McNair Scholars

I AM A ...

E-Mail

PRINT

Print

McNair Scholars

Cohort 2

COHORT 2 ~ 1996-1997

Legend and Fact in the Study of Ch’an History

Erik Akre, Religious Studies

Steve Ostovich, Ph.D., Department of Religious Studies

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

The legendary history of Zen Buddhism developed with the Zen (Chinese “Ch’an”) religion in China between the seventh and eleventh centuries C.E. This history not only functions as a religious paradigm for the Ch’an tradition; it is also an important expression of the factual history that produced it. This paper sketches the development and importance of the Ch’an legend within Ch’an history. Through description of the relationship between legendary and factual history in Ch’an, guidelines are drawn for the approach taken by one who would study Ch’an history.

Education for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing

Nicole Bockovich, Education

Sr. Mary Richard Boo, Professor Emeritus

St. Scholastica Monastery

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to describe the history of deaf education as it has evolved over the last few centuries and what the implications of this evolution are for deaf children today. The main objectives of deaf education are discussed, as are the options for placement of the deaf student. The education of teachers of the deaf is touched on briefly. The conclusion is made that more supportive research is necessary in order to gain a clearer picture of what direction deaf education needs to take.

Masterminds on Stage:

Directorial Styles of Constanin Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg

Debra Buse, English

Sr. Mary Richard Boo, Professor Emeritus

St. Scholastica Monastery

ABSTRACT

“The actors creative process starts when he becomes immersed in the play. He should first of all independently or with the aid of the director, discover the fundamental motive of the play to be produced...the kernel...The basic line of actionthrough all the episodes...we call the through line of action...” -Stanislavski’s Legacy

Throughout the past centuries, theatre has evolved from the presentational style of the nineteenth century posturing and voice to the eclectic styling of the current stage. This process of getting from the script to the stage is a journey that requires the collaboration of the actor and director. But how is it best to continue from the first reading of the script during the initial rehearsal? Should a director first move his actors to an emotional/sensory based understanding of a script and the actor’s character, or should the actor first come to a physical, objective based understanding? This paper will compare the work pertaining to physical action and emotion/sensory work done by the two great director/educators: Constantin Stanislavski and Lee Strasberg. Constantin Stanislavski (1863-1938), the infamous Russian director, in his earlier years taught emotion/sensory training as a priority in coaching actors. In his later years Stanislavski shifted from that focus to concentrate on the physical action of the script. Lee Strasberg (1901-1982), an American director, studied Stanislavski’s technique during the time in Stanislavski’s life when he was concentrating on relaxation and sensory memory work.

When Strasberg opened the Actor’s Studio in the United States, it was these pieces of Stanislavski’s method that he took with him and developed into his own working method. This paper takes a closer look at the use of emotional recall compared to the physical line of action. When a director begins the rehearsal process, is it better for him/her to work from the emotional or the physical aspects of the script? Obviously both are necessary and theatre has proven both methods successful; but for the sake of communication in the actor/ director relationship, which is more relevant? Does the emotional or physical through line have more word-stock for dialogue between the actor and director?

The Relationship Between Equity in Communication and Marital Satisfaction

Heather A. Courtney, Psychology

Debra Schroeder, Ph.D., Department of Psychology

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the current study was to test the claim that equity in verbal interactions plays an integral role in marital satisfaction. Forty-two participants from three religious organizations and a small liberal arts college in the Upper Midwest completed a marriage survey. The marriage survey consisted of demographic data, a marital satisfaction scale, and an interaction scale covering common discussion topics in a marital relationship (e.g., finances, children, religion). The hypothesis was that those participants who perceived equitable verbal interactions with their spouses would report higher levels of marital satisfaction than would those who did not perceive equitable verbal interactions. The hypothesis was partially supported. Using one equity formula, there was a positive correlation between equity in communication regarding hobbies and marital satisfaction. Using a second equity formula, there was a positive correlation between marital satisfaction and equity in communication regarding children and occupation.

Social Interactions between Immigrant Female and Resident

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Gombe

Kelly A. Crea, Psychology

Darryl M. Dietrich, Ph.D., Department of Psychology

The College of St. Scholastica

Anne Pusey, Ph.D., Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

University of Minnesota-St. Paul

ABSTRACT

Social interactions of adolescent female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) that transferred into the Kasakela community within the confines of Gombe National Park, Tanzania were studied. The number of minutes each focal immigrant engaged in grooming and association with a Kasakela resident was calculated into a ratio of association. Immigrant females chose specific high-ranking males or “hired-guns” to associate with, and relationships with these males seemed to facilitate the immigrants’ integration into the new community. In some cases, a female chose to associate with a high-ranking or “specific senior female,” although this was not found as prevalent in common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) as it was in bonobos or pygmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus) (Idani, 1991).

