureau: A Nation’s First Look at Welfare

4:00-5:30 p.m. Cody Billig, Saul Costa, and Lauren Wyatt (Prof. Akhan Almagambetov) NUoogle Hangouts: Face Tracking and Object Overlays

Ryan Grindle, Kenneth Knight, and Kenneth Owens (Prof. Akhan Almagambetov) Vehicle Type Identification and Trajectory Prediction

Joshua Coleman, Michael Kirl, and James Whitlock (Prof. Akhan Almagambetov) Real-time Resistor Color Code Recognition

Evan Fagan and Jacob Jasewicz (Prof. Akhan Almagambetov) License Plate Recognition

Sullivan Museum Conference Room

4:00-4:30 p.m. Joseph Dvorak (Dr. Steven Sodergren) Forgotten Lessons: A Comparative Analysis of the British Security Response to the IRA

Dewey 303

1:00 p.m. Kasey Dang (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) China and the Concept of “Political Warfare”

1:30 p.m. George Seiferth (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) Germany’s Education System and the German Workforce: What is the correlation between the two?

2:00 p.m. Rafhanah Pitkin (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) China-U.S. Trade: The nature of the relationship?

2:40 p.m. Luke Dejarme (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) Alcohol and West African Society

3:10 p.m. Trevor Breitenbach (Dr. C. Dart Thalman) China’s ‘Soft Power’ and the United Nations Security Council

Friday, May 2, 2014

MPR

12:00-12:30 p.m. Shanyse Lingham (Prof. Kate Healy) Integrated Operating Room Improves Efficiency of the Delivery of Care by Nurses

2:00-2:50 p.m. Jacob Branco, Nathan Edmondson, Anthony O’Neill and Connor Porter(Dr. Amy Woodbury Tease) Discussion Panel: Muriel Spark’s The Girls of Slender Means, Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges are not the Only Fruit, and Julian Barnes’s The Sense of an Ending

3:30-4:00 p.m. Zachary Fulton (Dr. Karen Hinkle) Analysis of Neuronal Migration Defect in src-1 Mutant and Fyn Transgenic C. elegans

Transcending Science and Religion: The ‘better story’ in The Life of Pi

Jeromy Anderson (Dr. Kathleen McDonald) Department of English and Communications

The Life of Pi is a story to show the power of a story. As a young castaway struggles to find meaning after the loss of his family in a shipwreck, he creates a Bengal tiger that not only demonstrates the power of fiction, but the power of the human mind in creating it. With his anthropomorphisms and adoption of the better story, Pi Monitor recasts an 18th century Romantic tradition, in which imagination and the inner mind can combat the inherent hierarchical implications of both science and religion.

South End Auto: Soil and Groundwater Remediation

James Allard (Dr. Tara Kulkarni)Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

A pump island at the abandoned South End Auto gas station, located on Route 12 in Randolph, Vermont, has been suspected of contaminating the soil and groundwater of the neighboring G.W. Plastics property with gasoline-related Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Using historical site assessment data as well as the most recent soil and groundwater sampling data provided by the project consultant, the lateral and vertical extent of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene (BTEX) was determined. In addition, various treatment technologies were researched with regards to applicability, ease of implementation, cleanup time, and cost. Multi Phase Extraction (MPE) was selected as the preferred remediation strategy to treat a total of 7550 lbs. of

VOCs present at the site. Pilot test data, performed by the project consultants, using a single 4-inch extraction well, provided a radius of influence of 35 inches and good extraction rates, confirming the choice of MPE. The preliminary research was used in designing a cost-effective MPE system to extract the VOCs from the soil and groundwater table through a series of extraction wells. The design includes a Process and Implementation diagram that shows the piping system as well as the equipment used in aboveground treatment of extracted vapors and water, such as an oil water separator, and carbon adsorption units. The MPE system is designed to lower contaminant levels at the site to below standards set by the Vermont Groundwater Quality Standards.

Defining 21st Century Literacy: An Undergraduate Perspective

Baylee Annis (Dr. Diane Byrne)Department of Psychology and Education NU Research Fellow

Today’s undergraduates are digital natives and constant contributors to cyberspace material. Despite coming of age in the era of Google, Facebook, and iPhones, experts and students often agree that they may be inadequately prepared and unnurtured in the technology skills demanded by the workplace.  Many sources have identified a need for tech-savvy students coming into the workplace, yet rarely are these skills explicitly defined for an undergraduate audience. This, however, is not for lack of available technology standards. A number of organizations offer individual sets of standards surrounding technology, tech-related ethical responsibilities, and device usage.  I aim to investigate the existing definitions of 21st century literacy and ultimately create a definition based primarily for student use. I seek to

identify the levels of 21st century literacy by: exploring what types of literacies exist and the ways in which 21st century literacy may/may not make students more effective and successful in their current and future lives.

Guanxi: Personal Relations and Cross-Strait Relations

Joseph Babitsky (Dr. Yangmo Ku) Department of History and Political Science

Humans are, by nature, social creatures. We interact with each other on a daily basis, and are taught from a very young age the unwritten rules governing these interactions. In the Chinese culture, the term guanxi (literally: relation or relationship) describes the code for societal interaction understood and accepted by all Chinese people. The jurisdiction of guanxi extends far past the realm of purely interpersonal relationships and into the area of domestic and international politics. How the central government interacts with its people, how provinces interact with each other, and how China interacts with other nations are all governed by guanxi. One of the most prominent (and complex) international affairs of the past 50 years has been the relationship between China and Taiwan. These two states have been at odds since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and continue to be to this day. However, the relationship between them has fluctuated greatly depending on who happened to be in charge of each state. One of the major aspects of this fluctuation, especially during the initial years of the People’s Republic of China and Republic of China, was guanxi.

ABSTRACTS

identify the levels of 21st century literacy by: exploring what types of literacies exist and the ways in which 21st century literacy may/may not make students more effective and successful in their current and future lives.

Guanxi: Personal Relations and Cross-Strait Relations

Joseph Babitsky (Dr. Yangmo Ku) Department of History and Political Science

Humans are, by nature, social creatures. We interact with each other on a daily basis, and are taught from a very young age the unwritten rules governing these interactions. In the Chinese culture, the term guanxi (literally: relation or relationship) describes the code for societal interaction understood and accepted by all Chinese people. The jurisdiction of guanxi extends far past the realm of purely interpersonal relationships and into the area of domestic and international politics. How the central government interacts with its people, how provinces interact with each other, and how China interacts with other nations are all governed by guanxi. One of the most prominent (and complex) international affairs of the past 50 years has been the relationship between China and Taiwan. These two states have been at odds since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and continue to be to this day. However, the relationship between them has fluctuated greatly depending on who happened to be in charge of each state. One of the major aspects of this fluctuation, especially during the initial years of the People’s Republic of China and Republic of China, was guanxi.

Terminal Velocity of a Beach Ball

James Becker, Matthew Hjelm, Brianna Johnson, Ehrin Koenig and Edward Li (Dr. George Moschelli) Department of Physics

For some projectiles the effects of air resistance cannot be ignored. The magnitude of this effect depends on the shape and the mass of the projectile as well as its velocity. In this work we design an experiment to test two models of air resistance of a falling beach ball. During our analysis we discovered that the buoyant force must be included to explain the motion of the ball. We determined that at large velocities air resistance has the largest effect, but buoyancy reduces the magnitude of the terminal velocity.

Design, Construction, and Testing of a Light Beam Induced Current Microscope

James Becker, Matthew Hjelm, Ehrin Koenig, Stephen LaMarca and Edward Li (Dr. Arthur K. Pallone) Department of Physics

Laser beam induced current (LBIC) microscopy has many applications such as obtaining a map of photocurrent response with respect to position. A laser beam can be used to probe a solar cell. As the beam scans across the solar cell, the beam’s energy is converted into electron-hole pairs that then result in a measurable current. We explain the approach to setup and implementation and difficulties encountered during the construction of our LBIC microscope. Our chief concerns involved spatial resolution, appropriate beam intensity, optical alignment of components, and data collection and handling. We present the first line scans across a commercial solar cell with varying bias voltages to demonstrate the basic operation of the microscope.

A Re-Advance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet In the Jail Branch

Emma Blanchard (Dr. Richard Dunn)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Re-advance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet is a subject of significant debate, especially in New England geology. Beginning in the 1960’s, Stewart and MacClintock first considered the mechanism of ice re-advance, and in the early 1970’s Larsen brought back this idea. A re-advance is when the glacial ice advances, retreats, and then advances again. Glacial lake deposits, such as varves, lacustrine deposits, and till can be examined to help determine evidence for a re-advance. Glacial Lake Winooski was an important aspect of the Wisconsinan glaciation, 10,000 years ago, and has been used to provide evidence for multiple re-advances. The Jail Branch, a small tributary of the Winooski River, is located in Barre, Vermont. Sections of glacial till that also contain sedimentary units interpreted as glacial lake deposits between till horizons were used to conduct this research. Till fabric analysis, grain size analyses, and simple observation of glacial deposits were then studied in terms of composition and orientation. Results of this study suggest that the Jail Branch area contains substantial evidence for glacial re-advance.

