NEWS RELEASE

News Bureau . Schofield Hall 201 . Eau Claire, WI 54702
phone: (715) 836-4741
fax: (715) 836-2900

EAU CLAIRE — Several University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire undergraduate students will display their research April 27 in Wisconsin’s Capitol in Madison.

Student research posters will be on display from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the State Capitol Rotunda on the first floor of the Capitol. There will be a short program at noon in the rotunda.

The event, titled “Posters in the Rotunda: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research,” is sponsored by the UW System.

As the UW System’s designated Center of Excellence for Faculty and Undergraduate Research Collaborations, UW-Eau Claire students and faculty regularly work together to complete nationally recognized, cutting-edge research in a variety of disciplines. Students across campus have research opportunities often found only at large graduate research institutions. U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2004” lists UW-Eau Claire among the top 39 national institutions engaged in undergraduate research/creative projects.

In Madison, UW-Eau Claire students and faculty mentors will join researchers from other System schools to discuss their work and the value of undergraduate research.

For more information about the event, contact Chris Lind, assistant vice chancellor of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, at (715) 836-3405 or lindct@uwec.edu.

The following students and projects will be part of the April 27 Madison exhibit:

• Adam Lange, Eau Claire, with faculty mentor Douglas Faulkner, assistant professor of geography and anthropology. Research title: Recent Hydrographic Change in the Tiffany Bottoms, Lower Chippewa River, Wisconsin. Abstract: Using ArcMap GIS, researchers quantified hydrographic change in the Tiffany Bottoms from old aerial photos. Trends suggest open water may soon be as extensive as it had been in the past.
• Brian Krosschell, Rochester, Minn., with faculty adviser Scott Whitfield, assistant professor of physics and astronomy. Research title: Photoelectron Spectrometry of the Valence Subshells of Atomic Chromium Following 3p to nd, ms Excitation and Decay. Abstract: A determination of angular distributions and relative partial photoionization cross sections of the 3d and 4s mainlines and the largest satellite line of atomic chromium in the region of 3p to nd, ms excitations was completed using electron spectrometry with monochromatized synchrotron radiation.
• Renee Rollman, Appleton, (research with Carrie Morrell, Tomah; Bev Caldwell, Osseo; Nicole Degner, Lomira; Kiera Walsh, Madison; and Tom Hahn, Platteville), with faculty adviser Timothy Bawden, assistant professor of geography and anthropology. Research title: The Cultural Atlas of Wisconsin. Abstract: A joint project between UW-Madison’s Cartography Lab and UW-Eau Claire’s department of geography and anthropology, the Cultural Atlas of Wisconsin builds on the 1996 Cultural Map of Wisconsin, describing 1,000 places of significance to state history and culture.
• Ryan Rowe, Arpin, with faculty adviser Gregory Madden, associate professor of psychology. Research title: Toward an Animal Model of Pathological Gambling. Abstract: Pigeons are more likely to gamble than work at a fixed-wage job when their income is low. The research examines whether random reward amounts increase pigeons’ motivation to gamble. The goal is to develop an animal model that can test interventions designed to reduce pathological gambling.
• Kristina M. Hall, White Bear Lake, Minn., with faculty adviser William Frankenberger, professor of psychology and director of the Human Development Center. Research title: Comorbid Diagnosis and Concomintant Medical Treatment for Children With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Abstract: The study determines the types of psychiatric disorders and corresponding medications prescribed to children in elementary emotional behavioral disability programs. It will determine the number of children diagnosed with multiple psychiatric disorders and those treated with multiple psychiatric medications.
• Darin Mohr, Appleton, and Elizabeth Burgener, Gleason, with faculty advisers Mohamed Elgindi and Robert Langer, professors of mathematics. Research title: On Body Profile Design for Extrusion Dies. Abstract: In the manufacture of plastic sheets, extreme pressures inside the die deflect the slit unevenly resulting in irregularities in the product. Through computer simulation using mathematical models of polymer flow and die deflection, a die body profile is determined that will result in uniform lip deflection and consequent uniform product.
• Jennifer Dumpprope, Rhinelander, and Amanda Sutherland, Gillett, with faculty advisers Charles Tomkovick, professor of management and marketing, and Rama Yelkur, associate professor of management and marketing. Research title: Super Bowl Advertising Effectiveness: Hollywood Finds the Games Golden. Abstract: How do firms justify spending $2 million for a Super Bowl commercial? In the first-of-its-kind Super Bowl Advertising Effectiveness study, movies using Super Bowl ads grossed nearly 40% more at the U.S. Box Office than non-Super Bowl promoted major movies in 1998-2001.
• Laura Strumness, Eleva, with faculty adviser Robert Hooper, professor of geology, and Brian Mahoney, associate professor of geology. Research title: Speciation and Mobility of Trace Metal Contamination in Fluvial Subenvironments of the Lower Coeur d’Alene River Valley, Idaho. Abstract: Sediment contaminated by mining activity impacts humans and wildlife in the Lower Coeur d’Alene River valley. Geochemical techniques were used to study river channel, levee, wetland and lacustrine environments. Understanding contaminant speciation is critical for understanding remediation options.
• Barbara Featherly, Shell Lake, with faculty adviser James Oberly, professor of history and American Indian Studies. Research title: Historical Movement of the Mohican Nation. Abstract: Student historical cartographer Barbara Featherly drew maps for a book by Oberly, titled “A Nation of Statesmen: The Political Culture of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans, 1815-1974.” The maps show the migration history of the Stockbridge-Munsee community, which has occupied a reservation in Shawano County since 1856.
• Rachel Nauss, Eau Claire, with faculty advisers Scott Hartsel, professor of chemistry, and Lloyd Turtinen, professor of biology. Research title: Studies on Antifungal Drug Delivery Systems: Physical Properties, Cellular Effects and Implications for HIV and Cancer Patients. Abstract: Researchers studied commercial Amphotericin B preparations to correlate physical properties with drug side effects. Results have implications on what preparations should be avoided in treating HIV patients for fungal infections.
• Erin N. Heidtke, Chippewa Falls, with faculty adviser Lisa Theo, lecturer of geography and anthropology. Research title: A Study of Vegetation Inventory Methods for NatureMapping®: A Citizen Science Based Program. Abstract: The research addressed inventory methods for NatureMapping®, a program where laymen identify and inventory environmental features. Inventory protocols for flora were evaluated in line transects, circle and point quadrates. Each was tested in lowland savanna, woodland transition area, highland woodland and dense shrub land at Beaver Creek Reserve in Fall Creek.

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JB

Judy Berthiaume, Director
UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
Schofield 201
(715) 836-4741
newsbur@uwec.edu

Updated: April 15, 2004