Call for Submissions
Research presentations, posters, performances, creative projects, exhibits and activities
Deadline: Submissions will be accepted from February 7-21 until 5 p.m.
Abstract Workshop: February 5, 4:40 p.m., Harris 208
Questions? research@meredith.edu or 760-2356

Celebrating Student Achievement
Tuesday, April 16, 2013

An abstract is a professional tool for summarizing research endeavors.  Abstracts provide the reader with enough information to make an informed decision about the interest, importance and validity of the work presented.  The abstract you submit will be used in two ways.  First it will be evaluated by the Undergraduate Research Committee as a basis for determining if your research will be presented at Celebrating Student Achievement research conference.  Second, if accepted for presentation, your abstract will be published in the program for the conference and serve as an announcement of your research, giving others the opportunity to decide which presentations they are interested in attending.

Research at Meredith is defined by discovery, creativity, integration, and application. Your project should accomplish at least one of these aims, which are defined as follows:

• Discovery generates knowledge we didn’t have before and uses analytical methods to do so.

• Creativity generates new insights or interpretations that foster reflection about our world and ourselves.

• Integration brings forth new perspectives by linking what we know and/or what we do in new ways.

• Application reveals how knowledge leads to new practices or technologies or material innovations.

 All abstracts should include the following information:

• Importance of work

• Primary question/ hypothesis/goal

• Methodology/Technique

• Relevance to field/discipline

• Indication of results (while your research may not be completed at the time of abstract submission you should indicate the trend or expectation of results)

 

Please pay close attention to the guidelines on the abstract submission form.  Abstracts are limited to 200 words.  Examples of successful abstracts from prior years are presented below. The rubric used by the Undergraduate Research Committee to evaluate abstracts is included at the bottom of the page.

Abstracts should be submitted online by clicking here. You can open the form to look it over without submitting. However, the form will not save without submitting.  Do not fill it out until you are sure you are ready to submit.

Your faculty sponsor is best prepared to help you develop and edit your abstract.  If you would like additional support, please contact Dr. Winterhoff at research@meredith.edu.

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Selected from the 2005 Annual Undergraduate Research Conference Program, the abstracts below offer examples of successful submissions from a variety of disciplinary interests. The actual evaluation form used for developing the program is included for you to see at the end of these sample abstracts.

Lights in the Dark: Córdoba and al-Andalus
Lisa Becksford
Faculty Sponsor: Brent Pitts, Foreign Languages and Literatures/Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Mere decades after its founding, Islam was spreading rapidly outward from its founder’s home in present-day Saudi Arabia. The religion traveled across the Mediterranean to North Africa and from North Africa to Visigothic Iberia in 711. By 750 most of the Iberian peninsula lay under Muslim control; this new kingdom was called al-Andalus. The capital of al-Andalus was Córdoba, a culturally sophisticated metropolis of vast libraries and paved streets. Within al-Andalus and especially within Córdoba, Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived in relative peace with one another. In my research, I studied the culture of Córdoba by examining medieval descriptions of the city. By examining both Visigothic and Muslim law codes, I was able to compare the treatment of Jews under the Visigoths with the treatment of Christians and Jews under the Muslims. I found that the Visigoths were prejudiced towards Jews, whereas the Muslim conquerors were willing to live with both Christians and Jews and created treaties to help maintain the peace. This tolerant attitude helped to create Islamic Córdoba’s unique society.

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The Effects of Triclosan on Fresh water Invertebrates and the Environment
Valerie Coleman
Faculty Sponsor: Francie Cuffney, Biology and Health Sciences

Over the past few years, the occurrence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment has been met with increasing concern. Perhaps the most troubling issue is that while the mechanisms of pharmaceuticals in the human body are mostly understood, little is known about the fate and effects these compounds have once they are exposed to the environment. In particular, scientists are concerned about the harmful effects these contaminants could have on aquatic organisms that are constantly exposed to these compounds. Among the organisms that are exposed, clams are likely to fall prey to PPCPs as they filter their food from their surrounding waters; thus, dissolved compounds are likely to enter their tissue and possibly produce harmful effects. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not triclosan could be harmful to clams. Varying concentrations like those found in commercial products were introduced to clams, and their behavior was examined over a period of time that depended on the type of experiment. Although not all of the hypotheses were supported, the overall expectation that the presence of triclosan would have a detrimental effect on clams was supported.

