Concurrent Session 3 is 11:20 am – 12:00 pm. Talks are arranged with interdisciplinarity and themes in mind.
Empathy – KCC Jones A
The first presentation will be given in Spanish – all are welcome!
Todos los Momentos Graves no son Iguales: Cesar Vellejo y “El momento más grave de mi vida”
Rachel Nemer, Mentored by: Dr. Fanny Roncal
Adapting a Robert Frost Poem into a Contemporary Film
Linden Stave, Sarah Anderson, Luke Lindhorst, Sydney Thornbrugh, Margaret Noah, Andrew Storm, Clara Lee, Zayd Amundson, Morgan Heley, Mentored by: Dr. Dawn Duncan
Music – KCC Jones B
Goosebumps, Musical Swells, and Tears: How Music and Emotion Work Together in Your Body and Brain
Kaiya Ruff, Mentored by: Dr. René Clausen
Hitchcock’s Mastery of Music and Sound
Matthew Rohleder, Mentored by: Dr. Don Rice
Food – Lab Theatre
The Environmental and Social Implications of Food Waste: Formulating a Community Response
Raelin Kronenberg, Mentored by: Dr. Jennifer Sweatman
RDO Trucking Optimization
Kyle Ronsberg, Erik Porter, Laura LeGare, Mentored by: Dr. Nathan Axvig, Damian Lampl
Relationships – Olin 124
Centered Polygonal Lacunary Functions
Keith Sullivan, Mentored by: Dr. Darin Ulness
Utilizing Constructed Bee Habitat to Encourage Native Pollinator Nesting at Concordia College
Ellie DeVos, Mentored by: Dr. Jennifer Sweatman
Gender & Power – Integrated Science Center 201
Women and Sexuality in Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie
Annika Tureson, Mentored by: Dr. Don Rice
The Impact of Religion on LGBTQ Individuals and Their Mental Health
Emily Moyer, Mentored by: Dr. Michelle Lelwica
#BREW – Integrated Science Center 260
This presentation will be followed by a panel discussion.
The Value-Neutral Model and Disability Pride on a Liberal Arts Campus
Jane Nolan, Hannah Papenfuss, Miles Korpi, Peter Flynn, Espen Anthony, William Huff Towle, Connor Poland, Ryan Archer, Joel Crane, Mentored by: Dr. Tess Varner
Decisions – Integrated Science Center 301
Forgiveness in Nonvoluntary Relationships Versus Voluntary Relationships
Leah Olson, Mentored by: Dr. Aileen Buslig
Racism On The Internet: A Force for Good?
Vanessa Truelove, Mentored by: Dr. Kirsten Theye
Abstracts:
Todos los Momentos Graves no son Iguales: Cesar Vellejo y “El momento más grave de mi vida”
Rachel Nemer
This presentation will be given in Spanish.
Poetry is type of literature that many students find difficult, and do not particularly like to read. And, reading poetry in Spanish is even more daunting. The purpose of this research is to analyze the poem, “El momento más grave de la vida”, by César Vallejo, in order to show that poetry, even in Spanish is possible to understand and to analyze. Vallejo in this poem writes about the gravest moment of seven men. Each man states what his own gravest moment has been in his life, and for each man, that moment in life is different than the next. Vallejo uses this poem to convey the message that grave moments happen to everyone, every grave moment is not the same, and the same situation can provide different experiences for everyone. Furthermore, Vallejo makes reference to the fact that grave moments can occur at different times in life for different people. The gravest moment in life may have happened in the past for one person but be happening in the present for another person. In addition, Vallejo’s nonconventional style of writing, and his use of literary elements help convey the message that everyone experiences a grave moment in life, and that it doesn’t matter the how grave the situation is, only that hurts.