Chinese and Iranian Relationship: Perspectives from Chinese University Students

Trevor Breitenbach (Dr. Yangmo Ku)Department of History and Political Science

The modern Sino-Iranian relationship came to fruition in 1979 with the establishment of the Islamic Republic and China’s implementation of Deng Xiaoping’s Reform and Open Policy. Based on necessity and pragmatism, the two powers merged as a means to stem

the flood of western hegemonic power and exchange of much needed Iranian resources for the Chinese investment. Throughout the relationship, the two have faced challenges from western powers; China has provided a blanket of protection from the UN Security Council and invaluable technology to advance Iranian nuclear energy. I conducted research to gain a better understanding of the Chinese college student’s perspective, particularly those with expressed interest in policy making. I conducted anonymous surveys with students and asked them five general questions in order to gain a broad understanding. The results show that all of the students’ political values are nearly exactly in sync with the People’s Republic of China. Recently, with the temporary nuclear deal between the P5+1 and Iran, relations with the west are improving. Only success will come from opening up of the Iranian market from western sanctions, spelling out steep economic gains for both countries and a deeper friendship between the two countries.

Social Conformity and Motivation in Groups

Dillon Brennan (Dr. Carole Bandy)Department of Psychology and Education

This study reviewed past work on social conformity and utilized those studies to analyze social conformity and desire to join the Norwich University Ranger Company. Conformity is based on group acceptance, likeliness to conform, attractiveness of the group, and pressure of acceptance through self, family, and peers. This study utilized a stimulus that promoted attractiveness of the group to show how these elements of group conformance related to each other. A group of individuals going out for the Norwich University Ranger Company were asked to participate in this study. These participants rated the group versus their friends, family, and other groups, showing the conformance these participants ascribed to, in order to try and gain access to that group. The results showed that these participants tested high in conformance to the group in some of these various areas.

Geochemical Variability of the Knox Mountain Granite, Central Vermont

Patrick Brennan (Dr. G. Christopher Koteas) Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Intrusive plutons have been proven to have an incredible geological effect on the composition of the intrusive granite. Due to the erosion of the pyrite of the Gile Mountain Formation and the rise of the intrusive granitic Know Mountain pluton, Marshfield, Vermont reveals the effect of such an intrusive behavior. The study was intended to investigate the relationship between the granite of the interior pluton compared to that of the granite along the contact. Texture observations as well as chemical analyses of the compositions

were studied to conclude any variations between the varying granite samples that were taken from different locations throughout the pluton. Of the many samples taken, 15 were used as they showed the greatest amount of variations, thus providing more conclusive data. Chemical composition analyses reveal strong evidence of variations within the granite when taking the location of the sample into account, as well as strong amounts of biotite differences.

Tolkien’s Linguistics of Architecture

Jade Burkart (Dr. Timothy Parker) School of Architecture and Art NU Research Fellow

This project examined architecture as a language, and then applied that knowledge towards analyzing architecture in literature, specifically focused upon J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. This work started with obtaining background information on architecture as a language by looking at how architecture and language function as a direct result of a culture. This led to analyzing what information was projected from a building for a given culture. Next, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was read, taking note of the different cultures, and what values their architecture held as a result of their values. The description in the books were then compared to what forms took shape in the movies. This study analyzes the connection between the influence of a culture on the architecture that they produce.

Adapt or Die: The Spanish Civil War and the Preparedness of the French and Soviet Air Forces for Modern Combat

Parker Carroll (Dr. Reina Pennington)Department of History and Political Science

This essay examines the impact of the Spanish Civil War in shaping French and Soviet thinking with regards to strategic bombing, close air support, tactics, and technology as they prepared for combat against Hitler’s Luftwaffe. This essay argues that the lessons learned and not learned by the French and Soviet Air Forces played a decisive role in determining their effectiveness during the invasions of their respective countries. The crux of this argument is based upon French and Soviet observations of the air war over Spain and their respective reactions to events such as the aerial defense of Madrid, the destruction of an Italian column by airpower at Guadalajara, and the introduction of the German Bf-109 in early 1937. In examining the French and Soviet attempts to translate new ideas regarding airpower into doctrine and new technologies, it becomes clear that both of these powers, for largely political reasons, squandered an excellent chance to focus their limited time and resources in a productive manner.

A Palustrine Box Model Study of Water Quality and Chemistry at Railroad Branch

Alex Chen (Dr. Richard K. Dunn)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Biophysical activity and a changing line of impoundments by beavers have presented a unique opportunity to study a changing wetland and its effects on stream chemistry. Research on Railroad Branch, a mountain stream in central Vermont, was conducted using a box model approach to analyze the fluctuations in cation concentration, temperature, pH, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen, and PO43-/NO3.These observations included water sampled from the stream and associated pond and wetland system. The YSI probe was used in the field to collect temperature, pH, and conductivity. Samples of water from the pond substrate were taken using a peat corer. In the laboratory, the Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma Spectrophotometer and HACH kit were used to measure major and trace constituents and PO43-/NO3, turbidity, and alkalinity, respectively. Samples were obtained under various hydrologic conditions such as baseflow and high flow. No previous study had been done on Railroad Branch so this project and the collected data provides insight into the biochemistry of the area and opens this system to further study. Results show that wetlands have the ability to regulate cationic flow, showing patterns between the inlet and outlet that cannot be seen in the pond. This data also suggests that organic constituents in the pond/wetland play a role in the acidity.

The United States in the Chinese Civil War

Chun-Wen Chang (Dr. C. Dart Thalman)Department of History and Political Science

This research paper investigates the role of the United States in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949. The research question is: “To what extent did the United States influence the outcome of the Chinese Civil War?” This paper is going to demonstrate that the U.S. intervention in the Civil War, along with other factors, inadvertently contributed to the victory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a result contrary to the intentions of the U.S. government at the time. The research paper is organized as follows: first, the paper introduces the nature of the war and the reason for the dispute between the Communists and Nationalists; second, the U.S. intention and efforts that were put into China at the time are examined, especially the Hurley and Marshall Missions and the reasons they ended in failure; finally, the paper illustrates how the CCP, originally the weaker of the two entities, defeated the Goumindang (GMD). Examining this historical event from an objective point of view, the research hopes to provide a further understanding of the history of this period of time and the various factors that influenced the consequences of the war. It appears that the original intention of the United States for arranging mediated negotiations was to establish a unified and democratic China that would befriend American interests in Asia. The war, however, concluded with a Communist victory, and many of the U.S. decisions and policies made about China became controversial. Some popular viewpoints even claimed that the intervention of the U.S. was the most crucial factor that influenced the outcome of the war. Nevertheless, this research finds that it was the inflexibility of the Nationalists, adaptability of the Communists, and the circumstances of the contemporary Chinese society that caused the U.S. intervention to have the opposite of its intended effect, eventual victory of the Communists.

Wisdom Teachings in Children’s Literature: The Journey from Innocence to Knowledge

Leah Coombs (Dr. Kathleen McDonald) Department of English and Communications

Because wisdom is gained through the journey from innocence to knowledge, much of children’s literature contains two major quests. One is the written and controlled quest of the characters in the story. The other is the inner quest of the reader, the child who will accompany the heroes of the story. Together they move through the teachings of good and evil, right and wrong and the moral wisdoms and choices that are thrust upon them throughout their journey. Both characters and reader grow, leaping from page to page evolving from the age of innocence and naïveté to one of knowledge and experience. That which waits between the covers of a book is not only an adventure into the imagination, but also represents potentials and possibilities for the life and learning of the child that reads it. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy is a prime example of a child growing from an innocent state of mind to one of enlightened understanding. Pullman uses the journey of his protagonist as a literary tool to convey wisdom to the child reader.

The East Turkistan Islamic Movement’s Use of the Internet and Terrorism 

Rachel Cote (Dr. Michael Andrew)Department of History and Political Science

The Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement has been conducting revolutionary terrorism for decades, but their inability to use the Internet in multiple languages has caused their international and local outreach to be ineffective. Revolutionary terrorism is a term that cannot be used lightly due to the various perspectives it represents. Revolution is a consequence of choice; there is a cause and an effect that will forever change a nation partaking

in it. The line between terrorism and revolution becomes blurred when attempting to categorize an organization that may be partaking in a war of national liberation. A great example of this complex system is the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement based in Xinjiang Province, China. ETIM’s war of national liberation began in the 1930’s, as they represented a portion of the Uyghur minority, and still continues today as their ideology expands and changes with the tides of extremism in the Caucasus Region. Their struggle was well structured and strong before the use of mass media and Internet soared beginning in the 1990’s and after the Chinese government brought their network to the brink; ETIM has fallen almost completely off the radar. As an organization with a cause, their outreach to the international arena within the online community is lacking due to the failure of using English or even Mandarin while instead using their own language. In order to reach a broad audience and create a stronger clearer message, ETIM must expand their uses of various languages online just like other prominent terrorist organizations have begun to do. Advocacy and the push for change via the Internet, no matter the ideology or message, is a form of revolution. Since ETIM is considered a terrorist organization by much of the international community, they must learn how to make a proper and modern revolutionary stance in the world of the Internet. 