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Perception of Effort in Intermittent vs. Continuous Exercise
Diane Gray
Faculty Sponsor: Chris Eschbach, Health, Exercise & Sports Science

It is recommended that Americans obtain 30 minutes of physical activity 5 or 6 days per week. Previous research is inconclusive as to the benefits of splitting the 30 minutes of exercise into separate bouts. Perhaps splitting the exercise into two 15-minute sessions will allow participants to feel as if they are not doing as much work. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the ratings of perceived effort, RPE, between two 15-minute (intermittent) exercise sessions and one 30-minute (continuous) exercise session. Five healthy females participated in the study. All participants performed the initial cardiovascular fitness assessment, one session of 30-minute continuous exercise, and one session of two 15-minute intermittent exercises. The results from the testing concluded that there were no significant differences in RPE levels between intermittent and continuous sessions. Both types of exercise seemed to be similar in regard to effort perceived.

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Who is St. Matthew? Conversion in the Contarelli Chapel
Rebekah Hans
Faculty Sponsor: Beth Mulvaney, Art History

Entering a darkened room, the barefoot Christ extends forward his right hand, beckoning the Hebrew tax collector Levi to join him as the disciple St. Matthew. Typical of Caravaggio, his version of The Calling of St Matthew departs from traditional iconography, because the identity of the future disciple is unclear. In fact, in the recent art historical literature a debate currently rages about which figure in Caravaggio’s painting represents St. Matthew. My research explores why Caravaggio chose to depict St. Matthew in this ambiguous manner. Working from Leo Steinberg’s seminal 1959 article on this painting, I will propose that the identity of Matthew may be determined only by taking up the oblique position required by a viewer standing outside the Contarelli Chapel where this painting still is in sitù. From this position, the viewer understands the painting in a completely different light. Like more recent interpretations of this work, I believe that Caravaggio’s obscuring of the saint’s identity is deliberate, designed to actively incorporate the beholder in the process of conversion as s/he seeks to identify St. Matthew.

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Domestic Violence Services: Military Versus Civilian, Does It Make A Difference?
Kathryn Maitrejean
Faculty Sponsor: Cynthia Bishop, Sociology and Social Work

Military and civilian agencies use different methods to address the needs of their clients, and there is a lack of research in determining the effectiveness of their methods. While needs of domestic violence survivors vary, it is vital that the needs be met by the agency providing services. Interviews with clinicians and clients along with a review of agency policies and programs contributed material for a preliminary study and comparative analysis of a military and a civilian agency serving survivors of domestic violence. The preliminary data suggest that the military domestic violence agency is especially effective in prevention, education and referrals to outside agencies for services, and the civilian agency effectiveness is especially strong in service delivery, along with community education and volunteer development.

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Evaluation of Abstracts

Undergraduate Research Conference Selection Process

Name of first author/presenter Keyword re: subject (for committee use only)

Select the most appropriate rubric below; please use only one.

Creative Accomplishments Abstract Assessment :

	Strong	Moderate	Weak	Missing
1. Clear statement of the project
2. Link processes / techniques to known model(s) with references to research scholarship in your field.
3. The abstract answers: How will your creative project/endeavor generate new insights or interpretations?
4. Composition of written content				N/A

Humanities Abstract Assessment :

	Strong	Moderate	Weak	Missing
1. Includes a clear statement of a research question, issue, or problem to explore.
2. Statement included in “1” is framed or contextualized clearly and appropriately.
3. The abstract answers: What points do you hope to show in exploring the research question, issue, or problem?
4. The abstract answers: What new directions in research or continuation of your research may be implied by your expected conclusions?
5. Composition of written content.				N/A

Social Science / Natural and Physical-Math Abstract Assessment :

	Strong	Moderate	Weak	Missing
1. A clear research question is stated.
2. Research context or conceptual framework is clearly related to the research question.
3. Appropriateness of research method(s) can be clearly identified.
4. Results and conclusions are clearly stated, appropriate to the field, and apply to the research question.
5. Composition of written content.				N/A

 

Other remarks:

Recommendation

[ ] Accept [ ] Undecided – consult with department [ ] Reject