Celebration of Learning 2021 panel presentations by major, A-H

Here is a list of pre-recorded panel presentations from Celebration of Learning 2021 by major, A-H. See also a list of panels from majors I-Z.

Art History

Monica Thompson: "Ever Yours, Vincent": The Effects of Van Gogh's Mental Health on his Art and Self-Image

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Advisor: Dr. Catherine Goebel, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) had a career that spanned only a little over a decade. Yet, during that decade, he produced over 2,000 works of art ranging from drawings, to watercolors, to oil paintings. Along with being an avid artist he was also a devoted writer. It is said that he wrote over 2,000 letters during his lifetime but only 903 have survived. These letters provide insight into Van Gogh’s thoughts about life, self-identity and art. By analyzing these letters alongside the sketches and oil paintings he created, we can gain a deeper understanding of the mind of Van Gogh.

During my research, I focused on three periods in Van Gogh’s career when he was not receiving treatment for his mental illness(es), during/after he had gone through a mental breakdown, and finally when he was receiving treatment for his mental illness. By comparing these three periods from his life, I hoped to answer questions about how his sense of self changed during these times and how that change is reflected in his artworks. I also added to the literature about what types of mental illness(es) Van Gogh from which he may have suffered, and how these can be seen through his letters and the artworks he created simultaneously.

Van Gogh has been diagnosed with a variety of disorders ranging from epilepsy during his time, to schizophrenia in the 1920’s, to borderline personality disorder in the 1980’s. Using the shared similarities of these diagnoses and others' shared as well as identifying symptoms on my own, I came up with my own diagnosis which I analyzed through his letters and artwork.

Charles Nawara: A Painting's Worth a Thousand Words: Using Rhetoric as a Means to Analyze Art

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Advisor: Dr. Catherine Goebel, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: An evaluation of how we can merge the fields of art history and rhetoric to analyze the art of our time as a new methodology. This project considers the elitist nature of art connoisseurship and wishes to bring an easier more relatable means of understanding art to the public. Contemporary art can be difficult to understand, especially for those not educated on art and thus rhetoric is posed as a means of solving this problem.

Jordyn Strange: French Gothic Rose Windows

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Advisor: Dr. Catherine Goebel, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: Rose Windows are a feat of technological advancement and innovation and their splendor and cultural significance makes them important not only to France but also around the world.

Kaitlyn Normoyle: Rebels Among Revolutionaries: Women Impressionists

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Advisor: Dr. Catherine Goebel

Abstract: In this project, I argue that art historian Linda Nochlin’s argument that there have been no great female artists is incorrect because she dismisses Impressionist artists Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassat. I will use the feminist method of study for my analysis of this subject. This is because Impressionism was the first movement to allow for great women artists.

In this project, I give an in-depth examination of how the period itself, in life and art, helped Morisot and Cassatt build successful careers in art and more about their relationships with each other and their impressionist colleagues. The specific impressionists are Eduard Manet’s relationship with Morisot and Edger Degas’s relationship with Cassatt. I will also look at how the lives and art of Morisot and Cassat were affected by their status of mother and wife, or lack thereof. Lastly, I want to look at the critiques of Morisot and Cassat from newspaper articles and compare them to the critiques of the male Impressionists.

Jordan Delinski: Analyzing Fashion as Art and History

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Advisor: Catherine Goebel and Margaret Morse, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: My paper delves into the idea of how looking at fashion from any place or era can tell just as much about the societal as well as cultural happenings of the time; similar to how historians today analyze famous works of art and their historical symbolism. The main periods of history will be the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as they are the earliest examples of the modern definition of fashion.

Zoey Krawczyk: Advocating for the Amateur: Recognizing Amateur Photography as Art

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Advisor: Dr. Catherine Goebel

Abstract: This presentation will address why it is important to recognize amateur photographers as artists. Using images taken by my paternal great-grandfather, this presentation will discuss how Capitalism contributed to the formation of an elite class of art photographers. The absence of recognition for the amateur allowed for art photographers to benefit socially and financially, while devaluing the importance of family photographs, snapshots, and amateur work. By not omitting these photographs, the importance of the amateur photographer is recognized in both art history and the history of photography.

Sydney Ion: Neoclassical Influence on Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello

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Advisor: Dr. Catherine Goebel, Senior Inquiry project

Biology

Camila Davila: Case report: patient with a fifteen-year history of extensive psoriatic arthritis has a remarkable response to secukinumab

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Advisor: Dr. Kimberly Murphy, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: The case report highlights a patient with a history of a long-standing uncontrolled skin and joint disease, which failed multiple therapies. However, the patient had an extremely quick response to this specific medication (secukinumab), which opens up the dialogue of why this medication should be used as a first-line therapy.