Vibrator Bowl Feeder Project

Brendan Demers, Pat Bowden and Isaac DeRego (Dr. R. Danner Friend)Department of Mechanical Engineering

Revision Military makes the Sawfly eyewear for military eye protection. They require a feeding and sorting system for the nosepiece of the eyewear in order to simplify and increase efficiency of the assembly process. The objective of our

project is to create a sorting system to meet Revision’s needs. Their requirements are: be able to sort regular and large nosepieces, have a capacity of 1000 pieces, jam-free operation, a max cycle time of four seconds, and fit within the designated footprint. A few options were considered. Through the use of a decision matrix, the Vibratory Bowl Feeder was chosen as the best feeder to complete the needs of Revision. It has better sorting capabilities, greater ease of customization, and is more cost-effective than the other feeders. After selecting the feeding system, research and concept models were completed on how to meet the requirements of Revision. A concept selection process was used to decide on the final concept. After further research, a final design of the feeder system was completed based off of the final concept. The final design is a Vibratory Feeding system consisting of a hopper, a vibratory bowl, and a linear feeder. The hopper provides a mass holding area before feeding the nose pieces into the vibratory bowl. The vibratory bowl sorts and orients the nose pieces and sends them to the linear feeder. The linear feeder delivers the nose pieces from the bowl to the work station where they are assembled with the eyewear lenses.

Field Mapping and Deposit Analysis of Sites along Cox, Union, and Robinson Brooks; Tributaries of the Dog River, VT

Brian Demers (Dr. Richard Dunn)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Previous work on Quaternary glacial sediments and paraglacial geomorphology was used to compare with new data retrieved from the field during this project for the reason of gaining an understanding of how the Earth’s surface in New England was formed and shaped during the last glaciation. New England geologists in the states of Vermont, New Hampshire and New York have strived to

discover as much as possible about the last glacial land system from glacial features and other Quaternary geomorphological remnants. A major goal of previous research was to better understand the movement of the Laurentide ice sheet, its recession, and possible re-advance. This project focused on collecting a data set of geomorphologic evidence in the upper Dog River watershed to compare with previous work with the goal of better understanding the record of regional glaciation in this region.

Forgotten Lessons: A Comparative Analysis of the British Security Response to the IRA

Joseph Dvorak (Dr. Steven Sodergren)Department of History and Political Science

When the British Army was deployed to Northern Ireland in 1969 to relieve the overwhelmed and exhausted Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), they would soon face an old enemy of the British government: the Irish Republican Army. What started as a civil rights movement for greater equality for Catholics in Northern Ireland, a series of protests and riots, would turn into a deadly conflict between Irish republicans and the British government that would last for over thirty years, now known as the Troubles. This study compares the British security response to the IRA during the Troubles to their response during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921). The War of Independence was the first time that the British would combat the IRA. Despite this previous experience, the security forces in Northern Ireland did not display an appreciation for the valuable lessons that should have been taken from the Irish War of Independence. Lack of cooperation between the police and the military, violent actions by the security forces, and an alienated police force all prevented the British from being able to successfully combat the IRA during the War of Independence. The British Army

and the RUC made the same mistakes as their predecessors at the start of the Troubles and were unable to prevent the IRA from conducting their terrorist campaign for more than thirty years.

British Police Forces in Ireland 1920-1921: Constabulary or Terrorist Organization?

Joseph Dvorak (Dr. Steven Sodergren)Department of History and Political Science Weintz Research Scholar

During the Irish War of Independence, 1920-21, the British government’s policy for fighting the Irish republicans was focused on the police, with the military acting in a supporting role. Throughout the War of Independence, the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC), specifically British members of the RIC known as the Black and Tans and the Auxiliary Division, were accused of numerous accounts of violent actions against the Irish people that included the burnings of homes and businesses, beatings, torture, and murder. Despite well-documented accounts and witness statements, few of the RIC were disciplined by the British government for their actions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the actions of the RIC and determine if there was a deliberate policy of terrorism conducted against the Irish population by the British government and if the RIC could be considered a state terrorist organization. While the violent actions of the RIC fall under the definition of terrorist acts, there is little evidence that the British government fully supported or ordered violent action by the RIC. The RIC cannot be considered a state terrorist organization because there was no official governmental policy that called for the terrorizing of the Irish people.

The Knox Mountain Pluton Intrusion: How it Affected the Gile Mountain Formation

Patrick Finamore (Dr. G. Christopher Koteas) Department of Geology and Environmental Science

The Knox Mountain Pluton in the area near Plainfield, Vermont is not well understood in terms of its style or mechanism of intrusion. Additionally, there are portions of the pluton-host rock contact margin that have not been mapped in detail by previous workers. Fieldwork was done in order to better refine the contact. Samples of the bedrock were geochemically analyzed to identify differences within the Gile Mountain Formation in close proximity to the contact margin. This was done to determine the effect of heat and pressure associated with the intrusion of the Knox Mountain pluton. The contact seems to better follow the Winooski River, not along the western side of the river as is currently mapped. The geochemical data shows that there is a difference in the Gile Mountain Formation along the contact. For example, the samples collected during the study of the Gile Mountain Formation along the margin of the Knox Mountain pluton have a higher Al/Si ratio (differences of ~5-8 Wt. %) when compared with archived US Geological Survey samples from the Gile Mountain Formation to the north and south of the study site. This suggests that proximity to the pluton margin has a geochemical effect on the host rock. The granitic pluton appears to have intruded into the Gile Mountain Formation in a series of dikes and sills, which intrude along existing fracture networks of pre-existing country rock fabrics. This suggests that the margins of the pluton are different then the interior since magma did not intrude in the same way as in the center of the pluton. The theory of dikes and sills fits well with observations made in the Gile Mountain Formation. Dikes of eroded granite, now in the forms of

boulder fields follow riverbeds that flow into the Winooski River. The Pluton has chemically altered the Gile Mountain Formation once it intruded, the main body cooled as a large body while the edges intruded like fingers in the form of dikes and sills into the country rock.

Engels and Angles

Kelley Fitzmaurice (Dr. Carl Martin) Department of English and Communications

Over the last several semesters I have been looking at Christianity in the pre-modern world. My interest in this topic began with an Honors project with Dr. McCann on the Biblical Book of Daniel and continued to a project on Jews in medieval England with Dr. Martin. All of this is coming together for a senior Honors project looking at Biblical paraphrases in the forms of poems written in Anglo-Saxon England. I am currently working on research with Dr. Martin, based on Dick Leith’s observation in A Social History of English that “the pagan tradition in poetry, as it was written down, was reinterpreted in Christian terms.” Using a specific Anglo-Saxon Old Testament text I looked at how the Anglo-Saxon poet(s) borrowed Latin words from the texts used in the Roman Catholic Church (e.g., names such as Abraham, Moses, and Daniel, and also nouns such as engel [angel]). This tied into my interdisciplinary Honors project by giving me a chance to look closely at the text in Anglo-Saxon as well as basic background knowledge on Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England.

The Woodbury Granite Pluton, Geochemically Analyzed and Remapped

William Flood (Dr. G. Christopher Koteas) Department of Geology and Environmental Science

The Woodbury granite pluton is not well understood geochemically or in terms of the mappable extent of the system. The Woodbury pluton is located in northeastern Vermont and is estimated to have intruded between 390 and 370 million years ago associated with the Acadian Orogeny. The current bedrock geologic map of Vermont does not clearly show an accurate representation of the Woodbury pluton. The goal of this study was to use field mapping and whole rock geochemical analysis to better understand the plutonic system, so that the extent and duration of regional magmatism could be better understood. Mapping in the area for this project revealed more granite bodies then are currently shown on published maps. Geochemically, the majority of the granite contains only moderate geochemical variability, for example a range of 70-74 weight percent silica. From this geochemical data and regional mapping it appears that the Woodbury pluton is larger than is currently mapped.

Determining the Pleistocene Refugium of an Isolated Central Vermont Population of Brook Stickleback (Culaea inconstans)

Emily Flinn (Dr. William Barnard)Department of Biology and Physical Education NU Research Fellow

Recently two populations of Brook Stickleback (Culaea inconstans) were discovered in the Dog River drainage, which flows into the Winooski River and then into Lake Champlain. All other known populations of Brook Stickleback

are found in the Champlain Valley. The Dog River sticklebacks are believed to have colonized by ascending the Winooski River when the glacial Lake Champlain was at its maximum elevation. Currently, two waterfalls in the Winooski prevent upstream movement. After the Pleistocene, fish recolonized Vermont from one of two glacial refugia. The stickleback is thought to have recolonized from the Mississippian refugium in the West. However, for about 1,000 years there was access to the glacial Lake Winooski from the South. Therefore, the possibility exists of colonization from the glacial Lake Hitchcock by fish from the Atlantic refugium in the East. To address the phylogeography of sticklebacks in Vermont, mitochondrial DNA sequences from the control region (CR) and Cytochrome-B (Cyt-b) were collected from ten individuals at two locations in the Dog River population. These sequences in combination with publicly available CR and Cyt-b sequences from stickleback populations believed to have originated from both the Atlantic refugium and the Mississippian refugium were used to create a multiple alignment. This sequence alignment was used to construct Maximum Parsimony trees.  Preliminary phylogenetic results from the CR phylogeny suggest that individuals from the Dog River are closely related to the Ontario and New York populations. These results suggest that they originated from the Mississipian refugium from the West. However results from cyt b alone and the combined concatenated data set (CR and cyt b) were also presented in order to confirm their origin.

