McNair Scholars Undergraduate Research Journal, 2010, Vol. 2
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/10711
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Item Analyzing the Dream(2010) Espinoza, Rossana; Huth, PaulThe Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, otherwise known as the DREAM Act, is a proposed bill under consideration in the US Congress that would give undocumented immigrant minors greater access to higher education opportunities while also providing them with a path to achieving full and legal citizenship. The bill was first introduced in 2001 and is now being reintroduced with new amendments in 2009. My research will center on questions regarding the social and economic effects that this proposed bill would have on the undocumented students if it were passed. Specifically, I plan to investigate the potential consequences of this bill in the country by examining case studies of California, Maryland and Virginia with respect to: a) increases in higher education levels and admissions, and b) economic opportunities. My research will center on a policy-analysis in a non-empirical format. I will mostly use qualitative methods of research, although I will collect and analyze some data and statistics on the undocumented community in the aforementioned states.Item The University of Maryland McNair Scholars Undergraduate Research Journal, Volume 2(2010) Southerland, Wallace III (Editor); Lewis, Jerry L. (Editor)The McNair Scholars Undergraduate Research Journal is a collection of abstracts and papers written by McNair scholars at the University of Maryland (http://www.aap.umd.edu/mcnairprogram.html). This issue features papers from the summer 2009 research institute written by participants from the University of Maryland, College Park; Frostburg State University; and Saint Mary's College of Maryland.Item Brain Behavior is Related to Motor Behavior During Competition(2010) Thorpe, Elizabeth; Hatfield, BradleyIn this study the alpha band waves of low to moderately skilled pistol shooters are evaluated to examine the performance of the individuals under a competitive environment. The factors that cater to success in the autonomous stage of learning are different for the athlete. There has been investigation of the brain patterns of experts, while performing a task is efficient and in accord with Fitts and Posner’s claims of what it takes to be successful while in the last stage of motor learning (Hatfield & Hillman, 2001). The problem being addressed in the study is examining Fitts and Posner’s cognitive stage of motor learning. The first question being studied is how does low alpha power relate to variability in the performance of a pistol shoot? The second question being studied is how does high alpha coherence relate to jerk in the performance of a pistol shoot? The first hypothesis to prove is that higher cortical arousal (i.e. lower alpha power), will be associated with better performance (i.e., less variable pistol trajectories). The second hypotheses to prove is networking to the motor planning region (i.e. higher coherence) will be positively associated with increased levels of jerk. The results of the study find that those who performed better (less variability and more jerk) exhibited brain patterns associated with relying on external cues, events and responses.Item Scholarship and Empowerment in the Age of the Video Vixen: Promoting Black Adolescent Females’ Academic Success(2010) Stevenson, Stephanie; Parks, SheriThroughout American history, popular culture and some academic disciplines have created limited characterizations of low income, urban, Black adolescent females as hypersexual vixens who are at risk for early sexual activity and low academic achievement. The promulgation of these negative sexual myths may cause Black adolescent females to internalize these myths and perform sexually explicit roles at an early age; consequently increasing their chances of low academic achievement. The purpose of the future ethnographic/self ethnographic study is to explore the ways that cultural framers such as: families (with emphasis on Black mothers) and the media influence Black adolescent females’ motivation to obtain academic success, and resist or accept negative sexual myths. The researcher will use the framing theory and expectancy value theory to explore these relationships. The study will observe Black adolescent females that attend public middle schools in urban areas within the Baltimore/ Washington, D.C metropolitan area. The researcher will consider how racial, gender, and class socialization may frame the adolescents’ life experiences and the methods that they use to construct their identities, value systems, and resistance strategies to combat negative sexual myths.Item Examination of Family Environmental Factors Associated with Obesity in African American Youth Resides in Baltimore City(2010) Stevenson, Nicole; Southerland, Wallace IIIObesity is very prevalent in America, making it epidemic (Dalton, 2004). Obesity is the measurement of body fat based on an individual’s weight and height (kg/m squared). This measurement is called the Body Mass Index or (BMI). African Americans are at a high risk of developing obesity which is not considered a disease. The World Health Organization states differences in categorizing obesity across ethnicities. National Center of Health Statistics defines obesity for adolescence as a BMI > 95th percentile based on their age and sex (CDC, 2008). Obesity is defined for adults as BMI > 30 (NCHS, 2007). Obesity affects adult, adolescence and children alike. A study by Ogden et al. (2006) stated more than half of America’s adult population, 32.3%, is obese. Statistics for children and adolescence, male and female, are equally alarming at 16.4% (Ogden et al., 2006). Researchers Freedman et al. (2005) examined the relationship between childhood weight gains leading to adult obesity commonly known as tracking. It has been noted by various studies that adolescent obesity tracks into adulthood (Dalton, 2004; Dietz, 1998; Freedman et al., 2005). Obesity originating from childhood puts individuals at a greater risk for health concerns (Freedman et al, 2005). Understanding the importance of curbing obesity in adolescence so it will not continue throughout an individual’s life is crucial. In addition, it is commonly known that obesity leads to a rise in health cost (Dalton, 2004). Some of the health risk associated with obesity are both short and long term. Some health risks are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and breathing difficulties or asthma (Dalton, 2004). As youth transition to adolescence, physical activity levels decline (Kimm et al., 2002) thus creating an ideal situation for weight gain. Weight gain is common during this transition. Moreover, overweight or obese African American adolescent began puberty earlier which leads to decrease activity levels (Dalton, 2004). High School years represent a life stage in which girls, and boys are not engaging in sufficient physical activity. The family environment also plays a huge role in the development of obesity (Kimm et al., 2002). It has been revealed there is a relationship between social environment and its