The Empathic Confidant Relationship

and Causality of Life Satisfaction in Older Adults:

A Pilot Study

Steven J. Dick, English

Patricia Hagen, Ph.D., Department of Languages and Literature

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

Past studies suggest that older adults who possess confidential relationships report greater life satisfaction than those who do not. I propose that the quality of a close, confidential relationship may predict higher levels of life satisfaction for an older adult. I designed a questionnaire to assess life satisfaction in older adults. The sample consisted of eight volunteer participants, four of whom reported having no confidant, while two said they did have a confidant. A third group was composed of those confidants themselves. The participants who reported having confidants were asked to recruit their confidant as their partners in this study. I proposed that the subjects who reported having a confidant would score higher on the life satisfaction measure than those without one. I further proposed that the quality of the relationship between the subject and the confidant would be positively related to the subject's life satisfaction level. That quality was assessed by the ability of the confidant to empathize with his/her friend's responses on the life satisfaction questionnaire. A higher degree of empathy predicts a higher level of life satisfaction. The results seem to support my proposal, but the execution of the study brought other issues to light that confound the results.

Redesigning The College of St. Scholastica Web Site

Scott Erickson, Computer Science

Patricia Hagen, Ph.D., Department of Languages and Literature

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

The World Wide Web has seemingly taken the world by storm. Many colleges and universities now have their own Web sites. As the Web has grown in size, it has also grown in importance as a marketing tool and as an information delivery tool. The College of St. Scholastica (CSS) has undertaken to redesign their Web site to address the marketing and information delivery needs of its members. However, the redesign of a Web site, while seemingly easy, should not be undertaken without careful planning. Issues such as purpose and target audiences of the site, site organization, use of navigational aids and graphics, and page layout all must be considered before the actual page creation is begun.

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.

Product-line Analysis of Services in Minnesota Acute Care Facilities

Paul W. Hankey, Health Information Management

David X. Swenson, Ph.D., Management Department

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

This study examines the extent of managerial product-line analysis of cost-volume-profit relationships, including the identification of fixed costs, variable costs, and contribution margin, based on Health Care Financing Administration groupings of services around Diagnosis Related Groups and/or Major Disease Categories. It was hypothesized that health care financial and clinical resources are not analyzed uniformly in Minnesota acute care facilities. Product-lines might not be identified, and data related to those product-lines might not be routinely collected, summarized, and analyzed to make managerial decisions based on financial performance. Participants in the study were 47 acute care hospitals in Minnesota. They completed a survey asking questions about the extent and use of product-line groupings for cost-volume-profit analysis and decision-making in their business operations. The study found that a majority of facilities categorize their range of services in traditional functional areas, while a much smaller proportion of facilities categorize their services in product-lines. Facilities who do not calculate cost-volume-profit relationships for their product-lines outnumber the facilities who do by a wide margin. Measures of profitability are not extensive throughout the range of product-line groupings of services for most hospitals. Discussion of the findings are presented regarding the correlative relationships among the demographic characteristics of the sample hospitals, the utility of engaging in product-line cost-volume-profit analysis, and the uses of the information developed in that analysis for managerial decision-making.

Induction of NFRB Binding Activities, but not Activation Function

Following Infection by Herpes Simplex Virus

Julie Hanson, Biochemistry

Paul Stein, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry

The College of St. Scholastica

Steve Bachenheimer,1,2 Tim McLean,1,2 and Jennifer Olgiate,1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department

of Microbiology and Immunology,1

and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology2

ABSTRACT

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection regulates a number of cellular events including upregulation of transcription factors. This lab has previously demonstrated how HSV infection effects E2F DNA binding activity. We will now demonstrate how HSV infection increases translocation of the transcription factor NFRB into the nucleus. Gel mobility shift assays using antibodies for two NFRB subunits (p50 and p65) were used to support the hypothesis that there is both a transient and a delayed sustained induction of NFRB after viral infection. We will further show through a variety of different promoter constructs that, although there is an increase of translocation of NFRB, there is not an increase in trans-activation function of NFRB after viral infection and that there is not an increase in the promoter activity of genes for p105/p50 and p65.