The 1865 Freedman’s Bureau: A Nation’s First Look at Welfare

Elizabeth Fraser (Prof. Lisa Brucken)Department of History and Political Science

The Freedmen’s Bureau was a government program established in 1865 to aid newly freed black men and women in their journey to become useful citizens within society in the United States. Placed into action by President Abraham Lincoln, and overseen by General Oliver O. Howard, the Bureau aided in medical assistance, job training, job placement, home assistance, and location of family members as well as many other services. These services, similar to the Social Programs established by President Theodore Roosevelt and his new progressive Nationalism Program, have been developed and altered by other presidents and are currently known to most Americans as welfare. The Nationalism Program was developed to end women’s suffrage, promote equality in education and training, establish minimum wage and set workplace standards. The 1960’s established a government funded food stamps program. The reform act of the 1990’s provided programs to aid individuals with short-term cash assistance, job placement, and aid to families with children. This research compared the Freedmen’s Bureau, Roosevelt’s Nationalism Program, the War on Poverty and Great Society programs of the 1960’s, and the Welfare Reform acts of the 1990’s in an effort to question the longevity of a government-funded program initially created as a stepping stool and compare the reasons behind termination and continuation.

Analysis of Neuronal Migration Defect in src-1 Mutant and Fyn Transgenic C. elegans

Zachary Fulton (Dr. Karen Hinkle) Department of Biology and Physical Education

Src Family Kinases (SFKs) are regulatory enzymes essential for cellular processes such as proliferation, development, and growth of many tissues. The SFK Fyn is known to be involved in neuronal development and axon migration. Recent mass spectrometry studies have identified novel phosphotyrosines (pY185, pY213, pY214) in Fyn’s SH2 (tyrosine binding) domain, which may play roles in Fyn’s kinase activity and/or substrate binding.  The goal of this project was to analyze, in the whole organism C. elegans, whether these newly identified phosphotyrosines in Fyn alter neuronal migration in vivo. Transgenic worms expressing wild type human Fyn under a mechanosensory neuron-specific promoter (mec-7) have been engineered to determine whether human Fyn expression rescues the neuronal migration phenotype in an SFK (src-1) null mutant.  Here we present validation of the src-1 phenotype in our laboratory as well as analysis of neuronal migration patterns in transgenic worms expressing either wild type Fyn or Fyn SH2 domain binding mutant. In the future, the src-1 null mutant line will be crossed with a transgenic line that overexpresses Fyn harboring phosphomimetic mutations at the aforementioned tyrosines to determine whether phosphorylation of these sites alters rescue of the neuronal migration phenotype.

Finite Element Modeling and Verification Testing of Tempered/Laminated Glass Structure Panels

Peter Gill (Dr. Edwin Schmeckpeper)Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering NU Research Fellow

This project originated from a company called Solar Roadways. Solar Roadways intends to build parking lots and highways from solar panels with a goal to reduce the dependence of petroleum-based roadways, while producing clean and renewable energy. The purpose of the summer research project was to create two-dimensional and three-dimensional models of rectangular and hexagonal glass panels in order to determine if these panels had the structural integrity to replace asphalt roadways. To analyze the panels, finite element analysis was conducted along with three-dimensional modeling to anticipate when the theoretical failure of the glass would occur. These results were then verified by physical testing of the panels using the Instron Universal testing machine. In some cases, the glass was loaded and unloaded up to 18,000 pounds without any signs of failure. Future investigation will include a test of a replica panel hoping to provide the necessary information to support this project and later enhance clean renewable energy, while decreasing petroleum based asphalt roads.

EVA Belenos

Peter Gill, Ethan Hanks, Matt Roberts, and Savannah Medlar (Dr. R. Danner Friend) Department of Mechanical Engineering

The following project was derived from the 2014 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concept – Academic Linkage Competition (RASC–AL). The object of this year’s RASC-AL competition was to come up with a system design

that leverages existing or planned space habitats in order to augment the Orion, a future spacecraft still in development by NASA. The theme our team has selected was Tele-operated Robot, more specifically Free-flying EVA inspection. Our spacecraft design was titled EVA Belenos. Based off the RASC-AL criteria along with the Norwich University guidelines, our team focused our project to design a unique end effector that inspects and repairs torn solar panels. This idea came from the existing International Space Station which within its 16-year life time has had three major solar panel malfunctions. Project Belenos is a theoretical idea of a tele-operated inspection robot with the capability to perform various extravehicular tasks. The base platform of Belenos was designed by manipulating the current Mini AERCam into the desired layout. Belenos consists of two manipulator arms which can be suited with a number of different end effectors depending on the mission at hand, including the uniquely designed end effector to repair solar panels. This unique end effector contains two grippers with rubberized rollers as the tips. It has the ability to extend each gripper in order to clamp onto the two sides of a torn solar panel, then retract, pulling the two sides together. The end effector then stitches the torn pieces together. The grippers operate through the use of electric motors, rotating worm drives which turn the arms of the end effector. Once the end effector has completed an inspection or repair of a solar panel, Belenos then returns to the spacecraft for maintenance. The duration of each mission will depend on the situation of the solar panel. The final product of this project produced an end effector that was selected to compete in the 2014 RASC-AL competition held in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Analyzing Cellular Effects of an Environmental Toxin Using Short Time Series Microarray Data

Jacob Griffin (Dr. Darlene Olsen)Department of Biology and Physical Education Weintz Research Scholar

The toxin 3-trifluromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) is a lampricide currently being used in the Lake Champlain tributary system to selectively kill sea lamprey larvae; however, non-target species have also experienced mortality. Ongoing work has used microarrays and the measurements of the effects of TFM on gene expression in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This particular study analyzed several different methods used to filter the massive amount of data from the microarrays, including the limma and timecousre method in the R program and a program called short time-series expression miner (STEM). The results from the different methods were then compared so the methods could then be analyzed for which were the most effective.

A Pre- and Post-tropical Storm Irene Comparative Assessment of Channel Geomorphology along the Upper Reaches of the Dog River, Central Vermont

J. Kyle Hay (Dr. G. Christopher Koteas)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

A unique opportunity presents itself on the Dog River, central Vermont, where a Phase II stream geomorphic assessment was conducted in 2008 by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Tropical Storm Irene strongly impacted the watershed, with total precipitation exceeding 6 in. and most rainfall concentrated in a 12-hour period. Peak intensity of rainfall was ~0.8 in/hr. A USGS gauging station at the mid-point

in the watershed recorded a stage height of 17.26 ft and a peak discharge of 23,500 cfs. The Dog River flows from ~2300 ft at its headwaters to its confluence with the Winooski River at ~510 ft. The watershed area is ~93 mi2, most of which is forested, though sections parallel with VT Rt. 12 and 12A are urbanized or agricultural.

All main stem reaches of the Dog River were assessed in 2008 using criteria in the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Phase II Handbook for Rapid Stream Assessment. These included bank full stage cross-sectional area, bottom characteristics, and sinuosity. In Fall 2012 all cross-stream profiles were reoccupied and data was collected following the same methodology as in 2008. The effects of Irene were dramatic and basin-wide. In the headwaters, channel cross-sectional areas increased significantly (up to ~100%). Some locations near the headwaters of the stream have limited floodplain access due to stabilization for railroad and roadbeds. Engineered features in close proximity to the channel appear to have exerted a significant control on stream response to flooding. In lower reaches the response of the stream was more variable but overall cross-sectional areas increased at all sites. In some instances, the Dog River widened as much a ~200% and deepened as much as ~100%. The reaches near the headwaters, those with a wider floodplain than upstream, show inconsistent change in cross-sectional area. In some reaches, cross-sectional area increased up to ~20% and in others it decreased up to ~10% due to aggradation. Bedload was characterized by pebble and cobble gravels, and many stretches of the river exhibited freshly exposed bedrock in the channel. This comparative study of geomorphic data revealed that Irene-related erosion impacted all reaches of the main stem of the Dog River. The cross-sectional profiles can be reoccupied annually to continue to quantify post-Irene channel evolution.

Investigation of Functional Consequences of a Novel Phosphorylation

Wes Jansen (Dr. Karen Hinkle)Department of Biology and Physical Education Weintz Research Scholar

Phosphorylation, or adding a PO4 chemical group to a target protein, results in conformational (shape) changes of a protein, which can change the function of a protein and thus alter a biological pathway. Recent studies have identified several new phosphorylation sites (Y185, Y213, Y214) on Fyn, a protein known to be important in brain development. The overall goal of this project was to test whether phosphorylation of Fyn, at tyrosine amino acid Y185 reduces or alters binding to other protein substrates. The hypothesis is that phosphorylation will decrease the ability to bind due to negative-negative electrostatic repulsion. First, a GST-Y185D SH2 construct was engineered using DNA cloning techniques. Next, the GST-Y185D SH2 protein was purified from bacteria. Mass spectrometry proteomics was used to analyze differences in protein substrate binding of a phosphorylation “mimick” protein (Y185D) versus a non-phosphorylated Fyn (Y185). In this way, the functional significance of this newly-identified chemical modification (phosphorylation of Y185 in Fyn) can be assessed, which may lead to our understanding of how Fyn operates. This project was significant in that it will help establish a better understanding of how neuronal development is regulated.