Diangelo Gonzalez: Selection of Aptamers for the Dengue Virus NS1 Protein

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Advisors: Dr. Jose Boquin, Dr. Marti Nilsen-Hamilton, Dr. Soma Banerjee

Abstract: This presentation will provide an overview of an undergraduate research conducted virtually through the IINSPIRE LSAMP Program at Iowa State University. The project was aimed at providing students with an opportunity to explore aptamers and their applications while exploring foundational knowledge in bioinformatic software and analysis. Bioinformatics were used in an attempt to identify an optimal aptamer which could be used to selectively identify the Dengue NS1 Virus and distinguish it from the Zika Virus.

Morgan Rottinghaus: The Process of Medical Illustration

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Advisors: Dr. Kimberly Murphy and Dr. Heidi Storl; Dr. Scott Weldon (Texas Medical Center), Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: My presentation is about biomedical illustration, which combines my two majors of graphic design and biology in a seamless way. I worked under the instruction of a certified medical illustrator, Scott Weldon, this summer during the virtual SMART program. During that time I completed a digital illustration of a “normal“ aorta. During J-term, I did a follow-up experience and was able to do a patient-specific case in which I illustrated two surgical procedures in which an aortic dissection and aneurysm were repaired. In my presentation, I will walk through the process of how I created the illustrations as well as the patient specific surgeries and how I derive the information from different scans and sources.

My work was done through the Texas Medical Center at Baylor College of Medicine and this was also part of my Senior Inquiry.

Business administration

Ngoc Bui: Discovering Digital Marketing and the Effectiveness of Recruiting International Students

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Advisor: Dr. Choi Hyeong-Gyu and Dr. Lina Zhou, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: The sole purpose of this research is to discover the most effective digital marketing channels for higher-ed institutions’ niche market - a market of international students. How can a high-school student from Vietnam know about a college/university in the US when he/she is from the other side of the world? I received this question various times when I came to the US as an international student four years ago.

Thanks to the tremendous growth in internet technology and the trends in globalization, many high-school students have been going abroad to pursue higher education. This research focuses on analyzing the marketing strategies colleges and universities are using to recruit international students and explaining how digital marketing can be more effective when it comes to recruiting international students.

Freja Hager: An Exploration of Generational and Gender Preferences in Management in the Workplace

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Advisor: Dr. Joanna Davis and Dr. Lina Zhou, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: The topic of this study, generational differences in management preference, is important to examine so companies can further engage employees by improving management through generational and gender lenses. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore generational differences of preferred management styles and gender preferences of their managers.

Sixteen individuals were interviewed for this study, with four individuals represented from each of the following generations: Baby Boomer, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. Each generational group consisted of two males and two females as well. Each participant was interviewed over Google Meet, first receiving scenario questions, and then receiving questions to elaborate on management style preference, gender preference, their ideal manager’s management style, and their view on their current manager.

First, all generations displayed a preference for a Democratic Management style, with Generation X having a slight lean towards an Autocratic management style and Generation Y having a slight lean towards Laissez-faire management style. Second, all generations overall had no preference in gender for management besides Generation Z males, who had a preference for men in management.

Finally, gender was preferred when looking at specific management styles. While women were mostly preferred while engaging in a Laissez-faire management style, men were mostly preferred while engaging in an Autocratic and Democratic management style. Baby Boomer was the only generation that preferred women in a Democratic management style.

Classics

Vladislav Novikov: The Rhetoric of Sallust and the Fall of the Roman Republic

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Advisor: Dr. Emil Kramer

Abstract: An inquiry into the Rhetoric of Sallust's monographs, and it's relation to the use of the SCU during the decline and fall of the Roman Republic.

Communication sciences and disorders

Molly Marie Bastida: Listen up! Your ears are irreplaceable, it's up to YOU to protect them... now!

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Advisor: Dr. Cathy Webb, Senior Inquiry project

Abstract: The World Health Organization (2021) estimates that 1.1 billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices such as listening to personal listening devices too loudly.

Unsafe listening habits and excessive noise exposure can lead to irreversible damage called Noise-Induced Hearing Loss. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss can be prevented, and education is the first step in prevention. Consistently in previous studies, college students have reported a lack of knowledge on anatomy and physiology of the ear, unsafe noise levels, and proper hearing protection.

This project explored research on college students’ knowledge of safe listening practices and the hearing mechanism and theories behind effective hearing conservation programs for college students. This workshop builds on previous hearing conservation programs for college students and offers students and faculty the opportunity to learn more about ways to easily protect themselves from Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.

French

Kaley Kearns: The Role of Women in the Tragedies of Racine

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Advisor: Dr. Taddy Kalas

Abstract: This is an analysis of the various important roles that women play in the tragedies of Jean Racine, and how the actions of female characters determine the course of the plot. This will include discussion of the different archetypes of and similarities between Racine's female characters, their relationship with men, the important decisions they make, and their fates at the end of the plays.