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Homepage > Academics > Special Academic Programs > McNair Scholars > Abstracts > Cohort 3
COHORT 3 ~ 1997-1998
Health Care Needs and Barriers for Union Gospel Mission Clients
Carol Bearheart, Social Work
Marcia L. Nason, M.S.W., LICSW, Department of Social Work and Sociology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
The daily news is saturated with stories of poverty, lack of opportunity, and health care related issues. It is not uncommon to find homelessness and racism as common denominators on the rise with health problems among the underserved. At the Union Gospel Mission located in a northern city of Minnesota, clients experience multiple health problems and have unmet health care needs. This qualitative study attempts to identify client perceptions of personal major health care barriers. Through barrier identification, the agency can better assist clients in accessing necessary medical care services.
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A Belief in the Power of Work at Goodwill Industries
Jessica R. Croatt, Social Work
M. Casey Bowman, M.S.W., LICSW, Department of Social Work and Sociology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
The power of work is an important concept at Goodwill Industries. It is one of the largest non-profit providers of employment and training services for people with disabilities. Work builds self-confidence, friendship, trust, and independence. A satisfying work experience can enhance lifestyles and help people meet basic needs. Goodwill Industries, Duluth employs 240 workers with physical, emotional, and/or cognitive disabilities. Forty-five randomly selected employees completed interviews about their work setting, supervision, and communication. This study was designed to assess Goodwill Industries’ employees’ level of work satisfaction. A summary of the information collected was shared with Goodwill Industries’ administration and staff.
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A Model for Program Evaluation of Intensive In-home Family Based Services
Jody Fuhr, Arts and Sciences
David X. Swenson, Ph.D., Department of Management
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to present a model of program review designed for Intensive In-home Services at a northwestern Wisconsin full-range mental health center. The project sought to construct a detailed description of the families who used services, identify measures that appeared to be relevant to intervention and conduct a pilot comparison of pre- and post- intervention response measures. Families were found to have significant emotional needs at the individual level and in the parent-child relationship. A wide array of variables, both single measures and standardized tests, enabled initial description of clients, but the sample size was too small to justify a stable statistical comparison at this time. Future research use of the model is also discussed.
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Rye and Roots: A Study Exploring Finnish-American Foodways and Ethnic Identity
Mary Jo Hannu, Anthropology
Robert Craig, Ph.D., Department of Languages and International Studies
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
This project explores Finnish-American foodways and ethnic identity. A summary of the history of Finland in the 19th century gives a picture of who the Finnish immigrants were and what shaped the foodways they brought to North America. An examination of changes to Finnish immigrant foodways over the past one hundred years, plus data from a written questionnaire, participant observation, and face-to-face interviews suggest what specific foods are current Finnish-American ethnic identity symbols Finally presented are directives for future research exploring what place foodways and ethnic identity have in the lives of subsequent generations of Finnish-Americans.
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Synthetic Approach to Arene Binding Potential
Eddie Kalombo, Chemistry
Paul Kiprof, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Abstract
Studies on the interaction between titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4 ) and benzene derivatives (arenes) datr as far back as 1965 when Krauss and coworkers synthesized a compound that was composed of three equivalents of TiCl4 and one equivalent of hexamethylbenzene. This was later characterized by Floriani and coworkers as the titanium d arene complex [(6-C6Me6)TiCl3]+Ti2Cl9-.
High-valent metal arene complexes with high valent titanium compounds are unstable in part because the metal lacks bonding electrons in its valence orbitals. As a result donation is the only type of bonding that can occur. This means that the arene donates binding electrons to a good lewis acid, and it also leads to the formation of titanium arene complexes whose existence is highly dependent upon the electronic structure of the arene and the titanium fragment. It is this property that makes TiCl4 a good Lewis acid, and it also leads to the formation of titanium arene complexes whos existence is highly dependent upon the electronic structure of the arene and the titanium fragment. It is especially important to have arenes with good donor capabilities such as hexamethylbenzene. The low stability of these metal arene complexes challenges any schemes to derive a concise synthetic approach to their isolation, and characterization.