Student Infrared Imaging Competition

Axel Ivan Karpovics (Dr. Jeffrey Mountain) Department of Mechanical Engineering

DRS Technologies has sponsored a competition for university students across the United States. The competition focuses on developing a novel civilian application for their DRS Thermal imaging system; the Tamarisk 320 camera module. Student submissions are aimed at leveraging their cameras application to expand its use in civilian markets. This application needs to avoid patent infringements and avoid previous contest submissions. The design presented is an image overlaying system that combines the Tamarisk 320’s thermal image with a non-thermal image taken by a THORLABS camera. The image overlay allows the users of the system to view an enhanced visual image that can be used in both low light and regular light conditions. With this function, the application of the system chosen was volatility testing of organic hydrocarbons for in industrial purposes, as well as facilitating chemical spill cleanup in water sources.

Under the Ice Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Research

Kenneth Knight (Dr. Jacques Beneat)Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering NU Research Fellow

The goal of this project was to explore the autonomous navigation needs for launching an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) below the ice and search for life on Europa, a moon of Jupiter, as best as possible. The autonomous operation of a submarine involves the use of a programming language to make it operate without input from human control. In this project I investigated the idea of automation programming of an AUV. The AUV platform is based

on a submersible previously built by a group at Norwich University for a Navy competition that had entirely differently navigation needs and environments than the Europa mission. For this project I researched different gridding patterns while following the navigation requirements for Europa for data collection efficiency, as well as methods of retrieval.

Soil-Cement: Impacts of Cement Content, Water Content, and Curing Condition on Unconfined Compressive Strength of Soil-Cement

Prapat Kotpat (Dr. Adam Sevi) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Weintz Research Scholar

Soil-cement is a strengthening material used in civil engineering construction. The objective of this research was to find the effects and relationships between the strength of soil-cement and three major variables: curing conditions, cement content, and moisture content. The soil sample for this study was silt obtained from the “West Hall” dormitory construction site at Norwich University in Northfield, VT. Cement content, water content, and curing conditions were varied to produce the soil-cement specimens. Unconfined Compression Tests (UC) were then performed on the specimens to obtain the unconfined compressive strength. The results indicated that curing conditions did not significantly affect the maximum strength, but affect the stress-strain characteristics during the UC test. Cement addition improved the strength of soil. By replacing 7% of the soil sample with Portland Cement, the strength improved from 10 pounds per square inch (psi) at 0% cement content to nearly 100 psi at 7% cement content. Water/moisture content slightly affected the compressibility during specimen compaction, but did not significantly differentiate the maximum strength of the soil-cement.

Detailed Analysis of Clay to Marl Transition in Pecks Pond Fen, Birch’s Lane Fen, and Twin Pond, Central Vermont

Dan Le (Dr. Laurie D. Grigg) Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Sediment types in lakes around Vermont vary depending on many factors including climate change, depositional environment, and sediment supply. Pecks Pond, Twin Pond, and Birch Lane Fen sediment cores are composed of varying amounts of creating calcium carbonate, organic material, and inorganic material differ dramatically. The transition from clay to marl in Birch Lane has shown more variability in amount of material than the transition in Pecks Pond and Twin ponds which have remained consistent. A layer of peat was found in between the transition from clay to marl in Birch’s Lane. This is unusual since clay quickly transitions into marl in most cores around this area. This detailed investigation of the transitions from clay to marl will better help understand the climate change in central Vermont at this time.

Animal Architecture: On the Integration of Rain Gardens, Green Roofs, and Native Landscaping into an Architectural Project Acting in Conjunction to Restore Habitats of Indigenous Vermont Species

Nevin Leary (Prof. Danny Sagan) School of Architecture and Art NU Research Fellow

“Animal Architecture” was a broad-based study of innovative architectural and landscape systems posing the question; can buildings not only act as “sustainable” human entities, but contribute to indigenous species in Vermont? The focus was on design and integration of green roof and living wall systems, soil studies, biome studies, specie habitat and diet studies, eatable plant replacement, and site water management systems while considering site-harvested materials and earth-sheltering systems. The goal was to promote the use of such systems, providing sustenance and habitats for humans and animals in a residential application. The result was a “how-to” manual on the integration of these ideas into an 1,800 square foot rural residence. Concepts gathered in these studies were further investigated throughout the 2013 fall semester in a design proposal for an 100,000 square foot state office building in Montpelier, Vermont.

Cold Steel: The Civil War Musket and Bayonet

Jacob Lee (Prof. Lisa Brucken) Department of History and Political Science

During the American Civil War both armies fielded modernized weapons. The “rifled musket” was used alongside outdated Napoleonic tactics from previous 19th century wars. These were made for inaccurate smooth-bore muskets that were used in up close and personal fighting. Occasionally firearms found on the ground or taken off a dead soldier were used by necessity. This helped to account for a bloody conflict. Commanders and people of the time were not prepared for the effects. Chaplains often went into combat with their units and fought alongside soldiers. Chaplain Milton L. Haney of the 55th Illinois infantry was an example. At the battle of Atlanta, he fired his rifle so much that it burned his hands. He resorted to burying it in the dirt to cool it off before firing it again. This project examines rifles used during the American Civil War including the type of caliber and the type of shot, how they were made and effectiveness on the field. The musket was a tool of warfare as well as a key training piece. Soldiers trained with muskets using the bayonet, used a method of stacking of arms when not in use and took advantage of several written manual of arms available at the time.

The Dysfunction of the Olfactory Senses and its Effect on Perceived Taste Intensity

Christopher Legge (Dr. Carole Bandy)Department of Psychology and Education

Perception is the organization, identification and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the environment. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs.

Perception can be shaped by learning, memory, and expectation. Taste mediated by the flavor of our food from our tongue is one means of perception, which was the main subject of my study, as well as smell and olfactory dysfunction. The experiment conducted tested the intensity of taste when there is the ability to smell, unmasked, and when there is the inability to smell, masked, for the four chemical senses: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. The proposed thesis was to discover if there is a significant change to taste intensity when subjects are unable to smell what they are eating, compared to when they are able to smell their food.

Passenger Zeppelins in the 1920s: Symbol of an Era of Opulence and Nationalism

James Letcher (Dr. Emily Gray)Department of History and Political Science NU Research Fellow

Whenever a person mentions zeppelins, what do they talk about? The Hindenburg disaster of 1937 perhaps? Does anyone talk about the time before the disaster? Does anyone talk of when zeppelins were seen as a symbol of power and luxury? When the world watched as they floated gracefully overhead? This project focused on passenger zeppelins as a symbol, not of power and money, but of Germany’s rise back to greatness during the late 1920s and early 1930s. The zeppelin was a German invention and only the Germans were good at making them. Therefore, the flights of the Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg and all of their achievements were a source of German pride and gave them something to be proud of in a world where everyone saw them as a war-mongering nation.

Pervious Concrete: A Testing of Traits and Methodology

Susan M. Limberg (Dr. Edwin Schmeckpeper) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering NU Research Fellow

Pervious concrete is a special type of concrete with a high porosity that allows water from precipitation events and other sources to pass directly through it. This feature aids in reducing the runoff from a site and allowing groundwater recharge. By investigating and testing the properties of pervious concrete, scenarios on actively applying this model in our local environment were explored. The need to create sustainable storm water management practices is an important application and one of many modern Low Impact Development (LID) tools in the sustainable engineering toolkit. This research explored some fundamental questions such as what it means to create sustainable infrastructure and how to go about design and development in a way that does not just take from nature, but works alongside it in a complementary way. In the first phase of this study, an investigation was conducted on how to uniformly compact a sample specimen that would be able to be duplicated easily. Next, 10 samples that were cast and cured were used to test the void content, permeability, and compression. In the final phase, these tested properties were cross-examined for specimens of 7% sand content with specimens of 15% sand content. The results revealed that the greater sand content in these proportions was able to handle more of a load with slightly less permeability and void content. The overall permeability and void content of the tested samples of pervious concrete with 15% sand indicate that these proportions are still more than capable of serving as a LID construction material.

Integrated Operating Room Improves Efficiency of the Delivery of Care by Nurses

Shanyse Lingham (Prof. Kate Healy) School of Nursing

Patient safety and informatics are two pivotal components of success in the operating room. The lack of modern efficiency, safety, and informatics can directly harm patients in an operating room; however, new technology using integration can reduce errors in the operating room setting. Most often, operating room nurses cannot effectively deliver direct patient care because of the multitude of stand-alone devices, each having their own interface. The only way to read settings is when an individual is directly in front of the device. Coordination of information on a multitude of freestanding devices can impair safety and patient care. An optimal operating room would include integration, meaning all medical devices in the operating room could be controlled at one central location, displaying the patient’s vitals, which can be observed and managed by the team on a single, forty-two inch display screen in order to improve patient safety. The integrated operating room was introduced to decrease hazards of contamination and the risk to patient safety. This paper reviews multiple literature sources regarding informatics and the benefits to patient care in the new model of the operating room. Quality and Safety Education for Nurses has developed six competencies for nursing education. Patient safety and informatics are two of the six competencies, which are incorporated in the following literature review.

