Faculty Proposals
Submitted Spring
2006
Dr. Sharon
Young Prof. Dennis
Siegfried
Prof. Mark Winslow
Dr. D. Ed
Neuenschwander Dr. Kenny
Wantz Dr. Daryl Cox
Research Report and Proposal to Catalysts
February
2006
Dr. Sharon
Young
Thank you for supporting my work on the insect
collection in Costa Rica over the past three years. Your donations have
provided equipment and supplies that enabled students, colleagues and I to
assemble a permanent collection of which we can be proud. The Chacon’s
Ecotourism business and the QERC attract a large number of scientists from
around the world and many of them visit the QERC lab and museum. The
insect collection is the most visible and permanent evidence of all the projects
done there. To the extent that it is well preserved and meets standard
conventions, it lends credibility to our facility.
Catalyst-funded insect equipment is stored in a large
locked trunk and we can set up our lab and start pinning and drying insects on
the day we arrive. The six Cornell museum display cases purchased with your
grant are filled. The specimens from last year’s trips have used up the
remaining space. We are in critical need of additional storage
boxes.* There are many more species yet to be collected. There are
not many duplicate specimens -- this supports the ecological principle that near
the equator there are more species and smaller populations of each. Also
we have a policy of not killing more individuals than necessary.
One of the goals of my original proposal was to produce
a photographic field guide to the insects of QERC and San Gerardo de Dota.
Two years ago, I showed Catalysts a large number of photographs of pinned
insects. I believe we can do better by using digital images of live
specimens. Additionally faculty and students can use digital photos for
power point presentations to scientific meetings. Dr. Wes
Hanson has become an excellent photographer. One of his pictures is
included in the last years OKC Zoo calendar; and several of his high resolution
digital photographs of animals are now hanging in the Biology
Department. I hope that Dr. Hanson and some of the students will
become involved in the photographic field guide project. Sam Bader
who is also an excellent photographer may also return to Costa Rica this summer
after his graduation from our Environmental Science program. Thank you
for the lap top computer you funded last year. It was very useful in
indexing previous research papers done at QERC. My own attempts at digital
photography last month (January 2006) were not as successful as I had hoped, but
I did document the problems we are having with controlling mold in the humid
environment. I and others will continue to make good use of the laptop
computer purchased with Catalyst funding. The laptop is used both in Costa
Rica and for student labs on the Bethany campus.
We are much in need of a room size de-humidifier.
The silica gel that I dehydrate and replace in the insect trays can not alone
prevent mold. Some of our best specimens were ruined between June and
December, 2005. A set of moths and butterflies collected by the Micah
Warners, son of sabbatical resident researcher Dr. David Warners had no mold,
but was damaged by dermestids and psocid insects. To successfully preserve
the insect collection in the cloud forest environment, we need an air-tight
Cornell cabinet and 7 additional closed Cornell cases which can be treated for
invading live insects, and also de-humidified ambient air.
Quote from last year’s request:
“In
the future it would be helpful to have a one-room dehumidifier, a better dryer,
and a small freezer.”
We
have been able to purchase a very small freezer that will suffice for a
professor and a few students using it at the same time. The improvised
dryer (light bulbs with grommets in canvas over a wooden frame) will work unless
we set the building on fire.
Research Proposal to Catalysts
Dennis
Siegfried
Department of
Biology
The role
of Geological Information Systems (GIS) in the Biological sciences has become a
major development within the last 5 years. Part of that development has
been the use of hand-held Geographical Positioning System (GPS) units.
These units allow researchers to take spatial data that can be incorporated into
a GIS database to account for spatial variability. However, a limitation
of these units has been their inability to effectively receive a signal through
foliage. Traditionally, additional antennas were used that went above the
foliage.
At the
Quetzal Educational Research Center (QERC) most species of birds, including the
resplendent quetzal, nest and or feed under canopy. Since the canopy in the
mature cloud forest reaches a height of 30-40 m, additional antenna length is
impractical. This makes it very difficult to accurately map the location of nest
sites and some feeding stations. These sites are necessary to assess the
development of the population of nesting birds at the QERC.
As the
Environmental Studies program develops, students will need to be comfortable
using GPS units and transferring data from them to GIS. Most employers are
looking for candidates that have both GIS and GPS experience. As part of the
program development in both of these areas will be a requirement.
