C01. “Nosferatu: Sound, Shade and Stoker”
Time: 10:30 – 10:50 a.m. | Location: Olin 124 | Session Type: Classic
Student Author(s): Paul Sternhagen
Mentored by: Dr. Gregory Carlson
”Abstract”
F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film Nosferatu has left an indelible mark on the practice of expressionism within the medium. This presentation will take a critical look at the technical aspects which have cemented the film’s legacy, with a special emphasis on the variation between color grading and intertitles in various copies of the film. The presentation will also cover some of the history of the film, including its tenuous relationship with Stoker’s Dracula, which resulted in many film reels being destroyed. All in all, the presentation will seek to prove that while there is no “definitive” edition of Nosferatu, there are certain silent era techniques used across many copies which lend to its timeless quality.
C02. “Pursuing Excellence in Music by Experience”
Time: 10:50 – 11:10 a.m. | Location: Olin 124 | Session Type: Classic
Student Author(s): Jaxon Dewald
Mentored by: Russell Peterson
”Abstract”
Becoming the best musician poses many great challenges, just like any other acquired skill in academia and the workforce. Time, dedication, commitment, discipline, patience, and other virtues are necessary in order to master any skill, and with my case it is playing music. However, a huge aspect that is often forgotten are real, hands-on experiences that model what we aspire to become in our craft. In our academic studies here on campus, there is only so much we can learn from digesting material from books, videos, and lectures; for a full spectrum of learning we need to travel outside of the campus and experience real events that relates to our future professions, something that cannot be obtained on campus. As a musician, performing in various locations and for different audiences gives new perspectives on the musician’s ability to adapt to the needs and interests of local communities. I will discuss about my experience in competing in a national musicians’ competition hosted by the Music Teachers’ National Association (MTNA) and how my participation in travelling and competing enhanced my profession as a musician that could not have been achieved without the support and encouragement of Concordia College.
C03. “Practice What You Preach: Reconciling in Christ and Embodying Love”
Time: 10:30 – 10:38 a.m. | Location: Morrie Jones C/D | Session Type: Nano
Student Author(s): Mikayla Lynn
Mentored by: Dr. Karla Knutson
”Abstract”
My Ethnographic Essay project centers around the choir of Bethesda Church in Moorhead, MN, an ELCA, Reconciling in Christ affirming church. The goal of my project is to have open and welcoming conversations with members of the choir to discuss their experiences and views of the LGBT community, and how music can be used to bring people of different backgrounds together in a healing way. That healing was born and bred out of a desire for an ex-Christian (who stepped foot into a church for the first time in years to join this choir) to re-imagine what beliefs Christians (especially older ones) actually hold about queer individuals. I’ve conducted half of my interviews so far, and I’ve found common threads among interviewees. Countless LGBT people have experienced gut-wrenchingly painful trauma at the hands of the church, and at the hands of trusted Christian people in their life, usually friends and family. This project is meant to provide healing to LGBT folks that have left the church, been estranged from family, and have felt internal hatred for who they love. It is also for me, someone that’s experienced all of these things. I anticipate that the responses to these results will aid in presenting a different perspective of the church. This project isn’t meant to change people’s religious beliefs, or tell them to go back to church. It’s merely meant to diversify “what people think Christians believe,” and highlight the myriad of ways that one can embody their faith. There are nine scripted questions that I’ve used in the interview process, and I would also add unscripted questions according to their responses. In addition to interviews, I write field notes to record my observations during Wednesday evening rehearsals.
C04. “Concordia Dining Services: How Did We Get Here?”
Time: 10:38 – 10:46 a.m. | Location: Morrie Jones C/D | Session Type: Nano
Student Author(s): Aria Roberts
Mentored by: Dr. Joy Lintelman
”Abstract”
Concordia Dining Services is an organization of constant changes and developments, working as quickly as possible to adapt to the needs of students, staff, and the Fargo-Moorhead community. The goal of this project is to provide a series of snapshots of Dining Services’ history in comparison to current operations in order to educate students on how things have changed and why. These articles will focus on the following four areas: the Student Manager program, the design, construction, and use of anderson commons, catering and contracts, and the major accomplishments and viewpoints of the management team. Sources to supplement these articles include interviews with employees, archival documents such as newsletters, menus, advertisements, and photos, current paperwork and informational material provided by Dining Services, and written histories of Concordia College. Much of this information is overlooked or simply unknown to the general student body, and due to the limited knowledge and constantly evolving needs of students and community members many are quick to criticize Dining Services without first recognizing the work that has been done to get here. These articles, in combination with a virtual timeline, will provide students with a clearer picture of the changes Dining Services has made in their attempt to successfully serve the community and show that while there are always more improvements to be made, Dining Services’ history proves that they aim to perfect the experiences of those they impact and will continue to try and serve the best possible.