Brittle Deformation Associated with Granitic Plutonism: Fracture Analysis on the Margin of the Knox Mountain Pluton, Central Vermont

Ian B. Lynch (Dr. G. Christopher Koteas)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

The Knox Mountain Pluton in Marshfield, Vermont is an intrusive body, which exists in the New Hampshire plutonic suite, and both contains and is surrounded by fracture networks. The multiple fracture networks suggest a potentially protracted history of brittle deformation,which may be related to the orientation of fractures across the plutonic contact, as well as macrostructural features in the granite. Evidence for the relationship between the trends of micro- and macrostructural fractures exists in petrographic samples and the fracture networks in the rock. In addition, the lack of a continuous, cross-contact fracture networks suggests that there were two different stages of brittle deformation in the area, neither of which crossed the plutonic contact. The microstructural features used in the study consisted mainly of healed microfractures, but also included the orientation of strain related features such as sericitic textures and deformation twinning in feldspar. Petrography and field measurements provided the backbone of the data in the study, with support from whole rock geochemical analysis. The study indicates a strong relationship between microstructures in the granite which trend strongly to the north east and north west, and finds that in this location, there is not a cross contact fracture set in the data collected. Overall, there is no indication of a correlation between the brittle structures on the interior and exterior of the pluton. This type of study can provide a strong base for further research into the local and regional plutonism and fracture networks, especially with regard to the link between brittle deformation and ductile microstructure, with consideration that grain-scale discontinuities may

exhibit significant control over later brittle deformation during uplift of structures via erosion.

Paving the Way to an Antibiotic: Developing a Method for Observing the Reaction of GatCAB

Jordan McCarthy (Dr. Ethan Guth)Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Weintz Research Scholar

Pathogens have developed increasing immunity to current antibiotics due to overuse of current methods and lack of biochemical research in this area. The enzyme GatCAB is both unique to bacterial cells and necessary for the use of the amino acid glutamine, making it a prime prospect for research due to its necessity and widespread commonality for bacteria to function. The purpose of this research was to develop methods for mass production of this enzyme to allow further study into hindering its pathway. While only small amounts of the enzyme were harvested at a time, significant progress was made to developing a reliably reproducible assay for GatCAB production. In addition, the conclusion was drawn that many of the E. coli bacterial cultures producing the enzyme digested the protein shortly after creating it, requiring either a different strain of bacteria to be used or study into a protease inhibitor that will maintain the integrity of GatCAB within the cell once it is produced.

Orbit Determination Analysis Using Optical Sensor Measurements for a CubeSat Lunar Mission.

Savannah Medlar (Dr. R. Danner Friend)Department of Mechanical Engineering

Norwich University partnered with several other colleges in Vermont to launch a triple CubeSat (three nano satellites attached as one unit) that will

begin an orbital path to the moon. The spacecraft mission is modeled after the SMART-1 lunar mission, due to the limited resources. Unlike the Apollo missions, a CubeSat does not have the ability to launch itself directly out of Earth’s orbit; the intended mission will have the spacecraft increase the orbit size, until eventually the Moon’s gravity will overpower the Earth’s, and the spacecraft will enter a lunar orbit. The objective of this research problem was to investigate a way of obtaining an optimal estimation of the velocity and position of spacecraft, using optical sensors and models. Optical sensors allow for predictions using geometry, based on celestial bodies. When integrated with equations of motion, a predicted orbit is produced. This predicted measurement is compared to an “actual” measurement; a Kalman filter, or similar filter can be used with software such as Orbital Determination Tool Box (ODTBX), developed by NASA, Matlab, Satellite Tool Kit (STK), and Orbital Determination Tool Kit (ODTK), both developed by Analytical Graphics Inc., to produce a corrected or optimal estimation using the different measurements. Over time, the corrected path converges and error in estimation is reduced. Norwich University was given access to a NASA developed software, called GEONS, which allows for onboard navigation. The software analyzes the line of sight vectors and attitude taken from the optical sensors and processes them. GEONS also has the ability to use GPS when still in low earth orbit, and can use a filter to reduce the noise. Because creating a model that can be used in a GEONS simulation is both complex and unavailable, research needs to be done to create another way of doing so, leading back to the research objective. The focus of the research was to model the GEONS navigation system as closely as possible using the available resources. The result was a highly developed understanding of the capabilities of both ODTK and ODTBX. It was discovered that ODTK can be used to create a simulation that

models a spacecraft that orbits the moon, and is tracked using an optical sensor from Earth. ODTK refers to this as “Skin Tracking.” The simulation has modeled the facility on Earth as a simple two-body propagation, so the facility is located at the center of the Earth. Measurements were recorded in the form of angles from the facility to the satellite. ODTBX also had useful tools in modeling the simulation. The program for the simulation was developed using an example code embedded in the ODTBX program. This sample code used optical navigation techniques, which determine location using a picture. Two simulations were developed, where the CubeSat orbited around a central body, either the Moon or Earth, and used the center of the body as the landmark.

Bystander Effect 

Stacia Melick (Dr. Matthew Thomas)Department of Biology and Physical Education

The Bystander effect is a phenomenon that has been studied by numerous researchers who hope to find a concrete answer to the question “why do humans react in a predictable manner during emergency situations.” John Darley and Bibb Latané were the first social psychologists to popularize the concept of the bystander effect. They proposed a five-step model explaining the psychological process of a bystander as well as multiple other theories for explaining why one might not help during an emergency situation. Even though the research lacks definitive answers, it does give us a clearer understanding into the thought processes of a bystander and raises our awareness to the factors that influence behavior. Current researchers are pursuing not only the question of why bystanders act in the way they do, but also how can bystander effect be prevented. Although many experiments have taken place trying to provide us with information on how to

prevent or mitigate the bystander effect, the results have thus far been mixed and more studies are needed.

The Architecture of Insanity: A Study of Rhetoric in Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Fiction

Evanna Mills (Dr. Amy Woodbury Tease)Department of History and Political Science Weintz Research Scholar

This project focused on the researcher’s interest in the insane or, rather, how it manifests in literature. She is specifically interested in the works of Edgar Allan Poe. The research focused on close readings of three of Poe’s works, The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, and The Tell-Tale Heart, to analyze how Poe constructs insanity in his works. She found that Poe believes insanity to be a natural outcropping of the human condition. In other words, it is inherent for man to be insane and that normality is a fallacy.

Deconstructing Absolutism: An Analysis of Truth in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.

Evanna Mills (Dr. Kathleen McDonald)Department of History and Political Science

Slaughterhouse-Five rejects the idea of a concrete and universal truth by deconstructing the dubious tenets of totality. Slaughterhouse-Five does not offer one reality, but rather, the novel questions realities, their conventions, and most importantly, their constructs. It is not only a challenge to itself, but to the readers, to time, to the world, and what we view as real. The novel asserts that there is not absolute truth because reality is subject to interpretation or misinterpretation, as the case may be.

Institutionalizing Military Genius: Gerhard von Scharnhorst and the Prussian Military Reforms, 1807-1813

Benito Murray (Dr. Reina Pennington)Department of History and Political Science

In the fall of 1806, after a decade of isolationism, the Prussian army went to war once again against France. The Prussians were confident they would be victorious. Half a century earlier, Frederick the Great had led Prussia to victory over Austria, France, and Russia. They could not possibly lose now to just the French. However, this was not the same French army of Rossbach or Valmy. Under Napoleon the French army had become seemingly invincible. In battles of Jena and Auerstedt on 14 October, Napoleon and his marshals destroyed the Prussian army. The next year King Frederick William III and Tsar Alexander I were forced to negotiate peace with Napoleon after he defeated them at Friedland. The resulting Treaty of Tilsit humiliated Prussia. Half of its territory was confiscated and the remainder was occupied. Napoleon also imposed harsh military limitations on Prussia, reducing her to a shadow of her former glory. How had the Prussian army, once considered the best in Europe, been so easily defeated by Napoleon? In its era of isolation, the Prussian army failed to grasp and implement the military innovations emanating from France. King Frederick William III now demanded the army be reformed and modernized. The king created the Military Reorganization Committee in 1807, and appointed then Major-General Gerhard von Scharnhorst as director of the Committee. Under Scharnhorst’s guidance the reformers developed new doctrine, a professional and educated officer corps, and the first general staff in history. This paper argues that the Prussian reformers, led by Scharnhorst, synthesized the Frederician and French-Napoleonic ways of war to revolutionize the Prussian army.

Divide in Religion: A True Cause for War

Cameron Myette (Prof. Lisa Brucken)Department of History and Political Science

This project looked at the major values and perspectives from the Northern and Southern states regarding religion before, during, and after the American Civil War. The project encompassed the background of Rev. John L. Girardeau, a Presbyterian chaplain who served in the 23rd Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers. With the Confederacy eager for independence from the North and the Union determined to keep the South from rebelling, both sides looked to God and chaplains to give their soldiers and citizens strength and determination to continue to fight and support the war. Both the Union and Confederacy had reasons to get involved. The Confederacy considered the North to be “godless” and wanted to be a “uniquely Christian nation,” while the North considered themselves “the vanguard to advance civilization,” and having the South win the war would be the destruction of the ideas of what the United States strived for: life and liberty. The issue of slavery and state’s rights were at the center of the division between both regions. With the North having a majority of Protestants and the South having Presbyterians (a denomination of Protestantism), this project argued that the cause initiating the Civil War was the core differences in religious thought between the North and the South. This project focused on Northern and Southern viewpoints and facts found in their religious beliefs to emphasize the major divide between the two factions. The research included the emotional reaction of ordinary citizens, soldiers, and Reverend John L. Girardeau to the Northern invasion and General Sherman’s march, a military campaign by a Union general who destroyed property and killed civilians across the Southern states, which ignited a deeper hatred for the North. In addition, the presentation

briefly included how Southern religious leaders helped black Americans read, obtain a basic education, and raise their religious awareness and devotion to God.