Garmin
Ltd. has developed a GPS unit that can receive a signal under canopy. The GPSMAP
60CSx is designed for rugged conditions and wet environments. It also allows the
user to store locations on a micro-SD card so that information can be easily
uploaded to a GIS.
Research Report and Proposal to Catalysts
Mark
Winslow
Department of
Physics
Many thanks to the Catalyst donors for their support of my
research work this past year. I’ve been working with Jody Bowie, a Science
Education Major in retooling an astronomy planetarium lab manual. We are
updating the labs to work with current software and make the exercises more
versatile for any location in the US rather than only at OKC. The
Catalysts grant supported purchase of the new software. Jody and I plan to
present our work at a National Science Teachers Association meeting in
December. The title of our presentation is “Teaching the Nature of Science
through Astronomy” in keeping with the theme of the conference.
I’m continuing my doctoral
dissertation work in Science Education at Kansas State University. My
research centers on studying how Christian college students assimilate evolution
into their beliefs system. Funding from Catalysts allowed me to purchase
research materials and attend a conference entitled “Views of Creation and
Evolution” at the University of Oklahoma in October. Continued funding in
the coming year will enable me to attend conferences and carry on my research
work. Thanks once again for your support.
Catalysts
Proposal
Dwight E. Neuenschwander, Department of
Physics
February 4, 2006
The encouragement of The
Catalysts offers a beautiful model of university faculty sustainability, one
that we deeply appreciate. SNU may be small in size but your support helps
us remain large in our thinking. May I express 106
thanks.
Your support in 2005
included these two projects, on which I offer this report:
* A
history of modern cosmology, beginning with Albert Einstein’s 1917
application of General Relativity to the cosmos, which triggered a discussion
that let to Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery of the expansion of the
universe. Especially intriguing is the historical role of Einstein’s
“cosmological constant,” which has resurfaced since 1998 as the enigma of “dark
energy.” A working draft on the full range of these topics now exists, and
will be completed in a 30-page version by this summer. That version will
be published as a series of four articles, in installments, in The SPS
Observer, published for the Society of Physics Students by the American
Institute of Physics, starting next fall. This project also appears
destined to expand into a larger work.
*
A curriculum tracing analogous and concurrent developments in art and
physics. This project was completed in the fall, with its most visible
product a PowerPoint presentation, already delivered by invitation last semester
to two Fine Arts courses (with standing invitations to return), as well as
presented in “Science, Technology, and Society” classes. The premiere
presentation was delivered, with pride and pleasure, at the Catalyst Luncheon of
Homecoming 2005.
For 2006
I call your attention to
our determination to make Southern Nazarene University a serious player in
teaching of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity to
undergraduates.
It has been often
observed that it takes about a century for cutting-edge physics research to
percolate into a regular feature of the undergraduate curriculum. This is
now happening with General Relativity, and SNU has been among those universities
showing how to do it.
Beginning in the late
1980’s, we have taught a course in GTR under the course heading “PHYS
3191-Selected Topics in Physics: General Relativity.” Beginning with the
2000 catalog this course was expanded into
PHYS 4311-2 General
Relativity (1-2 hours)
A rigorous introduction
to Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. Review of Special Relativity
and Minkowski spacetime; the metric tensor; covariant and contravariant tensors;
the affine connection and covariant derivatives; the Principle of Equivalence,
Principle of General Covariance; the Riemann and Ricci curvature tensors;
Einstein’s field equations. Applications to gravitational red shift;
deflection of starlight by the Sun, precession of perihelion, the Schwarzschild
metric, cosmology. With the second credit hour, we also examine gravity
waves, Kerr metrics, stellar collapse and black holes. Spring semester,
alternate years. PREREQUISITES: General Physics for Scientists &
Engineers II (PHYS 2214) and Calculus III (MATH 3164).
This year PHYS 4322 will
be offered in the fall 2006 semester, because a Selected Topics course
this spring features a GR subject preliminary to it: “PHYS 3191-Selected Topics
in Physics: Black Holes.”
We now have
a cadre of students keenly interested in GR, and for a specific focus are
putting together a research program on the gravitational field produced by an
electrically charged, spherically symmetric, rotating body. The product of
this work may be publications with student authors, but it will
certainly include presentations at regional and/or national
meetings.
Towards these ends I
have some contacts with colleagues in Oklahoma and Texas who can serve as
sounding boards for ideas.