C05. (withdrawn)
C06. “Connecting with the River: How the Red River is Becoming Worse with Pollution and What We Can Do to Help Fargo-Moorhead’s Valuable Water Source.”
Time: 10:46 – 10:53 a.m. | Location: Morrie Jones C/D | Session Type: Nano
Student Author(s): Wyatt Line
Mentored by: Dr. Alexander Aldrich
This presentation will be given in Spanish.
”Abstract”
The Red River is currently plagued with contamination that has been caused by human activity. The good news is that there are solutions we all can take to solve this problem in an efficient and environmentally-friendly manner. In order to gain an understanding of the river’s conditions, I interviewed the executive director of the Red River Keepers, a local organization advocating for the conservation and sustainability of the Red River. In order to properly express this topic in Spanish, I had to learn Spanish vocabulary related to the environment. Some of the reasons why the river is contaminated are due to people throwing trash in the river, levels of polluting chemicals in the water, and other contaminants that ended up in the river because people didn’t realize how pollutants travel. Organizations, like the Red River Keepers, host volunteer opportunities for people in the community to help make the river’s waters cleaner. There are many ways to help decontaminate the Red River, like educating local citizens about negative consequences of water pollution, creating volunteer opportunities to clean the river area, and proposing to local government officials ways to combat the ecological problem.
Nano Session Q&A
Time: 10:53 – 11:10 a.m. | Location: Morrie Jones C/D
C07. “Don’t worry! Applied Mathematics is Just Problem Solving: Optimizing Pick-up and Drop-off for the Great Plains Food Bank”
Time: 10:30 – 11:10 a.m. | Location: Morrie Jones A/B | Session Type: Panel
Student Author(s): Emily Liddell, Leo Smith, Nick Perkins
Mentored by: Dr. Gregory Tanner
”Abstract”
The multi-vehicle routing problem is a difficult optimization problem that has no easy solution. Several vehicles with the same list of necessary stops must be placed on individual routes that are optimal for some constraint (like time). This problem continues to plague many businesses, and we were paired with the Great Plains Food Bank to solve their multi-vehicle routing problem. The Retail Rescue branch of the Great Plains Food Bank had three trucks that were bringing back too much food at the end of the day, and they did not have enough time in their schedule to plan for unforeseen events. We created a program that generates new, optimized routes automatically for the Great Plains Food Bank. We used RStudio to create a genetic algorithm that generates new, randomized routes. We then created and ran a simulation on those routes to select the best fit route. This best route was exported for the client to use later. The routes we generated do not break any of the constraints we were given, and successfully minimized the amount of food brought back to the Great Plains Food Bank each day. The program is easy to run and customize, and the client was satisfied with our results.
C08. “The Dehumanizing Behavior of Sexually Objectifying Black Girls”
Time: 10:30 – 10:50 a.m. | Location: Integrated Science Center 301 | Session Type: Classic
Student Author(s): Elicia Powell
Mentored by: Dr. Amy Watkin
”Abstract”
I wrote an essay titled, Johnson’s Dehumanizing Behavior of Sexually Objectifying Black Girls critiquing the novel, “Little Black Girl Lost” by Keith Johnson. The novel exemplifies the dehumanization of young black girls’ experiences by turning them into sexual objects which not only leads to a lack of empathy for his main character who is a black girl in her adolescence, but to the black girls who are often objectified in a similar manner. I use instances where Johson openly sexually objectifies his fifteen year old character and relate said instances to real life examples of how black girls are dehumanized in our society. Sexualization and objectification are and have been used continuously as tools to dehumanize Black people, especially Black women. In a journal I referenced frequently throughout my essay, “Revisiting the Jezebel Stereotype: The Impact of Target Race on Sexual Objectification” they state that “There is also much evidence to suggest that Black people are dehumanized by being likened to objects. One way in which this can occur is through being transformed into a sexual object, whereby the individual is reduced from being a person to the status of a mere instrument, who can then be used and consumed for the pleasure of others” (Anderson, Joel R., et al.). The way the author portrays the protagonist is notably problematic, with his descriptions of her body and the overt way he sexualizes her assaults. My critique shows how black girls are dehumanized by having our bodies objectified and assaults sexualized.