Stream Terrace Analysis, Mad River Valley

Joshua Olden (Dr. Richard K. Dunn)Department of Geology and Environmental Science Weintz Research Scholar

The river valleys of central Vermont were modified by many geomorphic changes syn- and post-glaciation. These valleys adjusted to drops in base level of glacial lakes, primarily though erosion, which formed terrace systems. The Mad River Valley hosts a number of active river and stream systems that were present during the deglactiation events in central Vermont and record evidence of drop in base level. One tributary of the Mad River, Dowsville Brook, preserves an excellent terrace record consisting of eight terraces including the present day floodplain. The portion of the Dowsville Brook that was studied stretched from Harwood Union High School, Duxbury, VT to the Mad River, covering a vertical distance of 1400 m of stream. Sediment in the terraces can be correlated to glacial Lakes Winooski and Mansfield, which was deposited in the terraces. Using standard eye height and stadia rod methods, terraces were observed and measured in the field then put into a vertical profile spanning from stream level to the highest terrace level at that location. Not every profile contained the same terrace due to stream bank erosion. This data was then used to compare terraces from different locations along the portion being studied to better understand if a terrace in one profile was preserved up or downstream in another profile. By compiling all terrace profiles into one, terrace levels across profiles began to match up which was used when creating a longitudinal profile of the

Dowsville Brook. Understanding terrace formation and base level change at a local scale can help clarify how exactly river systems were adjusting to base level change. Looking at nearby tributaries, the same methods can be applied and adjustment to base level change can be better defined in the Mad River Valley. This can aid the scientific community in understanding glaciation events related to base level change in glacial lakes.

Exploring Magmatic Flow by Analyzing Fabric: Elba Island, Italy

Joshua Olden (Dr. David Westerman)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Magmatic fabric, the shape preferred orientation (SPO) of elongated and tabular crystals, results from differential flow during emplacement. This study attempts to determine magma flow directions within the Portoferraio laccolith on Elba Island. SPO may result either from shear due to velocity differences, or from divergent or convergent flow. Overall flow during emplacement of laccoliths is divergent since they are disk-shaped and fed from below. Divergent flow aligns crystal with long axes and tabular planes perpendicular to flow and short axes parallel to flow. Contacts between intruding magma and host rock develop shear planes with long axes and tabular planes of crystals aligned roughly parallel to contacts where friction and coupling of the shear zone between the laccolith and the host rock slows the magma. Orientations should rotate away from contacts such that crystals align with long axes and tabular planes perpendicular to flow. Methods for this study involved field measurements of orientations of large (1-5 cm) sanidine crystals that have both tabular and elongated form, and laboratory measurements of small (1-2 mm) biotite crystal orientations. Orientations for sanidine come from

measured strike and dip values of tabular planes and from intersection lineations where the tabular form was not resolved. Biotite alignment is determined from intersection lineations in petrographic thin sections and high resolution scans from known planes in oriented field samples. Results should allow determination of magmatic fabric and testing of the model that predicts rotation of fabric as a function of distance from intrusive contacts. If fabrics match the theoretical model of emplacement, the method may be valid for use in other intrusive igneous rock bodies.

AUV Wireless Communications

Kenneth Owens (Dr. Jacques Beneat) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Weintz Research Scholar / NASA Summer Fellow

The purpose and aim of my research is to establish an effective wireless communication system for the Norwich Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The research is to find the most effective way to make this wireless communication system work how we need it to for the AUV. Part of this effectiveness is to maximize the mobility of the AUV while it explores underwater. The main problem of a wired connection to the AUV is that the limits of its exploration are only however far the wire can reach. So the main advantage to a wireless system is greatly expanding the area of exploration that the AUV can cover. With a wireless system the area of exploration could be however far it is able to get before the on board batteries die. So long as the AUV can come back into transmitter range before it dies then it can still share gathered information. The biggest problem with wireless transmission underwater is signal loss making it difficult to transmit data and maintain a connection wirelessly. Density of the water and particles in the

water reflect and distort the signal wave. Low frequency signals are much more able to transmit data through the water but are very hard to implement into a small design like our AUV. This leads to using a buoy design that allows the wireless signal to be transmitted through the air in order to cover the bulk of the distance of transmission.

Orlando’s Masquerade: The Fluidity of Gender

Meghan Papagno (Dr. Kathleen McDonald) Department of English and Communications

This was a gender analysis in Orlando by Virginia Woolf. In the novel Woolf uses a main character who changes sex throughout the novel. In the research you can see that the character Orlando’s change of sex does not change the mentality of the character. This constant mental state forms a figurative masquerade of what gender is. The gender shows as a masquerade due to the costume nature that the body of the main character stands for. Upon further research, there is a deeper look into the aspects of cross dressing for costume and as a lifestyle. Orlando furthers the notion that gender is not limited to a person’s biological sex.

UAV-Enabled Extension of Wireless Connectivity

William Perry (Dr. Jeremy Hansen) School of Business and Management Weintz Research Scholar

Given the rise of disasters, emergency situations, and non-conventional conflicts around the world, there is a need for a more flexible method of communication for these environments. One solution is the implementation of a Mobile Ad-hoc NETwork (MANET) on an Unmanned

Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platform. Though specialized equipment could be developed to fit exact situations, the use of off-the-shelf equipment and easily-accessible software would allow more organizations to implement this technology and make the replacement or expansion of existing MANETs easier. This project looked to do exactly that; use off the shelf equipment to fill this gap in current communications. A Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 was chosen to serve as the UAV platform and a Raspberry Pi was adopted as individual nodes within the MANET. As current routing protocols used on the Internet do not adequately fulfill the needs of a MANET, the Optimized Link State Routing protocol was chosen to manage such a network. The combined mobility of the AR.Drone and power of the Pi serve to create a highly flexible, yet limited, network.

Reconfigurable Personal Water Filtration Unit

Samuel Phaneuf (Dr. Donald Wallace)Department of Mechanical Engineering

Current missions of the United States government require military operations in remote and harsh environments. The lack of a clean water supply for these men and women involved in these operations is critical for consumption, hygiene, and hydration. Research shows that an active person needs 3-4.5 liters of water a day to keep hydrated. An individual water purifier manufactured with nanofiltration media is currently in the design process by Norwich University Applied Research Institute, and a compatible device to accommodate for sustaining personal hydration for an individual was needed. This device needed to be gravity fed and cannot operate if a pump was used. Additionally, non-potable water needed to be filtered in instances where the water was contaminated with salts, heavy metals, and biological or chemical pathogens. By knowing the thickness of the designed nano-filter, which is 7 mm,

and a price constraint of $500 to prototype the device, our team researched what kind of commercially available filtration units were currently being utilized. The most important characteristics were focused on and several concept designs were created. The ideal system was chosen by the use of two different decision matrices, the first was based on whether or not the concepts met the project requirements, the second focused on the manufacturing and manufacturability of each design. The final design chosen was a 2-liter container where non-potable water can be poured through the top of the system and an 85 cm2-sized filter can sit in an easy interchangeable “lock and latch” filter chamber. Additionally, the prototyped filtration system’s body is manufactured out of an ABS thermoplastic by the use of a Dimension 3D printer and costs less than $500 to manufacture. 

How Does Freedom Fighter/Terrorist Paradigm Unfold in Film for the IRA and al-Qaeda Over Time?

Gianni Pratico (Dr. W. Travis Morris)School of Justice Studies and Sociology NU Research Fellow

This research seeks to answer the question: How is the freedom fighter/ terrorist paradigm framed between 1980 to today in film for the IRA and al-Qaeda? This paradigm defines the differences in perception that people may have for terrorist groups over time. Using a comparative research design and content analysis, I examined how both groups were portrayed in film. The significance of this research is that it addresses how film is used as a method to shape how terrorist groups are framed. Findings show that the IRA are framed in a more positive light over time.

Nature’s Interactions and its Characterization: An Ecocritical Look at The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Katherine M. Proffitt (Dr. Kathleen McDonald) Department of English and Communications

An ecocritcal approach can be illuminated in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as he depicted and developed nature through its interactions with Tom Bombadil and the Old Forest, Gimli and the mountain Cadahras, and Legolas and Lothlórien; allowing the natural environment to become not only alive but also a key part of the text.

Humanitarian Factors vs. Risk Factors: The Making of the Benevolent and the Malevolent

Roxanne Rodrigez (Dr. Elizabeth Gurian)School of Justice Studies and Sociology NU Research Fellow

This research aims to contribute answers to the timeless question of nature vs. nurture. Criminologists have suggested that “risk factors” (e.g., poor parental and peer figures, antisocial behaviors, or poor school performance) help to explain the behavior of individuals that society considers “malevolent,” such as serial homicide offenders. This research probes the idea of “humanitarian factors” (e.g., positive parental and peer figures, pro social behaviors, or good school performance), which may help to explain the behavior of “benevolent” individuals that choose altruistic lifestyles, such as police officers, firefighters, or military servicemen.