influence in supporting or hindering physical activity. The following sections will highlight the general topic of the prevalence of obesity, health consequences and family environmental factors that relate to obesity.Item Decline and Disparities in Mammography Use Trends by Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity(2010) Rattanawatkul, Kanokphan; Carter-Pokras, OliviaThe second leading cause of death in women in the United States is breast cancer. While it remains the most common type of cancer in women, early detection through mammography screening has been used to combat and treat breast cancer. But after the 2000, the rates of mammography have been declining. The purpose of this study is to examine whether or not the decline has continued and whether all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups experienced the same rate of decline. Data from the National Health Interview Survey (2003 to 2005) and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2002 to 2004) were used to calculate the percent decline for the total population and by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Mammography rates declined between 2003-2005 (NHIS) and 2002-2004 (BRFSS). Data from both the NHIS and BRFSS show a greater rate of decline for African American women, and women with lower income and education. These results differ from previous studies which examined broader time interval (2000 to 2005). Further research is recommended to explore whether the rates of decline have continued, the impact of the decline in mammography rates on breast cancer incidence, mortality, and stage of diagnosis, as well as the underlying reasons for the observed decline in mammography rates and for disparities in the rates of decline.Item The Use of 2-Bornanethiol for the Asymmetric Synthesis of Amines(2010) Peterson, Ana; Koch, AndrewThe proposal to synthesize a camphor sulfinamide reagent using 2-bornanethiol was initiated. A novel disulfide for the synthesis of the reagent was produced through inexpensive means via three synthetic steps. Readily available (+)-camphor underwent thionation using phosphorous pentasulfide in excess. The resulting thiocamphor was reduced to camphor thiol (or 2-bornanethiol) and oxidized to yield camphor disulfide. Further investigation of the disulfide is necessary for confirmation and characterization. Oxidation followed by reaction of the purified sample of this product with ammonia and lithium amide could give camphor sulfinamide. It was determined that purification at the end of each step would help to give better results and cleaner NMR spectra to analyze. Limitations included difficulty with keeping reactions under dry conditions as well as large amounts of time required to run each reaction. From here, the purified disulfide will be used to synthesize camphor sulfinamide which could then be combined with chiral aldehydes and ketones to yield imines in high selectivity.Item Improving Disadvantaged Adolescents’ Critical Reading Skills Using Direct Instruction(2010) Okeke, Ruth; McCaleb, JosephThe problem addressed in this research proposal is that students who are minority come from families with low socioeconomic status and attend urban-area high schools have a higher possibility of not developing critical reading skills that will help them succeed both in college and in prestigious careers. These students are more likely to fail because they often lack the support and resources that will increase their chances of academic success. Direct Instruction is a teaching method devised to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and privileged students. This approach may help improve the critical reading skills of disadvantaged students. However, little empirical research exists on the use of Direct Instruction to improve such skills. The purpose of this proposed qualitative case study will be to determine how Direct Instruction can improve the critical reading skills of disadvantaged students. The study will consist of semi-structured interviews of four high school English teachers who work primarily with disadvantaged students at an urban-area high school. The study will involve examining the current practices used by high school English teachers who have improved the critical reading skills of their disadvantaged students. The study will also involve determining whether their practices align with components of Direct Instruction.Item Spatial Analysis of the Environment’s Influence on Pediatric Asthma in Baltimore City using a Geographic Information System(2010) Oguamanam, Melissa; Luna, RonaldThe problem being addressed in this proposed study is the tendency of residents living in low-income, inner city, and minority neighborhoods being exposed to poorer air quality than residents living in upper-income, suburban, white neighborhoods. As a result of the poor environmental conditions, poor urban dwellers experience higher rates of respiratory diseases such as asthma in their communities. The purpose of this proposed project is to study the environmental factors that are associated with an increase in pediatric asthma and identify which of these factors can be found in Baltimore communities using a geographic information system. The location of possible sources contributing to high concentrations of asthma occurrences in Baltimore City such as brownfields and major roadways will be examined. In addition, racial and socioeconomic conditions found in Baltimore will be analyzed to see if they can be linked to asthma rates. The proposed project’s methodology will consist of an exploratory analysis of the asthma geographic epidemiology in Baltimore. The literature currently states that areas of high urbanization experience more cases of asthma hospitalization than rural areas. Anticipated findings include having a high concentration of asthma occurrences in Baltimore’s predominately black, poor, and inner city neighborhoods. Furthermore, these disadvantaged Baltimore neighborhoods will be located right next to sources of environmental pollution.Item Music of the African Diaspora: The Historical Reception of African American Concert Music(2010) Miller, Robert; Zeigler, RonaldAfrican American concert music (AACM) has made one of the largest contributions to the establishment and development of American music. Black composers (and musicians) of this genre played a vital role in achieving the goals of the Harlem Renaissance, which were racial vindication and “re-representation.” Leaders of the Renaissance believed that African American composers would bring these goals to fruition because composers would remove barriers in education, and they would replace the negative images of Black people with the genuine, positive picture. Today, however, AACM is seldom heard, performed or studied in performances, academia, and in recordings. The lack of knowledge of this genre is a problem because only part of history is being told. This study will use the historical method of inquiry, and it seeks to explore how AACM was initially received and why it is marginalized today. The researcher will locate primary sources that will be analyzed first hand to find meanings and relationships that can provide answers to the research questions.