C09. “The Dangers of Empathizing with Toxic Masculinity in Media”
Time: 10:50 – 11:10 a.m. | Location: Integrated Science Center 301 | Session Type: Classic
Student Author(s): Margrethe Hawthorne
Mentored by: Dr. Amy Watkin
”Abstract”
Throughout our entire lives, we are presented with countless images of what it means to be a man: fathers, princes, boyfriends, brothers, friends, adventures, and heroes. However, rarely do we stop to question whether or not those images are healthy. Much of the media that we consume normalizes toxic masculinity and romanticizes abusive characters, which is detrimental to young people who internalize that toxic masculinity as a normal part of relationships. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas calls attention to the dangers of empathizing with toxic masculinity through Tamlin and Feyre’s relationship. Toxic masculinity is a trope that is produced and consumed so casually in our society that it has become normalized. Part of the problem is that when toxic masculinity is romanticized in literature and media in general, people tend to latch on to the good and ignore the bad, meanwhile they are internalizing the entire message as normal. However, the truth of the matter is that there are nuances that are at play when discussing toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity also can have negative effects on people of all genders. While a large concern exists that readers will see hyper-masculine characters in an abusive relationship context and normalize that behavior, there is also a fear that other toxic masculinity traits could be mimicked. After understanding the detrimental effects of toxic masculinity as portrayed in literature, we are better able to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
C10. “Community Through the Lens of Ethnography”
Time: 10:30 – 11:10 a.m. | Location: Integrated Science Center 260 | Session Type: Panel
Student Author(s): Milton Hillegass, Caroline Becker, Gabriel Messa, Cheryn Lindsay
Mentored by: Dr. Karla Knutson
”Abstract”
We aim to explore the concept of community and its various forms through an ethnographic lens. The panel discussion will include 4 panelists who will facilitate a comparison of diverse experiences and conclusions formed through the observation and documentation of communal micro-cultures. The ethnographic process requires researchers to remove their biases and pre-formed theses, which means that there is no uniting thesis at this stage of data collection. When constructing an ethnography, researchers typically use in-person observations, interviews, field notes, jottings, and integration/socialization into the micro-culture. Our panelists will have conducted up to 20-30 hours of in-person research to observe and document their respective micro-cultures. Through their discussion, they will shed light on the cultural similarities and differences between their micro-cultures and micro-social norms. Our panelists have gained insight from and about people and have documented their subtle diversities along the way. They will discuss various aspects related to community, such as what it is, how it forms, the diverse micro-cultures within communities, and their participation during the data collection process.
C11. “Culturing Neurons from Zebrafish Brain and Spinal Cord”
Time: 10:30 – 10:50 a.m. | Location: Integrated Science Center 201 | Session Type: Classic
Student Author(s): Yvette Umutoniwase, Zimy Le
Mentored by: Dr. Krys Strand, Harshana De Silva Feelixge
”Abstract”
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a widely used and established animal model in neuroscience, particularly in the identification of neurons and in vivo brain architecture. Our lab developed a tissue culture system for neurons that is focused on undergraduate students, providing them the opportunity to observe and study neuronal development and differentiation in vitro. This system minimizes the need for advanced molecular facilities and allows students to gain experience with animal models, tissue culture, and imaging techniques. We adapted sterile technique for the classroom and developed an efficient system for dissecting the whole adult zebrafish brain and spinal cord. To isolate zebrafish neurons, the whole brain was homogenized with collagenase, and spinal cord was homogenized using trypsin. The mixed population of cells was then cultured on adherent glass slides using a serum-free, neuron-specific medium. Within the first ten days of culture, we observed neurite outgrowth and early neural network formation on brain-derived neuronal cells. While neurons can be identified by their distinct morphology alone, we confirmed neurons in culture with immunofluorescence using neuronal-specific antibodies. In comparison, spinal cord-derived neuronal cultures did not show extending neurites under the same culturing conditions. Therefore, we tested various concentrations of neurotrophic growth factors to promote neuronal differentiation. Preliminary data showed differentiation of spinal cord neurons in the presence of neurotrophic factor TGF-b3 alone or TGF-b3 in combination with GDNF and BDNF.
C12. “Effect of Vivaldi Music on Zebrafish Behavior”
Time: 10:50 – 11:10 a.m. | Location: Integrated Science Center 201 | Session Type: Classic
Student Author(s): Jessica Howard, Ian Scheele, Noah Jeppesen, Zimy Le
Mentored by: Dr. Krys Strand, Harshana De Silva Feelixge
”Abstract”
This study used zebrafish (Danio rerio) subjects to explore whether passive environmental enrichment in the form of music affects anxiety levels, memory retention, and motor function. We hypothesized that music enrichment would decrease anxiety, lengthen the duration of memory retention, and improve motor function. To test this, leopard zebrafish, which display elevated levels of anxiety compared to striped wild type zebrafish, were exposed to two hours of Vivaldi music in major keys played from a computer twice daily for two weeks. Before and after this enrichment, we measured anxiety using the novel tank test, memory using the novel object recognition test, and motor function using the spin task. If our hypothesis is supported, we aim to explore the effects of environmental enrichment on models of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, which include changes in cognition and mood.