The Shift in American Attitudes Regarding Thomas Paine from 1776-1809

Morgan Ross (Dr. Gary T. Lord)Department of History and Political Science Weintz Research Scholar

The purpose of this project is to analyze the change in public opinion about Thomas Paine, an American political activist, from his publication of Common Sense in 1776 to his death in 1809.  Thomas Paine is typically revered in the modern day for his powerful writings during the American Revolution: Common Sense and Crisis Papers (1776-83), but in his own time public opinion began to shift as a result of his writing during the French Revolution: The Rights of Man (1791), and a subsequent publication regarding Deism (a world view that many Christian’s found offensive): Age of Reason (1795).

“This be madness, yet there is method in ‘t”: The Performative Aspect of Shakespeare’s Rhetoric

Charlie Schaub (Dr. Kathleen McDonald) Department of English and Communications

Shakespeare is often credited with the introduction of prose to the London theatre scene, often making distinct switches between each style. The purpose of these switches, if there is any it all, is often debated. Shakespeare utilizes the iambic pentameter in blank (or unrhymed) verse, which is a highly structured and methodical, requiring ten syllables in five “feet” of poetic meter, and is most frequently used by the upper-class and the formally educated. Prose, however, does not require any specific structure whatsoever, and is often used by the lower-class or to introduce comedy. But what if Shakespeare used the verse/prose distinction to highlight not only class distinctions, but acting versus

sincerity, or even sanity versus madness? Applying this lens to Shakespeare’s rhetoric within The Taming of the Shrew, and Hamlet provides interesting results.

Innovative Insulin Pump Through Use of Modern Technology

Ian Sellers (Dr. Michael Prairie)Department of Mechanical Engineering NU Research Fellow

Insulin pump technology has been around since the early 1960s; however, it wasn’t widely used until the 1970s. Current insulin pumps revolve around the same basic principles as past pumps, and have three parts: the delivery mechanism, the battery, and the circuitry. This research focused on the delivery mechanism where the largest opportunity for miniaturization exists. Rather than using the traditional piston assembly, it employed a piezoelectric diaphragm that vibrates when a voltage is applied. That vibration can be directed into a cavity that will cause a large pressure change to pump insulin. The deflection of a piezoelectric diaphragm is small enough that it can be used to pump a controlled volume of insulin over a given time.

Characteristics of Stream Chemistry in Sub-Watersheds of the Dog River, Northfield, VT

Emily Shrum (Dr. Richard K. Dunn)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Studies were conducted in two sub-watersheds of the Dog River in central Vermont in Stony Brook, off of VT Route 12A, and Railroad Branch, parallel to Slate Avenue off of VT Route 12, to determine geochemical characteristics of each system. The correlation of elements throughout Railroad Branch and changes in elements, silica for example, to Stony Brook indicate major changes in water

chemistry across the position where the Taconic Line is mapped. The Taconic Line is the boundary where the Taconic Orogeny binds Cambrian and Ordovician rock, which runs through the Dog River Valley. Railroad Branch, a west flowing tributary in the Waits River and Northfield Formations of calcareous rocks, shows different concentrations of some elements (e.g. 32 ppm Ca Railroad Branch to 6 ppm Ca Stony Brook) while Stony Brook, an east flowing tributary, contains higher average concentrations of elements in phyllosilicates (e.g. 1.0 ppm Na Stony Brook to 0.5 ppm Railroad Branch). Along Railroad Branch, the influence of local bedrock and groundwater is a variable that can be evaluated through multiple working hypotheses. The fracture network is an important source of water that may contain a unique geochemical suite compared with surface water. The water chemistry was used to determine the location of the contact due to the consistency of the data collected showing the point source. With this information we are able to better map the location of bedrock that influences the water chemistry flowing into the Dog River.

Analyzing Multiple Intelligences as Affected by the Education of Music or Second Language

Meagan Snyder (Dr.. Diane Byrne)Department of Modern Languages NU Research Fellow

Both personal experience and current literature have been used to analyze the effects of language on multiple intelligences. This researcher interpreted her findings from the perspective of a bilingual Vermonter to analyze the curriculum used in the Vermont school system, and how language studies could enhance that curriculum. The age at which a person learns another language was also evaluated. Results suggest that learning a second language has significant influence, and that language courses should not automatically be seen as “disposable” or “extra.”

Strain Theory: Drug Abuse as a Teenage Coping Mechanism

Luke Sprenger (Dr. W. Travis Morris) School of Justice Studies and Sociology

The adolescent years are considered to be a mixture of the best and worst times of an individual’s life. From 14 to 19 years of age adolescents experience a myriad of changes that are physical, psychological, emotional, etc. A natural reaction to these changes and problems is to develop coping mechanisms; all people use these but sometimes it is subconscious. However, not all coping mechanisms are healthy, for example, drug abuse, which has become an increasing problem in today’s society. This paper examines coping mechanisms from a strain theoretical perspective. Strain theory, developed by Robert Agnew, states that crime and delinquent behavior are results of strain/stress on the individual. An example is the inability to attain a goal viewed as valuable by the individual. For instance, someone who wants to have a high paying job, but lacks the initial qualifications such as the money

or ability to go to college. This individual would be more likely to turn to crime in order to make the money and thus attain their goal for a high paying job. This does not only apply to money; it can also be applied to respect, where the individual feels that their criminal actions gain them the respect of others, which is a part of gang mentality. There are three parts of this problem that will be covered in this paper. First, the paper will look at how self-esteem is part of why teenagers turn to coping through drug use; second, the well-known social pressure factor will be covered; lastly, the presentation will examine the gender differences when it comes to drug abuse.

Underwater Obstacle Detection

Nathan Tong (Dr. Jacques Beneat)Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering NU Research Fellow

The purpose of this research project was to develop a sonar array using hydrophones and a microcontroller for analysis and communication. The array was to be used for object and obstacle detection on an autonomous underwater vehicle. The project used an ultrasonic array for experimentation and modeling in a dry environment. Over the summer a stereo ultrasonic sensor array was developed and built for testing. The basic concept of the project was proven using the test array and a microcontroller.  Pool testing was started using the hydrophones, however the final implementation of the project was not realized.

Influences on Water Chemistry Associated with Impervious Surfaces, Peck’s Pond, Central Vermont

Zach Trignano (Dr. Laurie D. Grigg)Department of Geology and Environmental Science

Can a highway control a lake or pond? Water chemistry was done through a series of test using an ICP, YSI probe, and HACH Kit tests. This allows us to see what exactly is in the water. We are trying to find out what comes into the pond and what leaves the pond (the box method) and how the pond reacts to it. From there we map out the quantities of where we found concentrations (looking for concentrations of Mg (magnesium), Ca (calcium), Na (sodium)). With two inflows and one outflow we had high concentrations of Na and Ca from the highway inflow and a high concentration of Ca coming from an agricultural inflow. The concentrations then lead to where the host source is coming from. Even though we found the host source coming from an external source, other lakes and ponds could have internal sources from inside the lake or pond from bedrock or biological life.

China’s Environmental Problems

Olga Allison Tsybenko (Dr. Yangmo Ku)Department of History and Political Science

The greatest problem that China faces nowadays is its environmental problems. Compared to many other countries, China’s natural resources are limited and the huge population makes the situation even more serious. The air pollution problem is due to the leadership’s inappropriate decision-making to develop China’s economy in a pace too fast and ignore the environmental issues. The use of coal is one of the major factors for the air pollution. Most of China’s power stations use coal. The fast-paced economic development puts pressure in

demand for electrical power. Another factor for air pollution is the car exhaust. Because of the good economy, more and more people can afford to buy cars. The huge number of cars on the street has aggrevated the air pollution. In my opinion, the Chinese government and Chinese people should be aware of the seriousness of the situation and take into serious consideration the protection of environment in economic development to improve the air condition, save China’s environment and save the planet.

Narrative Architecture: An Investigation into the Cultural Value of Craft

Daniel Wheeler (Prof. Tolya Stonorov)School of Architecture and Art NU Research Fellow

This work explored architecture’s role in reflecting the story of a culture, specifically through highly crafted buildings. To facilitate this investigation, first person observation and documentation of Swiss architect Peter Zumthor’s buildings, was achieved through travels to Switzerland and Austria. Documentation was achieved via a multimedia approach to provide documentary narrative. A video montage for each building was created using natural sound recorded at the site spliced with video, as a tool to better communicate the experience and significance of the architecture. Highly crafted details, as well as cultural context, were a focus throughout the documentation. In contrast to the written word or imagery, architecture possesses the unique ability to provide historic narrative through an individual experience, expressed through its human creation.

Light Yield of Liquid Scintillator

Branden Wilson (Robert Knapik)Department of Physics NU Research Fellow

The purpose of this project was to build an online database that is able to not only store, but also take data from a given experiment. In order to test my program, I ran experiments on, and took data from, a small-scale version of the SNO+ experiment in which I measured the light produced when various high energy particles move through the liquid scintillator. Data collected from the program was then simultaneously uploaded to the online database. The program was built using C++ programing language and the online database that the program connected to was created using Couch DB, a non-relational database. The goals of this project were to have a finished program ready to take data and to test the program using real data gathered from light produced from the liquid scintillator.

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