The Littlewolf Family: A Study of Love and Labor from the

Leech Lake Indian Reservation to the Mesabi Iron Range

LeAnn Littlewolf, History

Thomas Zelman, Ph.D., Department of Languages and Literature

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

In the summer of 1950, an Ojibwe family decided to leave the familiar landscape of their home reservation of Leech Lake to find work on the economically booming Iron Range. The Littlewolfs made the decision that involved breaking tribal ties and distancing themselves from the traditional land that represents the symbolic home to search out economic and educational opportunities. While many American Indians gravitate to urban centers, others seek a livelihood closer to home in smaller cities or towns. My study is not a comprehensive project examining the Ojibwe off-reservation migration to small towns, but a case study examining aspects of one family’s experience in terms of quality of life questions and cultural identity. External conditions prompted the Littlewolfs’ decision to leave the reservation. Federal policies affected both life on the reservation and the motivation to leave. The conditions on the reservation directly affected rates of acculturation for Ojibwe people. The Littlewolfs moved to a region rich with different backgrounds. The mining industry lured many immigrants from around the world. Parallels of cultural change exist between the Ojibwe and immigrant experiences.

This case study challenges extreme lines of thought regarding the status of cultural identity. Customary views of Ojibwe people range from the traditional Indian, frozen in the past, to the fully assimilated Indian, devoid of any distinguishing cultural features. I propose the experience of the Littlewolf family more closely resembles A. Irving Hallowell’s concept of transculturalization. For Ojibwe people are a segment of American culture, as well as a product of their own culture. The difficulty lies in the lines drawn between the two cultures as being separate and distinct. In truth, there is a fluid interplay between the two experiences that represent more accurately the experience of the Ojibwe person in the 20^th century.

Gender, Language, and the Duluth News Tribune

Sarah Loetscher, English

Thomas Zelman, Ph.D., Department of Literature and Language

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

After examining representative issues of the Duluth News Tribune published during 1997, I analyzed the language of this newspaper to determine how males and females are portrayed. In the Seventies, reformers began challenging gender-exclusive aspects of the English language. Through my research of the News Tribune, I found that since the 1970’s, language has changed somewhat to accommodate the movement toward gender equality. While the News Tribune staff has nonsexist writing and editing guidelines today, this paper establishes how gender-abuses take place despite the Tribune’s efforts to avoid such inequalities. Because newspapers are influential displayers of words, the News Tribune and other dailies are powerful shapers of society. Many of the sexist examples illustrate how journalists are likely to view men and women in traditional, gender-specific roles. Because communities are greatly affected by journalistic language, people unconsciously integrate newspaper stereotypes and labels into their everyday communication.

Determination of Proteins from a Normal Prostate cDNA Library

That Interact with the Androgen Receptor using a Yeast Two-Hybrid Screen

Sara Lokstad, Biology

Paul Stein, Ph.D. Department of Chemistry

The College of St. Scholastica

Nancy Stallings, Dr. Michael J. McPhaul, MD

Department of Internal Medicine

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

ABSTRACT

Due to the potential involvement of androgens in the development of prostate cancer, this investigation focused on the interaction of two proteins using a yeast two-hybrid screen. The two proteins examined in the screen included the androgen receptor and an unknown protein from a normal prostate cDNA library. By understanding the normal interactions of the prostate and androgen receptor, greater insight may be provided into the possible role of androgens in the acquisition of prostate cancer. Numerous proteins which demonstrate an interaction with the androgen receptor have been identified through this initial screen.

Welfare History and Reform: Through Social Engineering

Mari Love, Social Work

Darryl Dietrich, Ph.D., Department of Psychology

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

In this research paper I explore the history of welfare in the United States. I address the concept of “social engineering” and how this view has affected the process of social change. I also compare and contrast Cuba, with its self described “special times” which the country has been involved in since the withdrawal of the former Soviet Union from its shores, and the United States, which like Cuba is involved in reconstructing major components of social policy. Education as provided for under the Minnesota Family Investment Program will be discussed, and the consequences social engineering has had on the availability of education to recipients of welfare.

Student Perceptions of Student Development Services

Davin E. Maijala, Psychology

David X. Swenson, Ph.D., Department of Management

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

With the changing demographics and needs of college students, it is important for college counseling centers to assess the needs of the student population and to consider making adjustments in programming. A pilot survey of student counseling and services needs was conducted at a small, liberal arts, private institution in the Upper Midwest. The purpose was to design and test a survey format for regular assessment of student support needs. Responses to the Student Development Center Survey were received from 64 students. Response trends are noted and discussed. Suggestions for future needs assessments are also discussed.