Mentored by: Dr. Fanny Roncal Ramirez
Adapting a Robert Frost Poem into a Contemporary Film
Linden Stave, Sarah Anderson, Luke Lindhorst, Sydney Thornbrugh, Margaret Noah, Andrew Storm, Clara Lee, Zayd Amundson, Morgan Heley
After exploring film theory, the 2019 Film and Literature PEAK production team worked to create a film adaptation based on a literary text. We quickly learned that film adaptation breathes new life, meaning, and understanding into literature by exploring it through another medium. The process began by selecting a piece to adapt. After reading 27 texts held in public domain, the team debated proposals, discussed, and evaluated the strengths and challenges that each text would present. We eventually selected Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” as the focus of the class’s film, “Miles to Go”. Next, the team engaged in pre-production work: screenwriting, storyboarding, casting, securing shooting locations, and scheduling around conflicts. Throughout, the team exercised problem-solving skills as we learned how to apply scholarly theory while making decisions during film production. Among these decisions were deciding how closely the adaptation would follow the original poem, expanding the poem to create a narrative, and analyzing how to make the story read for a modern audience. In our presentation, we will explore and share how the production team for “Miles to Go” applied narrative, adaptation, and reception theory to creating our film. The session will close with the debut of the film’s trailer. The final result of our work, “Miles to Go“, will be premiered on April 29th at 7:00 pm at the Fargo Theater.
Mentored by: Dr. Dawn Duncan
Goosebumps, Musical Swells, and Tears: How Music and Emotion Work Together in Your Body and Brain
Kaiya Ruff
Have you ever wondered why you get goosebumps on your arms during a certain part of a song? Do you feel yourself getting excited when you know your favorite part of the chorus is coming up? It is no secret that music and emotions have a strong connection in our bodies. Throughout my four years at Concordia, I have found fascinating parallels between my three areas of study: music, psychology, and neuroscience. The pieces of this puzzle have emerged and fit more and more with every class I have taken. In this presentation, I will explore how music and emotion are connected in several capacities. I will discuss basic concepts of music such as differences between major and minor chords and musical techniques that are incorporated into well-loved songs. I will explain what happens in our brain by discussing the neurotransmitters that are released when listening to music and which are released more during our favorite parts of songs. I will end by tying the two together through creating a discussion with the audience about why music matters. I have acquired a passion for finding these connections across my areas of academics and I am looking forward to sharing my excitement about music and emotion with others.
Mentored by: Dr. René Clausen
Hitchcock’s Mastery of Music and Sound
Matthew Rohleder
One of the things that has always captured my attention in movies is the music and sound that accompany each movie. I have been making music since first grade, and to see how much of an impact music and sound have on every movie I watch has definitely been an inspiration to me as a musician. Even in silent films there was usually music played along with the film as it added another layer to be appreciated to each film. Be it the triumphant return of a hero in the newest Avengers film or a door slamming shut in a horror movie, the sounds and music of movies help add to emotion and drive the plot to new heights. Alfred Hitchcock was an extraordinary director, and one of the things he did best was incorporate music and sound into his movies. This was very visible in two of his most popular movies, Rear Window and The Birds. For this project I will be analyzing how music and sounds impact the average audience member and then observing these techniques in motion in the above films. In doing so I plan to demonstrate to the audience just how important music and film is to films and the real world, through the lens of a master of the craft.
Mentored by: Dr. Don Rice
The Environmental and Social Implications of Food Waste: Formulating a Community Response
Raelin Kronenberg
We currently face numerous threats to the well-being of the natural world. Many of these are caused directly by human influence. One prominent source of irresponsible resource use is the production and needless waste of our food. It is estimated 30-40% of the food produced that could be used for human consumption is instead left to rot in fields, stores, and households trash cans. Food thrown into the garbage then makes its way into landfills where it releases methane, adding to the negative effects of wasted food. To help remedy the practices that devalue food, community-focused action is necessary. For this case study, a partnership with Heart-n-Soul Community Café was established. Heart-n-Soul uses local and imperfect produce to channel food that would otherwise go to waste to those in the community who need a nutritious meal at a pay-what-you-can price. For the March Community Café event, a minimal-waste meal was planned to demonstrate how individuals can waste less food. The focus on stored foods and creative cooking provide direction for critical conversations around food. Recipe videos were produced and posted to the Heart-n-Soul Facebook page to provide lasting information on tips for how to reduce the needless squander of food in our own kitchens. The goal of this project is to assist the Fargo-Moorhead community in gaining an awareness of the food waste problem. Action at the community level facilitates a sustainable response that encompasses both the environmental and social aspects of wasted food.