I have also been invited
to attend an American Association of Physics Teachers Topical Conference this
summer, called “Teaching General Relativity to Undergraduates,” at Syracuse
University, Syracuse, NY, July 20-21, 2006. The organizer is Charles
Holbrow of Colgate University. Commenting on my Black Holes and General
Relativity courses, and our track record here with alumni and publications,
Professor Holbrow told me on January 26 of this year, “Clearly you can be a
valuable contributor and I hope you will come.”
Respectfully submitted,
Dwight E. Neuenschwander, Department of Physics
Catalyst Report & Proposal
Kenneth L. Wantz
February 2006
In February 2004, Catalyst generously provided a $600 award to enable me to
remain engaged in mathematical research. This award and a similar award in
2000 have been valuable in helping me meet my research goals over the last six
years. Since my last Catalyst award I have had an additional source of
funding to assist me in these endeavors. This substantial award came from
the Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Consortium in recognition of my labors on their
behalf. I mention it due to its effect on the way in which I have used
Catalyst funds.
Since 2004, I have used less Catalyst funds for travel expenses to do
collaborative research. This is partially due to the fact that the NASA
grant funded an extended research trip. In the future, I would like to use
more Catalyst funds on such collaborative efforts.
Since my last report this work resulted in one published
journal article coauthored with Dr. Ron Baker of Charleston, West Virginia which
appeared December 2005. My current research stems from an SNU senior
research project of a former student now at the University of Arkansas.
Funds will be used to continue contact with this individual, as well as Ron
Baker. A similar research project involving a current SNU junior has just
begun, but it is not yet clear how Catalyst funds will be of assistance.
In 2004, Catalyst funds made it possible to complete the purchase of a laptop
computer which was partially funded by the NASA grant and a Math department
donor. This equipment has been very useful in providing for personal and
departmental needs, including research needs.
Within the past year, I have attempted to use Catalyst funds to acquire
mathematics texts which are important to my research. Unfortunately, my
attempts have not yet been successful, as many are out of print. My goal
is to renew these efforts. I also want to explore the idea of using
funding to gain access to online journal resources. Finally, I continue to
benefit from the use of these funds to purchase copies of reference materials
from OU Mathematics Library.
I gratefully acknowledge Catalyst's support of these endeavors on each occasion
that it is utilized.
End Report for Catalyst Funds
2005-2006
Principal Investigator: Daryl G. Cox
During the 2004-2005 school year 4-6 students are involved in
the following research projects:
1) the isolation of cholesterol
esterase,
2) the synthesis of cholesteryl furylacrylate
ester derivatives
3) development of a method for
detecting the cholesteryl
furylacrylate ester derivatives using HPLC
This year has been a very productive year. We had a
major set-back in that the resin used to isolate our enzyme is not longer
available. This required Keith and Bryan (both seniors) to modify our
isolation procedure. They almost have it working without problems.
The synthesis of cholesteryl esters using the new DCC method has worked well for
the sophomores Bethany and Stephen. They are now completing a method to
purify the product. Terrance (sophomore) and Lucas (junior) are just
starting to work on the HPLC method.
Undergraduate Research Proposal - Catalyst Funds
2006-2007
Continued The Development Of A Non-Radioactive
Assay
Principal Investigator: Daryl G. Cox
The research funds needed for the 2006-2007 school year will
be used to purchase the items listed below:
1) Supplies and reagents
2) HPLC column
With the isolation of significant quantities of CEase we plan
to continue to develop our physiological relevant spectrophotometric
assay. Our preliminary studies with the water-insoluble substrate, cholesteryl furylacrylate,
incorporated into an egg phosphatidyl choline vesicle, show that the maximum
difference in extinction coefficient between the ester and the furylacrylate
anion occurs at 303 nm. This cholesterol esterase catalyzed hydrolysis
reaction, monitored at 303 nm, is linear over a five-fold enzyme concentration
range.
The aim of this proposal is three
fold.
1) to continue to develop
our spectrophotometric assay,
2) to synthesize cholesteryl
derivatives of the furylacrylate esters and
3) to develop an HPLC method
for the detection of our newly synthesize esters. This method will be
quite tricky to develop because of the lack of chromophores in some of the
reactants.
More and more of our students are
asking to be involved in research so that they can be competitive when applying
to graduate school or MD PhD programs. The continued support of Catalysts
is very important in maintaining student involvement in research on campus.