Titanium tetrachloride is extensively used as a Lewis catalyst for many metal-assisted organic reactions. In this research we synthesized new aren and investigated their bonding to titanium tetrachloride. The starting point was pentamethylbenzene, which was brominated in high yield and attempts were made to derivatize it (Scheme 1).
Scheme 1
Bromo-pentamethylbenzene was also investigated as a potential coupling arene to titanium tetrachloride. It was observed that a read solid formed when bromo-pentamethylbenzene and TiCl4 were added together. This solid is currently under investigation.. In addition, a precursor to another pissible type of titanium arene complex was synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR (Scheme 2).
DNA: Past and Present
Amber M. Lindeman, Psychology
Gary Gordon, Ph.D., Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Abstract
DNA is the building block of all human life. The history of its discovery was a race among scientists to discover the structure of the DNA molecule. Now scientists know there is an extremely beneficial microscopic molecule to assist in solving criminal and non-criminal cases. It can be extracted from many sites in the human body. Contamination of these samples is a factor that needs to be considered both on the crime scene and in the lab. After the sample is collected and examined a court admissibility hearing occurs to determine whether or not it is ethical to have a collection of samples in a database that could be accessed for future reference. DNA has greatly influenced the scientific community and the system of justice and has provided many benefits to society.
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Male Figure Photography:
Controversy, Censorship, and the National Endowment for the Arts
Matthew McCauley, Studio Art - Photography
Pope Wright, M.S., Department of Fine Arts
University of Wisconsin - Superior
Ann Blackwell, School of Art and Design
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
ABSTRACT
Censorship and controversy have affected the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in a negative manner for the past ten years. Funding provided by the NEA for the Robert Mapplethorpe retrospective, "The Perfect Moment," created the catalyst that Congress has used to cut funding from the NEA's budget. With the major focus on censorship in photography, this research contrasts views of photographers that focus on the male figure and Senators who want to prevent the NEA from funding male nude photography.
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Knowledge of Aging and Attitudes Toward
Gerontology Education Among College Faculty
Rajean P. Moone, Psychology
Angela M. Rosenberg, Ph.D., Department of Psychology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
Educators play a key role in incorporating gerontology into college curricula. While it is obvious that students training for health and human service provision are likely to work with older adults and need a background in gerontology, it does not appear to be a shared perception that most future college graduates would benefit from similar training. Demographics suggest otherwise. As our population ages, workers in a variety of fields will be addressing aging in some regard. Will college graduates be prepared? This study surveyed college faculty from a variety of disciplines as to their knowledge about and training in aging and their attitudes about gerontology education for students in their disciplines as well as college students in general. Data from 536 college professors were included in the analysis. Results indicated that it is those who work in the health and human service related fields, those who have training in gerontology, and those who have more knowledge about aging see the importance of providing students with training in aging. The next step is to determine how to inspire faculty in non-human service and non-health related fields to teach students about aging.
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The Efficacy of Craniosacral Therapy
Carrie Preussner, Physical Therapy
Gary Gordon, Ph.D., Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of Craniosacral Therapy (CST) in respect to stress relief as measured by changes in heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension. Developed in the 1920s, Craniosacral Therapy is slowly becoming an accepted form of treatment for certain medical conditions in various disciplines throughout western medicine. It has been used for relaxation. The researcher measured physiologic changes in the body prior to and following the application of CST.
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Salvia divinorum Epling et Játiva-M. (Labiatae):
An Ethnopharmacological Investigation
Sherry A. Rovinsky, Biology
Gerald R. Cizadlo, Ph.D., Department of Biology
The College of St. Scholastica
ABSTRACT
Salvia divinorum is a vision-inducing and medicinal plant of Mexico. It contains an unidentified acetone-soluble compound(s) which inhibits the growth of rod-shaped bacteria on starch agar. Preliminary testing also indicated that a water-soluble compound(s) in S. divinorum slowed the frequency and increased the duration of phasic contractions in the duodenal smooth muscle of mice.
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