Mentored by: Dr. Jennifer Sweatman
RDO Trucking Optimization
Kyle Ronsberg, Erik Porter, Laura LeGare
R.D. Offutt Company manages hundreds of potato farms across the Midwest. During their harvest season, a staggering number of potatoes are harvested and stored away to be processed and consumed throughout the year. In order to transport the potatoes from the field to the storage sites, RDO contracts drivers to carry several thousand pounds of potatoes per load. RDO pays the drivers and truck rental company per mile from field to storage bin. The bins store the potatoes for up to twelve months and are emptied throughout the year when their contents are ready to be processed. In order to help RDO minimize the cost associated with trucking the potatoes, students Erik Porter, Kyle Ronsberg, and Laura LeGare devised a mathematical model and computer program that listed the best bin location for each field’s potatoes. This model relied on principles of operational research to create a model that abides by RDO’s constraints while minimizing mileage driven. The team also considered real-world variables that might affect the farmers’ ability to follow the model, such as the weather and the availability of workers and equipment. To address these concerns, the team updated the model to have the ability to be used daily and consider the reality of the previous day’s harvest. In their presentation, the students will describe the process they used to create the model and how it can be implemented in RDO’s potato harvest season.
Mentored by: Dr. Nathan Axvig, Damian Lampl
Centered Polygonal Lacunary Functions
Keith Sullivan
This talk will explore an interesting collection of mathematical function families called lacunary functions. Specifically, we will be investigating a particular family of these called centered polygonal lacunary functions. This family exhibits stunning visual representations, including rotational symmetry and fractal characteristics not generally seen in other such functions.
Mentored by: Dr. Darin Ulness
Utilizing Constructed Bee Habitat to Encourage Native Pollinator Nesting at Concordia College
Ellie DeVos
Wild pollinators currently face a multitude of challenges to their future, including disease spread by commercial bees, habitat degradation, and pesticide use on agricultural fields. With the current state of widespread agricultural production in rural areas, urban areas provide important opportunities for establishing buffer habitats and nesting locations for native pollinator conservation. Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota presented a favorable location to establish habitat for native pollinators. There was potential for the successful interaction of pollinators with an urban setting, as pollinator friendly flora was already in place on the campus. In this project, three nesting sites were placed at three different locations, with appropriate signage present at each site. Two of these nesting sites are solitary bee boxes, with one built outside of the Integrated Science Center and the other on the perimeter of the Living Classroom. The third nesting site is for ground nesters, and is located in the corner of the Concordia Organic Garden. This observational experiment was conducted to encourage the colonization of the available habitat on campus by native pollinators, evaluate the potential of urban nesting sanctuaries and buffer areas, as well as to offer educational opportunities for students, staff, and the surrounding community. Dependent on the level of colonization of the sites, the structures could contribute to the establishment of Concordia College as an official pollinator-friendly campus through Bee Campus USA.
Mentored by: Dr. Jennifer Sweatman
Women and Sexuality in Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie
Annika Tureson
In light of the recent “Me Too” movement that has swept the United States, the intersection of gender and sexuality offers an important lens for film analysis today. Alfred Hitchcock’s on-screen portrayal of women is a complex area of analysis, reflecting elements of history, as well as aspects of the director’s personal life. From the cunning to the independent to the submissive, Hitchcock’s female characters possess a wide range of personality traits and characteristics throughout his films. The 1964 film Marnie presents particularly complex themes of gender and sexuality. A compulsive thief and liar, Marnie (Tippi Hedren) finds herself sexually blackmailed into marriage by the very man that she stole from. Mark Rutland (Sean Connery) pursues Marnie, stopping at nothing to satisfy his irrepressible lust for her. Most relevant to the themes of gender and sexuality is Marnie’s dramatic transformation throughout the film. Once a strong and independent woman, Marnie eventually succumbs to her abuser, falling victim to Rutland’s sexual pursuits. In this paper, I will analyze the character arc of Marnie, exploring themes of women and sexuality, as they pertain to the plot and production of the film. By comparing and contrasting Marnie’s strong, feminist characteristics with her more objectified and vulnerable on-screen portrayal, I will demonstrate Hitchcock’s variability in portraying female characters. Additionally, I will draw comparisons to the 1963 film The Birds (also starring Tippi Hedren), in order to further explore Hitchcock’s obsession with both the strong and the vulnerable female.
