The 200-word abstract that you submit with your application serves two purposes.  It is the research committee’s primary means of deciding if your work is ready to present at the research conference on Celebrating Student Achievement Day.    Second, it appears in the conference program as a summary and announcement of your research.  If your research is still in progress, your initial abstract will be different from an abstract that reports conclusions.  All abstracts, however, should include the following:

• A statement of the topic and the nature of the research
• A statement of the methodology you have chosen
• A statement of the specific problem or issue you are addressing
• An explanation of the value of this work—its contribution to the discipline or to a broader context. 

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.

Your faculty sponsor is best prepared to help you develop and edit your abstract.  If you would like additional support, please contact Dr. Duncan 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

2007 Undergraduate Research Conference Selection Process

Name of first author/presenter Keyword re: subject:

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

For most research projects, this format for evaluation is likely to apply:

	Strong	Moderate	Weak	Missing
Clear research question or issue
Obvious conceptual framework
Method / approach identified
Results mentioned in any way
Composition of written message N/A				N/A

For submissions of some creative accomplishments, the following format may be more appropriate:

	Strong	Moderate	Weak	Missing
Clear statement of project
Link process / techniques to known model(s) with reference to scholarship in the field
Composition of written message				N/A

Other remarks:

Recommendation

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