The Effects of Menarche on Adolescent Girls' Eating Attitudes and Body Perception

Jennifer L. Mueller, Psychology

Darryl Dietrich, Ph.D., Department of Psychology

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

As young girls go through puberty, they experience many biological and physical transformations. One of the biggest changes occurs when girls begin to menstruate. This study examined the effects of menarche on girls' eating attitudes and body satisfaction. Thirty-nine girls in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade participated by completing the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), a body perception scale, and a cognitive functioning exercise. The fundamental assumption for this study was that girls who have experienced menarche will have a greater dissatisfaction with their body and more unhealthy eating attitudes. The data did not support the hypothesis that postmenarchal girls have higher EAT-26 scores and greater body dissatisfaction than premenarchal girls. Neither did the data show the predicted correlation between cognitive developmental level and body image perception difference. There were interesting, unpredicted negative correlations, between the average EAT-26 scores and body image difference scores. Although the hypotheses were unsupported, past research suggests that there is an effect of menarche on adolescent girls' perceptions and habits (Gralen, Levine, Smolak, & Murnen, 1990). Future research should focus on how girls deal with their beliefs and society's messages. It is also important to develop effective prevention techniques and programs in order to reduce the number of adolescents with eating problems and disorders.

A Model for the Assessment of Student Challenges from

Health Information Management Graduate Programs

Daniel Pothen, Health Information Management

David X. Swenson, Ph.D., Department of Management

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to design a model for assessing the challenges encountered by students enrolled in health information management (HIM) graduate programs. In response to the need for advanced training, master's level programs in HIM have emerged at various institutions across the U.S. These students will indeed struggle with various challenges or barriers as they progress toward obtaining their degree. This study was aimed at proposing a model in questionnaire format that could be used to identify those challenges and provide the students and faculty of each of the programs with useful information necessary to help increase the students' success rate.

Bones, Stones, and Hormones: The Physiological Effect of Gregorian Chant

on the Sella Turcica and Human Endocrine System

Sandra Reed, Management

Patricia Hagen, Ph.D., Department of Languages and Literature

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes that a relationship exists between the physiology of the arched roof of the mouth and the architecture of the transverse arch of the Gothic cathedral. Facilitated by Gregorian chant, a sense of connection is established between these inner and outer worlds by a series of physiological events triggered by the auditory and visual properties of medieval sacred space. The Pythagorean principles of number, pattern, and proportion used to construct the Gothic cathedrals of Europe created a harmonic space with outstanding acoustics. Enhanced by the acoustic properties of the Gothic arch, overtones of Gregorian chant establish sympathetic resonance and entrainment between choir and audience. These overtones also vibrate the bone structure of the sella turcica, which houses the pituitary gland, and stimulate hormone secretion. The skull acts as a resonating chamber to vibrate and stimulate the pineal gland. Mood altering hormones are released into the bloodstream, pass through the blood brain barrier, and create a mood-altering event for the participant. By replicating the physiological pattern of the mouth into the architecture of sacred space, the vibratory effect of Gregorian chant is magnified and its affect is a sense of connection between inner and outer worlds.

Although this relationship has not been previously established, an overview of the relevant principles of architecture, acoustics, math, and music indicates sufficient support to warrant further scientific evaluation of the hypothesis.

Thinking Mathematics: A New Approach

Christine Schelonka, Education

Sister Mary Richard Boo, Professor Emeritus

St. Scholastica Monastery

ABSTRACT

Students today are overwhelmed by their own perceptions of mathematics. Not only are students disappointed with their achievements but teachers seem discouraged as well. The inadequate achievement of U.S. students in mathematics has been chronicled in headlines, papers, books, and conferences. What U.S. students may need to succeed in mathematics is not the ability to memorize facts and formulas, but rather teachers who are interested in the process in which students understand and learn math. There are challenges whenever something new is introduced. There is no nationally defined mathematics curriculum, and less advanced mathematical content is now an outcry across America. However, what is not needed is one more new curriculum. In itself, that will not solve a national problem. Rather, we need a new philosophy of teaching math--Thinking Mathematics.

Purification and Characterization of Wound Induced Protein (WIN)
from Solanum Tuberosum

Robert L. Wroblewski, Biology

Paul Stein, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry

The College of St. Scholastica

ABSTRACT

A 21,000 MW chitin-binding protein from potato tubers (Solanum Tuberosum) has been purified and is believed to be Wound Induced Protein(WIN) (1). It is purified using a combination of gel column chromatography and chitin affinity column techniques. It appears to exist in monomeric form and has low affinity to the carbohydrate chitin. This 21,000 MW protein has been shown to agglutinate red blood cells and exist in larger amounts in young tubers.