Mentored by: Dr. Don Rice
The Impact of Religion on LGBTQ Individuals and Their Mental Health
Emily Moyer
The study of religion and its impact on minority groups such as LGBTQ individuals is important for fostering understanding of how religious institutions, teachings, and practices can influence people’s lives – both for better and for worse. Because of its profound influence on cultural norms, especially norms surrounding sexuality, religion influences (whether directly or indirectly) the mental health of LGBTQ people, whether or not they are religious. On a more individual level, religion functions ambiguously in the lives of LGBTQ people, sometimes fostering the mental health of people who are queer, and sometimes exacerbating the mental health challenges they face in a predominantly heteronormative society. Drawing on psychological, religious, and sociological studies, my research and analysis suggests that the impact that religion has on the mental health of LGBTQ individuals is ambiguous, and that it can have both positive and negative effects depending on the way religion is approached and on the individual.
Mentored by: Dr. Michelle Lelwica
The Value-Neutral Model and Disability Pride on a Liberal Arts Campus
Jane Nolan, Hannah Papenfuss, Miles Korpi, Peter Flynn, Espen Anthony, William Huff Towle, Connor Poland, Ryan Archer, Joel Crane
This presentation will be followed by a panel discussion.
The research the philosophy senior research seminar class has done can contribute to Concordia and the local community in providing different ways of thinking about disability and the ways in which disability is interacted with by institutions. The Value-Neutral Model of disability should be used on our campus and others in order to correctly reflect the mission of the college and the way it interacts with disability. The Value-Neutral model of disability states, essentially, that physical disabilities are not inherently good or bad in the common sense. Physical disabilities are simply different from what our culture considers to be ‘normal’ and many of the problems which are commonly associated with disability are actually caused by the beliefs held by the society at large. There are entirely valid concerns which come from having a disability, such as physical pain in some cases, and those cases need to be addressed on a case by case basis– while taking the testimony of the individual experiencing it as truth. This presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with the audience.
Mentored by: Dr. Tess Varner
Forgiveness in Nonvoluntary Relationships Versus Voluntary Relationship
Leah Olson
This study investigated the differences in forgiveness between two different relational groups: family members and friends. Research focused specifically on the differences in closeness and commitment, along with the various forgiveness strategies utilized to convey forgiveness. A sample of 47 from a wide age range answered a questionnaire that required participants to recall a past transgression committed by a family member and a friend. This study found that closeness and commitment to a family member prior to a transgression was correlated with forgiveness, but not for friendships. However, if forgiveness occurred in friendships after a transgression, the level of closeness and commitment was strengthened. In addition, participants’ ratings of closeness and commitment were higher for friends than for family members prior to a transgression, but both ratings were lower for friends after the transgression. The results of this study can answer some critical questions regarding the complexities of forgiveness in two different relational groups.
Mentored by: Dr. Aileen Buslig
Racism On The Internet: A Force For Good?
Vanessa Truelove
In the current iteration of the internet, it is nearly impossible to escape hatred. We are all too familiar with the call for companies and institutions to create and/or revise hate speech policies aimed at mitigating what most people would call the problem of the internet. But what if, instead of these outbursts of hate being taken as something to be reported and eventually deleted, they are seen as potential for a greater good? Through analyzing hatred, particularly racism, on the internet from a postmodern framework, I present a case for racism in situations on the internet. In sum, if there were no racism on the internet, there would no longer be a platform from which anti-racist activists could speak with the goal of educating the populace.
Mentored by: Dr. Kirsten Theye